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UPDATE 9-2-20 Has your Sims 3 game been affected by the recent pixilation issues?

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  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    edited April 2021
    @Cororon Which textures in particular? I wonder if I can find older screenshots with said textures and compare what it looks like now in my game. Same, better or worse.

    @emorrill You say your CAS was smooth with clean lines before the 2019 driver update but I have a NVidia GPU too. If it is indeed NVidia then every single person should be affected. Well, maybe because each GPU can be different in how it renders and so on depending on the infrastructure. What resolution are you playing at and do you reset the options in TS3 every time you update your GPU because it automatically goes back to default settings?

    All of my settings are set to the highest except high detail lots which is 1. And I turned off edge smoothing.

    I've been using NVidia's Control Panel for years. My current settings for TS3 are:

    Anisotropic Filtering - 8x
    Antialiasing Gamma Correction - On
    Antialiasing Mode - Override Application Setting
    Antialiasing Setting - 8x
    Antialiasing Transparency - 8x (Supersample)
    Multi-Frame Sampled AA (MFAA) - On
    Texture Filtering Anisotropic Sample Optimization - Off
    Texture Filtering Negative LOD Bias - Clamp
    Texture Filtering Quality - High Quality
    Texture Filtering Trilinear Optimization - Off
    Threaded Optimization - Auto
    Triple Buffering - On
    Vertical Sync - On
    Virtual Reality Pre Rendered Frames - Use the 3D Application Setting

    Not sure if I got the settings right but I haven't run into any issues so I don't know. I'm still learning so those settings could change in the future. Anyway, most of these settings may affect gameplay performance so keep that in mind. My native resolution is 2560 x 1440 @ 144 refresh rate. This is how I get TS3 to look better in-game. Started doing this sometime after building my first gaming desktop and have been customizing TS3 since.

    =======

    I still think upgrading to GPU's and monitors with higher resolutions have definitely made color banding and dithering more noticeable and that may be what some are seeing in their games. In older video games where dithering is heavily used, when playing on a higher resolution tv or monitor, the dithering is clearly seen and stands out than the resolution it was meant to be played with. If I had to guess, TS3 ideal resolution would be 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720. Any higher than that will just better showcase the use of dithering and the lack of color representation to get smooth gradient transitions.

    https://emulation.fandom.com/wiki/Dithering

    "Dithering is a technique to increase the amount of color and shading that can be done on a system. This has often been used as a cheap way to coax more color from a system's graphics processor than is usually possible. However, since modern PCs don't convert color space at all the signal is untouched and the dithering is far more obvious."

    =======

    http://retro-sanctuary.com/comparisons - differing.html

    "There are three main reasons for its use -

    1. To allow more colours in a game than the hardware's natural limit." < TS3 is catered to those with low mid-range and high mid-range gaming and non gaming computers because that's likely what the majority of the target audience could afford or already had. High-end was not TS3 focus or else it would have done so much more and looked so much better. The potential was held back for the sake of the fanbase and if I remember correctly was discussed in one of the many interviews of the development on TS3. It is an intentional design choice.

    Now it would be amazing to have TS3 recreated from the ground up and aimed towards high-end gaming with no potential held back with many new features including actually having the playtstyle of open shopping/businesses/dining from TS/TS2 and so much more. But I am not holding my breath.
    Post edited by Deshong04 on
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • CororonCororon Posts: 4,275 Member
    edited March 2021
    My game has been affected and I'm upset
    Deshong04 wrote: »
    @Cororon Which textures in particular? I wonder if I can find older screenshots with said textures and compare what it looks like now in my game. Same, better or worse.

    Test these female child stockings and see if you get tons of blocky artefacts and ugly dithering: https://www.mediafire.com/file/qph3n6fdx3el34g/CF_st*ck*ngs_as_gloves_test2.rar (Made them for testing, and can be found as "gloves" so they can be layered with socks. They don't have their own thumbnail so it's just a hand).

