Combat Flight Simulator 3: Known graphics issues (331562)

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The following list describes known graphics issues that you may experience in Combat Flight Simulator 3.

General graphics issues

Download and install the Combat Flight Simulator 3 update

The Combat Flight Simulator 3 update addresses many video issues. To download the update, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Video drivers that are not supported

When you start Combat Flight Simulator 3, you may receive one of the following error messages: To resolve this issue, first make sure that:

• Your video adapter has 16 megabytes (MB) of memory.
• You have the latest video drivers installed.

Step 1: Verify that your video adapter meets the minimum system requirements

1. Click Start, click Run, type dxdiag in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. In the DirectX Diagnostic dialog box, click the Display or Display 1 tab.
3. In the Device pane, note the value next to Approx. Total Memory, and then click Exit.
4. If you have less than 16 MB of video memory installed on your video adapter, install additional video memory on your video adapter or install a video adapter that has more video memory.

Step 2: Update video card drivers

Contact the manufacturer of your video adapter for information about how to obtain and install the latest version of the video driver for your video adapter. You may also visit the following Microsoft Windows Update Web site to see if applicable driver updates are available:For information about how to contact the manufacturer of your video adapter, see the "Vendor Contact Information" section of this article. To identify the name and manufacturer of your video adapter:

1. Click Start, click Run, type dxdiag in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Click the Display tab.
3. Under Device, look for Name and Manufacturer.
4. Click Exit.

• Graphics corruption if your screen resolution setting or your color depth setting is too high
  
  If you select a screen resolution setting or a color depth setting for your video adapter that requires more memory than your adapter supports, graphics may not appear as expected. For example, this corruption may occur if the video adapter on your computer is based on the NVIDIA chipset and you configure your display to use a 1600 × 1200 screen resolution and a 32-bit color setting. Symptoms of graphics corruption include the following:
  • Terrain objects lose their coloring if you bail out of an aircraft.
  • Graphics on your aircraft or on the ground are missing or garbled.
  To resolve this issue, reduce the screen resolution setting or the color depth setting, or both.
• Graphics and sound corruption if you use high image quality levels
  
  The game's audio, video, or both may not work as expected if you use an image quality level that is too high for your video card. The game may also provide low frame rates. To resolve these issues, reduce the level of the Image Quality setting in the game.
• Dialog box corruption
  
  If you change the screen resolution settings during the game, text may not appear as expected in some dialog boxes. To resolve this issue, close the dialog box, and then reopen it.
• Poor performance
  
  If user interface components of the game do not perform as expected, quit the game, and then turn off pre-flight animations. Note that if you do this, you cannot preview the aircraft before you fly. To turn off pre-flight animations, follow these steps:
  1. Start Notepad. To do this, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.
  2. On the File menu, click Open.
  3. In the Files of type box, click All Files.
  4. In the Look in box, locate and then double-click the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 3 folder, click Game.xml, and then click Open.
     
     Note By default, Game.xml is located in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 3 folder. Depending on where you install Combat Flight Simulator 3, this file may be in a different location on your hard disk.
  5. Locate the following entry in Game.xml:

     ShowUIWorld="true"

  6. Modify the entry to the following:

     ShowUIWorld="false"

  7. On the File menu, click Save.
• Corrupted HUD gauges
  
  Some video adapters (for example, the S3 ProSavage video card) require textures that have square dimensions. You may experience graphic corruption in HUD gauges because the textures of HUD gauges are not necessarily square.
• Flickering clouds or other graphic anomalies
  
  If clouds flicker or if some items on the screen appear in front of other items instead of behind them, you can turn on the High Resolution Z-buffer option and turn off the Dual-Pass Rendering option. To do this, follow these steps.
  
  Note To do this, use the CFS3 Configuration program. The preset Combat Flight Simulator 3 configuration is designed for maximum compatibility with video cards. Changing individual settings in the configuration is not supported and may cause your computer to stop responding (hang), or may cause other problems. If this occurs, use the Default Settings command to restore your configuration to its original state.
  1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click Run CFS3Config.
  2. On the File menu, click Custom Settings.
     
