Curse

Verteiron · Jan 02, 2007, 05:53 AM // 05:53

Okay, this has been immensely frustrating. I've been happily playing GW since its initial release, etc etc. I was delighted when Anet added the 3d audio effects; I've got a quadraphonic speaker setup and an Audigy 2, so the 3d surround effect was extremely noticeable and very, very nice. I was a bit disappointed that EAX effects weren't implemented, but I figured I can't have everything.

Yesterday, while playing in Morrok's Crevice, I heard something new. I heard echoes! Every sound, every splash, every Mandragor's dying scream reverberated through the caverns. It even changed the reverb effect based on the size of the cavern I was in. At last, I thought, they implemented EAX!

Unfortunately, the EAX-based reverb never worked before then, and it has not worked since. I miss it. Now that I actually know the game supports this, does anyone have any ideas why it isn't working all the time?

I'm not sure what was different about my session yesterday that made it work. I know I spent some time with the game windowed, but that alone doesn't seem to be enough to bring back that lovely reverb. EAX and 3d sound is turned on in-game, and EAX is not disabled in any of my Audigy 2 control panels. EAX works fine in all other applications.

gabrial heart · Jan 02, 2007, 03:10 PM // 15:10

Oddly enough it's not gw thats giving you the reverb but the audigy driver settings. Although gw has a 3d audio setup, the reverb is done through the audio drivers. You can play with those settings through the sound driver (sound blaster) settings under eax enviroment affects. It's turned on and off randomly for me quite a few times.

Verteiron · Jan 02, 2007, 06:01 PM // 18:01

Are you sure? Because it's -never- happened to me before. I do use the EAX settings from time to time (mostly playing the the voice-altering stuff and a microphone), but it's never come on while playing GW before.

Additionally, the EAX echoes were changing based on the size of the "room" I was in; I was getting full, long echoes in the long corridors, and short, almost metallic-sounding reverb in tiny caverns. It was definitely responding to the game environment.

Mushroom · Jan 02, 2007, 07:41 PM // 19:41

Here is another question: What kind of sound card do you have?

There have been reports of issues with several different variations of EAX. And a lot of non-Creative companies have recently entered the EAX market, with varying levels of quality.

Verteiron · Jan 02, 2007, 07:51 PM // 19:51

I have a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2. I'm running Windows XP SP2 along with the latest drivers from Creative's site.

It'd be helpful to know whether anyone else hears environmental echoes in Guild Wars, because now I'm starting to wonder if I just hallucinated the whole thing :P