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Author Topic:   Another sound glitch

Matt posted 02-16-99 09:14 PM ET
Well, despite my best efforts, the game is still stuttering uninteligably. I downloaded SMAC 2.0 and DirectX 6.1, and all of my driver check out (except for the vga and framebuf). I set the eax and the ds3d = 0. The only question mark is my sound card, an OPTI 930. At their page, they say they've stopped making sound cards. I downloaded their Win95 driver and installed it, but no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 02-17-99 11:20 AM ET
Could the stuttering be multiple items being built at the same time? v2.0 has a problem like that, with the V/O's all chiming in at once.
jkm
firaxis games
Matt posted 02-17-99 04:11 PM ET
No, unfortunately. It's a distinct "Turn complete--complete". Every two seconds or so on the movies and on the science advancement quote it goes back over the past few words. "Important? Yes.--Yes. Critical? Abs--cal Absolutely," etc. It sounds cool, but would be even nicer if it didn't skip and stutter.
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 02-17-99 05:05 PM ET
How do DXDiag.exe's directsound tests perform? What about "!" in the driver section?
jkm
firaxis games
Digitalwulf posted 02-17-99 10:47 PM ET
I have this EXACT same problem on my system. I have a P2 450 with a SB Live and a CL Graphics Blaster TNT, 128 MB of RAM. I am running NT 4, but i had the same problem when i was running Win 98 w/DirectX 6 and then 6.1. This is a serious problem that REALLY needs fixing. It destroys the otherwise enjoyable feel 2 the game, and its irritating 2!
THX
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 02-18-99 11:34 AM ET
Digi: Try v2.0, installing DX 6.1 (on the win98 machine. DirectSound support in MS own words is "crude"), and then check DXDIAG.exe for "!".
jkm
firaxis games
Aragorn posted 02-18-99 12:19 PM ET
I have the same problem. The sound stutters all the time. I have: PII 450, 128 RAM, 16MB Diamond Viper 550 RIVA TNT (NVidia drivers), 12MB Diamond Monster 3D II (Diamond drivers), Win98, DirectX 6.0. Sound hardware is Micron's onboard sound (Yamaha DS-XG chipset).
I ran the DXDiag.exe and did the sound test. It says that my sound hardware does not support hardware buffering and sounds will only play from software buffers. Is this a problem?
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 02-18-99 02:05 PM ET
Only if EAX and/or DS3D in the alpha centauri.ini file are set to 1. Set them to 0.
jkm
firaxis games
skdorsey posted 02-18-99 03:48 PM ET
I have the exact same problem described above, and have tried driver fixes, ini file fixes, shutting off unneccessary programs, and every other trick listed throughout this forum dealing with sound issues....
Nothing has worked thusfar...
Any other suggestions?
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 02-18-99 04:35 PM ET
Did you run DXDiag.exe, skdorsey? If so, what's the verdict?
jkm
firaxis games
Matt posted 02-18-99 05:59 PM ET
Re Direct X Diagnostic:
Under sound, it says that WaveOut 0 is uncertified.
Under drivers, framebuf, msjstck, supervga, and vga have exclaimation points by them.
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 02-18-99 06:32 PM ET
Well, I don't know what we can do. Outside of perhaps a new soundcard (or new drivers or version of DX), we might just have to chalk it up to Hardware/Driver incompatability. I'll keep my ears open nevertheless.
jkm
firaxis games
Aragorn posted 02-19-99 09:32 AM ET
I ran the DirectX diagnostic. No "!".
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 02-19-99 11:16 AM ET
Aragorn: What about the ini tweaks?
jkm
firaxis games
Brettc posted 02-19-99 11:30 AM ET
I've got the exact same problem as mentioned above. Severe stuttering. Nothing shows through DirectX Diagnostic tool. Please inform me e-mail when you guys find the fix.
rodmoe posted 02-22-99 07:38 PM ET
I've got the same problem (exactly). I think its the sblive card.
System is p2b mobo running p2-400 w/128 mb sdram and Hercules Dynamite TNT.
