Making Bioshock Work with SM2.0 Cards! (Work in progress)

[ScottJG]

When I heard you needed a SM3 card to run Bioshock, I was mad. Here I had a video card that could run HL2, Stalker, and even upcoming Crysis, but not a game I had been looking forward to and had been getting good ratings everywhere.

So I started tinkering in the shader files of the Bioshock demo...

After an hour, I got it working on my card: and Ill tell you how

First, download this (which I made, and uploaded! )

http://rapidshare.com/files/50276163...ottJG.rar.html

(If you install the above and it doesnt work, then try downloading and installing this, which offers more of my configuration files: http://rapidshare.com/files/50284028...ottJG.rar.html )

Then, copy and paste all files to the C:\Program Files\2K Games\BioShock\Builds\Release directory

Boot up Bioshock, and you should now see your cursor (you couldn't before)


Note:

1)It will take a LONG time to load things now at check points. Wait at least 5 minutes when you get a loading screen up
2)Some textures will look really crappy (or be an entirely different color than they should be)


BEFORE


http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/2161/lameha0.jpg

AFTER (Notice the textures)

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/3193/after1vt3.jpg

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/4126/after2mb7.jpg


This is a work in progress, so Im going to keep you guys updated

That being said, there is no reason they cant make this work on 2.0 cards: I made it work within 20 minutes!

[Fuzzy OneThree]

Nice job, but you still aren't there yet.

I hope you can find a better solution.

[iclone7]

good lookin! keep up the good work. some friends gonna be happy

[Freddo]

Very impressive! Well done!

[dexd]

Well done, that'll make some peeps very happy

The plane crash scene looks just as good as it should

[aznpxdd]

What's up with Irrational not supporting SM2 cards? Mark Rein of Epic said UT3 will support SM2 cards, so its not en engine problem.

[nightsilencer]

Thanks for this, please keep up the great work, I downloaded the demo, and I was quite dissapointed that my 9800XT couldn't run this game. Ok, I know it's an old card, but in terms of graphical power, it still surprises me sometimes.
This gives some hope that I will be able to play the demo and buy this game.
As many shader model 2 players will, probaly. Isn't that what matters? Making more costumers happy? Please, keep up the work, it might be too much to ask, but if you manage to come up with a playable patch for SM2 cards, I will personally hold you as my new god.

Cheers.

[GRYPHON_THEDOG]

but how will they sell new video cards? the poor presidents of nvidia and ati will go hungry if you FIX this card selling feature...

[ouch]

Thank you for showing them their stupid mistake. It's absolutuely insane that they don't support sm2. The engine works in dx9 so there is no reason for it to not work with sm2.

It just pisses me off that they could be so careless with thier customers. It's like they don't even care.

it makes you wonder if microsoft put them up to it...

[nightsilencer]

Man, the same thing happened to TES: Oblivion. A lot of people complaining that their Geforce 3/4 couldn't run the game, cause it required a SM2 card to run. And some guy came with an unofficial patch called Oldblivion, that made the game run on cards as old as Geforce 3! And Olbivion is like what, 1 and a half years old at most? sometimes the presidents of ATI and nvidia get really hungry, and I think that by making this game SM3 only, they showed that. What more reason could people need to buy new cards? This patch, if coming to a final playable version, only shows that the gamer community is in charge, not those money sucking CEOs from ATI and Nvidia.

[Ninjit_Turak]

what SM2 card would run bioshock at a respectable speed? The last nvidia cards that didnt have SM3 were the FX line.
Unless you're a radeon fanboy...

[FlawedPanopticion]

Wow, I'm not sure what you did, but I'll give it a try when my full copy comes in the mail. It kinda blows that the only thing holding me back from playing this game is the "Vertex Shader\Pixel Shader" issue on my Radeon x800 Pro (Apparently its got v2 when BioShock demands v3, whatever that means), when it pretty much meets all the OTHER requirements.

Beats slapping down cash I don't have at the moment for ONE game. (No offense, devs.)

[WarAnakin]

Hey Scott ! That's a nice thing you found there. Reverse engineering is like a hobby for me.
Take a look here :

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...CarCustom1.jpg

I was playing with the ATI Car demo and i built my own scene and i managed to compile 4 types of different shaders on the screen in the same time.

