Colin McRae Rally 4

Topics about game solutions, and success or failure in getting them to work.
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DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

What display device are you guys running this game in? I have a Sanyo Z2 front projector which is 1280x720 native and I can't seem to get it working except for in full screen mode. The best I can get is the 1024x768 mode.

When I change the reg settings to 1280x720 (decimal), all I get is a blank screen, and then it drops me back to my desktop. Change it to the 1024x768 mode and it works fine, except for the squish factor.

Anything else involved in getting this to work in widescreen mode?

Thanks,

Darren
MaxC
Posts: 25
Joined: 30 Jan 2004, 18:02

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by MaxC »

What display device are you guys running this game in? I have a Sanyo Z2 front projector which is 1280x720 native and I can't seem to get it working except for in full screen mode. The best I can get is the 1024x768 mode.

When I change the reg settings to 1280x720 (decimal), all I get is a blank screen, and then it drops me back to my desktop. Change it to the 1024x768 mode and it works fine, except for the squish factor.

Anything else involved in getting this to work in widescreen mode?

Thanks,
Darren


Does your desktop support 1280x720? If not, what video card are you using? You might have to get something like Powerstrip or Rage3D to make a working widescreen resolution. Then your games will support it.

By the way here is proof that it supports 1280x720...and yes I meant to drive into the lake. :wink: Colin McRae Rally
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

I have PowerStrip already running my desktop at 1280x720. My setup is as follows:

P4 2.6Ghz 800fsb HT Pentium
Sapphire 9800 Pro Video card
1 Gig 3500 Mem
Sanyo Z2 OEM (actually its a Studio Experience 2HD) connected via DVI cable

I have Power Strip running and use it all the time for watching DVD's in 1280x720.

When I change the registry to use 1280 and 720 (decimal), and then run the game, the screen goes black, I get a heads up of Power Strip settings in the top right corner saying 1280x720, and then nothing. Bringing up the Task Manager I can see that a FATAL ERROR has occured which seems to prevent the game from running in 1280x720 :cry: . If I change that to 1024 and 768, then the game works fine, a bit squished, but still fine.

Being a European Game, would the verticle freq be 50Hz instad of 60hz? Can someone check what scan rate they have when running the game? Could some one also check to see what res the menu screens are? I'm interested to see if they are 1280x720 as well.

Thanks for the help...

Darren
MaxC
Posts: 25
Joined: 30 Jan 2004, 18:02

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by MaxC »

The game and menu both support 1280x720. I have my 1280x720 resolution locked at 60Hz. Do you have any problems running 800x600 or 640x480 just in case it is one of the resolutions that the pre-menu "ad" screen plays at? I used to have a proble displaying menus with other resolutions on my projector, so I made a list of games that allow you adjust both the game and menu resolutions: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=347573

I have a Radeon 9800pro and mostly use the Rage3D.com tweek specifically made for Radeons to set my refresh rates, and custom resolutions.
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

I forgot to mention I am running Windows XP Pro.

All of the built in modes (640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768) all work fine, with it being slightly squished on my display. If I enter a lower 16:9 setting such as 856x480, they do not work at all either. It looks like all widescreen settings fail.

Using the built in modes, my desktop changes from 1280x720 to the set resolution to play, and then jumps back to 1280x720 when I exit the game. I can see the pre-game advertisments when using the built in modes.

Has any one running this game successfully run it in widescreen mode using PowerStrip? Maybe this is the issue.

When I do input a 16:9 resolution into the registry, and then run the game, the screen goes black and if I bring up the Task Manager I can see a System Fault windows has appeared (can't see it due to the black screen) which then clears back to the desktop after closing the fault window down using the Task Manager.

PowerStrip sounds like it may be the culript here.... If any one has successfully run this game in widescreen mode using PowerStrip, please speak up!

Darren

P.S. I'll take a look at Rage3D tonight and see if that makes a difference...
MaxC
Posts: 25
Joined: 30 Jan 2004, 18:02

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by MaxC »

Here is how I did it.

I used powerstrip to make the 1280x720 using their DVI custom one. When I did this I was able to get 1280x720 at 60Hz and on my projector it was a true 1280x720. Under your advanced settings>display uncheck the setting that say resize to fit screen.

Once I got 1280x720 I found that I could no longer get 800x600 or 640x480 working by selecting them in the display settings. I found that they only worked if I set the refresh rate to 72Hz for them in the advanced settings. I could lock this refresh rate with Powerstrip, but the Rage3D tweek fixed this by right clicking on the resolution and picking the refresh rate.