Sound glitch ruins the game.
Rod
Shining1 posted 02-22-99 08:23 PM ET
Yup. Me too. (I have 200+ Cyrix 686 with old Opti sound stuff. Which works well in EVERY other application).
I get the same half-repeated words from time to time, as well as occasional heavy bursts of static at the start of a turn. The movies also sometimes pause 3-4 seconds into the show, but this has easied after changing the CDROM cache thingy to Small (and using the Low res Caviar helps too!).
The REALLY bad thing is the Hive special annoucement/construction/whatever sound (I don't know, I haven't heard it play coherently yet!!), which ties up the audio with a mass of heavy static, crunching, and banging sounds for at least 10 seconds! The rest of the game halts and proceeds slowly and jerkily along with it too. It's a real irritation.
Aside from this, the other sounds (voice, weapons, etc) work fine.
I seriously think that the problem could be a software one, in that the game uses MP3 sound files to run. Is there any chance of providing .WAV files instead?
Mac64 posted 02-23-99 01:50 PM ET
I'm getting the same stuttering with the game. The movies seem to play ok (more or less)I've checked Directx 6.1 and tested both my Ensoniq PCI64 SoundCard and my 3D Banshee Vid card (both of which are not certified by Directx). Both work fine with other Directx Apps, but not SMAC. I really would like to hear the sound correctly. Could it be the MP3 format?
Mac64 posted 02-23-99 01:51 PM ET
BTW, I have a self built Intel P-233 with 64MB of Ram. I have used the full install option for SMAC.
Aragorn posted 02-25-99 10:49 AM ET
I checked the .ini file but couldn't find ANY lines that even contained DS3D or EAX. The file I opened was Alpha Centauri.ini
There aren't any other ini files that I could find.
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS posted 02-25-99 11:15 AM ET
I'll loosing track of things. Email me at [email protected] with the problem and explicitly what you've tried. Also mention whether you're using v2.0 or not and what version of the game you've got (US/UK/FR/GR).
jkm
firaxis games
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Author	Topic: Another sound glitch
Matt	posted 02-16-99 09:14 PM ET Well, despite my best efforts, the game is still stuttering uninteligably. I downloaded SMAC 2.0 and DirectX 6.1, and all of my driver check out (except for the vga and framebuf). I set the eax and the ds3d = 0. The only question mark is my sound card, an OPTI 930. At their page, they say they've stopped making sound cards. I downloaded their Win95 driver and installed it, but no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 02-17-99 11:20 AM ET Could the stuttering be multiple items being built at the same time? v2.0 has a problem like that, with the V/O's all chiming in at once. jkm firaxis games
Matt	posted 02-17-99 04:11 PM ET No, unfortunately. It's a distinct "Turn complete--complete". Every two seconds or so on the movies and on the science advancement quote it goes back over the past few words. "Important? Yes.--Yes. Critical? Abs--cal Absolutely," etc. It sounds cool, but would be even nicer if it didn't skip and stutter.
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 02-17-99 05:05 PM ET How do DXDiag.exe's directsound tests perform? What about "!" in the driver section? jkm firaxis games
Digitalwulf	posted 02-17-99 10:47 PM ET I have this EXACT same problem on my system. I have a P2 450 with a SB Live and a CL Graphics Blaster TNT, 128 MB of RAM. I am running NT 4, but i had the same problem when i was running Win 98 w/DirectX 6 and then 6.1. This is a serious problem that REALLY needs fixing. It destroys the otherwise enjoyable feel 2 the game, and its irritating 2! THX
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 02-18-99 11:34 AM ET Digi: Try v2.0, installing DX 6.1 (on the win98 machine. DirectSound support in MS own words is "crude"), and then check DXDIAG.exe for "!". jkm firaxis games
Aragorn	posted 02-18-99 12:19 PM ET I have the same problem. The sound stutters all the time. I have: PII 450, 128 RAM, 16MB Diamond Viper 550 RIVA TNT (NVidia drivers), 12MB Diamond Monster 3D II (Diamond drivers), Win98, DirectX 6.0. Sound hardware is Micron's onboard sound (Yamaha DS-XG chipset). I ran the DXDiag.exe and did the sound test. It says that my sound hardware does not support hardware buffering and sounds will only play from software buffers. Is this a problem?
