=-=-=-=-=-= Converted Hexen 2 Original Demos =-=-=-=-=-=

This archive contains the 3 original v1.03 demos for Hexen 2, converted to work in the patched v1.11 of the game. The files DEMO1.DEM, DEMO2.DEM, and DEMO3.DEM are the same as the original demos recorded by Mike "Cosmos" Gummelt, which were included in the v1.03 pak file, with the only differences being the adjusted header info (for version and CRC) to allow them to play back in v1.11. Hopefully this gives players a standardized method of comparing performance using the official demos, across multiple platforms and versions of the game.


USAGE
-----
The 3 demo files should be placed in the \DATA1 directory of your Hexen 2 installation. In order to view a demo, simply type "PLAYDEMO DEMO1" (without quotes) in the Hexen 2 console, replacing DEMO1 with the name of the demo you wish to see. In order to check your framerate and evaluate your system's performance in Hexen 2, you can play demos using the TIMEDEMO command, which plays them back at maximum speed and provides time/framerate figures after playback.

To see what your framerate is, type "TIMEDEMO DEMO1" in the Hexen 2 console, replacing DEMO1 with the name of the desired demo file. (In this case, DEMO1, DEMO2, and DEMO3 will time the demos included here.) After playback, the numbers for frames, elapsed time, and frames per second (fps) will be displayed in the console. For accurate readings of your true framerate, you may need to run several consecutive timings of the same demo. Hexen 2's memory requirements will often result in slower times for the first couple of tries, as the game spends time reading the hard drive during playback, caching the sound and texture data for that map. Your times should level out after 3 or 4 repeated runs, requiring little or no further HD access and giving you your true performance figures for your video subsystem. PCs with larger amounts of system RAM (64mb or greater) should see less of a problem in this area.


PERFORMANCE
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For comparison, I currently get the following TIMEDEMO figures with the GL executable of Hexen 2 v1.11 on a Micron Millennia with Intel P5-200mhz CPU (non-MMX), 32mb EDO RAM, a 4mb Diamond Stealth 3D regular graphics card, and a Diamond Monster 3D accelerator board (3Dfx Voodoo graphics chipset, 4mb RAM total in 2mb framebuffer+2mb texture memory, running at the default 50mhz clockrate).

                  640x480     512x384
                  --------    -------
TIMEDEMO DEMO1:   29.0 fps    35.2 fps
TIMEDEMO DEMO2:   20.1 fps    22.5 fps
TIMEDEMO DEMO3:   35.4 fps    48.0 fps


The numbers above are for 16-bit color depth in both resolutions. GL Hexen 2 uses the color depth of your Win95 desktop setting when it's launched, which must be 16-bit or higher. Little or no performance difference can be seen when switching between 24-bit and 16-bit, as the actual graphics and texture data appears to remain the same within the game. The tested setup includes some of the usual tweaked environment variables for the 3Dfx card, but it's not particularly maxed out and again, the Monster 3D is not overclocked.

Note that the least framerate difference between the 2 resolutions can be seen in DEMO2, where the large amount of complex, exterior structure and visible sky decreases performance noticeably. Faster PCs (esp. Pentium II's) should garner higher numbers overall, but especially so in DEMO2, where CPU muscle can deal with these factors better. Less difference should be seen in DEMO3, since the smaller and less complex area is handled more easily by lesser systems, letting the 3D accelerator do most of the work.

Using these same 3 demos for comparison, overall framerates have declined slightly from the initial release of Hexen 2. From v1.03 to v1.09, framerates dropped between 1fps to 2.5fps across the board. Performance seems to be nearly identical from v1.09 to v1.11, though.


TECHNICAL
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Well, I'm certainly no hacker, but it's not terribly technical at all, as it turns out. Though Hexen 2 demos consistently refuse to play back on any version other than that which they were recorded, a brief inspection shows that the differences are superficial, and that conversion is easy. Only a few bytes in the header of the .DEM files need to be changed in order to show the proper version (2 bytes starting at hex offset 20) and CRC (5 bytes, hex 2B), both of which may not even really be necessary for cross-version playback. One further byte (hex offset 37) must be tweaked, which possibly specifies the "server version", and the conversion is complete. The easiest method I found is to simply record a short demo under the new version, using the same character class, skill, and map as the old demo I wish to convert. Change the above values so that the headers match, and you're done.


DISCLAIMER
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I will not be held responsible for any effects you may suffer from use or misuse of these files, nor will Raven Software, id Software, or anyone else. The original Hexen 2 demo files are the property of Raven Software. These three demos have been tested with v1.11 of GL Hexen 2 (GLH2.EXE) and seem to function properly. There do not appear to have been any map alterations or other changes from the earlier versions which cause difficulties in playing these demos, although demos recorded on certain other maps would surely have problems, due to changes. But it's worth remembering that Raven did NOT include any demos in any version after v1.03, and instead just deleted the old demos from the PAK files. They may have had good reasons for doing so. Use at your own risk. Your mileage may vary. No lifeguard on duty. Void where prohibited by law.

Wraith
<wraithj@ix.netcom.com>
11/07/97
