I found out that there are actually two different FF patches for POD. The other patch has fixed all the problems I was having. Great game and great visuals for its age!

procerus wrote:

The other patch has fixed all the problems I was having.

You have a name and download location for this "other" patch? If so, please post it.

All the patches (and indeed the extra tracks and cars) are still available from UbiSoft. However they are not linked off their website.

Go to ftp.ubisoft.com and you'll find the force feedback patches in the /PodUpgrade/Patches/FeedBack directory.

The patch I used that didn't work reliably was the one commonly found on POD sites. It's called (ambiguously since there's an entirely seperate 3dfx patch) "pod3dfx.zip".

The patch I'm now using that does work is called "3dfx_gsff.zip".

Patching POD can be complex. Different versions of the game need different patches depending upon the hardware they're running on. For example, I recently tried different drivers for my Voodoo2 SLI card. With these older drivers POD suddenly ran at ridiculous and unplayable speeds. The fix was to install UbiSoft's "Game Service Client" and the related POD game patch. Although these theoretically allow you to race on the Internet they also contain a number of other undocumented fixes.

For all that, when I went back to the final 3dfx reference drivers for the Voodoo2 (3.02.02) I reinstalled POD without those final two patches since the game is more stable without them on this system.

Experimentation is the order of the day, I suppose. The chances are that there is a combination of patches that will fix most the game's problems on a given system. Like many games that were ahead of their time, POD makes some assumptions about hardware that may not apply to more recent systems. It's more like setting up a flakey DOS game than a Windows one... 😉

Very cool! Thanks!

You're more than welcome to continue experimenting with POD patches to try and get it working in Windows XP as in this thread (and I'd appreciate that any progress be noted there).

showthread.php?threadid=496

The main goal is to get POD working in Windows XP under a Glide wrapper - but the first step is to get it working at all. All reports I've ever read has said that no-one has been able to get any of the non-Glide versions of POD working in Windows 2000/XP. But we're always willing to try, right? 😀

procerus wrote:

All the patches (and indeed the extra tracks and cars) are still available from UbiSoft. However they are not linked off their website.

Appreciate that, thanks. Now all I need is for someone to point me to the super-secret archive of older SEGA-PC titles. If I go to SEGA-PC, there's almost nothing. But I remember earlier, (when they actually had put some effort into the PC division) that they had numerous patches available that anyone with one of their titles would've wanted.

Obvious example was the one I did manage to find: patch for "Daytona USA" for Windows and added Direct3D support and force-feedback (IIRC). D3D over software only mode? Yes, thanks.

What, this?
http://sega.jp/pc/patch_list.html

The language may be Japanese, but the URL's are in English. 😀

Stiletto wrote:

What, this?
http://sega.jp/pc/patch_list.html

Thanks Stiletto, I think these will probably be Japanese-specific but I downloaded them anyway. Did you actually look at these titles? I'm pretty sure some of them will never make it to the states. I never pictured Sega as a maker of hex-based Strategy WWII Wargames. Like to get my hands on "Space Harrier Typing", though.

For English-specific patches and demos, go here:
http://www.sega.com/games/home_pcgames.jhtml

For Japanese-specific demos, go here:
http://www.sega.jp/pc/trial_list.html

Oh, and a nice machine-translation (Japanese-English) website is here:
http://www.excite.co.jp/world/url
(Insert URL, choose the second radio button, click the large rectangular button)

AMIKAI is so much better than Babelfish! 😀

Oh, here's a demo of Typing Space Harrier:
http://www.sega.jp/pc/typharri/

I've known about it for at least a year. It's great! 😀

Were there any particular Sega games in mind that you wanted? Make a list, I can help you find them...

Sorta Off-Topic Note: Test the DirectX/Direct3D patches for your NV1 games when you get a chance, see how they compare... take screenshots, hookup your NV1 again to some machine and take screenshots there... I'm trying to build up proof of why an NV1 emulator would be needed, it would be useful if you get time.

Stiletto wrote:

For English-specific patches and demos, go here:
http://www.sega.com/games/home_pcgames.jhtml

Or, as I call it, the "token PC web page". Used to have patches and/or data for every Windows title that SEGA released.

Oh, and a nice machine-translation (Japanese-English) website is here:

Thanks again. Can't imagine how hard it must be in translating these two languages.

Were there any particular Sega games in mind that you wanted? Make a list, I can help you find them...

Some may not have any patches at all...and I think i missed a couple of Racing games that are in storage somewhere.

House of the Dead
Sonic-CD
BUG!
Flesh Feast
Last Bronx
Panzer Dragoon
Sonic 3D Blast
Virtua Fighter
Virtua Fighter 2
Virtua Squad

Sorta Off-Topic Note: Test the DirectX/Direct3D patches for your NV1 games when you get a chance, see how they compare... take screenshots, hookup your NV1 again to some machine and take screenshots there...

