EAX issues being looked into?

[TheOrder20]

I have had problems for quite some time now with EAX and crackling/distortion in certain places, Darklight Woods near spires and underwater in certain zones.  Is this being looked into at all?  I've seen many others with the same issues.  Sound Blaster Audigy 2, XFI,  doesn't matter, still has  problems using EAX.   I've reinstalled drivers, the game itself, formatted my computer, swapped out my Audigy 2 for an XFI and still same problem.  It really stinks having the best sound card out there and we cant even use the hardware, running along listening to the games beautiful sound when we dive under water and it sounds like Thor pounding away or crackling and popping every time I take a step.  To me sound matters just as much as video, it gives the game its feeling. Never had any issues with any other games. I really hope this is going to be fixed sometime.  If anyone else has similar sound problems/issues, post what sound card you have.  I can almost guarantee most will be creative and only have issues with EQ2.  And we all know switching to Miles or Dolby fixes it, but it sounds terrible <img src="/smilies/e78feac27fa924c4d0ad6cf5819f3554.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> As for me, I have; Creative Audigy 2 ZS Creative XFI Progamer Both have same issues in same places, even with different drivers.

[EpokSilvermo]

I too experience the weird effects under water (not the intended ones <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />). It occurs since around the release of Unrest. Never had any sound issues before. Crackling and distortion outside of water happens only if I set the volume in the windows mixer above 50%. Audigy 4, XP SP2, nForce4

[TSR-JasonC]

Yes, the EAX issues are still being looked into, but I don't have any sort of update available yet on if/when it will be resolved.  I do know that there's at least one developer specifically tasked to figuring this problem out.

[TheOrder20]

Thank you for letting us know something.  Also if it helps at all, the crackling sound near the spires in Darklight Woods seems to be in conjunction with the foot step sound, meaning it does it right when the sound is played.

[Tyndaleon]

The only place I encountered an issue in Darklight is near one of the discovery POI's which I bugged a few weeks ago.  I can't remember the name of it right now but it's just across the one bridge on your left off the pathway to the Darklight/Commonlands zone entrance, it's some kind of shrine type thing with a neat graphical effect involved, but anyway, everytime I got near it I'd start getting this rhythmic crackling pulse sort of noise, once I moved away from it enough the noise would stop.

[TheOrder20]

Yea, I think everyone has issues on EAX sound settings around those spires/shrine thing in Darklight Woods.  Even while standing there not moving, the sound still crackles, however, say if you were to log off right there, the sound stops crackling while EQ2 is shutting down and sounds normal.

[Hastur8]

<cite>TSR-JasonC wrote:</cite><blockquote>Yes, the EAX issues are still being looked into, but I don't have any sort of update available yet on if/when it will be resolved.  I do know that there's at least one developer specifically tasked to figuring this problem out.</blockquote><p>This problem still exists. Poke the developer in the eye.</p><p>Then find the developer who works on the disappearing shadows and kick him in the groin.</p>

[Viron_X]

<cite>Hastur8 wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>TSR-JasonC wrote:</cite><blockquote>Yes, the EAX issues are still being looked into, but I don't have any sort of update available yet on if/when it will be resolved.  I do know that there's at least one developer specifically tasked to figuring this problem out.</blockquote><p>This problem still exists. Poke the developer in the eye.</p><p>Then find the developer who works on the disappearing shadows and kick him in the groin.</p></blockquote>Holy crap, people actually can run EQ2 with shadows?

[Bournville]

<cite>TSR-JasonC wrote:</cite><blockquote>Yes, the EAX issues are still being looked into, but I don't have any sort of update available yet on if/when it will be resolved.  I do know that there's at least one developer specifically tasked to figuring this problem out. </blockquote>Thanks for the update.<div></div><div>I presume the under water issues being experienced are primarily the "thumping" or "banging" that can be heard when swimming.</div><div></div><div>Thanks.</div>

[willnotuse]

<cite>Bournville@Lucan DLere wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>TSR-JasonC wrote:</cite><blockquote>Yes, the EAX issues are still being looked into, but I don't have any sort of update available yet on if/when it will be resolved.  I do know that there's at least one developer specifically tasked to figuring this problem out. </blockquote>Thanks for the update.<div></div><div>I presume the under water issues being experienced are primarily the "thumping" or "banging" that can be heard when swimming.</div><div></div><div>Thanks.</div></blockquote>I don't seem to get these sound issues on my X-Fi.  I have the latest driver from the Creative Labs website.