Also :

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...withwarcat.jpg

Managed to change the way the light reflects in certain games that run on Doom 3 engine. OpenGL extensions.

As you can see, in this picture, Doom 3 was already running the way i wanted.
In black and white, everything, using pixel shader instructions.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...blackwhite.jpg

So, if you would like any help on this, you have my support. I know what's it like to run a new game on an old video card. I know what's it like to be forgotten and feel forced to get new hardware. I've been there !
So, just let me know if you need help.

[nightsilencer]

Ninjit_Turak, i'm not a fan boy of any of these companies, but truth be told, the FX line of cards was (in)famous for running Shader Model 2 games like crap. Really Crap. Back in the day I owned (I now have an aging 9800XT) a FX 5900 (high end card), and I ran HL2 with SM2 on, and I got like 40 FPS at most, and even if u don't believe it, a friend of mine, with nothing more than a regular 9600 (mid range card) and got more than 50 FPS.

The Radeon 9xxx line of cards are, in my opinion the absolute minimum in running a SM2 game today. I'm not bashing nvidia or anything, but I think it's general knowledge that FX cards were crap. And I spent 400 bucks on one 3 years ago

[FlawedPanopticion]

So, just let me know if you need help.

Dude. You rock. Glad people with the know-how to figure this out and help others are into actually WORKIN' on this.

[bioshocker10]

thanks a lot for the effort and fix!

[Lamont]

Nice job dude. Some dude got Doom 3 to run on an old voodoo 2 card. Although it looked more like Doom2. But he got it working!

[Freddo]

what SM2 card would run bioshock at a respectable speed? The last nvidia cards that didnt have SM3 were the FX line.
Unless you're a radeon fanboy...

The X800 and X850 and even the older Radeon 9700 and 9800 have a good fillrate so they can handle the amount of polygons that Bioshock uses with an ease. It's just that they don't have SM3.

So yeah, this is mainly an ATI issue, since NVIDIA had SM3 support a year earlier and that the Geforce FX was in many regards, pure crap, and fortunately NVIDIA fixed those faults with the 6xxx line. But it's by no means a blind fanboy issue. Even today the X850 are quite powerful in all other aspects than the lack of SM3.

Not that I need this since I got a SM3 card, but it's still very cool it is getting done for those who need and want it.

[aznpxdd]

what SM2 card would run bioshock at a respectable speed? The last nvidia cards that didnt have SM3 were the FX line.
Unless you're a radeon fanboy...

X850XT PE.

[Korr]

Nice job man! One problem.. I can't find the 2k Games folder! Btw I downloaded the demo with Steam.

[nightsilencer]

maybe i'm wrong, but since the Radeon 9xxx had a good performance on shader model 2, almost 3 times faster than FX cards, I'd risk to say that the bare minimum to handle Bioshock would be something like a 9600 pro? Remember, i said bare minimum, not running it perfectly. But I think that with a 9600 card, with a few tweaks here and there, you might be able to play Bioshock in not very low details.

[drunkcow]

Digg it: http://digg.com/pc_games/Making_BioS...rk_in_progress

Keep up the good work. I have an x800 and am PISSED! I hope this thing really takes off.

[quakemazer]

We need this thread stickied. While we're at it someone post it to bluesnews, shacknews, and slashdot. I would, but I'm going to bed right now before I pass out.

By the way demo works great here so far, can't wait for an update, Scott. Thanks again

-E6400 @2.13
-x850xt pe
-3 GB ddr2 @667mhz
-xp pro 32bit
-latest ati and hotfix

[WarAnakin]

We really have to keep this thread on the 1st page. It bugs me when i have to search for a thread through lots of pages. lol

If a moderator could pin this, it would mean a lot to the community, i'm sure.
It would show that the developers support us, the community, regarding different aspects of the game. For once, you don't care just about money.
Example : Blizzard Ent. ; With 40$ you could buy a game each month.
Please don't let 2K reach that side...
Thank you !

[drunkcow]

If this project pulls through, I will be able to buy the game. 2k gets my money and I get to enjoy a fantastic game.

