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View Full Version : Need a bit of help with major graphics problems...


anothereyjana
17th Feb 2011, 05:06 AM
I've been having a lot of problems with graphics glitches over the last week or so, and have had at least one instance where the entire game has crashed. I've had sims (in multiple households, in multiple hoods, so I don't think that it's just corruption) showing up completely black, or missing parts (usually faces), and I've had the landscape texture of the lot (both the grass outside, and sometimes even the floors inside as well) show up completely black, or have had the grass on the lot (and/or sometimes the hood grass outside of the lot) go completely black or be randomly replaced by random textures (such as the "hair field" pictured below)
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af35/SimulatedSpector/sim%20bloopers/snapshot_7a671750_5a672260.jpg
There are also instances where, from the neighborhood view, everything but the lots (and sometimes a bit of hood deco) are completely black. Even when things aren't that drastic, there are still moments in lots where things just don't look quite right.
It's a bit hard to describe, but there is often what looks like a very thin line of white or yellow "outline" around objects--it's not very noticeable at first (unless you know what you're looking at/for, and then it's all you can see, like me), unless you zoom in a bit, and is a bit more noticeable on certain objects than on others. Also, the game seems to randomly (but briefly) freeze or slow at times.

I've tried getting rid of my CC to isolate the problem, as well as checking out/temporarily removing things like downloaded terrains to see if that was the problem, but it's still there. My game is also patched, and, due to an earlier incident concerning them, I've taken to habitually deleting my CACHE files (and thumbnails folder) after every play session.

I use Norton, and I did renew it recently, but that was back in Nov. or Dec., so it's unlikely that that's the problem, and it has also been several months since I last installed any new SPs or EPs, and I know that I have more than enough room left on my comp. I haven't done anything new to my comp. recently, and I've never had any glitches like this before. Admittedly, my comp. does do automatic updates without my consent from time to time, so one of those may be at fault, but I'm not sure of where to begin if it turns out that's the case.

I will admit that I haven't tried removing/renaming the user files, but that's simply because the last time I tried it, I ended up with a massive blue screen of death from hell which nearly flat-out killed my comp and took hours for it to recover from, and I don't want to risk nearly killing it again (I don't know if it did that simply because it had gotten infected with SecuROM and wasn't acting quite like it was supposed to, or if it was just another case of "because it's fucking Windows Vista, but either way, I just don't want to risk it).

Here's the specs:

OS: Windows Vista Home Basic (6.0, Build 6002)
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: Compaq Presario CQ60 Notebook PC
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual CPU T3400 @2.16GHz (2CPUs),~2.2GHz
Memory: 1978MB RAM
Page File: 1731MB used, 2468MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

I hope this was enough to help.

simsample
17th Feb 2011, 12:49 PM
I will admit that I haven't tried removing/renaming the user files, but that's simply because the last time I tried it, I ended up with a massive blue screen of death from hell which nearly flat-out killed my comp and took hours for it to recover from, and I don't want to risk nearly killing it again

Removing the userdata wouldn't cause a BSOD; the first thing to do is to remove userdata as this rules out that as a cause of the problem. Until we know whether that is a factor we can't continue to troubleshoot.

Instead of renaming the userfiles, just drag Documents\ EA Games\ The Sims 2 to the desktop and run the game.

Also remove any lighting mods/ graphics mods, if you have them.

Also, do you get these problems with any other games? Incorrect textures could be a symptom of hardware problems/ lack of memory also.

anothereyjana
20th Feb 2011, 10:30 PM
Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this.

I don't have any other games installed, only TS2, so I can't say whether or not there would be texture problems in other games.
I don't have any lighting or graphics mods, I do have Gunmod's camera mod, but I installed that months ago, and I have used it before in the past without any problems.

I tried moving the user files, the major glitches didn't seem to be there in the brief time I played, but there was still the "outline" around most things, though it wasn't nearly as pronounced, and it was only a small white/cream-colored one, no layer of green or yellow around it. I put the user files back in and brought up my regular game, but put the graphics on a lower setting (I'd played with raising/lowering the graphics a bit with the user files removed to see if that made any difference, but it didn't seem to).