    A couple of the classic objects with colour banding that now seem to look worse, and an outfit:

    9Tt6Zua.jpg


    Speaking of colour banding and dithering. My siggy is full of that. But it's just a gif, so it's ok. :tongue:
    cUrfGkA.gif
  • ZeeGeeZeeGee Posts: 5,355 Member
    My game has been affected and I'm upset
    @Deshong04 Appreciate your insight and pictures; however, when this happened to me it was overnight and it was the same computer, same settings, same monitor (1920 x 1080), same everything. I booted my game, noticed all my options had been reset, reset them back to what they had originally been, went into game and....pixil vomit. It was a marked difference from the day before. Yes, I had noticed some color banding before, but never such horrificness on my sims faces (especially darker skinned sims) and clothes.
  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    edited March 2021
    Cororon wrote: »
    Deshong04 wrote: »
    @Cororon Which textures in particular? I wonder if I can find older screenshots with said textures and compare what it looks like now in my game. Same, better or worse.

    Test these female child stockings and see if you get tons of blocky artefacts and ugly dithering: https://www.mediafire.com/file/qph3n6fdx3el34g/CF_st*ck*ngs_as_gloves_test2.rar (Made them for testing, and can be found as "gloves" so they can be layered with socks. They don't have their own thumbnail so it's just a hand).

    A couple of the classic objects with colour banding that now seem to look worse, and an outfit:

    9Tt6Zua.jpg


    Speaking of colour banding and dithering. My siggy is full of that. But it's just a gif, so it's ok. :tongue:

    This is what it looks like in CAS.
    Screenshot-776.jpg


    What it looks like in-game.
    Screenshot-777.jpg

    Screenshot-778.jpg


    The kitchen.
    Screenshot-783.jpg
    Screenshot.jpg

    Screenshot-784.jpg

    Screenshot-785.jpg

    Screenshot-786.jpg


    The kitchen re-textured.
    Screenshot-798.jpg

    Screenshot-797.jpg


    The sporty outfit using preset and using a slightly textured paint.
    Screenshot-787.jpg

    Screenshot-789.jpg

    Slightly-Textured-Paint.png

    Screenshot-794.jpg

    Screenshot-795.jpg


    And the wall as is and after using the same paint pattern.
    Screenshot-791.jpg

    Screenshot-793.jpg


    =======


    @ZeeGee Hopefully someone can find a way to improve the appearance of color banding and dithering without causing any performance issues. Not sure if it's a workaround for everyone but at least with the dithering just avoid using solid colors and find a different texture to represent as if a solid color. It may work as well to minimize or completely eliminate color banding with certain textures concerning walls/objects.
    Post edited by Deshong04 on
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • CororonCororon Posts: 4,275 Member
    My game has been affected and I'm upset
    @Deshong04 Thanks for testing! It looks the same as in my game. It's sad how the stockings look smooth in CAS but not in game. Other stockings I've made before look better because I had added a little random noise in the base texture's alpha channel. I think I should try that for these as well, but a make the noise a little more transparent. Maybe that will help a little.

    I don't have the bad banding and weird shadows on skin like some have. Not yet...
    cUrfGkA.gif
  • ZeeGeeZeeGee Posts: 5,355 Member
    My game has been affected and I'm upset
    Deshong04 wrote: »
    Hopefully someone can find a way to improve the appearance of color banding and dithering without causing any performance issues. Not sure if it's a workaround for everyone but at least with the dithering just avoid using solid colors and find a different texture to represent as if a solid color. It may work as well to minimize or completely eliminate color banding with certain textures concerning walls/objects.

    @Deshong04 I do know the texture trick for walls and surfaces, and also have Reshade installed which helps with the color banding. The thing that bothers me most though is the sims' skins and faces, especially the darker skinned sims. If I deband with Reshade enough to get rid of the color banding I lose a lot of detail like freckles, etc. So usually I end up disabling Reshade.
  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    edited April 2021
    @Cororon No problem.

    [Deleted]
    Post edited by Deshong04 on
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    edited April 2021
    I'm curious, because I may upgrade my monitor in the future but not specifically for TS3. However....

    Does anyone have a 4k HDR 400/500/600/1000/1400 10 or 12 bpc (bits per component/color depth) monitor and knows if that helps with color banding and dithering with TS3 or are the results the same?

    I'm going to guess it may be the same according to the typical usage scenarios says "Applications need to be written with more than 8 bpc output, setting a higher value here will not improve the image of the application that does not support more than 8 bpc." I doubt TS3 supports more than 8 bpc, though I could be wrong.

