Many versions of TR1

[Valiento]

https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=214983

So apparently there were several 3D hardware accelerated versions of TR1 with different bells and whistles.

3DFX had transparent texture and reflective surfaces in places. This is still available through wrappers in GOG and steam releases. But very broken (no shadows and no reflective surfaces) try Glidos instead…

ATI brought in higher resolutions. This is available through a mod wrappers. Doesn’t appear to have transparencies or reflective surfaces… assuming api isn’t broken on modern video cards… but shadows work fine.

Then there was PowerVR that apparently added a blue fog effect to underwater sequences. However underwater lacks refracting effect. Shadows work though. Not sure how else it compared to 3DFX and it’s features in other areas? As far as I know no wrappers for this version yet?

Of course there we’re console ports as well that had features and limitations as well thsr changed how games were played and atmosphere. Save Crystals.

Now the remaster.

[Valiento]

Then there are open source fan engines. TR1X and OpenLara. I wonder how much of hardware accelerated features from other versions they brought over?

I know OpenLara has feature like realistic water that old engine never had.

[Marcelo Sampaio]

Back then it was not uncommon to have different releases of the same game to accomodate all the different hardware configurations.

Even back in the late Nineties it wasn't uncommon to have different versions of games for CGA, EGA and VGA graphics. Of course, having a nice configuration menu was MORE common, but stuff like laving EGA Loom and VGA Loom being different versions was still kinda common.

.

I actually played TR1 back in the day with the 3DFX patch and it was AWESOME! Not only because of the better graphics, but also because my PC sucked and without 3D accelleration the game ran like ♥♥♥♥. WHen I FINALLY bought my Voodoo 2 card, it felt like magic: the games that supported it looked better AND ran better.

[v00d00m4n]

Originally posted by Valiento:

Then there are open source fan engines. TR1X and OpenLara. I wonder how much of hardware accelerated features from other versions they brought over?

I know OpenLara has feature like realistic water that old engine never had.

Also there is a CroftEngine and TombEngine )) I think there is a RaiderEngine name still unused XD

[Valiento]

Apparently TR1X doesn’t have the 3DFX bells and whistles yet? That’s unfortunate…

on the FAQ

Can we get HD textures? Reflections? Other visual updates?

Eventually, probably yes, but we'd really appreciate help with these.

[v00d00m4n]

Originally posted by Marcelo Sampaio:

Back then it was not uncommon to have different releases of the same game to accomodate all the different hardware configurations.

Even back in the late Nineties it wasn't uncommon to have different versions of games for CGA, EGA and VGA graphics. Of course, having a nice configuration menu was MORE common, but stuff like laving EGA Loom and VGA Loom being different versions was still kinda common.

.

I actually played TR1 back in the day with the 3DFX patch and it was AWESOME! Not only because of the better graphics, but also because my PC sucked and without 3D accelleration the game ran like ♥♥♥♥. WHen I FINALLY bought my Voodoo 2 card, it felt like magic: the games that supported it looked better AND ran better.

Yeah days before DirectX and OpenGL unified API that works with different hardware was nightmare, every hardware vendor would push their own api that works only with their hardware, and developers has to do several renderers for all popular api, and also a universal slow and ugly software renderer that works everywhere and does not use 3d accelarators.

[Valiento]

I’m not exactly sure if claim for 3DFX bells and whistles other than bilinear filtering are true at this point. I tested glide wrapper version and there isn’t any transparent water effects or reflective golden statue effects…. It does appear to exist in OpenLara for gold statue though. Water is completely different in that version.

Now transparent water and gold statue did exist in PS1 version.

I did read in a information list for 3DFX version fiscussing how it apparently has real time shadow effect? Specific only to voodoo 1 but not in later voodoo cards.

It’s also possible that glide wrappers aren’t accurate emulation and doesn’t accurately recreate all the 3DFX specific features.

Although iirc it works on Unreal just fine transparencies, reflective surfaces etc.

[V I D A L]

Originally posted by Valiento:

https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=214983

So apparently there were several 3D hardware accelerated versions of TR1 with different bells and whistles.

You literally described EVERY game on late 90s early 2000s that supported 3D accelerated cards.

Back then, each manufacturer would have their own API, and there were many.. not just ATI and NVIDIA of today. So developers needed to specifically support each and every one of them to vastly different results as some API supported certain features of the game while others didn't.

3DFX was generally the one developers would prioritize.

Today it's all down to DirectX, Vulkan and sometimes OpenGL.

