Currently playing around with Unreal Tournament 3 using the latest official patch (2.1) and the free Titan Pack DLC. I've ticked the "Hardware OpenAL" checkbox under the audio settings and that worked fine after restarting the game. With that setting enabled, I get full 5.1 surround sound and EAX effects. But looking at the Launch.log file, it appears that the game only detects EAX 4.0 despite running on an X-Fi Titanium sound card. Relevant log bits:

1Init: ALAudio device requested : 
2Init: ALAudio device opened    : SB X-Fi Audio [0001]
3Init: AL_VENDOR      : Creative Labs Inc.
4Init: AL_RENDERER    : SB X-Fi Audio [0001]
5Init: AL_VERSION     : OpenAL version 1.1
6Init: AL_EXTENSIONS  : EAX
7EAX1.0
8EAX2.0
9EAX3.0
10EAX4.0
11EAX5.0
12
13Init: Device supports: EAX4.0
14Init: Device supports: EAX-RAM
15Init: Device supports: ALC_EXT_EFX
16Init: Found EFX extension with 4 effect slots and 4 potential sends
17Init: ...'reverb' supported
18Init: ...'equalizer' supported
19Init: ...'low pass filter' supported
20Init: XRAM           : YES
21Init: ALAudioDevice initialized.

I wonder if the game tops out at EAX4 or if there's a driver issue of some sort. Not sure if the game actually supports EAX5, but the PC Gaming Wiki seems to indicate that, albeit without citing any sources. Does anyone have an idea how to enable EAX5 in Unreal Tournament 3?

EAX 5 was only shipped in a handful of games and UT3 was not one of them, because the game was deep in development when EAX 5.0 went to market. Apparently there is an after-market patch from Creative Labs for both UT2004 and UT3 that enables EAX 5.0 via the OpenAL functionality of the last gen of X-Fi cards.

RetroGamer4Ever wrote on 2023-08-07, 12:10:

Apparently there is an after-market patch from Creative Labs for both UT2004 and UT3 that enables EAX 5.0 via the OpenAL functionality of the last gen of X-Fi cards.

I'm aware of the EAX5 patch for UT2004, but I couldn't find anything like that for UT3.

Are you sure there was one?

https://forum.beyond3d.com/threads/creative-o … 2004-etc.20838/

>>Go to your game directory and their should be a file with OpenAL in the name (UT2004 is DefOpenAL32.dll, BF2 is BF2OpenAL.dll). Put a .bak at the end of these files names.

Now, go to system32 and copy OpenAL32.dll . Paste this in your game directory and rename it to the original file name of the OpenAL file included with the game (so rename it to DefOpenAL32.dll for UT2004 and BF2OpenAL.dll for BF2).

No need to download anything, write-up for soundcard with "generic software OpenAL"

And, of course, the X-Fi card must be in Game Mode.

For Unreal Tournament 3 (Not 2003!) does not work.
Deleting OpenAL32.dll & wrap_oal.dll in the \Unreal Tournament 3\Binaries\ folder seems improves the sound.
Then UE uses libraries from somewhere in the Windows system files.

But yes, only EAX4.
Apparently Creative did not bring money to EAX5 😀
Or UE does it not distinguish between versions 4 and 5, because EAX4 is hardcoded in UT3.exe

shevalier wrote on 2023-08-07, 14:21:

https://forum.beyond3d.com/threads/creative-o … 2004-etc.20838/ […]
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https://forum.beyond3d.com/threads/creative-o … 2004-etc.20838/

>>Go to your game directory and their should be a file with OpenAL in the name (UT2004 is DefOpenAL32.dll, BF2 is BF2OpenAL.dll). Put a .bak at the end of these files names.

Now, go to system32 and copy OpenAL32.dll . Paste this in your game directory and rename it to the original file name of the OpenAL file included with the game (so rename it to DefOpenAL32.dll for UT2004 and BF2OpenAL.dll for BF2).

