Square needs to put pressure on Nvidia to address SLI/Surround issues in drivers

[klepp0906]

I will gladly discuss this in depth with someone who has the power to leverage against nvidia for something to be done.

I have been all but harassing them since the games release about getting proper support out of mature far from new technologies such as SLI and Surround.

A bit of info. I built my current PC which cost me a bit over 10,000usd for FFXIV specifically. I was disappointed to find that unless using specific parameters such as an older OS, or running a single card or single display... I ended up with subpar performance.

By subpar - 4 gtx titan sc's with custom bios' and watercooled I end up with 25fps. This is due to the fact that SLI doesnt work at all in surround when using windows 8.1. Im basically using 1 card to run a game at maximum with a resolution of 4680x2560. The pc is a beast, but not so much of a beast that one card can handle >10m pixels.

Anyhow, I have tried over a dozen drivers now (over 6 months) have spoke with several mods (they have ignored my PM's for over a month now) have had all my info (purportedly) forwarded to the QA department and the best ive received was confirmation they were able to reproduce this in the lab and were working on it. (this was 3 months and half a dozen drivers ago)

Meanwhile they are releasing drivers that address things like 3d support in games ive never heard of. I have provided video, data, a concise log of all my troubleshooting efforts and the process of elimination used. Ive essentially done their work for them. At this point im sick of a AAA title with millions of subs being pushed to the side.

I'm posting here not in search of a fix. I know their isnt one to be had. Nvidia is the only source of resolution via a new driver. I am posting here in hopes that a mod or better yet, a dev will see this and move it up the chain. Put some pressure on nvidia to get some answers and get this addressed before you lose subs. And you will lose subs. I am very close to quitting. I refuse to let a 10,000 dollar pc become outdated whlie using it at 25% of its capacity.

For anyone else, dont assume nvidia will fix this. I assumed for awhile that someone else had already harassed them or they already knew about it and a fix was coming. Low and behold, after contacting them I was told that they dont consider a problem anything other than a user issue until they see the same issue being posted several times in multiple areas. Its a joke and highly unprofessional but basically make noise about it otherwise they will ignore it. They will continue to release new hardware and rake in $$ while leaving the people who already purchased older hardware to use broken half arsed software.

Not really sure what else to add here. If you are having problems with ffxiv and SLI and/or Surround - take it to the geforce forums and post and take it to the mods.

Something has to be done. I have no doubt in my mind if i were to speak to upper management at nvidia they would be appalled that their mods were ignoring my PM's. I am also confident if i were to speak directly to their QA department we could hash this out and be well on our way to a fix within hours. Unfortunately they would rather ignore it and keep these people insulated from people like me.

Hopefully square shows some interest as to why their game is being ignored and pushed off to the the side and flexes some of that e-muscle. I dont know what else to do.

[Raist]

Guessing you may be new to SE's DirectX woes....

The game is still using DX9 at the moment (and, like XI, a not-quite-up-to-snuff implementation of it). This means we are very reliant on CPU processing and such because of the emulation layer that takes place in Windows Vista and forward (DX10 and higher thunks back through an emulation layer for large chunks of older DirectX support as DX9 no longer receives full native hardware support since Vista released). Such implementations have always proven problematic on the latest and greatest hardware/software with their stuff.

Hopefully a lot of people's performance issues with newer hardware/software will be remedied when they finally get the DX11 version out there.

[KiraGoldmane]

I have no idea what Surround is, but I get a perfectly playable experience with my humble, single 580 at max settings on a $1000 PC, seems to be there's not a real problem except for someone with money to burn.

[Nekodar]

You'll just have to keep bugging nVidia about it.

If it affects some other AAA game as well, that might help to put a torch under nVidia's ass.

[klepp0906]

Guessing you may be new to SE's DirectX woes....

The game is still using DX9 at the moment (and, like XI, a not-quite-up-to-snuff implementation of it). This means we are very reliant on CPU processing and such because of the emulation layer that takes place in Windows Vista and forward (DX10 and higher thunks back through an emulation layer for large chunks of older DirectX support as DX9 no longer receives full native hardware support since Vista released). Such implementations have always proven problematic on the latest and greatest hardware/software with their stuff.

Hopefully a lot of people's performance issues with newer hardware/software will be remedied when they finally get the DX11 version out there.

while dx11 will undoubtedly help. The issue is nvidia's drivers. As i said. Ive put literally dozens of man hours into this.. but my data, screenshots, and personal experience aside. It works (to a degree) with one older beta driver (just one!) and works much more frequently with several drivers (still crappy but works) in older versions of windows. Windows 8 - some, windows 7 - even more. Windows 8.1 = disaster. Boils down to Surround+SLI in a windows 8 environment. Nvidia is on it but theyve been "on it" for far too long.

Besides, we wont be seeing DX11 client until more than a year later than promised by yoshi :P

[klepp0906]

I have no idea what Surround is, but I get a perfectly playable experience with my humble, single 580 at max settings on a $1000 PC, seems to be there's not a real problem except for someone with money to burn.

.......... did you really just post this? Well apart from this being the poster-post for exactly "why" what im writing IS a problem.. Ill take the opportunity to atleast school you up some

You have 1 card and 1 monitor. If you had a problem or were having one it would either be A) the game shouldnt/wouldnt be out yet or B) its likely a system problem. I have 4 cards which is already much more complicated (obviously) but to be fair, works with 1 display. Problem is, not only did i build this pc for ffxiv specifically but if i wanted to use 1 display i wouldnt have purchaesed 3. (surround is running more than 1 monitor).

And no, i have very little money. If i had "money to burn" i would just replace my nvidia cards with amd cards and my problem would disappear. Unfortunately this is my first new pc in 7 years (if i had money i wouldnt need to build a pc for ffxiv as mine would be updated all the time and plenty up to snuff) and i cant afford to put another raw cent into. Nor will I. I purchased hardware advertised as working in SLI (a very old mature tech now) and surrund (an almost as old and mature tech)

nvidia just needs to step it up and hire people who can actually write software apparently. Ugh

[klepp0906]

This is the problem. It doesnt. You would think a game of the yaer with a few million subs which will be around for a decade, would be more of a priority than say.. assassins creed 4 which will be forgotten about a year from now. Yet they are putting out 3d profiles for assassins creed and games ive never heard of even.

Im at a loss which is why im hoping against hopes people with a simlar rig will see this and realize fixes arent coming without help, or someone from SE will be leasurely reading and either forward this to their team or drop nvidia a line and ask why are they ignoring their game.

Till then i either re arrange my entire office and throw two monitors to the side or play as is with an abysmal frame rate. Neither appealing options. I bought 4 cards for a good framerate, and i bought 3 monitors to use them in surround.

at the risk of further rambling.... I do appreciate the replies and any perceived condescending connotations read into in my text are just that. Im sure you can understand my frustration >.<