If you try to use just the Rage3D to make the 1280x720, I found that my projector still read it as a 1280x1024 and that I needed to switch to dotxdot in order to get the proper aspect. This caused problems with the other resolutions as well, so my perfect fix was with the combo of Powerstrip and Rage3D.

If you have a game like Unreal 2 or UT2004 (demo download) you can edit both the game and menu resolution. This is the easiest game to edit and if this does no work, then you know that there is a problem with the resolution setting and not the game demo.

I too have Windows XP pro, 9800pro with cat 4.2 drivers, a Sharp Z10,000 DLP2 projector connected via DVI. Once you get this working you may want to add 960x720. This will give you 4:3 without any squishing and loss of resolution since 720 is native.
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

Spent some time looking at the Rage3D Tweak and PowerStrip and I've come to the conclussion that they are not the problem.

Ever since getting the projector I have been running in 1280x720 mode for the 1:1 pixel mapping using PowerStrip. I know this is working as PowerStrip reports that my resolution is 1280x720, and so does the Display properties. My DVD's look normal so I am quite confident that I am in the 1280x720 mode.

Looked into what the error I was receiving was when running CMR4 in widescreen mode and it comes up saying "Mode not supported". In detail, here is what I am experiencing:

I start off with my desktop in 1280x720 resolution. I edit the reg so that the height says 720 decimal, and the width says 1280 decimal. I then exit the reg editor and run CMR4. Immediately the screen goes black, and I can see some "static lines" quickly pass by. These lines look like the lines you see when you change resolutions. The screen stays black and the PowerStrip settings appear in the corner saying 1280x720, and then nothing happens. I press my windows key to bring up the Task Manager and look at what is running. There are two applications going, one being CMR4 and another called Fatal Error. If I click on the Fatal Error and request that it be maximized, it appears on the black screen with "Mode not supported" written inside it. I click on the OK button, and both the error and CMR4 application disappear, leaving me in the desktop, where PowerStrip again flashes the current resolution of 1280x720 up. :(

I then edit the registry to be 1024x768 and do the same thing. The screen goes black, I see a couple of static lines flash by and then quickly the intro/advertising screens of CMR4 show up, but in 1024x768 mode, so everything is a bit squished. I can play the game and everything works fine. I exit it and I'm back in my desktop at 1280x720 resolution. :?

I even tried changing the desktop to 1024x768 and then running CMR4 in 1280x720 mode but it again came up with the error warning about the non-supported mode.

I then tried using a lower resolution 16:9 856x480 mode within the reg and the error appeared again. It looks like CMR4 will not run in widescreen mode on my computer for whatever reason. No widescreen settings are accepted at all.

If my projector was at fault, then I would expect to see the game running but the projector throwing up a display saying no signal found. This is not occuring. My projector, even with the total black screen, is still receiving a signal from the HTPC. This is proven when I bring Task Manager up and I can see what the error is.

Something is acting weird with the CMR4 program as it is throwing an error and exiting prior to even bringing the advertisements up on screen.

Weird. I left a detailed message with CodeMasters to see if they knew what was going on. Hopefully I will get an intelligent response, and not some remark saying your projector is setup wrong. I do not believe it is.

Any thoughts?

Darren
MaxC
Posts: 25
Joined: 30 Jan 2004, 18:02

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by MaxC »

First do as I mentioned above:

TRY another GAME! This will determine if it is the demo or something else.

Also check your projector to see what resolution it is in. Powerstrip and Windows may read and look like 1280x720 but your projector may read it as 1024x768 and stretch it to fit?! It did it with me. Also check what resolution your projector is reading when your screen goes black. I sometimes use this function on the projector when watching HD to see if I am getting 1280 or 720.

Lastly make sure your projector is set to PC DVI and not video mode if you have the option.

Once you try these...let me know....I'll be checking in from time to time. ;)
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

Thanks MaxC,

This weekend I'll give another game a shot, but I'm pretty sure it will work. The projector says it is in 720p mode (which is a standard HDTV mode) in its menus, which according to the manual means 1280x720, so I am pretty sure it is in the right mode.

When the screen goes black, it is still in 720p mode. The error popping up is from CMR4, so it looks like it was trying to go to a different mode but hit a wall and stopped completely. Possible bug in the video driver?

I got a response from CodeMasters. They basically said widescreen mode is not supported so they can not help me. Kind of disappointing, but expected as I remember reading a warning about it when I first looked at the game. Maybe once the final version is released they will support it.

I'm still convinced I have an issue with my computer, and not the PJ. I might just re install the OS some time soon just to clean up some of the messes that have been made switching video drivers trying to get the projector working. It wouldn't surprise me if something really minor broke which is affecting the game.