[ScottJG]

Ill try to see what I can do this week guys, its good to see people are making this work on their systems as well

To those who want to help, download my files and open up these files (I used notepad/wordpad, whatever looked better at the time)


shadercache.pcs
shadercache.pcs10
shadercache2.pc10
shaders.spk

And see if you can retinker SM3 code to SM2 code.

That being said, how I got it kinda working in 20 minutes is my secret, mostly because youll laugh at how simple it was

[WarAnakin]

Well, i know it took you a long time...
But, if you were there, you should have changed the Vertex Shader version too.
PS2.0 cards, can't export VS3.0 instructions. So changing from VS3.0 to 2.0 will result in a different performance level.

[ScottJG]

Blah, I had thought I changed the VS3 to VS2 before

[WarAnakin]

How many of you people have SM 2.0 cards ?
There are 2 different versions of 2.0 cards.
The ones that support pixel shader 2.0 such as radeon 9xx0 series and nvidia fx series
And the 2.0+ cards. Such as radeon x800, x700, etc. series and the geforce fx series
If you don't know the difference between 2.0 and 2.0+, i'll explain it to you.

[drunkcow]

How many of you people have SM 2.0 cards ?
There are 2 different versions of 2.0 cards.
The ones that support pixel shader 2.0 such as radeon 9xx0 series and nvidia fx series
And the 2.0+ cards. Such as radeon x800, x700, etc. series and the geforce fx series
If you don't know the difference between 2.0 and 2.0+, i'll explain it to you.

All I know is that I have an x800pro with shader 2.0b. I figure more is better. Though I'd appreciate it if you explained the difference. Also, do you have to code for both or does it scale automatically without changing things?

[quakemazer]

Well, i know it took you a long time...
But, if you were there, you should have changed the Vertex Shader version too.
PS2.0 cards, can't export VS3.0 instructions. So changing from VS3.0 to 2.0 will result in a different performance level.

Interesting, which file and value are you referencing here?

Also, I'm running an x850, so shader model 2.0+.

[Intile]

I have a nvidia fx 5200, might work with this.. right?

[hexbomb]

Considering BioShock is not the most innovative game with Unreal Technology 3.0, I don't see why the Shader Model 3.0 requirement is a must-have. Why spend so much money on a modern high-end graphics card when you don't need to? I would say get a ATI x800 or 9700-9800. Also a point I want to make is why get Vista for DX10 if there are barely any differences apart from DX9? Where has the gaming industry gone? Consoles? What...are consoles any more innovative than having a Wii with dastardly simple, unidirectional, primitive control sticks?

[ScottJG]

I have a nvidia fx 5200, might work with this.. right?

It might work, but how well I dont know

[Intile]

It might work, but how well I dont know

=( working on getting a nvidia 6800+ gfx card, the rest of my computer is just fine.

[WarAnakin]

Pixel Shader 2.0 vs 2.0+ (or 2.0b)
Pixel shader 2.0+ supports a larger number of instructions. It means we could use more complex shaders with higher quality than the normal 2.0 ones.
In order to switch from 2.0 to 2.0+ or 3.0, you have to purchase new hardware. You simply can't run a 2.0+ application on a 2.0 based video card because it simply lacks the processing power and the information required.
The higher the pixel shader version, the higher the instruction slots. Higher the slots, higher the quality.

[WarAnakin]

A game that is based on UT3 engine, available for download, working on SM2.0 cards, is roboblitz.

[aznpxdd]

UT3 will be SM2 compatible.

I have no idea why Irrational couldn't make BioShock SM2 compatible too.

[Intile]

Wonder.. if fx5200 has 2.0b or whatever.

[Smog2000]

This forum is full of angry people with decent SM2.0 cards that can't play this freakin' game. I'm running an ATI X850... while not a GeForce 8800 it is still a decent card.

This patch worked, alot of the textures are still missing like the screenshot. This really sucks. I'm not buying a new video card just for this and i'm never buying another 2k game. Admittedly, I thought the X850 was DirectX 9.0c compatible, but looking now the ati website specs only mention 9.0.

I ought to tie a brick to this copy I bought for $50 and throw it through 2k's window.