Nightwalker on 5/9/2008 at 14:28
Before I say anything, please keep in mind that I am totally inept about any technical aspects of computers :tsktsk: so answers have to be simple and easy to understand.
My computer died and I've inherited my husband's. First, system specs:
(Taken from Belarc Advisor)
Processor:
2.20 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
Motherboard:
K8T Neo MS-6702(v1.X) Chipset - VIA K8T800
1024 Megabytes Installed Memory
Slot '0' has 512 MB
Slot '1' has 512 MB
Slot '2' is Empty
Video Card:
Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB
I wanted to be able to get the good fog, so I upgraded the video drivers to the Catalyst 8.6, which were what came up at the ATI site. (I see it's 8.8 now but I haven't tried them.) The problem is that with these drivers installed, I get the fog and stars but every time I come back into the game from a save, there are a few seconds when I don't have control of Garrett. If I happen to hit the walk key, he just walks ahead, into walls, off ledges, etc. which is rather inconvenient. After that first few seconds, I regain control and it works properly. Any ideas on how I can fix this? Do I need to install different drivers? Which other ones will display good fog?
The other issue with it is that anytime I alt/tab out of the game to make a note, go check the forums, etc. when I come back, the game is too dark. It's easy to fix...just hit Esc. then Continue and when I come back, the lighting is correct again but it's another small annoyance.
The other question I have is it it worthwhile upgrading my card? If so, which AGP card would you suggest that would run on this system? Keep in mind that I mainly use this computer to play Thief. My husband is building a new one that will play all the new games.
Any help or suggestions would be very much appreciated. :)
Brian The Dog on 5/9/2008 at 15:49
Hi Nightwalker,
Your motherboard details are (
http://www.msicomputer.co.uk/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=201&maincat_no=1&cat2_no=171) here, and it seems you have an AGP slot for your graphics card, not a PCI-Express one, so this will limit the graphics card you may want to choose. I had a quick look round some websites here in the UK, and there doesn't seem to be many AGP graphics cards around. The only ones I could find are these:
(
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119723) NVidia 5200
(
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132304) ATI 2600 Pro
(
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144317) ATI 3850 Pro
The NVidia 5200 is definitely not as good as your 9800. I don't know much about ATI cards to say anything about the other two, except that they look much better quality. However, I don't know what models you can buy in Canada.
Are you planning on playing Thief I & II, or Deadly Shadows as well? Deadly Shadows requires a much more hefty graphics card than for the other two. The 9800 you have at the moment is probably ideal for playing Thief I & II, but you may want something with more power if you're playing Thief III with all the bells and whistles turned on.
I'll let someone else answer the question about the ATI drivers, since I've never had an ATI graphics card -sorry!
Nightwalker on 5/9/2008 at 17:42
Yes, it's definitely AGP and the 9800 Pro runs T3 fairly well, though probably not with everything turned up to the top. I've never really checked! Told you I was clueless. :o
The site I was checking for AGP cards is a Canadian site that we often buy from. The AGP video cards available are (
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?minorcatid=108&subminorcatid=49) here but I don't know anything about them. I'd prefer to stick with ATI as with the new drivers, the fog and starry sky are gorgeous!
bikerdude on 5/9/2008 at 18:22
Hi NW
The 9800 pro you have should be good enough if all your going to play is thief 1/2/3. If you do want to upgrade then the 3850 is a good cheap card that will be 3-4x faster than your 9800.
Things to consider are the 9800 gives you 100% compatibility with all versions of thief, DDfix is not required. I do suggest you buy an aftermarket cool for the 9800 as they do get hot, I recomend the (
http://www.pricebat.ca/Vantec-CCB-A4C-Iceberg-4-Premium-VGA-Cooling-Kit-w-Blue-LED-Lights-Retail.p_10038591/) Vantec Iceberq 4 Universal VGA Cooler kit w/ramsinks
or
If you upgrade to the 3850, you will need DDfix and the ideal driver for this card is Cat 8.6.
biker
Nameless Voice on 8/9/2008 at 18:53
Nightwalker, are you using DDFix?
If not, try it. Since it removes the resolution-switching between the game and the menus (such as the loading screen), it might solve your problem.
Plus the game looks a lot better anyway! My laptop (ATI card) theoretically runs Thief 'perfectly', but it still looks so much better with DDFix. I found the difference especially noticable when considering the sky.
Wille on 9/9/2008 at 06:39
Quote Posted by Nightwalker
The problem is that with these drivers installed, I get the fog and stars but every time I come back into the game from a save, there are a few seconds when I don't have control of Garrett. If I happen to hit the walk key, he just walks ahead, into walls, off ledges, etc. which is rather inconvenient. After that first few seconds, I regain control and it works properly. Any ideas on how I can fix this? Do I need to install different drivers? Which other ones will display good fog?
That movement bug has happened to me in Thief since 1999, and still happens. To overcome it simply press the correct movement button. Correct button is the one which direction Garrett is going to. Lets say he's running ahead forward then just press forward button to gain control. It's annoying but nothing serious really. To me it happens when I press many buttons simultaneously and the keyboard just freaks out.
Nightwalker on 9/9/2008 at 14:58
Thanks, Willie. I'll try that!
No, I'm not using DDFix. I didn't think I needed it but I'll give it a try and see if it helps. Thanks for the suggestion. The problems aren't major but just annoying, particularly since I alt/tab out so often to take notes.
