Video weirdness

i_b_spectre · 03-14-10, 02:44 PM

After a long hiatus following a hard drive failure, I finally reloaded SH3 and installed GWX 3.0. Great mod, btw, kudos to the always excellent team.

Anyway, on the last two missions I have experienced a video anomaly heretofore unknown to me. It only happens when I am looking through the periscope, but the image seems to freeze, then it deteriorates from the outer edges of the periscope view toward the middle. Once this begins, it affects all other video within the game and I have to exit. The last time, I had been trying to elude a destroyer in bad weather for almost two hours, alternating between internal and external views to try and keep some sort of situational awareness. I never had any glitch switching from surface to submerged or internal views. Only when I raised the periscope and began trying to get a solution on a target. This is the same hardware and video driver I used before the hard drive failure and this never happened before. It's an old ATI 9800 Pro, so updating to newer drivers will not work. Any ideas?

CWorth · 03-14-10, 04:36 PM

Almost sounds like a possible overheating problem.Usually what you are describing is one of the symptoms of that.

vergol · 03-14-10, 04:59 PM

First try installing different drivers - newest, then perhaps something older.

Then try deactivating mods. They sometimes have incompatibilities that may cause graphical glitches similar to yours.

If that doesn't work, try reinstalling the game.

If you exhaust all of these possibilities, it may be a hardware issue. You mentioned your HDD failed at some point. Are you running a restored backup on a different drive/hardware?

i_b_spectre · 03-14-10, 08:03 PM

More info: I turned off the high quality textures in the video options of GWX and reloaded from my last mission save point. Everything was normal and I was able to complete 99% of the mission without further anomalies. I was within 20km of returning to base and got a BSOD after trying to save and continue the game.

One other thing I may need to try is moving my DXDiag slider for the sound acceleration to "none". That's where it was when I ran missions previously without the video anomaly, but I had moved it to "basic acceleration" to fix a problem I was having when flying IL-2. I'll try to minimize the variables systematically and maybe I'll find the cure.

I've read that any of the drivers newer than Cat 7.11 will cause problems with the 9800 Pro as they were meant for newer cards. I've only had the card for 7 years, but it's done the job for the older games I play. Rather than overheating, it almost seems like a memory leak, but that seems unlikely if I'm the only one experiencing it. Thanks for the tips, guys.

i_b_spectre · 03-15-10, 07:06 PM

So much for troubleshooting the video issue

When I try to launch GWX or even the vanilla SH3, the game loads to the point where I should be looking at the helmsmen and chief in the control room, only I'm getting "game paused" on a black screen. Mouse pointing on all the menu items and along the borders produces the expected results, but the screen stays black with "game paused" and does not respond to keyboard input. Am I looking at a total reinstall?

Nordmann · 03-16-10, 06:21 AM

You've had the card 7 years? There's your problem, it's probably on it's last legs and is having a hard time handling intense 3D rendering. I'd say it's time to upgrade to something a lot newer.

i_b_spectre · 03-16-10, 02:56 PM

Okay, first, it's not the video card. The back recesses of my mind seemed to recall posts a few years ago about deleting the SH3 file in My Documents to address problems running the game. That got the game usable again, so now back to trying settings.

CWorth · 03-16-10, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_b_spectre

Okay, first, it's not the video card. The back recesses of my mind seemed to recall posts a few years ago about deleting the SH3 file in My Documents to address problems running the game. That got the game usable again, so now back to trying settings.

Quote:

the image seems to freeze, then it deteriorates from the outer edges of the periscope view toward the middle.

Whether you want to accept it or not this is a video card rendering issue not the game files or anything else.

The old card could very well be showing signs of failure.Game freezes,artifacting etc. are sure signs of video card heat or other problems.

A 7 years old card would be getting pushed with SH3 to begin with as the card is already 2 years older that the game itself.And with GWX installed would be pushed even more.

It may be time to look at updating as you can get a very good AGP based ATI 4760 card that I use and run at 1600x1200 8xAA and 8xAS with GWX and no slowdown at all.

http://www.hisdigital.com/us/product2-448.shtml

vergol · 03-16-10, 05:37 PM

Are you trying to load a save that is on approach to Wilhelmshaven? SH3 doesn't like loading saves submerged or near high-traffic areas. Try starting a new patrol.

