NFS3 Dashboards

I have a hard time with EA's decision to only support dashboards on 12mb cards. Realistically - out of all the 3Dfx cards sold to date - what percentage are 12mb cards - especially after all the reviewers tell you NOT to spend the extra money. Anyway - I have two 8mb cards (Monster2) and wonder WHY I can't get dashboards since I have 16MB of memory. I can play the game at 1024x768 and it looks fabulous at 40-60fps. I really don't care that much about the dashboards. I always play from the bumper cam anyway but it would be nice to see them since EA took the time to include them in this version. Oh well I guess I will have to settle for the VR***pits in the showcase screens. If anyone figures out how to get dashboards with two 8mb cards - please let me know.

says... Never pay too much attention to reviewers. That 4mb of extra texture memory does come in handy. Especially now that some tiem has passed since the cards original release. Vamp

Ill tell you what I don't understand ..... A 8MB V2 works like this IIRC , 4mb of frame buffer, 4mb of texture memory... right ? I have a 6MB Pure 3D Voodoo 1 , it has 2mb of frame buffer and 4mb of texture memory..... I can get dashboards on my Pure3D Voodoo 1 card ! ! Why the hell couldn't an 8mb V2 do the same ? This boggles my mind... >I have a hard time with EA's decision to only support dashboards on 12mb cards. >Realistically - out of all the 3Dfx cards sold to date - what percentage are >12mb cards - especially after all the reviewers tell you NOT to spend the extra >money. >Anyway - I have two 8mb cards (Monster2) and wonder WHY I can't get dashboards >since I have 16MB of memory. I can play the game at 1024x768 and it looks >fabulous at 40-60fps. >I really don't care that much about the dashboards. I always play from the >bumper cam anyway but it would be nice to see them since EA took the time to >include them in this version. >Oh well I guess I will have to settle for the VR***pits in the showcase >screens. >If anyone figures out how to get dashboards with two 8mb cards - please let me >know.

I thought the warning about 8mb signs were pretty clear from most sources - i.e. don't buy one and make sure you get a 12mb card. still, don't understand why you need 12mb to get a dashboard though. >I have a hard time with EA's decision to only support dashboards on 12mb cards. >Realistically - out of all the 3Dfx cards sold to date - what percentage are >12mb cards - especially after all the reviewers tell you NOT to spend the extra >money. >Anyway - I have two 8mb cards (Monster2) and wonder WHY I can't get dashboards >since I have 16MB of memory. I can play the game at 1024x768 and it looks >fabulous at 40-60fps. >I really don't care that much about the dashboards. I always play from the >bumper cam anyway but it would be nice to see them since EA took the time to >include them in this version. >Oh well I guess I will have to settle for the VR***pits in the showcase >screens. >If anyone figures out how to get dashboards with two 8mb cards - please let me >know.

Does anyone know if you can use dashboards with a new MATROX G-200 card ??? Lorne >I have a hard time with EA's decision to only support dashboards on 12mb cards. >Realistically - out of all the 3Dfx cards sold to date - what percentage are >12mb cards - especially after all the reviewers tell you NOT to spend the extra >money. >Anyway - I have two 8mb cards (Monster2) and wonder WHY I can't get dashboards >since I have 16MB of memory. I can play the game at 1024x768 and it looks >fabulous at 40-60fps. >I really don't care that much about the dashboards. I always play from the >bumper cam anyway but it would be nice to see them since EA took the time to >include them in this version. >Oh well I guess I will have to settle for the VR***pits in the showcase >screens. >If anyone figures out how to get dashboards with two 8mb cards - please let me >know.

Is this a sign that more games will require 12mb to have all the graphics details? Dsr#74 :-] >I thought the warning about 8mb signs were pretty clear from most sources - >i.e. don't buy one and make sure you get a 12mb card. >still, don't understand why you need 12mb to get a dashboard though.

Is it just my magical computer, or a difference in the Australian version of NFS3? I've got a 6meg Pure 3D (Canopus) on an AMD-266 with 48meg, and I get dashboards. (Not that they're particularly exciting). I don't understand how my system can do dashboards, but others with 8meg V2s can't get them. I guess you're just gonna have to wait for a patch...

>Don't lose sleep - the dashboards look like hell and only restrict your view - a >view you very much need to drive in this game. I disagree, they add to the immersion and make it more fun to drive, IMO. Joe

To each their own....but I think you get a much greater feel for speed with the bumper cam and the pavement whizzing by at 120+ mph....

