[DreAdFaq]

I'm so unfortunate as to be stuck with a notebook equipped with an embedded intel vid-card, which doesn't support HT&L. Still, I have been able to run a few games that state HT&L as a system requirement (for example, knights of the old republic) with little or no trouble.

So far though, FS2_open isn't working. Symptoms include:

 - reversed gamma. Raising the brightness in-game actually makes the game darker, and vice versa. Don't really care, but perhaps it's a hint?

 - DirectX crashes at the Belisarius explosion in the first non-training mission. Always at the same point. I'd say it's the point where the ship actually breaks apart, though I haven't double-checked this with regular FS2.

 - OpenGL causes ships to appear all-black.

All of this with the 3.6.5 build. I've tried vanilla-FS2, no high-memory and full FS2_open settings for graphics. Only difference seemed to be some lighting getting applied to the dark skins in OpenGL.

Does this mean my video-card is too below-par to play FS2_open, or is there still hope for me?

[DaBrain]

If the notebook has a fast CPU, you can try to emulate T&L with "3d Analyser" or a similar tool.

I think you shouldn't use HTL models.

[karajorma]

If that doesn't work there's no good reason you can't get one of the pre HTL builds and still enjoy some of the goodies like Glowmaps etc

[Nuke]

isnt there a -nohtl flag you could use? the game would run slower but it would run this might not be available in more recent builds. but there is a software mode but its really slow.

[Col. Fishguts]

Yep, try the -nohtl flag, that might help. If not, post moe detailed specs of your laptop/graphic chip.

...oh and

[DreAdFaq]

Great, thanks for the tips, and the welcome of course !

OpenGL now seems to run fine. At least, the black ships are gone.

DirectX however, now CTD's (Am I really supposed to call it that? ) me when it should be bringing up the ready room loading screen. Is this a regular issue? Otherwise I'll have to collect some debugging info, but at the moment, I really can't be arsed to do anything than other than see if OpenGL really works. Apologies...

EDIT: are there any things I should definitely stay away from in -nohtl mode?

[Bobboau]

I'd say there probly isn't a chance in hell non-HTL mode works, I'd put fifty bucks on it.

[DreAdFaq]

I'll cash in on that one then, thanks

Just completed mission 1 in OpenGL without crashing. Does anyone know of a smallest set of missions that use the entire graphics arsenal so I can do a full test?

The only problem I had where polygons showing in shield and subspace effects, but I haven't really looked into it yet, so who knows...

[Bobboau]

hey, I wasn't paying atention.
DreAdFaq, you wouldn't be the DC\VW DreAdFaq, would you?

[DreAdFaq]

Well, actually, I quit right before the merger was a fact.  But the DC part is right, I guess.

[phreak]

What kind of crappy on board Intel is it?  Have you tried new drivers?

[Bobboau]

yay! another returns!
..for a while anyway.

[DreAdFaq]

Originally posted by Bobboau
yay! another returns!
..for a while anyway.

Heh, that entirely depends on how nice you guys are

Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what to make of the board. It's called a 82852/82855 GM/GME graphics controller. And it works with something called Intel Extreme Graphics 2. Not really sure excactly what that component does. But I do have the newest drivers.

No ideas yet for those polygon's showing in shield hit and subspace effects?

[Davros]

need hardware TNL  use 3d analyse

http://www.tommti-systems.de/start.html

[DreAdFaq]

3D Analyzer doesn't help. It only seems to emulate HT&L availability anyway, not the actual rendering (i.e., it only tells games the video card can do HT&L, it doesn't actually help the card do anything that supposedly needs HT&L).

I tried running a debug build, but that just makes the game crash before the pilot selection screen even comes up.

I also tried using some of the VP's, and some more effects, but somewhere along the line textures get messed up, and thrusters and normal hits also start showing polygons.

*EDIT*
BTW, seeing how the main problem is probably my vidcard, and not FS2_open, should I still report this as a bug?

[karajorma]

Keep trying to get it to work as the info you've give so far is useful but I'd also suggest trying an older build from this page. I can't tell you when FS2_Open went HTL but 3.3 is definately before that and you might be able to go as far as 3.5.5.

[Bobboau]

the thing is no matter what your hardware, if it has DX8 drivers it should be able to run in HT&L mode, even if your hardware does not suport it, DX is suposed to be emulateing it if you can't do it in hardware mode, so crash problems are usualy something else. and OGL is suposed to do the same thing

[DreAdFaq]

Well, it's a bit weird in that respect. I know it has at least partial support up till DX 9 and OGL 1.3. I'm also almost certain that at least OGL 1.3 isn't fully supported. I think DX is officially fully supported, but I'm not sure.

I'll take a look at the fishy-buggy thingy of your's

I've also just found the error-log, so I can start to post really comprehensible info *evil grin*

[Sticks]

I havn't been around the code in a while, but I would imagine it would have something to do with checking particular D3D CAPS, I'm not sure we gracefully handle it when the caps don't come out right...

[Fenrir]

I have the exact same problem you do, but I've found a solution that seems to work so far! And it doesn't involve disabling HT&L, too.

Try downloading the build in this topic:
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,33061.0.html
Then put it in OpenGL mode, and there you go. Big ships once again  explode big without freezing.

It's sorta choppy for me, but that's because I've got mv_adveffects and such activated. If it doesn't work right for some reason, I'll post my command line for you and see if it helps anything.