Another Red Water Prob!

[DecoraChroi]

I am able to see reflection, walls, tub baths, and pond water are all fine. Then I cannot understand why the faucet water, hot tubs and the neighborhood water (shown below) are flashing red. The video card is up to date and I have the most recent Direct X. My computer meets the game requirements and are set to their highest performance; although I could upgrade. Any solutions?

*attached image removed*

[Dread]

Wow! It's as-if someone stabbed Mr. Bubble! I have about the worst PC ever made, yet I've never had this prob...

[BeosBoxBoy]

what video card do you have? and what driver version do you have installed?

All the information I see on this error says: out-dated drivers.

If you have the latest version from the manufacturer try using an older version.

[DecoraChroi]

ATI Rage Fury Pro/Xpert 2000 Pro
128 Pro II AGP (4x/ PC1)
32 MB

Hardware exceleration - FULL

then I found Memory upgrade modules not Applicable

is this enough?

[BeosBoxBoy]

yeps - I see what your problem is

The xpert and xpress series of video chips by ATI were never meant for intense 3D like The Sims 2.  I posted this on the adult site and it bears repeating here:

The problem is indeed the ATI chipset - I have worked as a professional 3D designer and can tell you the problem is not unique to The Sims 2.  I have read several white papers on this and ATI changed its smoothing/shader approach on the xpress (& xpert) chipsets.  These chipsets (originally designed only for use on laptops) were never really intended for extensive 3D use.  In ATI's defence, at the time they were developing this technology, there were only rather rudimentary 3D games that used low-poly meshs and so relatively few polygons to smooth.  It has become rather vogue to own a laptop, so the number of laptops in circulation among the private sector has become rather higher than one might have expected based on the historic market.  So these chipsets may be marketed as game friendly, but they are not necessarily including most 3D gaming in that.

Now I see that some of these chipsets have found their way onto daughterboards and appear in towers, I suspect OEM vending may have started this trend, but who knows.

< snip >

I don't adhere to any religiosity about my hardware, I tend to be a solid "if it works, it is great as long as it works" sort of mercenary.  My personal and professional experience with ATI is they suck at coding drivers and on more than one occasion have found that no power short of the divine would make the defects of the drivers tollerable.  So I generally say "buy nvidia" if you can't afford a professional grade Matrox or 3Dlabs card specifically designed for intense 3D use.

Unclesparks added this:

Thanks Yakov! That's what I forgot to mention.  The Xpress is basically a 2D card with delusions of grandeur.  It technically is a gaming card, so even if you buy a complete "gaming" system from a vendor, you may end up with that card instead of a proper 3d card.

And my final addition in that thread

< snip >

The demand for cheaper and cheaper computer components has made QA Testing almost a thing of the past.  And it can be argued that the high prices made if more economically feasible for manufacturers to dump bad runs and take the loss, but the way corporate greed has taken over it has becime a question of the chicken or egg.  No telling which came first.

I see a lot of crappy cards these days.  too many.  The vendors are taking advantage of a largely ignorant market.  They know that the jargon is confusing even to tech heads, so they cram a lot of meaningless numbers and jargon on the cartonage, sell it en masse to WalMart and quickly disolve their corporation before the tech support costs begin to mount.

The best thing you can do is replace that card if you want to get away from this bug.  Trying different combinations of graphic settings may help reduce the problem, like maybe turn of reflections.  But the real problem lays in the card's inability to fully support pixel shading (for best smoothing and "bump mapping") and transparency (like water)

[DecoraChroi]

I did see that post somewhere. I guess Im just going to install a new video card myself. Also, I know this depends on the gamers choice and since I like the visual aspect and It doesnt have to be the best, which video card would you have in mind for just good performance overall?

[BeosBoxBoy]

Over at GSC Simbilly offered this advice and I really can't disagree with it, so I am quoting it here:

< snip >

Your best bet right now would probably be to hold off a bit until the lower priced (nVidia) 8800 Series cards become available some time in Feb or March

< snip >

The next batch of mainstream (nVidia) 8800 Series cards will blow the (nVidia) 7950 card away and will probably end up costing about the same.

He works for a major computer parts distributer, so I really believe his judgement and advice on technology hardware is impeccable

[DecoraChroi]

Thanks Yakov!

[spookymuffin]

Aw crap, I forked out a fortune for two 256mb nvidia 7900 cards!

[BeosBoxBoy]

Spooky - honey - you did right - it will probably be a year or more before they get "cheap" in EU and since you didn't ask me >_<

But two 7900 series cards is still high end stuff!

[spookymuffin]

Ok phew! Im glad they're not out of date just yet!
I better start saving now to replace them(high end gaming and the life of a poor student do not good bed-fellows make )

[DecoraChroi]

Im just wondering would an nVidia 8800 card be even outdated for Sims 3?

[BeosBoxBoy]

Since Sims 3 is due out in March 2009 - it is a hard thing to guess - I think it would be safe to say it would work - but who knows what sort of outrageous stuff they will think up to add to the game :lol:

[DarkDude28]

I am able to see reflection, walls, tub baths, and pond water are all fine. Then I cannot understand why the faucet water, hot tubs and the neighborhood water (shown below) are flashing red. The video card is up to date and I have the most recent Direct X. My computer meets the game requirements and are set to their highest performance; although I could upgrade. Any solutions?

I thinkit has to do with Moses and the red sea and all that. You should find someone to part the waters.