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>>Don't lose sleep - the dashboards look like hell and only restrict your view - a >>view you very much need to drive in this game. >I disagree, they add to the immersion and make it more fun to drive, >IMO. >Joe

i got a 6mb pure3d and can get the dashboard view with no problems...so whats the deal with that 12mb 3d card thing...not true at all

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>>Don't lose sleep - the dashboards look like hell and only restrict your view - a >>view you very much need to drive in this game. >I disagree, they add to the immersion and make it more fun to drive, >IMO. >Joe

You can get dashboards in the software mode, but I'm not sure how playable the game is. I can get dashboards on my Riva 128 (AGP), but not on my Voodoo 1. There is an "in car" view which is from the same perspective as the dash (higher off the ground than the bumper cam) which may make it easier to drive even without the dash. The dash looks nice, but I can't see why it's so resource intensive. They didn't even include dashboard lighting for night driving! Mark

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>i got a 6mb pure3d and can get the dashboard view with no >problems...so whats the deal with that 12mb 3d card thing...not true >at all >>>Don't lose sleep - the dashboards look like hell and only restrict your

view - a >>>view you very much need to drive in this game. >>I disagree, they add to the immersion and make it more fun to drive, >>IMO. >>Joe

% You can get dashboards in the software mode, but I'm not sure how playable % the game is. I can get dashboards on my Riva 128 (AGP), but not on my % Voodoo 1. There is an "in car" view which is from the same perspective as % the dash (higher off the ground than the bumper cam) which may make it % easier to drive even without the dash. The dash looks nice, but I can't see % why it's so resource intensive. They didn't even include dashboard lighting % for night driving! While NFSIII is fun if it was a pure sim it would be ripped to shreds for such short-comings as the unlighted dashboard. Also there are some weird AI behavior that wouldn't be tolerated in a hard-core sim (not to mention the floating buses). All said 'n done, it's fun to tool around in after a hard day at the real sim track. -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

>i got a 6mb pure3d and can get the dashboard view with no >problems...so whats the deal with that 12mb 3d card thing...not true >at all Pure3d seems to be the one exception, it gets the dashboards. But standard 4MB voodoo1s don't, not to the 8MB voodoo2s. Joe

Don't forget... the dashboards go away when you are in "narrow" screen viewing. They appear when using the full screen. Andrew

Funny how MS Monster Truck Madness 2 and Nascar Racing 2 both have dashboards that work on my Voodoo1 4MB and Voodoo 2 8MB. MTM2 has dashboards and moving steering wheel in both Direct 3D and glide versions of the game. My Rendition V2200 4MB AGP 1X card doen't work with the dashboards either. I guees you need more texture memory , but why? Jerry

Is it possible to try different resolutions? I once had a flight sim that wouldn't display the***pit above 64x480. Perhaps lowering the resolution on NFS 3 might be an alternative. Hope this helps. Regards, Jim Henry

> Don't forget... the dashboards go away when you are in "narrow" screen viewing. > They appear when using the full screen. I think, it's the opposite: wide screen, no dashboard. l8er ronny -- Toys'R'Us '99: "So, would you like a hand gun with that action figure, kiddo?" |\ _,,,---,,_ I want to die like my Grandfather, ZZZzz /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ in his sleep. |,4- ) )-,_. ,\ ( `'-' Not like the people in his car, '---''(_/--' `-'\_) screaming their heads off!

Try this, Use the 3D setup and choose Voodoo2 (D3D) in the options, and viola dashboards. The graphics don't look as good as with 3DFX but you'll get your dashboards with an 8MB Voodoo II. I tried this but went back to glide because it look a lot better to me and I'd have probably gone to bumper view anyways. Give it a try and see for your self.

Just a quick question to you people with a Pure3D. What sort of drivers are you using? I can't get my machine to run NFS3 at all. It crashes just as the loading line gets to the end of the screen before the actual game starts. EA say that it could be becuase my drivers are DirectX certified. Sure enough - checking them with the DirectX shows they aren't certified. How about you?? I have the latest drivers from Canopus and DirectX 6.0 Cheers

I'm running sli'd Pure3D ll LX's with the 1.30 drivers and DX6, and so far no problems. NSF3 runs smooth as silk at 1024x768. >Just a quick question to you people with a Pure3D. What sort of >drivers are you using

Pure 3D (I) Latest drivers from Canopus and DX6. Everything works perfectly, including the dashboards in the disappointing NFS III.