[Jurassic]

I was hoping to find a discussion on which of the original TR1's is used for Remastered. I have the steam TR1 and the textures are smooth, whereas when you switch to original mode on Remastered they're all pixelly, which I'd say is closer to the original experience.

However I'm actually wondering if Remastered is based on the console version? Reason being I believe there's a mummy that doesn't appear on the steam/dos versions but does appear in Remastered. Might be making that up though!

[Valiento]

Originally posted by derrick:

Originally posted by Jurassic:

I was hoping to find a discussion on which of the original TR1's is used for Remastered. I have the steam TR1 and the textures are smooth, whereas when you switch to original mode on Remastered they're all pixelly, which I'd say is closer to the original experience.

However I'm actually wondering if Remastered is based on the console version? Reason being I believe there's a mummy that doesn't appear on the steam/dos versions but does appear in Remastered. Might be making that up though!

Moreso PC version with some PSX features added. Way too many base PC version features shown over the PSX.

Unfortunately they didn’t add in the PSX transparent and reflective textures in classic.

[Valiento]

Originally posted by V I D A L:

Originally posted by Valiento:

https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=214983

So apparently there were several 3D hardware accelerated versions of TR1 with different bells and whistles.

You literally described EVERY game on late 90s early 2000s that supported 3D accelerated cards.

Back then, each manufacturer would have their own API, and there were many.. not just ATI and NVIDIA of today. So developers needed to specifically support each and every one of them to vastly different results as some API supported certain features of the game while others didn't.

3DFX was generally the one developers would prioritize.

Today it's all down to DirectX, Vulkan and sometimes OpenGL.

They didn’t necessarily support each and every API Usually they had exclusive support rights to only one or two at the most. Sierra had Rendition Verite iirc.

3DFX was most popular.

[BarnesUK]

i would love to see hardware renderer(3DFX) used for remastered's original version, or make it a option for us to use it. i'm preferring that to the AI textures...

[V I D A L]

Originally posted by Valiento:

Originally posted by V I D A L:

You literally described EVERY game on late 90s early 2000s that supported 3D accelerated cards.

Back then, each manufacturer would have their own API, and there were many.. not just ATI and NVIDIA of today. So developers needed to specifically support each and every one of them to vastly different results as some API supported certain features of the game while others didn't.

3DFX was generally the one developers would prioritize.

Today it's all down to DirectX, Vulkan and sometimes OpenGL.

They didn’t necessarily support each and every API Usually they had exclusive support rights to only one or two at the most. Sierra had Rendition Verite iirc.

3DFX was most popular.

Yes, that would be up to the developer to choose what to support. It was almost like the PC was 10 consoles in one hardware. It was a really fascinating and convoluted time as you had to look behind the big PC game boxes to see the list of supported GPUs.

I specifically remember Shadows of The Empire supporting mostly everything, but a lot of missing effects in certain cards.

Unreal, on the other hand, had awful support for most GPUs, but decided to include an impressive sofrware render mode in case your GPU wasn't supported.

It was wild.

Today, it doesn't matter what GPU you have. You buy a game and you expect it to work and all it's effects (except stuff like RTX).

[c6jones720]

I remember about 2001 playing all these on PC. If you bought TR5 Chronicles on PC, it came bundled with a level editor (which needed high res 1024x768). I had a Voodoo 3500 with built in TV tuner, that could display Tomb Raider in high res, but a lot of monitors at the time maxed out at 800x600. I borrowed somebody's monitor to see the high def graphics.

[GamerXT]

Originally posted by BarnesUK:

i would love to see hardware renderer(3DFX) used for remastered's original version

Which may simply be for texture filtering and maybe the character shadow, if you read the previous messages.

Originally posted by BarnesUK:

i'm preferring that to the AI textures...

A lot of the textures are not AI though.

[Valiento]

Originally posted by GamerXT:

Originally posted by BarnesUK:

i would love to see hardware renderer(3DFX) used for remastered's original version

Which may simply be for texture filtering and maybe the character shadow, if you read the previous messages.

Originally posted by BarnesUK:

i'm preferring that to the AI textures...

A lot of the textures are not AI though.

Ya just shadows on Voodoo 1 and texture filtering on all voodoo hardware.

I’d love to see a a version that unifies all the bells and whistles from all versions.PSX graphical elements water transparency and reflective Midas statue, maybe gaurad shading/dithering as an option.

Then the texture smoothing from PC hardware acceleration, enhanced shadows from Voodoo1, and blue fog from PowerVR.

Maybe options for different ways black fog was used in various versions. Some people like draw distance fog close like on PSX some like it further in the distance. Many of the fan engines allow you to tweak that.