Graphics and soft effect. - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

Aniscape

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2005

05 May 2005 at 14:59 - 1

Hello all, This is really my first pc game I have ever owned or played so there might be some things I am missing or am not aware of. So here goes.

I have been playing GW for about a week, off and on, and I have noticed that the soft effect you see in screen shots or online preview movies doesn't seem to be in my copy. everything looks crisp and solid not soft at all. I meet or excede the recomended requirements. I have a 2.4 gig Proc. the over 500 megs of ram. Also an Nvidea 64 meg graphic card. I am pretty sure I have current version of directx i clicked on the link on download CD for it. Is there a setting I am not aware of that turns to soft focus on or off? Also in towns or wilderness the character seems a bit choppy at times. If anyone knows how i can fix these with my current hardware please let me know. Or if there is something I need to get? Like I said never used PC for gaming before so please use lamens terms

Thanks.

Chubz

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

Virginia, USA

05 May 2005 at 15:04 - 2

Either you're looking for the wrong effect or your video card cannot process the correct effect(s)...

Check on the box to make sure that it is a video card compatable with Guild Wars. (Should be on the bottom of the box)

Also, do this:
-Click Start
-Click RUN
-Type "dxdiag" (without the quotations) in the dialog box and click OK
-In the new window that pops up, click the DISPLAY tab
-Tell us what the exact name of the video card is... I'll bet you it's a Geforce4 MX 440 (most people seem to have this one if they aren't sure), which may or may not be compatable.

Targon

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Apr 2005

Oregon

05 May 2005 at 15:17 - 3

I have the same issue... my vid card is the ATi Radeon 9600 Pro 128... What can I do to give me the best graphics possible?

Talus

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2005

Hamilton, ON

E/Me

05 May 2005 at 15:18 - 4

Hit F11 for options, then hit the 'Advanced Options' under graphics section. The effect is likely turned off there. The game auto-detects your hardware and sets everything based on what it thinks will make your system run best. If your card simply cannot do the effect, then you either won't be able to turn it on, or when you do, it will make no difference.

Chubz

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

Virginia, USA

05 May 2005 at 15:20 - 5

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talus

Hit F11 for options, then hit the 'Advanced Options' under graphics section. The effect is likely turned off there. The game auto-detects your hardware and sets everything based on what it thinks will make your system run best. If your card simply cannot do the effect, then you either won't be able to turn it on, or when you do, it will make no difference.

Very true about the advanced graphics options... just make sure that everything is turned up - especially make sure that the graphics slider is all the way over to the right if you want the best graphics possible.

Dumahim Ashenbane

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Steel Horse Men

R/E

05 May 2005 at 15:20 - 6

I may be wrong, but I don't know if that card has Pixel shader 2.0. That would cetainly have an effect on the looks of the water and tar. As far as the original poster goes, a 64 MB Nvidia card is either pretty old or an MX card. Neither of which is going to have the current features to render everything as good as the game can be.

Sideways

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Calgary, AB - Soviet Canuckistan

05 May 2005 at 15:23 - 7

Yeah, probably your vidcard, but you can change the settings to show it... beware of slowdown.

I run a P4 2.6ghz with 1024 DDR RAM and an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256meg card... and I still note some slowdown when I try to run with all settings pumped to the max.

it's a pretty graphics-intensive game!

Oh Chubz... your avatar makes me smile! Radiohead!!!

Soul Monarch

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

In the between.

Heros Etc.

Me/N

05 May 2005 at 15:27 - 8

Hey, folks. If you aren't getting the nice "blur" effect, you need to make sure post-processing is ON. Hit F11, pick advance options, and make sure the post-process effect is enabled.

Gaussian Blur, Bloom, etc. are all applied after the rendering is done. Not all GPU's can handle those effects, but my outdated Radeon 9600 chews Guild Wars graphics up and spits 'em back out pretty.

I run 1280x1024 - settings maxed, and the game runs just about flawlessly for me.

(If that doesn't work, check your GPU control panel, these effects can enabled/disabled there as well.)

Hope it helps.

Chubz

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

Virginia, USA

05 May 2005 at 15:28 - 9

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sideways

Oh Chubz... your avatar makes me smile! Radiohead!!!

Yup. Radiohead owns.

"Noone loves the no surprises...."