[ChildofHate]

<p>i have the Fatal1ty card with the 64mb of ram on the sound card and had this problem as well.  Seeing no real solutions about it on the SOE forums, i contacted creative.  they had 2 things to say for what could be the problem:  1st was that the EAX enviornmentals that EQ2 uses has been programmed incorrectly.  thought this to be a rather forward accusation on CL's part to simply blame SOE outright (or any company for that matter without providing definiteive proof for the accusation), but whatever.  The other was that she recommended that i move the sound card to a different slot due to possible IRQ conflicts.</p><p>I did swap the card around and haven't noticed any problems since then.  however, i will admit i have not returned to DLW and the sires there simply because i was tired of hearing the awful feedback it made.  I find it ironic though, the spires in eq1 made the same exact noise yet never had issues (used a SB Live! Xgamer card back then) and the spires in eq2 get all hosed up.  will check it tonight and see if there is any distortion problems like before.  I will note though, haven't had any noticeable issues since i swapped pci slots.</p><p>Willnotuse, you claim to have no problems at all.  But are you using any of the EAX settings or are you strictly running on one of the software rendering sound drivers (dolby or the other one... Miles-something...  not EAX 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0).  I am running EAX 4.0 with no problems (that i have found so far) since i swapped irq slots.  But if you are set to one of the software sound devices, you wont notice any problems to begin with and having the X-Fi card is doing you no good since you are not actually utilizing the benefits of hardware driven sound effects.  If you are working with one of the EAX settings, presume 4.0 since you have the X-Fi card, and no problems either then rock on!</p>

[willnotuse]

<cite>ChildofHate wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>i have the Fatal1ty card with the 64mb of ram on the sound card and had this problem as well.  Seeing no real solutions about it on the SOE forums, i contacted creative.  they had 2 things to say for what could be the problem:  1st was that the EAX enviornmentals that EQ2 uses has been programmed incorrectly.  thought this to be a rather forward accusation on CL's part to simply blame SOE outright (or any company for that matter without providing definiteive proof for the accusation), but whatever.  The other was that she recommended that i move the sound card to a different slot due to possible IRQ conflicts.</p><p>I did swap the card around and haven't noticed any problems since then.  however, i will admit i have not returned to DLW and the sires there simply because i was tired of hearing the awful feedback it made.  I find it ironic though, the spires in eq1 made the same exact noise yet never had issues (used a SB Live! Xgamer card back then) and the spires in eq2 get all hosed up.  will check it tonight and see if there is any distortion problems like before.  I will note though, haven't had any noticeable issues since i swapped pci slots.</p><p>Willnotuse, you claim to have no problems at all.  But are you using any of the EAX settings or are you strictly running on one of the software rendering sound drivers (dolby or the other one... Miles-something...  not EAX 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0).  I am running EAX 4.0 with no problems (that i have found so far) since i swapped irq slots.  But if you are set to one of the software sound devices, you wont notice any problems to begin with and having the X-Fi card is doing you no good since you are not actually utilizing the benefits of hardware driven sound effects.  If you are working with one of the EAX settings, presume 4.0 since you have the X-Fi card, and no problems either then rock on!</p></blockquote>Depending on computer I either use EAX4 or Miles.  I got three computers.  Just a matter of which computer I bother with.

[ChildofHate]

using software sound rendering will never have problems.  you just wont hear all the wonderfulness of the game.  It's not using the hardware technology of the SB card.  So that's a hard thing to judge.  I'd suggest taking all of you machines to the spires in DLW, turn on your EAX 4 on all the machines and see what happens.  dont use software rendering if you dont have to.  why buy the hardware otherwise since it isn't being used?

[Tyndaleon]

Since these issues haven't been touched on in months (and still exist), I thought I'd point out something I just discovered....no clue if it'll change or help anything, but I just happened to discover tonight that there's a new beta driver for the X-Fi line at least that was released the 9th of this month on Creative's website for XP users (as this issue pre-dates Vista that's what this is centered on anyway)....I'm downloading it right now, but for anyone else that wants to give it a go, you can find it <a href="http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/download2.asp?MainCategory=209&Product=15853&dlcentric=10469&Product_Name=Sound+Blaster+X%2DFi+XtremeGamer&filetype=11&OSName=Windows+XP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here.</a>

[Tyndaleon]

Followup on these.....I started out in EAX4 after installing the beta drivers, and still had the popping/distortion underwater issue going on.  When I switched to EAX3 though.....everything returned to normal.  This was later last night and I got into a Karnor's run with guildies that lasted awhile so I haven't had the chance to see how it will be actually booting into EAX3 as a choice and see if the problem returns and was only a factor of switching or not, but I'll try and remember to check tonight and report the results.

[Tyndaleon]

Ingame now....and can confirm that logging in with EAX3 chosen and going underwater, 98% of the 'thumping/distortion' problem at least is now gone.  I do hear the occasional momentary thump like before, but it's only very occasionally, and the main thing is that your character's sounds while in combat underwater come off as they should rather than them being muffled by the constant thumping/distortion which is normally 10 times worse while in combat underwater.  I can hear them clearly with no thumping/muffled distortion.So definitely, anyone having this issue who is using an X-Fi sound card, give the above linked beta drivers a try!Edit:  Oh, and I'll try and remember to test the distortion problems near that spire/shrine structure in Darklight Woods sometime this weekend.