unawesome noob politely requests advice concerning bv graphics compatability

[cari]

Hi guys, poke with sticks and whatnot if this is not supposed to be asked or has been... but I have been searching for ::checks clock:: four hours now and haven't found an answer to my queries.

First and foremost, I am wondering why all of a sudden, after installing BV, the game thinks my system is insufficient. I have technically had an inadequate graphics card (intel 945g, yes, please, laugh at me) since Uni or something but up until BV, with all the other EPs and a handful of SPs installed, the game has run just dandily (except that neighborhood water looks weird, but whatever, right?). I have 2 gigs of ram and a 2 ghz dual core processor which has I guess compensated for the shit graphics card. Why is BV so different? I uninstalled so that I could play again, because even after updating my drivers and reinstalling directx 9.0c as directed, the game still cannot seem to find it (directx, that is).

Is there any way to override that part of the load process, where the game 'checks' the system? I played Civ IV for a while and it had the decency to inform me that my system did not meet the requirements in the game, so that when I clicked 'ok' I could proceed to play anyways. I guess what I'm asking is if there is some similar thing to do for BV? I don't like, super need all the SecuRom drama or the mod conflict drama or any of that, but it would be nice to have walk to lot and hotel tools and things, you know? I got the game for Christmas so it's no real loss if it's simply impossible, but of course I'd like to play it if there's any way around this.

Alternately. And yes, this is probably the absolute stupidest question you'll ever get on this board... Is there a way to extract individual files from the BV cds and add them to the game, a la downloads, or otherwise? I said it was a dumb question. Thanks in advance for any help and/or mocking you may give.

[J. M. Pescado]

I think it's time get an ACTUAL graphics card. What you have there is not graphics card. BV has much more shiny things that a craptastical non-graphics-card simply cannot do. Get a real graphics card! Accept no Kewian-based substitutes!

[cari]

Yes but as it's integrated that requires a whole new laptop and that is not in the stars right now. Is there no hope at all, oh great one?

[J. M. Pescado]

Yes but as it's integrated that requires a whole new laptop and that is not in the stars right now. Is there no hope at all, oh great one?

Sell your ass. Buy a real computer. Accept no Kewian-based substitutes.

[Zazazu]

As a general rule, laptops aren't built to be gaming PCs. If you are buying one to be one, you are going to have to upgrade approximately every 2 years and it gets horribly expensive. It took me a long time to come to terms with that myself. Get desktop unit. A huge upgrade on a desktop will only run you $400ish as opposed to a laptop's $2000+ for a decent unit. If you truly can't afford it now (isn't that what tax refunds are for?) then you may have to live without BV until you can.

I know, life sucks. I waited 18 months to have a unit that would play Uru, and then the damned thing gave me motion sickness.

[Jelenedra]

Yeah, when the Sims 3 L&P comes out, all I have to do is get a new graphics card. Possibly a new motherboard. Much easier than buying a whole new insides/

[jolrei]

Yeah, when the Sims 3 L&P comes out, all I have to do is get a new graphics card. Possibly a new motherboard. Much easier than buying a whole new insides/

I'm not even thinking that far now, but I expect I will need at least a new video card, and moar ramz.  Hopefully the processor and mobo will be OK, but that's more than a year from now, so an upgrade requirement becomes more and more likely.  I may just build another whole rig (since my wife keeps bogarting the current desktop for work stuff).

[Jelenedra]

Well, I'm kinda assuming that I'll need a new motherboard to hook up the mad video cards I wanna get. It'd be a good time to switch to a PCI Express slot too. (Is that the right initials?) I'm pretty sure my power unit and processor will still be okay. I do want to get another tower though. I hate alienware. A freaking DESKTOP PC should NOT be FIFTY POUNDS. >_<

[J. M. Pescado]

Well, I'm kinda assuming that I'll need a new motherboard to hook up the mad video cards I wanna get. It'd be a good time to switch to a PCI Express slot too. (Is that the right initials?) I'm pretty sure my power unit and processor will still be okay. I do want to get another tower though. I hate alienware. A freaking DESKTOP PC should NOT be FIFTY POUNDS. >_<

Of course not. That's a Lappy weight, like mine, which is an extremely portable 42 pounds. A desktop PC that weighs less than YOU do is for WUSSIES!

[Jelenedra]

*laughs* Then it's not a desktop pc, silly. Unless of course your desk is a slab of titantium.

[kewian]

Kewians DO NOT support NOR do we recommend intel integrated shit cards... NViDIA is what you want 6150 le should be affordable and can handle all the nice things just fine.  Remember NEVER trust PESCADO brand as its full of preservatives and KILLS the environment.

[Jelenedra]

The Sims takes massive dumps on Nvidia cards, why would you want to mess with that? 

[kewian]

I have never seen a massive dump so I have no idea.  I heard ATI bite too. 

[Jelenedra]

It's the Nvidia cards that EAxis seems to forget exist and write up code that bugs the drivers out. ATIs never seem to have a problem with the Sims.

