Nvidia video card crashing SimCity not starting

[cjsimmy 0]

I have played Sim City RH on this same computer with the same video card 2 years ago with no problem. I uninstalled it and now have re- installed the game. However, now when I go to start the game, it seems the video card crashes and everything looks like it would in Safe Mode. The game never starts.

I then updated the driver for my GForce 7300 LE (PCI Express x16). It does the same thing.

I just can't figure out why this is.

  Edited February 19, 2012 by cjsimmy  

[Cougar2004 127]

I have played Sim City RH on this same computer with the same video card 2 years ago with no problem. I uninstalled it and now have re- installed the game. However, now when I go to start the game, it seems the video card crashes and everything looks like it would in Safe Mode. The game never starts.

I then updated the driver for my GForce 7300 LE (PCI Express x16). It does the same thing.

I just can't figure out why this is.

Have you checked the Error Log Files for hints?

If you have updated your Graphics Driver since you last played, have you tried downgrading your Graphics Driver to the exact version you used successfully 2 years ago?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

This is probably a simple matter. The game was written well before cards with even anti-aliasing came out. Check in your graphics control panel in the operating system, and make sure that every 3D option is set to 'application selected' or words to that effect. This legacy game cannot withstand any newer graphics options.

Failing that, run in software mode. Machines are so fast these days, you'll hardly notice.

[cjsimmy 0]

What does run in software mode mean?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

What does run in software mode mean?

Add this option to the target line of your shortcut:

-d:software

It goes after the final quote of the pathname and is preceded by one space.

You can also set this option in the game's graphics panel if you can get it up long enough.

  Edited February 21, 2012 by A Nonny Moose  

[PBGV103 729]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I've have a few issues running in software mode in the past, one being shadows, particularly those under bridges. Is there a fix that I'm just unaware of?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I've have a few issues running in software mode in the past, one being shadows, particularly those under bridges. Is there a fix that I'm just unaware of?

Run your shadows on medium and just put up with it. Unless you are making a CJ, what does it matter.

Yes there are a few frogs in software mode, but if your hardware acts up the way mine does, it is preferable to not running.

[PBGV103 729]

On a side note, I also tried running the game with OpenGL instead of DirectX. OpenGL made all transparency either solid white or black and scrambled the image while scrolling. I'm assuming everyone else who's tried it has had the same experience?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

On a side note, I also tried running the game with OpenGL instead of DirectX. OpenGL made all transparency either solid white or black and scrambled the image while scrolling. I'm assuming everyone else who's tried it has had the same experience?

Yup. The GLUT library was unstable at the time this was coded into SC4. Heck, not even all the GLUT tutorials from the OpenGL site work these days because some of the stuff that has been denigrated for a while has finally been removed. I am beginning to think that OpenGL is some kind of in-group joke among a specific set of developers. It is really a shame.

I've been fooling with it a little, and am slowly going nowhere because I can't find reliable information, even from the home site. I'd like to try OpenGL for fun and experience, but now I am busy learning some stuff about GTK 3 which came out this year.

[PBGV103 729]

Ok, final question: In your opinion, will it be better to run the game in software mode but at 7680x1600 or stick with hardware at 1920x1080? I've discovered that multiple monitors (at least 2x1680x1050) is possible, but it seems to only work in software mode. While I love working with multiple displays, and 3ds max would certainly be amazing at that high resolution, I would be a little disappointed if I even bought just one 2560x1600 display and simcity refused to load. I wish stores actually sold high resolution display so I could test things out a little before jumping in.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

OK, final question: In your opinion, will it be better to run the game in software mode but at 7680x1600 or stick with hardware at 1920x1080? I've discovered that multiple monitors (at least 2x1680x1050) is possible, but it seems to only work in software mode. While I love working with multiple displays, and 3ds max would certainly be amazing at that high resolution, I would be a little disappointed if I even bought just one 2560x1600 display and simcity refused to load. I wish stores actually sold high resolution display so I could test things out a little before jumping in.

