X-BTF Sound Problem Help

Bishop_Tx · Post by **Bishop_Tx** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 20:02

I have the following problem as defined in the FAQ:

There is a known issue of X-TENSION and X-BTF with the audio streaming of Direct X 8. Microsoft has told us that they are investigating the problem and that we can expect a solution of this with Direct X 8.1. This means that unfortunaltey you currently only have the choice of either waiting for DX 8.1 or try to remove DX 8 and go back to Direct X 7 or 6.

I have DX9 and the problem persists, so much that the game is unplayable. Is there a way to fix this - no developer should ever recommend going back to a previous version of DX - that's insane. This is a X problem and needs fixing.

Does X-Tension fix this issue? If I could find an english copy of it? Anyone please help. I wan't to play this game but cannot.

Chris - Austin, TX

cappedup · Post by **cappedup** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 20:29

This is a problem that has been disscussed a lot in the past and as far as i am aware is fixable.. unfortunatley im not the one with the answer.. its a bit of a quiet night at the moment, so if you hang in there, (dont frisbee the disc just yet) there wil be more replies than you can read..

alternatively do a search for 'Sound Probs' or similar.. should bring something up..

Bishop_Tx · Post by **Bishop_Tx** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 20:50

thank you - I am hanging in there.

I did a search for "sound problems" "stuttering" "direct x" but couldn't find a solution. Much of the responses are in German and I don't speak it. So I will wait, but appreciate your quick response.

It has given me much hope.

Chris

moggy2 · Post by **moggy2** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 20:51

Bishop_Tx wrote:I have the following problem as defined in the FAQ:

I have DX9 and the problem persists, so much that the game is unplayable. Is there a way to fix this - no developer should ever recommend going back to a previous version of DX - that's insane. This is a X problem and needs fixing.

Chris - Austin, TX

I take it your problem is stuttering sound and/or wrong sounds. Have you checked that you drivers are DX9 compatible.
I believe the problem can also be caused by slow disk access.

question: Why is it insance for a game developer to recomend using the version of DX the game was writen for and tested on? because you can't unistall DX?
If you bought a new GFX card and it din't work as well as your old card would you not go back to using your old card?

Bishop_Tx · Post by **Bishop_Tx** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 21:16

Here is my config...

P4 3.06GHz w/ HT
1.5 GB RDRAM
200GB HDD
Radeon 9700 Pro Gfx Card (128MB)
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Gamer
Win XP Home
Direct X 9

All drivers are up-to-date and fully DX compatible.

The sounds are stuttering - they break off before completing. I can't understand what they are saying because sometimes there is dialogue speaking over one another. The sounds are stuttering - that's the best way to explain it.

I've played around with H/W acceleration, both on the video and audio side and there seems to be some connection to the amount of hardware acceleration. If I put the game in Non-3d video and hardware accelerated mode, the sounds work better, but not 100%.

My comment to the recommendation to revert back to a previous version of DX comes from experience. I work for EA and everyone in the industry knows its taboo to make such as recommendation. DX does not have the ability to revert to a previous version without resintalling the OS. Those are not good recommendations to be handing out. Too much liability.

Any help in getting this to work is appreciated.

Chris

Scarecrow · Post by **Scarecrow** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 21:23

http://www.majorgeeks.com/showfiles.php?cat=28

DX9 un-installer

If you don't want to revert to DX8.1, the convert the 00144.dat (?) file to a .wav. The result is a file about 850 meg but it works.

Looks like you got the room for it!

growly_person · Post by **growly_person** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 21:25

IIRC there is a fix for this problem on Commander JAmieson's site, url for this www.the-commander.com HTH

Scarecrow · Post by **Scarecrow** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 21:27

** I work for EA ....**

Hmmmm, 'spose EA would be interested in publishing a really good game?

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Sun, 23. Feb 03, 23:03

Bishop_Tx wrote:I have DX9 and the problem persists, so much that the game is unplayable. Is there a way to fix this - no developer should ever recommend going back to a previous version of DX - that's insane. This is a X problem and needs fixing.

How exactly is it the developer's fault when the game (which was written before DX 8 came out, remember) works fine on DX 7, but then screws up when DX 8 is installed? You might as well complain that your old DOS mode version of Elite from 1989 doesn't run under Windows XP...

