Should I reinstall FF?

[R22B]

I was messing around with video settings, just trying to make it look sweet and get sweet FPS. I messed around with running the game in different direct x levels and what not and I noticed that instead of spies being like water when they move, they now glow white.

They are still clear when they don’t move, but as soon as the move, I can see them across the map as clear as day. I noticed I’ve been spotting spies more frequently, but still, its cheating and I’d like to get it fixed (plus, part of the fun about FF is spies raping you.)

Any advice? I returned the settings as they were before I started. Also, all water is now clear as day (like spring water)… but I can’t see crap when I swim in it.

Thanks.

[Bridget]

Go into your Fortress Forever folder and look for two buttons that refer to DirectX modes. Click the one titled "DirectX 8 Quality Mode" or something like that. Make sure steam is open. FF will open, reset the DirectX mode, and then prompt you to restart FF again. Then, it should go back to quality mode, where water is "black" on the surface and you can't see through it, spies revert to their 'water-blur' cloak, and other minor visual improvements.

It's not cheating. The option is there. Other players use it even with DirectX 8 capable graphics cards, simply because of the benefit. Sure, it feels cheap, but it's not cheating. <peerpressure> Everyone else is doing it. </peerpressure>

[Icculus]

Not me! I'm a purist.

-Icculus

[xks]

Personally I think being able to see Spies in such a way is a form of cheating and shouldn't be allowed.

It's just like in TFC where the OpenGL users had nicely blurred water that reduced visibility dramatically and those using Direct3D had no blur and could see perfectly at any distance in water. I lost track of the amount of times snipers on Well would get you as you tried to enter their base via the water pipe, they'd be laying on the floor of the water far away at the other end totally invisible to an OpenGL user. I used OpenGL for better looks and performance personally, but the Direct3D water thing made me even less likely to use D3D.

Even now I get accused or asked if I'm using DX7 as I frequently detect spies and track them even if they run away and remain still. I feel it would be very unfair if I used DX7 and made it even easier to see them, that's not how things should be.

What the devs should do is just make spies completely invisible when cloaked to those using DX7. Since the amount of people using DX7 is almost non existant these days it is barely going to affect anybody and it will remove this distinct advantage from the game.

For someone to be forced to use DX7 they need a graphics card which is more than around five years old. Given that they could upgrade their card to a cheap Geforce 4 DX8 hardware card for next to nothing I can't see why anyone would disagree with my suggestion to eliiminate this unfair advantage.

[SkullBash]

they now glow white.

But they'll tell you in game that they are paying attention or that "spies aren't invisible when they move" bla bla. It's so obvious when people use it it is funny. Yeah they aren't invisble but there is a big difference betwen fluid blending into the background especially against a dark walll all the way across the map and glowing white ... bright as hell.

lol

And I second xks suggestion on making the spy invisible in DX7 or just drop supoprt if that is possible.

[Shadow00Caster]

You could pull an Ihmhi and use a 400 year old pci video card and see spies regardless of what the game does to prevent it because your video card can't render anything beyond toilet paper

[Ihmhi]

Funnily enough, that was because the devs hadn't even coded shaders for the DX 8.1 Spy.

Would someone with a DX9-capable card please take a picture of a cloaked spy on DX7, DX8, and DX9 and then upload it and post in this thread? If the differences are really that big, then it needs to be made a priority.

[Bridget]

The picture doesn't do justice. Considering you're only seeing one frame, you might say 'Oh, hey, he's just a tiny bit more visible then the DX9 spy.' but you're forgetting the fact that actually observing his/her movement in game makes it even more obvious. (These pictures were taken moving.)

[Shadow00Caster]

Originally Posted by Ihmhi

Funnily enough, that was because the devs hadn't even coded shaders for the DX 8.1 Spy.

Would someone with a DX9-capable card please take a picture of a cloaked spy on DX7, DX8, and DX9 and then upload it and post in this thread? If the differences are really that big, then it needs to be made a priority.

Dude remember when you saw the first render of the 2.1 video, you were like "holy shit thats what getting tranked lookes like in DX9 .. WOAH!!!!"

[R22B]

Originally Posted by Bridget

The picture doesn't do justice. Considering you're only seeing one frame, you might say 'Oh, hey, he's just a tiny bit more visible then the DX9 spy.' but you're forgetting the fact that actually observing his/her movement in game makes it even more obvious. (These pictures were taken moving.)

That screenshot HARDLY does it justice. They light up like the fourth of July.

I can see which way they are walking/aiming and I can see them pretty much at any distance clearly.