    Also according to the typical usage scenarios says "Using higher output color depth can help you display colors with high quality, especially for smooth color transitions and gradients."
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • CororonCororon Posts: 4,275 Member
    My game has been affected and I'm upset
    Nothing new to report, but... the reason I updated the graphics driver two months ago was because I thought the old one from 2019 was what caused my computer to bluescreen. So after updating it everything was fine, until yesterday when I got another bluescreen. :angry:

    I'm still on my Sims break, but I'll start playing again when I feel like it. Hopefully soon. :smile:
    cUrfGkA.gif
  • GraceyManorGraceyManor Posts: 20,079 Member
    My game has not been affected
    So my computer updated again

    and now anything red, looks pinkish purplish.

    Screenshot-3.jpg
    car is suppose to be red like a fire truck...

    When I hover my pointer over it, it turns the right color
    Screenshot-4.jpg
  • emorrillemorrill Posts: 8,110 Member
    My game has been affected but it doesn't bother me
    Hey. :) Do any of you have some updates on any fixes for this issue that you've discovered? Have recent Windows 10 updates changed anything for the better? Just curious. Thanks!
    52607642900_bbbac3a314_c.jpg
  • ZeeGeeZeeGee Posts: 5,355 Member
    My game has been affected and I'm upset
    @emorrill I updated my laptop and noticed sims’ skin looking very bad, so I’ve taken my desktop off the internet for now. There’s a graphics card update I haven’t installed yet. I tried to find a copy of 8.1 for my desktop to get rid of this 10 nightmare but couldn’t find a legit one.
  • OnverserOnverser Posts: 3,364 Member
    Not sure if it's the same issue you're talking about, but my sims have insanely pixelated shadows sometimes outdoors

    Screenshot-31.jpg
  • emorrillemorrill Posts: 8,110 Member
    My game has been affected but it doesn't bother me
    @ZeeGee Bummer. :confounded: My desktop is offline right now cause we still don't have internet yet (long story) but I won't be updating any time soon. We're barely surviving out here with all the stuff this move has thrown at us. :p

    @Onverser I saw another simmer having that issue. :( What graphics card do you have?
    52607642900_bbbac3a314_c.jpg
  • OnverserOnverser Posts: 3,364 Member
    emorrill wrote: »
    @ZeeGee Bummer. :confounded: My desktop is offline right now cause we still don't have internet yet (long story) but I won't be updating any time soon. We're barely surviving out here with all the stuff this move has thrown at us. :p

    @Onverser I saw another simmer having that issue. :( What graphics card do you have?

    I have zero technical knowledge but from what I understand it's an AMD Radeon card
  • GraceyManorGraceyManor Posts: 20,079 Member
    My game has not been affected
    Recent updates have made my sims hair have weird white outlines on them.I give up on playing
    for now because it just looks way too bad.
  • WollybuttWollybutt Posts: 13 New Member
    > @Onverser said:
    > I have zero technical knowledge but from what I understand it's an AMD Radeon card

    You can find a fix for that issue here: https://engram-au.livejournal.com/123197.html
  • emorrillemorrill Posts: 8,110 Member
    My game has been affected but it doesn't bother me
    An issue I've recently noticed which is driving me insane (and I swear it never happened before the awful Windows 10 updates) is that lamps can be seen through the Sims head or hair. Example:

    lamp-through-head.jpg

    :pensive:

    Isn't that awful?
    52607642900_bbbac3a314_c.jpg
  • SunnyyesjamsSunnyyesjams Posts: 541 Member
    edited August 2021
    I feel like deband was always an issue. I used to have windows 7 and my old photos had horrible banding too...
    kwdT9wX.gif
  • Nikkei_SimmerNikkei_Simmer Posts: 9,403 Member
    Other. Please explain in comments.
    @emorrill...it looks like the lamp is showing RIGHT through her head, but I want to think that it's just the light reflection from the side of the lamp that's visible...but man...Windows updates keep doing nasty stuff to our game.
    GYZ6Ak9.png
    Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
  • ZeeGeeZeeGee Posts: 5,355 Member
    My game has been affected and I'm upset
    @emorrill Thats awful. Sorry girl 🥺
  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    I am going to guess the bloom lighting effect introduced with Supernatural may have changed something which causes the overall lighting to somehow be a bit transparent through hair when viewed from objects displaying that bloom effect.
    Screenshot-110.jpg

    Screenshot-206.jpg
    Screenshot-207.jpg

    Though it may be possible this has always been around since base game like hair around the edges being a bit transparent through windows. However, I suspect this issue may have been introduced since Supernatural.

