UCyborg wrote on 2025-10-18, 13:04:

I had to reboot 2 days ago because Audigy drivers crapped themselves again. It happens fairly regularly that sometime after resuming from sleep sound gets all rattling. Usually fixable by going to Sound dialog and testing another sound setup, but this time, no application could play anything anymore. And the stupid driver isn't normally stoppable, if you try to disable it in Device Manager, it prompts for reboot.

These drivers were never really stable, weren't they?

I never put my machine to sleep. I've found them (Audigy RX drivers) to be fairly stable.

I've used that function since forever. I faintly remember using it on an old Pentium 233 MHz machine many years ago, it was called standby on Windows 98. Never really had serious issues with it, but I also didn't have Creative sound card in most PCs I used until now, so...though another driver for onboard NVIDIA Ethernet adapter which never had issues with power transitions has them (BSOD) with specific version of Windows 10.

This case is more odd since it happens when nothing is plugged to RJ-45 port and most of this computer's lifetime, the port was used. So who knows, maybe it would happen in the past, maybe it wouldn't, all I can say it's fine on this specific installation of Win11 23H2 while it's not on Win10 20H2.

Hi,
I found no menti0n in the wiki article nor this thread, so I thought I'll leave this EAX game here: https://www.mobygames.com/game/5433/grand-pri … -3-season-2000/

villeneuve wrote on 2025-11-03, 00:27:

Hi,
I found no menti0n in the wiki article nor this thread, so I thought I'll leave this EAX game here: https://www.mobygames.com/game/5433/grand-pri … -3-season-2000/

I'm not familiar with that game, but looking at its PC Gaming Wiki page, EAX is indeed referenced.

Oddly enough, there doesn't seem to be a dedicated EAX setting in the game's audio options, at least per the screenshot shown on that page. Is it configured through some external utility?

EAX was one of it's selling points since the original game released in 2000 lacked any modern sound features. I own the game since release, but currently could only access the readme file in which it says:

1If you have older drivers (eg EMU10K1.VXD is version 4.05.1026 or earlier) you will not be able to use EAX or multi-speaker surround in the game. Updating to the latest drivers will enable EAX and multi-speaker 3D in the game's audio menu.

Has anyone played Icewind Dale with EAX on? What were your experiences?

AndreaColombo86 wrote on 2025-11-11, 15:02:

Has anyone played Icewind Dale with EAX on? What were your experiences?

Personally, I couldn't hear any notable use of EAX in Icewind Dale. Same goes for its sequel. Which is strange, because I can immediately notice EAX in Baldur's Gate 2, and that game uses the same engine.

But then we have this interview with the Icewind Dale developers, archived from Creative's old website. Maybe I just didn't pay enough attention during my playthrough.

I spent some time thinking about games in my possession that might have EAX support that aren’t on the VOGONS Wiki list. While I was testing out EMBM-supported games on the Matrox G400 some time ago, I remember grabbing a copy of a game called Hired Team: Trial. I typed in a couple of quote-marked keywords into the old Google search bar to see if it had any EAX features mention anywhere across the web, which lead me to a website called old-games.ru!

It turns out that old-games has a tag specifically for games that (supposedly) feature EAX in some fashion. If you click on the tag you end up on a multi-page list of games that have a URL on their website, including titles that I have not seen mentioned on the current Wiki-based EAX support lists. I have yet to try out some of these games (likely because they weren’t really always games that had much of a presence in English-speaking markets) to confirm if EAX is indeed present. However, it couldn’t possibly hurt to go through some of these entries, if only just to shed light on games (or conversions) that haven’t gotten as much attention.

Dipshidian wrote on 2025-11-15, 07:18:

I spent some time thinking about games in my possession that might have EAX support that aren’t on the VOGONS Wiki list. While I was testing out EMBM-supported games on the Matrox G400 some time ago, I remember grabbing a copy of a game called Hired Team: Trial. I typed in a couple of quote-marked keywords into the old Google search bar to see if it had any EAX features mention anywhere across the web, which lead me to a website called old-games.ru!

It turns out that old-games has a tag specifically for games that (supposedly) feature EAX in some fashion. If you click on the tag you end up on a multi-page list of games that have a URL on their website, including titles that I have not seen mentioned on the current Wiki-based EAX support lists. I have yet to try out some of these games (likely because they weren’t really always games that had much of a presence in English-speaking markets) to confirm if EAX is indeed present. However, it couldn’t possibly hurt to go through some of these entries, if only just to shed light on games (or conversions) that haven’t gotten as much attention.

Admittedly, I wasn't aware of that particular website. However, over the years, I have looked into various other lists on the internet, and tested a few games which were said to potentially feature EAX. In most cases, I found no EAX references in the options menu, readme file, manual or executable of such games. If it helps someone else, here are the games which didn't pass my EAX test process:

• Age of Empires III
• Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
• Battle Isle: The Andosia War
• Battlestrike: Call to Victory
• Battlestrike: The Siege
• Black & White 1
• Bloodrayne 2
• Catwoman
• Cellfactor Revolution
• Civilization 3
• Collin McRae Rally 03
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
• F1 2011
• Fallout 3
• Final Fantasy XI
• Freelancer
• Half-Life 2
• Hogs of War
• Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine
• Lego Racers 2
• Morrowind
• Oblivion
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
• Red Faction 2
• Rent A Hero
• Sacred 1
• Soldier of Fortune 3: Payback
• Test Drive Unlimited
• The Godfather: The Game
• The Temple of Elemental Evil
• UFO: Afterlight
• Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
• Wargasm
• Wheel of Time

Most of these games seem to just use DirectSound3D, without any EAX functionality. I think some of them are still on the Vogons wiki list (as entries inherited from Wikipedia) so I will consider removing them.

