Creative ALchemy Project FAQ
Q: Why is Creative ALchemy necessary?
A: As part of a major re-architecture of the audio subsystem in Windows Vista, Microsoft made the radical decision to remove the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) for DirectSound and DirectSound3D. The HAL is the layer that on previous Windows Operating Systems enabled an audio accelerator such as the Sound Blaster X-Fi to provide DirectSound3D applications with hardware-accelerated audio.
Creative ALchemy allows SB X-Fi owners to run their favorite DirectSound3D games on Windows Vista and experience them as the developers intended - with full hardware accelerated 3D Audio and EAX support. This is achieved by translating DirectSound3D calls into OpenAL calls.
Q: Is this caused by a driver issue?
A: This is not a driver issue, and cannot be fixed with a simple driver update. The DirectSound Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) has been removed from the Windows Vista OS.
Q: I have Windows XP, 9x, ME or 2000. Do I need Creative ALchemy?
A: No, Creative ALchemy is not necessary on these operating systems as the DirectSound HAL is present.
Q: I have a game that supports OpenAL. Do I need to use Creative ALchemy?
A: No, OpenAL has direct access to our hardware and does not require the ALchemy wrapper. For a complete list of OpenAL titles, go to http://www.openal.org/titles.html
Q: I have a Sound Blaster Audigy series card. Why isn’t it supported by ALchemy?
A: For the initial beta phase of Creative ALchemy, we made the decision to concentrate on products based on the X-Fi chip. Support for Audigy 2 and 4 class products will be determined as the current beta progresses and we are able to assess the quality of the beta and overall demand for Creative ALchemy.
Update 1: Check this thread for new information.
Update 2: Purchase ALchemy for Audigy here.
Q: What games are currently supported?
A: We’re currently supporting the following games with more to come in the future.
Baldur's Gate 2
Battle for Middle Earth 2
Battlefield Vietnam
C&C Generals
Call of Duty
Call of Duty 2
Chronicles of Riddick
Diablo 2
Dungeon Siege
Everquest 2
F.E.A.R
Far Cry
Full Spectrum Warrior*
Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers*
Grand Theft Auto 3
Grand Theft Auto Vice City
GTA: San Andreas
Guild Wars
Hitman 2 Silent Assassin
Hitman: Blood Money
Knights of the Old Republic 2
Max Payne 2
MDK2
Medieval II: Total War
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights 2
No One Lives Forever 2 A Spy in H.A.R.M's Way
Oblivion
Rome: Total War
Serious Sam 2
Serious Sam: First Encounter
Serious Sam: Second Encounter
Star Wars Empire at War
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Titan Quest
Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness
TRON 2.0
Warcraft III
World of Warcraft
* Note: Not supported on X-Fi Xtreme Audio, Audigy 2 ZS Video/2 ZS Notebook/ 2 NX / LX / Advanced MB
Q: I just installed one of the games listed above and I’m still seeing the EAX options greyed out. Help!
A: Each time you install a new game, you need to run Creative ALchemy and “Transmute” your application.
Q: I have a game that I know supports DirectSound but it doesn’t appear to be supported by Creative ALchemy. What can I do?
A: We have a document for Advanced Users which gives detailed information about using ALchemy on unsupported titles. You’ll find that on the Creative ALchemy homepage at http://connect.creativelabs.com/alchemy. If you prefer, you can wait to see if support gets added for your title in a later beta release.
Q: Where can I find the latest Vista drivers for my SoundBlaster?
A: Our latest drivers can be found at http://us.creative.com/support/downloads
Message Edited by Jason-CL on 07-09-2007 06:28 PM
Forum Administrator
Creative Labs
