What does the Mixed Vertex Processing Mode video option do?

from GalCiv2 Forums
What does this do? If I am using an integrated intel 915gm graphics chip in a laptop, would I benefit from having this on or off?

This option and the enhanced ship texture option were introduced in 1.6 and the enhanced ship option gives me a significant drop in my frame rate. I don't notice a difference with the Vertex option, but I havent played a long or very large game yet.
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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Mixed mode is a fallback if you have an integrated chipset that doesn't support full hardware mode. Some chipsets don't like mixed mode either though, so you can disable that to go in full software mode in such a case.

The enhanced ship rendering improves framerates dramatically on most normal video cards, but some low end ones and integrated chipsets such as yours don't get along with it either (thus the option to use the regular rendering system as was in DL).
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, everything seems to work fine when its unchecked. Does than mean my chipset does support full hardware mode? If it didnt support full hardware mode, would I be experiencing crashes and massive slowdown?
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If it didnt support full hardware mode, would I be experiencing crashes and massive slowdown?


If it doesn't support hardware mode, it would just drop back to mixed, and failing that, to software. It should be completely transparent unless it thinks it can do mixed but has a problem with it (in which case you'd disable it). You can see which one it's actually using in your debug.err log.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Ok, I dont understand why there is an option to uncheck this. If having this option on automatically detects whether or not your hardware supports the new modes, then there is no reason to turn it off. It will turn itself off if it isnt supported, if I am understanding it correctly.

P.S. my err says its using software mode.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It will turn itself off if it isnt supported, if I am understanding it correctly.


Not always, which is why there's the option. Like I said, it's for when the video card tells the game it supports mixed mode, but it doesn't actually work right.