Monster Truck madness (1 and 2): Serious AI problems on fast PC's
Falkentyne
have problems with CPU's that are faster than 400 mhz.
The AI calculations are apparently bound to the CPU speed or framerate
(i'm not sure which, as I have no way to force the FPS to 30), as
these games came out during the Pentium 133 - P2-300 days.
CPU's faster than 400 mhz start showing strange AI behaviour,
particularly AI trucks that constantly miss the checkpoints, and
run into obstacles, buildings, signposts, and so on, even on the
hardest difficulty level. I managed to test this with a P3-600e
downclocked to the lowest speed of 400 mhz, and then comparing the AI
to a 1000 EB processor, downclocked to the lowest possible speed of
500 mhz, and my current CPU: a P3 tualatin 1.4-S, downclocked to 700
mhz (66 * 10.5)
At 1.4 ghz, the problem is very extreme. At 700 mhz, the problems are
not as bad, but it's still very easy to win a race on the hardest
difficulty level.
And this is a problem, because the lowest operating frequency of my
current CPU is 700 mhz (at the lowest Front side bus setting available
in the BIOS).
According to the fan support webpage for Monster Truck Madness 2
(track downloads/forum), people with P4s at 2+ ghz can't hardly play
the game because the AI trucks will barely finish a few laps.
The problem could be, tied to the framerate or the CPU speed, but it's
impossible to tell for sure, because it occurs whether V-SYNC is
enabled (locked at 60 fps) or disabled. I cannot tell if the problem
occurs at a "30 FPS" setting, as there is no way to force the
framerate that low, at 640x480.
I would try hooking up my Voodoo2, but even running that at the
maximum resolution (800x600 for one V2) would still give me a fast
framerate.
Both Monster Truck Madness 2 (and most likely, the original MTM) would
require a new patch to fix the AI problems, based on the faster CPU
speeds, or the framerate.
to contact me,
email at res06t6x A_T gte D_O_T N_E_T
Three rings for the Elven kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarven lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.
-Falkentyne Dragon