Sideways

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Calgary, AB - Soviet Canuckistan

05 May 2005 at 15:33 - 10

umm... no no nO NO NO NO!!!!!

:P

"No alarms and no surprises... no alarms and no surprises please..."

Sorry, but you're speaking to one of the biggest Radiohead fans alive... :P

Aniscape

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2005

05 May 2005 at 15:34 - 11

Thanks all... Unfortunatly I am at work now

... I will check these out when I get home tonight and will post with results. One reason why I had reservations on picking up a PC game.

there is always something you need better. On a console what you see is what you get so I guess I am a bit spoiled.

Soul Monarch

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

In the between.

Heros Etc.

Me/N

05 May 2005 at 15:36 - 12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aniscape

Thanks all... Unfortunatly I am at work now

... I will check these out when I get home tonight and will post with results. One reason why I had reservations on picking up a PC game.

there is always something you need better. On a console what you see is what you get so I guess I am a bit spoiled.

This is partially true.

But some of us geeks enjoy building our own computer and tweaking it to make it run well, so it's a constant source of fun for us.

Principa Discordia

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2005

England.

05 May 2005 at 15:41 - 13

To get "official screenshot" quality graphics in Guild Wars you need a graphics card with full support for DirectX 9.0c and one which is powerful enough to enable 4x anti-aliasing (smoothing) the "bloom" feature (enhanced lighting), and pixel/vertex shading (water/sky/texture/particle effects).

I'm not sure what the minimum required card is for these features, but from personal experience I can tell you that the Radeon X700/X800 and Geforce 6600/6800 graphics chipsets support them to "official screenshot" quality.

Cerixus

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

The Kaotic Order

W/Mo

05 May 2005 at 15:53 - 14

I'm running a Radeon 9600 as well. I found that if I turn shadows completely I can turn everything else all the way up.

BTW, I believe the blur effect is the "post processing effect" checkbox in the advanced graphics options.

Principa Discordia

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2005

England.

05 May 2005 at 15:54 - 15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cerixus

BTW, I believe the blur effect is the "post processing effect" checkbox in the advanced graphics options.

You would be correct. The "post-processing effects" option is responsible for a whole bunch of nice DirectX effects, most noticeably bloom.

Sideways

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Calgary, AB - Soviet Canuckistan

05 May 2005 at 15:54 - 16

You don't need a ridiculous card (in the range of $600 or $700 dollars) to get excellent quality out of your games, but the graphics card IS the integral part of your system for gaming.

You said you have a 2.4 gig processor, with over 500 megs of ram (so I assume you have a 512 chip in there)... so your machine is already prepared to handle high-end games, now go out and get yourself a really nice video card (at least 128 meg, go to 256 if you feel like spending the cash) and you will notice a MASSIVE difference.

IF you really want to get into PC gaming, I'd suggest checking the type of RAM you have, and popping another 512 chip in there.

The two biggest upgrades (in terms of overall & gaming performance) that I have done to my computer were:

Going from 512 SD, to 1024 DDR Ram (my motherboard supports both types, for whatever reason)
Going from a GeForce 64 meg card, to the Radeon 9800 Pro 256 meg card.

I don't think there are any 64 meg cards that fully support DirectX 9.0... so that's why you are missing some of the glow and lighting effects. I could be wrong...

Soul Monarch

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

In the between.

Heros Etc.

Me/N

05 May 2005 at 16:00 - 17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sideways

IF you really want to get into PC gaming, I'd suggest checking the type of RAM you have, and popping another 512 chip in there.

He has a point there. 90% of the time more (or better) RAM is the single best upgrade you can get to speed up your games. If you've got 1Gb of RAM or more, you'll be blazing through most games pretty good.

Of course my P4 3.2Ghz HT, 800Mhz FSB processor is always nice. But most definitely not necessary.

Principa Discordia

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2005

England.

05 May 2005 at 16:07 - 18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul Monarch

He has a point there. 90% of the time more (or better) RAM is the single best upgrade you can get to speed up your games. If you've got 1Gb of RAM or more, you'll be blazing through most games pretty good.

Of course my P4 3.2Ghz HT, 800Mhz FSB processor is always nice. But most definitely not necessary.

