Hardware sound mode bug isolated- please confirm my findings

Denidil Taureran · 02-11-2007, 12:54 PM

This fix is no longer needed - Sigil has posted a fixed OpenAL library

[edit: A superior solution has been found- See end of post!]

Here is the report - i'm emailing this to customer support.

Quote:

A well known problem with OpenAL hardware mode with Vanguard is that the gain on near and far sounds seems to be completely incorrect - I do not have this problem with other openAL games on my machine so I did some digging and looked at the properies of the OpenAL32.dll in Vanguard's /bin folder - it says it's OpenAL32 2.0.1.0 with comments "Open AL 1.1" - all my other games use my OpenAL32.dll from c:\windows\system32 (Win XP 64bit w/ OpenAL SDK installed) and work fine and it reports Standard OpenAL(TM) Implementation 6.14.357.13 with no comments

I attempted to run the game in hardware mode with the copy of the .dll in the vanguard directlry renamed to OpenAL32.dll.bak (i did the renaming after i let the patcher run incase the patcher would have wanted to overwrite it). The Game loaded normally and sound was definantely in hardware mode as i can hear a distinct difference in the music on my machine (Sound Blaster Live! Value). I immediately noticed that music is working correctly in game which it never had before in the game with Generic Hardware mode enabled with Vanguard's OpenAL32.dll active, you could only hear it very close to the regional source. other errors like incorrectly volumed npc voices and combat sounds seem to disapear as well - so I think it's a fair conclusion that the copy of openAL included with the game is a bad version.

Please remove the openAL dll's from the game directory so we can use our system-level openAL as it appears to work correctly. I tried everything i could think of and everything seems to confirm my findings - that the openAL libraries included in the game are a bad copy. Please remove them from the patcher and remove them from the directory and make everyone install updated openAL libraries, as some of us already have, so that openAL audio mode works correctly.

Steps to reproduce the test:
A) Have an updated copy of the OpenAL install on your system from http://developer.creative.com/articl...&top=38&aid=46
B) Open the vanguard launcher and get passed the patcher section
C) Rename <vanguard install dir>/bin/openAL32.dll to openAL32.dll.bak
D) Open vgclient.ini in the same directory - find [ALAudio.ALAudioSubsystem] and confirm that key "OpenALDeviceName" is set to "Generic Hardware"
E) Run the game, adjust your volume settings as you like - and play

Please follow the steps to reproduce the test, and see if you can confirm my findings.

If you run the patcher with your OpenAL32.dll renamed it WILL download it again fresh - hence why you MUST be past the patch point

(people helping confirm only need to worry about what is after the bolded line)

[Edit]
Superior Solution - You can all thank Tibar for tipping me off on this one.

Use Vanguard's copy of the OpenAL32.dll
Switch into "Generic Hardware" audio mode, restart the game (required for the setting to take affect)
Make sure your card is affected (if it's not, stop here) - at this point you should see a 10fps boost - I did (Even over the cards drivers internal OpenAL)
If you're affected go into dx diag and turn audio acceleration down a notch - you should still get the FPS boost, but this reportedly fixes the problem...

please confirm this fix - i have sent an update to Sigil on this issue

Denidil Taureran · 02-11-2007, 01:33 PM

Come on people - if you want bugs fixed, let's help isolate them so we can give detailed descriptions to the devs, it speeds up their job

Rourke · 02-11-2007, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denidil Taureran

Come on people - if you want bugs fixed, let's help isolate them so we can give detailed descriptions to the devs, it speeds up their job

hi..your way to smart for me sir.../grabs stick and pokes pc.

I'm happy when type without mistakes. And i just corrected that sentence 3 times.

Denidil Taureran · 02-11-2007, 02:42 PM

all you have to do is follow the step by step and use your ears!

Denidil Taureran · 02-11-2007, 04:56 PM

sorry for the bumps mods, trying to get SOMEONE, ANYONE to confirm me findings

visceral monkey · 02-11-2007, 05:19 PM

Ok, I can confirm. My ambient music now returns after going into combat mode and having combat music play. So now under generic hardware, both are working correctly when I use your fix.

Nice find. A+

Denidil Taureran · 02-11-2007, 05:26 PM

awesomeness. now hopefully the devs follow my recommendation!

visceral monkey · 02-11-2007, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denidil Taureran

awesomeness. now hopefully the devs follow my recommendation!

Haha, yea, well, we all know that's not going to happen anytime soon. But at least we have another work around thanks to your efforts. I've never seen a mmorpg that relied so much on its own users for game fixes. This makes me a sad panda.

Denidil Taureran · 02-11-2007, 05:33 PM

actually i've seen them fix bugs i reported - they're relatively quickly

instead of listening ot my recommendation that MAY instead include the up-to-date OpenAL 6.xx DLL but i think that would leave people with newer creative boards (Audigy and later) irritated because i believe those cards implement openAL in their drivers for superior hardware acceleration

Atoyota · 02-11-2007, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by visceral monkey

Haha, yea, well, we all know that's not going to happen anytime soon. But at least we have another work around thanks to your efforts. I've never seen a mmorpg that relied so much on its own users for game fixes. This makes me a sad panda.