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 02-18-99 02:05 PM ET Only if EAX and/or DS3D in the alpha centauri.ini file are set to 1. Set them to 0. jkm firaxis games
skdorsey	posted 02-18-99 03:48 PM ET I have the exact same problem described above, and have tried driver fixes, ini file fixes, shutting off unneccessary programs, and every other trick listed throughout this forum dealing with sound issues.... Nothing has worked thusfar... Any other suggestions?
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 02-18-99 04:35 PM ET Did you run DXDiag.exe, skdorsey? If so, what's the verdict? jkm firaxis games
Matt	posted 02-18-99 05:59 PM ET Re Direct X Diagnostic: Under sound, it says that WaveOut 0 is uncertified. Under drivers, framebuf, msjstck, supervga, and vga have exclaimation points by them.
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 02-18-99 06:32 PM ET Well, I don't know what we can do. Outside of perhaps a new soundcard (or new drivers or version of DX), we might just have to chalk it up to Hardware/Driver incompatability. I'll keep my ears open nevertheless. jkm firaxis games
Aragorn	posted 02-19-99 09:32 AM ET I ran the DirectX diagnostic. No "!".
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 02-19-99 11:16 AM ET Aragorn: What about the ini tweaks? jkm firaxis games
Brettc	posted 02-19-99 11:30 AM ET I've got the exact same problem as mentioned above. Severe stuttering. Nothing shows through DirectX Diagnostic tool. Please inform me e-mail when you guys find the fix.
rodmoe	posted 02-22-99 07:38 PM ET I've got the same problem (exactly). I think its the sblive card. System is p2b mobo running p2-400 w/128 mb sdram and Hercules Dynamite TNT. Sound glitch ruins the game. Rod
Shining1	posted 02-22-99 08:23 PM ET Yup. Me too. (I have 200+ Cyrix 686 with old Opti sound stuff. Which works well in EVERY other application). I get the same half-repeated words from time to time, as well as occasional heavy bursts of static at the start of a turn. The movies also sometimes pause 3-4 seconds into the show, but this has easied after changing the CDROM cache thingy to Small (and using the Low res Caviar helps too!). The REALLY bad thing is the Hive special annoucement/construction/whatever sound (I don't know, I haven't heard it play coherently yet!!), which ties up the audio with a mass of heavy static, crunching, and banging sounds for at least 10 seconds! The rest of the game halts and proceeds slowly and jerkily along with it too. It's a real irritation. Aside from this, the other sounds (voice, weapons, etc) work fine. I seriously think that the problem could be a software one, in that the game uses MP3 sound files to run. Is there any chance of providing .WAV files instead?
Mac64	posted 02-23-99 01:50 PM ET I'm getting the same stuttering with the game. The movies seem to play ok (more or less)I've checked Directx 6.1 and tested both my Ensoniq PCI64 SoundCard and my 3D Banshee Vid card (both of which are not certified by Directx). Both work fine with other Directx Apps, but not SMAC. I really would like to hear the sound correctly. Could it be the MP3 format?
Mac64	posted 02-23-99 01:51 PM ET BTW, I have a self built Intel P-233 with 64MB of Ram. I have used the full install option for SMAC.
Aragorn	posted 02-25-99 10:49 AM ET I checked the .ini file but couldn't find ANY lines that even contained DS3D or EAX. The file I opened was Alpha Centauri.ini There aren't any other ini files that I could find.
Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS	posted 02-25-99 11:15 AM ET I'll loosing track of things. Email me at [email protected] with the problem and explicitly what you've tried. Also mention whether you're using v2.0 or not and what version of the game you've got (US/UK/FR/GR). jkm firaxis games