Developer Diary

[cromwell]

I just got finished reading the developer diary, at gamespot. I was happy to read that the environment is being upgraded, and the maps are going to be enlarged. My surprise was the developer stating that they were using directX9 with shader model 2.0. I can see using DirectX9, since we all have to wait for Vista to get DirectX 10. However Shader model 2.0, is getting long in the tooth. My Geforce 6800, has SM3.0 capability, and that card is old now. SM3.0 is supposed to be much better, especially for large outdoor environments.

Now I know not everyone has a powerful video card, but having some future proofing in the game would help it last a bit better. It would be nice if CA made it so when Vista comes out, MTW2 would take advantage of Directx 10.

This made me think of some suggestions for future patches/addons.

1. Enabling dual core(or more) CPU's, when hosting MP games. (4v4 can slow down a computer)
2. Dedicating a Core for the AI, all those SP's, could have a much better opponent.
3. Allow real time viewing of games. The host of MP server has ability to allow viewers of the battle. Similar to HalfLife's spectator mode. This way we could watch the great players, live.

Later,

Cromwell

[x-dANGEr]

1) Not a bad idea.
2) Not a bad idea.
3) I think it really should work. Keep in mind, mostly in TW games, what's causing the lag is the number of men on the battlefield and their calculations, not how many players there are.

[Manstein]

Hopefully they have Direct-X 8 shaders as an alternative. As we all know, the GeForce FX series can not handle Direct-X 9 shaders very well. Not unless if shader model 2.0b is employed, and even then, performance is still sub-par.

[sbroadbent]

Hopefully they have Direct-X 8 shaders as an alternative. As we all know, the GeForce FX series can not handle Direct-X 9 shaders very well. Not unless if shader model 2.0b is employed, and even then, performance is still sub-par.

With todays prices (but not only that, with the prices 3 months from now when M2 has been released) you can get a pretty decent video card at a good price. Currently ATI is the price/performance leader with good performance below $200. For about $200 (local prices will vary) you can get a x1800XL which should have SM3.0 support. For $150 and SM2.0 support I'd suggest an x850XT Platinum Edition. Even my Radeon 9800 Pro (which you can find on ebay for $50-75) should be able to handle SM2.0. I'd recommend the 256MB card though as it'll have more room for textures (and according to ATI's website, it's memory clock is 350 as opposed to 340 and it uses GDDR2 as opposed to GDDR1). I can play Rome Total War with all graphics maxed out, and fortunately it hasn't bogged down so far.

For Nvidia though, alot of their mid to low end cards are quite high priced. It's only when you're talking the really highend that the price/performance improves. For under $300 you can get a 7900 GT (256MB) which is only matched by the x1900XTX (but which is $100 more expensive).

With that said, prices will only get better, so shop around closer to the end of the year.

If they could manage it, I would like them to program it in for SM2.0 and 3.0 support for those who have the better graphics.

For those who would like to see the price/performance charts from Toms Hardware Guide:

http://images.tomshardware.com/2006/...s_chart_02.jpg

[sunsmountain]

Now I know not everyone has a powerful video card, but having some future proofing in the game would help it last a bit better. It would be nice if CA made it so when Vista comes out, MTW2 would take advantage of Directx 10.

What gamers have is determined quite simply. Rome TW was developed for hardware that was new 4 years before release, ie september 2000. Talking about Geforce4, radeon8500, stuff like that. Medieval TW 2 will be released near the end of this year, november 2006. Looking at november 2002, we don't see Direct X 10, in fact we don't even see Shader Model 3.0!

Shader model 3.0 is overrated. If game developers use it though, and do not program 2.0b, but do program for 1.1, then suddenly, nVidia seems like a good buy. But anyone understanding the shader models knows that you can perfectly do all the effects you can do in SM3 using SM2.0b. It's moot now since ATi is also selling SM3.0.

With MTW 2, CA effectively shows that 2.0b is just as good as 3.0.

Besides, its an evolutionary game, not a revolutionary game. Expect the next TW to be DX 10 and Vista only...

[Tamur]

Unless of course MS keeps up with their history and Vista is delayed till 2009