Unfortunately, this didn't help with UT3. There was indeed an outdated OpenAL32.dll file in the game folder, but replacing it with the current one still has the game only detect EAX4. I can confirm that this approach does help with other games from that list though, including Battlefield 2.

Just to clarify, the game I'm talking about is Unreal Tournament 3 from 2007.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2023-08-07, 12:21:

RetroGamer4Ever wrote on 2023-08-07, 12:10:

Apparently there is an after-market patch from Creative Labs for both UT2004 and UT3 that enables EAX 5.0 via the OpenAL functionality of the last gen of X-Fi cards.

I'm aware of the EAX5 patch for UT2004, but I couldn't find anything like that for UT3.

Are you sure there was one?

It's what The Internet Says, according to the search engines. I never played either one, so I can't speak from personal experience. Creative did have some "game audio upgrades" back in the day, but I can't say for absolute certainty that was one of them. UT3 was the same build of Unreal Engine as Gears of War, which was one of the few touted EAX 5.0 games, so an update for that is certainly feasible.

Update: I think what I'm seeing in the log might be normal behavior. I just found this post which shows Gears of War running on an X-Fi card and it also detects EAX4. However, below that, you can see this:

1Init: Device supports: ALC_EXT_EFX

From what I gather, this indicates EFX 1.0 support, which may supersede EAX 5.0 (not entirely sure about that). The same entry appears in my log file, and it may explain why UT3 and Gears of War behave that way. Since both games were released in 2007, around the time when Vista started shipping with new PCs, it could have made sense for developers to use this approach.

while i don't know for certain, UT3 using EFX is what i just always assumed due to its post-vista release date and EAX not being mentioned anywhere in the options. furthermore, if my memory is not mistaken there is absolutely no difference between an audigy and an x-fi in the game, unlike something like quake 4, which comparatively sounded very tinny on the audigy - almost as if they didn't optimize the game at all for that card to prompt an upgrade.

perhaps a comparison with some openal software renderer that doesn't expose EAX 4.0 would help? meaning that if UT3 still sounds the same on it must use EFX.

auron wrote on 2023-08-07, 22:35:

is absolutely no difference between an audigy and an x-fi in the game, unlike something like quake 4, which comparatively sounded very tinny on the audigy - almost as if they didn't optimize the game at all for that card to prompt an upgrade.

UT2004 with X-Fi patch.
But given the difference, it seems to me that X-Fi is simply using a different set of audio samples.
It is impossible to explain it otherwise.
The sound is radically different. And this is not explained by the effects.
Compare the sound of reloading and firing a rocket launcher. On Audigy it's "mechanical" sound, on X-Fi it's "pneumatic".

shevalier wrote on 2023-08-08, 02:42:

UT2004 with X-Fi patch. But given the difference, it seems to me that X-Fi is simply using a different set of audio samples. It […]
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UT2004 with X-Fi patch.
But given the difference, it seems to me that X-Fi is simply using a different set of audio samples.
It is impossible to explain it otherwise.
The sound is radically different. And this is not explained by the effects.

We're not talking about UT2004.

What I wrote and what auron replied to refers to Unreal Tournament 3, the next game in the series, which was released in 2007.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2023-08-08, 02:59:

We're not talking about UT2004.
auron replied to refers to Unreal Tournament 3

Realy?

auron wrote on 2023-08-07, 22:35:

no difference between an audigy and an x-fi in the game, unlike something like quake 4,

shevalier wrote on 2023-08-07, 14:21:

For Unreal Tournament 3 (Not 2003!) does not work. Deleting OpenAL32.dll & wrap_oal.dll in the \Unreal Tournament 3\Binaries\ fo […]
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For Unreal Tournament 3 (Not 2003!) does not work.
Deleting OpenAL32.dll & wrap_oal.dll in the \Unreal Tournament 3\Binaries\ folder seems improves the sound.
Then UE uses libraries from somewhere in the Windows system files.

But yes, only EAX4.
Apparently Creative did not bring money to EAX5 😀
Or UE does it not distinguish between versions 4 and 5, because EAX4 is hardcoded in UT3.exe

Thanks for checking this.

