Problems with Jedi Knight: DF2 on a Geforce GTS

[BlueWeasel]

I know the game is pretty old, but it is a personal favorite of mine.

Here is my setup:

Celeron 633@950
Abit BE6-II MB
256mb PC100 RAM
Leadtek GF2 GRS (O/C'ed to 220,365)
Win98SE
Leadtek 6.48 drivers

The game keeps crashing back to the desktop. I have tried different versions of the Nvidia drivers with no luck. The game runs great and looks good considering how old it is. I have tried different DX settings in the control panetl. The game is updated to the latest version (1.01) and "Mysteries of the Sith" (the companion missions) exhibit the same problem of crashing back to the desktop.

All my other OpenGL and DirectX games run fine with no problems. I don't think it is because of O/C'ed processor since it is running on a 100 FSB and none of the hardware is out of spec. I am sure that is has to be the Geforce, since the game runs fine on my Cel. 566@850 and V3 (O/C'ed to 180) computer in the other room.

Has anyone had any luck running DF2 on a Geforce or is just too ancient? . . .

 

[Ashen Shugar]

Yup, Jedi Knight is definately a great game and a favorite of mine too. I just installed it recently to play it again as well, and so far it seems to run great on my system. I have a Celeron 466 Mhz running at 525 Mhz on a 75 Mhz Bus, and an ELSA GeForce2 GTS running at default (220,333) speeds. I have the game running with the latest patch (1.01), and at a resolution of 1024x768 with 2x2 (High Quality) FSAA, which looks great btw, and A3D sound. I also have detonator version 6.34 and DirectX8 installed. Maybe you need to install the right detonator drivers and run the GF2 at default speeds, to get the game to run without crashing. Hope this helps you a bit.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I think I might have found the problem. I read on the GF FAQ that lowering the Hardware Acceleration one slider to the left can help with stability problems in certain games. I tried this and the game seems to run stable now, but we will see.

Asten_Shugar: I have not even thought to try FSAA in the game. I bet it does look good at 1024x768, but isn't that a huge performance hit? I will try it when I get home tonight (working on homework right now)

BTW, I saw several years ago that PCGamer put out a list of the TOP 25 games of all time, and DF2 was #1 on the list. It is that reason that I went out and bought the game. I think it is safe to say that I have not been disappointed.

 

[Ashen Shugar]

Yea I have that PC Gamer issue you're talking about. Jedi Knight is definately one of the best action/adventure/fps single-player games out there, even though its so old. I even liked the original Dark Forces quite a bit. Another game I like a lot is System Shock 2. You should try it sometime, if you haven't already. It has great gameplay, and story, and in a many ways, I think it might even be better than Jedi Knight.

Anyway, I haven't seen any slow performance at all in the first 2 missions I've been through so far. I think it works well mostly because its such an old game (it came out in 97 I think) and the fact that it only natively supports 16-bit color at all resolutions. I might even try 1280x1024 with 2x2 (HQ) FSAA next to see how that works. Playing the game after all these years with no jaggies is pretty cool. I wonder if the drivers can also allow me to force 32-bit color.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I got home and set the FSAA to 2x2 and it looks and plays great. I just got done playing a DF2 deathmatch against my roommate and I had no problems whatsoever.

I never have played the original DF, but I am sure it is good. I have heard good things about it, but I just never got around to trying it. DF2 did come out in 1997. My second favorite game is the original Quake, but only because of the deathmatch elements. Comparing the single player Quake to DF2, it is not even close. Single player in Q1/Q2 and even the maps are exetremely linear - I mean once you have seen it once, you have seen it all. DF2 is in no way like that.

Do you have the compansion mission CD to DF2: Mysteries of the Sith? I have yet to finish it, but I do enjoy the missions and maps a little more than the ones in Jedi Knight.

Is SS2 really that good? It is several years (~1998) I believe. Because of that, does it run pretty good on your system?

 

[Ashen Shugar]

Yea I do have the Mysteries of the Sith addon, and I finished it a couple of years ago. It was a good expansion pack, and some of the maps were great. Besides, you get to play Mara Jade, and I've been a fan of that character ever since I read the Star Wars novels by Timothy Zahn. I think the maps were the best thing about both Dark Forces and Jedi Knight.

As for System Shock 2, I think its an incredibly good single player game, combining elements of adventure, action and a RPG almost flawlessly. It has one of the best plots that I've seen in a computer game so far and is definately the creepiest game I've played. It is based on the 3D graphics and sound engine that is used in Thief2; which pretty much means that the sound is top notch whereas the graphics, though not great, get the job done along with great level design. It'll run well on your computer at 1024x768x16, again with FSAA.

Edit: Added some reviews for you...

The October 1999 issue of the PC Gamer called it the Game of the Month and gave it a 95% rating. The last issue of PCGamer that I have (November 1999)which list the Top 50 of all time has System Shock 1 and 2 tied at #5. Jedi Knight came in at #7(a fall from #1 the year before), whereas the #1 went to Half-Life. Here's are some good online reviews of the game:

GameSpot
FiringSquad
Sharky'sExtreme

As you can see I am a pretty big System Shock fan... Anyway, I definately recommend trying it, especially if you like single player games like Jedi Knight. I think you can find it for around 20 bucks from most places, sometimes even lower.

 

[DefRef]

Jedi Knight is the game that ruined my life!!! At the time I got it my game collection consisted of Duke Nukem 3D and Tomb Raider 2, then I came across a used copy of Jedi Knight at a RECORD STORE for cheap, so I picked it up. Between the music and sound effects, I was hooked and I descended into a endless spiral of games and computer upgrades.

Not that I'm complaining...

But, I tried to go back and actually finish the game and though it ran fine on an ATI Rage II:Q back in the day, I couldn't get it to work for sh*t on the current pimped rig! The mouse sensitivity wouldn't move beyond a crawl and the graphics were godawful! In fact, the windows in the bar at the very beginning were OPAQUE. WTF?!?

I never got a good explanation as to what was going on, so I sadly uninstalled it and moved on.

 

[Dark4ng3l]

Jedi knight was the first 3d game I ever played(well i played doom2 a bit at my friends) it's the only 3d game that i played on my p166 MMX.

 

[BlueWeasel]

DefRef:

What kind of video card do you have on your current setup? Because it is an older game, the chances of problems are probably higher, but there should be way to get it to run.

 

[DefRef]

If you'd clicked on the sig, you would've seen it's an ASUS V7700 GF2. I can't rmember what drivers they were (prolly 5.xx) but I couldn't believe that it was so fuX0r3d.

 

[WyteRyce]

My all-time favorite game! too bad not many played it online.

I've had some problems with JK as well. I can't have FSAA enabled when I try to play it on my GTS.

 

[EvilDonnyboy]

That game was great. They need to get a sequel to that. Rumored one is in the works, keeping fingers crossed. Improved control, graphics and online netcode would be great.