Why Does the Game Seem to Play Better Windowed vs. Full-Screen?

[Desdicato]

I'm running a Core2Extreme and BFG8800GTX video card w/ windows XP SP2...

When I crank the graphics all the way up and enter a battle full-screen, I get an odd flicker ("Flashes" sort of...hard to explain...) at the edges of my screen; about 3" or so around the 22" monitor gets distorted and odd. When I switch to windowed mode, this goes away completely.

What can I do to correct this and play full-screen. I assume that the game would run smoother full-screen. I'm noticing alot of 'hitching' lately where my ship will freeze, then suddenly warp and/or turn to a new position.

Thanks!

[OverlordArk]

Originally Posted by Desdicato I'm running a Core2Extreme and BFG8800GTX video card w/ windows XP SP2... When I crank the graphics all the way up and enter a battle full-screen, I get an odd flicker ("Flashes" sort of...hard to explain...) at the edges of my screen; about 3" or so around the 22" monitor gets distorted and odd. When I switch to windowed mode, this goes away completely. What can I do to correct this and play full-screen. I assume that the game would run smoother full-screen. I'm noticing alot of 'hitching' lately where my ship will freeze, then suddenly warp and/or turn to a new position. Thanks!

Windowed mode has a tendency to reduce FPS in games. My first guess if you're having screen tearing in fullscreen mode is that you have VSync off. As far as screen flashing, it seems to be fixed by turning off anti-aliasing.

Check your preferences, try putting VSync on while in Fullscreen mode. If the problem persists(and it might if it's flashing instead of tearing), just turn off anti-aliasing. It's a bandage over the problem, but the devs are working hard on solving this issue, and in the meantime it lets you play.

[Heidi]

Originally Posted by Desdicato I'm running a Core2Extreme and BFG8800GTX video card w/ windows XP SP2... When I crank the graphics all the way up and enter a battle full-screen, I get an odd flicker ("Flashes" sort of...hard to explain...) at the edges of my screen; about 3" or so around the 22" monitor gets distorted and odd. When I switch to windowed mode, this goes away completely. What can I do to correct this and play full-screen. I assume that the game would run smoother full-screen. I'm noticing alot of 'hitching' lately where my ship will freeze, then suddenly warp and/or turn to a new position. Thanks!

We are trying to fix the flashing interanlly. It does seem to correlate to your desktop reolution and your antialias settings. In our internal tests, we've found that lowering your anti-aliasing settings in the NVidia control panel (to 4x or less) seems to correct it. To do this, right click on your desktop, open up the NVidia Control panel, change your 'Antialiasing-Mode' to 'override application', and set 'Antialiasing - Setting' to '2x' or '4x' or 'off'. We have people here and at NVidia frantically trying to get a fix to you, but if you could try changing your antialias settings in the meantime, and report back, we'd be eternally grateful.

[SWBgHz]

Since the first 1.x build I have had various issues, of course many ports and such are just terribly unoptimized and laggy but I also get strange differences between running in a window and full screen. Typically, I run MMOs in a window and running PotBS in a window with dual 8800s (Vista x64) I have to disable SLi or it lags dramatically. It even does this full screen as well. I use nHancer to modify the SLi profile from AFR to single. Now on my XP installation, it works fine with SLi on but overall performance is pretty lackluster given the rather average level of graphics used in the game (this is no Crysis, no LotRO even).

So in Vista x64 I have to disable SLi for PotBS window or otherwise while in XP SLi can remain enabled but the performance for both XP and Vista x64 is overall pretty lame (20 to 35 FPS on OS, 60 to 100 in ports but for the certain ports that just lag to high heaven or have spots that lag to hell). All in all, considering the rather unremarkable (although nice overall) graphics in the game I have to say it is easily the worst performing game I have played of late and that includes Vanguard (at least Vanguard had far better graphics for its performance issues). And by comparison, I can average around 50 to 60 FPS at 1920x1200 resolution with all settings on high running Crysis so it is not a local issue.

It seems to me there are a few issues all at work here - bad client server code, poorly optimized ports (many ports have definite spots that when you pass them performance crawls without regard to population in the area), and and overall poor graphics engine/code. On the later, to me it seems the game is really running a generation or two old graphics engine and just upping polygon counts to get a fresher look - there is no dynamic lighting, no real shadows, static sky backgrounds and landscapes, no advanced shaders. Optimization is certainly something need across all facets but I wonder if the broader issue isn't the lack of advanced or even current generation rendering techniques to achieve the graphics rather than just maxing out older techniques.

[Desdicato]

What's weird is that I run the game in the same resolution on my wife's laptop, which has the T7700 processor and 8600M GT 256mb card, and Vista 64 Ultimate, and the game runs flawlessly in fullscreen...

[Desdicato]

Settings changed to 2x in the Nvidia control setting (lowest I can force them there).

No change; still in open sea getting that weird flash/flicker.

[OverlordArk]

Originally Posted by Desdicato Settings changed to 2x in the Nvidia control setting. No change; still in open sea getting that weird flash/flicker.

Did you try taking AA completely off?

[warham72]

Originally Posted by Heidi We are trying to fix the flashing interanlly. It does seem to correlate to your desktop reolution and your antialias settings. In our internal tests, we've found that lowering your anti-aliasing settings in the NVidia control panel (to 4x or less) seems to correct it. To do this, right click on your desktop, open up the NVidia Control panel, change your 'Antialiasing-Mode' to 'override application', and set 'Antialiasing - Setting' to '2x' or '4x' or 'off'. We have people here and at NVidia frantically trying to get a fix to you, but if you could try changing your antialias settings in the meantime, and report back, we'd be eternally grateful.

Just to confirm Heidi - you all do realize there are lots of us who anything AA related has no effect on the flashing ? I already had it forced off on one of three machines prepatch and got no flashing and do now on all of them

Just making sure you all realize that there are lots of folks in many of these threads who the AA settings don't help the flashing at all that was introduced with the recent patch,

Again not griping just I have seen the statement now in several places that turning the AA of seems to fix it but it doesnt for lots of us

[OverlordArk]

Originally Posted by warham72 Just to confirm Heidi - you all do realize there are lots of us who anything AA related has no effect on the flashing ? I already had it forced off on one of three machines prepatch and got no flashing and do now on all of them Just making sure you all realize that there are lots of folks in many of these threads who the AA settings don't help the flashing at all that was introduced with the recent patch, Again not griping just I have seen the statement now in several places that turning the AA of seems to fix it but it doesnt for lots of us

Doesn't fix my issue, either, but it is a viable solution that's working for some people. The devs already know there are other issues to fix and I'm sure they're working on those as well. In the meantime, if the AA setting helps some people, why not?

[warham72]

Originally Posted by OverlordArk Doesn't fix my issue, either, but it is a viable solution that's working for some people. The devs already know there are other issues to fix and I'm sure they're working on those as well. In the meantime, if the AA setting helps some people, why not?

I wasnt saying they shouldn't suggest it - I was noting that it was a rather overarching statement to say that changing the AA seems to correct it as for lots it doesnt is all I was pointing out

I have the specific flashing issue that nothing other than going to old drivers has fixed , and just wanted to be sure they realize that changing the AA only fixes it for some (and very few I have seen) and I have seen many here say it does nothing for them - so there is a major flashing issue that has nothing to do with AA or desktop resolution is all I was pointing out

It concerns me because I have seen them say multiple times it seems to them to correspond with desktop resolution and/or AA when it doesnt for me nor others and just wanted to make sure they acknowledge they realize there is a completely different problem that has nothing to do with these is all