What's the point of EAX?

[Slick5150]

Ok, so obviously there's a lot of debate over Creative not licensing EAX 3 or EAX HD to other sound card manufacturers, but my question is, what's the point of EAX? Or in other words, why do game developers rely on it?

Obviously game companies find suitable ways of dealing with surround sound and effects without the need for EAX on console systems for example. And I don't believe Valve used EAX in HL2 if I remember right.

So, what's the incentive to using it?

 

[igowerf]

I always thought that EAX on Creative cards is more powerful than the other competing standards: more accurate and less CPU usage. I could definitely be wrong though.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: igowerf
I always thought that EAX on Creative cards is more powerful than the other competing standards: more accurate and less CPU usage. I could definitely be wrong though.

Yeah, I thought that was the case as well. For certain though, I find EAX to simply sound better (richer sound and cooler effects available) and position more accurately.

Basically the only incentive to use it (for programmers) is to entice people who do own creative cards to buy their game. Also to show off their leet audio skills. Thing is that I sometimes find audio quality to be something that can make or break a game. Using my X-Fi in BF2 makes worlds of a difference compared to the onboard sound...and I do think the game runs more smoothly as well. I'd love it if Valve were to release some sort of EAX patch for HL2.

I think creative is stupid to not license their standards to other manufacturers. At this point more and more people are perfectly happy with onboard audio. Creative, if they'd license their tech, could atleast get some kickbacks that way; and with more people using the creative standard it gives programmers more incentive to code for it.

 

[Slick5150]

But surely there has to be another solution out there that works just as well and isn't under the control of a company that won't let just anyone use it?

 

[boran]

there was, but those all went out of buisness.

 

[QueBert]

There is some sort of 3d API in DirectX for 3d sound if your sound card supports it. Creative is a beast, and has a complete dominance on the market aside from that. Aureal had A3d and A3d 2, both of which were really good.

Creative and a few game makers now seem to be pushing Creative's X-Fi, 2 games I played last week both has splash screens for it. I can honestly say I can't tell much difference between EAX, EAX2 and the HD-whatever Creative pushes. They all sound the same to me on my Audigy 2 card.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Aureal's A3D sounds much better than the latest EAX, creative bought Aureal's patents.... seems like they could make EAX up to par with it.

 

[0roo0roo]

yea shame theres no more a3d vs eax competition.

 

[SonicIce]

would EAX 2.0 on a non-ceative card sound the same as EAX 2.0 with a creative card? i assume the creative would win in performance

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
would EAX 2.0 on a non-ceative card sound the same as EAX 2.0 with a creative card? i assume the creative would win in performance

Yeah. Creative cards always tend to win in performance with games. The X-Fi cards are supposed to be amazing with BF2.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: QueBert
Creative and a few game makers now seem to be pushing Creative's X-Fi, 2 games I played last week both has splash screens for it.

What two games would that be? I know BF2 supports the X-Fi, but I wasn't aware of any other games specifically written for it.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: QueBert
Creative and a few game makers now seem to be pushing Creative's X-Fi, 2 games I played last week both has splash screens for it.

What two games would that be? I know BF2 supports the X-Fi, but I wasn't aware of any other games specifically written for it.

damn off the top of my head I don't remember, either FEAR or The Movies. Whatever game it was, had 3 splash screens. Intel, Nvidia, X-Fi

I have AMD, ATI & Audigy 2, DOH!

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
would EAX 2.0 on a non-ceative card sound the same as EAX 2.0 with a creative card? i assume the creative would win in performance

EAX2 wouldn't be supported at all on the non-creative card (a few non-creative cards support EAX1 I think). You'd miss out on certain audio effects like reverbs, echos, doppler effect, etc...IIRC, one of the cool things about EAX is that it takes into account a surface type (provided the programmer used the APIs for it). Reverb from a cave wall sounds totally different from a mattress.

DirectX does have extensions for 3D sound, but I really feel they're, for the most part, lame in quality compared to the proprietary standards (EAX/A3D).

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: QueBert
Creative and a few game makers now seem to be pushing Creative's X-Fi, 2 games I played last week both has splash screens for it.

What two games would that be? I know BF2 supports the X-Fi, but I wasn't aware of any other games specifically written for it.

damn off the top of my head I don't remember, either FEAR or The Movies. Whatever game it was, had 3 splash screens. Intel, Nvidia, X-Fi

I have AMD, ATI & Audigy 2, DOH!

Hmmm, are you certain? I own FEAR, and did own The Movies (until I ebay'ed it a week after I bought it), and I don't remember any X-Fi screen. Surely, though, The Movies wasn't optimized for the X-Fi, I couldn't imagine why it'd even need EAX1 let alone EAX5 .