[Kodachi]

I've got the following problem:



As you can see there is a graphic glitch behind thrusters. It's just a big black box. Now I did some research and it seems the problem lies in the Source Code. Any Ideas? Or do we have to wait for an update?

[MatthTheGeek]

Please post your fs2_open.log file.  Instructions on how to do this can be found in this post.

[The E]

Seeing as how this has nothing to do with the HUD, I've taken the liberty of splitting it out.

[Kodachi]

Thanks for the replies. I'm sorry for not mentioning, but this bug happens with the HUD build, which is why I posted it in the HUD thread. My 3.6.14 exe's work perfectly fine.

Anyway, here's the log:

http://www.mediafire.com/?vblp693uf68326s

[Yarn]

3.6.14 is old. Please use 3.6.18, 3.7.0 RC2, the latest nightly, or one of my HUD builds instead. When you play Blue Planet without the compatibility package, use either this build or the "BP" (Blue Planet) version of my HUD build. (Don't use the build that's included with the Blue Planet installer; it has some nasty bugs, including one that can destroy your pilot file.)

Code: [Select]

  -mipmap
  -spec
  -glow
  -env
Remove these from your command line. (The "-mipmap" flag is called "Enable mipmapping" and is found under "Troubleshoot". And no, you don't need it to get mipmapping, even if its description suggests otherwise.)

Code: [Select]

Found root pack 'D:\Program Files (x86)\FreeSpace 2\...
Installing FS2 Open to Program Files is only asking for trouble. Please move your FS2 installation out of there and to a short path like "D:\Games\FreeSpace2".

Code: [Select]

Found root pack 'D:\Program Files (x86)\FreeSpace 2\Root_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0x747372cc
It looks like you installed from a disc version but did not install the 1.2 patch. Installing FS2 Open does not eliminate the need to do this. The patch can be found here.

If none of this helps and the problem happens only with Blue Planet builds (and not with the regular ones listed above), then your video card might be having trouble with the deferred lighting found in those builds. If this is the case, get the compatibility package and use a regular (non-BP) build that's newer than 3.6.18.

[Kodachi]

I can't use anything newer than 3.6.14 because all newer versions crash. When the graphical error occurred I was using your HUD build. (the only thing newer than 3.6.14 that works)

I tried removing those 4 flags, but it caused 54 errors. So i put them back again.

I didn't install FreeSpace 2 to C:\Program Files but to D:, which is a different partition. So that's no problem.

What might be causing the problem though is the fact that I didn't install the patch. I will try that and tell you if it works!

EDIT: After installing the patch I can remove those 4 flags without errors, however, the graphical error still occurs.

[The E]

What kind of crash are you getting? Can you produce an fs2_open.log from these newer builds?

[Kodachi]

I will download 3.6.18 and upload the log file. Just give me a few minutes.

[Kodachi]

OK so here's the log when I use 3.6.18.

http://www.mediafire.com/?jt2cw00w91upklz

"FreeSpace has stopped working and needs to be closed" is the error. It happens when the game wants to load any model. (so it crashes the moment you enter a mission)

[The E]

Ah, yes.

It seems this is once again due to driver differences between the standard gaming drivers, and the FireGL ones (The crash is caused by your GPU being unable to compile and run the shaders we're using. My advice would be to try updating your GPU drivers to the latest supported by AMD.

However, given that your particular chip is discontinued and service for it has ended, there may be no option other than disabling shader support in its entirety (use the -no_glsl commandline switch).

[Kodachi]

Awesome! It works now! 3.6.18 as well as the HUD build!

Thanks allot guys! I would never have guessed the problem. I've tried to solve it myself in the past but was never able to, so I decided to just stick with 3.6.14. However, the HUD build is a must for widescreen monitors, so I decided to just register and ask for help.

Sadly there is no newer driver, it's already up to date. But that doesn't matter, as long as everything works now.

Since we're already at it, is there any way I can convert my 3.6.18 Profiles to work with the HUD build?

EDIT: Adding that flag seems to disable bloom. Is there a way I can get it back? After all, it used to work with 3.6.14.

[chief1983]

Why does shader compilation not fail gracefully?  Would 3.7.0 RC2 probably have worked for him as well as the HUD build without -no_glsl?

[The E]

EDIT: Adding that flag seems to disable bloom. Is there a way I can get it back? After all, it used to work with 3.6.14.

There's a troubleshooting option called "Don't use Shaders for model rendering" or "-disable_glsl_model", this will only disable shaders for models but leave the postprocessing intact. Try and see if it works.

[Kodachi]

I tried -disable_glsl_model, but it crashes when I enter a mission.

[Kodachi]

Small Update: As of 3.7.1 (HUD Build) it is possible to use -disable_glsl_model and thereby retaining the Bloom effect. However graphical errors still appear when weapons impact and when ships explode. Does anyone else have an idea? Something in 3.6.14 must have been different.

[Kolgena]

Do you have soft particles on?

The legacy ATI drivers for cards as old as yours (even the most recent version) are essentially broken for FSO. I used to have an x1600, and normal maps never rendered. I wouldn't be surprised if something similar was going on with your GPU, but related to the new shader code for distortion effects or soft particles.

[Kodachi]

Yeah soft particles are on. Should I switch them off?

I am aware that I won't get much out of my GPU, I'm planning on getting myself a desktop again and putting that GTX550Ti in my drawer to good use.

However, I would still like to get the best results out of my HD3650 because after all we're talking about a laptop, something I can carry around. This is not true for a desktop.

Now I have compared Bloom vs. no Bloom with 3.7.1 and the 3614 mediavps. Post processing plays quite an imprortant role now, altering graphics in quite a dramatic way. Playing the game without any post processing isn't any fun (any more).

I'll try turning off soft particles and will report back.

[Kolgena]

I have a 3650 in my laptop too. Which drivers are you using? I'm on 13.1 (legacy) and am not getting any of the glitches you are (with exception of nonfunctional distortion shader on engine trails and occasionally bugged tech room 3D animations)

Also, your fsopen log says this is your GPU... ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 (which is a pro version of the 3650), but your openGL driver version is 3.0 something instead of 6.14 something.

[Kodachi]

Yeah I used to have a FireGL at the Time, since then I switched my laptop and I now have a HD3650.

But that doesn't matter because you guys are frikkin geniuses! I just switched off soft particles and voila! In combination with -disable_glsl_model which retains post processing and seems to have no visible impact on graphics, there are no more glitches! Thank you sooo much!

So just to sum things up again:

-Forget the FireGL's, their drivers are usless

-If you have a HD3650 or similar, any build newer than 3.6.14 will cause problems because certain shaders are activated which the GPU does not support

-On builds newer than 3.6.14 you will need to disable said shaders to prevent graphical erros. These may vary and range from simple black boxes to missing textures or giant white boxes that replace explosions. A missing Z-buffer is also typical.

-Disabling these shaders will also disable post processing. As of 3.7.1 and the new 3614 mediavps, post processing plays an important role in lighting and just looks absolutely kick-ass.

-To disable the shaders and keep post processing at the same time, you have to set the -disable_glsl_model flag and disable soft particles. You get to keep the now much improved and awesome post processing effects and should have no visible impact on graphics.

Thanks again to everyone who replied!

EDIT: It seems 3.7.1 is quite different from 3.6.18 or similar builds. Disabling shaders is NOT necessary! All you need to do is disable soft particles!

[chief1983]

I fixed one crash recently in which certain features were not being disabled that were detected as not supported by the hardware, this may be another case where the soft particles should have disabled themselves but did not.  Basically, we've tried to keep the game smart enough to turn off unsupported things, but it looks like we still have a few places to fix.