Author |
Setup and Graphics Issues |
Lantz Midshipman
Joined: April 25, 2010 Posts: 3
| Posted: 2010-04-26 12:15  
Hi everyone,
I've been trying to run DarkSpace on two different laptops, both with intel graphics chips (945 and 965).
On one laptop (945), the setup program will not list any resolutions to choose from and gives the error "Invalid parameter" when you try to close the setup. The game will not run without running the setup first, so I cannot play...
On the other laptop (965), the setup program runs fine and I can select a resolution. The game client loads ok, but at the main menu the only thing visible are the menu buttons. The rest of the screen is black. Observation mode is just a black screen with the control buttons in the lower right...
Both laptops have the latest directx and intel drivers...
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
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BackSlash Marshal Galactic Navy
Joined: March 23, 2003 Posts: 11183 From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2010-04-26 13:10  
Those Intel GMA's are VERY, VERY old. In fact, they are the first generation ones that Intel released.
I'd be very surprised if Intel still release drivers for either of those chipsets.
Open your config.ini in the /.Cache/DarkSpace directory of your installation, and look for the following lines. If they do not exist, insert them.
graphicsDetail=2
displayMode=0:800x600x32
textureDetail=HIGH
enableSpecular=1
enableLightmap=1
enableTextureCompression=1
waitVB=0
alphaFonts=1
shipTrails=100
missileTrails=100
particleEffects=100
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Lantz Midshipman
Joined: April 25, 2010 Posts: 3
| Posted: 2010-04-26 20:00  
Hey Backslash,
Thanks for the tip. Adding those lines into the config file allowed me to start the client up on the 945 laptop. But it now has the same problem as the 965 laptop- menu shows up, but everything else is black (no renderings).
I know these GPUs are not very powerful... The 945 is actually in a 2009 netbook and the 965 is in a laptop from 2007, so the computers aren't that old (just not very powerful).
Any way to get these working, or is it a lost cause on these GPUs?
Thanks!
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BackSlash Marshal Galactic Navy
Joined: March 23, 2003 Posts: 11183 From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2010-04-26 20:13  
The screen CAN look black if the camera is focused at nothing (you'll barely see the scenebox). Try hitting play to see if you can actually see anything.
What are their native resolutions (meaning the maximum resolution the LCD screens run at?).
When you know the native resolution for both machines change this line:
displayMode=0:800x600x32
Where 800x600 is the resolution of your screen.
Alternatively, try hitting ALT+ENTER to see if that helps.
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Lantz Midshipman
Joined: April 25, 2010 Posts: 3
| Posted: 2010-04-26 20:51  
Bingo! Setting the resolution to 1024x576 (the netbook res) and then starting the game fixed the black screen. Thanks!
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Faustus Marshal Palestar
Joined: May 29, 2001 Posts: 2748 From: Austin, Texas
| Posted: 2010-04-26 20:54  
That would do it... we ignore any resolutions that are below 800x600, that one would qualify... you might have interface issues with 1024x576.
-F
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BackSlash Marshal Galactic Navy
Joined: March 23, 2003 Posts: 11183 From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2010-04-26 21:49  
Glad we were able to solve your problem . Enjoy playing the game!
- Jack
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