DX8 + MSFF + GPL = Better FPS!

Just thought I'd let you know my findings with DirectX 8. 3dMark figures have stayed roughly the same on my machine (4800) and so far no nasty side effects with any games. However, DX8 does seems to reduce the CPU overhead of the USB Microsoft FF Wheel with GPL. E.G. With DX7, any more than 14 cars and FF ON, I got crap FPS. Now I get full FPS with all 19 cars. With DX7 I had to turn off FF to be able to drive around Goodwood on my own. Now I can race Goodwood with FF and 14 cars with good FPS, even at the start. One side effect I have noticed is that FF effects have turned themselves off in GP3 and will not re-activate. I think this is a bonus as I could never get the FF to be driveable in GP3, it was always too snatchy. I would be interested to know if anyone else has noticed the improvement in GPL with this wheel and DX8, or whether installing DX8 fixed something else and it is nothing to do with the direct input driver. Cheers, Jon.

Was that DX7 or DX7a? Stefan Jon Mansfield wrote:

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> > Just thought I'd let you know my findings with DirectX 8. 3dMark figures > have stayed roughly the same on my machine (4800) and so far no nasty side > effects with any games. > > However, DX8 does seems to reduce the CPU overhead of the USB Microsoft FF > Wheel with GPL. E.G. With DX7, any more than 14 cars and FF ON, I got crap > FPS. Now I get full FPS with all 19 cars. With DX7 I had to turn off FF to > be able to drive around Goodwood on my own. Now I can race Goodwood with FF > and 14 cars with good FPS, even at the start. > > One side effect I have noticed is that FF effects have turned themselves off > in GP3 and will not re-activate. I think this is a bonus as I could never > get the FF to be driveable in GP3, it was always too snatchy. > > I would be interested to know if anyone else has noticed the improvement in > GPL with this wheel and DX8, or whether installing DX8 fixed something else > and it is nothing to do with the direct input driver. > > Cheers, > > Jon.

Hmm, I would not call loosing FF in GP3 a "side effect" .... Anyway maybe DX8 setup has restored a key that had to be renamed for the GP3 FF to work with the MSFF. So check if this key is in the registry (returns inserted for readability): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\MediaProperties \PrivateProperties\Joystick\OEM\Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel \OEMForceFeedback\Effects\{e84cd1c6-81fa-11d0-94ab-0080c74c7e95} The (Default) value of this key should be "Raw effects". If the key is present, change it's name to something like: XXX{e84cd1c6-81fa-11d0-94ab-0080c74c7e95} I do not see any significant changes in performance, but my system is already pretty fast (Athlon 800 + Geforce 2 GTS). At least GPL and GP3 still work ok :) Bart Westra "Jon Mansfield" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:LqgP5.4518$[email hidden]... [snip] > However, DX8 does seems to reduce the CPU overhead of the USB Microsoft FF > Wheel with GPL. E.G. With DX7, any more than 14 cars and FF ON, I got crap > FPS. Now I get full FPS with all 19 cars. With DX7 I had to turn off FF to > be able to drive around Goodwood on my own. Now I can race Goodwood withFF > and 14 cars with good FPS, even at the start. > > One side effect I have noticed is that FF effects have turned themselvesoff > in GP3 and will not re-activate. I think this is a bonus as I could never > get the FF to be driveable in GP3, it was always too snatchy. > > I would be interested to know if anyone else has noticed the improvementin > GPL with this wheel and DX8, or whether installing DX8 fixed somethingelse

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> and it is nothing to do with the direct input driver. > > Cheers, > > Jon. > >

Sorry, my previous post should have said: The (Default) value of this key should be "Raw Force".

My question exactly. 7a was the huge improvement for controllers and I would be very doubtful, but delighted, if 8 made a similar leap forward in performance. Marc. "Stefan Magnusson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Was that DX7 or DX7a? > > Stefan > > > > Jon Mansfield wrote: > > > > Just thought I'd let you know my findings with DirectX 8. 3dMark figures > > have stayed roughly the same on my machine (4800) and so far no nasty

side > > effects with any games. > > > > However, DX8 does seems to reduce the CPU overhead of the USB MicrosoftFF > > Wheel with GPL. E.G. With DX7, any more than 14 cars and FF ON, I gotcrap > > FPS. Now I get full FPS with all 19 cars. With DX7 I had to turn off FFto > > be able to drive around Goodwood on my own. Now I can race Goodwood withFF > > and 14 cars with good FPS, even at the start. > > > > One side effect I have noticed is that FF effects have turned themselvesoff > > in GP3 and will not re-activate. I think this is a bonus as I couldnever > > get the FF to be driveable in GP3, it was always too snatchy. > > > > I would be interested to know if anyone else has noticed the improvementin > > GPL with this wheel and DX8, or whether installing DX8 fixed somethingelse > > and it is nothing to do with the direct input driver. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Jon.

On Sat, 11 Nov 2000 18:44:46 -0000, "Jon Mansfield" <[email hidden]> thus spoke:

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>Just thought I'd let you know my findings with DirectX 8. 3dMark figures >have stayed roughly the same on my machine (4800) and so far no nasty side >effects with any games. > >However, DX8 does seems to reduce the CPU overhead of the USB Microsoft FF >Wheel with GPL. E.G. With DX7, any more than 14 cars and FF ON, I got crap >FPS. Now I get full FPS with all 19 cars. With DX7 I had to turn off FF to >be able to drive around Goodwood on my own. Now I can race Goodwood with FF >and 14 cars with good FPS, even at the start. > >One side effect I have noticed is that FF effects have turned themselves off >in GP3 and will not re-activate. I think this is a bonus as I could never >get the FF to be driveable in GP3, it was always too snatchy. > >I would be interested to know if anyone else has noticed the improvement in >GPL with this wheel and DX8, or whether installing DX8 fixed something else >and it is nothing to do with the direct input driver. > >Cheers, > >Jon. > >

Please do some further testing because I am interested in the MSFF wheel, but not if it causes a frame rate drop as previously reported by many. If DX8 fixes the problem then I will get the wheel. Can you test it in some other games and let me know the results?

Further to my original post, I dusted off F12k to try it with DX8. Everything (including FF) works fine, but I still need to turn some of the graphics off to get a good frame rate and it still drives badly. To be honest I don't remember what it was like before DX8, maybe it's better now, maybe not, I think I've just been spoilt by GPL :) GPL is working wonderfully. I now have just enough spare CPU capacity to run the High Res Lotus & dashboard. And I've also got quicker: I've shaved 2 tenths off my best at the glen down to 1:06.02, mainly because the last corner is now totally pegged at 36fps; it always used to struggle there before. Hmmm, I feel a sub 1:06 calling... Cheers, Jon.