[Mithent]

I downloaded the DVD ISO (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,45835.0.html) and installed that today, then ran through the training and the first mission fine using the 'All features on' setting of the launcher. I then tried to install an updated a_subspace.vp by dropping it into my MediaVPs folder and turning on the 3D warp option. Going back into game, I found that many objects were surrounded by white dots, most notably ships' thrusters and my xaser shots but also planets, the warp animation, etc. The problems appear in both OpenGL and Direct3D and I can't seem to find any way of preventing it now, having removed the .vp file, turning all the settings off and tried even dropping back to software rendering (which would seem to exonerate my hardware?). Some settings seem to make it better or worse, but none eliminate it. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? There are no functional problems, the issue is purely visual. Thanks in advance for any help.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6994/fs2oproblem1hs8.png
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1551/fs2oproblem2is7.png

(Pentium M 2.0Ghz, 1GB RAM, Mobility Radeon X700 128MB, Windows XP Professional SP2)

[karajorma]

I must be tired. The only dots I see are the background stars.

[Mithent]

Well, that's a mystery. It seems that that host have compressed my images more and the fringing has gone away - I found it did that when I originally saved them as .jpgs. I'll have to upload them somewhere else where this problem won't occur.

[Bob-san]

I see nothing... is AA and AF on? Can you even run either on a decent resolution? You might be seeing the effects of shading without AA or AF; you barely see anything from one side so its lightened and looks like fringing.

[Snail]

Damn, I spent about five minutes just staring at the shots looking for the 'white dots.'

Meh. Try different resolutions.

[Mithent]

Thanks for the welcome! I've identified the problem.. it wasn't actually FS2 at all, but strangely enough, a VLC window which was playing a DVD but was paused. The problem went away, then returned again later on, coinciding with my launching VLC again. Quite why it causes white pixels to appear in strange places I have no idea - I guess it must be the use of overlays. Thanks for looking at my problem, even though the host wasn't exactly helping by compressing the problem out!

[Herra Tohtori]

Yeah, directX overlay windows can do strange **** with other applications.

For example, the parts of video shine through black parts of images on web pages... but since PrintScreen doesn't normally even see DirectX overlays, it just ignores them and that's why all we see is pretty normal screenshots that the FS2_Open sends to your screenshots directory (or what windoes sends to clipboard).

[Mithent]

Ah, you're right about that - I was also wrong about the images getting compressed by the host somehow, it was the overlay interfering with it again (at least, the original bitmaps aren't showing the problem any more). I could have sworn they were really there - I could even zoom in on them. If I bring the VLC window back, the problem returns, always in exactly the same places. It seems like there's one RGB value which tends to appear around certain objects, but it replaces it with the video. At least things are working now!