Clarification Minimum video card requirements... 9.0c chips are those that list Shader Model 3.0

Clarification on post "Beta Requirements and Known Issues (Updated 11/3)" - http://forums.elementalgame.com/364302

from Elemental Forums

Are the current Elemental betas intending to work with directx 9.0c and Vertex & Pixel Shader 2.0?
And does Stardock want these dx9.0c/shader2.0 Graphic Bug reports?

<snip>
Minimum video card requirements.
Elemental will require a DirectX 9.0c video card. While it currently uses Shader Model 2 only and will probably work on DirectX 9.0 a/b cards, we will not be guaranteeing that it will. Listing of video cards and which versions they support are available for ATI, Nvidia, and Intel (9.0c chips are those that list Shader Model 3.0). More specific requirements have not yet been set, so your technical and performance feedback will be helpful in determining them.
</snip from https://forums.elementalgame.com/364302 >

"(9.0c chips are those that list Shader Model 3.0)"
Looks like "Intel G31, G33, Q33, and Q35 Express Chipsets" are Vertex & Pixel Shader 2.0(1)  - http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/cs-014257.htm

(1) Intel provides an optimized graphics pipeline for shader processing that is included in Microsoft DirectX*. This can be used by games to provide software (SW) shader processing.

and DirectX 9.0c compatible.
  G33 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100) - "3D enhancements enable greater flexibility and scalability and improved realism with support for Microsoft DirectX* 9.0c Shader Model 2.0, OpenGL* 1.5. Intel® Graphics also support the highest levels of the Windows Vista* Aero experience." - http://www.intel.com/Products/Desktop/Chipsets/G33/G33-overview.htm
  G31 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100) - "3D enhancements enable greater flexibility and scalability and improved realism with support for Microsoft DirectX* 9.0c Shader Model 2.0, OpenGL* 1.4. Intel® Graphics also support the highest levels of the Windows Vista* Aero experience." - http://www.intel.com/Products/Desktop/Chipsets/G31/G31-overview.htm

The difference between the GMA 3100 G31 & G33 is the G33 is 1.5 OpenGL and the G31 is 1.4 OpenGL...

3,702 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

maybe dx9.0c/shader3.0 is the intended min. video card req. (e.g. Intel G965 Express Chipset)

Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Not sure how they don't want to answer when the stickied thread is there and they've discussed this in another thread before as well.

https://forums.elementalgame.com/364793

Seems to boil down to how if you can run the beta right now with none of the final game graphics in it, good for you.  But don't plan on being able to do so on a card that's 5-6+ years old when the later betas or full game comes out.  SM3 is dirt cheap now.  Insisting on being able to play on hardware that's older than that is unreasonable.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Intel integrated graphic cards are crap, they say they support things when they don't (or support them so-so) and they give neverending headaches to developers. Stay away from them as if they were the plague.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Intel integrated graphic cards are crap, they say they support things when they don't
End of quote
  Even worse is when thei API's return that they support somethign that they don't. Makes it RALLY hard to program a graphics engine when you have DoesCardSupportFeatureX() returning TRUE when it's not really supported.  >:(

That said, the engine is Shader 2 compatable. We're focusing on the Shader 3 implementations ATM then pack-porting as necessary. I dont know what cards this means it'll work with (see above rant) but if it supports Shader 2 you should be good.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Even worse is when thei API's return that they support somethign that they don't. Makes it RALLY hard to program a graphics engine when you have DoesCardSupportFeatureX() returning TRUE when it's not really supported.  >:(
End of quote

You forgot to set the -DO_NOT_LIE_TO_ME compilation switch.

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting BoogieBac, reply 5

Intel integrated graphic cards are crap, they say they support things when they don't   Even worse is when thei API's return that they support somethign that they don't. Makes it RALLY hard to program a graphics engine when you have DoesCardSupportFeatureX() returning TRUE when it's not really supported. 
...
End of BoogieBac's quote

Which is why Intel should stick with CPUs, and just go buy nVidia or S3 or someone if they want to be a graphics power.  :p

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Mazuo, reply 3
Not sure how they don't want to answer when the stickied thread is there and they've discussed this in another thread before as well.

https://forums.elementalgame.com/364793

Seems to boil down to how if you can run the beta right now with none of the final game graphics in it, good for you.  But don't plan on being able to do so on a card that's 5-6+ years old when the later betas or full game comes out.  SM3 is dirt cheap now.  Insisting on being able to play on hardware that's older than that is unreasonable.
End of Mazuo's quote

 

well considering the whole concept of the game is based around the cloth map --> polished graphics engine and the ability to scale the graphics to suit, a request for clarification over the support for SM2 cards I believe is reasonable. My card is a ATI X800GT and is less than 3.5yrs old. I don't play games that require a constant update of video card requirements and I'd rather not pay for another card that, by Stardock information, should run fine with the scaling engine in Elemental. I'm insisting to know whether at some stage, and preferably sooner than later so I can play the beta and have an active part in the development process, whether or not I will be able to actually play Elemental with this card, in the beta or at the end of dev development. If i'm not going to be able to play the game at all or only at the end of development because of my card, then I'll have to buy another card sooner than later. In saying that, I believe that ppl with SM2 cards should be officially clarified over whether their inability to play the game now due to crashes relates to an SM2 issue and whether or not this issue will be fixed in the short or long term. This seems reasonable enough a request. At the moment the devs have not responded to this issue in my crash report or elsewhere.

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Vaul_Darkhour, reply 8

well considering the whole concept of the game is based around the cloth map --> polished graphics engine and the ability to scale the graphics to suit, a request for clarification over the support for SM2 cards I believe is reasonable. My card is a ATI X800GT and is less than 3.5yrs old. I don't play games that require a constant update of video card requirements and I'd rather not pay for another card that, by Stardock information, should run fine with the scaling engine in Elemental.
End of Vaul_Darkhour's quote

I think the correct sentence is not "run fine" but simply "run".

Quoting Vaul_Darkhour, reply 8
I'm insisting to know whether at some stage, and preferably sooner than later so I can play the beta and have an active part in the development process, whether or not I will be able to actually play Elemental with this card, in the beta or at the end of dev development.
End of Vaul_Darkhour's quote

During the beta, the code is not optimized, that also includes the shaders and probably lots of parts of the rendering pipeline. So if SM 2.0 is the minimum requeriment, at some point SM2 cards should be able to play (they have to test them too) but maybe not until everything is more polished.

But that's only my point of view.

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

Thanks god I bought a notebook with dedicated GPU (Mobility Radeon 3450), and thanks to good people telling everyone not to buy any integrated cards.

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

more than a week and still no reply from the devs.. do they read this forum or should I shoot them an email?