     When you are prompted to confirm that you want to change your settings, click Yes.
  3. On the Window menu, click Overrides.
  4. Click to clear the Dual Pass Render check box, click to select the High Resolution Z-buffer check box, and then click OK.
  If your computer stops responding after you change these settings or if changing these settings causes other problems, restore the CFS3 Configuration program to use the default settings. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, and then click CFS3 Configuration.
  2. On the File menu, click Default Settings.
• In-game animations
  
  Certain animations, such as propeller spin, may not work if you are in a gunner position and use the external view.
• Microsoft Windows 2000 drivers
  
  Some video drivers that are designed for use with Windows 2000 (especially those drivers that are also designed for use with Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0) do not support DirectX 8.0. As a result, these video drivers do not work with Combat Flight Simulator 3. To resolve this issue, download the latest drivers for your video card that are compatible with Windows 2000. For more information about how to do this, contact your video card manufacturer.
• "Error in CFS3CONFIG.EXE"
  
  When you start CFS, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
  cfs3config has caused an error in CFS3CONFIG.EXE. cfs3config will now close.
  Restarting the computer will clear this condition, but if it the problem recurs, you must install the latest drivers.

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Hardware-specific video issues

• 3DFX Voodoo 3 Series video cards
  
  If your computer uses one of these video adapters, rain and snow effects do not appear. Smoke may also look square.
• 3DFX Voodoo 4 4500 video cards
  
  If your computer uses one of these video adapters, Combat Flight Simulator 3 may provide low frame rates. To resolve this issue, set the level of the Cloud Detail option to 1.
  
  Additionally, you may see odd patterns (for example, expanded, striped, or concrete patterns) on air bases if you fly low. To work around this issue, use the CFS3 Configuration program to turn off composite textures. Notice that if you do so, the overall appearance of the terrain is poor.
• 3DFX Voodoo 5 5500 video cards
  
  If your Windows 2000-based computer uses one of these video adapters, discontinuous bands may appear across the screen. To work around this issue, use the 3DFx control panel to disable the second chip. For more information about how to do this, see the program documentation, or contact your video card manufacturer.
  
  Additionally, the graphics may not appear as expected if you try to use a 32-bit color setting. To work around this issue, reduce your screen resolution, or use a 16-bit color setting.
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• ATI All-In-Wonder 128
  
  If your computer uses this video adapter, small triangles may appear on the Combat Flight Simulator 3 screen.
• ATI Rage Fury Maxx
  
  If your Windows 98 Second Edition-based computer uses this video adapter, some objects that are on the ground may flash as you fly over them.
• Mobility Radeon 9000
  
  If the computer uses this video card, Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe may play at too high a speed. To resolve this issue, download and install the latest video drivers.
• ATI Radeon 9700 ProIssue 1
  
  When you play Combat Flight Simulator 3, the game may stop responding ("hang") and you may receive the following error message:
  The video drivers on this system are not supported.
  To resolve this problem, download and install the latest video drivers from the following ATI Web site:

  http://mirror.ati.com/support/driver.html

  If the problem continues, install version 6.14.10.6378 of the ATI Radeon 9700 video drivers from the following ATI Web site:

  http://www2.ati.com/drivers/wxp-w2k-catalyst-7-93-030812a1-010735c-efg.exe

  Issue 2
  
  If you are running the game on Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) with the ATI Radeon 9700, visit the following Microsoft Web site to download and install the latest Combat Flight Simulator 3 update:

  http://microsoftgameinsider.com/cfsinsider

• ATI Radeon 7200
  
  If your computer uses this video adapter, the screen may have a black border on the top of the screen that is about 1 inch tall, and you may not see the bottom of the screen. To resolve this issue download and install the latest video drivers.
• ATI Rage 128 Ultra
  • When you try to install the latest drivers for ATI or the Rage 128 Pro video cards, the drivers do not install correctly. The drivers may install if you click to clear the Block Unsupported Drivers check box, but doing so may cause more serious issues with the game.
  • When you try to start Combat Flight Simulator 3, you may receive the following error message:
    The video drivers installed on this system are not supported. CFS3 can not run with this configuration. Contact your video card manufacturer for information on upgrading to a new version.
    To resolve this issue, visit the following ATI Web site to download and install the latest Powered by ATI reference Rage 128 PRO drivers:

    www.atitech.com

    If the issue continues to occur, turn off AGP Texture Acceleration, and then turn on. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click Start, click Run, type dxdiag in the Open box, and then click OK.
    2. Click the Display tab.
    3. Under DirectX Features, next to AGP Texture Acceleration, click Disable.
    4. When you receive the following warning message, click OK: This will disable AGP (Acceleration Graphics Port) for all display devices on your system that support it.
    5. Next to AGP Texture Acceleration, click Enable.
    6. Click Exit, and then start the game.
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• Matrox G400, G450, and G550
  
  If your Windows XP-based computer or your Windows 2000-based computer uses one of these video adapters, aircraft, buildings, and terrain lose their coloring and are drawn all in white. To resolve this issue, set the level of the Image Quality option to 1 in the Display Options dialog box.
  