It depends... Having 1Gb of the newest RAM isn't going to help much if you bottleneck the rest of the system with an old graphics processor.

I always reccommend a Geforce 6600GT for a cost-effective modern gaming system, even before upgrading from 512mB RAM. They're roughly the same price as a Radeon 9800 Pro and at least twice as poweful, with better support for newer and shinier DirectX features.

Sideways

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Calgary, AB - Soviet Canuckistan

05 May 2005 at 16:09 - 19

Oh yeah, no doubt that the OP's graphics card is the FIRST thing to upgrade.

However, after that, getting more RAM will help with performance all-around.

That's all we were saying.

Principa Discordia

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2005

England.

05 May 2005 at 16:11 - 20

Ah yes, I agree with that completely. All I'm saying is that after upgrading his graphics card he might find that more RAM won't be neccessary.

Would be a nice money-saver overall.

Soul Monarch

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

In the between.

Heros Etc.

Me/N

05 May 2005 at 16:12 - 21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Principa Discordia

It depends... Having 1Gb of the newest RAM isn't going to help much if you bottleneck the rest of the system with an old graphics processor.

Oh, indeed. But GPU's don't get old as fast as other parts of a system do.

Pretty much any 128 Mb GPU can run Guild Wars great. (Well, actually, it can run most any game great at the moment.)

Aniscape

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2005

05 May 2005 at 16:40 - 22

hmmmm... my head is starting to hurt

If when I get home find out my card can't support the "bloom" effect can you recommend a good card and about what price point it's at. I know you mentioned some above but narrow it down to cost then performance. 2 kids keeps the fundage in the low end

Also where can I go to see if I have to most current drivers for the card I currently have or the directx?

I really want to sink my teeth into this game!!

Soul Monarch

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

In the between.

Heros Etc.

Me/N

05 May 2005 at 16:54 - 23

I am an ATI-fan personally. I can guarantee that someone will here will pop on to tell you that nVidia is better, but they're just fanboi's.

In all honesty, they are both just fine, but I've had a better experience overall with ATI cards and I stick with them. If you don't have a personal preference, just get the best price for the best card you can.

Oh, and only buy ATI or nVidia manufactured cards. Whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances buy from one of the OEM sellers. (Sapphire, Jaton, Lead Tek, etc.) Just trust me on this one.

On the low end: ATI 9600 series (still a useful GPU, but will be out of style in a very short period.)

In the middle: ATI 9800 series (Will last a pretty long time, price is still a tad high for some folks.)

On the high end: ATI X700-X800 series (okay, they're expensive, but they WORK.)

Hope it helps.

Talus

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2005

Hamilton, ON

E/Me

05 May 2005 at 17:01 - 24

nVidia 6600GT would be a good card for you.

Sideways

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Calgary, AB - Soviet Canuckistan

05 May 2005 at 17:03 - 25

Check out ATI's site, and do a product comparison between some of the cards I mention below... check out their pricing list to see what fits your budget, and then do the comparisons between them as well (click the link for comparisons)

clicky

Cards that may be suitable for you:

Radeon 9800 Pro 256 = $349
Radeon 9250 256 = $129
Radeon x850 XT 256 = $449

The 9250 would be the most economical, and would allow you to play the game with decent settings... it would also allow you to take advantage of those smartshading features, the glow effects, the enhanced lighting, etc... all that stuff that is available with DirectX 9.0.

However, the 9250 does not have much power, overall... hence the cheaper price. Running your settings on max would not be a good idea, but you will notice an improvement over the card you currently have.

The 9800 pro 256 is what I run, and the game looks and plays fantastically! It's really an awesome mid-range card.

The x850 XT is orgasmic, and not much more expensive than the 9800 Pro anymore. It's one of the most powerful cards available on the market, and will let you run any current game at max settings beautifully. It's also a great card for longevity, it will be perfect for your PC gaming needs for the next 5 years at least.

But, it depends on your budget... so check out that product comparison.

BattleAngelZero

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

05 May 2005 at 18:13 - 26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aniscape

Thanks all... Unfortunatly I am at work now

... I will check these out when I get home tonight and will post with results. One reason why I had reservations on picking up a PC game.

there is always something you need better. On a console what you see is what you get so I guess I am a bit spoiled.