I do have the graphics on one of the highest settings when I play, but that's the setting which my computer suggested the first times I play after installing it, and I've been playing this game (and on the same comp) for about two years or more.
I do have a few high-poly items in my game, including a few hood decorations, but I've noticed the glitches popping up with a large frequency even in hoods without any hood deco (Maxis or otherwise) at all.

I tried two different hoods with the user files back in, my uberhood (which I hadn't touched in awhile as I had become slightly more focused on my custom hoods, and because I knew that I would end up re-doing a lot of the uberhood) and a custom hood I had made, Anne Harbor (Which I've been playing a lot lately). It seems like the "outline" was more pronounced in the custom hood for some reason as well. I noticed on an earlier play-through when I was testing the CC, but for some reason, when I created an entirely new and seperate hood (with clean templates) just for the testing, I noticed the same amount of outline and the same hood-texture glitches as with Anne Harbor.

I also noticed something new and weird when I fired up the game after putting the user files back in. I was expecting that the Maxis hoods might be there again (I deleted Pleseantview before quiting and putting the user files back in so that it wouldn't conflict/screw-up my uberhood), so I re-deleted them, but for some reason, a couple of the Maxis university sub-hoods are there, listed as whole, seperate hoods (I didn't add them onto any of the hoods or otherwise touch them at all with the user files out, though I do have them added onto my uberhood in my game), and the option to delete them doesn't show up when I click on them.

simsample
20th Feb 2011, 11:34 PM
General - Post System Specs
We need more information before we can help with your issue. Please post your system specs - instructions on finding them are here: Game Help:System Specs.

If it is not specifically asked, please provide the Quick summary only.


Can you post a screenshot of the 'outline' you're noticing? Does it get worse after a while, or does it stay the same no matter how long you play?

When you put your old user files back in, nothing should have changed about them, provided you removed the newly generated user files forst. Did you perhaps copy/paste over top of files? Can you provide a screenshot of the contents of Documents\ EA Games\ The Sims 2\ Neighbourhoods?

anothereyjana
20th Feb 2011, 11:58 PM
I tried to list the specs in my first post, but here you go:
OS: Windows Vista Home Basic (6.0, Build 6002)
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: Compaq Presario CQ60 Notebook PC
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual CPU T3400 @2.16GHz (2CPUs),~2.2GHz
Memory: 1978MB RAM
Page File: 1731MB used, 2468MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

As for the outline, I did try to get pics, I took them at the same time I took the "hair field" ones, but for some reason the outline doesn't want to show up on them, and I'm not sure why. Most of the time the outline stays the same, but it does have moments where it flashes briefly.

As for the Neighborhoods folder shots, which part do you need? Also, looking through it, I noticed that the new Uni "hoods" aren't listed in there for some reason, though it now shows Belladonna Cove (which is the hood I tested it in without the user files)...?
I didn't realize that you couldn't just put them back in and let them overwrite the others...crap.

whiterider
21st Feb 2011, 10:49 AM
Please include the rest of your system specs, using the "form" on the page.

anothereyjana
22nd Feb 2011, 05:24 AM
Sorry, I thought that I had it all listed.

==System==
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Basic (6.0, Build 6002)
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: Compaq Presario CQ60 Notebook PC
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual CPU T3400 @2.16GHz (2 CPUs),~2.2GHz

Memory: 1978MB RAM
Page File: 1789MB used, 2410MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
==Display==
Name: Mobile Intel 4Series Express Chipset Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip Type: Mobile Intel 4Series Express Chipset Family
Approx. Total Memory: 797 MB
Main Driver: igdumdx32.dll,igd10umd32.dll
Version: 8.15.0010.2202
Driver Date: 8/25/2010 7:28:22 pm

==Sound==
Description: ...? Not sure exactly what to put here.
Name: Speakers (Conexant High Definition Smart Audio
Device ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01VEN_14F1DEV_5051SUBSYS_1
Manufacturer ID: 1
ProductID: 100
Type: WDM
Default Device: Yes

Driver Name: CHDRT32.sys
Driver Version: 4.58.0000.0000
Date: 6/5/2008 10:58:42 am

==Disk & DVD/CD-ROM Drives==
Drive: C
Free Space: 67.3 GB
Total Space: 138 GB
File System: NTFS
Model: I think either
WDC WD 1600BEVT-60ZCT 1 ATA Device
or
Slimtype DVD A DS8A2S-A ATA Device