Graphics Glitches driving me buggy

[Lerf]

Well, I tried at N99 and I tried at MTS2, you are my only hope:

I haven't found any of this listed anywhere, but over the last week my game went from just fine to nearly unplayable.

Twice while playing the same household I had sudden crashes, not just to desktop, but an entire system reboot. The second time it happened I was sent to this error message when I reported this to Microsoft:
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/response.aspx?SGD=5f2d6e7e-ab10-4e36-be9a-14f22e0c06ff&SID=11

On that advice I updated my drivers.

This has made the problem worse. When I go into any neighborhood I get strange graphics glitches like the big silver wing thing in this picture:




This usually occurs when I'm rotating or zooming in.

Worse, whether in neighborhood or on a lot, the screen sometimes goes to a blank blue screen when I rotate or zoom in, during which time the harddrive is being accessed. It will do this a few times and then reboot the system. When I report to Microsoft I get either the error above, or a page saying This Error is Being Researched.

When I remove all downloads the problem goes away. It does not reoccur when I put in hacks, or skins. I spent most of today putting my objects back in a few at a time, and then rotating them out to an "OK folder." With each small batch the problem was gone. After I had gone through every object the problem didn't happen. I put everything back in and it started the game. And the graphics glitch and the blue screen thing started right up again, so it isn't apparently caused by a single object.

Wondering if I'd hit some sort of limit on downloads I took out about 500MB of objects, to well below the amount of downloaded objects when the problem started.

I'm running Sims2 Uni, NL and the holiday pack.

My system is:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 2

AMD Athelon XP 2500+
1.85 GHZ 1GB RAM

NVidia GEForce4 MX 4000
128 MB memory
Driver 6.14.0010.8195

I notice that my graphics card isn't supported for NL, though it ran just fine until early last week. (Until just after the new XP automatic update...) I'm thinking the problem may be that the poor old Graphics card just can't take it any more.

[SaraMK]

A lot of people are having a wide variety of graphic glitches post-Nightlife with nVidia cards. The newest drivers appear to be incompatible. Myself, I've gone back to 77.77, which is quite a ways back, and there was a thread around here in the Podium somewhere which also recommends these drivers. Some people even went back to even older ones. I did not have your problem, and my card is different, of course, but you might want to look at older drivers. The fact that things got worse after you got the newest possible drivers suggests that they could be to blame at least partially.

Have you checked to see if the card is overheating? I have noticed that my temps are running higher than before NL. An older card might be having extra trouble and is overheating. Overheating is a good reason for a system reboot or having the computer completely shut down.

The last suggestion I want to make is actually a question. Are you using any custom neighborhood objects? That white thing sort of reminds me of how my game exploded after using just a few too many. It wasn't white, but it had a similar shape.

[Lerf]

I'm using custom neighborhood objects, I'm trying to find the stupid things in the folder to remove them, because I just thought of that myself.  I'll have to live without stonehenge, I guess.

My husband is planning to go out and pick me up a new Video Card (and DVD player since both of ours have crapped out recently) today.  We'll see if that takes care of the other problems.

[Jorenne]

I noticed you have an AMD CPU, same as mine, and quite a few lots in the n-hood.  I used to have an Intel P4 3.0g CPU until my mobo blew up and since replacing it with an AMD 2600+ I find if I have more than about 15 - 20 lots in a hood I get glitches like that, or the roads vanish, or the hoos gets randomy splattered in cow-mascot-head print.

I've now taken to setting up downtowns and having most of my families spread over about 8 of them (yeah I have about 90 familes, more than 350 playable sims so sue me:P)  And I find that apart from small glitches (Neon newspapers, colour-change pillows on the bed and plumbob shadows on cinematics) that a lot of other NVidia users are reporting post nightlife this solves all the problems I was having. 

I could be way way off base here and I expect about a billion other AMD users coming back and saying how they have an AMD and their game runs just fine, just saying what I have found in my personal experience, in that I had no graphics issues at all, even post Nightlife until switching from an Intel to an AMD.

[dewshine]

curious...  I knew about the nVidia problems, And I also have an AMD.  My AMD chip is a 64 bit.  My nVidia card is a 5950.  I have 1 gig of ram and the nVidia carries another 256. 

One time, and once only, did I have a graphic's glich in the neighborhood screen.  It occured right after I installed a camera mod to see the entire neighborhood.  I restarted the game and the prolem has not happened again. 

I suppose rather soon though I'll need to think about upgrades...

It could be that the older AMD chips run hotter than the intel chips.  As pointed out overheating will mess up the graphic card's performance. 
Could it be that additional cooling is required?
You know I almost wish that I had the neon paper glich... 
I believe though that my graphic drivers are special ones from Alienware.com.  The one time I had a problem the drivers wouldn't install without a "helper" program of some kind.  Thank goodness for live chat help... (Moral of that story:  Don't let SO delete stuff on your machine just because they don't recoginze what it is...)

[IgnorantBliss]

I also have an AMD chip and a Geforce card (and 1 gig of RAM), and get the odd neon green glitches with the newest drivers (but not with 77.77, for example). Could those really be related? Could it be a heating problem if changing to a different version of the driver fixes (at least some of) the problems?