Uh, no. Consoles can be tweaked, tuned, and overclocked as well. And nothing about the PS2, XBox, or Gamecube "spoils" anyone - try a P4 3.6GHz HT, 2GB DDR, and a GeForce 6800GT... THAT's spoiled (and no, that's not my system.. I run a P4 2.8GHz, 1.5GB DDR, Radeon Mobile 9000 series).

And there isn't always something "better" to be had if you always upgrade, eh? Gotta' love logic

BattleAngelZero

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

05 May 2005 at 18:24 - 27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sideways

The x850 XT is orgasmic, and not much more expensive than the 9800 Pro anymore. It's one of the most powerful cards available on the market, and will let you run any current game at max settings beautifully. It's also a great card for longevity, it will be perfect for your PC gaming needs for the next 5 years at least.

You're on crack, right? You do know that graphics processors increase just as fast as the rest of PC technology out there (x2 approx every 18 months), right? This means that in 5 years the x850 will be approximately 3 generations behind whatever graphics card technologies are considered "modern" at that point.

And "perfect"? No. Not a chance. Direct X's many technologies (pixel shaders, light/bump mapping, etc) are optimized for NVidia's GPUs, not ATI's. Microsoft has contracts with NVidia for this. On the other hand, Microsoft might be jumping ship to ATI for the XBox 2 (as has been discussed in several publications) which would likely move ATI up the ladder quite a bit.

Soul Monarch

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

In the between.

Heros Etc.

Me/N

05 May 2005 at 18:31 - 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by BattleAngelZero

And "perfect"? No. Not a chance. Direct X's many technologies (pixel shaders, light/bump mapping, etc) are optimized for NVidia's GPUs, not ATI's. Microsoft has contracts with NVidia for this. On the other hand, Microsoft might be jumping ship to ATI for the XBox 2 (as has been discussed in several publications) which would likely move ATI up the ladder quite a bit.

I told you. Here comes the fanboi's...

Please don't try to confuse this guy with that kind of commentary. You'll probably swear to your death bed that nVidia can slice, dice, and make Julienne fries, but this guy just wants to play the game. As long as his card is the right generation, he'll be fine.

My personal experience (quite a bit) says that ATI is awesome. nVidia does an okay job, but my compatability is far higher with my ATI cards. Now, you may have different conclusions, but this really isn't the place to argue the point.

BattleAngelZero

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

05 May 2005 at 18:39 - 29

I'm not arguing pro-NVidia - I use ATI myself and am a fan of their compatibility. I was simply arguing that you were incorrect, based on the information provided (which is available, uh, everywhere).

If I had the cash, I'd have two systems with two different cards anyway - a NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra 512MB PCI-X for graphics editing and an ATI Radeon X850 XT Platinum PCI-X for gaming. But that's besides the point.

Aniscape

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2005

05 May 2005 at 18:46 - 30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul Monarch

I told you. Here comes the fanboi's...

Please don't try to confuse this guy with that kind of commentary. You'll probably swear to your death bed that nVidia can slice, dice, and make Julienne fries, but this guy just wants to play the game. As long as his card is the right generation, he'll be fine.

My personal experience (quite a bit) says that ATI is awesome. nVidia does an okay job, but my compatability is far higher with my ATI cards. Now, you may have different conclusions, but this really isn't the place to argue the point.

Thank you Soul

I can take care of myself discussing consoles but graphic card this and that not mean much to me. Just does it work and how much

Anyway. nVidia is what i have 64 meg. It came with the pc I bought. Later tonight will give u all the extra info you need but i do have one question outside of this discussion.

If my PC is at or above recomended specs for the game why shouldn't it play "screenshot Quality" as you all put it? That is like telling me "hey!! go get the PS2 to play Final Fantasy with these great graphics and when I put the game in it looks like a PS1." The only difference I see is the card specified they have ATI on box? and mine is nVidia.

The game runs and don't get me wrong it is pretty but nothing like the Screens I have seen hence this thread.

Thank you all for the comments and your friendlyness

BattleAngelZero

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

07 May 2005 at 17:29 - 31

Recommended specs do NOT equal maximum quality - instead they typically equal minimum or "mediocre" quality. "Recommended" is just a marketing term used by game publishers to increase sales. I have friends in the field.. I know how they work (and I do call each of them "bastard" from time to time, but it doesn't matter as publishers set the specs, not developers).

