#ts2 poll

There's now a 'fix' for pink soup called TS2MemCapRemover (it requires TS2 RPC launcher or asi loader). So maybe try that first ;)

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First off, check your GraphicRules.sgr, seti textureMemory setting. The optimum is 2048 if you have 4GB+ VRAM.

For 2GB VRAM, 1900 may be a 'safer' amount than 2048.

You vaguely recall setting it to correct amount? You're getting crashes and/or pink soup? Check again.

If your game is very CC heavy, and you have 4GB+ VRAM, you could experiment with 3072 or 3328 but be aware it might make the game more unstable. 32-bit game simply cannot use more than 4096 MB.

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"TS2 Legacy" Graphic Rules file

The file does not contain seti textureMemory line at all. This works for TS2 Legacy and more recent 🏴‍☠️ releases (most of the time??), when the game automatically detects VRAM. but if you have older release, skipping seti textureMemory may be a bad idea.

If you are experiencing pink soup a lot, check your game -config-log.txt (it's located in Documents/EA games/The Sims 2/Logs).

If you see reported TextureMemory: is a small amount like 0MB, 32MB, 512MB, OR higher than 4096, you may need to correct your Graphic Rules file. If it's 4096, but you get pink soup on regular basis, consider lowering it to 2048.

*If game log doesn't report textureMemory at all, that (probably) means the game detected VRAM correctly, even though your graphic rules lacks the textureMemory line.

/I'm on MrDJ's repack. When I tried Legacy Graphic Rules, my game failed to detect any VRAM and was pink all-over./

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▣ DXVK.conf = DXVK configuration, a text file with .conf extension. You can create it with text editor like Notepad. It should be placed in your game exe folder (no matter if you're on Windows, or on Linux).

Below I've pasted the contents of my current dxvk config (BOX link). It's very basic, contains four popular, performance-friendly settings plus VRAM HUD.

Notes:

(read this if you wish to try my config file):

▣ The last line: dxvk.hud = memory allows you to track your game's VRAM usage. It is surely not something you'd like to have permanently enabled, so you can remove it. BUT if you have some giant hood or large lots, tons of CC - it's worth checking how much texture memory it actually takes up. Maybe you have some cleaning to do ;)

▣ d3d9.maxAvailableMemory feature was introduced with dxvk 1.10.2. Set it the same as seti textureMemory amount you had declared in your Graphic Rules. I set it to 'standard' 2048.

▣ maxFrameRate (FPS cap) works since dxvk 1.7. I've set my FPS to 58 to reduce latency, as my screen has 60mhz refresh rate. But even if your monitor can do 144mhz+, if you're experiencing game stability issues, you definitely need to set a limit. 60 FPS is reasonable. If you wish to set it higher, like 72 FPS, first check if your game can really do as much (during gameplay, enable FPS display with Shift + Ctrl + S).

Limiting FPS may not be required if you use TS2 RPC and play in borderless window, of if you have TS2 Legacy edition. But it's best you check your game's FPS.

Make sure you don't have multiple FPS caps. When you use DXVK it's recommended to set FPS limit with DXVK config, and not via driver-level settings, like Nvidia 3D profile / Nvidia profile inspector / AMD adrenalin.

▣ d3d9.presentInterval = 0 switches off dxvk's vertical sync (v-sync is not required in windowed mode). It's only performance-friendly if you use it along FPS limit.

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▣ If you play TS2 in Fullscreen mode:

With lowered FPS and vertical sync off, you may experience screen tearing. To fix this you can either switch to windowed mode OR enable dxvk's v-sync (d3d9.presentInterval = 1 ), OR enable dxvk's 'mailbox' (available since DXVK 2.3+: dxvk.tearFree = True ). This method is superior to vertical sync but it puts a bit more pressure on VRAM.

/FYI, The Sims2 RPC's borderless mode is windowed mode./

Find out how to run TS2 in windowed mode here.

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The settings below will work for DXVK 1.10.2 and following.

If you've set your DXVK config in the past, and moved to dxvk 2.0+, note that some options that worked for older releases became obsolete or irrelevant.

Comments inside config file should be preceded by # - DXVK will ignore them. Adding # in front of any setting will disable it.

#################my dxvk config #################

# maxAvailableMemory tells the game how much VRAM it has. You set it to whatever you've declared in your Graphic Rules' Seti TextureMemory

d3d9.maxAvailableMemory = 2048

#This sets Low Latency mode, limiting frame cue to 1 frame, improving mouse responsiveness. May cause a bit of lag on old GPUs

d3d9.maxFrameLatency = 1

#This sets FPS cap, meaning: it limits how many frames per second are produced by CPU / game engine.

d3d9.maxFrameRate = 58

#this makes sure vertical sync is off. Vsync is not required if you play in windowed mode, and might cause issues. Note that if you use this, FPS cap is obligatory.

d3d9.presentInterval = 0

#This displays your game VRAM usage on screen - remove the line to get rid of it.