PhysX + Cellfactor = great fun.

pabloB · 7 May 2006 at 22:36

PikeyPriest said:
Could there be a problem with information going between the CPU/PPU and Gcard? I`m sure the PCIe system shouldnt be overloaded, but maybe there could be tweaking for information to go straight to the graphics card or something to reduce the delay.

Does the PPU start calculating as soon as a grenade is fired (ie, the game will already know where it will land/bounce + explode), or does it wait for the actual explosion? I`m just wondering because starting the process a little earlier could remove the delays.

Reckon that's likely tbh, if it brings Quad sli to it's needs it can't really be the GPU.
Still it's in it's infancy could be good for the future but still think iy's something they need to try and inbuild with a graphics card or something. Some peeps aren't even gonna have room in their case for another card lol.

Codmate · 7 May 2006 at 22:46

How to run the demo without a PPU:
http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?t=33854784

markyb · 8 May 2006 at 00:05

TLJester1 said:
Seeing as you do have a very high end machine - what the hell are the CellFactor lot thinking ?
I mean WHO is expected to be able to run this game? Will it be the Lamborghini of the PC game world - something that very few can afford?

Exactly.

According to the survey Valve did http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html
on average most people have a NVIDIA GeForce 6600 Series card, so what are they going to do when they read that it needs a PhysX card? go out and buy one.... Can you imagine the frame rates on a 6600 card?

Most people on the OcUK forums have some great rigs, and yet we are struggling to run game demos like this at a decent speed!

Ok its early days, but if we are getting low FPS on 7800/7900/1800/1900 cards then whats the point on anything lower....?

The PhysX demos look impressive, but at the moment just looks way to over the top.

Vegeta · 8 May 2006 at 00:12

I imagine a game like cellfactor would cost quite a bit to make? Why make a game and make it physx only as hardly anyone has physx so who exactly is going to buy the game?

And by that little tweak you can do, its obviously you dont even need phsyx to run the game, why cudnt they run the game without physx and with physx? Like GRAW

Things change I've changed · 8 May 2006 at 01:08

kdd said:
Lowrider has been paid to say that by the physx people who emailed him. The truth must be told!!!!

lol, I wish.............

G.O.A.T said:
Do you get the same lag and stuttering whenever the PPU is called upon to do something?

yes, *but*, at least in cellfactor because of the complexity of the physics you can at least possibly understand why this happens, like i've said before I still think the performance is under par but if this is how physics is going to look in games in the future then I don't think anybodys going to complain (if the performance issues are sorted that is).

Fulcrum · 8 May 2006 at 01:35

Recording a video while playing probably added quite a lot of load I think, how many meg a second was the video raw, 24 meg or so ?

G.O.A.T · 8 May 2006 at 07:57

lowrider007 said:
if this is how physics is going to look in games in the future then I don't think anybodys going to complain (if the performance issues are sorted that is).

Well that is true, and I really would be the first person to snap one of these up if there was no frame rate penalty. Currently this is unproven ground and I'm not convinced that the implementation is all that good but I'm happy to wait a couple of months for Ageia to prove me wrong.

Punisher161282 · 8 May 2006 at 09:56

I though the PhysX cards were supposed to take pressure off the other components, not make them have to perform more work. Can't believe they sacrifice framerate just for a few fancy explosions. To me i'd rather have the game play well and slightly less eye candy.

n3x · 8 May 2006 at 10:05

Punisher161282 said:
I though the PhysX cards were supposed to take pressure off the other components, not make them have to perform more work. Can't believe they sacrifice framerate just for a few fancy explosions. To me i'd rather have the game play well and slightly less eye candy.

argh its not just a few fancy explosion or just eye candy, people really dont understand what hi realism physics is all about do they :rolleyes:

it is disappointing but it is still early days, hopefully when physx matures, gfx cards catch up and when dual core cpu's are properly utilized this WILL be the future of gaming.

VeNT · 8 May 2006 at 11:05

I thought this was just supposed to take the work OFF the CPU rather than add more to it?

mrk · 8 May 2006 at 11:08

Supposed

oweneades · 8 May 2006 at 11:17

n3x said:
argh its not just a few fancy explosion or just eye candy, people really dont understand what hi realism physics is all about do they

But the problem is so far it has only been about fancy explosions.

Lanz · 8 May 2006 at 11:22

n3x said:
argh its not just a few fancy explosion or just eye candy, people really dont understand what hi realism physics is all about do they

it is disappointing but it is still early days, hopefully when physx matures, gfx cards catch up and when dual core cpu's are properly utilized this WILL be the future of gaming.

Of course enhanced physics is the future of gaming. But it doesnt need PhysX. Its just natural progression that with faster cpus and faster gpus, you'll get gradually better physics with each new game. Just like we all raved about the HL2 physics, the grav-gun etc, with each new year and each big release we will no doubt see better physics.
PhysX seems to be trying to make a big leap, but so far it has failed miserably. GRAW = Extra particle explosions.. woo! CF = A slow tech demo, not even a proper game.

The hardware seems flawed to me, something like this needs to be attached right onto the pci-e bus, so it has direct access to the CPU and GPU.

n3x · 8 May 2006 at 11:25

oweneades said:
But the problem is so far it has only been about fancy explosions.

The Cellfactor demo isnt just fancy eye candy... everything reacts to everything else around it and can affect the player. It adds a completely new level if realism and isnt that what we want?

Yeah ok its early days yet, its clearly gonna take time for this kinda thing to really take off but its definately the way forward imo

Lanz i agree with you but has anyone tried cellfactor without physx enabled? i hear its pretty slow... so physx is definately doing something but obliviously not enough especially for 200 quid!

Lanz · 8 May 2006 at 11:30

Cellfactor doesn't look real to me, the physics are over the top. Its just a tech demo. I dont feel any urge to even play that game, it looks rubbish tbh.

Noxis · 8 May 2006 at 11:34

Despite everything I have a strange compulsion to buy a Physx card :confused:

I thought OCUK had them available and OEM versions? Only seeing the BFG apparently instock but available "sometime mid-may" ?

HEADRAT · 8 May 2006 at 11:35

I agree it looks completely OTT but I do feel it just a DEMO to show you what it can do, if all the a PPU is going to mean is a few more barrels and shapnel flying about then you can keep it

HEADRAT

Lanz · 8 May 2006 at 11:38

PhysX cards in Maya and other 3d modelling apps are meant to be pretty smart. So there is a use for them currently, just not with playing games.

JonnyGLC · 8 May 2006 at 11:40

What really does make me laugh... Is the fact that you can actually run this game without the PhysX card, and you get basically the same performance. You get all the physics, every last bit of it, and you get very very similar FPS and it looks and runs exactly the same.

If you open the Artificial Map Editor, you can actually load the map which is provided in the demo to edit. If you press F5 whilst editing, it drops a character into the game and allows you to play as him. It plays in deathmatch mode and you have all the things you would if you were playing the game normally... Assault Rifle, Gravity Grenades etc. You can also use all the powers still using space, ctrl, mouse3.

So... What is the point in these physx cards at the moment, it's a con? You CAN run cellfactor without the PHYSX card, which you really shouldnt be able to run it because apparantly its all run through the PHYSX card?

If you don't believe me on this, i will quite happily post screenshots for you and the full method of playing it.

n3x · 8 May 2006 at 11:48

A random name said:
If you don't believe me on this, i will quite happily post screenshots for you and the full method of playing it.

Dude could you? and maybe a couple of vids with fraps? im really interested to see how it performs without the ppu.

I'll give it a go myself when i get home aswell.