Strange graphics problem

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 6:09 pm

I find that after playing Morrowined for a while (it can be 10 minutes, or 30, but usually not more than an hour) and enter a new cell--outdoors or indoors, it doesn't matter--I'll arrive to find NPC faces, armor, and tapestries on walls all in a state of very odd pixilation. It's as though the textures have been created out of a small ballpeen hammer on a million tiny surfaces. At this point, my character portrait when I right click and my save screen become to show signs of blue streaks, and these get worse as I continue moving from cell to cell. If I save, then reload, the problem is gone--again, for a while.

I'm not overclocking, and my card, a Radeon X850. is about 4 months old. I updated the driver when it was installed. I've got 1 GB RAM, and all the default settings are checked.

One more oddity: I'm beginning to wonder if this isn't an odd issue related to switching color registries, somehow. Because if I leave Morrowind when ths happens, I get odd ghosting effects down in my system tray anytime I access its functionality. Bright, strange colors also appear down there. But if I go play a little game I have--Spellcaster, from Superluminal--then quit, my colors and graphics are back to normal.

Any serious ideas what might be going on?

Luis Antonio · Post by **Luis Antonio** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 6:29 pm

Have you checked overheating? My friend had this problem, bought a new water cooler for his CPU, the average temp inside the case lowered, and he had this trouble only at the peak of the summer.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 6:32 pm

But if that's the case, the game shouldn't reload properly once the symptoms show. And when the problem remains behind after leaving the game, it shouldn't suddenly vanish after bringing up Spellcaster.

Rookierookie · Post by **Rookierookie** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 9:45 pm

Set view distance slightly below maximum and see if it fixes anything.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:45 pm

So far, no problem. Thing is, I have 1 GB RAM. Surely the max distance can be handled with that much memory? Also, when the texture problems occur, they usually start with inside cells.

Rookierookie · Post by **Rookierookie** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:29 am

[QUOTE=fable]So far, no problem. Thing is, I have 1 GB RAM. Surely the max distance can be handled with that much memory? Also, when the texture problems occur, they usually start with inside cells.[/QUOTE]
If you read the readme file, you'll notice a part concerning compatibility problems with ATI cards when view distance is set to maximum.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:34 am

[QUOTE=Rookierookie]If you read the readme file, you'll notice a part concerning compatibility problems with ATI cards when view distance is set to maximum.[/QUOTE]

Yet I used another ATI card with MW since its debut, and this one for months--both at max distance, without problems.

EDIT: The problem persists even with max distance lowered to 30%. It's intermittent, which makes it a bear to narrow down.

Masa · Post by **Masa** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:52 am

Have tried the omega drivers, presuming you have catalyst?

ch85us2001 · Post by **ch85us2001** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:45 pm

Are you using MGE? It's not foolproof, and It seriously goofed up a save game on me the other day.