rec.autos.simulators

I am running ICR2 on my Intergraph Reactor with a P100, 32 M RAM, etc.
It (Indyfast) runs great, but I have this one annoying graphics
"feature".  There is a line across the screen that is a little lighter
than the rest of the screen.  It is fine by itself, but when I turn a
corner, and there is an object moving across this line, I get a little
"smear" of color across this line.   It is most obvious during the
startup video and while running at Laguna Seca.  It is as in the object
smears, but just for this single horizontal line.  I also see a similar
effect when coming down the corkscrew, I get an occaissonal "sky blue"
flash at the border betwen the brown field and the green above it.
Wierd.  It is a major problem and once a race starts, I don't have time
to notice it much anyway, but I just wondered if it's just me.  I
haven't seen any similar problems with N2.  Oh yes, I have tried to
pause the machine and see it, but it always clears, so it seems to be a
transient of some kind.  Brian, Dave, anyone?? Thanks.

1.  When using Microsoft's MSD, the column of boxes on the right does
not have correct drop shadows.  It seems that there is an "off by one"
type of error and there is a column of light grey pixels (pels)
between the blue box and the dark grey drop shadow.

Has anyone else noticed this?  Which Verite 1000 based board?

2.  When doing e-mail downloads using Prodigy's E-mail connection.
The progress status bar moves from 0 to 100 percent.  Sometimes when
it pauses during a large download, say at 10%, then re-starts to move
the progress bar to 20%, it leaves a little unshaded area around the
11% range, i.e. the new shaded area does not quite join the old shaded
area.  Again, an "off by one" type of error.

Has anyone else noticed any graphic changes since installing?

3.  I do remote access to a lan.  The LAN has an IBM 8235 to host
remote users.  This device allows up to 8 people to dial-in and
"connect" to the LAN.  From DOS, part of the software that allows this
is an application named CONNECT.EXE.  This program simulates the
familiar windows user interface using the 80 by 25 text area with a
"window" (box of colored squares) and text for the familiar pull downs
"file", Edit", etc. and text input areas.  Since installing the
reactor card, this text based program runs S..L..O..W..  .  Not like
twice as long, but like 100 times or 1000 times slower.  You can see
each and every little character being added to the screen.  It makes
this program unusable.  I have never waited for the whole screen to
get setup and the program ask for user input.  I always re-boot after
a LONG wait.  I made sure the VESA drivers from the previous video
card were not loaded.  These were the source of multiple hangs that I
have been debugging since installing the Intergraph reactor.  I
removed an ANSI line from my config.sys and this did not help either.

Any ideas?

Why does ICR2 look and play so much better than Nascar2?  (INDYFAST
-vs- RENDDMA)  ICR2 is at least as much better than Nascar2, than
NASCAR2 is better than NASCAR1.
--
Best Wishes!!!
Robert Huggins
Raleigh, NC

ICR2 is less complicated graphics-wise.  Not only are there a smaller
number of cars on the track, but each is also comprised of fewer
polygons.  There are also fewer trackside and infield objects.
Hopefully Papyrus/Rendition will be able to tweak a little more
performance out of Nascar2.

--

Emory University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
The IWCCCARS Project: Q & A Representative
Nascar Setups Page: http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/

My opinion is two fold: First in ICR2 you are sitting much lower and
have a larger unobstructed view compared to N2. Lots more stuff
scrolling by the eyes. Second, I think ICR2 Rend was tweaked esp. for
the Rendition boards and a lot more time was spend making it look
pretty compared to N2 which had to satisy all the Sim fans before
working on pretty graphics. IMO
-=Don=-

   I've seen this.  It seems to go away once the card warms up.
Sometimes the drop shadows will have some bright white "twinkling"
pixels.  This is with a Reactor with BIOS 58 (original).  I've pretty
much gotten used to it (DOS, who uses DOS? ;).

   The biggest bug for me was corrupted DOS fonts when shutting down
Win95 to DOS (work-around is DOS "MODE CO80" command to reset fonts).

   So no, you're not crazy.  The other things you mentioned, never
seen 'em.  (Maybe he is crazy... ;)

Pick one or more: Model Rockets (competition-NERCB) / PCs (even Atari!) /
Papyrus ICR-ICR2-NCR / Who needs a life when you have multiple non-lives?

