Crispy81
08-30-2007, 09:15 AM
The problem: You start the game and no matter what you try, the refresh rate for your monitor defaults to 60Hz, making everything look off-center and flickery.
Things tried so far: Switching screen resolutions, turning Vsync on/off, switching fullscreen mode on/off, praying, sacrificing various small animals. No success.
What I've finally discovered that works every time: First, from the BioShock Settings Menu, make sure Vsync is off (assuming you use a CRT-style monitor) and select 'Apply' then 'Confirm'. Next, back at the Main Menu, hit ALT-TAB. This will cause Windows Vista to try to switch to the desktop, but there's a long pause during which you'll see a black screen with a cross-shaped cursor ("+"). AT THIS TIME, just left-click the mouse! The game will come back into focus, at the refresh rate you specified elsewhere. That can be done using various methods, such as using the video card's control panel, by using DirectRefresh or RefreshLock, etc. I use DirectRefresh to try to force 1600x1200 to 85Hz.
This is an odd behavior, and I don't understand what's going on with the cursor at the time nor why Vista can't properly tame BioShock like it can most other programs when you try to shift focus using ALT-TAB, but it doesn't matter. This problem has plagued me since the first time I tried playing this game and I'm relieved I don't have to sit there for a half-hour trying everything under the sun to get my 85Hz back. The game's much more playable now.
Bear in mind that refresh rates in games under Vista is a whole subject unto itself, but it seems that most games that allow you to set the refresh rate either within that game's settings themselves (HINT HINT, devs!) or in an .ini file do NOT have a problem under Vista. Also, setting the refresh rate to a certain value in BiosShock's .ini file is useless if you've got Vsync disabled, which all CRT users should have disabled anyway. I don't know if LCD users have any of these problems in BioShock at all.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone.
Things tried so far: Switching screen resolutions, turning Vsync on/off, switching fullscreen mode on/off, praying, sacrificing various small animals. No success.
What I've finally discovered that works every time: First, from the BioShock Settings Menu, make sure Vsync is off (assuming you use a CRT-style monitor) and select 'Apply' then 'Confirm'. Next, back at the Main Menu, hit ALT-TAB. This will cause Windows Vista to try to switch to the desktop, but there's a long pause during which you'll see a black screen with a cross-shaped cursor ("+"). AT THIS TIME, just left-click the mouse! The game will come back into focus, at the refresh rate you specified elsewhere. That can be done using various methods, such as using the video card's control panel, by using DirectRefresh or RefreshLock, etc. I use DirectRefresh to try to force 1600x1200 to 85Hz.
This is an odd behavior, and I don't understand what's going on with the cursor at the time nor why Vista can't properly tame BioShock like it can most other programs when you try to shift focus using ALT-TAB, but it doesn't matter. This problem has plagued me since the first time I tried playing this game and I'm relieved I don't have to sit there for a half-hour trying everything under the sun to get my 85Hz back. The game's much more playable now.
Bear in mind that refresh rates in games under Vista is a whole subject unto itself, but it seems that most games that allow you to set the refresh rate either within that game's settings themselves (HINT HINT, devs!) or in an .ini file do NOT have a problem under Vista. Also, setting the refresh rate to a certain value in BiosShock's .ini file is useless if you've got Vsync disabled, which all CRT users should have disabled anyway. I don't know if LCD users have any of these problems in BioShock at all.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone.