Graphics improvement with OFB

[IgnorantBliss]

I noticed that the graphics for nVidia cards, or at least mine (GeForce 6800 Ultra) were improved by at least one way with the new expansion pack: I got object specularity back. I lost it after installing Nightlife, and no set of drivers that I tried brought it back. But it seems that issue has been fixed in Open For Business, which I'm happy about. So far I have no complaints about the graphics with the new EP.

Anybody else have similar experiences?

[MissDoh]

Yes same here.  If you look at your .config.txt files located in your logs folder you will notice that the game will show your computer to have higher specs than it does in reality.  I guess it is they way they found so graphics will show properly.

[Ashleigh]

I'm not as card-literate as you, obviously, but I have a Radeon 9250 that I got right after I got Nightlife - I was operating on a 16MB integrated card before that, and woo, it was like seeing for the first time. When I booted up OFB, the first thing I noticed was that my graphics were more crisp and clear, and the snaps I took had a better quality as well.

[sanmonroe]

Same here, I am using the 6800 and NL was reallly fucked up for the high end Nvidia cards.

I play with everything maxxed again as opposed to just med or low settings on most things.

[IgnorantBliss]

Yes same here.  If you look at your .config.txt files located in your logs folder you will notice that the game will show your computer to have higher specs than it does in reality.  I guess it is they way they found so graphics will show properly.

Cool, thanks for the tip. Not sure what all that listed information means, though. There is something about bumpmapping that's set to "false" in the global settings, but in another place it's listed as "true". I will have to make sure the bumpmaps are still working. They did not work with University.

[Mirelly]

Yeah same here with me and my 5600/256MB. I'm seeing texture detail that was lost before.

[IgnorantBliss]

OK, the bump maps are still working, thank goodness.

[anelca]

my graphics suddenly became stunning (well in comparison to what they have been lately...it's all relative )
but what OfB does seem to have done is stop the stupid neighbourhood view glitch i had with lots which had had terrain levels altered and those with basements
i have yet to test this out with my own builds, but certainly Downtown shows no sign of it when scrolling around. i am a pretty happy bunny

[ZephyrZodiac]

I still find sometimes when I'm scrolling a bit away from the lot that insteadof just a bit, it seems to go a long way from where I want to be - I think it's when there are hills behind the lot.  the only way I could stop it before was if I turned off neighbourhood view.

[radiophonic]

So what you're saying is that objects don't appear to be as flat after you've installed Open For Business?
Any improvements on the rendering side of the game would be welcome for sure. It looks nice with Nightlife but sometimes things just appear to be flat (not bumpmapped).

[IgnorantBliss]

So what you're saying is that objects don't appear to be as flat after you've installed Open For Business?
Any improvements on the rendering side of the game would be welcome for sure. It looks nice with Nightlife but sometimes things just appear to be flat (not bumpmapped).

If you're asking me, what I meant that the object have shininess to them again. When you move around, the surfaces "shine" differently at different angles. With Nightlife they were the same matte surface all the time.

Very few objects have bump maps to them, although some do. It's mostly the clothing where you'll notice the bump maps (but not all clothing has bump maps, either).

[Braveheart]

I have an Nvidia FX5200 here and have found a great improvement in my graphics with OFB. Its a real relief after all the issues I had with the install of Nightlife. Good stuff!

[Brynne]

This may be reason enough for me to go ahead and get this ep NOW.

[cabelle]

Yeah same here with me and my 5600/256MB. I'm seeing texture detail that was lost before.

I've got that one also and was happily surprised by the improvements. Sometimes I'll scan over the lots just to ooh and aah over the fine details. "Look at that! I can see the texture on her jeans!" Silly I know but I like stuff like that.

[sanmonroe]

This may be reason enough for me to go ahead and get this ep NOW.

Yeah, its worth it just for the fixed code for graphics.

[radiophonic]

This may be reason enough for me to go ahead and get this ep NOW.

From what I'm reading, the number of bugs far outweighs the graphic enhancements. I'm not jumping for this EP right away like I did with NightLife. Man, what a hassle that was.

[trancejeremy]

While I'm not saying OFB isnt' buggy (though I've really only run into the Orb-lot not loading bug, which is fixed easily), the improvements really are dramatic. I was despairing at how badly my computer was running NL, I was thinking about getting another video card or possibly another computer.

Not only are the graphics better, they run much smoother. I was getting horrible lag on my 6600 GT any time I had more than 7-8 sims on the screen (no matter what the graphic settings). Now it runs great.

So if you have a Nvidia card, OFB should definitely be a purchase, bugs or not.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I have to agree (and I too have NVidia the GEforce FX 5200) that graphics are much better overall, but at present I have hardly any downloads in, so maybe that's part of the difference.  But loading time is phenomenal at present!

[sunkitten]

I'm having the opposite problem with my Radeon 9600 (new card, just installed a week and a half ago)... things are less clear than they were, and become incredibly blurry at the highest settings. My computer has 1 gb of RAM, but it's an older one with an Athlon 1800+ processor. I don't know whether updating drivers will fix it, but hope so, since I can't afford a better computer for a while.

[Renatus]

OFB cleared up the polygon spike problem I had on the neighborhood screen with any lot that had any elevation changes or ponds and would cause the entire computer to crash if I scrolled around with a spike on the screen. I've finally been able to look at the default downtown!
Things in general look pretty good, maybe a bit better than with NL - however, I am having a problem with some of the lighting. Not sure if I have a lingering lighting mod or not that is causing problems, but with the 60 simolean overhead light it cast light, but the light itself was black and objects in the room were dark, as if the room was unlit. That was a lot I just made, though, and I was having other problems with it.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I used that spotligt thing too, and it didn't seem to work properly.  The wall spotlights seem ok though.

[speedreader]

I am having virtual memory issues since loading OFB and changing the setting back to medium neighborhood view. I have the Radeon 9000 and suspect I may need a new card AND more ram! (Currently 512 MB).  Ah, the price of Sims...

[radiophonic]

OFB cleared up the polygon spike problem I had on the neighborhood screen with any lot that had any elevation changes or ponds and would cause the entire computer to crash if I scrolled around with a spike on the screen. I've finally been able to look at the default downtown!
Things in general look pretty good, maybe a bit better than with NL - however, I am having a problem with some of the lighting. Not sure if I have a lingering lighting mod or not that is causing problems, but with the 60 simolean overhead light it cast light, but the light itself was black and objects in the room were dark, as if the room was unlit. That was a lot I just made, though, and I was having other problems with it.

It is more than likely the light mod. Many of the light definitions were not completed. The ceiling lights (many of them) did the same thing to me as well. I removed the mod and regained my sanity.

[birene]

Strange, sunkitten, I also have a Radeon 9600 and the graphics have improved significantly (although there might be a problem with neighbothood view, if left alone for to long --> crash?). It was kind of funny how I noticed, I don't pay attention to the details so often, but suddendly my furniture looked so strange... What the hell is it with that armorie? Zooming in, oh, wow, a highly defined shadow. 

(My Processor is a AMD 64 3200+ though, don't know if that makes the difference.)