GIVEN UP ON FCRS

[Phoenix100]

Well, I've given up on FCRS because of the graphics issues which I raised quite a while ago. I can summarise them again by saying that the counters vanish - or appear only as blank green squares for several seconds, as they're moving, in playback, especially in larger scenarios. Which makes the whole thing doubly more jerky than it already is. And it is sluggish. And the reason for all this sluggishness and glitches? The game will not use the NVIDIA card in my laptop but insists on reverting to the intel graphics card, which is rubbish.

I raise this query now as a plea not for FCRS - because, like I said, I've given up - but for SS development. Why shoudn't this game be played on a laptop? Modern laptops are powerful enough things, my own (i7, 8GB ram, GTX850M, SSD etc) is branded as a 'desktop replacement', indeed (or was when I bought it...). And it is a very common configuration of laptops that they have 2 graphic cards. I wish they didn't, I don't know why they do, but that's the way it is. Then the laptop (I actually think I read it's an NVDIA program that does this) chooses which card any particular app should run on. Every single game I have chooses the NVIDIA and I have no problems. Except FCRS.

I am not a programer. I know nothing about it, really. But can someone - whilst you're developing SS - try to make sure that is included in the engine whatever thing is necessary to make sure NVDIA identifies the game as needing the NVDIA card? I would like to play again, but there's going to be no point in buying SS or anything else if this same issue is just repeated in the new games.

Thanks.

[zakblood]

the problem is hardware more than software tbh, dual laptops have had this issue with windows game since day one, while most get it sorted, some don't i'm sorry to say, updating drivers for just about everything on the motherboard and even the BIOS helps some, but like i've said, sad not for everyone, as not all hardware is made equally

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https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/pc-components/how-set-default-graphics-card-3612668/

the link is from a 2017 post, but it goes back to 2005 and for some earlier i'm sorry to say

[Phoenix100]

Yes, thanks Zak. You helped before too, when I posted about this, and I'm afraid I've tried everything under the sun. But, as to it being hardware, and not software, I'm no expert, as I said, but clearly when the app first opens something about the app communicates to the program determining which card is needed that it is NOT the kind of program that needs an NVIDIA card. So I don't think we can really say that this is just a hardware issue. Because something in the game is responsible for this flag to the NVIDIA.

But as I said, I've given up, so don't worry about it. I was just hoping that for SS something could be looked at and changed because I really like the game. Like I said, 2 cards is a very very common laptop configuration.

[zakblood]

yon could manually disable to Intel one tbh, so it forces the use of the remaining one each and every time, it's not something which should make any difference to anything else, as then only one would be in the system, never had to do it myself, as all 3 of my laptops work, with nothing else needed, but have done it before on other peoples without issues.




my test pc has only one, but you get the idea

[Phoenix100]

Mmm. Do you mean disable the NVIDIA? But why do that? I don't understand.

If you meant I should disable the intel graphics chip then I can't, because the NVIDIA is routed through it, as I found out to my cost (and many hours of research on how to reapir it) when I tried that. Click the option=blackscreen. No video feed at all. That's an interesting one to roll back from...

Like I said, I've tried everything out there.

It ought to be possible to use the NVIDIA optima settings (Optima is the part of the NVIDIA software that makes the choice between chips) to choose the NVIDIA, but it doesn't work. Doesn't matter what I select, it switches to the intel.

There is something in the actual program, I assume - in each and every program - that flags the type of program to the optima routine, whichthen chooses on that basis. For me, for FCRS (and ONLY for that game, of all the games I have) this doesn't work.

[zakblood]

no i mean, disable the Intel, but as i don't have the pc with one open, i just shown how easy it was to do it for the VGA card anyway, but do mention the Intel one so not to confuse [:(]

[Phoenix100]

Yeah. At leat on my machine, as I said, that's death, to disable the intel chip. End of all video....

Thanks, anyway.

[zakblood]

on the back of the laptop or desktop for that matter, if there's 2 GPU inside, will be two plus or connectors to plug in to a monitor, of different types, depending on screen and ages of laptop etc

[zakblood]

one will be for the motherboard video, which is onboard, which is known as the integrated VGA which your's is the Intel one, then elsewhere you will have a dedicated card, the Nvidia one, both will be separate connectors with sometimes different plugs even, mostly DVI now days for modern laptops and pc's, but any number of different ones depending on age, to get one or the other to work, it has to be connected to a monitor and will be shown in your DxDiag report as shown below,...

