Play HL2 on top GFX settings, no matter what

[TaoFan]

Because I didn't know it at the time, but HL2 automatically set optimum settings for my system, which were frankly, shit.

So whilst others were raving about the normal mapping on HL2, I was thinking they were fibbing, because I couldn't see such effects. Even the little magnifying glass in Kleiner's office didn't work. I figured it was because my card was nVidia, not ATI.

When I finally battle Breen in the Citadel, he's preparing to escape, yet I don't see him, only hear his disembodied voice. Only when I put my GFX settings to max do I see him.

Frankly, I think it's crap design where some crucial element of the game totally disappears because of lowered GFX settings, but then again, that's me.

 

[mastag]

what are your system specs? have you updated all the nvidia gfx card drivers?

 

[giant384]

umm who cares about the drivers that would cause it. its depends mostly on the graphics card and ram. also nvidia vs ati will barely be a noticable difference

 

[Unfocused]

Magnifying glass not working, Breen fading in the distance - look like you've got a DirectX 7 video card.

 

[bbson john]

Frankly, I think it's crap design where some crucial element of the game totally disappears because of lowered GFX settings, but then again, that's me.

So, want is the situation you wanted? Playing the game with extremely bad graphy? Or you cannot start the game AT ALL? Which one?


p.s. you really need to buy some new hardwares.

 

[Llama]

It isnt the game, you have a shite pc.

Or, to put it in friendlier terms, you may be in need of an upgrade or two. :thumbs:

 

[giant384]

taofan you need to respond with your pc specifications

 

[Solver]

Pretty much any modern game has graphical settings. For FPS or RPG games, the settings are usually quite detailed. All these games will automatically make the settings match your hardware - sort of. The difference is in whether the auto-detect leans towards better performance or graphics. The HL2 auto-detection leans towards performance. It will typically set the settings to below what your machine can run, but to settings which should run smoothly.

For example, if HL2 sets everything to Medium Quality without AA, it's possible you might also run the game fairly well with High Quality textures and 2x AA. The autodetection errs on the safe side, however.

 

[MadCat360]

Sounds like you need a later version of DirectX...

Mganifying glass no worky = no shaders. No shader effects = old DX version, on an old card with SM 2.0 or lower.

Damn man, what are you running?

 

[Solver]

Uhmm, shader version 2.0 is what's used in modern games, so in fact cards with shader 2.0 support work just fine... the original poster probably has a shader non-supporting card.

 

[utherdoul]

Uhmm, shader version 2.0 is what's used in modern games, so in fact cards with shader 2.0 support work just fine... the original poster probably has a shader non-supporting card.

Indeed.

I couldn't see such effects. Even the little magnifying glass in Kleiner's office didn't work. I figured it was because my card was nVidia, not ATI.

I used to have a GeForce 4 and tried to play games like Morrowind, Far Cry, Doom 3 and the Half-Life 2 demo (the reason I upgraded ). They didn't work, basically. Like the original problem, I had an nVidia card (which didn't support pixel shading of any variety) and things were just... missing in the game. Large chunks of scenery were just transparent, or some strange texture which made my computer slow right down. On Far Cry, the water had no sparkly effects or reflections at all - it was just a blue void.

So I did what I think you should do: upgrade! I managed to get an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro for a good price and it's doing me just fine. It has a pixel shader 2.0 (or is that 3.0? I forget... and I'm too tired to bother to find out right now) and allows for pretty good graphics and performance from the games mentioned previously. I'm worried about how Oblivion will run (for I shall get it! Oh yes...), but it manages all of HL2: Lost Coast's HDR settings nice and fluidly. I haven't got Episode 1 yet, but I reckon my card will be able to run it at fairly high settings.

Upgrade! :cheese:

 

[pomegranate]

I read this thread yesterday, and now I've read it again. and it still don't make no frickin' sense...

 

[Solver]

Uhmm, here's a simple summary. If you run HL2 on a graphics card that doesn't support shaders (and thus the better DirectX modes, too), then the game will look pretty poor and most special effects will not be present.

 

[pomegranate]

Right. So?

 

[giant384]

Right. So?

means you need to upgrade

 

[utherdoul]

p.s. you really need to buy some new hardwares.

It isnt the game, you have a shite pc.

Or, to put it in friendlier terms, you may be in need of an upgrade or two. :thumbs:

So I did what I think you should do: upgrade!

means you need to upgrade

I don't see what the confusion is about... He clearly needs to upgrade. All I can see that you might not understand is why the original poster hasn't responded... at all!

C'mon Taofan! What are yer system specs?

 

[pomegranate]

I still don't understand the point of the original post, beyond the mind-achingly obvious.

 

[giant384]

I still don't understand the point of the original post, beyond the mind-achingly obvious.

whats so hard to understand??? he cant see some effects that you can with a shader on a video card which he apparentlly doesnt have

 

[pomegranate]

Nothing's hard to understand, I just don't see what the point of posting the thread was.

