jbmccune on 9/1/2006 at 22:28
Ok, call me crazy, but can anybody explain to me why I can play newer games using EAX, which install some EAX Unified thing, but Thief 1 won't even let me turn on hardware sound? Is there some trick I'm missing, or is the newer version of EAX, which I can use, not backward compatible with the older version, or is Thief looking for some specific hardware instead of looking for the capability, or what?
I searched the forum and didn't find this specific question answered. I tried some of the "tricks" that are mentioned for getting specific Creative cards to work using EAX with Thief, but if I turn on hardware sound after applying the A2D/A3D/AC'97 bits, the game crashes (at least the option is enabled...progress? :rolleyes:).
Thanks.
-Jesse
jbmccune on 10/1/2006 at 09:31
Interesting thing...it works great in Thief 2... :confused:
Bulgarian_Taffer on 10/1/2006 at 14:05
If you update your thief to 1.33 you will have EAX support
jbmccune on 11/1/2006 at 04:02
I have 1.33...it came with that version on the CD. The OPTION to turn on EAX shows up in the menu, but by default even the option to turn on hardware sound is disabled. If I install some of the DLLs for A2D/A3D (that I found recommended in other posts for specific sound cards), the hardware sound option becomes enabled (but still not the EAX option), and if I enable it the game crashes.
What I've read in the forums so far talks about a particular sound card working if you do X, or another card sort-of working if you do Y, but I don't understand why it should matter. If I can use EAX in every other game that offers it, including Thief 2, simply by having EAX Unified installed, why is Thief so different?
I wouldn't worry about it, but I've read a lot of posts about how much better the experience is with EAX...so...I'd love to get it working.
-Jesse
Domarius on 11/1/2006 at 05:10
If you don't have a Creative Labs sound card, then I don't like your chances.
I guess they stopped slapping the "100% soundblaster compatible!" logo on other sound cards years ago because there is no such thing unless it actually IS a soundblaster (Creative Labs).
Aja on 11/1/2006 at 06:20
I had a Soundblaster PCI 128, and couldn't stand EAX. It made my footsteps muffled and distant, and sacrificed the clarity of sound effects in favour of bizarre reverb effects. I felt like I lost all spatial orientation. Playing in stereo is much better, in my opinion.
jbmccune on 11/1/2006 at 06:37
Hmm...ok, I guess I'll give up on it for Thief 1 then. I kicked off Thief 2 last night for a bit with EAX on and experienced some of what Aja described. It sounded "cool" to a degree, but quite over-the-top and not very realistic. Oh well.
But......
Now I got around to installing Thief 3, and it's seems to support EAX HD. Now I KNOW I have other newer games that are using EAX HD very successfully with the EAX Unified drivers installed, so why is the EAX option disabled for me in Thief 3?
-Jesse
Domarius on 12/1/2006 at 05:11
Quote Posted by Aja
I had a Soundblaster PCI 128, and couldn't stand EAX. It made my footsteps muffled and distant, and sacrificed the clarity of sound effects in favour of bizarre reverb effects. I felt like I lost all spatial orientation. Playing in stereo is much better, in my opinion.
Well maybe with your particular card and Thief. I couldn't stand playing without EAX, everything sounds so dead without it.
kamyk on 12/1/2006 at 21:46
I can get EAX on my sound card for TDP(G), but every time I exit, next time I go back into the game it is turned off again for some strange reason... (Like it refuses to save the option settings for it or something).
Aja on 13/1/2006 at 03:56
The thing is, not every room has reverb - but with EAX on, even a servant's quarters was echoey. It sounded very messy.
