Support | OpenGL
About OpenGL
What Version Should I use?
How do I know if I have OpenGL?
Where do I get it from?
About OpenGL
Starscape
uses OpenGL to access your 3D hardware accelerator card to render the
games sprites and create myriad effects at blistering speeds. OpenGL consists
of two elements the API and the driver, Windows needs the API installed
and your graphics card needs the latest driver installing. Without OpenGL
installed the game will not run, for more information go to the OpenGL
website.
What version should I use?
Starscape
requires OpenGL version 1.1 or later to work correctly, most flavours
of Windows will come preloaded with a suitable version of the API and
drivers. The only exception being Windows95, in this case a separate download
is required.
How do I know if I have OpenGL?
If you have
Windows95OSR2 or later you will definitely have the API installed. The
easiest way to tell if you have it is to download the free ‘Starscape’
demo and run it, if the drivers or API aren’t present the game will
inform you. Note: if the game runs, but extremely slowly, then you probably
have the OpenGL API but no 3D hardware accelerator or the drivers for
it are very old. In this case visit your graphics card manufacturer for
the latest Windows driver.
Where do I get it from?
You should
only consider installing a driver or the API if you are experiencing a
specific problem with the game. If you have Windows95 pre the OSR2 release
then you will need to go to Microsoft
for the OpenGL update, all other versions of Windows should be fine. Regardless
of which version of Windows you have installed it is always a good idea
to visit your video card manufacturers website and download the latest
Windows drivers. This is vital if you are running Windows XP as it ships
with software rendering OpenGL drivers only. All video card manufacturers
will provide a single driver update for your version of Windows, this
will contain both DirectX elements and OpenGL elements, you only need
one driver.