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>Just a quick question to you people with a Pure3D. What sort of >drivers are you using? I can't get my machine to run NFS3 at all. It >crashes just as the loading line gets to the end of the screen before >the actual game starts. >EA say that it could be becuase my drivers are DirectX certified. >Sure enough - checking them with the DirectX shows they aren't >certified. How about you?? >I have the latest drivers from Canopus and DirectX 6.0 >Cheers

> Just a quick question to you people with a Pure3D. What sort of > drivers are you using? I can't get my machine to run NFS3 at all. It > crashes just as the loading line gets to the end of the screen before > the actual game starts. > EA say that it could be becuase my drivers are DirectX certified. They always say that. That doesn't matter. One support guy from EA said his are uncertified but they work. Microsoft says that uncertified drivers may work. Do you have a 3D audio card (monster M80/200 whatever)? If you do try changing audio to stereo instead of d3d (another person changed his to dolby). I had that exact same symptom until I did this. -- Bill Ryder Silicon Graphics New Zealand SGI V-Mail: 234 1456 Systems Engineer Ph: (+64 4) 494 6326 DISCLAIMER: Unless explicitly stated all opinions are mine not SGI's

No - I don't have a 3D board. Just a plain old Vibra 16. (one day I'll update it). I tried changing those settings; turning sound off completely; different sized installs; blah blah, I have now given up until someone comes up with a fix that actually works. It seems quite a few are having the same problem at the same point in the game and I think it may need some 'professional' input to fix it if you know what I mean. As I say - EA just reccommend making sure my drivers are certified.....

Speaking of dashboards in NFS3... I was told by folks here in this newsgroup that you won't see any dashboards nor a steering wheel if you don't have a Voodoo 2-card, but what I think is sad about that is that it's not mentioned anywhere on the box nor in the documentation that came with the game. I think EA could have mentioned it somewhere! The screenshot of the interior in the Mercedes on the back of the box was one of the reasons I picked the game up, and now I found out that I won't be able to see that view without first buying a Voodoo 2-card. And then another thing I'm very dissapointed with - the steering and handling of the cars. Yes, I know this is an arcade style game, and if I want better handling of cars, I could go for GPL for example. But still, it can't have been that impossible for EA to had the cars behave just a little bit more like real cars, could it? This is 1998, and this isn't the first racing game on the market... Before I got the game, I played the demo, and there the steering was really lousy, but folks here told me it was better in the actual game, and I agree. I would say that it's lousy in the demo, and a little bit less lousy in the actual game... Overall, the game in itself is real fun, and the graphics are stunning! So it's a shame they didn't manage to have the cars handle more like real cars :( And for all of you that agree with me on this, and haven't tried the Viper Racing demo out yet - do it! There it feels like you're actually driving a car - instead of moving a sprite back and forth over the screen. You can find the Viper Racing demo here: http://www.gamespot.com/driving/viper/demos.html -- If you want to reply to me in person, please replace nospam with swipnet in my address. Best regards, Richard

On Sat, 17 Oct 1998 13:41:39 +0200, "Richard & Pernilla" >Speaking of dashboards in NFS3... >I was told by folks here in this newsgroup that you won't see any dashboards >nor a steering wheel if you don't have a Voodoo 2-card, but what I think is >sad about that is that it's not mentioned anywhere on the box nor in the >documentation that came with the game. Well, it is mentioned on the U.S. box -- it's the last line under "Recommended" on the System Requirments sticker on the box's bottom flap -- but I agree they couldn't have hidden it much better. [snip] No, but this is a more complex question. For one thing, physics modeling is very CPU-intensive. This is a game that is designed to run on a wide variety of systems -- including consoles -- and complex physics that require floating-point calculations would introduce performance penalties that a game like this probably couldn't sustain. In our house, NFS3 was purchased as a toy we could play on our networked systems, and the fact that it runs in all its glory (minus dashboards) on a P200MMX/Voodoo1was a decisive factor in our decision to buy it. Arcade racing games are a well-defined market, also, and EA's success comes from giving markets what they want. And yet, NFS3's cars seem, to me, to handle somewhat more believably than those in many other arcade racers. I'm not sure I'd want more depth in the modeling than this game offers. (I did buy GPL the same day, so maybe I'm more willing to let NFS3 be what it is.) [snip] RichC *-------------To Reply via E-Mail-------------* Remove SPAMTRAP from the return address *---------------------------------------------*

They work on my I740 AGP 2X based card with 8MB and on My Voodoo 2 12MB card. They didn't work on a Rendition V2200 4MB AGP 1X or on a 8MB Voodoo 2. I have heard that if you use your 8MB voodoo 2 card in D3D instead of glide that you get dashbords but , I can't confirm this. Jerry