Joysze

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2005

07 May 2005 at 18:42 - 32

Aniscape... hey you. ^.^ Can't wait to play with you soon, you FFIX addict.

This discussion is waaay over my head... and I'm with Aniscape in that I just want a card that runs the game and preferably the cheapest I could find. So, we got me an nVidia GeForce FX5200 128 DDR for about $48 a couple of months ago. It does all the pretty soft edge thingies and runs the game beautifully. We got it from Newegg and they ship super fast for a very low price.

Linkie is here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ubmit=Property

Sir_Munroe

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2005

UK, England

07 May 2005 at 18:59 - 33

I also get the Choppy Effect in towns just on Characters and Armour though.. o.O

I also notice when I go into an area and the sun shines on somethings its literally blinding and really white, I know it's not meant to look like this. Why is this happening could someone help me? : )

Principa Discordia

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2005

England.

07 May 2005 at 19:34 - 34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul Monarch

I can guarantee that someone will here will pop on to tell you that nVidia is better, but they're just fanboi's.

Pot, kettle, hello you are looking very black today.

BTW did I mention that the Geforce 6600GT is in the same price-range as the Radeon 9800 Pro and performs a whole lot better? I think I did.

Principa Discordia

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2005

England.

07 May 2005 at 19:35 - 35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir_Munroe

I also notice when I go into an area and the sun shines on somethings its literally blinding and really white, I know it's not meant to look like this. Why is this happening could someone help me? : )

Hit F11 to go into the options menu, hit the "Advanced" button half-way down, and uncheck the "enable post-processing effects" button. This will turn off that stupid and annoying bloom feature, it gives me a headache to be honest.

tool++

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: May 2005

Surrey, UK (*EU Server!*)

Legion of Anarchy

R/Mo

08 May 2005 at 11:52 - 36

I get bloom with my cruddy 5600xt - post process effects. Surprisingly it doesn't slow the game down too much either.

I know some games you can force software emulation of full 9.0c support (ie mat_dxlevel 90 blah blah) - is this true for GW?

Brink Morone

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: May 2005

08 May 2005 at 13:41 - 37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aniscape

I have been playing GW for about a week, off and on, and I have noticed that the soft effect you see in screen shots or online preview movies doesn't seem to be in my copy. everything looks crisp and solid not soft at all. I meet or excede the recomended requirements. I have a 2.4 gig Proc. the over 500 megs of ram. Also an Nvidea 64 meg graphic card. I am pretty sure I have current version of directx i clicked on the link on download CD for it. Is there a setting I am not aware of that turns to soft focus on or off? Also in towns or wilderness the character seems a bit choppy at times. If anyone knows how i can fix these with my current hardware please let me know. Or if there is something I need to get? Like I said never used PC for gaming before so please use lamens terms

Thanks.

Well the problem is definately your graphics card. A good card to have for high end games is something like an ATI Radeon 9800 pro with atleast 128 MB Memory. Not to mention, ATI is recommended for GW.

I have this card and the game runs and looks exactly as intended.

Zodiakos

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2005

08 May 2005 at 14:42 - 38

I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Radeon 9600 supports shader spec 2.0. The 9600 is actually just a slower version of the 9800... and in fact supports EVERY feature that the 9800 does. I have a 9600 128MB, and Guild Wars runs like a dream on my meager 2.4 athlon (running at 2Ghz) with the graphics settings at HIGHEST (I don't use Anti-aliasing though). I absolutely love the bloom effect, as it seems to be much lighter than the usually Fake-HDR bloom effect seen in several other recent games (Deus EX 2 is the one that stands out, I think, for misusing it). It really makes those later beaches look awsome.

Freyas

Champion of the Absurd

Join Date: Jan 2005

Spirits of War

Mo/W

08 May 2005 at 19:59 - 39

You might try adjusting your graphics settings in-game(under advanced controls in the options menu, iirc). Make sure post-process effects are turned on, and try out some of the options there to see if you can increase the quality of appearance without slowing the game down too much for yourself. You might also want to check the manufacturer's website for you graphics card and make sure you've got the lastest drivers- a lot of older cards have support for newer stuff that's been included via drivers, so often you can increase your performance by getting newer drivers.