I know some computers will be a lot better with the directx backend - but don't you think the actual expected breakdown matters? I mean, how many older computers that break that way our there? how many older computers are better with windib? Do we have a sense of those numbers?
I'd be happy to test on a bunch of computers I have access to to see - what is a game that reports fps that I can download that uses HWSURFACE's well? What is a game that reports fps and doesn't use HWSURFACE that I can check with? On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 4:01 PM, René Dudfield <[email protected]> wrote: > hi, > > On many older computers directx is quite a lot faster -- even without > HWSURFACE. Even on newer computers directx can be faster with XP. > > For this reason, and the other reasons mentioned in the previous > threads about this I think we should stay with directx as the default > on older computers. > > cheers, > > > On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 10:57 AM, Brian Fisher <[email protected]> > wrote: > > I agree with going with windib as default. I may be wrong, but I think > > directx backend is inferior if you are not using HWSURFACE. > > > > I suppose the best mix would be to use directx if and only if using > > HWSURFACE, but it's too late by the time the display mode is set to make > > that call on the backend. > > > > On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 3:34 PM, Lenard Lindstrom <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > >> I just had personal confirmation that SDL, maybe with the help of > Pygame, > >> does have DirectX issues. After repeated runs of surfarray_test.py and > >> related programs my antiquated system(*) reached the point that a simple > >> pygame.init() call would segfault. I confirmed it was DirectX by > changing > >> the video driver to windib. That worked. And to further confirm it was a > >> corrupted DirectX and not Python I tried the dxdiag.exe video tests. > They > >> failed. Only a system reboot cleared the problem. At that point I also > >> confirmed that non of the other programs I was using depended on > DirectX. > >> Only Python/Pygame caused ddraw.dll and dsound.dll to be loaded and kept > >> alive by that suspicious ddhelp.exe character. Apparently DirectX has a > >> memory. > >> > >> So what to do. Maybe it is time to defer to the judgment of the SDL > >> developers and just let windib be the default Windows video driver. The > >> documentation can suggest that anyone experiencing performance problems > try > >> directx. > >> > >> Lenard > >> > >> > >> (*) Windows 98, DirectX 8.0 (And no, I don't want to see what DX 9 or > >> higher will do for me. It would probably break something). > >> > >> -- > >> Lenard Lindstrom > >> <[email protected]> > >> > > > > >
