Sound Blaster PCI 512

[Malchezdric]

Despite reading the FAQ, Docs and everything else under the sun I still can't get any sound FX in Black Gate. I do get music, but no sound FX or speech.

On another note, Exult also locks up whenever I quit the game and I have to end task it. Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks in advance

Mal

[fliptw]

we need a bit more info:

like OS for starters...

[nadir]

a) What OS are you running ?
b) What version of Exult are you running (Alpha5, snapshot) ?c) What is the content of your exult.cfg
d) What is inside your stdout.txt and stderr.txt files ?

Answer ALL of the above, and maybe we'll be able to help you. Until then, you're on your own...

[Dominus]

oh and about your stdout.txt and stderr.txt: We only need the first few lines (about 40 of the stdout.txt and some of the stderr.txt), and the last few lines.

Even more important: get the latest drivers for your soundcard, install them and try Exult again.

[drcode]

So... is a Sound Blaster 512 32X better than my SB 16?:-)

[fliptw]

nah, its only half as capable as my SB live

[Stephan]

I actually bought a Soundblaster 16 ISA card and installed it in my computer just for Ultima VII. Two soundcards are good for other things as well.

[fliptw]

I would do that, but no ISA slots.

[Lord Rat]

I too was having problems and started to assemble the above files for a report.

I found in reading the contents of the stderr file, that it was trying to load jmsfx for the sound file. I re-installed U7 from the Ultima Collection CD. There is no such file!. I did find that you have it on your site, though so I downloaded it.

I can now hear the SFX (thank you very much!!).

Also, its not clear, but the files need to be placed in the data directory of the Exult directory.

[Dominus]

Lord Rat: That is stated in the documentation (for quite some time now) but I grant you that it is not that clear that you won´t hear any sfx without these files. And it actually doesn´t matter where you put the sound files as long as you set the proper paths to them in the exult.cfg.

[Malchezdric]

Sorry about the lack of info...been working about 14 hours a day and I'm just wasted...

The only line I have in the stderr.txt file is:

End resampling. Resampled 527938 bytes to 1082686 bytes

My stdout.txt file looks like:

Exult V0.95cvs.
Data path = data
Audio system assembled. Audio buffer at 16384
2 Midi Devices Detected
Listing midi devices:
-1: MIDI Mapper
0: Montego II Quadzilla MIDI
1: Montego II Quadzilla MPU-401
Using device -1: MIDI Mapper
Internal Win32 Midiout Midi Player for Exult.
Created PCB 0
Created PCB 1
Created PCB 2
Created PCB 3
Created PCB 4
Created PCB 5
Audio initialisation OK
is_installed: d:\ultima7\u7/static/endgame.dat
is_installed: ./static/sispeech.spc
Audio subsystem request: Custom Music track
setting game directories to: d:\ultima7\u7
Starting a BLACK GATE game
Okay. It looks like an IFF file chunk
length looks like: 1807418
Audio subsystem request: Music track # 0
Audio subsystem request: Music track # 2
Sound data
Chunk length appears to be 528002
Original sample_rate is 10752, hw rate is 22050
Sample rate (10752) = _real_rate
compression type 0
Channels 122
Have 1082686 bytes of resampled data
Terminator
Turn chunks to block
::0 end_production
::0 end_consumption
::1 end_consumption
::2 end_consumption
::3 end_consumption
::4 end_consumption
::5 end_consumption
Audio subsystem request: Music track # 3
is_installed: d:\ultima7\u7/static/endgame.dat
is_installed: ./static/sispeech.spc
Audio subsystem request: Custom Music track

I'm currently running the snapshot, but have had the same issue with the official release. I'm running Windows 98 SE and have all the latest drivers.

Thanks for your help

Mal

[Malchezdric]

Eek...so me in all my briallance forgot that the PCI 512 was in the other PC. This PC has a Turtle Beach Montego II Quadzilla.

Also I tried running the install program for U7 (install.exe) and settin up the sound card, but this didn't have any effect.

I'm I just screwed because of my sound card?

Mal

[Dominus]

Sorry to say, but you are screwed becuase of your sound card. The Turtle Beach Montego II Quadzilla is a Vortex chip based card. Exult is triggering a bug in the drivers when run in Win9x. It´s okay in W2k (and presumably in XP but that is not confirmed). You might want to try finding a newer driver at www.vortexofsound.com but I doubt you will be succesfull. Kirben our trusty snapshot provider tried and was never able to make it work in Win9x.

Also, please note that the install.exe from the original has no influence on Exult.