It seems to be as I suspected then, UT3 unfortunately tops out at EAX4. Kinda disappointing for a 2007 game, to be honest.

shevalier wrote on 2023-05-11, 13:39:

For correct positioning, headphones are selected from the top 20 according to the Harmon curve.
For all the money that is not a pity
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/blob/ … ults/RANKING.md

Hi, thanks for this. I was looking for some new headphones to use for EAX games and wasn't sure where to start.

There are a wide range of different headphones even in the top 20. Some open back, some closed back, some under £150, others significantly more. I used to have the Philips Fidelio X2HRs but I sold them as I never used them (this was before I'd ever even heard of EAX). Which ones would you recommend for using with EAX (or A3D for that matter)?

All i can hear in Doom 3 is a loud, unbalanced reverb. Doesn't look like it makes use of any other EAX 4.0 features.

vlad54rus wrote on 2024-01-26, 14:13:

All i can hear in Doom 3 is a loud, unbalanced reverb. Doesn't look like it makes use of any other EAX 4.0 features.

Last year, I played through Doom 3 on my X-Fi Titanium under WinXP. The game made use of 127 voices and X-RAM on that hardware, at least according to the console log:

I think positional audio was slightly better with EAX turned on as well. Occlusion effects were used a bit more sparingly, but I remember sometimes hearing them while standing next to closed doors. I'm not sure if the game actually uses Multiple Environments and other EAX4 specific features, but then again, those effects tend to be a bit more more subtle.

BTW, later on I played through several missions using the BFG Edition (which doesn't support EAX) and the soundstage was flat and lifeless compared to the original Doom 3 + EAX.

Also, here's what Creative's patch notes say on that subject (via Wayback machine):

Creative Labs wrote:

Doom 3 The Way It Should Be Heard! […]
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Doom 3 The Way It Should Be Heard!

Creative has collaborated with ID Software to bring its customers the full Sound Blaster experience - real-time EAX® ADVANCED HD™ effects processing, fully hardware based 3D mixing and full hardware based audio anti-aliasing...Doom 3 has never sounded so sweet!

With the latest DOOM 3 patch you get full support for all the above, thanks to a custom OpenAL based audio engine. Creative sound card owners can now experience the thrills and chills of this awesome game with fully immersive audio, and with no frame rate hit! Run Doom 3 in 7.1 mode at just the same framerate as the software based 2 speaker mode!

Hardware based 3D audio
The benefits here are not simply from frame rate improvements. Since each audio effect is rendered by the hardware, each one is able to utilize Creative's hardware DSP for HRTF, ITD and distance effects. Simply put, the 3D sound is vivid and precise, over headphones, two speakers or more. Whereas the original game engine is limited to 5.1 output, the hardware based audio engine provides additional support for 6.1 and 7.1 output with full 3D panning between each speaker - you have to hear this to appreciate how cool Doom 3 can sound!

EAX ADVANCED HD
Every level of the original Doom 3 game has been enhanced with real-time EAX ADVANCED HD effects. Now experience the spine chilling atmosphere with a whole new dimension, as realistic environment effects are applied on the fly. For the new Doom 3 expansion pack "Resurrection Of Evil", we take it to the next level. Each map has been designed with EAX 4.0 multi-environment technology for the ultimate audio experience!

Hardware based audio anti-aliasing
Doom's internal audio architecture utilizes audio effects that run at a 22.05kHz sample rate. This offers a good compromise between audio quality and sample size. With Doom 3's native audio engine, these audio effects are then upsampled to 44.1kHz on playback. While this design yields good results, the Creative Sound Blaster implementation brings its hardware based sample rate converters into play to make it even better. Any software based SRC process has to balance the tradeoff of CPU versus audio quality. As a result, linear interpolation is usually used for upsampling, with the downside that "audio jaggies" tend to occur - slight distortion or coloration of the original signals. Creative's hardware DSP deals with this by applying 8-point interpolation as part of the SRC process - "audio anti-aliasing"! The result is smooth, high quality audio every time.

