Problem playing KOTOR2 using GeForce4 MX440

[Aboud]

Downloaded the latest NVidia drivers (ver 7.1.8.4). Disabled grass, shadows, set the texture pack to low, the resolution to 800 by 600 at a refresh rate of 60 MHz. Dito the desktop settings. Even put in that Disable Vertex Buffer Objects=1 thingy. The graphics keep flickering, sometimes some of the graphics seem to be missing, and the text is hidden by box-like pixels.

 

Is this game even playable on a Geforce 4 MX 440? I'm also using a motherboard with the VIA chipset.

[Sorall Loskannen]

I use a GeForce MX 440 (until I can afford a better card), and the only problems I have are that I cannot use force sight (frame buffer effects not supported), and extreme slowdown in the Telos mines (The chamber of hot gas. Framerate drop there is not fun).

[Ohma]

What exactly does "disable vertex buffer objects" do? Not that I really need a performance boost, KOTOR 2 runs fine on my compy (which uses a G4 MX440), but I'd still like to know...

 

And I can't use force sight? Well nutbunnies...

[Aboud]

Ah, great, so the game IS playable with this card. What version are the drivers your using? Do you happen to know what the chipset on your motherboards are? Thanks.

[Kane]

Ah, great, so the game IS playable with this card. What version are the drivers your using? Do you happen to know what the chipset on your motherboards are? Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I use a GeForce4MX 440 with AGP8X and have had no problems. (I don't think "force sight" works and didn't know why until reading an earlier post on this thread.)

 

The driver I use is the NVIDIA provided 5.2.1.6 dated 10/6/2003.

[LadyCrimson]

disable vertex buffer objects

 

IIRC, that's what gives a lot of the 'cool' graphic effects such as the speed spell blur, and the blurry borders when Kreia 'mindspeaks' to you, and other such things. It's nothing amazing or terribly missed, but it does add to the game atmosphere. And looks pretty.

[Master Dahvernas]

disable vertex buffer objects

 

IIRC, that's what gives a lot of the 'cool' graphic effects such as the speed spell blur, and the blurry borders when Kreia 'mindspeaks' to you, and other such things. It's nothing amazing or terribly missed, but it does add to the game atmosphere. And looks pretty.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That is not correct, Padawan.

 

VBO is part of the program language that caches frame buffer objects to the VRAM of your video card and this speeds up performance and rendering. The problem with the KOTOR engine is that there is an error in this code... Bioware devs have publically stated it... That reacts differently to different chipsets (ATI and Nvidia) that doesn't cache the objects as it should, thus, you get slow downs and slower performance as a result.

 

It is more noticeable in ATI cards because of their architecture and that is why they take massive hits (compared to Nvidia) in frame rate if you don't have DVBO enabled in the swkotor2.ini file.

[LadyCrimson]

Oh...sorry...it's the frame buffer effects I was thinking of, in the graphics advanced menu. :D

 

frame buffer...vertex buffer...hey, they both have 'buffer' in them....har.

[adrich81]

Head over to Guru3d and have a look through the older drivers in their downloads section (would suggest maybe 61.77 or 56.72). Newer drivers are opitimised for newer cards, and the mx440 is the oldest nvidia card still on general release, so you may well have more luck with something older (like other people seem to be running).

 

Good luck!