I have some of the weirdest graphical glitches invading my game. I am using the new ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card.

Here's a pic of an example in neighborhood view:



The glitches seem to randomly appear in neighborhood view, the family portraits on the loading screens, inside residential lots, etc. The glitch seems to be a random collection of images from my game (pictures of my Sim families, snippets of my neighborhood, or even objects from inside my lots). It happens without exception in neighborhood view on any lots that I have built, modified, or played.

This wouldn't be such a big deal, but when the glitches appear inside my residential lots (usually along the street or the edge of the lot), they make gameplay an extremely unpleasant experience.

Also, sometimes my game locks up during lifetime event movies. Which it shouldn't, with 1 GB of high-speed VRAM.

I do not have this problem with computers that use different graphics cards.

I have all of the expansions up to and including Free Time installed, and have installed the latest Free Time patch (which fixed the notorious black TV/computer screen problem, but didn't help the glitches).

I have tried reinstalling the game, and even a fresh install of Windows with all of the latest drivers for my hardware. I have checked all of the temps on my PC and graphics cards, and nothing is overheating. I have tried running the game at different screen resolutions and in windowed mode, but it doesn't help.

I have this problem on two of my computers, which have identical builds:

Custom-built gaming PCs:

Intel Core2 Quad CPU 2.4 GHz
2.00 GB ATI DDR3 RAM
ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 1 GB video card
DFI LAN Party ICFX3200-T2/G motherboard
RealTek HD Audio (onboard sound card)
Western Digital 320 GB hard drive
Windows XP Home SP2
Dual monitor setup
Liquid-cooled (but not overclocked yet)

So I think I can narrow the problem down to an incompatibility with the ATI 3870 card. My PCs run other games just fine, including Crysis and Oblivion at maxed graphics and 1920x1200 resolution.

I read the articles in the Wiki relating to graphical issues, but couldn't find any information that resolved this specific problem. I did try both the old and new drivers for my card (including the original drivers that were shipped with my card), and the latest DirectX, with the same glitches no matter what. So I am using the latest drivers now.

Any suggestions that might help here? Has anyone else using this graphics card experienced this problem? I have tried looking into this issue with ATI and Maxis, to no avail. Perhaps there is another solution, or maybe I will just have to wait and see if ATI releases some more compatible drivers. . .

Thanks so much for any help,
Mairi :lovestruc

Do you have the Freetime patch- it fixed some issues with other ATI cards, so it's worth trying.

I think you've pretty much already had it figured out.. this card is not one of the cards supported by the game.. and it does look like the end result is that it's truly not compatible. Especially since you have the same problem on two computers using two different cards of this exact same kind.

You could try using some different drivers.. http://www.omegadrivers.net/ati.php

Hmm, thanks for the tip about the different drivers. But I think I will stick with the drivers I have, since I know that they work well for my other games, and just live with the glitches. I think that the 3870 card is just too new for a lot of games to be fully compatible with (especially since the Sims 2 has been out for several years).

I do have the Free Time patch installed, and it fixed a few little issues but not this one. At least Maxis addressed some of the issues. Maybe they will release another compatibility patch for the 3870 soon. If not, ah well.

At least my computer runs the game perfectly, and the glitches are only an annoyance. They don't actually corrupt gameplay; they just make you want to put curtains over your Sims' windows so they can't see the weird pixellated glitch-monster thing lurking in their backyard, lol. That's got to be hard on their Environment score, eh?

Perhaps this example will help someone else who is choosing a new graphics card for their Sims game. Check compatibility first, before you buy! If you really want a card that is known to be incompatible with this game (like I did), be prepared to make some interesting visual sacrifices. I still love my card, though.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer this thread, guys. It's great to be part of a community where so many people are willing to help one another.

Happy Simming!
Mairi :lovestruc

It's definitely worth trying the patch and the Omega drivers though- the patch fixes a lot of other issues too, and the Omega drivers can always be removed if you don't like them.

I just realized that I had altered my game's configuration files (on both of the computers) to support my native resolution of 1920x1200. Perhaps that is the problem? I will try restoring my original config files when I get a chance and see if that fixes it. I had altered the files so long ago that I had forgotten all about it.

If not, perhaps I will give the Omega drivers a shot.

Thanks again!
Mairi

Post back and let us know if something works.. curious to find out if it's the card or something else. Good luck!

Well, restoring my original config file didn't work. Nor did the Omega drivers. Nor did ATI's just-released drivers. Nor did the Free Time patch. Sigh.

Guess it's just plain incompatible.

It's starting to be problematic inside my lots now. The glitch has actually covered part of one of my Sims' houses, making it completely unplayable. The glitch is in the kitchen and living room, showing a giant image of one of my other Sim family's portraits, and a clip of someone's garbage can. You can't see anything at all of the house or any Sims in that area now. I had to move that family out of the house and into another. They hope and pray everyday that the evil glitch won't come back and force them out of their new house.

Sniff.

Thanks again for the concern, and advice. If I find a solution to this (which I am working very doggedly on), I will let you know.

Edit: Okay, I did find a partial solution. I can turn off neighbors, clickable neighbors, and neighborhood decorations in the Options menu, and the glitches are not--so far, at least--visible inside my lots (though they still exist everywhere else). I am sad about turning that stuff off, but hey, at least I can play the glitched house now. It's not an optimal solution by any means, but it does work. (Wish I'd thought to try that before moving my family out of their house, lol.)

Mairi