[Jorenne]

I don't know, I'm only speculating, all I know is this was my machine:

Intel P4 3.0ghz CPU
512mg DDR 3300 RAM
NVidia GeForce 5700LE 128mg Graphics

And I had no trouble at all running Nightlife and a huge hood on the highest detail settings.

My Machine now:

AMD Sempron 2600+
1gig DDR 3300 RAM
NVidia GeForce 5700LE 128mg Graphics.

And now I have problems.  I can't have all my houses in the main neighbourhood like I used to, my newspaper is neon yellow or pink, or even flickering between the two, my sims have two plumbobs in any special events cinematics, if I put more than about 15 lots in one neighbourhood screen the whole thing turns black and pans v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, the UIP breaks up and spews itself all over the screen, the pillows on the bed flash and change colour/brightness if the bed is in use (sleeping, relaxing, woo-hoo, whatever) and on lots larger than 3x3 the road turns into cow-mascot-head print, the sims faces turn black or multi-coloured and pixelated, the therepists face is totally blue, the walls vanish and just the roof and stairs remain, or everything is covered in red and black speckles, and I mean totally covered.

I have tried every driver from 63.something to the new 81.98 that were released on 21/12 and nothing works totally.  I know others have said they've had problems with NVidia cards and Nightlife and similar graphics glitches but I didn't have these problems, even with Nightlife until I had to replace the mobo/cpu.

[kaarinah]

Not that I know if this is the reason to your problems, but the Sempron 2600+ is a weaker CPU than P4 3.0.

Sempron is the budget line of AMD's CPUs too. In a gaming computer you would be better of with an Athlon 64, but even changing the Sempron to a 3000+ might help. Of course, if you don't have the 64 bit Sempron it would probably be difficult to find one since the 32 bit Sempron is being replaced by the 64 bit (which uses a different socket and need another motherboard).

This was of course an answer to Jorenne.

[Liss]

I also have 2 plumbobs in event cinematics.  That is the only thing I am getting as far as a problem, but I don't really consider it a problem.  I have a celeron processor and an NVidia graphics card.  Is the double plumbob thing a precursor to doom? lol

[Jorenne]

Kaarinah.

Well aren't I awfully glad you pointed that out to me, and here I was currently blissfully unaware that due to budget constraints when my Mobo fried I had dropped a CPU class in the replacement, and darn-it the salesman really did assure me it would be better.

Now lets see, where did I put that exrta couple of hundred bucks I had under the matress for a new mobo and cpu, or maybe the computer fairy will bring me a new one since scroogy Santa didn't?

Now the dawning light makes it all clear to me, and here I was completely forgetting the trouble I had when first replacing my system http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php?topic=1325.msg44816#msg44816 and what do I spy on this post but a word or two from me concerning the fact I KNEW I was taking a hit in the CPU department. 

Well don't I feel small and stupid now that I realise what my problem was all along.

[dewshine]

IgnorantBliss, you are likely right.  My drivers are old.  71.(something).  I intend to keep them there as I've had no problems with them.

[Lerf]

My hubby got me a Radeon 9550 and I took out the neighborhood objects.   Everything is running fine.   (BTW, I should have mentioned that I'd taken out the camera view that allowed me to see the whole neighborhood and the flashing thingies were still there, so it wasn't that.) 

Anyway, no reoccurence of the crashing or flashing blue screen, which is the main thing.  And for the first time I can see bump maps and get the special events camera (which will get old awfully fast, but is fun for now.)

Thanks for all advice.

Now we just have to figure out why my new shiney DVD player has the same problems my old DVD player had.....

[dewshine]

On the DVD player:  Have you checked the cables?  (most likely you have, but then again...)

[Lerf]

Yeah, the cables have been checked.    The DVD reads data just fine, but with or without the new graphics card, any movie I run in it has a scrambled picture.   

[J. M. Pescado]

When it comes to drivers, I follow an "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" principle. Despite the fact that people tell you to always upgrade to the newest drivers....don't do this unless you actually have a problem. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I've had my NVidia for over a year now with no graphics problems except just occasionally when I'm in build mode I'll get a line shoot out from an object in the house.  Saving and then rotating the lot always clears it up though.

[Oddysey]

When it comes to drivers, I follow an "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" principle. Despite the fact that people tell you to always upgrade to the newest drivers....don't do this unless you actually have a problem. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This is your philosophy on everything, isn't it? Drivers, SimPE, printers . . . your bunker must be an absolute nest of ancient technology.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Maybe it's my age, but I tend to agree with JM on this!  Why upgrade something that's working perfectly?  I'll touch wood before I type this, but my microwave is nearly 20 years old and still works!  And, unlike my new washer-dryer, it's easy to operate!

[BlueSoup]

Up until recently, my microwave was at least that old too.  And the only reason I upgraded to a newer one was because I got my friend's 10-year-old microwave when her mother forced her to buy a new one. 

My brother now has possession of the 20-year-old one (which incidentally works far better than the newer one, but the newer one has buttons!)

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, my old faithful still has a dial that you turn, but it does have a turntable!