I also have a PMS PDI Capture Card and XCard combo installed for DVD watching. Wonder if they have anything to do with this.... Might have to do some experiementing over the weekend. Pull some cards out, reinstall the OS... Gotta get this game working!

Later...
MaxC
Posts: 25
Joined: 30 Jan 2004, 18:02

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by MaxC »

I also have a PMS PDI Capture Card and XCard combo installed for DVD watching. Wonder if they have anything to do with this.... Might have to do some experiementing over the weekend. Pull some cards out, reinstall the OS... Gotta get this game working!


Me Too!!! :D

Maybe you can help with with something then. When I watch DVDs with Dscaler, I ocassionally see a horizontal line flicker across the screen on various movies. I figure it is something with the refresh rate or drop in video mode. Do you ocassionally see this?

I originally had it on Tom's MoComp 2 but have since switched to Automatic pulldown detection and De-judder. It still does it from time to time though. What modes do you use?

Oh, a friend of mine Tigerdave's Wiescreen has Colin working on his TV in widescreen and at the proper aspect, so it is possible even though they do not offically support it yet.
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

MaxC,

I have had a few instances where I have had a horizontal line go right across the screen about a 3rd of the way down when using DScaler. At the time, I could not get rid of it so I exited DScaler and restarted it and it was gone. Since then I have not seen anything except for some minor sparklies from my 9m long DVI cable. I am investigating a new cable to see if that would fix the sparklies. Could you tell me how long your DVI cable is and if you have any sparklies on very dark scenes (i.e. more then half of the scene is black)?

I use MoComp2 with a setting of 1 or 2. If I increase this too high all my diagonal lines start to go jaggy. I use it as the deinterlacer, and Chroma filter and sometimes the sharpness filter. Since the majority of my viewing is via DVD, there isn't much problems with the deinterlacer. If your using video sources such as Satellite or TV, then it would be more important I believe. I'm working on that with the Beyond TV, but that has not worked out well so I think I'm going to drop it. I did play with DScalers Capture abilities but didn't like the fact that I couldn't choose my resolution to capture at. I will be trying Showshifter soon and maybe VirtualDub for Satellite captureing.

I found this forum through TigerDave's Web Site. I have no doubt that the game works with widescreen modes, I'm just frustrated that I am experiencing this issue with my setup. I suspect some driver is screwed up, probably from trying Beyond TV and having it crash on my 4 or 5 times while setting it up. Not a good thing.

Like I said, I will redo the HTPC this weekend and install each card one at a time, making sure CMR4 runs with each add on. I really want to use my HTPC for 85% DVD watching, and 15% games, mostly being driving games. I gave a few FPS a try, but on a huge screen I was feeling sick after 1 half hour. On a little monitor, no problem but Halo on a 95" screen was a little too much after a half hour. That or I was overly tired at 2am in the morning when I was trying it out. Who knows. A good driving game is what I really want so when the buddies come over we can all heckle each other on our driving skills.
MaxC
Posts: 25
Joined: 30 Jan 2004, 18:02

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by MaxC »

Before taking your computer apart, try another game at 1280x720. If you don't have one on the list download UT2004 demo!

I have a 30ft DVI cable that I got with the Bravo D1 player. I have not had any sparkle problems on either the DVD player or HTPC once properly set. It is hard to see if it is the cable unless you have another player to test. I once got sparklies when my HTPC was not properly set and the 1280x720 was not a true 1280x720. It would do it on dark scenes constantly and on the wider 2.35 aspect ratios. This is why you should test your cable with another source if possible. You could bring the cable to a store and try, because they are not cheap! If it is the cable, I recommend the one that V inc sells with their Bravo.

I never knew you could change a setting on Mo Comp2. How do you and what do they do?
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

To change the settings of MoComp2, go to the De Interlace Menu and go down to the bottom where it says "Video Method Settings". In this list, at the bottom you will find the MoComp2 settings. I believe the default is 4 or 5. Change this to a 1 and you should get much better results. With it set to 5, I found the screen jumped around quite a bit. With it at 1, it was a huge improvement in picture quality due to the lack of screen jump (judder?).

In this same menu you can adjust a whole slew of things for the deinterlacing. You can also go into the filters menu and play with the different filter settings, giving you much control over how they work on your DVD screen.

I understand your push for me to try a different game, but I firmly believe there is something wrong with my drivers. I have VNC installed in my HTPC and I have tried running CMR4 with the projector turned off, meaning there was no video display device connected to my HTPC at all. This should allow me to change my resolution to anything I want without question as there is nothing there to argue with. Running the game, sure enough, I get the same error saying it can't support that mode. Something is wrong and a quick reinstallation of the OS and drivers would not hurt to see if that fixes things. Like I said before, I was playing with Beyond TV and it was just blue screening my system to h#ll, so I am sure it did something nasty to it.

