Alien vs Predator 2010 FAQ

[Freyar]

This is a general purpose FAQ for the release of Alien vs Predator 2010.

Updates made when possible/needed. (PM if you have urgent information.)
(Layout stolen from Wally3K)

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GENERAL



Q. What Operating Systems will Alien vs Predator 2010 work for?

Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 both x86 and x64 should work properly.



Q. Can I register my retail copy of Alien vs Predator 2010 for access on Steam?

Alien vs Predator 2010 requires the use of Steam in order to function. You are required to register your serial number with Steam to a SteamID in order to play.



Q. What comes with Aliens vs Predator 2010?

• Alien vs Predator 2010
  • Pre-Orders receive three special skins.

Q. How much disk space does Aliens vs Predator 2010 take?

The client supposedly takes about 15GB.



Q. I have DirectX 10, what client should I use?

If you have a DirectX 10 capable system, it is recommended you use the DX11 client. Systems with DX10 will have DX11 features disabled, but the DX11 client should have better performance.

An impromptu benchmark however shows no real noticeable difference between the two.

Settings:

• Texture Quality: Normal
• Resolution: 1920x1080
• Shadow Complexity: High
• Anisotropic Filtering: 4x
• Ambient Occlusion: On
• Motion Blur: On
• V-sync: Off
• NO DIRECTX 11 CAPABLE CARD
• Tested using Singleplayer Survival

System:

• Windows 7 X64
• Intel Q9550 2.8Ghz
• 4GB RAM
• 2x GeForce 9800GT (SLi Enabled)

DX9:

• Frames: 12346
• Time (ms): 300312
• Minimum: 29
• Maximum: 57
• Average: 41.11

DX11:

• Frames: 12559
• Time: 310607
• Minimum: 26
• Maximum: 62
• Average: 40.43

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

Under Windows Vista / 7 you have the option of using either the DirectX 9 or
the DirectX 11 version of Aliens vs Predator. You can use the DX11 version
even on DX10 hardware but the additional DX11-specific video options will be
disabled. Provided drivers are up to date, any Vista / 7 users with DX10
hardware or better should therefore be able to run the DX11 version.
Generally the DX11 version should provide superior performance over the DX9
version.

Q. Where are dedicated servers?

Dedicated server utilities are currently missing, but according to Rebellion are on the way.



Q. Will we get mod tools?

No word on this yet.



Q.Can I disable the head-bobbing?

Probably not, and there aren't any plans in the future to provide an in-game solution.



Q. Can auto-aim be disabled?
No, Rebellion has stated they believe it is integral to the gameplay. This is supposedly after a few prototypes showing various problems with the "standard" method of dealing with melee attacks, namely that fast moving would result in attacks missing just by the target moving too quickly.

The end result is the focus moved to timing and using the right moves over evasion.



Q. How do I disable the intro videos?
Navigate to ..\steam\steamapps\common\aliens vs predator\FMV and rename the following files to something else. I recommend just adding ".old" to the end.

• fox.bik
• sega.bik
• rebellion.bik

Q. How do I disable the background videos?
Navigate to ..\steam\steamapps\common\aliens vs predator\FMV\frontend and rename the following files to something else. I recommend just adding ".old" to the end.

• alien.bik
• facehugger.bik
• human.bik
• options.bik
• predator.bik

Q. What are the character movement speeds?

From here.

Alien - moves at 14m/s. can sprint up to 28.47m/s. In single player it can sprint for 3 seconds with a one second cool down between each use of sprint. In multi-player it moves at the same speed, however the duration of the sprint is 4 seconds, but the cool down between uses is the same (1 second).

Marine - moves at 8.5m/s and can sprint up to 14m/s. In single player he can do this for 3.2 seconds and in Multi-player he can do this for 4.2 seconds, both modes require a 1 second cool down between sprints.

Predator - moves at 10m/s and sprint up to 18m/s. In single player he can do this for 1.4 seconds, and in multi-player he can do this for 2.4 seconds, both modes have a 1.5 second cool down.

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TECHNICAL


Q. Why does my contrast or brightness look all screwed up on my nVidia machine?

As per the readme, currently the brightness options (or any video option tweaking) causes the brightness "slider" to break. As a result, you will need to leave the brightness alone. Should the image look too dark after setting up other video settings, close and restart the game.

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

x) Currently in the DX11 version the gamma video option is not compatible
with Nvidia video cards. This may be addressed in a future driver release.
You should leave the gamma at its default setting (0.5) in these
circumstances.

Q. I can't see any flares being thrown as a Marine on an nVidia card!

You need to change the shadow detail to anything other than "low".

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

There is a known issue with the light from the Marine flare not working
on Nvidia cards if the "low" shadow detail option is selected. This may be
addressed in a later Nvidia driver revision but if you experience this issue
then please select a different shadow detail option. Note that turning the
shadow detail option up above "low" will decrease performance on lower end
video cards so you may need to choose the "off" setting instead.

Q. The Predator vision modes aren't outlining enemies correctly! I'm running the DirectX 9 client.

Check that you aren't forcing Anti-aliasing through your video card drivers.

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

If you find that the Predator vision modes are not correctly
highlighting enemies of the relevant species then please check that you are
not forcing anti-aliasing on via your video card drivers. This primarily
affects Nvidia video cards when running the DX9 version of Aliens vs
Predator. This issue may be addressed in a future driver release.

Q. I'm getting a black screen when running the DX11 client on a DX11 system, what's going on? [DX11 Cards Only]

Double check that you have the absolutely latest drivers available to you. Older drivers can cause these problems.