QFT

visceral monkey · 02-11-2007, 05:38 PM

I've cross posted to VN and the "official" support forums as well. It might allow people to use their soundcards in hardware mode for a few extra FPS.

DCpunk · 02-11-2007, 06:01 PM

so, will this only work with Creative cards? I ask because I have onboard sound and want to know if this will lend me any assistance as well.

visceral monkey · 02-11-2007, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCpunk

so, will this only work with Creative cards? I ask because I have onboard sound and want to know if this will lend me any assistance as well.

Only one way to find out. The patcher replaces the missing file every time you start the game, so if it doesn't work it should repair itself. Just make sure you download the openAL package first.

Kilroy · 02-11-2007, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denidil Taureran

Here is the report - i'm emailing this to customer support.

Please follow the steps to reproduce the test, and see if you can confirm my findings.

If you run the patcher with your OpenAL32.dll renamed it WILL download it again fresh - hence why you MUST be past the patch point

(people helping confirm only need to worry about what is after the bolded line)

CONFIRMED, all sounds work perfectly with a Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty. Now, I am wondering if we should enable EAX in the vanguard.ini file?

My OpenAL32.dll version is newer than the one you link to, but I don't think that will make any difference. Mine is 6.14.415.00

Digero · 02-11-2007, 06:31 PM

I tried this with my onboard Realtek AC'97 surround-sound audio, and it didn't make any difference. I tried both deleting the OpenAL32.dll and replacing it with the one from C:\Windows\system32 (after the patcher had run).

In all cases, sound volume levels are unaffected by the volume sliders or distance to the sound source. Positional audio (which speaker the sound comes out of) is correct, but the volumes aren't.

Does this only work with Creative sound cards?

visceral monkey · 02-11-2007, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digero

I tried this with my onboard Realtek AC'97 surround-sound audio, and it didn't make any difference. I tried both deleting the OpenAL32.dll and replacing it with the one from C:\Windows\system32 (after the patcher had run).

In all cases, sound volume levels are unaffected by the volume sliders or distance to the sound source. Positional audio (which speaker the sound comes out of) is correct, but the volumes aren't.

Does this only work with Creative sound cards?

Hmm, that would suck for non creative users. I have an x-fi myself. Someone should now test the EAX stuff by turning it on and seeing what happens..

Kanevala · 02-11-2007, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilroy

CONFIRMED, all sounds work perfectly with a Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty. Now, I am wondering if we should enable EAX in the vanguard.ini file?

My OpenAL32.dll version is newer than the one you link to, but I don't think that will make any difference. Mine is 6.14.415.00

Vanguard uses 2.0.1.0 or something, and the latest is version 2.1.4.0

http://developer.creative.com/articl...&top=38&aid=46

Anyway, under Vista Ultimate x64, I replaced the Vanguard OpenAL32.DLL, with the wrap_oal.dll from the System32 folder (renamed to openal32.dll), and I finally have SB X-FI Audio device available now in Vanguard, rather then only Generic Software. Sounds are working properly once more.

Used to replace the dll during beta, but I was running XP back then, not sure why I didn't think of trying under Vista.

Kanevala · 02-11-2007, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digero

I tried this with my onboard Realtek AC'97 surround-sound audio, and it didn't make any difference. I tried both deleting the OpenAL32.dll and replacing it with the one from C:\Windows\system32 (after the patcher had run).

In all cases, sound volume levels are unaffected by the volume sliders or distance to the sound source. Positional audio (which speaker the sound comes out of) is correct, but the volumes aren't.

Does this only work with Creative sound cards?

You likely need a OpenAL 1.1 complient audiocard, of which you really don't have any alternatives in anything other then Creative.

Also onboard just doesn't cut it, both quality wise and performance wise in modern games. You'd see a fairly significant difference IMO, if you go with an X-FI over onboard.

Parallax · 02-11-2007, 07:03 PM

I can confirm this. The ambient sound has been a problem for me since day one, but since I listen to mp3s most of the time I havent worried about it much. I have a creative sound card and software mode does seem to work somewhat better for me, but there is definetly something wrong.

Denidil Taureran · 02-11-2007, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digero

Does this only work with Creative sound cards?

should work with any sound card capable of openAL + EAX compliance - 3D sounds, etc.

you will need to adjust your volume sliders, the bug that is being resolved is the the gain being incorrect for sound sources - which is the source of all the hardware mode problems.

from what i could tell instead of gain being correctly set to G it was being set to either 1-G or random

games should really never include libraries like this with them for this reason - the devs didn't technically mess anything up, just the copy of the OpenAL DLL they chose to distribute was messed up, and it probably works right on their systems

[edit]
and as someone noticed - as i suspected this is blocking people with newer SB cards from being able to use Creative's direct hwaccel for their cards.

Please sigil remove the openAL libs from the vanguard directory