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[Request] EAX

SikorskySikorsky Member Posts: 402
edited September 2012 in Archive (Feature Requests)
EAX don't work on the new platforms or didn't work properly. I don't know if this is possible but EAX support will be great. On my old platform the sound with EAX was better then on my new machine with "Made for Gamer sound card".

Comments

  • KhyronKhyron Member Posts: 627
    edited September 2012
    This might simply be down to the fact that your new computer doesn't have a dedicated soundcard, but an integrated one on the motherboard. (For some reason, PC users want the best possible mp3 files and such they can find, but settle for the built-in crap sound a modern pc gives you.. "back in the days" computers had proper dedicated hardware for this)

    Strangely enough, modern pc's have a much worse playback now than they did 10 years ago. I bet you if you take some stoneage technology like the Creative Audigy 2 and compare it to an integrated soundcard like you get on todays computers, it's going to blow the new one out of the water.

    More often than not, integrated soundcards don't even have it's own hardware per se. You'll notice how it's really just a Jack-out port and it's your cpu that handles everything (Which in turn is detrimental to overall performance..)

    Getting a dedicated soundcard (they're dirt cheap) will A) Not only improve overall performance as the cpu works less on running the audio, its filters, effects and so on and so forth but, B) also give you a substantially improved sound image and give you a myriad of possible ways to tweak your audio experience (Like EAX, proper surround, etc etc)

    Of course, you may have one of these cards already.. which in turn makes this rant moot, so i'll just stop now.
  • SikorskySikorsky Member Posts: 402
    I have Creative SB X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty. I can't turn on EAX on this one.
  • KhyronKhyron Member Posts: 627
    *shrug* Maybe EAX is "too old" to be supported by your soundcard? hell if I know..
  • AndreaColomboAndreaColombo Member Posts: 5,525
    edited September 2012
    EAX is an extension of the API DirectSound, support for which was dropped starting from Windows Vista. It is therefore impossible to enable EAX in any games on Vista/7.

    This is also one of the reasons why BG:EE's sound engine was ported from DirectSound to OpenAL. Through Creative's proprietary software ALchemy you should be able to get EAX in BG:EE (and any other games that support it).
  • ankhegankheg Member Posts: 546
    Sikorsky said:

    I have Creative SB X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty. I can't turn on EAX on this one.

    Khyron said:

    *shrug* Maybe EAX is "too old" to be supported by your soundcard? hell if I know..

    AndreaColombo said:

    EAX is an extension of the API DirectSound, support for which was dropped starting from Windows Vista. It is therefore impossible to enable EAX in any games on Vista/7.

    This is also one of the reasons why BG:EE's sound engine was ported from DirectSound to OpenAL. Through Creative's proprietary software ALchemy you should be able to get EAX in BG:EE (and any other games that support it).

    Alchemy can be used even with a simple plain Realtek HD, if you are able to fool that you have a Creative card. (look for the solution on the internet:)) It works perfectly with BG1, BG2 but not with ToB (double echo) or IWD (won't even start). But the question remains: will BGEE have some kind of surround/5.1/echo/anything? I am not an expert but I believe with openAl it shouldn't be impossible to create some. I really miss those cave reverbs. (alchemy won't work on BGEE)
  • AndreaColomboAndreaColombo Member Posts: 5,525
    @Nathan is the right guy whom to ask.
  • ankhegankheg Member Posts: 546
    I believe there should be some kind of surround sound, like echo/reverb in caves etc. But I would be happy if I could use at least alchemy... I am not an expert but I guess creating some basic effects wouldn't be hard even without specific hardware or with older computers. (VST or something?)
  • DeeDee Member Posts: 10,447
    This is literally the same request as this one:
    http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/5243/request-eax#latest

    Closing this thread to cut down on clutter (a clean forum is a happy forum). Cheers!
    -DP
  • AndreaColomboAndreaColombo Member Posts: 5,525
    I merged the two discussions to make things even cleaner.
  • ankhegankheg Member Posts: 546
    Thanks, I've made some experiments myself but nothing so far.
  • alithegreatalithegreat Member Posts: 24
    I own a Creative X-Fi Fatality PCI card. (Not PCI -EXPRESS !!) ( renamed as Creative Fatality Platinum Champion - has led Fatality logo on board, internal I/O drive etc) .

    You cannot use Alchemy with BG:EE - it doesn't use DirectSound. (no dsound.dll etc)
    You can and have to use OpenAL.

    On my system with Windows 7 Ultimate X64 Bit. Bundled OpenAL had problems. ( echo, missing sounds, clicks, hang) .

    I put latest retail 2.100 OpenAL32.DLL into baldur.exe's folder. Most of the problems gone but still had troubles of random hanging. I even got one Blue screen of death.

    http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/9178/possible-solution-for-creative-x-fi-owners-having-issues-with-static

    As mentioned on other post , I downloaded Unigine Heaven Benchmark, and copied that OpenAL32.dll into game folder. No problems so far. I also updated my unofficial ( Daniel-K) drivers to latest on Creative's Site. ( just the driver, most other apps are already up to date)

    I have Creative Inspire T7700 7.1 analog speakers attached. Positional sound works, there are echos reverbs according to terrain. ( 2nd dll seemed to be better but maybe it was because of cmss3d on I will try with that on and off - maybe that was the issue)

    So ı suggest give that dll a look. ( I may upload it here if its ok, it was trouble downloading 200mb just for that)
  • ankhegankheg Member Posts: 546
    alithegreat said:

    I own a Creative X-Fi Fatality PCI card. (Not PCI -EXPRESS !!) ( renamed as Creative Fatality Platinum Champion - has led Fatality logo on board, internal I/O drive etc) .

    You cannot use Alchemy with BG:EE - it doesn't use DirectSound. (no dsound.dll etc)
    You can and have to use OpenAL.

    On my system with Windows 7 Ultimate X64 Bit. Bundled OpenAL had problems. ( echo, missing sounds, clicks, hang) .

    I put latest retail 2.100 OpenAL32.DLL into baldur.exe's folder. Most of the problems gone but still had troubles of random hanging. I even got one Blue screen of death.

    http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/9178/possible-solution-for-creative-x-fi-owners-having-issues-with-static

    As mentioned on other post , I downloaded Unigine Heaven Benchmark, and copied that OpenAL32.dll into game folder. No problems so far. I also updated my unofficial ( Daniel-K) drivers to latest on Creative's Site. ( just the driver, most other apps are already up to date)

    I have Creative Inspire T7700 7.1 analog speakers attached. Positional sound works, there are echos reverbs according to terrain. ( 2nd dll seemed to be better but maybe it was because of cmss3d on I will try with that on and off - maybe that was the issue)

    So ı suggest give that dll a look. ( I may upload it here if its ok, it was trouble downloading 200mb just for that)

    Thanks, I tried it but still no echo. I wonder if there is a list of supported cards for this.
  • alithegreatalithegreat Member Posts: 24
    Yesterday i had a connection issue at home so couldn't updated, sorry.

    It seems surround effect was because of CMSS 3D. I will try with the old Dll if it was adding reverb,echo...

    My relief is at least Unigine's DLL is crash&hang-free. ;)
  • ankhegankheg Member Posts: 546
    It would be good to have the old effects back, adding some reverb or echo isnt that hard to do. Alchemy does it realtime in software mode while works ar a wrapper. It's nothing for nowdays computers.
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