I'd like to have your opinion on Bioshock. I've tested the game under XP with driver 2.17.0008, 7 x64 with driver 2.17.0009 and EAX disabled too and i can't really hear a difference during the first 30 min of the game. It's either one of those games where EAX makes very little difference or i am doing something wrong.

OM606 wrote on 2025-11-15, 21:20:

I'd like to have your opinion on Bioshock. I've tested the game under XP with driver 2.17.0008, 7 x64 with driver 2.17.0009 and EAX disabled too and i can't really hear a difference during the first 30 min of the game. It's either one of those games where EAX makes very little difference or i am doing something wrong.

I never performed a detailed "with/without EAX" comparison in BioShock. For the record, I only played through that game once, a few years back. This was with EAX enabled, using an X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty hooked up to 5.1 speakers, and running the game under Windows 7 x64. So that's my only point of reference. I do remember liking the reverb and occlusion effects, as well as the positional audio. One of the instances that stuck in my head was when the first splicer that you encounter is banging on the bathosphere, near the very start. But maybe someone else who has had more experience with that game could chime in.

For what it's worth, Creative heavily advertised the use of EAX in BioShock back in the day. You can see their official audio guide here. It contains instructions on how to properly configure an X-Fi card, in order to experience the game's audio "exactly as BioShock's creators intended". Their words, not mine.

P.S.

Just thought I'd emphasize that I played the original version of BioShock (from GOG), and not the remaster. No clue if the latter even has EAX support.

villeneuve wrote on 2025-11-03, 15:20:

EAX was one of it's selling points since the original game released in 2000 lacked any modern sound features. I own the game sin […]
Show full quote

EAX was one of it's selling points since the original game released in 2000 lacked any modern sound features. I own the game since release, but currently could only access the readme file in which it says:

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1If you have older drivers (eg EMU10K1.VXD is version 4.05.1026 or earlier) you will not be able to use EAX or multi-speaker surround in the game. Updating to the latest drivers will enable EAX and multi-speaker 3D in the game's audio menu.

I had some time to test this today. The base Grand Prix 3 game (fully patched to v1.13) has no EAX, nor any surround sound support. However, its expansion pack "2000 Season" adds both of those features:

In fact, the expansion ships with an early version of EAX Unified, so it supports both EAX 1.0 and EAX 2.0. I've added it to the Vogons wiki page.

P.S.

This game's disc contains period correct drivers for 3DFX, Nvidia, ATi, Matrox, PowerVR and even Permedia graphics cards. Might be useful to someone.

Thanks! Today i was playing a bit of Doom 3 and thought that EAX effects are really over the top. It made me wonder if there's a category of retro gamers who just dislike EAX and prefer the vanilla sound of old games?

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2025-11-15, 07:59:

Admittedly, I wasn't aware of that particular website. However, over the years, I have looked into various other lists on the internet, and tested a few games which were said to potentially feature EAX. In most cases, I found no EAX references in the options menu, readme file, manual or executable of such games. If it helps someone else, here are the games which didn't pass my EAX test process:
...

Maybe it's worth having a debunked section somewhere like the 3d api list?
Just thinking out loud

OM606 wrote on 2025-11-16, 22:07:

Thanks! Today i was playing a bit of Doom 3 and thought that EAX effects are really over the top. It made me wonder if there's a category of retro gamers who just dislike EAX and prefer the vanilla sound of old games?

Absolutely. In the end, it all comes down to personal preference. And with Doom 3 in particular, there have been several people in this thread alone who think the EAX use is over the top, so you're certainly not alone here.

Personally, I kinda like it. Mostly because I played OG Doom 3 + RoE with EAX enabled, and then immediately followed it up with the "Lost Mission" mini campaign from the BFG Edition. The latter has no EAX support, and the entire soundstage felt incredibly flat and lifeless to me. Positional audio was also noticeably worse on my 5.1 speakers when using the BFG Edition.

chinny22 wrote on 2025-11-17, 02:32:

Maybe it's worth having a debunked section somewhere like the 3d api list?
Just thinking out loud

Good idea!

I've added a "Debunked EAX games" section to the first post in this thread, and removed those games from the Vogons wiki EAX list. I also removed fan-made mods and ports such as JHexen and Thievery UT, as the list will focus on retail games.

OM606 wrote on 2025-11-15, 21:20:

I'd like to have your opinion on Bioshock. I've tested the game under XP with driver 2.17.0008, 7 x64 with driver 2.17.0009 and EAX disabled too and i can't really hear a difference during the first 30 min of the game. It's either one of those games where EAX makes very little difference or i am doing something wrong.

Played it last year in the same conditions, from my experience you get more simultaneous sound effects working at the same time but that is about it, maybe there could also be better occlusion but I did not pay much attention

Start Trek:DS9 - The Fallen on Audigy RX
https://youtu.be/BTKjQv7Tuyg

sharangad wrote on 2025-11-28, 12:27:

Start Trek:DS9 - The Fallen on Audigy RX
https://youtu.be/BTKjQv7Tuyg

I'm still pissed that they didn't get Sisko's original actor to voice him here.

Everyone else from the show reprised their respective roles, but it's not the same without the best captain in Star Trek.

I honestly don't know why Avery didn't voice Sisko in The Fallen, but he was a very busy guy during the heyday of DS9, also being a college professor and working-actor. He certainly has no disdain for video games, having recorded lines for two of the Star Trek PC games that featured Sisko. The Fallen is one of my favorite PC games and I'd love to see it get a proper re-release for modern systems, as it doesn't work well at all on today's PCs, without a lot of tinkering. I think Nightdive could do it right and possibly even get Avery to record all the Sisko dialogue.