First post, by PhilsComputerLab
- Rank
- l33t++
Haven't done much lately and really want to check out this game!
Similar to the original Splinter Cell this game is very picky regarding the graphics card. On modern hardware shadows and lights are not displayed correctly. It appears that the issues are extreme enough for GOG.com and Steam not to publish this game.
I have only started investigating this game so I will add findings as I go along and please feel free to contribute 😀
There seem to be two retail versions of this game, one spanning 4 CDs and one on a single DVD.
I got the DVD version recently, new, sealed and cheap on eBay:
On the CD are some useful pointers for compatibility. Nvidia driver 53.03, ATI 4.2, DirectX 9 runtime, a patch to update to version 1.31 and a readme file with some info (attached).
The readme file mentions these hardware configurations:
1.1. System Requirements […]
1.1. System Requirements
Minimum:
Processor: Intel or AMD, 1 GHz
Operating
System: Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP
Memory: 128 MB RAM
Disk Space: 2.5 GB
Graphics Card: DX8.1 compatible card,
GeForce 3 or higher ( GeForce 4 MX are GeForce4 Go are not supported)
ATI Radeon 8500 or higher
Sound Card: DirectX 8.1 compatible
DirectX Version: 8.1b
Network: High-Speed Modem with 64 Kbits data transfer upload rate.Recommended Configuration:
Processor: Intel or AMD 1.8 GHz
Operating System: WindowsXP
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Disk Space: 2.5 GB
Graphics Card: DX8.1 compatible card,
GeForce FX 128MB
ATI Radeon 9800
Sound Card: DirectX 8.1 compatible with EAX Advanced HD
DirectX Version: 8.1b
Network: High-Speed Modem with 128 Kbits of data transfer upoad rate.Graphics Cards Supported:
Radeon 9800 - Tested (Pro)
Radeon 9700 - Tested (Pro)
Radeon 9600 - Tested (Pro)
Radeon 9500 - Tested (Pro)
Radeon 9200 - Tested (Pro)
Radeon 9100 - Not Tested
Radeon 9000 - Tested
Radeon 8500 - Tested
GeForce FX 5900 - Tested
GeForce FX 5800 - Tested
GeForce FX 5600 - Tested
GeForce FX 5200 - Tested
GeForce 4 Ti 4600/4400/4200 - Tested (4200)
GeForce 3 Ti500/Ti200 - Tested
GeForce 3 - Tested
Interesting that ATI cards are supported.
More information regarding compatibility:
**** Graphics Compatibility **** […]
**** Graphics Compatibility ****
- If the game is very slow, or the display corrupted, check that anti-aliasing is not forced at the level of the drivers. If this is the case, deactivate it.
- Graphical problems may be experienced with GeForce FX. Update your drivers with the latest available version on the nVidia site (http://www.nvidia.com). Using ALT-TAB to toggle to the desktop and back to the game should correct these problems.
- If your monitor switches to Energy Saving, update the drivers for your screen.
- Problems may be experienced with ATI Catalyste Version 4.2 drivers. Use version 4.1, or an earlier version than 4.2.
- With GeForce 3, the use of 56.09 drivers, or higher, provides improved performance in high resolution with enhanced graphic detail. However, the game runs properly with versions 53.03 and higher.
I have installed the game on my current i7 machine with Windows 8.1 and GTX660 and it installed and plays fine. The shadows and lights are all off of course but I have't compared it to a period correct machine yet.
Regarding graphics card I believe that the FX5950 is the "best" card for this game. Looking at driver versions I found a few drivers with references to Pandora Tomorrow:
The game ships with 53.03 and the first, newer, driver I found is 56.72 from April 2004 with this entry:
Issues resolved: GeForce FX 5950 Ultra, Windows XP: In the game Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, white flashes occur on a character with antialiasing enabled.
I found another entry in driver 61.77 from July 2004:
Issues resolved: GeForce FX 5950 Ultra, Windows XP: Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow: Rain splashes do not appear.
The machine I'm planning on using for this game will be:
Asrock Pentium 4 865 chipset board
Pentium 4 2.8C HT disabled
2x512 MB RAM
Audigy 2 ZS
Windows XP SP2
Some questions:
Does this game also use shadow buffers like Splinter Cell?
Does it use an alternative render path for ATI?
How come ATI cards are supported but newer Nvidia (and ATI cards) are known not to display lights and shadows correctly.