How DirectX 10 will work with StarCraft II together with an analyse on what graphics cards are capable/not capable of withstanding the pressure.
To put it bluntly, the boys in blue could dive into DirectX 10 and put something together sharpish, but it won't be the meat of the game and it certainly won't be something designed to appear to even a large minority of people. It seems unlikely though in a practical sense as it would make the engine much more messy, with their heavily customised shaders it doesn't strike me as likely they'd want multiple completely different DirectX versions and Shader Models flying around. They already have their work cut out and DX10 would be more of a sticker on the box rather than a practical feature in all likelihood.
If they're not properly exploiting SM 3.0 (which will run on both Vista and XP mind you) they're not really going to do much with DX 10 and SM 4.0. It just isn't where Blizzard's famed mass markets are. I think we will be seeing a DirectX 10 mode, but it won't be ground shaking or a radical increase, I'd dare say more of a sales ploy but that may be too offensive and dismissive. I expect to not see very much there due to their way of approaching the shaders in a very advanced and complicated way specific to a Pixel Shader version, a more complex 2.0 effect can be superior to mediocre worksmanship on 3.0 or even 4.0, I'd prefer to see them develop one level truely well.
And as an added clarification, if the game does lack a' DirectX 10 mode? or such, it will still run on Vista. Blizzard has stated specifically that it will be Vista compatible, and as a rule of thumb DirectX 9 games are simply executed in a software mode rather than natively though DX 10 itself, slightly slower but marginal to performance usually. Regarding hardware in terms of graphics cards we've made several discoveries, determinations and predictions.
As detailed in my first Tech Chronicle, the Geforce FX family and most of the Radeon 9xxx series and above graphics cards are equipped for Pixel Shader 2.0 effects processing, and any one of these will do for being able to meet the base minimum requirements of the game in at least the terms of the Pixel Shader version. This can be contrast with the highest end series of graphics cards today, which house the ability to render Pixel Shader 3.0, 4.0, or even 4.1 effects in games.
If your graphics card designed for a certain standard it cannot play games dependant upon those effects. This is not to say that every game that uses the graphical effects of one Pixel Shader version is reliant on being played with systems equipped with cards capable of doing such levels. Cards of Pixel Shader version 4.1 can run products and games utilising Pixel Shader 1.1; but the opposite is not true, a card of an old standard cannot run a game of a higher level of Pixel Shader technology. I wouldn't be counting on any decent performance from the Geforce FX series or the Radeon 9xxx's, very dated and very much inferior. They meet the basic requirement in terms of the pixel shader compliance, but considering the shader complexity the Blizzard tech paper was stressing and what can be seen from the movies and screenshots flowing out from their official releases, their weak shader units are likely to be overwhelmed; and just like overwhelmed employees they would work slowly through their workload while you're trying to deal with a SC II Zergling rush or the like. It is doubtful that you'll get playable performance out of an old Geforce FX 5200 indeed.
Do not think just because a graphics card boasts Shader Model 2.0 abilities means it is right for this game or competent at the demands. I hope to build up a far more detailed picture or hardware requirements to be put up on the site as more information comes forward and a beta season begins (here's hoping the IncGamers will get some of those nice closed Beta keys!). In the meantime, my next article will probably be the overdue and sought after purchasing guide that Leord taps me for regularly. Here's hoping I get some cookies for this one anyhow, and I'll see you next time if you'll have me.
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