Graphical Errors

[Fin Raziel]

Hey, guys! I have a problem, and it might just be my computer, but in case it's something I can fix more easily, I thought I'd ask.

My graphics on my game blur badly, and often. Like I'll be creating a Sim and choosing makeup, and all of a sudden the whole face will blur like it's under water or something. And I have a lot of sim clothes that ALWAYS blur up and look terrible, but I don't want to delete them because I know they're SUPPOSED to look really beautiful... It's like their clothes and furniture constantly blur up and you can't see the patterns while you play the game, too.

And I have this problem a lot with changing ground textures, like adding or removing grass. It's annoying when you play the game, but it's a zillion times worse when you're trying to make videos to set to music for YouTube and stuff, because the Sim might look fine, but the ground is all blurry beneath them, and wherever they walk a trail of non-blur appears like normal, but just their walking paths, and all around it the ground is blurred.

Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Or do I need to post a screen cap? Is there a simple solution to this problem, or is my computer too out of date to handle the newer graphics? (Got my computer in 2002, it's a Compaq and I've added ram and a new video card within the past year to play other games.)  

[Pollination Technician]

I don't know much about the blurry ground, but I have had the blurry makeup and clothes problem.

Solution:
(Make sure you back up as described in case something goes wrong!!!)

1. Start off by opening Notepad (#Start/Programs/Accessories/Notepad). Bring up an Open dialog box. Where it says "Files of Type" change it from Text Documents to All Files.

2. Open the folder called CSConfig, not just Config... there's a Graphics Rules.sgr in Config, too, so don't get them mixed up. Usually it is on your C: drive, but if you have installed The Sims 2 to a different drive, substitute its drive letter.

3. Once you open CSConfig, look for a file called Graphics Rules.sgr. Select it and open it.

4. Before you change anything in the file, Save As. Change the Save As Type to "All Files" and name it 'Graphic Rules.BACKUP' - that way if anything goes wrong with what is edited in the real file, it can be deleted and this backup with all the original info can be renamed to Graphic Rules.sgr and all will be well.

5. Re-open the original Graphic Rules.sgr file in Notepad.

6. Edit - Find and search for 'UI Options' and press Find Next. It will locate the text about halfway down in the file.

It should look like this:

# UI Options

log $logGroup $logLevelDebug "Begin parsing option definitions"


# Note: CASIE uses different property values for MaterialDetail then Sims2 does.
# CASIE would prefer to maintain full texture resolution, but disable bumps
# only on cards with low video memory.

option MaterialDetail setting $Low boolProp bumpMapping false intProp imageDataSizeReductionOnLoad 0

setting $Medium boolProp bumpMapping false intProp imageDataSizeReductionOnLoad 0

setting $High boolProp bumpMapping true intProp imageDataSizeReductionOnLoad 0 end

7. Change each of the numbers at the end of the 'intProp imageDataSizeReductionOnLoad' lines to 0 so it looks like the above. Don't change ANYTHING else except any 2's or 1's listed there in those three lines to 0's.

8. File - Save.

9. If you have any expansion packs installed, you must repeat these steps for all expansion packs you have... Repeat all the steps above, but substitute the following for the directory to look in:

- For University: C razz rogram FilesEA GAMESThe Sims 2 UniversityTSDataResCSConfig
- For Nightlife: C razz rogram FilesEA GAMESThe Sims 2 NightlifeTSDataResCSConfig
- For Open for Business: C razz rogram FilesEA GAMESThe Sims 2 Open for BusinessTSDataResCSConfig
- Etc.

This will not fix existing projects that have been blurred and compressed by incorrect settings. You will have to go and re-import those projects in Body Shop to fix them. This will only fix your settings so new projects are not also compressed and blurred.