Not sure if you mentioned this before, but are you having graphics issues with any other games?

03-14-10, 02:44 PM	#1
i_b_spectre Engineer Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 205 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	Video weirdness After a long hiatus following a hard drive failure, I finally reloaded SH3 and installed GWX 3.0. Great mod, btw, kudos to the always excellent team. Anyway, on the last two missions I have experienced a video anomaly heretofore unknown to me. It only happens when I am looking through the periscope, but the image seems to freeze, then it deteriorates from the outer edges of the periscope view toward the middle. Once this begins, it affects all other video within the game and I have to exit. The last time, I had been trying to elude a destroyer in bad weather for almost two hours, alternating between internal and external views to try and keep some sort of situational awareness. I never had any glitch switching from surface to submerged or internal views. Only when I raised the periscope and began trying to get a solution on a target. This is the same hardware and video driver I used before the hard drive failure and this never happened before. It's an old ATI 9800 Pro, so updating to newer drivers will not work. Any ideas? __________________ Spectre

03-14-10, 08:03 PM	#4
i_b_spectre Engineer Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 205 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	More info: I turned off the high quality textures in the video options of GWX and reloaded from my last mission save point. Everything was normal and I was able to complete 99% of the mission without further anomalies. I was within 20km of returning to base and got a BSOD after trying to save and continue the game. One other thing I may need to try is moving my DXDiag slider for the sound acceleration to "none". That's where it was when I ran missions previously without the video anomaly, but I had moved it to "basic acceleration" to fix a problem I was having when flying IL-2. I'll try to minimize the variables systematically and maybe I'll find the cure. I've read that any of the drivers newer than Cat 7.11 will cause problems with the 9800 Pro as they were meant for newer cards. I've only had the card for 7 years, but it's done the job for the older games I play. Rather than overheating, it almost seems like a memory leak, but that seems unlikely if I'm the only one experiencing it. Thanks for the tips, guys. __________________ Spectre

03-15-10, 07:06 PM	#5
i_b_spectre Engineer Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 205 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	So much for troubleshooting the video issue When I try to launch GWX or even the vanilla SH3, the game loads to the point where I should be looking at the helmsmen and chief in the control room, only I'm getting "game paused" on a black screen. Mouse pointing on all the menu items and along the borders produces the expected results, but the screen stays black with "game paused" and does not respond to keyboard input. Am I looking at a total reinstall? __________________ Spectre

03-16-10, 06:21 AM	#6
Nordmann Commodore Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: England Posts: 628 Downloads: 62 Uploads: 0	You've had the card 7 years? There's your problem, it's probably on it's last legs and is having a hard time handling intense 3D rendering. I'd say it's time to upgrade to something a lot newer. __________________ "I must confess that my imagination refuses to see any sort of submarine doing anything but suffocating its crew and floundering at sea." - H. G. Wells

03-16-10, 02:56 PM	#7
i_b_spectre Engineer Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 205 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	Okay, first, it's not the video card. The back recesses of my mind seemed to recall posts a few years ago about deleting the SH3 file in My Documents to address problems running the game. That got the game usable again, so now back to trying settings. __________________ Spectre

03-14-10, 04:36 PM	#2
CWorth Grey Wolf Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Gettysburg PA Posts: 845 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Almost sounds like a possible overheating problem.Usually what you are describing is one of the symptoms of that.

03-14-10, 04:59 PM	#3
vergol Machinist's Mate Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 121 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 0	First try installing different drivers - newest, then perhaps something older. Then try deactivating mods. They sometimes have incompatibilities that may cause graphical glitches similar to yours. If that doesn't work, try reinstalling the game. If you exhaust all of these possibilities, it may be a hardware issue. You mentioned your HDD failed at some point. Are you running a restored backup on a different drive/hardware?

03-16-10, 05:37 PM	#9
vergol Machinist's Mate Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 121 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 0	Are you trying to load a save that is on approach to Wilhelmshaven? SH3 doesn't like loading saves submerged or near high-traffic areas. Try starting a new patrol. Not sure if you mentioned this before, but are you having graphics issues with any other games?