[cari]

As a general rule, laptops aren't built to be gaming PCs. If you are buying one to be one, you are going to have to upgrade approximately every 2 years and it gets horribly expensive. It took me a long time to come to terms with that myself. Get desktop unit. A huge upgrade on a desktop will only run you $400ish as opposed to a laptop's $2000+ for a decent unit. If you truly can't afford it now (isn't that what tax refunds are for?) then you may have to live without BV until you can.

I know, life sucks. I waited 18 months to have a unit that would play Uru, and then the damned thing gave me motion sickness.

As much as it's a money issue, it's an I-am-21-I-don't-have-a-permanent-residence issue. I go to school far from home (sometimes, like last semester, a continent away from home) and my family lives all over and I like to visit them. The portability is literally a necessity. Plus then I get to play with my simmies during all the airport delays I experience moving from place to place (four hours at Newark on Tuesday, I built a new house and fooled around with the playable school). A new computer is definitely on the horizon, though, and graduation should be about the same time I am ready for TS3...

[Ellatrue]

I can understand that, I bought mine for a similar situation.

Most laptops will advertise stuff like ram, processor and disk space, but screw you on the graphics card. If you know you will be gaming with it, you need to be very careful about checking the specs--especially if details about the graphics card don't appear to be listed at all. How did you end up with such a nice processor, but no graphics?

Uru made me sick, too. So I lay there nauseous on the bed while my friends finished the game in about 3 hours. Apparently there wasn't much to the gameplay, anyway.

[AuKestrel]

Yeah, when the Sims 3 L&P comes out, all I have to do is get a new graphics card. Possibly a new motherboard. Much easier than buying a whole new insides/

I hate to confess that my kid and I just built a (desktop) computer in anticipation of Spore. The fact that it ALSO plays Sims 2 marvellously is, of course, just a coincidence. *koff*

[morriganrant]

I have never seen a massive dump so I have no idea.  I heard ATI bite too. 

I have not heard about any of the Nvidia issues also happening with ATI cards. It seems like nearly every time someone's game refuses to play as it should, it's someone's "supported" Nvidia.
I have an ATI card that technically should not be able to play the sims ...or too much of anything really, and have only had graphics issues with "The Witcher". I have an ATI Radeon Xpress 200.

Edit: In bold, my fingers are frozen, so sue me. :p

[jolrei]

I have an ATI card that technically should (not?) be able to play the sims ...or too much of anything really, and have only had graphics issues with "The Witcher". I have an ATI Radeon Xpress 200.

(bold above is my edit)

Another one!  I have an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 (X300 chipset) built onto my ASUS mobo (PCIe architecture) and was convinced I would need a new card.  I have far fewer graphics errors/glitches than many people with far more expensive video cards.  I just keep crossing my fingers and hoping the computer doesn't find out it's not up to spec. 

If you are floating quietly 20 feet above the ground, it is vitally important not to believe anyone who says things like, "hey, you can't do that!"

[Jelenedra]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that my 9550 shouldn't be playing the sims either. And I play with all the graphics turned all the way up. (when I have all my RAM in that is)

[Zazazu]

My old laptop, even though it took 40 minutes to load up the game and about 20 minutes to load a lot, had a low-end ATI card that EAxis said wouldn't run the game. It did, with no graphical display issues.

I just got a new power supply (700 watts I think) with cooling and 2 gigs more RAM for a total of four, plus a Sapphire Radeon x1650 in October. That time this year, I'm upgrading the processor (currently, there's not much better than mine that isn't ludicrously expensive) and the main hard drive. Not the secondary--I barely even use that thing.

[cari]

How did you end up with such a nice processor, but no graphics?

It's the Sony way. They had others with better cards but less ram or whatever... they are dumb. Plus I wasn't buying, and my old one had died about a week before it was time to start writing my term papers that semester... I was really just happy to see a computer that turned on. Playing the Sims was of secondary interest, I didn't even think of it until 6 months later. I had forgotten I'd had it because I hadn't even attempted playing it since before college (yeah, why does a shit five year old desktop do something a new laptop won't? DUMB.)

My major confusion stems from the fact that it's running FINE right now, with all the EPs, a gig of CC, and a relatively well-developed Pleasantview that has five sub-hoods. No excessive loading times, medium to high graphics settings... but no BV. Lame.

[LadyArgonna]

Funny, I have a 6150 LE and the only problem I've ever experienced was a random game crash after about forty to sixty minutes of playing - that was fixed by a driver upgrade that B suggested. I never got to thank him, because evidently he's been swallowed up in that hellhole known as real life...
I am happily planning my next computer, though, and it will definitely have an ATI Radeon with moar memory.

[bowrain]

I just got a new power supply (700 watts I think) with cooling and 2 gigs more RAM for a total of four, plus a Sapphire Radeon x1650 in October.

*Gasp* What do you actually use your computer for? That sounds.....overkill. I envy.

[J. M. Pescado]

There is no overkill. Only "open fire" and "I need to reload".