Half life 2 Episode Two without DX7 support. Problem: No HUD

Post by qm » Sun Oct 14, 2007 4:48 am

Hi!
With Ep. 2 there is no DirectX 7 support any more. If you want to play in Stereo, you have to use DX8 or DX9 with the old problem that the HUD disappears from the screen if you crank up the stereo with Ctrl+F6.
Is there any solution for this?
So far I play this great game without HUD and switch to 2D every now and then to check my health and ammo.
(Btw. another game I had this problem with is FEAR...)
I'm using 93.71 drivers. What about the newer ones?
Please help!
qm
P.S.: Do you think there is a chance Nvidia or Valve are interested in prviding a solution? And how can we contact them?
P.P.S.: What about the IZ3D driver? Does it have this problem, too? I live in Germany and I'd like to check this IZ3D thing out...

Post by **Likay** » Sun Oct 14, 2007 3:10 pm

Nvidia driver: Yeah. But playing without a hud is not really a problem here.... It's worse that the lasersight crosshair is rendered somewhere in between me and the target... Goes quite well aiming anyway though. Color correction needs to be off to play in stereo but it seems like the other goodies can be turned on. Don't use dragons utility since it seems like some things don't get rendered ok. However: If anybody have a fix for that crosshair it would be nice.

Have no luck trying to play it with the iz3d driver yet, even if all goodies are turned off. But it's only a matter of a small time before that is fixed.

ps: Haven't tried any of the drivers with lower dx version than 9 though.

cheers

Post by qm » Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:09 am

I got used to aim without lasersight...
Now I think I have to get used to play without HUD...
Ok, nvidia, I can get used to those two things, but the main problem is the stereo support for the future...

Sigh...

Hey, ok, I'm saying I CAN get used to it, but I DON'T WANT TO!!!
Know what I mean?

2D-gaming is no gaming at all. Stereo is a must. Why can't people see that?
Ok, nvidia, I can even get used to PAY for a WORKING stereo driver!
It can't be this difficult to adjust a few things in the driver...

Let's hope so,
qm

Post by **Jahun** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:09 am

heh, better support wil come in a while, if more people pick up on this. So spam your friends about S-3D..

I have 2 friends who want to get themselves a passive projection setup now, and they are not even true gamers

They just got so excited by the 3d..

aaanyways, on HL2 - ep2:
I didn't even know it was out! aargh.. need to get it asap. Source engine works great with Nvidia drivers

Seriously:
No HUD, no laser sight for me too. Newest drivers don't allow me to choose dual output 3D so can't check, but I guess it is the same.

I can live with no crosshair, it is more immersive even.. no HUD is fine too.. you never know when you die

The thing that irritates at times is not knowing what gun you select. The ones without ammo get skipped, so you can never be 100% sure to which one you are going.. Normally that can be easily seen ofcourse..

Ah well, it would be aided by a HUD, but still.. the rest is perfect and the Half Life series is my personal favorite in S-3D now..

*runs of to the store to get EP2*

ps: I still need to play "Don't go to Ravenholm" chapter in 3D... that must be soooo cool

Post by **Hugo** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:38 pm

It?s working very well on my sys (6800 GT with 163.75 on XP).
Just AA is deactivated to get HDR - remainding stuff is on.

Crosshair activated by CTRL-F12 and sure, no HUD @ a good 3d-deep, but i don?t need it...

Post by **Likay** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:03 am

Curious here: Is your crosshair rendered at correct dept? On my comp it's rendered in between me (Gordon) and the target. It's still helpful but a bit annoying.

(for now using 162.18 + 162.15stereo on c2d (one core) + 7900GT)

cheers

Post by **Jahun** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:15 pm

Hmm.. Likay, is your problem with no dual screen output gone? Ah wait, yours was only there with the IZ3D hooked up right..

ah well I'll try new drivers again soon.. perhaps they work now

(the Windows way, just try untill it works)

For me, the crosshair makes no sense, and is absolutely unplayable except for far away targets..

But I don't need it really. Makes the excitement about a kill with the dirty Harry pistol only bigger

"omg I managed to hit it!"

Instead of "ha! I kiell you from 5km with a headshot, using this absolutely and totally inaccurate and clumsy revolver that shouldn't be anything like a sniper rifle"

Post by **Likay** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:10 am

Lol! Actually i can use the crosshair successfully but it's annoying though that it's not rendered properly... haha. Still use it since without it i would end up ammoless and waveing my crowbar at every critters alive...

The problem i had with beamers falling out didn't seem to have something to do with the iz3d drivers. I get the phenomena when i connect the IZ3D itself and using newer nvidia drivers. If i after that connect the beamers again they're no longer properly recognized. It seems there's some errors in the hardware recognizing part of newer drivers. For now i'm using the 162.18FW+162.15stereo combo and it works fine. Just curious though if anybody else is having that phenomena with the crossahir though.

edit: Ragedemon seems to have found a solution to play HL2 and the IZ3D too. Sure gonna try that "fix" too.

cheers

Post by **Jahun** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:27 pm

Ok..

just got Ep2 and finished the very first part..

I get 60-120 fps with all on, and in 2D, which drops to 6! fps if I turn 3D on.. so I think there is a issue..

If I turn off all AA it goes to 30+ fps, which makes more sense and is playable fine for me.