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

iii) If you wish to play the DX11 version of Aliens vs Predator and use the
additional DX11-specific features then you must ensure that your graphics
card and graphics card drivers are DX11 compatible. If your graphics card
and drivers are only DX10 compatible then you can still run the DX11 version
but you will not be able to use the additional DX11-specific features. It
is particularly important that your video card drivers are up to date when
running the DX11 version; users have reported just getting a black screen
with the audio continuing in the background when running with out of date
drivers.

Q. I'm getting a BSOD, what's going on here?

Normally STOP errors are an indication that there is a major fault with drivers. One of the most overlooked problems lies with audio drivers, especially for on-board chipsets. However, in order to be able to read your STOP error, you will need to make sure your machine doesn't restart automatically when it happens.

1. Start
2. Right-Click "My Computer"
3. Properties
4. Advanced
5. Startup and Recovery
6. Settings
7. Uncheck "automatically restart"

Once you get your BSOD again, look for a bit of text at the top. It will usually say something along the lines of IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (most common), and nearer the bottom you will see a file listed with a .dll extension. The error at the top will tell you whether it is something more serious than a driver problem, and the file will tell you which driver is causing the problem.

n4_disp.dll is commonly associated with nVidia drivers.
ati3duag.dll among others with "ATI" in the name may be associated with ATI video drivers.

Reinstalling your drivers, or updating them to the newest revision may solve this problem. Make sure you uninstall old drivers first!



Q. I keep losing audio or my sound seems corrupted. I have a Sound Blaster X-Fi card.

You may need to disable X-Fi enhancements.

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

xi) Users have reported that on certain sound hardware, primarily Sound
Blaster X-Fi cards, that audio may be missing or corrupted. If you experience
this issue then you may be able to address it by turning off Sound Blaster
enhancements. For example, on Windows Vista / 7 you may be able do this by
going to Control Panel -> Sound -> Playback -> [active playback device] ->
Properties -> Sound Blaster and ticking the Disable Enhancements box, then
clicking Ok. The active playback device will depend on your setup but will
probably be called Speakers or Headphones. You may find this option
elsewhere, depending on your OS or drivers. This issue may be addressed in a
future driver release or Aliens vs Predator patch.

Q. I'm running an SLi or CrossFire setup and performance is not good enough. What can I do?

You may need to disable the "Reduce Mouse Lag" option in the controls menu.

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

xii) Users with multiple video cards in an ATI CrossFire or Nvidia SLI setup
may find that their framerate will improve if they disable the Reduce Mouse
Lag option in the Controls menu. Note that this may introduce greater latency
on the mouse input and this option should left enabled unless necessary.

Q. I'm crashing each time I try and load a level!

Apparently certain driver/system configurations along with v-Sync and Reduce Mouse Lag enabled can cause this problem. Disable one, or two of those options, or use the DX9 version of the client.

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

xiv) Users with Nvidia video cards and certain driver / operating system
combinations may find that if they use the DX11 version and have both the
V-Sync and Reduce Mouse Lag options enabled that the game will hang on the
loading screen when starting a level. You can workaround this by disabling
one of those options or by using the DX9 version instead. This issue may be
addressed in a future driver release or Aliens vs Predator patch.

Q. I'm getting freezes or hanging when playing Alien vs Predator 2010 on my ATI card, and the OS is reporting ATIKMDAG stopped responding.

Reference this AMD support article for more specific steps in troubleshooting.

Originally Posted by AvP2010 ReadMe

vii) If you experience hangs or freezes while playing Aliens vs Predator with
an ATI video card, especially if a dialog appears reporting that "ATIKMDAG
has stopped responding but was successfully recovered" then please see KB
article 737-27116 on the AMD support website for solutions.

Q. When trying to play AvP2010 with an ATI card, it is unstable or crashes outright. I'm using Catalyst 10.1.
It's been reported that ATI's 10.1 Catalyst has been causing instability. A number of people have confirmed that rolling back to Catalyst 9.12 has helped stabilize gameplay.


Q. What is an Alien Bottle Rocket?

This is an Alien Bottle Rocket.

[Wooville]

I had not heart of an alien bottle rocket till right now.

Edit: Wait, was I not supposed to post here?

[Freyar]

Reserved for Future Updates

[Hal Oswin]

Nice Faq and also lol @ wooville's ninja post.

[Freyar]

Edit: Wait, was I not supposed to post here?

I was hoping to get a reserve in before someone did, you're just too quick.

[Wooville]

Originally Posted by Freyar

I was hoping to get a reserve in before someone did, you're just too quick.

Oh. sorry.

[Gravity Cat]

so how much does dx11 add in performance. How much FPS 5 or as big as 20?

[Freyar]

Originally Posted by Wooville

Oh. sorry.

No big.

so how much does dx11 add in performance. How much FPS 5 or as big as 20?

Don't know yet. I've been writing this FAQ instead of benchmarking.

[surfrock22]

Glad to see there are helpful threads, amidst all of this madness; thanks..

[Spectre]

Great thread!

[Gravity Cat]

Originally Posted by Freyar

No big.


Don't know yet. I've been writing this FAQ instead of benchmarking.

yea but does any one know or a good guess.

[xX_Renegade_Xx]

Good post, I'll be keeping an eye on this for any further problems as I run an NVidia card.

[Karazax]

You may consider adding some of the Q and A info from http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=29172.0

[Freyar]

Originally Posted by Karazax

You may consider adding some of the Q and A info from http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=29172.0

Added some relevant info from it. Thanks.

[xX_Renegade_Xx]

Bump for sticky please so we don't have to search through the 25 million posts that are about to appear over the next 3 days