05-13-2007, 08:49 AM | #601 |
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I'll need to find out what the current best-selling card is, and get that. As for quad-core, maybe.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium |
05-13-2007, 01:16 PM | #602 |
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NewEgg Top Sellers for Video Cards
Excluding anything over $130 and ranked by performance (which seems to closely follow price): ATI Radeon X1950GT 256MB $130 ATI Radeon X1900GT 256MB $120 nVidia GeForce 7600GT 256MB $120 nVidia GeForce 7600GS 512MB $110 nVidia GeForce 7600GS 256MB $85 nVidia GeForce 6600GT 128MB $73 First, know that video card model numbers can be bewildering. It can be impossible to tell from a model number how fast the GPU runs. Tom's Hardware has great video card reviews and has a continually updated video card comparison tool, but they often leave out the most popular cards, generally leave out 512MB which is very useful for EverQuest II, or mention GPU speeds that don't sync up with anything written on the boxes. Tom's Hardware The Best Video Cards for the Money May 2007 edition Note that video cards vary from DDR2 to DDR3 memory. GS is a slower CPU than GT so a 7300GT might outrun a 7600GS.
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05-13-2007, 06:43 PM | #603 |
the Doc
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Or he could get one of these which seems to be popular enough and isn't based on 2 year old technology (and that's being generous)...
Seriously, why not buy a card that has so many features you'll never utilize all of them? Oh wait... I gotta stop giving advice to people other than myself...
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05-13-2007, 07:24 PM | #604 |
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Jim is writing Marine Aquarium 3 in DirectX 8 to run on millions of computers, not on a $400 DirectX 10 card. But maybe if Jim wants to play EQ2. I'd rather he play EQ2 after MA3 comes out.
"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell
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05-13-2007, 07:53 PM | #605 |
Pet Shark
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Originally posted by Jim Sachs:
There will be a new program this year. At least a Beta version.
Originally posted by Jim Sachs:
things have actually been progressing nicely for the past couple of weeks!
Originally posted by Jim Sachs:
I'm making a lot of progress lately.
Patrick
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05-13-2007, 07:56 PM | #606 |
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A year from now that $400 card will be $100 and two years from now it will be integrated into $50 motherboards (you're usually the first person to point that kind of thing out)... Since that's probably time line for MA3 anyway I don't see the problem... Sorry, that was a little low, mostly joking, I'm just thinking about scalability, it wouldn't hurt to play with the features that card has to offer, they'll be standard soon enough and they're the beginning of a new era.
If MA3 doesn't blow people's minds I worry it won't find it's way onto millions of computers (at least not at full price)... Few are still impressed by DX8, and IMO going old school will only get you so far... I'm not being disrespectful, I hope you guys know that, but I have serious doubts about the wow factor of this upcoming release, and it worries me because of how badly I want it to be great. Jim's talent plus the power of today's tech is a guaranteed success, coupled with yesterday's tech I'm not 100% sure...
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05-13-2007, 10:47 PM | #607 |
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Exactly what effect in DX10 are you so interested in? My only concern is making something which appears absolutely real, and so far I haven't seen any DX10 feature which would do me much good and isn't available in DX8.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium |
05-14-2007, 03:07 AM | #608 |
YT
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Hey Doc, you shouldn't compare your upgrade cycle with the average computer user, who is happy when the system runs fine and can connect to the internet to read some e-mails and surf a bit. These persons do an upgrade (or buy a complete new system) when the old one crashes down, but not earlier. I know a lot of people who use 5-10 year old computers with Win98 and AMD K6 processors and maybe GeForce2 cards in it, believe it or not!
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05-14-2007, 05:25 AM | #609 |
the Doc
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Originally posted by Jim Sachs:
Exactly what effect in DX10 are you so interested in? My only concern is making something which appears absolutely real, and so far I haven't seen any DX10 feature which would do me much good and isn't available in DX8.
If you're really going to be taking full advantage of all the neat tricks DX8 brings to the table I'll stop worrying...
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05-14-2007, 08:36 AM | #610 |
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What DirectX 8 version of the Aquarium?
The current version is written in DirectX 6. People make assumptions that bigger is better or higher numbers or recent technology is always better. Don't fall into that trap. Make up your mind yourself rather than reading the hype.