Based on that, it seems like the maps in the RoE expansion may have a more complete implementation of EAX4.

I recently got a physical copy of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter and decided to test its EAX capabilities. I applied the latest official patch (version 1.35) and I'm using the latest DanielK drivers for my X-Fi and Audigy 2 ZS cards, respectively. The operating system is Windows XP + SP3 in both cases. For comparison purposes, here are the screenshots from the audio options menu on both cards:

On the X-Fi, I get the "Extreme" sound quality preset, while on the Audigy 2 ZS I'm limited to the "High" preset. I checked the game's settings file and found this bit in ..Data\sounds\settings.xml:

1    <quality_settings>
2        <quality_setting name="low" min_voices="0" max_voices="20"/>
3        <quality_setting name="medium" min_voices="21" max_voices="32"/>
4        <quality_setting name="high" min_voices="33" max_voices="64"/>
5        <quality_setting name="extreme" min_voices="65" max_voices="128"/>
6    </quality_settings>

So it looks like the "Extreme" setting needs at least 65 voices, which of course excludes Audigy cards as they top out at 64. Additionally, I took a quick look at the game's executable (GRAW.EXE) using a hex editor and found references to EAX 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0. This makes me reasonably certain that the game can support all of those. However, there was no reference to EAX 5.0.

After years of collecting up and occasionally firing up all my retro PC bits, I've finally managed to carve out some space and for now popped in a dedicated 2004-5ish system, and have finally for the first time started playing around with EAX - genuinely impressed with the results from the games I've tried, and to echo others in this thread it really feels like we've gone back in time in regards to game audio these days! Started out with an Audigy 2 ZS but this week have upgraded to an X-Fi Titanium i got on the cheap from ebay - either card has impressed me far more than OpenAL ever did!

Doom 3, BF2, Call of Duty & GTA 3 have been some standouts so far, even just from a cheapish pair of 2.1 speakers, and I've got a few other games queued up to go this weekend.

One bug I've noticed since switching to the X-Fi is with Soldier of Fortune 2 (2002), where with EAX enabled, everything will play as intended for 20-30 seconds, then sounds all start getting cut down to super short static-y bursts. Pressing Esc to go into the menu and returning fixes it again, but then again a few seconds later it carries on doing the same. Possibly some sort of buffer issue or otherwise, but it worked fine on the Audigy 2 ZS. Had a scour around and couldn't find much related to the issue, so curious to know if anyone else has ran into that with SoF2 or any other idtech 3 games?

Ovenchips wrote on 2024-04-29, 11:54:

One bug I've noticed since switching to the X-Fi is with Soldier of Fortune 2 (2002), where with EAX enabled, everything will play as intended for 20-30 seconds, then sounds all start getting cut down to super short static-y bursts. Pressing Esc to go into the menu and returning fixes it again, but then again a few seconds later it carries on doing the same. Possibly some sort of buffer issue or otherwise, but it worked fine on the Audigy 2 ZS. Had a scour around and couldn't find much related to the issue, so curious to know if anyone else has ran into that with SoF2 or any other idtech 3 games?

Might be a driver related issue. Try either using the oldest drivers (from the install CD) or the latest X-Fi driver pack from DanielK. That's just a guess though, as I haven't played that game myself (yet) so I'm unfamiliar with its particular EAX implementation.

Also, I found that some games can have sound issues if a third-party codec pack is installed. Specifically, I noticed this with some old versions of the K-Lite codec pack which I had installed on my WinXP machine at some point.

Using latest* (that specified supporting the SB0880) DanielK driver for the X-Fi - tried using the original creative drivers but it was having a mare with traces of the Audigy drivers still existing so would refuse to install, so DanielK was the only option unless I manually picked out all the old files. No codec packs .etc installed, it's a fairly fresh XP MCE SP3.

I'll have a pop with some different versions of the drivers & game and see if I can suss it out. Would be interesting to know if it's a known problem or not though!