VOGONS


Reply 20 of 28, by xjas

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The Serpent Rider wrote on 2020-01-17, 03:07:
DOS mode from Windows 98 SE. […]
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^^ are you running under pure DOS or Win9x?

DOS mode from Windows 98 SE.

Also, I was testing Duke3D but AFAIK Blood should be similar.

Blood is noticeably heavier than Duke3D.

Well, I dunno what's going on then... my testing setup's in the thread. Maybe Build just doesn't like the i865 board/chipset I was using? I got virtually the same FPS on the P3 1GHz I was using for comparison; it just didn't want to scale. I did those tests a few years ago now so I don't remember all the intricacies.

twitch.tv/oldskooljay - playing the obscure, forgotten & weird - most Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 6:30 PM PDT. Bonus streams elsewhen!

Reply 21 of 28, by derSammler

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The Serpent Rider wrote on 2020-01-17, 02:40:

I needed a 3GHz P4 just to get 30 FPS at 1280x1024 (and still sub-20 at 1600x1200.)

There's something wrong with your setup. I can get Blood playable at 1600x1200 on overclocked Athlon XP + KT333. Although not 60fps stable.

What a nonsensical statement. "playable", "overclocked Athlon XP", no info about the graphics card used. "Playable" probably means you got 20 fps or so, if at all. An overclocked Athlon XP is faster than a P4 anyway, and what graphics card did you use? Oh, and pictures please, or it did not happen.

Reply 22 of 28, by dr.zeissler

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I like those old matrox pci-cards. mystique etc. they were VERY! fast and have a great image-quality.
though they tend to have problems scrolling and some not supported vesa-modes, but I love them
because of the image-quality and the wide driver-support. If you need 3d-acc too, then better put
a voodoo beside the matrox, otherwise choose a different card.

i have some early cracktros compared on 486/dx2 cl542x compared to p75 mystique pci.
from barly startable to blazingly fast, the p75/matrox runs those things like a p233 with a voodoo3.

Retro-Gamer 😀 ...on different machines

Reply 23 of 28, by The Serpent Rider

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"Playable" probably means you got 20 fps or so

You can't get only 20fps on high end Athlon XP or Pentium 4 3Ghz+, that's Pentium 3 Coppermine +/- 1Ghz level.

I must be some kind of standard: the anonymous gangbanger of the 21st century.

Reply 24 of 28, by foil_fresh

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i've settled on playing in 320x400 and the framerate is nice with the K6-2+ 550 using a Trio3D/2x. i have also discovered that the AWE32/AWE64 soundtrack is buggy AF? but using yamaha XG general midi from the AW744 (only under windows) is brilliant.

Reply 25 of 28, by auron

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yes, the AWE32 option plays FM music for some reason. use AWEUTIL with MIDI emulation (needs the MFBEN jumper closed afaik) or just the mpu-401 emulation option in the 9x AWE control panel, and select GM in the sound setup.

edit: forgot AWEUTIL does not work with protected mode games, so windows only it is.

Reply 26 of 28, by lost77

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auron wrote on 2020-01-16, 11:01:

also 640x480 really was the expected standard by that time so i don't think people would have liked to switch back to VGA for better performance on a new machine. so i think it's fair to call it a pretty badly performing game.

It wasn't until the Voodoo graphics (and similar) that people started playing at 640x480 (except a few people with crazy hardware or very low FPS requirements). And even then, most people didn't have such a card until 1998-1999. The expected standard back in late DOS era was still 320x200 but a few people would dabble in the higher res modes.

I personally played both Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior and Blood in VGA mode on my Pentium 200 which ran very smooth but played Tomb Raider and GLQuake at 640x480 using my "3D accelerator".

Reply 27 of 28, by auron

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well, i was going by magazines from the time, for instance if you check boot magazine issues from 1996, they would routinely test hardware with duke3d, quake etc. at 640x480 and 800x600. so it was certainly a thing, just more of a state of the art thing rather than 486 users pushing this. personally, i think a pentium 133 can push a playable 640x480 duke3d, and lack of need for vertical aim really helps there.

one thing about running 320x200 in build games btw, it gives screen tearing because page flipping is only supported in the VESA LFB modes.

Reply 28 of 28, by The Serpent Rider

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one thing about running 320x200 in build games btw, it gives screen tearing because page flipping is only supported in the VESA LFB modes.

Build games can use VESA 320x200, if your card support it or can add support through UniVBE.

I must be some kind of standard: the anonymous gangbanger of the 21st century.