Q2 Sound Problem

[[BTF]Defiant!]

I'm having a Q2 sound problem which is difficult to describe.  For example, I sometimes don't hear that I'm taking damage.  It sounds like my sound channels are limited by "too much" going on.  The experience is similar to watching a recammed demo where the sounds are for other areas of the map not for my player.  I'll run right into someone because I didn't hear their footsteps (and they weren't walking).  I'll not hear a rocket being fired, etc..

Seems similar to:
http://www.r1ch.net/forum/index.php?topic=1326.0

by my settings are

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s_ambient 1
s_initsound 1
s_khz 44
s_loadas8bit 0
s_mixahead 0.18
s_openal_device ""
s_primary 0
s_volume 0.5
s_wavonly 0
no instances of snd_restart in my configs

dxdiag.exe tests show no sound problems

[[BTF]Jehar]

What kind of sound hardware are you running? Is it onboard or pci?

I assume you're using r1q2, so I won't suggest s_initsound "2" to try using openal sound. I just checked my s_mixahead, and it was .2 instead of .18
Turns out that .2 is the default. I don't know how touchy it is, but it might be that that .02 difference is overloading your sound buffer or somesuch. I'll try it out myself soon.

Anywho, try setting mixahead back up to .2, and see if that helps.

[[BTF]Defiant!]

Realtek AC'97 Audio.

Has played fine for years.

[[BTF]Defiant!]

Changed set s_mixahead = 0.2 and now I have no sound at all.. which is strange.

Even standard quake2.exe has no sound, yet I can play music.

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------- sound initialization -------
Initializing DirectSound
   2 channel(s)
   16 bits/sample
   44100 bytes/sec
dsound init succeeded
sound sampling rate: 44100
------------------------------------
Perhaps directx support is failing somehow... nope, other directx games play just fine.

Hmmm

[The Happy Friar]

have you updated the ac97 drivers recently?  I'd occationatly have an update that would render programs that use the software sound buffer mute.  IE Quake, Q2.

for updated ac97 drivers: http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/dlac97-2.aspx?lineid=5&famid=12&series=8&Software=True

[[BTF]Defiant!]

have you updated the ac97 drivers recently?  I'd occationatly have an update that would render programs that use the software sound buffer mute.  IE Quake, Q2.

for updated ac97 drivers: http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/dlac97-2.aspx?lineid=5&famid=12&series=8&Software=True

Unless there was an unnoticed Windows Update, I hadn't changed the driver.  If I had installed a audio application, VOIP, or a driver then I would know what changed.  But, I can't think of anything I installed which would change things!

[The Happy Friar]

windows update never checks to see if realtek updated their drivers.  just like it never checks for the video drivers (dumb-ass thing to call it windows update when it doesn't really update windows, only MICROSOFT drivers).

but try updating the drivers & see if it helps.  you can always re-install the ones from your MB install disc.

[PANTONE 7717C]

Odd. The only times when I don't hear some of the sounds is when the speaker/headphones plug is not plugged in all the way...

But maybe you could try s_primary 1 / snd_restart ? (use the DirectSound primary buffer).  s_mixahead is pretty touchy as it controls the delay before mixing sound samples, lower values can cause some "less important" sounds to be discarded.
If you do a s_testsound 1/0 (you should hear a beep tone) after you've restarted the sound system and you don't hear anything at all then it's probably related to the onboard soundchip drivers. Just guessing here...

On second thought I would just delete the ac97 device, then do a reboot and let Windows sort it out.

[[BTF]Defiant!]

windows update never checks to see if realtek updated their drivers.  just like it never checks for the video drivers (dumb-ass thing to call it windows update when it doesn't really update windows, only MICROSOFT drivers).

but try updating the drivers & see if it helps.  you can always re-install the ones from your MB install disc.

Keeping drivers current is a good suggestion.  But my point was that not updating the drivers isn't going to cause it to stop working.

[The Happy Friar]

But my point was that not updating the drivers isn't going to cause it to stop working.

unless something that's required change an audio driver.  that's what happened to me.

[[BTF]Defiant!]

Solution turned out to be that

Code: [Select]

s_mixahead 0.18 was no longer functional????  When I changed it to

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s_mixahead 0.2 (the default) it worked.

Perhaps there is some physical degradation of the sound card, such as loss of capacitance.

In any case, thanks to everyone's help.  I appreciate it!

[[BTF]Defiant!]

Crapburgers, it doesn't work again.  No sound in r1q2 or quake.exe; but sound in every other game including directx games...

[console]

Crapburgers, it doesn't work again.  No sound in r1q2 or quake.exe; but sound in every other game including directx games...

What's s_primary set to (in r1q2)?  (Oh, nevermind, I see it's zero, above.... Could try "1", maybe, just in case it makes any difference?)

Also - I s'pose you could try OpenAL in r1q2, instead?


Regards,

[|iR|Focalor]

Are you noticing this at ALL TIMES? I've noticed I have choppy sound from time to time on the mutant server. It hasn't happened enough to be a real problem, but I've noticed occasionally that the sound goes a little choppy when I or someone else nearby is using either the hyperblaster or machine gun. It'll seem to play a few shots, then miss a couple, then play, then miss, etc, etc. Does it happen in single player mode, or have you only noticed it when playing multiplayer?

[ReCycled]

I've noticed that Quake 2 has been dropping sounds for the last year or so. I chalked it up to packet loss when the action is furious and bandwidth is congested. But I even get it on the Co-op server when I'm playing alone. The most common effect is not hearing the damage sounds of the opponent when you first shoot them. Its confusing because you're not sure if you "hit" or not. Sometimes the power up sound of the Mega-health will not register and I have to visually check my health to see if I got it. And there's others. The only consistent one is "dying". You always here that whether its you or the victim.