Designers and GPU support for LS2003

[Tweed & Whisky]

Thank you for all your contributions.

There is a new wrapper available with improved GPU compatibility and features:
https://linkscorner.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2605

Curious to know if this is relevant for designers?

[Colin Jones]

Thanks for this. Does it mean that Links goes back to appearing very much as it once did - reflective water, proper shadows, no floating pin flags, etc.?

If so, that's great. Not sure it changes alot in a design - although I won't need to worry about the reflective water workaround it seems.

Colin

[dwg]

From playing Links reflective water issues were mostly solved with the so called "Nvidia" patch. Recall there was one recently that has a problem but that was with NVidia GPUs, which is out of character.

I do not recall which course it was, I suspect I would still have the version that showed the issue, so if someone could point out the course I could try it. Adding this wrapper to that machine is quick and easy, put two files in the Links directory.

This wrapper does support golfer translucent shadows on Intel GPUs, they work well.

For anything else it will probably be a case of this course has this problem, does it show up in the new environment.

So far I have been very happy with this wrapper it has solved a lot of problems on my Windows notebook with its Intel GPU.

[dwg]

Found it, it is one of Ian's courses.

I should be able to drop the wrapper on that machine later today and try the offending holes.

I still have the Beta.

[dwg]

I just dropped the wrapper and the ini file from my notebook onto the desktop, I do not do any tuning or adaptation, it is probably not a great idea to have AA and AF turned on in both the wrapper and in Nvidia CP.

Alas the answer is, this wrapper does not help with this course, no error is generated now by Links, the software just crashes out. I did notice that Links is not enforcing a drop if you go into the water, you actually play from the water. That seems wrong, BTW the Course is the Virtues and it is hole 9 where it crashes.

Des

[Ian Wells]

Des,

I had a problem with the water on this hole which I thought was solved by making the water non reflective, not so?

if you go into the water, you actually play from the water. That seems wrong

Obviously that is wrong and I don't understand why

The texture is identified as a hazard.

Water texture properties.jpg (123.03 KiB) Viewed 1761 times

I think that it will be best if I ask Andy to remove the course from the database.
Thanks for your help.
Ian

[dwg]

Not so quick Ian.

My note was around the beta version which I was testing against the new wrapper. I was wondering if that would help with the reflective water issue that we saw.

I will take a look at the released version and see if it does the same.

[dwg]

Well I think I know what is going on.

I loaded up the released version.

In practice mode I deliberately hit the ball into the water on 8 & 9. It told me I was in a hazard then on clicking to continue it rendered me in the water. I'm not aware of practice mode being different in this regard I will try just a normal round.

OK It is fine in normal mode, I think I can see the problem, in practice mode I did not select to enforce normal drop rules. It is a check box at the bottom of the screen.

Sorry for the confusion.

Des

[Ian Wells]

Des,
no apology necessary, thank you for your efforts.
Ian

[dwg]

Ian,

I decided to have another look, so put the new wrapper back, loaded up the beta version of The Virtues and gave hole 9 a good thrashing. This time however I disabled AF and AA in the wrapper, but still had it enabled in the Nvidia driver, pretty much the traditional way of running Links with Nvidia.

I really hacked my putting, to force a lot of redraws, but it did crash eventually.

The error is of no use, it is one of the most vague Windows errors you can get "access Violation", the "causes" of that error are as long as you arm and cover most hardware and software things. Once this happens you cannot resume that round.

I guess a solution to this one is still being evasive.