However, you got HDR working Hugo? You sure? It sure doesn't work here when 3D is switched on. In contrast to Ep1, for me with HDR on it looks fine, but just as if it is off.. no HDR rendered for me it seems. You sure yours works as intended?

In conclusion, another great Source engine title that is great and playable in S-3D. Another purchase I am happy about..

After some 15 minutes of playing in 3D.. I sometimes wonder... now is it all that different than without 3D??.. I turn it off, and daaamn what a flat and ugly game.. quickly turn it back on!

I'll try new drivers in a week or so.. takes some time all that driver switching..

Post by qm » Fri Oct 19, 2007 4:53 am

I get a fps drop
1. when I turn on AA
2. when I turn on lasersight.
So I switch them off both and get playable fps in 3D.

@Jahun:
Yeah, right, don't you ever turn off 3D, every game sucks wtihout 3D!

Have fun,
qm

Post by **Hugo** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 3:12 pm

Jahun wrote:...got HDR working Hugo? You sure? It sure doesn't work here when 3D is switched on...

... it seems so, but i?ll test it without 3D.

@Likay
Crosshair is ok for most cases. It?s just gone on the sky and false for real near objects - no problem for me.

Edit:
Tested in flat 2d-mode now. It?s strange - there is no difference in quality or fps. I get exactly the same results
- hdr on or off...
... a new ATI-gimmick of valve like in HL2 with the fx-cards?

Post by **LukePC1** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:00 am

I use dragon Tools for crosshair. That works quite ok.
Anoying is that all water reflections are completly wrong. Most of the time that is quite ok, but in water areas it is very anoying!

I couldn't get rid of them - even with lowest settings!
Does someone have a clue? Should I disable Stereo-Textures from Dragon Tools?

Post by **Jahun** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:51 am

Hugo: make sure HDR is around at that map. Probably best to test it in a outside area map.. and look at the sky, perhaps with some water around to reflect it in.. something like that..

Post by **Hugo** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:41 pm

got it now - i had to verify my ep2-installation with steam (seems that some early german preloads had problems).

But there is just a tiny difference between HDR and no HDR (quality and fps). I?ve about 8 FPS difference - in flat-mode.

With 3d - i can?t permit me to say that it?s working or not...

But i don?t get a white screen like with EP1 and "false" driver...

Post by **Jahun** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:17 am

Ah yeah, the same here. It doesn't turn white.. But I haven't spotted the HDR itself in 3D either.. so think it is skipped perhaps.. not sure.

Just finished Ep2.. it is waaay too short. I could have played it in half a day easily. It is never hard either.. perhaps on hardest setting. But...

Omg, wat a visual fest. I don't know if Valve plays these games in 3D themselves, but they are 100% surely missing ALOT if they don't. Getting chased through corridors by guardians, running about the open finale killing striders by the dozen, driving cars.. It is one great S-3D spectacle..

Cheers to Valve for creating an engine that supports S-3D.. amazing.

Post by **Hugo** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 10:11 pm

Now i had to buy a "new" gfx-card and got completely different results.

The NV-lasersight isn´t useable anymore - i get a huge speed-difference with or without lasersight.
By activating lasersight, fps drops down to 5 or less...

HDR is working - just that the change in brightness takes twice as in flat mode...

I switched from 6800 to 7950 - and it´s realy worse - in nearly all games i´ve the same 3d-speed as
with my 6800 (by disabling lasersight!!) - with lasersight, i get perhaps 10% of the 6800.

Within some games, it´s pure horror to swith in 3d now - the hit is rally trophy, flat mode >300 FPS ; 3d < 40

I´m close to switch back to 6800 - FPS isn´t the real problem, but i´ve the "lasersight-crash" in each game...
... it´s completely gone; unuseable

163.75/162.50 combo (which was close to be perfect on 6800)

Post by **cybereality** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 10:43 pm

If it makes you feel any better, I'm still running a 6800 GT on my XP rig and that thing still has some life.

Post by **LukePC1** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:08 am

you better dig up some old stuff... I bet you'll find similar problems from other users.
I think it was a 'problem' with the driver and the Games. Some games run good/better with newer driver, but a lot of games work much worse with the newer drivers. You could test the driver of my sig, if you play a little older games.
I think only Bioshok and maybe IL2 work better with the newer one...

good luck trying

Post by **cybereality** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:33 am

Yeah, you might have better luck with the 91.31 drivers.

Post by **Hugo** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:28 pm

thx for tips - now i tried a lot of drivers from 9x.xx up to 169.xx - allways the same problem.
It seems, that 7950 isn´t made for lasersight...

HDR, AA, AF, vsync, stereotexture - tried all - no change
It´s a shame - the quality of the lasersight would be very well.

I´ve tested just hl* and crysis...
... perhaps it´s working within ogl.

Post by **cybereality** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:57 pm

Hugo wrote:It seems, that 7950 isn´t made for lasersight...

Did you try disabling one of the cores? Maybe its an SLI issue?

Post by **LukePC1** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 4:08 am

I assumed it was the non SLI card = the improvement of 7900GT...

However my 7900GT or GTO or GS (I'm not shure after my replacement) works good with lasersight - I have it on in all games which need it:
- BF2
-Fear
- COD2 and 4
-CS
- Portal

It 'works' even for some other games like racing games, where it is useless