Bishop_Tx · Post by **Bishop_Tx** » Mon, 24. Feb 03, 00:38

My point was that it's not a good practice to recommend to users that they revert back to an old version of Direct X... that stands as a fact. I made no accusation or argument to the benefits or not of Direct X. As a support practice however, you could have liability for your actions / recommendations.

All I did was make a comment that Egosoft's FAW, which recommends people revert to an older version of DX is insane. I stand by that comment. Right, wrong or indifferent. My company was sued for such things on UO, and while we settled out of court the plantiffs arguments changed some of our business practices.

And this thread should have nothing to do with this anyhow. All I want is for the darn game to work. And rather than attack me, who is the customer, and who is having a problem with your software, why don't you proffer some sort of assistance and help me fix the problem - please.

Chris

Bishop_Tx · Post by **Bishop_Tx** » Mon, 24. Feb 03, 00:41

I converted the 0144.dat file to a WAV file - it made it 391MB. Did I do something wrong? I made backup copies of the orginal file - renamed it. With the WAV file there I don't get any speech. Perhaps I did something I shouldn't have?

Not sure...

And I looked on the Commander's site but could not find the fix that was mentioned.

Any continued help is appreciated.

moggy2 · Post by **moggy2** » Mon, 24. Feb 03, 06:52

Appologies for being a little abrasive. We tend to get quite defensive of Egosoft when some one sugests they're wrong.

As far as DX goes, the bug was in DX8 and was fixed in DX8.1a
As far as I am aware DX9 dosn't have the bug so that's not likely to be your problem (I check later)

X-BTF and XT are fairly CPU intensive so many small problems with systems are more promenent in these games and often manifest themselves in sound problems.
when I had a sound problem it was the CDROM set to master on the slave plug of the IDE cable! Slowed disk access down on my pc.

Things to check would be:
Drivers: graphics and sound
MediaPlayer: is it working properly?
Audio codecs: do you have any extra that might not like X or mediaplayer?
Any programs running in the background?
IRQ's: is something sharing the IRQ for the sound card? Do you have any other device which might be interupting the PCI bus?

as a PC savy guy you've probably done most of these already. Hope someone can help you out.

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Mon, 24. Feb 03, 09:07

Bishop_Tx wrote:I converted the 0144.dat file to a WAV file - it made it 391MB. Did I do something wrong? I made backup copies of the orginal file - renamed it. With the WAV file there I don't get any speech. Perhaps I did something I shouldn't have?

Did you rename the .WAV back to a .DAT after the conversion? (Note: if you have the default Windows setting of "hide extensions" this might not be obvious--you would need to un-hide extensions in folder properties to make sure).

Bishop_Tx · Post by **Bishop_Tx** » Thu, 27. Feb 03, 02:34

I've renamed the file back to a .DAT and the sound has become a WHOLE Lot better. It sill cuts out a lot more than I would like, which makes playing harder, but I am managing.

Any other ideas on how to make the sound work better are appreciated.

I am also TRYING my hardest to find a copy of X-Tension (English), other than Ebay is there a way to do this? I'd even go for X-Gold English. I don't want to do the conversion from German.

There has to be a way to get a hold of a copy. Could I buy it directly, you guys have to have access to the code? Something creative?

thanks a lot --

and I have no idea how this game didn't fair better in the market - it really seems to have a unique Wing Commander+Elite+Star Control 2 feel to it -- great stuff.

Chris

Rapier · Post by **Rapier** » Thu, 27. Feb 03, 10:14

The Egosoft FAQ is quite old now (hence the recommendation to use DX8.1). Try the community FAQ a few of us knocked together; http://www.rdg.ac.uk/~smr98rkl/X/FAQ/

IIRC, the sound problems with X-BtF are more to do with dodgy codecs in general than DX specifically.

eric1961 · Post by **eric1961** » Thu, 27. Feb 03, 10:56

I have got a spare copy you can have email me with your address and ill send it.

And yes i play x-tension with DX9 and there is no sound problem.

Bishop_Tx · Post by **Bishop_Tx** » Thu, 27. Feb 03, 19:44

Wow! Incredible support...

I had not seen the FAQ mentioned a few posts before - thanks so much. It's a testmanent to the game and the people making it when developed and fanbase support turns out like this.

Eric - I sent you a PM regarding your tremendouly generous offer. Thank you.

Chris

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X-BTF Sound Problem Help

X-BTF Sound Problem Help

Re: X-BTF Sound Problem Help

Re: X-BTF Sound Problem Help

Thanks