June 13, 1998
SORRY!!
Yes yes yes, there haven't been any updates for...a week. I got way too busy in preparation to move, which I will be doing this morning.
Ok, here's the plan:
- drive all day and arrive in Portland, Oregon sometime in the evening
- unload the van, setup the computer, sleep
- wake up Sunday morning, goto the isp I have chosen to use, get an account activated
- go back to my new home (after stopping off at CompUSA and buying pc parts) and MAKE A MAJOR WEBPAGE UPDATE
for Portland natives only!
If there is anyone out there who lives in the Portland area please give me some information on the best isp available for the area. I am going to get an account with Internet Arena for now. Also, if anyone out there lives in Portland and would be interested in organizing a LAN party or two, let me know as well. I've got a hub just waiting to spew forth the IPX protocol. :)
June 5, 1998
3Dfx Banshee
Some time ago 3Dfx announced that they would finally get into the 2d/3d hardware market. Some new information has come out about it. I saw on Bluesnews a list of links about 3Dfx's 2d/3d hardware, the Banshee.
I'm guessing that we can assume that the final silicon of the 3Dfx Banshee will be something like a Voodoo2 on steroids with 2d support. VERY GOOD 2d support, even.
temporary update
Fixing stuff and getting ready to totally re-upload the website in a better format. Things won't look too much different, only to me when I'm logged onto Quake2.com. Seems I got sloppy when updating and expanding this website and just put everything in the public_html directory and didn't make sub-directories for things.
June 3, 1998
3Dfx Voodoo2 reference drivers, Glide 2.51
Yesterday 3Dfx released new Voodoo2 reference drivers featuring Glide 2.51. The Windows95/98 version of the reference drivers can be downloaded here.
There are also WindowsNT reference drivers, and you can get them here.
These drivers are for Voodoo2 hardware only, so Voodoo (1) and Voodoo Rush owners are to not get them.
.
Blah
I'm getting ready to move across the state, and before I do, I'm going to fix the website up some and make it look somewhat better. While I'm away from the internet Jazz, Hellblast, and Platon will be keeping up on drivers and news as needed.
May 30, 1998
Alex St. John opens his mouth again
Brian Hook updated his .plan and gave Alex St. John, our esteemed OpenGL expert and ex-Microsoft employee, correct information about what exactly OpenGL is - again. It's hard to believe Brian Hook and John Carmack actually tolerated St. John recently when they were interviewed by Boot Magazine. hehehe
New drivers
3dLabs has released new Windows95 Permedia2 drivers. Get them here.
May 28, 1998
Mouse talk
Everyone knows that along with dual Voodoo2's, having a good mouse makes Quake2 better. Microsoft has announced a newer version of the Intellimouse, the mouse which all other mice look up to. Even though Microsoft screws up in other aspects of the pc, their Intellimouse is one of those fields they're good at. Thanks out to DaChronic for showing me this.
May 27, 1998
Intel i740 OpenGL in Windows95
As i740 owners now, there isn't any OpenGL support in Windows95 yet for i740 boards - until now. Seems Real3d has a D3D to OpenGL wrapper for Windows95, but it only worked for their hardware. I got an email yesterday from someone who hacked the wrapper and it now works on other i740 hardware. Here is the email I got:
Hi,
I hacked the D3D to OpenGL-wrapper beta from real 3d. It worked only with
their own i740-based cards.
Now its available for all of us. At least it works fine for me (ASUS V2740,
latest Intel-drivers, DX5).
You have to set the res to 640x480x16bpp.
It is up to you to publish. BTW: There were no copyright notes.
Bye
Bogart
I'm going to put this hacked wrapper up, but let me say this first: WE WILL NOT HELP YOU OUT IF IT DOESN'T WORK!
You can download the hacked wrapper for i740 hardware HERE.
Be sure you have DirectX 5 installed and have the latest drivers for your i740.
Verite section updated
Hellblast has updated the Verite section. This update describes the new GOLD miniGL drivers and some issues with them.