    Upon further investigation, a tutorial by Simified (https://annythingsims.tumblr.com/post/104662906911/the-sims-3-removing-bloom-effect) states the lighting has been changed since WA. I can confirm as when I take a look at my older screenshots that there is indeed now a glow around some objects depending on the lighting and time of day that I did not see with just base game.

    11-17-2009
    Screenshot-109.jpg

    But I wonder if the slight transparency is indeed a side effect from the bloom effect introduced with WA or perhaps the lighting has changed even more since SN. Regardless, I guess I'll have to either use the tutorial or use this mod to find out if eliminating the bloom effect will also eliminate the transparency issue.
    https://simsasylum.com/tfm/index.php?/topic/12116-no-glow-mod-163-169/

    The glow can be quite an eyesore so maybe this might be something to keep though I had done this years ago, likely around SN but apparently I forgot to reapply.
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • emorrillemorrill Posts: 8,110 Member
    edited August 2021
    My game has been affected but it doesn't bother me
    @Nikkei_Simmer Yes they are...

    @ZeeGee Thanks. :kissing_heart: You'll have to test and see if the same thing happens in your game. Then let me know. ;) See my next comment to you below.

    @Deshong04 Thank you for that information. :star: Do you have that No Glow mod already? You can't download the mod from the link you shared because in the comments it reveals that the whole site was hacked so a bunch of stuff got deleted. :( Missy is working on putting up new links for download, but hasn't done it yet.

    ***If anyone has her No Glow mod for 1.67 and wouldn't mind sharing via SFS that would be great.*** :) Nevermind. Thanks to a certain simmer. <3 You know who you are.

    I'd like to give it a try to see if it fixes this issue and that maybe perhaps it's not all due to Windows 10 updates. I do hate that the edges of hair go transparent in front of windows.....
    But I wonder if the slight transparency is indeed a side effect from the bloom effect introduced with WA or perhaps the lighting has changed even more since SN.

    ^I think so, because now that I think about it, I legit did not have the transparent hair issue until I installed Supernatural 2 years ago. So it very well could be from the moon lighting and all that jazz that came with that EP. *sigh* So ZeeGee you may not have the issue in your game because you don't have Supernatural correct? Let me know. Thanks.
    Post edited by emorrill on
    52607642900_bbbac3a314_c.jpg
  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    edited September 2021
    "Do note that this edit will have to be made each time after a game update or new expansion pack or stuff pack is installed because the file is usually overwritten. Also note that by disabling the glowing, you will not be able to see the heat waves rising from the ground in Egypt in The Sims 3 World Adventures and headlights and lamps on cars will not glow." (https://annythingsims.tumblr.com/post/104662906911/the-sims-3-removing-bloom-effect)

    I don't see a difference from previous screenshots with headlights and now after the change to the graphic rules file. I still want to confirm if heatwaves are still present as well, but it has not been that hot in my game for that effect to show up. I think it needs to be at least 90 degrees fahrenheit or above. Edit: Heatwaves do not appear for me but it's not that bad of a tradeoff though I would rather no tradeoffs at all.

    August 29, 2021
    Screenshot-496.jpg

    April 24, 2021
    Screenshot-2048.jpg


    Concerning the transparency issue, like I suspected, the culprit has to do with the bloom lighting effect. As I do remember correctly not having this issue when previously there was a change to my graphics rule I edited. The hair clipping into the glass around the edges is not really a big deal to me since it usually is not as noticeable as the bloom side effect.
    Screenshot-631.jpg
    Post edited by Deshong04 on
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • puzzlezaddictpuzzlezaddict Posts: 1,877 Member
    My game has been affected but it doesn't bother me
    In case anyone's wondering, the issue of light showing through hair is present even without Supernatural installed, at least for me, and it shows up in macOS as well as in Windows.

    I also meant to mention that I had a chance a couple months ago to test the original issue on an older AMD GPU, specifically an R9 390, although on a new-ish version of Windows and with the latest driver. The game looked exactly the same, just in case anyone was thinking of grabbing one of those (now relatively cheap, since AMD isn't supporting them anymore) cards in the hopes of fixing the problem.

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