If you're an nvidia user, go install the new drivers. They're so awesome, I got like +8fps boost on doom3 and Vendetta runs like twice as fast (now I can play the game at 1024x768x72 with all eyecandy on on my Athlon XP 2100+/512 DDR333/GF4 MX440SE box, I used to play at 800x600 and still got some perfomance issues).

It also solves some sound issues I was having using the 2.6.9-nitro1 kernel (clippy sound), due to memory and scheduler probs.

Games feel more responsive than before, and much smoother.

If you use Xorg 6.8.0+ with composite enabled, you should add a line on your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file:

Option "AllowGLXWithComposite" "True"

on the "device" section where you say to Xorg what graphic driver it should load. More info on the driver readme - it seems that GLX+Composite makes troubles, so GLX is disabled when Composite is enabled. 3 days running the box without a hitch, so it may not be a major issue.

I'm happy to hear this, even though I think the VO engine is already superfast. Granted I have slightly heftier kit than you (XP 2800+, 1 GB DDR333 RAM, GF4 Ti4200) but I was already running 1024x768x24/75 Hz with full eyecandy on the 6111 driver and never saw one speck of lag or performance degredation. I'm going to install the new driver after I upgrade to Fedora Core 3, maybe tomorrow or tomorrow night.

<rubs hands together in gleeful anticipation>

Thanks for the xorg.conf advice on compositing too.

Grrr. My power supply died, and now I learn that with Fedora Core 3 you have to do a "workaround" to get the nVidia driver to work with FC3's udev setup. So I haven't gotten around to trying the new driver out yet.

Now unfortunately I have to report that I downloaded the Windows client and that is some really sweet eye candy. Too bad OpenGL doesn't support pixel shaders yet. Pout.

Pixel shaders are available in OpenGL with a GeForce FX or better, or a Radeon 9600 (maybe 9200) or better.

Doh, you are right. Ah well, I won't be getting a new video card any time in the foreseeable future, so I'll have to do without the glow.

At least you were smart and waited, now the damn things cost like half as much..

Apparently there's a memory allocation issue with the nvidia 6629 driver, if you find you are having issues of any sort (even if your cat implodes while your playing VO) I suggest that you apply the avaliable patch http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=477802 .

All in all, haven't had any issues with the patched driver, specs:

Athlon 2000+XP (barton core, OC'd to 2.1GHz), 512 DDR (333), g-forcefx 5600XT 256mb ddr (sad sad gfx card, god know why i keep getting these crappy cards).

Running Debian Sarge (with some uinofficial packages), kernel 2.6.9 (grsec).

AllowGLXWithComposite is definitely not stable. Vendetta started up ok, but Doom3 and Enemy Territory both locked up on start. So if all your playing is Vendetta then maybe it is fine, but otherwise...

No bugs here with the GLX and the Composite and the RenderAccel.

Can you confirm this on anything other than Vendetta though? Doom, ET, AA, Quake, etc.?

as reported in http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/6/7366#87816,

updating to the new drivers b0rked vendetta pretty bad

@lucif3r: tuxracer... blender...

I'm finally getting my Linux box back up and running after my hardware failures. I can attest that the patch evilvar mentioned was absolutely necessary in my case -- I was getting perhaps 1 frame per second unpatched, now it looks normal again. (Unfortunately with this new motherboard I've got some sound problems. Lots of crackly sound in VO. Off to try and fix that.)