: 3.  I do remote access to a lan.  The LAN has an IBM 8235 to host
: remote users.  This device allows up to 8 people to dial-in and
: "connect" to the LAN.  From DOS, part of the software that allows this
: is an application named CONNECT.EXE.  This program simulates the
: familiar windows user interface using the 80 by 25 text area with a
: "window" (box of colored squares) and text for the familiar pull downs
: "file", Edit", etc. and text input areas.  Since installing the
: reactor card, this text based program runs S..L..O..W..  .  Not like
: twice as long, but like 100 times or 1000 times slower.  You can see
: each and every little character being added to the screen.  It makes
: this program unusable.  I have never waited for the whole screen to
: get setup and the program ask for user input.  I always re-boot after
: a LONG wait.  I made sure the VESA drivers from the previous video
: card were not loaded.  These were the source of multiple hangs that I
: have been debugging since installing the Intergraph reactor.  I
: removed an ANSI line from my config.sys and this did not help either.

I have a program like the above that won't work with the Intergraph.
It's a simply "edit" program that came with Stacker.  It's a wonderful
little program that automatically loads the Autoexec & Config files,
allows multiple files open for cut and paste between them.  It's a pure
DOS program.  But it won't work with the Intergraph.  It will load the
background (checkered box char) one character by one, verrrrry
slooooowly.  The mouse cursor shows up, but that's it.  I've never left
it running longer than 1 minute, so I don't know if it will ever do
anything else.  Kinda miss it.  But the scary part is that this may
indicated that something is amiss with the BIOS on the card.  Of course
we at least have flashable BIOS's so this should be fixable?

: Why does ICR2 look and play so much better than Nascar2?  (INDYFAST
: -vs- RENDDMA)  ICR2 is at least as much better than Nascar2, than
: NASCAR2 is better than NASCAR1.

Here I am just hoping that they did not get the chance to "optimize" the
code for the Rendition portion.  I sure hope they can get some of the
performance that shows up in ICR2.  Bristol & Martinsville really take a
beating in NASCAR2.  Bristol not so bad, but I do have to turn a few
things off and there is still a moments hesitation/jerk/stop-motion
going through turns 3/4 at Bristol.  However, Martinsville just doesn't
seem smooth, even with everything turned off.

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

: 3.  I do remote access to a lan.  The LAN has an IBM 8235 to host
: remote users.  This device allows up to 8 people to dial-in and
: "connect" to the LAN.  From DOS, part of the software that allows this
: is an application named CONNECT.EXE.  This program simulates the
: familiar windows user interface using the 80 by 25 text area with a
: "window" (box of colored squares) and text for the familiar pull downs
: "file", Edit", etc. and text input areas.  Since installing the
: reactor card, this text based program runs S..L..O..W..  .  Not like
: twice as long, but like 100 times or 1000 times slower.  You can see
: each and every little character being added to the screen.  It makes
: this program unusable.  I have never waited for the whole screen to
: get setup and the program ask for user input.  I always re-boot after
: a LONG wait.  I made sure the VESA drivers from the previous video
: card were not loaded.  These were the source of multiple hangs that I
: have been debugging since installing the Intergraph reactor.  I
: removed an ANSI line from my config.sys and this did not help either.

I have a program like the above that won't work with the Intergraph.
It's a simply "edit" program that came with Stacker.  It's a wonderful
little program that automatically loads the Autoexec & Config files,
allows multiple files open for cut and paste between them.  It's a pure
DOS program.  But it won't work with the Intergraph.  It will load the
background (checkered box char) one character by one, verrrrry
slooooowly.  The mouse cursor shows up, but that's it.  I've never left
it running longer than 1 minute, so I don't know if it will ever do
anything else.  Kinda miss it.  But the scary part is that this may
indicated that something is amiss with the BIOS on the card.  Of course
we at least have flashable BIOS's so this should be fixable?

: Why does ICR2 look and play so much better than Nascar2?  (INDYFAST
: -vs- RENDDMA)  ICR2 is at least as much better than Nascar2, than
: NASCAR2 is better than NASCAR1.

Here I am just hoping that they did not get the chance to "optimize" the
code for the Rendition portion.  I sure hope they can get some of the
performance that shows up in ICR2.  Bristol & Martinsville really take a
beating in NASCAR2.  Bristol not so bad, but I do have to turn a few
things off and there is still a moments hesitation/jerk/stop-motion
going through turns 3/4 at Bristol.  However, Martinsville just doesn't
seem smooth, even with everything turned off.

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Does anyone know if Intergraph knows about this problem?

Does this problem have a name or description?

Does anyone know if the newer Intergraph Reactor BIOS (74)  will fix
this problem?

Do we need to report this, start a new thread, post to another
newsgroup????

--
Best Wishes!!!
Robert Huggins
Raleigh, NC