strange behavior without xserver-xorg-video-ati

[serveurix]

On lubuntu 12.04.1, when I have both xserver-xorg-video-ati and xserver-xorg-video-radeon packages installed, the game works properly (I just can't record any video of it, but that's the case of all GL games I try to screencast). When I remove the xserver-xorg-video-ati package, 0ad can't diplay anything but text and mouse cursor. Other GL games don't have display issues.

Menu screen with xserver-xorg-video-ati :

Menu screen without xserver-xorg-video-ati :

There is probably a problem with xserver-xorg-video-ati, as games are very slow without it, my cursor tends to blink when it's not installed, and there's this screencast problem common to all GL games. But there might be an issue with 0ad too, as it's the only game which is unable to display graphics when the xserver-xorg-video-ati package is not installed.

(my concerns come from the fact that I'm unable to screencast 0ad with free drivers at the moment : in both cases the video will show a mainly black screen)

[fabio]

Why do you want to remove it? When you remove it you'll probably ends up with the software rendering, which is slower and has some restriction.

To confirm post the output of glxinfo with and without xserver-xorg-video-ati.

[serveurix]

Why do you want to remove it? When you remove it you'll probably ends up with the software rendering, which is slower and has some restriction.

I noticed that I couldn't make a screencast when xserver-xorg-video-ati was installed. But it seems that this is due to some packages from the install CD that are buggy, or not properly installed. After a :

apt-get install --reinstall libgl1-mesa-glx libgl1-mesa-dri xserver-xorg-core

everything works fine again. I can record a screencast, even when xserver-xorg-video-ati is installed.

To confirm post the output of glxinfo with and without xserver-xorg-video-ati.

I reinstalled all my system and generated a few glxinfo outputs :

http://paste.geeknode.org/12aa5b09 #with the -ati package

http://paste.geeknode.org/d5249e2c # without the -ati package

http://paste.geeknode.org/572a6df0 # with the updated packages from you PPA

http://paste.geeknode.org/57fcb216 # with the fglrx driver from the official ubuntu repos

http://paste.geeknode.org/1810b6ea # with the fglrx-updates driver from the official ubuntu repos

To summarise :

I can screencast with all the free drivers. The free drivers from your PPA make the game much faster, thanks ! It's not completely fluid, but it's playable ! I think I will use those ones, at least for screencasts.

I can't play without the xserver-xorg-video-ati package. Maybe it' normal, this package is probably necessary after all, but I'm just surprised that 0ad displays only text without it, as other GL games seem to work fully.

I can't screencast with the non-free drivers. All I get on my video is a black screen with a cursor moving.

Anyway, I should receive a new video card in the next days, I'll test 0ad on it and I'll keep you informed.

Edited September 15, 2012 by serveurix

[fabio]

Nice that it works now! Note that without the -ati you get the llvmpipe software renderer:

OpenGL renderer string: Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LLVM 0x300)

It's very slow and probably is missing some features or has bugs which leades to the "only text". If you want you can try using my PPA without -ati, maybe llvmpipe is also improved here. But anyway it's not a great idea to remove the -ati, you can also force software renderer with something like:

$ LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 0ad