I realize vista doesn't include support for hardware abstraction layer (HAL) using DirectSound3D cards like Audigy 2/4 because most games are moving towards OpenAL now. Creative released Alchemy to solve this program and convert games to use OpenAL. Has anyone gotten this to work?

I'm talking specifically about HL2 games (EP1, EP2, etc..). I haven't had any luck getting 5.1/7.1 to work with these games with my Audigy 4 card. Anyone figure it out?

10/25/2007 4:47:09 PM

I figured it out. I bought Orange Box on the 360 and it was good to go from the moment I inserted the disc.

(not very helpful, i know..but shit like this is the exact reason I'm getting away from PC's and would rather game on a console. I don't have much free time so when I do get to play a game I expect it to work without any troubleshooting or crashes.)

10/25/2007 6:32:08 PM

^I didn't even have to leave my apartment to get the orange box. Got it right from steam and everything worked fine aside from the 7.1 surround sound. Can you even get 7.1 with a 360? Not to mention it looks tons better on the pc.

Aside from that i have an audigy 4, and a supremeFX card that came with my p5n32 e sli and i don't think either of them can do the openAL, or atleast i can't figure out how to get it to work.

10/25/2007 6:52:46 PM

actually...I'll have to disagree on the looks tons better on PC simpley because I have both versions and it looks tons better on a 50" 1080p TV. Throw in 7.1 surround sound and you've got a nice gaming experience.

Also, I leave my house all the time to go to work so a stop over at gamestop isn't too much trouble.

not to mention I didn't need to make a thread about why its not working since all you have to do is insert disc and pick up the controller.

10/25/2007 6:55:36 PM

^

Quote :

" I have both versions and it looks tons better on a 50" 1080p TV."

So you hooked both the 360 and pc up to the 50" to see which looks better? PC needs to be maxed out at 1080p obviously to make a comparison.

I've actually tried it on a 52" Sony 1080p LCD hooked up to my computer, and it actually looks a lot better than the 360 version. Considering it's only 1080p and not 2560 by 1600, it still looks really nice. If you reeeeallly wanted to hook up a wireless 360 controller to the pc and play it I guess you could, i prefer the mouse for TF2 and most first person shooters.

If you take any pc/360 game like Bioshock, Lost Planet, or any of the newer ones the PC version always looks better hooked up to an HDTV (same size HDTV obviously) than the 360. On the PC you can crank up the anti-aliasing, texture filters and everythign else and it looks noticibly better. You kinda have to have them side by side though. So i guess it doesn't really matter.

[Edited on October 25, 2007 at 7:43 PM. Reason : .]

10/25/2007 7:30:38 PM

well for starters my monitor outputs in 1920x1200 which is a higher res than the TV.

nothing outputs in 7.1, not even HD DVD's or Blu Rays. my receiver just splits the rear channels into 2 more for 7.1. It only does 5.1 from the xbox.

I've found that TF2 looks a hell of a lot smoother and crisper on the 360. thats just from my experience

10/25/2007 7:42:54 PM

Quote :

"well for starters my monitor outputs in 1920x1200 which is a higher res than the TV. "

Yeah but that has nothing to do with what the video card outputs to the HDTV if you hook them up. So you'd have to hook your PC up to the TV with a HDMI-DVI cable, then make the vid card output 1920 by 1080, THEN you could make a comparison. Comparing a 24" at 1920 by 1200, and a 50" at 1920 by 1080 is silly. Obviously the bigger display looks nicer. You have to compare both the 360 AND pc on the SAME HDTV at the SAME resolution to make a legit comparison.

Quote :

"nothing outputs in 7.1"

I believe PC games output 7.1 if you have the speakers and the card supports it. I always run everything at 7.1.

Quote :

"I've found that TF2 looks a hell of a lot smoother and crisper on the 360. thats just from my experience"

Again you haven't hooked them both up to your HDTV so how do you know? And you're playing team fortress with a controller! That's blasphemy!!!

The half-life 2 engine isn't to graphically intensive so lets take a game like BioShock. To get the BEST quality, sound, and experience you would either play it on a 30" at 2560 by 1600 or a HDTV at 1080p (something big like 52" or larger) hooked up to a PC. You'd get better graphics, and you'd get 7.1 surround sound. Obviously it's more difficult to make this gaming set-up so most people opt for a console. Oh and they make wireless 360 controllers for the PC so you could use that too.

[Edited on October 25, 2007 at 8:08 PM. Reason : .]

10/25/2007 7:47:41 PM

Wasn't this started as a "how to get A working in Vista" thread? How exactly did it turn into a "console vs. pc" debate? Oh right, first reply was Glovoko.

10/25/2007 8:27:20 PM

I could see misspelling your fucktard name but misspelling something as simple as Golovko just confirms that you really are a dumb ass.

10/26/2007 2:26:45 AM

[Edited on October 26, 2007 at 7:41 PM. Reason : troll's fat enough as it is]

10/26/2007 7:28:00 PM

Sounds unlikely, but here's a possible fix:

http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=Vista&message.id=5345

10/26/2007 9:40:46 PM