The patch ruined my game - Now with pictures!

[Andygal]

go to "run" in the start menu and type "Dxdiag"  in the box to access dxdiag.

[Brynne]

oh, sorry...
go to your start menu. Click start, then click "run". Type dxdiag in the box.  Hit "ok". Then dx will begin it's diagnosis...you can also test certain graphical things. It's pretty self explanatory. When you see it, you'll understand.

[Brynne]

Beat me to it because I insisted on rambling...

[GloamingMerle]

What about deleting Groups.cache from the MyDocuments/EAGames/Sims2 folder? I could be way off base, but from the reading I did last night, it can be really helpful to delete it.. especially after making major changes to the game. It could be that her/his game was on the brink, and the patch knocked it over the edge. The way I see it, if it can't hurt, why not? MaxoidTom himself said it was perfectly safe to do so.

[Regina]

but I cant work out why updating or rolling back drivers would affect the craziness with the control panel.

Sometimes the craziness of drivers just doesn't make sense--it still doesn't to me and I've seen some pretty weird things with some of my games.

When I first installed TS2 none of my created sim's icons would show up in the family bar--they were simply blank.  All previously created sims (the ones that shipped with it) showed up fine.  Also in the neighborhood view the houses I built had no walls while in the default neighborhoods everything was there.

So, I updated my video drivers and possibly had to re-install my game (can't recall for sure) and voila!  Everything was fine on that end.

At this point, my CivCTP wouldn't run and it had run just fine before updating those drivers.  I updated drivers again and this time TS2 and CivCTP ran fine, but then my SimCity 4 game's graphics went wonky, whereas before the last driver update it was doing excellently.

Finally, I threw my hands up in despair and bought a newer and supposedly better video card.  I installed it and now both TS2 and SC4 work, although I've yet to attempt CivCTP.  Oddly enough, this new and improved video card gives TS2 less graphic options than my old one did.

So you see, in my limited brain capacity absolutely none of this makes any sense. LOL

[Renatus]

So you see, in my limited brain capacity absolutely none of this makes any sense. LOL

Don't be too hard on yourself, Misty - often computers just don't make sense. Too often it seems more like an art than a science, and computer repair was my job for two years. I don't call it 'digital necromancy' now for nothing!

[Regina]

So you see, in my limited brain capacity absolutely none of this makes any sense. LOL

Don't be too hard on yourself, Misty - often computers just don't make sense. Too often it seems more like an art than a science, and computer repair was my job for two years. I don't call it 'digital necromancy' now for nothing!

Thanks for that!  I only wish I had saved screenshots of some of those pretty weird things.  I just went and looked through Sonofajoiner's album on the Exchange and while I haven't seen that same problem in my game I did have something odd happen with a house in the neighborhood view which that reminded me of.  As long as that house wasn't in my viewing area everything was fine.  As soon as I'd scroll toward it, oddly colored graphical images started taking over my whole screen, sometimes red, sometimes yellow or green.  In this case, dozing the house solved the problem.  Sometimes the graphic weirdness looked like it was coming out of the house, sort of panning out like a search light.  Other times it'd just take over the whole screen.  Unfortunately, I don't think sonofajoiner's problem would be solved by dozing, but it might be solved, as suggested, with a different set of drivers.

I know one of the first recommended things to do after installing a new graphic card is to get online and look for updated drivers and I think most of us try to do that.  I decided after my last fiascos that for the time being I'm leaving well enough alone and not going after any updates.

[Bangelnuts]

So you see, in my limited brain capacity absolutely none of this makes any sense. LOL

Don't be too hard on yourself, Misty - often computers just don't make sense. Too often it seems more like an art than a science, and computer repair was my job for two years. I don't call it 'digital necromancy' now for nothing!

Thanks for that!  I only wish I had saved screenshots of some of those pretty weird things.  I just went and looked through Sonofajoiner's album on the Exchange and while I haven't seen that same problem in my game I did have something odd happen with a house in the neighborhood view which that reminded me of.  As long as that house wasn't in my viewing area everything was fine.  As soon as I'd scroll toward it, oddly colored graphical images started taking over my whole screen, sometimes red, sometimes yellow or green.  In this case, dozing the house solved the problem.  Sometimes the graphic weirdness looked like it was coming out of the house, sort of panning out like a search light.  Other times it'd just take over the whole screen.  Unfortunately, I don't think sonofajoiner's problem would be solved by dozing, but it might be solved, as suggested, with a different set of drivers.