I can tell you that a Rendition V2100 4mb DOES get dashboards but only if I drop the screen size to 512 x 384 mode. It is still OK to run at this speed with dashboards but I do prefer to run at 640 x 480. My System: P200MMX 48mb EDO Diamond Stealth II S220 4mb PCI _ ____ _ (_) / __ `/ / / / /_/ / / / \__, / /_/ /____/

> Speaking of dashboards in NFS3... > I was told by folks here in this newsgroup that you won't see any dashboards > nor a steering wheel if you don't have a Voodoo 2-card, but what I think is > sad about that is that it's not mentioned anywhere on the box nor in the > documentation that came with the game. An interesting note, my pentium 200 (non MMX) with monster 3D 1 won't display the dashboard but my buddies' pentium 200MMX with Canopus Pure 3D (voodoo 1) will with no problem. Jim Treber

> They work on my I740 AGP 2X based card with 8MB and on My Voodoo 2 12MB card. > They didn't work on a Rendition V2200 4MB AGP 1X or on a 8MB Voodoo 2. I have > heard that if you use your 8MB voodoo 2 card in D3D instead of glide that you > get dashbords but , I can't confirm this. > Jerry What I heard is that you can get the dash only with a 12MB Voodoo2 or a 2X-compliant AGP card.

> They work on my I740 AGP 2X based card with 8MB and on My Voodoo 2 12MB card. > They didn't work on a Rendition V2200 4MB AGP 1X or on a 8MB Voodoo 2. I have > heard that if you use your 8MB voodoo 2 card in D3D instead of glide that you > get dashbords but , I can't confirm this. > Jerry What I heard is that you can get the dash only with a 12MB Voodoo2 or a 2X-compliant AGP.

Well I have an ATI RAGE PRO TURBO AGP 2X 8 MEG and I do not get the dash.

Maybe someone from EA could tell us the real story behind this? -- If you want to reply to me in person, please replace nospam with swipnet in my address. Best regards, Richard >> Speaking of dashboards in NFS3... >> I was told by folks here in this newsgroup that you won't see any dashboards >> nor a steering wheel if you don't have a Voodoo 2-card, but what I think is >> sad about that is that it's not mentioned anywhere on the box nor in the >> documentation that came with the game. > An interesting note, my pentium 200 (non MMX) with monster 3D 1 won't >display the dashboard but my buddies' pentium 200MMX with Canopus Pure >3D (voodoo 1) will with no problem. > Jim Treber

>The real story is that it requires more than 4mb of texture memory >to display dashboards in NFS3. My 8mb VoodooII doesn't have more >than 4mb of texture ram. Canopus VoodooI does. >End of story. I heard that you could get the dashboards on the 8MB Voodoo2 by using D3D mode. Is this true? Joe

>Yes, but it looks and runs pretty poorly in D3D on 4mb texture memory >on Voodoo, when using the dashboard... Stick to Glide and enjoy it. Ah. Well, actually I have the 12 MB Voodoo2 so I get the dashboards just fine in Glide, I just wanted to check if that rumor was true. Of course, who has time for NFS3 now that GPL is out, eh? (Feeling like a kid the night before Xmas eve - tomorrow I take in my aging P200 to have it upgraded to a P2 333/128 MB RAM. Can't wait to see GPL on the new beast!) Joe

I DO get Dashboards on a 4mb Diamond/Rendition V2100 card but only at 512 x 384. If I go to 640 x 480 I don't get the dash. GI _ ____ _ (_) / __ `/ / / / /_/ / / / \__, / /_/ /____/

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>> They work on my I740 AGP 2X based card with 8MB and on My Voodoo 2 12MB card. >> They didn't work on a Rendition V2200 4MB AGP 1X or on a 8MB Voodoo 2. I > have >> heard that if you use your 8MB voodoo 2 card in D3D instead of glide that you >> get dashbords but , I can't confirm this. >> Jerry >What I heard is that you can get the dash only with a 12MB Voodoo2 or a >2X-compliant AGP.

The AGP cards don't have to be 2x compliant for D3D, I've got a plain vanilla STB Velocity 128 AGP and I can see dashboards in D3D mode. AGP can use system memory for video RAM, so my card shows up as having 32MB in D3D. The game looks great, I just wonder how much better it would look on a Voodoo2. Does anyone know how to get a FPS reading? Dan