What the... (a strange graphics glitch)

[IgnorantBliss]

I was taking some screenshots for objects last night and I was alt+tabbing between the game and Paint Shop Pro, when this suddenly happened:



The floor turned all weird, and then I saw this image on the grass outside. When I took a screenshot of it and alt+tabbed back into the game, it was gone. It repeated itself after a while, and then was gone again. Anybody ever seen this, and/or have any idea what might cause it?

[SaraMK]

nVidia card? I just installed one (against my better judgement) in one of my family's computers, because the stupid computer rejected four different ATI cards (some idiotic hardware conflict or something). Exact same thing started happening. It wasn't the drivers, since I updated and rolled back and tried several different ones while trying to get rid of a flourescent objects glitch (there is a thread somewhere around here about that).

I have seen other people complain of this problem. Always seems to be nVidia cards, and almost always they were either just ALT-TABing out of the game or using a graphic-heavy or RAM-draining program (which Photoshop/PSP definitely are) while the game was running. For me it happens after visiting community lots.

So, my guess is that either the graphic card's video memory was drained by whatever you were doing in PSP, or the computer's RAM was... or both. I don't use PSP so I don't know how RAM-draining it is, but Photoshop can just about drain all the RAM you have, and you never get some of it back even after closing the program.

You can also fix the glitch temporarily by going into Options and changing any of the graphic options (set texture detail level to low or something) and then either immediately change it back or click "No" when it asks if you want to keep the new settings. This works most of the time in my experience. Until the next time it happens, of course.

[Braveheart]

I was going to ask if you had an NVidia card too. I have an NVidia GeForce 5200 and for ages had major graphics glitches such as that. I finally (after trying dozens) have  hit on a driver that works fairly well so I'm not moving from this one. Its Version 7.8.0.1. Have the game running 90% graphic glitch free now. I am hoping that NVidia will address the Sims 2 problems in an update one day. In my opinion, its definately some sort of problem between NVidia cards and Sims2 as far as I can figure. Many others with NVidia cards have reported such problems also.

[Jorenne]

I too have an Nvidia card and get glitches like this too, my newspaer changescolour, and once the road outside the lot chaged into cow-head print. I also get luminous objects, and plumbob "shadows" in special event cinematics.

I've only been getting it since Nightlife, no matter which drivers I use.

[simmiecal]

Kinda funny (in a sad sort of way) that Maxis promotes nVidia cards and these are the cards that seem to have the most problems with the game.

[IgnorantBliss]

Ahh, thanks for the info, everyone. Yes, I have NVidia Geforce 6800 Ultra. I've been really happy with the video card otherwise, and this was just the first time this has happened in the four months or so I've had this card. Since the problem fixed itself pretty fast, I'm not too worried about it, unless it spreads itself into regular game play. The graphics otherwise look great.

But, yes, it's weird with all these NVidia compatibility issues with The Sims 2. The bumpmaps, specularity, the light green cow plants, and so on. With these current drivers I'm using (77.77) it's working fairly well, though.

[Avie]

Ah Nvidia. Truly they suck. Some six weeks ago Apple released an update of graphics drivers which immediately caused all of us lucky folk with a GeForce card to be unable to play Sims 2 at all (it caused the menus to fail and all the control bars to disappear) and this was top-end Macs. Naturally Aspyr (the mac conversion company) flew into a panic and rushed out a patch in a mere two weeks and Oh Joy! the control panel was restored. Useful.
GeForce  cards are prone to odd glitches, bad preformance and can cause crashes when a confict occurs. Needless to say I'm going to get shot of the useless GeForce FX5200 card that came with this PowerMac G5 for something that actually WORKS...

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, I have an Nvidia GeForce, and don't have any of the problems mentioned here.  the only thing that sometimes happens is some furniture goes dark and I have to click on it with Moveobjects on to get it to go back to the correct colour - but since this only happens occasionally, and only on specific lots (Maxis ones, naturellement) I think it is unrelated to the graphics programme.

What I don't do is alt+tab and then run a RAM-hungry programme while my game is still running in the background.

I remember reading there is a way of running Sims2 in a window which makes this less problematic, but other people said although it can be done, it doesn't work very well, but I suppose, if you're only going into your game to take pics, it's not so important that the game itself funs glitch free.

[idtaminger]

Well, I have an Nvidia GeForce, and don't have any of the problems mentioned here.  the only thing that sometimes happens is some furniture goes dark and I have to click on it with Moveobjects on to get it to go back to the correct colour - but since this only happens occasionally, and only on specific lots (Maxis ones, naturellement) I think it is unrelated to the graphics programme.

I got that once too, but I'm using an ATI card. So this particular problem isn't really a Geforce specific one, I don't think. No idea why it happens though.

[Ambular]

I also have a GeForce card, and routinely see a bug where the display randomly flips back to an earlier point in the game for a split second, then returns to the present.  I assumed it was some hack I was using until I moved my Downloads folder out of the game to test something and it still happened.  Now I'm wondering if it's the card...

[MokeyHokey]

Is your card cooled enough?  I'm still trucking along using 61.77 with the 6800 Ultra and haven't seen any glitches. I do remember Helena said that driver doesn't fix the specularity thing, but since I don't really understand that, I don't miss it. 

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, my game has never as far as I remember flipped back to an earlier point in the game! 

A lot of people report problems when they UPGRADE a video driver, which is understandable if the driver upgrade was not around when the game was completed.  Nearly always in those cases, if they go back to the one they originally had, the problem is solved - game and driver compatible.

[C.S.]

Not anywhere near awesome, have nothing helpful to add but first thought that came to mind when I saw the screenshot - crop circles!! Well, I thought it looked like storytelling material .

[IgnorantBliss]

Not anywhere near awesome, have nothing helpful to add but first thought that came to mind when I saw the screenshot - crop circles!! Well, I thought it looked like storytelling material .

Great idea!  Colored crop circles, too.