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05-14-2007, 08:46 AM | #611 |
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The only DX8 version there ever was to date is the Demo for MS.
Michael
Administrator of Inside:SereneScreen Aquarium Forum, Chatroom, Fan Site & Gallery DVD Collection |
05-14-2007, 09:03 AM | #612 |
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The one made for the plus pack or whatever it was called... That was upgraded to DX8 for various reasons as I recall.
I'm not a hyped minded person, but I do get excited about potential. I simply think there's more potential for MA3 to be spectacular if it's aimed at looking it's best on a DX10 card (and all that implies) than on something from the Geforce3/Radeon 8500 timeline (early 2001)... I'm not saying it shouldn't run on PS1.0 hardware (though I'd honestly prefer PS2.0/DX9 be where that bar is set (even that hardware has been around since late 2002)) but lets face it, a generational iteration of has been missed, in technology terms we should be talking about MA4 now. I'd like to see MA3 look like what MA4 would look like. That's all. Call me greedy if you want.
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05-14-2007, 03:15 PM | #613 |
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Required reading for people who want to discuss DirectX versions (with pics):
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/w...rectX_Versions http://gear.ign.com/articles/567/567437p1.html Unfortunately for Doc, I've found no DX10 reviews, but still interesting. The feature I wish would be included is reflective scales on the fish. If I've understood correctly (being somewhat noobish here) this would require Shader Model 2.0 - i.e. DX9. Alan's Dream Aquarium was nice before, but it was when he got the scales to shimmer that DA surpassed MA2 (sorry, but it did). Given the somewhat sparing frequency of MA iterations, I dare say it would be a good thing to consider scalability to make sure it still looks as good as it possibly can upon release. Knowing the ambition level of Mr. Sachs I know it will Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think.
"We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history. |
05-14-2007, 03:59 PM | #614 |
the Doc
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Great links!
Yeah, there's not much in the way of DX10 yet but everybody who's anybody is gearing up for it. The are some Crysis comparison shots floating around though, and some Alan Wake ones as well I think...
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05-14-2007, 04:17 PM | #615 |
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..and some of 'em are faked...
Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think.
"We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history. |
05-14-2007, 05:01 PM | #616 |
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Don't forget that the acclaimed realism lies in an important thing: the Art.
I'm tired of seeing software that implements the latest technologies and the final result is not as great as expected. I think that apart from hi-tech, there are other factors that easily contribute to a higher quality product. And Jim is an artist. I'm sure that without the latest technology, Jim is going to amaze us again!.
Sincerely,
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05-14-2007, 05:49 PM | #617 |
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Originally posted by Tiny Turtle:
The feature I wish would be included is reflective scales on the fish. If I've understood correctly (being somewhat noobish here) this would require Shader Model 2.0 - i.e. DX9. Alan's Dream Aquarium was nice before, but it was when he got the scales to shimmer that DA surpassed MA2 (sorry, but it did).
Reflective scales can be done in any version of DirectX you want. You just have to create multiple textures. Shader Model 2.0 means that the video card can do certain tricks on the card. That does not mean that this cannot be emulated in software. Reflections have been possible in software for years. Also doesn't DA run in DirectX 8?
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05-14-2007, 05:53 PM | #618 |
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Gears of War takes full advantage of the effects and everything looks very realistic, but everything is so unreal and desolate and torn apart, it doesn't get an opportunity to shine. I guess I would have liked to see pockets of beauty in between the grunge and despair.
"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell
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05-14-2007, 06:27 PM | #619 |
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Originally posted by feldon31:
Nope.
Reflective scales can be done in any version of DirectX you want. You just have to create multiple textures. Shader Model 2.0 means that the video card can do certain tricks on the card. That does not mean that this cannot be emulated in software. Reflections have been possible in software for years. Also doesn't DA run in DirectX 8? I dunno about Alan's. Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think.
"We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history. |
05-14-2007, 07:04 PM | #620 |
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Originally posted by Sergiales:
Don't forget that the acclaimed realism lies in an important thing: the Art.
I'm tired of seeing software that implements the latest technologies and the final result is not as great as expected. I think that apart from hi-tech, there are other factors that easily contribute to a higher quality product. And Jim is an artist. I'm sure that without the latest technology, Jim is going to amaze us again!.
I don't watch commercials.
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