🚀 go-pugleaf

Daniel,
If your version of Flight Simulator has/supports 3DFX OpenGl or 3DFX Glide,
the Voodoo 2 will make a difference. If it doesn't, the card will not even
function. The graphics will be from only the 2D/3D card.

Most graphics cards have some limited 3D support. They usually don't support
Gourand shading or texture mapping, though. These make a huge difference in
games like Quake and Quake 2, which use many different lighting effects.

That's what makes the Voodoo card different from a 3D "accelerator". It's
more than that. It adds functionality, not just speed.

Both Quake (with a patch) and Quake 2 (built-in) use the 3DFX OpenGL
drivers. The difference is stunning. I've noticed big differences in the
quality of the graphics in these games, as well as accelerated frame rates
(the speed at which the scene is redrawn). My 2D/3D card is a Stealth 2 G460
AGP card (8MB), no slouch for sure, but the Voodoo card still made that much
of a difference. I noticed less of an improvement with the 3DFX Glide
version of Shadow Warrior. It's better, but not enough to rush out and buy
the card just for that game. Every game's improvement with the Voodoo 2 card
will probably be different from another, so you may or may not see enough of
a difference to make the cash difference ($160-$230 depending on memory on
the card) worth it. If you plan to play other games in the future, or just
want to be prepared, I highly recommend the card.

The way the card works is that you connect the output of your existing card
to an input on the back of the Voodoo 2 card, using a supplied cable. It
looks like a short video cable. Then you connect your monitor to the Voodoo
2 card. The Voodoo 2 card passes through all video from your original card.
When you play a game that supports it with the proper drivers, it
disconnects your original card's video, and provides its own to the monitor.
The transition is seamless. The Voodoo ONLY runs during games hat have the
right drivers. It won't add a thing to Windows, Photoshop, Word or any of
the other 2D applications. Many games don't support the card, like Duke
Nukem 3D or Doom2.

The newer games not yet out, like Prey or Duke Nukem Forever, will probably
require the card for any sort of realistic game play. Quake 2 pushes the
limits of combo 2D/3D cards, and the newer games will be even more
graphics-intensive, and too frustrating to play without a Voodoo card.

Best of luck.

Kevin Ennis

Daniel Singer <dsinger@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
qBXE1.9$xS4.46705@newse2.tampabay.rr.com...
>The only game I really play is Microsoft Flight Simulator 98.  I was
>wondering if you really need a 3D accelerator in addition to a 3D graphics
>card?  The Dell I am looking at comes standard with the STB nVidia 128ZX
>Velocity card, yet the Quantex I am looking at comes standard with the
>MPact2 video card.  Both have 8 MB Ram, but the Quantex also includes a 12
>MB Voodoo2 card for about the same price as the Dell.  I am just wondering
>if the Voodoo2 card is really necessary?  Thanks.
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