Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Other talk that doesn't fit elsewhere.
This is for General Discussion, not General chat.
User avatar
zschopf1
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 29
Joined: 04 Oct 2009, 19:56

Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by zschopf1 »

I'm posting some guides or hints as some may call it to let others know that there is a way to make Warzone 2100 look better or more interesting.

Nvidia Cards:

Recommended graphics card for game enhancements: GeForce 5 FX series or higher onboard or dedicated graphics card.

Using a good computer with an Nvidia graphics card? Go into your Nvidia Control Panel and click on Manage 3D settings, then select the Program Settings Tab, click the add button and choose your Warzone 2100 shortcut or exe. From there you can set the quality of the game and performance, Things like Anti-Aliasing, and Anisotropic Filtering which are both supported by the game's engine. Turning these on to settings like 4x or 16x will reduce jaggy edges and most glitchy animations that may occur occasionally. There is also another setting called Anti-Aliasing - Transparency, with softens the edges/particals on objects that create see through rendering or are transparent. Select Supersampling and this will improve the quality of the game some more. With this you can give the game a lot more realistic feel to your game play. Be sure to download the latest drivers here http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us - Only for Nvidia Graphics Cards

Your options should look like this:
Image
You do not need to have it set to x16Q or x16 to see changes, but it is recommended for the best visual experience.

Turning on Texture Quality to High Quality will improve Mipmaps, and Bitmapping images.
Image

Pictures taken from driver version 195.62 WHQL

Radeon Cards:

Recommended graphics card for game enhancements: Radeon 9250 or higher onboard or dedicated graphics card.

Using a Radeon graphics card? Want to get the same benefits as Nvidia users? In your Catalyst Control Panel go into your 3D tab click on Anti-Aliasing, check the box Temporal anti-aliasing slide the Level over to the right all the way. This will reduce any jaggy edges. Next click on Adaptive Anti-Aliasing, click on the check box Enable Adaptive Anti-Aliasing and then slide the slider to the right. Next click on Anitstropic Filtering, select the box High Quality AF and slide the Per-pixel samples all the way to the right. Lastly click on Mipmap Detail Level, then slide the slider all the way to the right. After you are done changing all these setting click on apply to save the setting. Be sure to get the latest drivers here http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx - Only for Radeon Graphics Cards

Your options should look like this:
Image
Image
Image
Image

Pictures taken from driver versions 7.1 and 9.11 WHQL

3D Funk:
Hint: Using an Nvidia card 8 Series or higher? Try out their 3D Discover Glasses, for Warzone 2100 your projectiles and explosions really come out of the screen! The effects are pretty cool, and its worth the $10 for a pack of 10 glasses for you and your friends. Since you can use the 3D options on Nvidia to also see images popup out of your screen on videos and most 3D games. You can order them here, http://store.nvidia.com/DRHM/servlet/Co ... =148411500

Note: Although the above seems like Advertising... I'm just letting people know that there are other ways to boost the look and experience of Warzone 2100 and to create a new feel to the game.

Questions or Concerns?
If there are any questions please feel free to post, I may make more changes if I find any fixes or tweaks to improve game quality. If there are people using older computers that want a tutorial on increasing performance(speed of game) I will add one, I'm assuming everyone is using newer computers with onboards or dedicated graphics cards better than the ones recommended.

Credits:
Guide and Nvidia Control Panel Pics:
Zeek The Geek (me)
Pictures for Catalyst Control Center:
ATI's Website, TweakGuides, TechTree
Last edited by zschopf1 on 26 Dec 2009, 00:16, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
zschopf1
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 29
Joined: 04 Oct 2009, 19:56

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by zschopf1 »

Since the images are in High Def, I left them in link form so that it would not consume the forums page. You may need to zoom in on them but you will see a huge difference, if not, then... you wear some high powered glasses to even see anything. Don't forget to click on the picture itself to zoom in to actual size.

Without the settings tunred up.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o17/ ... ttings.jpg

With the settings turned up.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o17/ ... ttings.jpg

You'll notice that the Buildings are smoothed out, oil derricks are smoothed, the trucks are smoothed. In the horizon the mountains are smoothed, and where the ground bulges out it is smoothed. The textures are a bit more clearer, and the electric orbs that surround the generator are fluffier looking and aren't as jaggy. Overall the game is a lot smoother. Also a big change is that the ground textures are way better looking.

*Edit*
I added some smaller picture taken out of the links above to show differences.

Tracks and terrain are in Depth
Image

Trucks are Smoother
Image

Building have better details and are smoothed
Image

Oil Derrick looks way better from a distance and terrain is better
Image

Again terrain looks better and hill is more defined.
Image

Generator looks smoother, harder to see but the energy is fluffier and flows better in animation
Image
Last edited by zschopf1 on 25 Dec 2009, 23:12, edited 4 times in total.
User avatar
Zarel
Elite
Elite
Posts: 5770
Joined: 03 Jan 2008, 23:35
Location: Minnesota, USA
Contact:

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by Zarel »

Hrm. I can barely notice a difference.

