Cryostasis Nvidia PhysX Performance Patch released

[player1]

One thing I don't get from readme:

Using this patch if you have a high end nVidia Graphics Card and meet or surpass the RECOMMENDED System requirements

Ok, that's big "ATI users stay away" sign.

But then:

Critical Fixes:
o Do Halt by script stack corruption (game crashes in scripts)
o Inability to strafe (or other keyboard settings) with outer controller enabled (wheel, gamepad)
o Shaders 4.0 are working properly on ATi cards now.
o Wires can produce electric sparks, too.

Whaaat?!? So it actually has fixes specific to ATI cards too, as well as some general bug-fixes.

So it's not just Physix Pach?
Is it?

Should ATI users really stay away or not?

Will use of this patch with "advanced physics" turned off (only way "ment to be played" with ATI cards) even more degrade performance on ATI cards compared to unpatched game?

* New weapon available - water gun.
!!! Important! The jet of water from the water gun can be seen only on computers, equipped with nVidia cards with Physics Processing Unit.

If patch is to be used by ATI users (or with physics turned off), does it mean they are forced to have weapons with missing visual effects in the game? Is water gun enabled regardless of physics mode?


P.S.
If patch is not to be used by ATI cards, then when will those general fixes be available to ATI crowd?

[AndroidVageta]

The only thing the patch fixes for ATI cards is the SM4.0 issue.

Other than that, if you want better Physx performance your ONLY option is to get a new Nvidia graphics card or try to find an old Ageia PPU. ATI could do Physx, but ATI has chosen to not support this like Nvidia has, instead they are going with the Havok physics engine that was developed by Intel.

The Ageia PPU would be your best option as they are PCI and they should be found pretty cheap now a days...I got mine off of Craigslist for a measly $30...and I can confirm from first hand experience that the Ageia PPU is more than enough to handle to Physx inn Cryostasis...and does so quite well at that!

[JuggernautOfWar]

Originally Posted by AndroidVageta

...ATI has chosen to not support this like Nvidia has, instead they are going with the Havok physics engine that was developed by Intel.

One little problem with that, no biggie though. Havok was bought by Intel, not made by them. Originally they were their own company.

Anyway, just get a PPU, they can be found pretty cheap now. I'd recommend getting a high-end nVidia GPU myself, but if you already have a high-end ATi then you probably will not want to fork out the additional cash.

EDIT: Oh and ATi is also looking into using OpenCL as a physics solution which nVidia is as well.

PS. ATi could not use the existing version of PhysX as it uses CUDA, an nVidia exclusive architecture.

[AndroidVageta]

Originally Posted by JuggernautOfWar

One little problem with that, no biggie though. Havok was bought by Intel, not made by them. Originally they were their own company.

Anyway, just get a PPU, they can be found pretty cheap now. I'd recommend getting a high-end nVidia GPU myself, but if you already have a high-end ATi then you probably will not want to fork out the additional cash.

EDIT: Oh and ATi is also looking into using OpenCL as a physics solution which nVidia is as well.

PS. ATi could not use the existing version of PhysX as it uses CUDA, an nVidia exclusive architecture.

CUDA is not an architecture of the Nvidia card it's just their own API...ATI could run CUDA and Physx if ATI wanted to develop drivers for the cards.

[JuggernautOfWar]

CUDA = Compute Unified Device Architecture

[AndroidVageta]

Originally Posted by JuggernautOfWar

CUDA = Compute Unified Device Architecture

Only because the drivers make it so...CUDA if coded properly with the right drivers could in fact run on ATi cards...how else do you explain the one guy that was able to get Physx to run on the ATI HD3870 about a year ago.

Its not hardware limitations its software. It can't OFFICIALLY be done on ATi cards because ATi doesn't want it...unofficially however my means of custom created drivers and software its completely possible.

[player1]

Really, I don't care about PhysX, but game performance.

Apparently, even in 1.0, PhysX effects are always turned on for ATI cards (leading to poor performance due to use of software mode) regardless of Hardware Physics settings in Video menu. You can see this clearly on 6th level, when you enter the room with frozen body chained over the hole. In that place, when I put all graphic settings to minimum (800x600, low, all off), I get 12fps. Outside that room it is over 60fps. With all settings at max I get 10fps in that room (1280x1024, high, all on). It's clearly software use of PhysX that can give such slowdown.

Anyway, Mirror's Edge did this better. It properly disabled all PhysX effects (either by removing them, or replacing them with simple effects), when hardware physics option is turned off. Leading to playable game on ATI cards.

.

Anyway, what baffles me is that in patch readme there are clearly some bugfixes too, not just PhysX improvements. There is even that fix for 4.0 shaders and ATI cards (when colors get garbled when gamma is above 1.0).

But then, readme says you only should use it for high end Nvidia cards?

And what about others who just want bug-fixes?
Very confusing...

I understand that turning on advanced PhysX effects from 1.1 patch on ATI card would lead to unplayable game. But when disabled, can this be used just like any patch, to fix bugs, even on ATI cards. And what will happen with water gun? Will it be disabled, with advanced PhysX turned off, or will it still be present, but fire invisible water.

[logos]

Concerning FPS, my highs are not as high as pre-patch, but so far much smoother and constant (not as many of those horrific drops). That performance article linked to in the other thread helped me achieve better performance as well. I'm running a q6600 at 3.0 and gtx 280 sli and the most recent physx driver released a couple of days ago. Overall, I'm happier but i hope another patch really focuses on performance because two 280s should still be doing better than what it is.

Also, the 360 gamepad lost all support for me; it had partial support before the patch, and now? Xpadder works fine though.