  Additionally, if you change the color quality or screen resolution settings during the game, colors may not appear as expected. To resolve this issue, quit Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then restart it.
  
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• NVIDIA nForce motherboards
  
  If your computer uses this one of these motherboards, Combat Flight Simulator 3 may stop responding (hang). To work around this issue, upgrade the nForce motherboard drivers to the latest versions.
  
  f your NVIDIA nForce motherboard has a video card in addition to the on-board video, your computer may stop responding (hang). To work around this issue, use the nForce basic input/output system (BIOS) to turn off the on-board video.
  
  For more information about how to do this, see the documentation that is included with your hardware, or contact NVIDIA.
• NVIDIA Vanta TNT cards
  
  If your computer uses one of these video adapters, and you have the latest reference drivers installed, the target cone may not change color.
• NVIDIA GeForce 4 TI4600 cards
  
  If your computer one of these video adapters, you may experience display issues when you run Combat Flight Simulator 3 in Safe mode. To resolve this issue, increase the setting of the Image Quality option.
• NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400
  
  If your computer uses this video adapter, you may receive the following error message:
  The configuration override file is out of date.
  To resolve this issue, download and install the latest video drivers.
• NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti200
  
  If your computer uses this video adapter, you may receive the following error message:
  The video drivers installed on this system are not supported.
  To resolve this issue, download and install the latest video drivers.
  
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• S3 Savage 4 Chipset video cards
  
  If your Windows XP-based computer, your Windows Millennium Edition-based computer, or your Windows 98-based computer uses a video card that is based on this chipset, you can run Combat Flight Simulator 3 only in Safe mode (with reduced graphics). If your Windows 2000-based computer uses a video card that is based on this chipset, you cannot run Combat Flight Simulator 3.
• S3 ProSavage Chipset video cards

  Issue 1

  If your computer uses one of these video adapters, you may or may not see smoke through the propeller blades.
  
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  Issue 2

  If the S3 Graphics ProSavage DDR is installed in your computer, you may hear no sound during game play. You may also receive the following error message:
  CFS3 is running with reduced visual quality because of out of date driver or unsupported hardware.
  This behavior occurs because S3 video adapter drivers are not compatible with the game. Combat Flight Simulator 3 detects incompatible video drivers and sets the game to run in Safe Mode. Safe Mode disables sound in the game. You may be able to resolve this issue by downloading the latest video drivers. Visit the following S3 Graphics Web site to download and install the latest drivers for your video adapter:

  http://www.s3graphics.com

  If updating to the latest video adapter drivers did not resolve the issue, upgrade your video adapter. If you do not want to obtain and install a new video adapter, return the product for a refund. For information about the Microsoft Satisfaction Guarantee, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

  http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/productrefund/refund.asp

  To enable the sound in the game, follow these steps:
  1. Quit Combat Flight Simulator.
  2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click Run CFS3Config.
  3. In the CFS3 Configuration dialog box, on the File menu, click Custom Settings. Click OK to acknowledge the warning message.
  4. On the Window menu, click Overrides.
  5. Clear the Disable Sound check box.
  6. Click OK to close the Parameter Editor for Overrides dialog box.
  7. In the CFS3 Configuration dialog box, on the File menu, click Exit.
  Intel 845 or Intel(R) Extreme Graphics (Chipsets: 82845 and 82830)
  
  When you start Combat Flight Simulator, you may receive the following error message:
  Your video card does not meet the minimum requirements or is unsupported. CFS3 can not run with this configuration
  To try to resolve this problem, install the Combat Flight Simulator 3 Update. To download and install the update, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

  http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs3/downloads.asp

  Intel 82865G
  
  When you start the game, you may recieve the following error message:
  Windows - System Error (X) Microsoft Windows detected and recovered from a device failure. Please save your work and reboot to restore full functionality.
  To resolve this issue, download and install the latest drivers. If the issue continues to occur, adjust the game graphics quality.
  