 

[giant384]

Nothing's hard to understand, I just don't see what the point of posting the thread was.

hes wondering why those things are happening in his first post/only post lol

 

[delusional]

well i dont see what you people are complaining about i dont even have a graphics card. my flashlight doesnt even work entities disappear a couple feet away from me which can be weird when you see the combine and start shooting them only to get closer and see im shooting a wall and i saw a picture of the opening scene and didnt know the gman was supposed to be transparent

 

[MorganFreeman911]

UpGrAdE!!!!!

 

[giant384]

seriously if you have any intigrated card it is wise to upgrade your not going to expect much from a video displayed off of your motherboard

 

[utherdoul]

Hmm... re-reading Taofan's original post, it seems that maybe he doesn't actually need to upgrade. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that rather than having graphics problems due to hardware, he's implying it's HL2's fault (which, of course cannot be...!)

If HL2 sets your graphics low and it looks shit, but when you bump it up to high, it looks fine, what's the problem? Maybe he does need to upgrade, but I reckon this whole thread is starting to become pointless and will continue to be until he replies...

 

[Llama]

He's got a Geforce 5200...thats most probably the problem

 

[giant384]

He's got a Geforce 5200...thats most probably the problem

when i had a fx5200 i could see all of that

 

[Llama]

Well then im stumped

 

[TaoFan]

OH! Sorry I'm so late in responding - frankly, I forgot all about this topic.

Yes, I do have a GeForce 5200 FX, and when I bump up the settings to maximum I do see all the cool effects you better-PC-owning people do, even if it does get a bit sluggish.

All I'm saying is why did HL2 decide on lower settings for my system when it's fine maxed out? I don't mind a bit of slowdown (even if Prey tests my system and my patience quite a bit). Oh, and I don't bother with the AA stuff, though.

I really should return to my own topics more frequently, not just disappear.

 

[Cole]

Yes, I do have a GeForce 5200 FX, and when I bump up the settings to maximum I do see all the cool effects you better-PC-owning people do, even if it does get a bit sluggish.

Not all, your stuck on Dx8.

 

[TaoFan]

I don't think so, Minerel.

My system's DirectX version is 9.0c, and I know for a fact that the nVidia GeForce FX 5200 supports DX9.

Besides, if I'm wrong, what am I missing exactly?

 

[Solver]

Hardware and software DirectX versions are entirely different things. Your system's software DirectX is, undoubtedly, 9.0c. HL2 runs probably in DX8 mode, possibly in DX7. You can see that at the bottom of the video config dialog in HL2.

GeForce FX 5200 has hardware support for DX9, indeed. However, said support is extremely poor. The same goes for shader version 2.0 support on this card, incidentally. It is possible to force HL2 to run in DX9 mode with a FX 5200, although it certainly won't do that by itself. But more importantly, even if you do force that, the performance will become unbearably slow due to the 5200's extremely poor support for DX9-specific features.

 

[subtlesnake]

Yes the entire FX line is too slow to run DirectX 9 at full precision.

Anyway, who cares what the menu settings default to? Just change them yourself, like everyone else does.

Valve don't know how fast you'll be able to run the game - all they can do is build in a basic hardware detection utility that makes a choice for everybody who owns your card. Of course it's not going to be accurate! These things never are.

In every game I play, I always have to alter the settings.

 

[Cole]

I don't think so, Minerel.

My system's DirectX version is 9.0c, and I know for a fact that the nVidia GeForce FX 5200 supports DX9.

Besides, if I'm wrong, what am I missing exactly?

As stated above while you could run at Dx9, it would be......whats the word im looking for? Like Comparing a turtle to a Fox.

 

[Solver]

And in fact, Half-Life 2 has a lot to do with the bad reputation of the FX cards. Valve, in 2003, released benchmarks comparing the FX 5900 Ultra (best in FX series) and the mediorce Radeon9800. The Radeon had far better performance in DirectX9 mode.

In DirectX9 mode, HL2 will also use version 2.0 shaders in some places. Appearances of those practically bring FX cards to a halt. Valve made the auto-detect switch to DirectX8 mode for all FX cards - and rightly so.

You can try running in DX9... use the +mat_dxlevel 9 (IIRC) command line option for HL2. With the FX 5200, it should become obvious soon that the framerate isn't exactly playable.

And yes, I'm a big nVidia fan, in fact. But some facts just have to be admitted - the horrible performance of FX cards with DirectX9 graphics in particular.

 

[TaoFan]

Solver, I tried that command, actually I tried mat_dxlevel 90 (for 9.0 I assume) as my level was already at 80 (8.0).

Guess what? Not only did my framerate drop a lot, but I also lost the cool water effect under the bridge (I was on the Highway 17 level).

So you're right, you're all correct, that my 3D card is sucky for Shader 2.0 and DX9 effects. Oh well.

 

[Solver]

Yep, there's no way you could've gotten anything different. Quite unfortunate, but there you go. At least enjoy the fact that HL2 is a game that can run without DX9 effects, and still look pretty damn good. Because there are games such as Oblivion, which, if forced to run using 1.1 shaders, look horrible losing just all about the lighting effects, and STILL run poorly.

EDIT: But you can try running with mat_dxlevel 81. Depending on your computer, you might have HL2 running as smoothly in DX8.1 mode as in DX8.0 mode - can't hurt to try.