Card name: Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family (Microsoft
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: LP156WH1-TLA3
Monitor Id: LGD01C2

with the nvidia one blank if no monitor attached

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Monitor Name: Generic
Monitor Model:
Monitor Id:

but if a monitor is attached, then it will work and will be shown

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: TOSHIBA-TV
Monitor Id: TSB0108

[zakblood]

the game and any app or program will only use a device if it has something attached to it, forcing something like a VGA card to work, when no screen is attached will result in a blank black screen, as there's no data to be displayed.

disabling the onboard VGA in bios or the computer hardware profile / device manager will show no video unless the monitor attached is switched to use the other display, as a laptop only has one display, but sometimes to GPU's, it can switch internally between the same screen and doesn't have to use an external plug to do it, but a desktop does,

if this way doesn't work, then it's not supported,

The system will not function with the Intel GPU disabled - the nVidia GPU is not a true discrete video chip - it is a co-processor. Only the Intel GPU has a connection to the display screen - all video data passes through it on its way to the display, so there is no way to disable it and have a functional system.

Check with the publisher of the game for its recommendations on settings for hybrid video -- not all games will work with a hybrid setup.

not all systems are hybrid compatible which makes manual selection the only choice, and then it's each and every time if the system doesn't save the settings shown in the link

if there is no option in the BIOS, then it's not possible on the hardware

If there is no setting in the BIOS to turn off the onboard GPU then most motherboards will detect the presence of a graphics card and will automatically disable it for you. Try downloading and reading the manual on the motherboard.

running the latest Nvidia drivers will let you assign a profile for each and every game and app,

The switching to the NVIDIA graphics depends on application profiles. If an application has no such profile, you can assign the graphics card manually:

Click Start and then Control Panel. Select Classic View from the left side of the window.
Double-click NVIDIA Control Panel.
Click View and next Add "Run with graphics processor" Option to Context Menu. Close the NVIDIA Control Panel.
Right-click the application title and select Run with graphics processor. Then, click High-performance NVIDIA processor.

[CapnDarwin]

Guys, first off I'm sorry the game is still not working for you. This is one of these very odd one off glitches that is very difficult to solve. Thanks you Zakblood for working it as well. We have looked at this and will continue to keep this issue and other in mind with Southern Storm. For a developer standpoint, you pull your hair out on these types of problems when you can run the game on most dual graphics laptops, but you get one or two setups that fall flat. My guess is you have tried drivers, bios, and bribery to get it to go. It might be worth a last ditch try to update the drivers, admin install the redistribution libraries, set a game specific launcher in the Nvidia control panel, and cross some fingers. If we come across anything that might work, we will let you know. Again, sorry the game is not working right for you.

[CapnDarwin]

In a Dev discussion on this issue this morning, one thought was to look at updating the Intel graphics driver as well and maybe look to see if there is a bios update that might work better with the Nvidia card.

[zakblood]

most buyers won't update the BIOS, and i'd say 90% of pc users as a whole never do, then regarding drivers, most reply on windows to do it for them, which tbh doesn't always do a good a job as a manual search, eg motherboard makers are always up to date, same as BIOS updates, but most either don't wish to touch it, or forget it's there[:(]

[zakblood]

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https://downloadcenter.intel.com/

intel is simple, as it's a auto process, download or run the tool and it finds what you need and updates only what you have

[zakblood]

for the BIOS, always go to the motherboard makers site and grab it from there,

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https://www.howtogeek.com/196916/how-to-check-your-bios-version-and-update-it/

but how to do it is simple and most forums on the motherboard sites have either a guide or a auto tool to do it for you, so the days have gone from where you can brick your motherboard, as most keep a backup copy for a failed install now even on a reboot

[Phoenix100]

Many thanks Zak, and Capn Darwin. I'm afraid these are all things I've tried. In the process I flashed the bios and god knows what else. I've spent a lot of time at it, and won't spend any more. I understand Capn Darwin's position, obviously. Just hope SS works with my system. In a couple of years I'll change it all anyway, get a new pc with these lessons in mind....2 years - about the time SS be out, right? Well, I hope not that long. But about the time the WW2 iteration will be out, perhaps....