  To download the latest video card drivers, visit the following web site:

  http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/support_intel.asp

  Adjust the game quality
  1. Run CFS3Config.
  2. In the CFS3 Configuration window, on the File menu, click Custom settings.
  3. Click OK if you receive the following warning message: Changing your setting could cause CFS3 to behave erratically, including locking up your machine. Are you sure you want to change your settings?
  4. In the Parameter Editor for Image quality window, move the Overall graphics Detail slider all the way to the left.
  5. Click OK, and then quit CFS3Config.
  6. Test the game.
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• PowerVR Kyro-based cards
  
  If your computer uses one of these video adapters, you cannot use the high-detail (composite) terrain feature. If you turn on this feature, the graphics in the game do not appear as expected.
• Power VR Kyro 2
  
  If your computer uses this video adapter, you may receive the following error message:
  Microsoft Windows detected and recovered from a device failure. Save your work and reboot to restore full functionality.
  To resolve this issue, download and install the latest drivers. If this does not resolve the issue, start the game with Safest Settings. To do this:
  1. Click Start.
  2. Point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click Run CFSConfig.
  3. Click File, and then click Safest Settings.
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Other

• AOpen 3d Navigator PA700 Pro 32MB (Chipset S3 Savage 4 Pro)
  
  If your computer uses this video adapter, you may receive the following error message:
  The configuration override file is out of date.
  To resolve this issue, download and install the latest video drivers.
• Asus V7700
  
  If your computer uses this video adapter, you may receive error message:
  The configuration override file is out of date
  To resolve this issue, download and install the latest video drivers.
• 3d Prophet 4000
  
  If your computer uses this video adapter, the game may stop responding (hang). To resolve this issue, download and install the latest video drivers.
• Trident Cyber Aladin
  
  The menus do not appear. To resolve this issue, use the CFS3Config utility to start the game with the Safest Settings:
  1. Click Start.
  2. Point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click Run CFSConfig.
  3. Click File, and then click Safest Settings.
• Retail drivers and video adapters
  
  If your computer uses one of the following video adapters and you use the retail drivers that are included with the adapters, you may experience graphics issues. To resolve these issues, update to the latest reference drivers that are available from the chipset manufacturer. The following table lists the video adapters and the recommended resolutions:
  
  

  Video adapter	Recommended resolution
  ASUS V7700 (GeForce 2) (Windows 98)	Download the latest NVIDIA reference drivers from the following NVIDIA Web site: http://www.nvidia.com/page/home
  Guillemot Maxi Gamer Cougar	Download the latest NVIDIA reference drivers from the following NVIDIA Web site: http://www.nvidia.com/page/home
  Hercules 3D Prophet (GeForce 256)	Download the latest NVIDIA reference drivers from the following NVIDIA Web site: http://www.nvidia.com/page/home
  Hercules 3D Prophet II MX (GeForce 2 MX)	Download the latest NVIDIA reference drivers from the following NVIDIA Web site: http://www.nvidia.com/page/home
  Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS (GeForce 2 GTS)	Download the latest NVIDIA reference drivers from the following NVIDIA Web site: http://www.nvidia.com/page/home
  Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS Pro (GeForce 2 GTS Pro)	Download the latest NVIDIA reference drivers from the following NVIDIA Web site: http://www.nvidia.com/page/home
  Hercules 3D Prophet 4000XT (Kyro)	Download the latest PowerVR reference drivers from the following PowerVR Web site: http://www.powervr.com
  Hercules 3D Prophet 4000XT (Kyro)	Download the latest PowerVR reference drivers from the following PowerVR Web site: http://www.powervr.com
  Hercules 3D Prophet 4500XT (Kyro II)	Download the latest PowerVR reference drivers from the following PowerVR Web site: http://www.powervr.com
  Diamond Stealth III 540 (S3 Savage 4)	Download the latest S3 Graphics reference drivers from the following VIA Arena Web site: http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=34

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Vendor contact information

For information about how to contact your video card manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information. The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

For more information about Combat Flight Simulator 3, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For more information about Microsoft games, visit the following Microsoft Web site: back to the top