Sims 2 - Minor Graphics Issues and Unsure If I Can Run Game

Hello everyone!

I've been lurking on this site for the past day or so in hopes of finding a solution to a minor problem I'm having with my game and eventually decided to create an account to ask for some advice so I apologise if this is something that has been answered before (and also for my painfully basic understanding of technology ).

I'll give you a bit of a backstory about my experience with the game so far.

About a week ago I decided to install all of my Sims 2 games onto my current laptop because nostalgia. Last night was the first time I had a chance to actually fire up the game and, in fairness, it worked a lot better than I expected it to. I do, however, have a few minor graphics issues which I would ideally like to fix if possible. When I move around the neighbourhood (I was in Pleasantview at the time) I notice that there is some consistent flickering/glitching of the lots and surrounding items. In regards to the visuals of the neighbourhood - it's not bad but it's not great. I don't appear to have the block texture shoreline but the water is more like a huge patch of blue with the odd wave running through it and I also have the hay-like grass. Everything in CAS appears to be alright so far, although it does lag a little when switching between options. I know The Sims 2 is an old game and I probably shouldn't complain considering I've managed to get this far with it but, as I said, these minor twinges are something that I would like to fix if possible. I haven't actually tested the game out on Live Mode yet which is what leads me onto the main issue.

Since last night, I've been searching the web to see if I can find any fixes for this but instead I found myself falling down a deep, dark hole of, let's say, paranoia and disappointment. Many of the posts and replies on Sims-related forums that I stumbled upon have said that there's no chance of The Sims (especially 2 and 3) ever actually working on a graphics card the same as or similar to mine without it potentially frying my laptop over time. As you can imagine, this has made me quite disheartened as I was really looking forward to being able to play again but finding out that even The Sims 4 (aka the newest of the franchise) might not be compatible without playing on awful settings put a serious dampener on my evening.

My laptop is less than a year old and was a gift from my dad so I obviously don't want to burn it out straight away (for practical reasons but also because I'm the worst for placing sentimental value on items bought for me by other people ) but I was wondering if anyone here could help me work out if I might actually have some chance of being able to run The Sims 2 if I were to download recommended graphics rules and video cards. This seems to be the only site with posts on this sort of topic that have actually been helpful and given me some hope but I'm not the most tech-savvy person, hence why I apologise once again if this has already been covered or if I'm too dumb to understand any of the existing posts.

Laptop info (this was copied from the System information in the Control Panel so please let me know if you need anything else):

LENOVO ideapad 320
Intel Core i3-7100U CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40GHz
Windows 10

I'll also attach my Config log below.

I know Windows 10 isn't an ideal edition to be running older games on so I understand if there aren't many options for my situation. My previous laptop was quite a new model back when I bought it and ran all of The Sims games quite well, although it did fall victim to that Windows 10 update "scandal" so I probably shouldn't hold out much hope just yet.

Apologies if this seemed very ramble-y, it's a bad habit of mine but I wanted to include as much information as possible. Any responses to this topic are greatly appreciated and I'll try and get back to you ASAP.

Thanks,

whatdreamitis

Attached File(s)

  LAPTOP-R7QDGS6D-config-log.txt (Size: 10.36 KB / Downloads: 399)

Hi @whatdreamitis,


What you see in most places around the www, sadly is true: there is not much hope for most Sims 2 players with modern-ish PCs/Laptops under Windows 10. Especially with the newer graphics cards, there is very little hope. But, do not fret; I think the "Intel® HD Graphics 620" might be among the ones that can still be made to cooperate. Our Resident Hardware Wizard, @Kunder will probably soon contact you with advice on that.

In the meantime, if you know how to use a text editor, you might be able to at least fix the Video Cards.sgr file. If you open it with a text editor, and scroll down to the section where it says:

Code:

vendor "Intel" 0x8086

you can add a line below that which reads:

Code:

card 0x5916 "Intel(R) HD Graphics 620"

after saving the file, at least your system would now recognize the card. But if you're not comfortable with doing that, I'm sure @Kunder will make that easier for you.

Good luck,
BO

You can try it. Depending on what version of WinX you have. Earlier versions, I'd say, pretty good chance, after Creators update? Hmmmm..... Dicey. Anything later? Forget it. You can also get an older HD620 driver. That will help.

@BoilingOil

I have one of those "MegaFiles, to upload.

1. Where do you want it.
2. It needs to be editable, or having the ability to upload frequently, while deleting the old one.

(16-05-2019 03:40 PM)Kunder Wrote:  I have one of those "MegaFiles, to upload.

1. Where do you want it.
2. It needs to be editable, or having the ability to upload frequently, while deleting the old one.

I think it would fit best right here in the "Sims 2 Graphics Cards" section. And if you have the ability to edit your posts, you can also edit it later to remove and replace an attached file. Simply use the "Full Editor" button to access the required features.

Whenever I appear online, I always check all new threads, so I cannot miss it. Once the thread is in place, I will make sure it has a Sticky so it will always stay at the top on the list.

Sounds good. I'm trying to get TS2 to run on HD630 graphics on a new, Acer Nitro 5 Special edition. Unfortunately, it's Win 10, so we'll see. If successful, I'll have another video card to add to it first.