Unreal
This has nothing to do with Quake2, but oh well. I got a copy of Unreal. I must say, its pretty good. The 3Dfx Glide version looks VERY impressive. Here's a list of things that caught my attention while playing it:
- colored lighting looks good, although they should have included a few more colors
- the lights in this game look really cool - the lens flares are impressive
- fog, and colored fog
- the deathmatch bots are FUN, no need to play it online where it lags
- in single player mode some larger levels with more detail tend to bog the game down
- the portals in some of the deathmatch levels are really trippy
- ambience is great: birds flying, fish swimming, fires, etc
- the weapons are cool, the rifle is my favorite in sniper mode :)
Overall, Unreal looks and runs great, but as alot of people are saying, playing it in single player mode is somewhat boring after a few levels. I guess that's why they included deathmatch bots. :)
May 23, 1998
New Rendition miniGL
Rendition has released their GOLD miniGL drivers for Verite 1000 and Verite 2x00 chipsets. You can get them here.
May 22, 1998
whoa!
Yeah, finally an update. I've been busy pretty much. Strangely, there haven't been any new drivers as of late (hrmm).
3Dfx beta2 OpenGL driver
I downloaded the beta2 OpenGL drivers for 3Dfx hardware the other day. They aren't too bad, just a few problems:
- 3Dfx hardware doesn't do windowed 3d rendering by default, so any OpenGL work with this driver has to be done fullscreen. That means you can't use these drivers for OpenGL level editing.
- When the 3Dfx hardware is activated with this driver, the 3Dfx logo comes up, just like it does with the Glide miniport. Heh, annoying.
- Driver isn't optimized for games. GLQuake lags really weird and isn't playable. Quake2 runs good in default OpenGL with this driver, and is just a little slower than the normal 3Dfx OpenGL.
This driver really is for development purposes, though. The download includes the 3Dfx OpenGL driver, and a header file (glu.h) for inspiring programmers that want to develop OpenGL applications and not have to invest in a hardcore OpenGL board to do it. If you're a programmer who does 3d programming and happen to own 3Dfx hardware, get this driver.
May 18, 1998
Drivers
3dLabs released newer Permedia2 drivers for Intel based WindowsNT systems the other day.
3Dfx is supposed to release Beta2 OpenGL drivers today. These have nothing to do with Glide, they are full OpenGL drivers.
LAN
This past weekend I threw a big LAN party. Rocket Arena2, Deathmatch, even 3on3 CTF was played. Maybe I'll put up one of the RA2 demos I made.
May 15, 1998
Driver update
Canopus has released new Windows95 drivers for the Pure3dII. Get them here.
May 13, 1998
More new drivers
Diamond has released newer Windows95 drivers for their Rendition Verite 2100 based StealthII. You can get them here.
May 12, 1998
New drivers
3dLabs has released a new Permedia2 drivers set for DEC Alpha WindowsNT systems.
May 11, 1998
NVidia gets sued again
First it was Silicon Graphics, now S3 Incorporated has sued nVidia of patent infringement, dealing with VGA controller circuitry and the mixing of video/graphics data. You can read all about it here and here.
This is sick - really sick. Nvidia is getting taken advantage of just because of a good product, its Riva128 and Riva128 ZX accelerators. If there are viable claims, then so be it. If this is just a ploy to get people to see that S3 can make hardware comparable to that of Nvidia's, then it's just sick.
Riva 128 gamma tweak
On RivaZone there is a small utility which tweaks GLQuake, GLHeXeN2, and Quake2 gamma settings for Riva128/Riva128ZX boards. In GLQuake it makes a BIG difference. You can get the utility, named idgamma, here.
May 9, 1998
Rendition section updated
Hellblast has updated the Rendition Verite section with more information.
S3 Savage3D
S3 is bouncing back from their ill fated S3 Virge chipset to release something quite spectacular - on paper. If the specs for the Savage3D stay intact and make it to a final product, look for alot of people to be buying S3 hardware. You can see the Savage3D's specs here.
chipset section updated
The chipset section has been updated. ATI, S3, and Intel were added.
May 8, 1998
First Riva 128ZX board ships
STB announced today that they have started to ship a version of the Velocity 128 based on nVidia's Riva 128ZX chipset. Saw that on Bluesnews.
If anyone out there has purchased, or is going to purchase a Velocity 128 based on the Riva128ZX, email us a few screenshots here. Thanks.
New drivers
3dLabs has released new Permedia2 drivers for Windows95 and WindowsNT.
