Strange Polygon Graphic Glitches and Crashes Radeon X1900

[plenzdorf]

Hello all,

I am trying to run NWN on my Mac (using a legitimate copy of windows).

Specs are:

Processor: Intel Xeon(R) CPU 5160 @ 3.00Hz 2.99 GHz
Graphics Card: Radeon X1900 Series
OS: Windows Vista 32 Bit Service Pack 2

What I've Already Tried:

*Disabling and/or changing sound options

*Placing a .dll in my NWN directory that NZ uses with his Radeon card.

*Running in Compatibility Mode for Windows XP2

*Downloading Various Iterations of the ATI Catalyst Drivers/Suite

*Tweaking Graphics Quality and essentially every other game option I can think of in every conceivable combination.

* A Fresh install of NWN and haks
More details on the problem:

* NWN Launches fine, runs OK on and off but the graphics have annoying and distracting polygons shooting through them to the point it becomes hardly playable.

*NWN Crashes/freezes my computer unexpectedly and/or I get a blue screen that flashes and then my computer restarts.

Occasionally a message says the video driver has stopped working and recovered after NWN crashes.

Any help or suggestions would be welcome!

Thanks!

[Anoran]

Hi Plenzdorf,

What year is your laptop from? Some of the older Macs are running chipsets that aren't fully compatible with the latest versions of the AMD drivers for ATI Cards. They are especially buggy for cards that came out before AMD took over. I've got some old driver suites if you want to try, but I'll have to upload them somewhere, as they're too large to email.

Another note, is that some cards run the incorrect DX9/DX8 shader in NWN which wreaks all sorts of havoc with the game, especially when it comes to shadows. Purple and/or infinitely extending shadows are not uncommon.

Make sure that atioglxx.dll is in your NWN folder (the one with all the files in it), not your NeverwinterNights folder. You could also try finding an older version of d3d9.dll and d3d8.dll and stuffing those in there too, though that's a less reliable fix (if it even does work, I haven't had to resort to it yet.).

Are you playing on the native resolution and refresh rate of your computer? Are you running NWN in admin mode? Be sure to always start NWN with the minimum graphics settings - if it refuses to boot, run the NWConfig.exe program and reset all the values to the minimum. Make sure you pick compatibility textures too - these are uncompressed, raw textures, which are more compatible with most cards. Shiny Water and V-sync can also cause problems on ATI cards.

Last, does this happen in all NWN game sessions, or only on modules containing hakpaks? You may need to redownload/verify your CEP installation if it works fine in the OC and expansions.

[Tails1879_]

I'd also ask what distribution this game came from. Is it from a physical copy (CD), or a download from GOG? I know the latter of the two has some issues and requires downloading the 1.69 Critical Rebuild patch as well as changing its install location to the old default.

I've got a copy of NWN on my Macbook running Windows 7, and the graphical problem I had required downloading the video drivers from Nvidia specifically as opposed to what's set up from Bootcamp. Otherwise, I'd get black lines everywhere and ultimately crash.

[plenzdorf]

First and foremost--thanks for taking the time to try and help me solve this issue.

More info in response to questions:

My main computer is a laptop that runs like a charm. The computer in question is not a laptop but rather a Mac "Mini Tower" G5--unsure of the exact year but specs as follows:


Form Factor
    Mini Tower

CPU Type
    PowerPC G5

Memory Capacity
    8GB DDR2

HDD
    160GB

Optical Drive

Optical Drive Type
    DVD/CD-RW Combo


I've got it running a legit copy of Vista SP2, not Mac OS.

I put the .dll in the correct folder (NWN, not NeverwinterNights).

Happens to NWN sessions regardless of haks.

I have tried all graphics and sound combos (including and most commonly lowest settings with all advanced options unchecked) always run it in compatibility mode and as admin etc.--I know the basics.

It's a CD copy of the game not a GOG download.

I just need help tracking down the appropriate drivers and/or chipset suites. Perhaps it's the latter based on what NZ suggests?

Also I have a friend coming over for pen and paper RPGing tonight who works in IT and will ask him. I'll share a solution here if he discovers it in the interest of sharing it with other who might face similar challenges.

Thanks again!

[Anoran]

Let me know if you want me to upload an older version of the Catalyst Suite.

Also, can you get screenshots? It might help towards a solution. I remember, back in the day when I had an nVidia card, I suffered from a rare disorder known as 'Candy Cane Syndrome'.

[plenzdorf]

It's fixed!

Posting this in case others encounter similar problems and can find an answer here.

My friend came over for an epic (5 hour long) Pen and Paper game last night and worked on the issue while we RPed.

He managed to narrow it down to an improper install of the bootcamp drivers which are not needed, apparently, to run windows on this generation of Intel-based Power PCs, but ARE needed to insure proper installation of Windows drivers (Including video drivers). So, I'm partially vindicated in the knowledge that my sleuthing led me to the correct conclusion--it was indeed a driver problem. It just happened to be a more complex one than I had imagined.

No screenshots available now because it was fixed by the time I got to this.

Good news is I can now play on a computer with a much faster processor, more graphics capability, and far less likelihood of overheating!

W00t!

Thanks all for the help!