I know one of the first recommended things to do after installing a new graphic card is to get online and look for updated drivers and I think most of us try to do that.  I decided after my last fiascos that for the time being I'm leaving well enough alone and not going after any updates.

I forgot to take a screen shot of an odd error that occured in my game tonight. I had a hooker over at Bella Goth's house tonight to satify a want she had about woohooing with 5 different sims when the woohoo was done  and she got the aspiration points and the want fulfilled I told her  to dismiss the hooker went to the DMA Panel to refresh Bella's needs so I could have her call her fiancee and ask him on a date   I look and her Icon says she is chatting with the hooker the only problem was  he was invisible! Im thinking ok Bella has lost her mind and is talking to thin air a second or two later I see the tv remote appear in thin air I finally figured out that there was a sim there he was  simply invisible.so I tell Bella to dismiss him and as soon as she did that he materialized. I then sent her to the phone to call her fiancee which she did and had a great date with him  .

[FutureCat]

Looking at your album was like deja vu - I had identical problems with weird textures appearing on walls, floors, clothing, faces, etc, and the control panel breaking up (mine never developed teeth though! ).  I'd made sure I had the latest video card drivers as instructed, so I was convinced my game must be broken... until my partner (who's a lot more techy than me) suggested going back to an older driver, which completely fixed the problem.

[sonofajoiner]

Well, having applied a mixture of various folks advice, I seem to have finally fixed the problem more or less. No more teeth and eyeballs all over the control panel, and a dramatic reduction in sudden sim ugliness. Now there is only a momentary graphic distortion in the neighbourhood view once the game is loaded but thats it. It would appear that the other half's insistence that the drivers were completely up to date was based on complete and utter lies.

[Danni]

Drivers are only up to date for a few days now, it seems.

77.77 (or something) seems to be the most stable I've found

[Bangelnuts]

Drivers are only up to date for a few days now, it seems.

77.77 (or something) seems to be the most stable I've found

thats true  as soon as you download and install the driver it seems like its obsolete already

[bluecatvon]

if it ain't broke, don't fix it. sometimes older versions of drivers are better than the shiny new ones

edit : just looked at your story, damn funny and scary at the same time watching the girl with the screwed up face! gave me a fright there. so how is your game now? any better?

[Regina]

I have a Radeon 9500/9700 card.  Maybe I should've left well enough alone?

That's what I learned.  As above, if it isn't broke, don't fix it.  I'm planning on building a new PC here in the next few months and when I do I'm not updating any drivers unless something just doesn't work.  It's entirely too scary otherwise!

[MokeyHokey]

77.77 (or something) seems to be the most stable I've found

if it ain't broke, don't fix it. sometimes older versions of drivers are better than the shiny new ones

Yeah, you know, I used to use 77.77 successfully--then I read after NL that object specularity (which as I understood it, it is basically what makes my countertops and schtuff  look nice and shiny and REAL) was gone.  We wound up restoring our hard drive and my husband insisted on using drivers recommended for WOW--nVidia 6.1.7.7--and not only do I have bumpmaps without Rivatuner, I seem to have got shiny countertops back.  Among other pretty things.   Methinks I'll stick with this extremely outdated driver until I am forced to give it up.

[Bangelnuts]

77.77 (or something) seems to be the most stable I've found

if it ain't broke, don't fix it. sometimes older versions of drivers are better than the shiny new ones

Yeah, you know, I used to use 77.77 successfully--then I read after NL that object specularity (which as I understood it, it is basically what makes my countertops and schtuff  look nice and shiny and REAL) was gone.  We wound up restoring our hard drive and my husband insisted on using drivers recommended for WOW--nVidia 6.1.7.7--and not only do I have bumpmaps without Rivatuner, I seem to have got shiny countertops back.  Among other pretty things.   Methinks I'll stick with this extremely outdated driver until I am forced to give it up.

I cant blame you there  my PC is going in for a new hard drive with more capacity and a new video card system .the computer expert is also going to up my processor speed  at the same time. I am lucky  his wife plays the sims2 and ep's so he is very familiar with how to get the bumpmaps etc... in game and to get my special events camera enabled

[bluecatvon]

Just noticed something like this last night - the floor tiles extending past the walls on structures surrounding the lot I was playing.  It hadn't happened before last night; it's a brand new 'hood too, only 2 families played in it, one in Downtown, one on the Uni campus.  Anyway, I immediately thought of your hilarious album.

i'm not sure but it's only a guess.. have you tried deleting the floor tiles? like pressing ctrl while in build mode?