Need help! Sound glitches.

Wookie · October 4, 2003, 23:26

I just installed Alpha Centauri for the first time in several months. No alien ex-fire, just plain old SMAC. I patched it up and started the game, only to get molested by the infamous "processor not supported" error. However, I promptly found the fix. Saw ShiNing's mod on this very website, saved it for later use. Only then was I ready to start with the building and the empires and the empire building all over again, Centauri style.

So finally, I click past the error message, and watch the big red Firaxis logo clamp onto to the Unity. Next, I'm expecting ol Dee's speech about God and whatnot, but instead what I get is an all-out facial attack staged by the forces of irritating static and random looping. Music, movies, the game itself... all of them have harsh, glitchy sound. None of the sound effects can play without popping and scratching, or looping at the end. Basically, the same glitchy sound that lots of other people get when combining Live Soundblasting with Alpha Centauring.

I've tried the ds3d and eax =off fix in the FAQ, I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling SMAC, I've tried doing the same with my sound card drivers, and I've also tried asking my cat for help but nothing's worked. At some point, the looping/echoing stopped, but came back when I tried eliminating the static. None of the "hardware acceleration" settings made any difference.

I guess I should mention that a month or so ago, I reinstalled my sound drivers in an attempt to get the game Shogun to work. Turns out all I had to do was reinstall the game. My reward for all that effing with my drivers is a second-long delay before any sound plays. I'll get shot in the face in Half-Life, and I don't hear it until I hit the ground. Okay, maybe it's not that bad. One month later and I'm getting sound glitches in Alpha Centauri that weren't there before. Coincidence? Can't say that's not related.

Of course, I could turn sound and music off, but damn if it's the same game without. If someone has any suggestions before I ring up Creative tech support and start pulling arms off, I would be mighty grateful.

So in summary, oh em gee, someone help me, how can this be.

mai computre:
Pentium 4, 2.4 ghz
Windows ME
Soundblaster Live! Platinum

256mb of RAM

Oh yeah, and sup guys.

HeymlicH · October 5, 2003, 08:02

-del-
(I'm not allowed to delete posts)

Chaos Theory · October 5, 2003, 14:33

I had a similar problem with Alpha Centauri on an older computer, but it only manifested itself in v4.0. If I used 2.0, the sound worked fine, but of course there were other problems. On the other hand, none of my other programs had the problems you described.

Wookie · October 5, 2003, 15:29

Quote:

Originally posted by Chaos Theory
If I used 2.0, the sound worked fine.

I'll be damned. The sound.dll from the Alien Crossfire patch seems to work, and by that I mean it hasn't crashed yet. The videos still sound pretty bad, but the game itself now has almost none of those problems. I sure hope there's a better way, though.

Lucy In The Sky · October 5, 2003, 17:01

http://dmzweb4.europe.creative.com/S...Sxi=4,Case=obj(3280),VARSET=centric:106,Kb=creative_cli_en

Wookie · October 7, 2003, 00:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Lucy In The Sky
http://dmzweb4.europe.creative.com/S...reative_cli_en

Thanks, but I already tried this to no effect.

Jamski · October 7, 2003, 03:42

Try and hunt down the old drivers if they were better? Its gotta be worth a try.

-Jam

Lucy In The Sky · October 10, 2003, 21:16

PLAN B: Try dropping the sound card HW acceleration back/down a notch or two - something I have to do on some of my older games when played on a 2gig P4, in order to keep the sound from going bonkers. SB Live Value! (Ugh.)