D3 video probs - help!

[Palzon]

I'm having a problem where intermitently my screen goes all wonky, with weird lines, grid patterns, and colors. I have one screen shot of it at about as bad as it gets.

My system is a P4 2.8 GHz. 1.5 gigs ram. ATI 9800 pro. I updated my vid card driver today and if anything, the problem is worse now.

Note: I have no display problems in anything but D3; not in regular PC use or other games (UT2004).

Edit: I have tried changing all settings i could think of, including switching to d3d. Though i didn't test d3d for that long, i did not notice the problem while using it...however...using d3d my game seemed to occasionally hiccup, i.e. skip a frame every now and then. I'm using the following command line options in D3: -deadzone0 0.2 -width 1280 -height 1024 -playermessages -nosparkles -framecap 0 -nomusic -usesmoothing -nointro.

Any suggestions?


Click the screeny to see problem in full glory:

[fliptw]

if they only thing you changed was the video driver, then that's the culprit.

[Palzon]

Nah, I changed the driver hoping that would fix the problem. I don't really think the new driver made it worse - perhaps i was being a lil dramatic.

Edit: thanks to Psion, Lion, and Judas for helping me in chat! It will take some testing to know for sure if it's fixed. If not I've got some ideas now thanks to Psion. Still open to other suggestions if anyone has had similar experiences.

FYI, I'm pretty sure the problem began after I got a new LCD montior (CorrectionViewsonic VX922). At that time I added the command line resolution stuff. The reason it's hard to recall the timing of the problem exactly is that I shelved d3 for some time after that. Haven't played for a year or so until now. But, I can say that the problem did not start prior to that.

[Grendel]

Look like the cards memory has some kind of a problem, card overheating maybe ? Does the problem show right from the start or later in game ? When was the last dusting ?

[Palzon]

Thanks Grendel. I just dusted the insides today, at least incidentally when i installed new RAM. But you're right that it couldn't hurt to dust things more thoroughly. Still, I doubt that is the main problem since only d3 is affected.

[Genghis]

Um, Matt, didn't you just get married? Shouldn't you be doing other things at the moment?

[Spidey]

I seen something very similar to that when my nvidia GF fried…

[BUBBALOU]

are you running in open-GL or Direct3d

you should be running Open-GL

also use -aspect 1.25 -height 1024 -width 1280

in your video driver control panel you should also have an option for what controls the scaling - LCD built in - Video card - or LCD fixed scaling

tell us which one it is using

[Duper]

Um, Matt, didn't you just get married? Shouldn't you be doing other things at the moment?

hehe.. you can only do "other things" for so long. Ya need to take a break some time and well. ... do other other things.

[Krom]

Looks like video memory corruption, but if it only effects D3 try and delete any custom driver profiles for D3 then recreate them. Also worth trying, completely uninstall the driver and remove all its settings, reboot twice, and then reinstall it.

[Palzon]

I cannot find anything in the control panel regarding scaling. I tried installing the Omega drivers and that seems to fix the original problem in OGL. However, it caused the game to become unplayably choppy in OGL - unplayably! So now i've had to switch to playing in d3d, which is only rediculously choppy, but still playable. This sux. Anybody have any more ideas?

[Aus-RED-5]

I cannot find anything in the control panel regarding scaling.

In the Nvidia control panel it's this.

Try looking for something like that in the ATI control panel.

Other then that, I have no idea....

[Palzon]

Looks like video memory corruption, but if it only effects D3 try and delete any custom driver profiles for D3 then recreate them. Also worth trying, completely uninstall the driver and remove all its settings, reboot twice, and then reinstall it.

I have no custom driver profiles for d3.

[Foil]

Sorry I didn't see this 'til now. I used to have an ATI 9800-series card a few years ago... I remember having similar issues.

To make a long story short, I ended up having to install an older driver. OpenGL works best on those cards, but I wouldn't recommend the Omega drivers for it at all. I'd look around for an older set of ATI drivers (maybe one of their earlier Catalyst sets?).