If you want better graphics, you'd be better off just playing trunk, y'know. :P
User avatar
zschopf1
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 29
Joined: 04 Oct 2009, 19:56

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by zschopf1 »

Did you compare the Screen Shots? The ground textures are a lot more clearer and aren't as pixelated looking, especially where the tracks are located on the terrain you can see a big difference. The jagged edges on the 3D models are sharpened and soft giving it a more defined look. Overall it made the game look a lot better for me. I can do some more compare and contrast pictures. I could also state some more differences. Don't forget if you want to see the images up close in actual size to click on them after you have loaded them.
User avatar
Zarel
Elite
Elite
Posts: 5770
Joined: 03 Jan 2008, 23:35
Location: Minnesota, USA
Contact:

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by Zarel »

Yes, I have it zoomed all the way. Okay, I see a bit of anti-aliasing, but that's all, and that's only if I look really closely.
User avatar
zschopf1
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 29
Joined: 04 Oct 2009, 19:56

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by zschopf1 »

I added some compare and contrasting pictures above, I'll probably add a few more. I could to show the different looks with explosions.
KukY
Regular
Regular
Posts: 1859
Joined: 20 Mar 2009, 21:56

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by KukY »

Thanks for info about that.
On screenshots diffrence is barely noticable but if it will improve gracphics at least little bit then I'll try it...
AA and AF do miracles to graphics, but reduce FPS a lot. But WZ models aren't very complicated so it won't be a problem here.
User avatar
zschopf1
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 29
Joined: 04 Oct 2009, 19:56

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by zschopf1 »

Yes, that's why the required Graphics cards aren't too demanding. Just turning on the AA to x2 and AF to x2 shows nice changes. But I was looking at my screenshots on another monitor and I realized that it is harder to see the differences if your monitor has a darker contrast and brightness on it. So I assume if you turn them up you'll be able to see them better.
KukY
Regular
Regular
Posts: 1859
Joined: 20 Mar 2009, 21:56

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by KukY »

Tested now:
AA x8
AF x16
FPS not on 60(max.), but on 50-54, because I ran 3D Benchmark before this. xD
Improved:
  • Textures
  • Animations
Textures are much more clearer now, you can see that war roughness on buildings :twisted:
Animations are very clear. Helps a lot in improving graphics.
Zarel wrote:If you want better graphics, you'd be better off just playing trunk, y'know. :P
You mean to use new terrain renderer?
Installers are much more simplier than trunk.
Actually, I don't even know what that is. xD So this may not be true.
But I should try it once...
User avatar
BlueMaxima
Trained
Trained
Posts: 431
Joined: 05 Jun 2008, 09:20
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by BlueMaxima »

13KukYNexus666 wrote: You mean to use new terrain renderer?
Installers are much more simple than trunk.
Actually, I don't even know what that is. xD So this may not be true.
Trunk refers to the current source-code being used by the developers to develop the game. It takes a bit of work to actually get it working, so, you were right when you said installers are simpler. ;)

I myself have not seen the new terrain renderer, I should check it out :P
Bring back...ducks!
User avatar
zschopf1
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 29
Joined: 04 Oct 2009, 19:56

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by zschopf1 »

So.. does my post get a sticky? :D It is very nice and detailed, plus it helps anyone who doesn't know how to setup their settings for games in general. Although not all games can be run with settings like that, at least not smoothly, just this game. :3 I have an i7 920 @ 3.2Ghz, DDR3 Triple channel RAM @ 1600Mhz, and a GTX 295. So I can afford to run most all games at these settings.. With the exception of Crisis and Dirt 2. Lol
Last edited by zschopf1 on 26 Dec 2009, 06:55, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Zarel
Elite
Elite
Posts: 5770
Joined: 03 Jan 2008, 23:35
Location: Minnesota, USA
Contact:

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by Zarel »

zschopf1 wrote:So.. does my post get a sticky? :D It is a very nice and detailed, plus it help anyone who doesn't know how to setup their settings for games in general.
It's a minor improvement that requires a lot of effort, so no.
BlueMaxima wrote:Trunk refers to the current source-code being used by the developers to develop the game. It takes a bit of work to actually get it working, so, you were right when you said installers are simpler. ;)

I myself have not seen the new terrain renderer, I should check it out :P
There's an installer for a very old version of trunk here: http://guide.wz2100.net/files/builds/

Emphasis on very old version of trunk. It's from 7 months ago - it doesn't contain any of the improvements in 2.3.
User avatar
zschopf1
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 29
Joined: 04 Oct 2009, 19:56

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by zschopf1 »

Zarel wrote:It's a minor improvement that requires a lot of effort, so no.
A lot of effort? :-S Takes me 10 seconds to setup a profile from start to finish. With a minimal of 18 mouse clicks
User avatar
Zarel
Elite
Elite
Posts: 5770
Joined: 03 Jan 2008, 23:35
Location: Minnesota, USA
Contact:

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by Zarel »

zschopf1 wrote:A lot of effort? :-S Takes me 10 seconds to setup a profile from start to finish. With a minimal of 18 mouse clicks
You open a guide, read what you need to do next, flip to the settings dialog, search until you find the button you want, click on it, and repeat all four steps 18 times in ten seconds? I don't believe you.

Not to mention all the people who might click on the wrong thing, and then we'll get a whole bunch of bug reports about that. :/ Too much hassle, your eyes need to be like four inches from the screen to notice it, anyway.
javierkaiser
Trained
Trained
Posts: 39
Joined: 23 Aug 2009, 08:05

Re: Enhance your Warzone 2100 Experience!

Post by javierkaiser »

Thanks for the post, I haven't thought on that :p
Post Reply