rec.autos.simulators

I just bought one of these cards but am not getting the results I
expected, or what was even described on the box.  Am I doing something
wrong?  My problem is when running N2 the video is choppy and very
jagged.  I barely have anything turned on in the graphics section.  I am
running RENDDMA.BAT.  I do notice that it does have some affect on
smoothing out some of the graphics on the walls and cars, so I know it's
doing something.  I have also installed the 1.02.103a ROM update for the
card and am using the 4.03.31.30 video drivers.  I restart the computer
in MS-DOS mode to run the game.  Does everyone with this card experience
jagged edges on walls, cars, grass, etc. or am I doing something wrong
somewhere?  I am kind of sorry I bought this card if this is the best I
can get from it.  I might as well have kept my previous 4MB PCI video
card in the machine.  The game actually seemed to flow faster with the
old card anyways.

N2, unlike ICR2, has no anti-aliasing so those effects you describe are
normal.  To check and see if your system is performing up to par, download
DMAtest from my utilities page (see the URL in my sig).  Ideally it should
give you scores in the 80-90 range.  If its much below that (like 40 or
lower) you might want to check your BIOS for a PCI Latency Timer setting.
For some a BIOS upgrade was all that was required to boost their DMA scores.

BTW, the second generation Rendition cards are due out in a few weeks, so it
might not be a bad idea to return the Intergraph card wait for them.
Diamond announced a 4meg card based on the V2100 chip.  It's not quite as
fast or full-featured as the V2200 card that Hercules is releasing (the
Thriller3D), but those on a budget the StealthII (MSRP of $119.95) looks
like a very difficult deal to pass up.
http://www.diamondmm.com/products/items/stealth2.html
http://www.hercules.com/presale/release/thrill3d.htm

--


http://ebusch.akorn.net

I t somewhat depends on "how" you're running the game, such as
through DOS or Win95...Also depends on the sysytem you have
(you didn't mention the CPU), but to boost frame rate a little,
here's what you can try:

Run N2 in DOS...Maximize convetional memory wherever
possible (try only loading mouse driver).

Example config.sys:

DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
LASTDRIVE=H

Example autoexec.bat:

SET TMP=C:\TEMP
SET TEMP=C:\TEMP
SET MSINPUT=C:\MSINPUT
SET SOUND=C:\SB16
SET BLASTER=A220 I10 D3 H5 P330 T6 E620
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
LH C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S
LH C:\MSINPUT\MOUSE\MOUSE.EXE /Q

Lastly...Try running the following command line when starting N2:

    NASREND -DMA -4

This forces 4-bit graphics, and helps the game run smoothly when
you have limited resources (like memory).

Hope this all helps.  =)

Cheers!

Marc

Marc J. Nelson
Sim Racing Online / Sim Racing News / The Sim Project
http://members.aol.com/simracing

One more suggestion - Check your system bios for PCI latency timing settings -
 If your Bios supports this feature, try upping the timing and check for
 better/worse performance. The DMA test utility that Eric mentioned is going to
 be your best tool for diagnosing your systems capabilities-

Kevin
Kevin                          
Beware the Red Bowtie