Sims2 Smooth Edges - Graphics

Well, I just updated my graphics card driver and that didn't help.

Will continue this ridiculous battle tomorrow.

@ Kiri & fansee: That didn't work, I found and changed it. I tried in both the Sims 2 and M & G it will not let me save the changes at all. I just get a message "Access is denied".

Kiri, you say "everything goes flicker" I once had a problem on a computer with a lesser graphics card than this one I'm on now and when sims would paint portraits or when shadows especially wall or groundshadows were visible there were lines. Is this what anti-aliasing means? If so, then I don't have to worry as I already have it looking right in game as in sims paint normally and there are no visible outlines to shadows, it's just greyed out as usual.

No - anti-aliasing on, means that the edge of the object is semi transparent so instead of looking like a pixelated curve, it looks like a smooth curve.

It takes extra work to render this, and it takes texture memory to do it. If you don't have enough texture memory, what happens is that it writes the texture in stages, hence the flickering.

However, if you don't have the texture memory, this is also true of the non-aliased texture as well - which is why you get LIF0 graphics, rather than PNG. PNG takes more memory.

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Fansee, I didn't expect that it would - but it was worth a try. (I'm in a break from work).

I'll look at this after work and see if I can come up with anything more.

My suspicion is that what will need to happen is resetting the texture memory in the graphic rules.sgr to override what it thinks its getting.

I am running Windows 8 Pro. Nvidia Geforce GTX 670.

OK. I have some cards for you - labelled by person.

Notes - I'm not convinced that this will fix the problem but

1. It will manually override your texture memory - and we'll be able to see if that works. If it does, it should make a difference.

2. If it doesn't work, there will be enough trace in the card to track down what the problem is.

Sailfin and Jon - yours should be closer to working as well.

How to install.

do not have any files open or any sims stuff running.
Go to folder
\The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff\TSData\Res\CSConfig\

save the two sgr files there by renaming them. (I generally add OLD somewhere in their name).
Take the rar file with your name, and copy it into the folder, and then unrar them so it puts in the 2 new files.

If you are getting an 'access denied' then it's likely that Windows thinks something else has ownership of those files. Check to make sure they are not marked read-only. Close down any applications that might have ownership (that includes Firefox or anything on the internet - don't ask me why, it just does).

Once they are successfully in your CSConfig folder, open up your game. Check your game options.

If the game options allow more than 800x600, and anti-alias - then we've won.

If it doesn't - don't panic - there is trace in config-log.txt to tell me what's happened. upload your latest config-log.txt.

Click on your name below for your set of cards...

Fansee
Jon
Michelle
Sailfin

A windows update will NOT edit your game files. Windows updates only affect the OS files, including graphics cards.

I didn't update and my updates do not automatically install. Go to Start / All Programs / Windows Updates. See which one may have affected graphics. Uninstalling one might help. Although in the list of optional updates available to me, none looked like a suspect.

Your other option would be system restore. Choose start, and type system restore into the box. This will open a dialog box for you to undo all those updates that took place. Before doing this though you'll want to turn off auto updating, and just have it notify you of new updates.

@ Lunie: (Hiiii!) Indeed, the Windows Update didn't actually touch the game files. That's what makes it so odd and confusing. In any case, I'd rather get the game to override these weird settings than disable the Windows Update entirely, if possible.


@ Kiri: Whoo!! Success!! Kinda. Your fix made my smooth edges come back!

But.... it screwed up some other things. I took some screenshots to show what got messed up. These things (except for "refresh rate") work fine with my old "Graphics Rules.sgr" so I guess it's a matter of copying the bits that fix smooth edges from your file into my old file. (Which bits would those be? I'll have a look and update this post if I figure it out.)

UPDATE: YAY! All fixed! I copied the texture memory line (seti textureMemory 1744) from Kiri's file into my own file and now smooth edges are back! The issues with snow, neighbours, event camera, etc. (in the attached pics) are gone.

Three cheers for Kiri!! Thanks so very much Kiri, and everyone else!

* fanseelamb gives kiri a great big hug and her slice of Nix's birthday cake

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I ended up uninstalling the windows update and turning off automatic updates (following this tumblr post). But it looks like I should have just hid this update and kept automatic updates on...

* Honeywell sighs

ETA:
Ooops! Can't link to my tumblr because mts is in the name.

* fanseelamb laughs and points at Honey's tumblr URL fail

(jk she knows I her and all that jazz... but still)