Good idea about the DVI cable. Its funny because I have a sharp eye for things like that, but when I first watched a movie (2001 Space Od.), I did not see anything. Not that it wasn't there, the sparklies could have been, but I am sure I would have seen something. Then I went and started installing different things and before you knew it, I saw sparklies so I figure something has screwed up one of my drivers to the point that sparklies are there and CMR4 will not run in widescreen mode. It will take less than half a day to re-do everything which will make me happy any ways as this time I know how to get PowerStrip up and running on the first try, as well as the other drivers. Once it is all done, then I will Ghost the OS partition so I can easy jump back to it when ever I want too.
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

Finally found some time last weekend to format my system and reinstall Windows XP.

When I was done updating all of my drivers, I installed CMR4 and gave it a shot at 4:3 res which worked as expected. I then editted the reg to 1280x720 and it came up with the same error. At this point, I stepped back and looked at what was happening. It appeared to me that CMR4 was trying to set the video resolution, but was not finding a supported resolution.

At this point, I installed PowerStrip and setup my computer monitor for a 1280x720 resolution. The screen was small, being on my monitor and not my projector, but good enough for my testing. I then tried CMR4 and it worked at the widescreen resolution.

In summary, in order for this game to work at the widescreen resolutions, you need to be sure that resolution is selectable via the display options. In my first attempts, the resolutions I wanted were avaliable, but not working properly due to my previous crashes of my system. The reinstall of the OS, PowerStrip and CMR4 worked to get it going.

Darren
MaxC
Posts: 25
Joined: 30 Jan 2004, 18:02

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by MaxC »

Finally found some time last weekend to format my system and reinstall Windows XP.

When I was done updating all of my drivers, I installed CMR4 and gave it a shot at 4:3 res which worked as expected. I then editted the reg to 1280x720 and it came up with the same error. At this point, I stepped back and looked at what was happening. It appeared to me that CMR4 was trying to set the video resolution, but was not finding a supported resolution.

At this point, I installed PowerStrip and setup my computer monitor for a 1280x720 resolution. The screen was small, being on my monitor and not my projector, but good enough for my testing. I then tried CMR4 and it worked at the widescreen resolution.

In summary, in order for this game to work at the widescreen resolutions, you need to be sure that resolution is selectable via the display options. In my first attempts, the resolutions I wanted were avaliable, but not working properly due to my previous crashes of my system. The reinstall of the OS, PowerStrip and CMR4 worked to get it going.

Darren


Glad to hear that!....I think the first thing I wrote was to make sure that the resolution was working and if not use Powerstrip or Rage3D.;) You would have figured it out, if you tried another game! :D So now that you got everything working, please visit my thread for other games or to inform me of other games that work. My list is slightly different, in that I am looking for games AND menus that can be set since some people have a problems with menus being stuck to a specific resolution.
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

Thanks for the help MaxC.

As I mentioned before when I was having issues, I was using PowerStrip and I was in 1280x720 mode all the time, but due to my system crashes, something was not quite right with how my computer was controlling the system resolution. Even though I could change it via PowerStrip, the game was unable to access that same mode and change it for its own purposes. So the resolution was being used, as I mentioned before, but the game was unable to change to it for some unknown reason. Now that I have re installed my OS and everything is in prime condition, the game has no problems changing to the 1280x720 mode that I've setup in PowerStrip. The reinstall of the OS cleaned up the hidden issues.

I noticed you have played with Need for Speed Underground. How do you find that game compared to CMR4? Is the game play pretty good (on par with CMR4?). I might go and get that one if its pretty good. I also have my eye out for Code Masters new racing game coming out soon called TOCA Race Driver 2. It looks pretty good, and hopefully it supports widescreen as well.

Darren
MaxC
Posts: 25
Joined: 30 Jan 2004, 18:02

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by MaxC »

First, I only have the demo of Colin McRae Rally4. That being said, the graphics and 3D EAX surround sound is better on Colin. The handling is a bit better in NFS and it seems more fun because I like being able to mod the car (from paint to parts) so that it really is YOUR car.
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

Have you checked out this new up coming rally game? Looks pretty cool.

http://www.xpandrally.com

Darren
DHunt
Posts: 16
Joined: 06 Mar 2004, 00:35

Colin McRae Rally 4

Post by DHunt »

Looks like CodeMasters just released another version of CMR4 with multi-player support over the net.

On top of this, they have given the demo three new tracks to run on. Pretty cool!

I wish the force feedback was better on this game.

Darren
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