Well I only know of one or two that are available in both formats for sure. Virtua Squad, Battle Arena Toshiden are a couple of the very few commercial titles released with NV-1 support, but I don't know if there's a D3D patch available. Same for "Panzer Dragoon".

Setting up a system with the "EDGE" is no small thing and I probably won't attempt that very soon. The only graphics card I've dealt with that recommends that you install another video card to install the drivers, then put their card in. Plus, I can't think of an easy way of taking screenshots, the NV1 wasn't exactly "compliant".

We'll see...

Gah. I still want them to release plugins and specs on Yoot Tower. Bastards abandoned that game with no remorse. I want to make a Tower game, but I'm too stupid/lazy/inexperienced to do that. And I have about 5Bn other things to do.

More patches...

Battle Arena Toshinden - http://www.ludus.it/dynamic/download/CHIAVE/b … PO_PAGINA/patch
http://www.zdnet.it/zdnet/jumpNews.asp?idUser … 80&idNews=67202

BUG! -
Odd one, that. No official patch, but one here to change number of lives, etc. I can track it down, if you want:
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=85418926 … %40dejanews.com

Flesh Feast - http://www.dlh.net/cgi-bin/dlp.cgi?lang=eng&s … _102.zip&ref=ps

House of the Dead - http://www.dlh.net/cgi-bin/dlp.cgi?lang=eng&s … _d3d.zip&ref=ps

Sonic-CD (Patch from Sega Japan) - http://www.sega.jp/pc/soniccd/patch.html

Virtua Fighter 2 - http://www.dlh.net/cgi-bin/dlp.cgi?lang=eng&s … =vf2.zip&ref=ps
(Patch from Sega Japan - http://www.sega.jp/pc/vf2/patch.html)

I also hear there's PC versions of Battle Arena Toshiden and Panzer Dragoon besides for the NV1. DirectX/Direct3D/something. (I expect that's what the patch is for, but try... *shrug*)

Give the Sega Japanese patches a try if you want, sure they might be in Japanese but if you already know how to play the game... besides, you could always learn Japanese...

As far as Yoot Tower goes, Colin, when the PPC Mac is emulated, you can play the Mac version... 😀

Shoulda thought of this earlier...

Here's a Sonic 3D Blast patch
http://web.archive.org/web/20001016001036/htt … xe/s3kpatch.exe

Here's a Virtua Fighter patch:
http://web.archive.org/web/19970215133741/htt … ches/vf_dx3.exe

Good info here:
http://web.archive.org/web/19970215123755/www … om/segapc/help/

Especially the Sonic-CD:
http://web.archive.org/web/19970215133658/www … lp/soniccd.html

*Ninja Stiletto bows*

This looks like a good place to buy them, too:
http://www.xplosiv.net

Thanks Stiletto, you are the "patch-man". Now all I need is the 3dfx patch for "Battlespire".

Heh. That one's only available in a parallel dimension.

Nanananana Nanananana..... PATCHMAN!

(PatchMan Returns, in this case
)

Here's A patch (but not the one you want):
http://www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_temp.asp?p … tch=battlespire

Here's the sad tale:
http://www.gamezilla.com/review.aspx?review=6948
"...Finally, Bethesda promised native 3Dfx support, even showing beautiful screenshots in 3Ddfx on their website, but in the end they decided to pull it on release. If you look at ads in the major gaming mags, you'll still see the 3Dfx logo in the ads for Battlespire. What the hell is that?
...I think Bethesda should have delayed the game to put in 3Dfx support or at least released it promising a 3Dfx patch shortly after. To this date, they have flat-out refused to release a future patch."

Here's a copy of their release promises:
http://sure.org.ru/gamesolv/faqs/rpg/battlesp.txt

🙁

A note: Battlespire, as with most Bethesda games, uses Bethesda's 3D engine 'XnGine'. If someone (third-party) reimplemented the engine using state-of-the-art Direct3D/OpenGL/Glide technology which was able to load the other games that used it, that would be fabulous (if darn near impossible). (*note - please add to the Engines list*)

Paul _may_ be interested, since he likes Redguard so much. 😉

Try getting SVGA, at least, in Windows XP using Rob Muller's UNIVBE.DRV hack (http://unirefresh.demonews.com/videoproblems/index.html) and NOLFB. Not sure if it will work, but it's worth a shot.

Stiletto wrote:

Here's the sad tale:

Yes, I already knew the story which I why I said you'd have to travel to another dimension (one where Bethesda actually implemented 3dfx into Battlespire).

A note: Battlespire, as with most Bethesda games, uses Bethesda's 3D engine 'XnGine'.

As you probably already know, X-Car was also made with the 'XnGine' and did have 3dfx support.

Not sure if it will work, but it's worth a shot.

Maybe later. It still has the shrink-wrap on it so when (someday) I actually open and play it, it'll still have that "new game" smell. (Unlike some of the used games I've gotten from Half-Price books which smell much like they were stored at the bottom of a closet under a pile of wet towels and ashtrays.