Home Trending Latest threads New posts Developer diaries

more sound problems

Jump to latest Follow Reply
  • We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Show only dev responses
unmerged(13054)

unmerged(13054)

Second Lieutenant
Dec 23, 2002
132
0
Visit site
I see from a previous posting that a few others have had problems with HOI sound effects. What is happening is that each effect will play once and never again.

I have a 2.4G P4 and was originally using the onboard AC97 sound, which did NOT have this problem, but performed really badly, especially during monthly autosave. So I installed a Vibra 128 and latest drivers from Creative. Now this is a pefectly harmless and mature device which ALL other games and applications on my machine are having no trouble with. Windows is reporting no problems with the card. The AC97 stuff is disabled in bios.

Therefore my suspicions lie firmly with HOI.

Does anyone have any ideas how to sort this out? I have reinstalled and tried both 1.0 and 1.05c, same problem in both cases. The music and opening video work fine.

Chuck
 
Rename the AVI folder to AVI_back.
Make sure you have no programs runing in the background.
(ICQ/Messanger, E-mail/Internet, Virus protection ...)
If that does not solve it try reducing the acceleration of your sound card.
 
cmeo said:
I see from a previous posting that a few others have had problems with HOI sound effects. What is happening is that each effect will play once and never again.
Click to expand...
And it sounds a lot like you have the exact same problems. The Vibra is an older Creative board, which comes (as I suspect) only with VxD drivers. Well, DirectX, Paradox games and Creative VxD drivers don't like each other. And you are correct in your observations (it is also mine) that only Paradox games misbehave with the Creative VxD drivers.

Like Castellon suggested, reduce the sound accelleration. Others have reported success with that move, although that was with the Live and Audigy boards, which do have a lot more hardware processing that can be reduced in accelleration.

Upgrade to WDM type drivers is the more definitive solution, but in your case that probably means upgrading to Windows 2000 or higher.

Mind you, the above is assuming that you have indeed the VxD drivers installed, which implies a Windows version upto and including ME. If you are already running win2K or XP, then forget the above. Then we must try to work out where in your case the problem lies.

Jan Peter
 
jpd said:
And it sounds a lot like you have the exact same problems. The Vibra is an older Creative board, which comes (as I suspect) only with VxD drivers. Well, DirectX, Paradox games and Creative VxD drivers don't like each other. And you are correct in your observations (it is also mine) that only Paradox games misbehave with the Creative VxD drivers.
Click to expand...

Yep, they're vxds all right. However there is no acceleration to reduce. OK, I'll try another card.

If every other game company can get this right, what is paradox's major malfunction??? Getting an SB to work right is hardly rocket science in this day and age.

Chuck
 
cmeo said:
If every other game company can get this right, what is paradox's major malfunction??? Getting an SB to work right is hardly rocket science in this day and age.
Click to expand...
I wish I knew. It would have saved me a lot of time tracing this problem to the VxD drivers some time ago, that's for sure.

It must have something to do with not following the Microsoft rules regarding programming in a DirectX environment with 100% compliance, as, as you said, no other games exhibit this odd sound behaviour. SB cards are so common, that both Microsoft and Creative have made sure they work good together.

I still have a similar issue regarding DirectX video modes with EU2 and HoI, as there too Paradox doesn't seem to follow the Microsoft programming guidelines with 100% compliance.

Jan Peter
 
Many games have problems with sound, take a look around at some other support sites and knowledgebases. ;)

I am not saying this is alright or anything and I DO know why this kind of thing happens to Paradox games, however I doubt the methodology will change. I am currently preparing a top 3 technical problem report for them that will hopefully help them with at least future games if not current ones.

Are you sure there is not a slider bar that controls the acceleration on your card?
 
sound and fury...signifying nothing??

Castellon said:
Many games have problems with sound, take a look around at some other support sites and knowledgebases. ;)
Click to expand...

Certainly...but I haven't seen one for years. Then again, I don't have much use for 1PS and adventure games, so well away from the bleeding edge.

Are you sure there is not a slider bar that controls the acceleration on your card?
Click to expand...

Positive.

I checked my older system, a 933 P3, and sure enough, the inboard audio uses WDM drivers. Pity it performs so poorly...this is why I bought the verdammte P4 in the first place!!!!

As for not fixing this, simply not good enough. I have set HOI aside for the time being. It's broken.

Chuck
 
cmeo said:
Certainly...but I haven't seen one for years. Then again, I don't have much use for 1PS and adventure games, so well away from the bleeding edge.
Click to expand...
I havent't either. I have games on my shelf dating 10 years back, written specifically for the SB Pro (my very first card), games written with the DOS 4GW extender, games written for WinG, and for DirectX 5 upwards, all play sound flawlessly on my various SoundBlaster cards. Even Rise of Nations doesn't have any trouble, although it's rather slow on my Athlon XP1600.
I checked my older system, a 933 P3, and sure enough, the inboard audio uses WDM drivers. Pity it performs so poorly...this is why I bought the verdammte P4 in the first place!!!!
Click to expand...
It's not a VxD driver model per se that is the trouble. With VxD's, a vendor must implement the entire API. With WDM's, only the lower, hardware dependant layer is vendor specific. The API is generic, and integrated in Windows. Thus there are fewer places that incompatibilities can crop up.
As for not fixing this, simply not good enough. I have set HOI aside for the time being. It's broken.
Click to expand...
Surely, that's a bit overreacting. The sound effects, although nice, are hardly essential for a good HoI experience. And besides, if they are that important to you, install Win2K and use the WDM drivers for your SoundBlaster. In Win2K, no VxD's are used, ever.

Jan Peter
 
Another option is to get a new sound card. Even an old Soundblaster live will allow you to adjust acceleration. You could pick one of them up cheap, again I know not a great thing to hear. Just providing another alternative.
I know I did not apreciate hearing it when Microsoft tech support told me my 1 yearold video card did not support their game and to get a new one. even though aparently it does support the 3 or 4 year old one in my second computer. So I do understand what you are going through.
 
looks sheepish and scuffs feet on ground...

Castellon said:
(snip)

As for a slider bar, when you run the dxdiag and look at the sound tab is there not a slider there?
Click to expand...

There is indeed, and it fixed the problem too. You learn something new all the time. Dxdiag additionally reported that the card does not support hardware acceleration at all, which is perhaps where the wierd behaviour creeps in.

I still think it's pretty slack of SF not to fix it though, despite whatever commercial realities govern this stuff.

Anyway, thanks again for the assist. Time to pop this in the self help thread maybe?

Chuck
 
I think reducing acceleration is mentioned, I will have to check, maybe an update is in order for all games.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back