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playing GRAW 2 with no physx card, but with effects!

krisboats said:
Just a quick question. Do these PPU's only work in games that support them or can they take over the physics calculations in most other games to relieve work from the cpu?
only in AGEIA supported games, AFAIK, these games: GRAW, GRAW2, UT3
 
“only in AGEIA supported games, AFAIK, these games: GRAW, GRAW2, UT3“
All those games support the PPU. But 99% of Ageia supported games don’t work with the PPU. Sometime’s its a pain you just don’t know if its going work till you try it. Sometime’s there’s loads of confusion like Two worlds no one seem to know if it works or not.
 
Pottsey said:
“only in AGEIA supported games, AFAIK, these games: GRAW, GRAW2, UT3“
All those games support the PPU. But 99% of Ageia supported games don’t work with the PPU. Sometime’s its a pain you just don’t know if its going work till you try it. Sometime’s there’s loads of confusion like Two worlds no one seem to know if it works or not.


If thats the case then the Ageia PhysX PPU is just about utterly useless.
 
“If thats the case then the Ageia PhysX PPU is just about utterly useless.”
You cannot expect the PPU to be backwards compatible and support all the 100’s of Ageia games that came out before the PPU came out. To many people seem to think the PPU will work with all Ageia games.
 
Pretty pointless UT3 using Physx, if the server has it enabled you won't even be able to join if you don't have one of the cards right?
 
“Pretty pointless UT3 using Physx, if the server has it enabled you won't even be able to join if you don't have one of the cards right?“
No that’s not right for effect physics. Anyone can join even without a PPU. I don’t know why so many people otherwise. I mean come on, MMORPG's use the PPU and you have none PPU people playing with PPU people. Why would UT be any different?
 
Pottsey said:
“Pretty pointless UT3 using Physx, if the server has it enabled you won't even be able to join if you don't have one of the cards right?“
No that’s not right for effect physics. Anyone can join even without a PPU. I don’t know why so many people otherwise. I mean come on, MMORPG's use the PPU and you have none PPU people playing with PPU people. Why would UT be any different?
How would that work on UT though? If the server has the Physx 'extra physics' enabled then won't that make performance suffer on people without a PPU?

If that's the case I can't see there being many UT3 servers with it on that's all.
 
“If the server has the Physx 'extra physics' enabled then won't that make performance suffer on people without a PPU?
If that's the case I can't see there being many UT3 servers with it on that's all.“

Look at GRAW 2 when your playing any map apart from the island map the PPU people get the extra physics and the none PPU people don’t. So none PPU people don’t suffer from the extra physics.

Current games do it in one of 4 ways or sometimes a mix.
1, have the same physics with and without the PPU only the PPU speeds things up as its offloading from the CPU.
2, have extra effects that can be turned on and ran on the CPU or PPU, COH works like this. You can use a muti core for a speed boost, PPU for a boost or both for an even bigger boost or you can choose not to use extra physics.
3, have effects physics which look nice but don’t change gameplay that only work with a PPU. Ie better blood splatters, cloth hanging in place’s that dont effect gameplay. Kind of like GRAW 2 single player. Extreme physics looks much better but it doesn’t really change game play in GRAW 2. Cloth would have to be placed on walls not over doorways so no gameplay change. IE PPU owner sees bullets hitting and tearing the cloth on the wall. none PPU owners see bullets hit an empty wall.
4, have a map or weapons that only work when everyone has a PPU like the GRAW island map.
 
But in that GRAW island video, PPU users see all the great wood effects like the wooden fence breaking etc correct? non PPU users dont see that, meaning it will look to them as if they are being shot threw the wood and not see it break.

Another example is if a person with the PPU sees say a cloth hanging over an entrance. The person without it sees an open entrance and begins to shoot away at the guy with the PPU who thinks he is under cover from the hanging cloth. hard to explain but do you see what im getting at?
 
“But in that GRAW island video, PPU users see all the great wood effects ….non PPU users dont see that, meaning …..”
That comes under option 4. The island level wouldn’t work unless everyone has a PPU. That type of server map would be on a PPU only server.





“Another example is if a person with the PPU sees say a cloth hanging over an entrance. …. hard to explain but do you see what im getting at?“
This reminds me of the first 3dcards in Quake. People with software had solid water people with 3dcards has transparent water and could hide in it and shoot out.

With the cloth this can be avoided just don’t hang it over a door. That why PPU people could play people without a PPU. Or alternately have cloth that tears and rips with the PPU but stays solid without the PPU. Though that gives PPU people and unfair advantage. The best option is to just put the cloth in a place that doesn’t effect gameplay like a banner on a wall or only have the cloth in the doorway when everyone in game has the PPU. It all comes down to map design if done correctly PPU people can play with none PPU people. GRAW 2 manages it with all but 1 level. PPU and none PPU people play together with no problem what so ever apart from that 1 map. UT should be the same.

In UT3 things like pools of blood I guess will only show with a PPU or look different but it doesn’t change gameplay so everyone can play together.
 
I think both Nvidia and ATI favoured Havok and they even said a Physics Chip could be put on a normal Graphics card or even a Soundcard in future, I dont think Ageia's Physics has much future IMO.
 
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There is a URL in one of posts here where there is a Competition for work on rendering etc and one entry is a tiny file that is a in game type movie of Physics.
You need no real special hardware or software to run it, its very long considering size, it had like cubs moving about a city block and railway and then breaking apart (cant remember 100%), goes to show you it can be done with no special tech and small file sizes.
 
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Back on topic, I just tried this on my GRAW2 only got a hit of aruond 5fps that's pretty awesome. I think Ageia will really shine with UT3, or at least I hope they do as I was considering purchasing one for that.
 
”I think the Havok engine produces much better physics, And doesn't need a dedicated card to get the most out of it.“
Well actually you do. Havok FX requires a dedicated card. To get the most out of it you need hardware. Havok FX costs a lot more for developers.





“I think both Nvidia and ATI favoured Havok and they even said a Physics Chip could be put on a normal Graphics card or even a Soundcard in future, I dont think Ageia's Physics has much future IMO.“
People have been saying that for years. Havok FX has been out longer then the Ageia PPU. Guess what no games support it. Physics on the graphics card are with us now but developers don’t seem to care about it.

I don’t see how its going kill Ageia almost 2 years later and well its still useless.
 
Pottsey said:
”I think the Havok engine produces much better physics, And doesn't need a dedicated card to get the most out of it.“
Well actually you do. Havok FX requires a dedicated card. To get the most out of it you need hardware. Havok FX costs a lot more for developers.
link me to a Havok physics card please?
 
”link me to a Havok physics card please?”
All the Gefroce 8800 cards do physics. GPU physics has been with us for ages now. They call it Quantum Effects. ATI’s cards also do physics as well see
http://ati.amd.com/products/Radeonhd2900/specs.html . The only game I know that makes use of this is Hellgate London but it’s not out yet. There was another Havok FX games but I forgot its name and it’s not out either.

My point was Havok FX and GPU physics on ATI and Gefroce cards have been out ages and have no game support out now. So I find it odd people say its going kill Ageia.

EDIT:http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/physics/index.html
 
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