Graphics display and insanity

[UnSalted]

OK, another problem with installing/re-installing SH4 Gold (and it's not a Registry problem unless I'm completely bonkers).

I installed the Gold DVD of SH4 a couple of months ago, played it and had a good time...the first time I had it loaded. After that I could never get the game to load correctly again. Here's the rig:

Maingear Prelude
Windows Vista 32 bit
i7 920 processor
3GB RAM
ATI Radeon 4870 1GB
500GB HD
Saitek keyboard and Logitech mouse
BenQ 20" WS monitor, 1680 x 1050 native resolution

Here's the problem.....I insert the DVD, click on the Play option when the screen pops up, and my screen immediately goes to a 600 x 480 resolution. I've tried a complete uninstall and new install after defrag and rebootat least 2 dozen times and it still goes bonkers on me.

I've changed the resolution to the entire range of options and no joy...it still loads up with a small segment of a screen which I can't figure out how to change since too small a segment of the desktop is available to fiddle with. The screen doesn't scroll enough for me to actually get to the settings so I can change them.

Anyone else have any experiences close to this? I've got about 8 games on here and have lost patience with SH4 over this, despite loving the game before I go this new rig.

Maybe I'll just wait for SH5 and give up on 4 completely.

[AVGWarhawk]

You should not have to load the disc if you have patched. Will it start with just clicking the icon. Why are you starting it off the disc?

[UnSalted]

For some reason it never creates the icon during installation. I have the SH4 Icon file so I have tried copying that to the Desktop as well as creating a Desktop shortcut from the SH4 Application File. I've tried running it from a double click on the SH4 Application file and there's no difference in how it launches, I still get the weird resolution shift.

[irish1958]

mmmm,,
I assume you chose a different resolution on the options screen.

[AVGWarhawk]

You will find your icon in the Games folder that has the MS chess game, solitary and other gobbledy goop there. Just right click and make a short cut to your desktop. All installed games put the icon in the Games folder. Just the way Vista does it. Click on the link and you will see all the MS games icons and my game icons in there. You will see COD WaW and SH4. I just right click and send to desktop.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q62/avgwarhawk/Capture.jpg

My desktop. See the icons?

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q62/avgwarhawk/Capture-1.jpg

Also, were did you load the game? In the MS program files? If so, I suggest you make a root folder for SH4. When done, reload the game and brows to this folder and load it there. Saves a lot of headaches when it comes to installing mods.

Also, I recommend you go to your card program and reset to default values. Start the game. It should run ok in the lowest resolution. Once done, close the game out and reset you video card to the setting you like. Vista hates to start the game correctly after a driver update or for the very first time you attempt to run the game and the video card is not on default settings.

[UnSalted]

I let it have it's own way when I it installed.

The game resides in Local Disk (C:) /Program Files/Ubisoft/Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific

As I said, it never created the icon during installation. I used the highlight/right click method on the SH4 Application file to Create Shortcut which puts the standard SH4 icon on the Desktop.

[drupps]

Thats what I did too. Works fine for me. Maybe settings from your previous install are causing the problem.

[irish1958]

Thats what I did too. Works fine for me. Maybe settings from your previous install are causing the problem.
That is possible; did you delete the folder for SilentHunter 4 in your "VirtualStore" folder before re-installing?

[UnSalted]

The card is running at it's factory default which is 1680x1050, 32 bit high per the Catalyst Control Center.

I checked the Users folder and found nothing like VirtualStore. The only reference I could find was a GameShadow document listing Silent Hunter 2 &4 which I'll remove now and try it again.

[SteamWake]

Looks like your default display is higher than your monitors default.. but whatever...

Here read this

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=133290

[UnSalted]

The monitor is a BenQ F202W which has a 1680x1050 native resolution. The card and montor are a great match for other games I'm running.

I read the Uninstall/Re-Install thread and looked at my Registry. When I use Windows Uninstall it removes the Registry Key that seems to cause the trouble. As I said I've got the SH4 Gold copy which may or may not be a late revision that "fixed" the problem. I can't tell becuase the same problem that causes the resolution glitch apparently is affecting GameShadow. When I try running that, I get a partial Window of the login screen that won't expand enough to use the Login button.


I'm not at the point where I'm calling Ubisoft bad names but it's getting close. :)

[SteamWake]

Is it possible your trying to run these apps at an unsupported resolution?

[UnSalted]

I've reset the resolution to 4 different settings after a full uninstall/erase/defragment. The results never vary no matter what I do. And I know it runs fine on a widescreen setting since I've run it before on this monitor.

[Galanti]

I've got a wierd issue in Vista 64 where I can't use anything lower than 4x AA, or the screen goes black after the intro movies.

I reset my card settings, reboot, rub the Buddha's belly, etc, to no avail. I can only go 8x and up.

This is only an issue because I want the sun halo back.

And is it just me, or do you have to apply insane amounts of AA to get the same effect you woul in other games with much less? And yes, I'm using the tweaks mentioned in the Nvidia settings thread (compatibility for EA Strategy games, supersampling, etc.)