FiringSquad has invited David Nalasco, technology marketing manager for ATI, for a short explanation/interview about ATI optimizing drivers for certain applications. The new drivers from ATI are still scheduled for mid-november release. Here's a snip: FiringSquad: What other games/programs do the ATI drivers optimize for -- is 3DMark 2001 one of them? Will ATI next release benchmark-specific enhancements? Will ATI continue to release game-specific enhancements, and will they be undocumented? David Nalasco: As a general rule we do not comment on specific driver optimizations for competitive reasons. I can say that the vast majority of our optimizations are completely transparent to the end-user. Optimizing for a game involves much more than just cranking out the highest benchmark score. It involves delivering the best overall experience, which will include some combination of frame rate, image quality, smoothness, stability, and other factors. Whereas frame rate and smoothness might be the most important factor in a fast paced 3D shooter game, 3D role-playing and strategy games might require a heavier emphasis on image quality. Anything we can do in our drivers to enhance the experience of playing a particular game, or group of games, can be considered an optimization. Interesting read, make sure to check it out.

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