The drivers section has been updated as well.
Driver section re-vamped
The drivers section has been totally re-done, with the most up-to-date drivers for just about every Quake2 capable OpenGL board. (except for Intel i740 - still looking around about it, etc...) The news page is also in somewhat of a transition stage.
May 5, 1998
re-design
Sorry there haven't been any updates as of late, seems there's no news. I'm in the middle of re-designing a few sections of our site, and should have a newer look up by this weekend. THE DRIVERS SECTION WILL BE RE-DONE WITH EVERY DRIVER FOR EVERY BOARD!
April 29, 1998
New drivers
Diamond has released newer drivers for the Monster3d II. Get them here.
April 27, 1998
Verite section updated
Hellblast has updated our Verite section, Rendition users check it out.
LAN is fun
Updates are less and less opportunistic when you're playing Rocket Arena2 24/7 on a LAN. Sorry :)
Intel PentiumII Xeon processor
If you are looking for the maximum performance and have loads of money, Intel's PentiumII Xeon is something to look into. The Xeon line of the PentiumII processor family is 'intended' to be used in the server/high performance workstation market, but it would also make a great 'QuakeStation'. Imagine this: the Deschutes processor core like a normal PentiumII, but with two megabytes of L2 cache on the chip. To top that off, the Xeon's cache will run at full clock speed of the actual processor, unlike normal P2's that run at half speed.
Xeons use the SLOT2 cartridge setup, so taking your current P2 chip out and putting a Xeon in is impossible. Also, Xeon's will not be cheap. Intel has to manufacture the L2 cache in-house, which leads to higher prices (up to $4500 just for ONE Xeon processor). Furthermore, if you thought a PentiumII cartridge was big, Xeons will be at least twice the size of a normal P2, so you'll need a heavy-duty case to hold the motherboard and Xeon chip(s) in place. Here is a link to see some pictures and some more info on the PentiumII Xeon.
April 23, 1998
Riva 128 autoexec.cfg
Over at Dimension128, there is an autoexec.cfg fix for Riva128 boards that makes Quake2 look better in OpenGL.
It also speeds up Quake2 and improves gamma correction problems. Here are some screenshots with this new autoexec.cfg, along with a link for the file. Thanks to TheDethlord for showing me this.
April 22, 1998
Rendition V2x00 OpenGL ICD
Rendition released an updated OpenGL ICD for their V2x00 chipsets. Get it here.
This update would have been yesterday, but I got 'busy'. Ok, so I was playing Rocket Arena 2 on a LAN. :)
April 20, 1998
glDoom info
Saw this on The Official WinDoom/glDoom homepage:
For those of you out there that want a gauge of how near to completion glDoom is, I'm about 85% done. Most of the sprite issues have
been handled. I still need to implement better texture management, create a new font for the console and screen text, redo the menus
(again) as texture mapped polygons, handle the intermission screens as well as the finale. There is also some work to be done on the
geometry processing when creating the floors and ceilings as well as cleaning up the wall creation around moving sectors (changing the
generator somewhat and adding a dynamic height check for wall polygons). Also, the dynamic lighting still has to be added as well as
the distance queing. None of these by itself is a very big job. Taken together they add up to a fair amount of work left to do but nothing
like what I started with. I would love to have it finished before E3 or at the very least in beta test by then.
If you don't own a copy of Doom, go buy one. :)
April 19, 1998
Look at this Alex St. John!
While looking through OpenGL.org, I came across a listing of OpenGL applications, tools, and games. Among them, of course, were Quake and Quake2, along with all the third party licensee Quake engine games scheduled for release this year. There are also quite a few non-id software technology games that are available which use OpenGL: flight simulators, tank games, even a Sim City title that uses OpenGL. Check it out.
Hey Alex St. John: no need to look at this, they don't use OpenGL, its all 3Dfx Glide, hahaha
April 18, 1998
drivers, drivers, drivers
ATI has released Beta3 OpenGL miniports for GLQuake/Quake2 that work on the Rage Pro boards. Get these miniport here.
Diamond has released new Viper v330 drivers, which now feature full OpenGL support in Windows95. People that are using AGP versions of the Viper on Intel systems get this set of drivers, and those people using the PCI version or the AGP version with non-intel processors get this set.
