Glide Wrapper vs. Voodoo Video Card

1. How is it that the Glide Wrapper allows greater resolution (i.e. 1600×1200) in TAW than what was possible under Glide using a Voodoo video card?

2. How is it that some special effects (i.e. explosion shock waves) were not seen by Voodoo video card users, yet I see them using the Glide Wrapper?

3. And last, why do I get colored missile trails under Windows XP but not under Windows Me (both running D3D)? Also not under the XP/Glide Wrapper.

I’m on page 25 of 30 going backwards so maybe I’ll find my own answers to these questions in newer posts. 🙂

I’m speculating now that the fancy effects in the D3D version were also included with the Glide version, it’s just that Glide-based video cards of the day couldn’t display the effects. I think the Glide Wrapper unlocks these same effects in Glide, with an added bonus of allowing very high resolutions! 🙂

If I’m right, wouldn’t this be forward thinking on DID’s part, to include (or at least not remove) effects in the Glide version that at the time couldn’t be displayed by Glide-based video cards?

It also puzzles me that more people with higher-end computers aren’t still playing TAW in very high resolution and with none of the current D3D graphics issues. I’m looking forward to owning such a PC so that I can verify for myself that TAW under the Wrapper is playable on a current PC/OS and with acceptable frame rates (my only issue now with an older PC).

I think many fans of other old flight sims dream about this scenario, that their favorite sim could be run PERFECTLY and in hi-res on a current PC/OS. There must be something I don’t know yet about using the Wrapper with TAW (maybe the Campaign is unstable?), because there’s not too much talk about it today.

Back to reading …

I would like to run my TAW with Glide, but my Wrapper says that there are some Glide dlls in my system which will prevent Glide to run. How do I go about cleaning that stuff?

Polak, I have no idea. 🙁

I can tell you what I have though …

Dell Dimension 4300S
====================
1.7GHz
512MB SDRAM
PowerColor Radeon 9600 SE
ViewSonic A90 19" CRT (sometimes a Samsung 20" LCD)
Triple-boot XP(SP1)/XP/Me

Pic of my PC with CRT …

C-Drive
-------
Windows XP (SP1)
- All of my software incl. AV, FW, etc. This is my work / online partition, no games.
- Catalyst 04.2 (D3D/OpenGL on Balanced)

*******
Just installed for this post …
- TAW (Glide, copied over from D-drive)
- zeckensack’s Glide wrapper (084c)
*******

D-Drive
-------
- Windows XP (streamlined install, no SPs, only 4 services running using MSCONFIG)
- Catalyst 04.6 (D3D/OpenGL on Balanced)
- zeckensack’s Glide wrapper (084c)
- Logitech JS Profiler
- TAW (Glide - patched)

E-Drive
-------
- Windows Me (streamlined install)
- Catalyst 04.7 (D3D/OpenGL on Balanced)
- Logitech JS Profiler
- TAW (D3D - patched)
- winThrottle (not really installed, just a DOS-based executable on my Desktop, was used mainly for SEF2000)

My D and E-drive partitions are very streamlined and currently dedicated to running TAW. I have no problem running TAW under Glide on my D-drive (under XP).

I use Norton Ghost (on a DOS boot floppy/CD) to save / restore images of my partitions so that I can replace them on a whim. I have similar D/E-drive partitions saved for Falcon, Strike Fighters, etc. I’m a backup and stream-line junkie! 😁

Out of curiosity, I just did a TAW Glide test on my main C-Drive partition (XP SP1). I installed the Wrapper on C and copied over my D-drive TAW (Glide - patched). Runs flawlessly, except for FPS of course. The only problem I’ve had with the Glide Wrapper is under Windows Me, TAW crashes when exiting. But no problems whatsoever under XP, even with Catalyst OpenGL settings maxed (AA really not necessary at 1600x1200). But I haven’t played it for long periods of time due to low FPS.

Actually, I do have one little flaw with the Glide Wrapper (something I just noticed). I get a very fine line of wacky graphics along the bottom of my screen. It looks to be only the very bottom row of pixels, it’s that small. I easily fixed it by increasing my vertical screen size by one click, and then lowering the screen just a hair to hide it. You’d most likely never notice (the problem nor solution).

Sorry I cant be of more help.

Thanks anyway. I just stay with D3D.

You are very enthusiastic about TAW, but for good reason. I just love AWAC module there and ability to jump into the action wherever F22s are with just double mouse click.

Can you imagine TAW with SF:P1 environment? It just asks for the remake.

To summarize, TAW to me is the end of a long search that started when I retired Microprose’s Nighthawk F-117A Stealth Fighter 2.0 many years ago. It’s really just that simple. 🙂

But to elaborate, TAW has stealth and SO much more!

First, I’ve figured out what kind of simmer I really am (although I knew it all along) … light and casual. But light and casual sims usually don’t have a lot of substance, something warranting a big fat juicy manual and many many tips on strategy! Nor do they always take flight simming seriously (i.e. Jane’s USAF hillbilly Comms).

Secondly, TAW has a feature-packed dynamic campaign with buttloads of immersion (really a must for a single-player guy like myself)! I don’t care if the DC engine has warts and even a major flaw, I would have KILLED to have something like this for F/A-18 PSF! TAW is incredible IMO, especially for being such an accessible sim!

SFP1/WOV is still fun for what it is, but a quick comparison of the Manuals … well, need I say more? 🙂 I’d like to have SF’s graphics and inclement weather in TAW but I can easily live without it. TAW’s graphics (like PSF) are very dated but not ugly to me. TAW at 1600x1200 under Glide is just added gravy! 🙂

Anyway, I finally found THE game I’ve been searching for and I hope to be actually be playing it soon! 😁

I could never run TAW for very long in D3D the first explosion would ctd.

I had been using rhe Z glide wrapper with LB2 and tried it when it was said it also worked for TAW.

everything is almost perfect (minor tearing on the horizon).

Follow the instructions for glide at Positive G’s site for Longbow 2 using the dgVoodoo almost as good as the best rig of 1998

I get 20-30 FPS at 1600x1200 aa at 2x P4 2.4 GFX5600

http://www.speichts.com/games/lb2/glide_mode.html

Only problems with D3D for me on an x800xt are the texture lines on the aircraft and the funky MFD map textures. With those older Cat drivers and the 9250, the lines on the aircraft were gone. Since I never used the map MFD, it was essentially flawless. For $60 you can get a card like that and have framerates with full graphics options at a constant 60fps. Wrappers have caused poor picture quality and CTDs for me with TAW.