It's really weird whatever it is, in Viper Racing it's pretty clear
that the shapes are changing, buildings seem to expand and implode as
you drive by.
In N3 you don't really notice anything, it just looks like the edge
AA. In GPL the trees and bushes seem to straighten up just a bit as
you approach, and the curved white lines on the track on the track
seem to be bending right at the point where the FSAA is taking place.
Overall it just seems like something is going on everywhere on the
screen as you drive. I bought this thing because I expected it to
clean every thing up and reduce eyestrain, but the FSAA seems to add
eye strain, at least in those 2 games.
Strangely, I just tried NASCAR 2000 and SCGT, and both of these games
benefit immensely from FSAA and the V5. N2000 was so jaggy before it
looked like a playstation game, but now it really looks nice.
> I think this should be looked at.
> One thing I'm curious about is, are the shapes really being changed,
or is
> it an optical illusion.
> I remember some arguments a while back, mainly in first-person
shooters when
> 60+ fps became common, that many people complained the cards were
drawing
> "double" or ghost images, when in fact is was an illusion created
with
> fast-moving objects at a high framerate (the eye would see two
consecutive
> frames "simultaneously" and thus be tricked into seeing double).
> Obviously this is a different effect, but I wonder if it's an
illusion as
> well, having to do with the perception of where the edge is, and
maybe a
> little bit of Field of View distortion thrown in there (racing games
usually
> have a higher FOV angle). Since edges by definition are already
straight, I
> don't see how they can actually become "straightened."
> Naturally I haven't seen the effect for myself so I probably don't
know what
> I'm talking about. I'm just speculating.
> > After 6 months of looking forward to FSAA in the V5, I finally got
my
> board
> > yesterday and I'm extremely disappointed.
> > While it looks great in screen shots and replays, when you are
driving it
> is
> > more of an annoyance that a benefit. I tried it in N3, GPL, and
Viper
> > Racing, and this is what I saw:
> > In N3: Very little difference between FSAA and the software edge
AA in
> Glide
> > mode on my V3 3000.
> > In GPL: This is where I first realized the big shortfall of FSAA
in racing
> > sims. The FSAA is hyped as "real-time", but that isn't a good
thing. What
> > you get is edges being straightened while you are driving past,
the shape
> of
> > bridges and overpasses slightly change as you approach them.
> > I expected FSAA to "clean up" the screen, but it seems to add more
> > distraction than it eliminates. Unfortunately, this is also where
I
> > discovered why the card is being recalled. It crashes, just locks
up
> > completely, at random but frequent intervals.
> > In Viper: Even worse yet than GPL. No lockups, but the buildings
and trees
> > are constantly changing shape. Very distracting and a shame,
because the
> > lack of jaggies and pixel popping really does look nice.
> > Conclusion: I'm glad they did the recall, because I would have
sent it
> back
> > anyway. It's very disappointing, but my expectations were probably
set too
> > high.
> > FSAA would probably be fine in games where everything is pre drawn
to the
> > screen, or in flight simulators where objects are off in the
distance, but
> > for driving sims where objects are so nearby, "real-time" FSAA
seems to be
> > more of a problem than a solution.
