did you try installing the G400 patch?

ftp://ftp.matrox.com/pub/mga/games/patches/re … xp_g400bump.zip

Thank you for this!

Gave it a go, but with the updated go executable the game just crashes to the desktop. I tried just updating the asset folders and using the old executable but without luck.

Odd because the game has a bump mapping option in the video section. But it doesn't generate any changes.

I will try the GOG.com version next.

Another thing that is odd is that screenshots show that without bump mapping the water isn't see through. But on my machine it is. The water looks like in the "no bump mapping screenshot" however you can see through to the walls and floor.

Well the GOG.com version actually works, but the patch a;so doesn't. This time I get an error message about a missing BDF?

Was Matrox the only supported card for bump mapping in this game?

I think those screens were probable edited for marketing purposes.

the bdf error is because some folders need to be copied off the cd. BDF & FXB, then it should load.

I just installed expendable on an old laptop with a FX 5700 and it has bump mapping enabled but no embm as it's only for matrox hardware, visually it looks nothing like those screens on that website, the colours are much more dull and greyish.

it looks like the bottom screen on this site;
http://be.hardware.info/reviews/278/4/matrox- … g-in-expendable

Thanks for those screens.

It shows the water to be grey and muddy without EMBM and blue and clean with EMBM. Interesting that's for sure. Because there is blue water in the game, some in level 2 and also lots in the timedemo.

I remember Bump Mapping working on the voodoo3 back then when I was playing the game... might worth a shot

Here some screens from tomshardware, same area as in the hardware.info site.

BUT the water is still blue without bump mapping.

Keropi did it look like the top screenshot in the tomshardware link?

Matrox must have pushed this game / feature hard because every G400 review mentions it 😀

Another screenshot:

http://www.ixbt.com/video/matrox-g400.html

All the way down the page. The image on the right is exactly what I see! See through water and waves but without the detail on the surface.

I can't say I really remember if it looked like that Phil... it's been too long since I tried it
Maybe I try it tomorrow on my p4/98se setup and see what I get (GF6800GT/v2sli)

That would be awesome!

Evidence that the bundled Matrox version has bump mapping enabled:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=725778

According to this review, bump mapping is available in the demo.

http://www.hardware-one.com/print_review.asp?reviews=139

In the TV version Expendable is not bundled.

They actually don't say that. Looks like they use the demo for benchmarking and Matrox provided screenshots.

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

They actually don't say that. Looks like they use the demo for benchmarking and Matrox provided screenshots.

They did run the game with the feature enabled, just read what they say when it comes to performance. They don't mention anything that you need a special Matrox version of the game for it to work. If that is indeed the case, they should have mentioned it as they are testing the G400-TV which do not have the game bundled.

Sorry that's not what I'm reading.

They use the same screenshots as many of the other reviewers. That robot screenshot, where did that come from? Likely Matrox also supplied it. Most other reviews also show this screenshot 😀

Why is there a Matrox G400 patch that specifically is for enabling this feature?

Do you happen to have a Matrox G400 and could test this?

If the patch was made available shortly after launch maybe they patched the retail version and got it working?

As you are in luck I have a G400 16MB card (G4+ MDH4A 16G) which I got for free a year ago and I've never tested.

I have the bundled Creative TNT2 Ultra version as well (the one for sale on Ebay incase you're wondering)

Lets hope they match with the patch 😉

Cool let me know!

Also do you think that having the G450 instead of the G400 could be an issue? I just assumed that it's just a die shrink and it would be compatible.

that's not the way to own Expendable... 😵 😵 😵 🤣
here is the correct one:

😊

Hehe nice 😀

Yea I just collect the plain discs. Space saving 😀

Worked for me 😀

It looks like in the screenshots

I got crash to desktop when I had the PowerVR card inserted. I took it out and it worked fine. Do you have another Direct3D card installed?

As some additional information I can say that the game ran pretty well on the PowerVR card before I patched it as it would not allow me to disable the PowerVR HAL in the setup menu.

Mind taking a screenshot just to rub it in 🤣

What Matrox card did you use? G450 as well or a G400?

Full version or demo?

Nope nothing else installed. Just the G450...