GLQuake and Quake2 don't use OpenGL?
Of course, you would hear this from a current or former employee of Microsoft. Alex St. John of Boot told a reader that "YOU DIDN'T GET ANY OPENGL IN QUAKE.", and "GL are just two letters id stuck on the box, they didn't do a DAMN thing for you. You have been playing the Glide version of Quake and you can thank id and 3Dfx for bringing that quality to you."
Hrmm, the last time I checked 3Dfx was using a miniport that talked to Glide to get OpenGL functions to work, and all non-3Dfx harware was using REAL OPENGL drivers. Obviously Alex has never played GLQuake or Quake2, and doesn't know what he's talking about. Check out this link - it gives the whole story, along with a reply from John Carmack to what St. John said about there being 'no OpenGL in Quake or Quake2'.
April 14, 1998
Drivers
Canopus has released new Win95 drivers for the Pure3d, and their Total 128V, based on the Riva 128, now has Win95 OpenGL support.
Interview with Bruce Lewis
Our interview with Bruce Lewis, the man in charge or porting the Doom source code to OpenGL is up. Check it out here.
April 10, 1998
SGI vs. NVidia
NVidia's CEO and president replied to yesterday's announcement from Silicon Graphics that they are suing NVidia over a patent infringement. NVidia's CEO said that they'll fight it to the end, so this could become a long fight.
Interview with Bruce Lewis
We have been granted an interview with Bruce Lewis. Who is Bruce Lewis? He's one of the many people working on a Doom source code port(s). He has currently written it over to Win32, and is now working on glDoom. That's right, an OpenGL rendered version of Doom (can we say sp00ge? :). We'll have the interview up soon!
April 9, 1998
New version of Riva 128 tweaking utility
There is a new version of a Riva 128 registry tweaking utility. You can get it here. Thanks to Jeff for telling me that the link to the old version is dead. :)
SGI files patent infringement suit against NVidia
Silicon Graphics has filed a patent infringement suit agains NVidia, claiming that their current (and future?) technology uses the same methods as stated in U.S. patent number 5,706,481. The technology described in that patent states that Silicon Graphics owns the technology that allows high speed texture mapping on low-price hardware. What does this mean? Well, Silicon Graphics' engineers revolutionized the design of graphics hardware by uniquely combining texture cache memory and texture interpolation logic on a single semiconductor chip, which dramatically reduces hardware prices. SGI has filed a court order agains NVidia to stop manufacturing, selling, and shipping their 3d hardware that uses this technology. What technology is that? The Riva 128.
April 8, 1998
New drivers
STB has released certified Windows95 OpenGL drivers for their Riva 128 based Velocity 128. Get them here.
3DLabs has released new Permedia2 drivers for Windows95 and Intel based WindowsNT systems.
April 3, 1998
ATI 3D Rage Pro OpenGL support
ALL-IN-WONDER PRO, XPERT@Play, XPERT@Work, XPERT XL, and any other products based on the 3D RAGE PRO chip with a minimum of 4 megabytes of memory installed now support GLQuake, GLQuake2, and GLHeXeN II. All you need are the drivers here. The visual quality of these drivers are comparable to 3Dfx, but their speed is still a little slow.
April 2, 1998
heh
There is no S3 OpenGL driver that we reported, that was just our April Fools joke. There were alot of Quake sites that spoofed some good jokes. Quake2.co.uk put up a link to a beta version of Quake3 (hahaha), Blue put up links to the best spoofs, and our host put up a link to their new design, which was actually a page that worships sCary. Btw, who doesn't worship sCary? :)
April 1, 1998
Breakthrough OpenGL technology
S3 has released a generic OpenGL driver that optimizes the PCI command pathways, resulting in a massive bandwidth increase over the PCI bus. This optimization allows S3 Virge accelerators to swap texture data back and forth between memory addresses, thus allowing OpenGL acceleration. We have obtained this information from a high ranking employee at S3, and they have provided a link to the actual driver. This driver is VERY FAST - GLQuake (Quake1) ran at 35fps in 1024x768, and GLQuake2 ran at 30fps in 1600x1200. Go here to get the S3 Virge OpenGL optimized drivers.
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