Strange flickering in the UI

During gameplay I am bumping into a game breaking problem of the game flickering like crazy with horizontal bars across the screen. When certian elements of the UI appear (info windows, text from messages like CPU taunts and such) the problem disapears. Once the effect in the UI has stopped (fade out on text or mouseover something else) the problem returns. Any ideas?
5,516 views 12 replies
Reply #1 Top
I noticed that you ask for screenshots of the error occuring. This is a tricky one as hitting print screen throws the text up on the screen about where it was saved. This removes the problem temporarily. I'll try to come up with another method of screenshotting today.
Reply #2 Top
You could probably use a video recording proggy thing? I'm sure FRAPS lets you record a little bit in the free version, if I remember right.

But you also don't post your system specs, specifically your video card - so far most of the issues of this type are either driver-related (so make sure you have the latest) or below spec cards.
Reply #3 Top
Current card is Nvidia 8800 320MB

Drivers are up to date as of yesterday, so I don't think its either of those offhand.

I'll try Fraps today, that or unbinding the print screen button and then doing the oldskool method of hitting print screen and the pasting the image into mspaint.
Reply #4 Top
You know, I have an Nvidia 8800 too, and I've noticed a bit more flickering on the beta too. Nothing really bad for me, it just went from perfect no flickering, to now I notice the screen flash white once every few minutes. Like you said, I have no idea how to take a screen shot of this issue.
Reply #5 Top
I have an 8800gtx, but haven't noticed anything. I think I know the white screen flash you're talking about, I get it in NWN2 but not in Sins.
Reply #6 Top
parts of the UI are constantly flickering, or not visible at all for me.
Just the menu and button backgrounds, the text itself and all the actual game play elements are fine. Seems to happen most often when zoomed in to a planet's gravity well and on the main menu (especially trying to access ironclad online)

Doesn't sound like exactly the same issue mentioned here, but similar enough that I didn't see a need to post a new topic.

Could very well be my graphics card, I'm stuck with Intel's integrated GMA 965. Though I had no problems before the beta.
Reply #7 Top
I had this same problem a few months ago, when my graphics card (ATI Radeon X1900, you may have heard about its problems) started crapping out. In addition to the flickering in SoaSE, I experienced 3D artifacts in other games such as pillars stretching into the sky and strange spikes appearing on guns, vehicles, etc.

Turns out a lot of the cards were manufactured with a faulty chip, and I was able to get a fixed X1900 for free.

Of course, if you're not experiencing any other problems like random spikes on ships or anything, then it's probably not the same issue. Just thought it might help.
Reply #8 Top
I dont have these problems in sins but when i play CoD4 and some other FPS at ramdome all the texture but my weapon get changes to pretextured things. its hard to discribe and when i restart the game its back to normal.
FYI my video card is a nvideo geforce 8600Gt.
Reply #9 Top
I get the exact problem the OP has, and I didn't have it in 1.05. I have a GeForce 7200 (I know, I know--it's on a laptop) and I'm running up to date drivers from laptopvideo2go.com
Reply #10 Top
I had the same issue randomly during game. I also have a N'Vidia Geforce 7600 with up to date drivers...
Playing in windowed mode seems to solve this for me.
But IMHO, N'Vidia didn't fix out the compatibility problems with their last drivers.
Reply #11 Top
I realized I had upgraded by graphics drivers between the last time I used 1.05 and the first time I used 1.09, so I reverted to the previous version to see if it solved anything.

Old version does not flicker at all, so this is definitely an issue with the beta.
Reply #12 Top
I had this flickering issue with 1.05 version.
On the other hand I uninstalled my n'vidia drivers in safe mode and re-installed them (both were the 7600 GS latest version drivers) and it seems that crashes don't happen anymore.