GAAHHH!! [scream of frustration] Help me get Sims Unleashed to work!!

Factual Questions
1

The video is all slow and jerky. I can’t get them to walk around normally, it’s really slow.

WinMe.

I think I have 64 MB of RAM, the system requirements say that’s all it needs, but it needs 128 MB of RAM if using any other expansion packs, so I’ve already tried uninstalling the whole thing (used to have Livin’ Large on there too but Unleashed looks like so much more fun that we can live without Livin’ Large), and reinstalling just Sims and Unleashed, and it’s still slow and sluggish. They don’t walk the way they do when it’s just Sims and Livin’ Large, it hangs and is really slow.

I even tried shutting down all background stuff with the Task Manager, as suggested in the booklet, didn’t help.

So the booklet sez the video card must have 800 x 600 (check), must have 16-bit color (check), must have at least 2MB of video memory (don’t know how to tell this), and must be completely compatible with DirectX 7.0 (don’t know how to check this either).

Then it sez “the most common cause of video problems is an outdated video driver. Please ensure that you are using the latest driver available for your video card. Refer to your manufacturer’s website or contact them for assistance if necessary.”

Right. As if my brain didn’t fry right after the first sentence. I have NO clue.

Then it sez, “if your Windows 95/98/XP display driver does not support DirectDraw, you may experience difficulties installing or running Unleashed.” It installed just fine, just the video display is whacked and sluggish. How do I check to see if my display driver supports DirectDraw?

And Sims ran fine on WinMe, and Sims plus Livin’ Large ran fine on WinMe, so I doubt that it’s a Windows thing.
Anybody have any suggestions? Speak slowly, please, and use words of one syllable.

2

I’m going to say that it’s the lack of RAM.

I have 256, and I could use more when running Unleashed. If you can load the game at all, I suggest going into the options area (where you adjust the volume of the game music and sounds) and turn off some of the landscape options- it will help the game run a bit quicker.

There is also a huge difference in the Sims Livin’ Large expansion and the Unleashed one- Uleashed has major game changes (as opposed to just new items and such) and is like having a whole new game.

My money is on lack of RAM. They have got to be insane if they’re saying you can run that with 64mb.

3

Yeah, I already turned off all the graphics options in the game itself that I could, it’s still really slow. I should have known there’d be problems as soon as I saw that it takes two CDs.

:mad: :frowning:

Dang. It says 64 MB RAM right on the box.

4

I went and looked at System–System Properties–Performance, and it says I have 63 MB RAM with 49% free. Did E-machines short us on a Meg of RAM when we bought this thing?

5

Duck Duck Goose:
Your computer most likely utilizes 1 MB of the system’s core RAM as video RAM. You got the 64 MB you paid for, but the operating system cannot address it as core system RAM as it would if you had a real video card with its own memory.

6

I would also note that some software vendors fudge system requirements down. The “minimum” is what it will run with, but the “Reccomended” is what it will run with while you enjoy yourself.

7

DDG…you are aware that you can buy more RAM and install it yourself, right? You can probably get to 256MB for about $60-80.
And just about everything will run smoother, in my limited experience.

8

In my experience, never trust the minimum requirements. Always plan for more memory at least.

9

The Better Half, finally home from work, now tells me that he’s not surprised it won’t work, because our POS El Cheapo E-Machines ETower doesn’t even have a video card–it has “Shared video RAM and Intel AGP graphics.” So he says it wouldn’t do any good to add more RAM. NOW he tells me.

And I said, “Should I install a video card, or what?” and he said, “You should buy a new computer.”

Which I’m not going to do.

Anyway, thanks everyone for the assistance.

10

You can get a new video card for pretty cheap: it’s not like you need to get the best and biggest for what you want to do. (If you needed to get the best and biggest video card, then yes, I’d say just get a new computer, less hassle, and use the older one for expierments.)

I’d say, given the cost of the expansion packs, that getting a video card so that you can play the game at least semi-properly is a worthwhile investment.

<< The Definition of an Upgrade: Take old bugs out, put new ones in. >>

11

Actually, I’m not so sure if adding a new video card is even feasible in an E-Machine. I’m pretty sure that the video card is integrated into the motherboard, among other integrations, like the sound. This mass integration is one of the reasons why E-Machines are so cheap.