According to my calculations a 2560 PX wide monitor at 16:9 would be 2560 x 1440, so I don't understand your question. If your processors are fast enough, I'd say that if you got 'em use 'em. The game does not directly support multiple monitors, so how you do that is up to you, but before I go blowing all kinds of money on fancy software and hardware, give your head a shake. This game does not require a "mission control" set up. Remember, it is a game. What other use would you have for all that fancy gear?

Surely you don't mean 7850 x 1600? It would be wide and narrow like a panorama.

I find 1920 x 1080 quite satisfactory in either mode but I do have a magnifying glass handy to read some of the type that you get. It comes out in around 3 point. Maybe you have been looking at the wrong web sites?

[GMT 389]

as for the resolution, I am more than happy with full hd (1920x1080)

for the crashes, since I created an application profile for sim city 4 in the nvidia control panel and changed settings, making the game run way more stable on my gtx560ti.

here's the settings

Anisotopic Filtering: Off

All Antialiasing Options: Off

Maximum pre-rendered frames: 0 (Leaving this at the suggested 3 caused me issues)

Multi-dispay/Mixed GPU acceleration: Single Display Performance mode (I have dual monitors so forcing this to singe helped)

Texture Filtering - Anisotropic: Off

Texture Filtering - Negative LOD Bias: Clamp (This setting was also causing issues)

Texture Filtering - Quality: High Quality

Texture Filtering - Trilinear Optimization: On

Threaded Optimization: On

Triple Buffering: Off (This was an absolute requirement to have off)

Veritcal Sync: Force Off (This was also an absolute requirement to have turned off)

(copied from this thread. also consider the command line extensions discussed)

[PBGV103 729]

The Dell u3011 is 16:10 @ 2560x1600 pixels, or about 4.1MP. I guess I mostly want 7680x1600 setup just to say I've done it, but after measuring my desk only one or two of those monitors will actually fit, not three. Hahaha Anyway, I really just hate my current monitor, it's only bright enough if the room is completely dark, whites look yellow, and greens are always too saturated. It's a 2 year old Samsung P2570HD monitor (1920x1080), and most seem to get good reviews so maybe I just got a lemon. And as far as that Dell goes, despite the steep price tag, I love the idea of all that screen real estate, the color accuracy, and the warranty that covers everything for three years, even a single dead pixel and they'll replace it.

Also, anyone who has Nvidia Mosaic or AMD Eyefinity should be able to run the game across multiple monitors, as long as the monitors are identical.

Part of this is about pushing the limits of what we can do with this game. It seems like things have been slightly stagnate recently. If it's possible to play BF3 at super high resolutions, a non-demanding game like this should do the same.

PS. Supposedly this works very well with running SC4 with OpenGL.

  Edited February 23, 2012 by PBGV103  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The Dell u3011 is 16:10 @ 2560x1600 pixels, or about 4.1MP. I guess I mostly want 7680x1600 setup just to say I've done it, but after measuring my desk only one or two of those monitors will actually fit, not three. Hahaha Anyway, I really just hate my current monitor, it's only bright enough if the room is completely dark, whites look yellow, and greens are always too saturated. It's a 2 year old Samsung P2570HD monitor (1920x1080), and most seem to get good reviews so maybe I just got a lemon. And as far as that Dell goes, despite the steep price tag, I love the idea of all that screen real estate, the color accuracy, and the warranty that covers everything for three years, even a single dead pixel and they'll replace it.

Also, anyone who has Nvidia Mosaic or AMD Eyefinity should be able to run the game across multiple monitors, as long as the monitors are identical.

Part of this is about pushing the limits of what we can do with this game. It seems like things have been slightly stagnate recently. If it's possible to play BF3 at super high resolutions, a non-demanding game like this should do the same.

PS. Supposedly this works very well with running SC4 with OpenGL.

Very good luck to you. You might consider LG Flatron monitors. Mine is a model 2442W, which has a 24" diagonal, can be run horizontal or vertical and is bright enough to see in full sunlight. It is a p1080 screen with full HD capability including sound, which is crappy. I have a set of SONY speakers.

If you have other apps that run like mission control it will probably be a lot of fun. Maybe you can construct a mosaic.