3D Card Error

    Hello


    Ive been a regular player of freelancer since I bought it way back when it was originally released, and Ive had serveral computer upgrades, new computers since then and I never had any trouble with freelancer (until I got vista!!) but thanks to all the guides on freelancer and vista issues the game continued to work, Ive had the game stored on my 2nd harddrive for about that last year, I was playing it only 4-6 months ago. Then yesterday I thought i feel like playing it again so clicked the icon and got that..


    "Freelancer did not detect a 3D capable card, reboot, reinstall etc etc" click ok


    This is strange as my hardware has not changed since I last played the game.


    ATI Radeaon HD 4850.


    Now after some extensive reading and searching I found various ways of sorting this. I know the card is capable of playing the game as it already has played the game! After several unistalls, I got the other error message "freelancer does not recognise your 3D card do you wish to continue" Yes/No, Click Yes I it then went to the original error message, this actually came up when I cleared out the freelancer folder under my games.


    I tried the following.


    1. updating the flconfiguredatabase.txt (incidently the radeon HD 4850 isnt on the list) with the new one thats available.


    2. Adding 0x9442 = "Radeon HD 4850" to the Ven list for 1002 which is the right codes for my card which is also suggested. Which actually got rid of the "Freelancer does not recognise your 3D card do you wish to continue" error.


    3.I've read here and a couple of others where people with Radeon 4850s change the resolution on windows (no details on what they changed it to though). So I've tried changing it to every available resolution with not luck.


    I havent seen any other ways of solving this


    Ive tried with just vanilla FL, patch 1.1, unofficial patch 1.04, Ive tried rolling back drivers to 6 months ago, antivirus is ok, ive got no mods active.


    Any further help would be appreciated as I love the game, and kept it going for quite a while now, this cannot be the end of it.

    The flconfigdatabase update should have solved it, however you are saying that the game doesn't launch when that error message appears? I was always able to launch the game, despite the message "Unrecognizable 3D card, do you wish to continue". Could you also post a screenshot of the error? You could also try switching to compability mode for Windows XP if you are running Vista and making sure you run the game as an administrator.

    Heres the screen shot, I did get the "freelancer did not recognise your 3D card etc etc" which the flconfiguredatabase update(plus adding Radeon HD 4850) did solve, but even when I got that it then went to this error message, now as soon as you click freelancer up comes the splash screen then this.


    Part of the way i got it to work previously was vista guide to get freelancer working which I went over again, ive attached screnshot of the properties for FL, ive tried varying options on the compatibility mode, but still the same thing.

    The very latest database (dated 18 Oct 2010) should work with virtually all new cards (that's why you didn't see yours on the list). There's a chance that when you added it yourself, you actually removed its compatibility (by adding it in the wrong spot). Try just using the original flconfigdatabase.txt.

    Cheers Adoxa, I have tried the original flconfiguredatabase, the oct 2010 version, and adding in my own line, neither worked. Going to try again. Strange thing though, Ive never had to update flconfiguredatabase in all the time ive had the game.

    Well redone everything, flconfiguredatabase, to rechecking the vista settings.


    on the original flconfiguredatabase i get the freelancer does not recognise your 3d video card. do you wish to continue, select yes and it takes me to the screenshot on my earlier post telling me freelancer did not detect a 3d capable card etc.


    Using the oct 2010 version it also get the same as the original flconfiguredatabase, its only when I add my extra line for my card under the vendor - 1002, it does not come up with the "does not recognise etc etc" it goes straight to the "freelancer did not detect etc etc"


    Any other ideas?

    I really don't know - the new database should be working. To make sure we are talking about the same file (EXE\flconfigdatabase.txt), you should see this at lines 373-6:

    Code
    1. //
    2. // RADEON/FIREGL AND NEWER CLASS CARDS & IGPS
    3. //
    4. unknown = "Compatible Radeon/FireGL or Onboard Mobility/IGP"


    It's the unknown part that should make it work with virtually everything, removing the need to add in specific cards. However, the problem is not in recognising, but in detecting, which suggests the database isn't going to help, anyway, and something else is going on. I'm afraid I have no ideas about that. All I can suggest is something's going wrong with fullscreen, so try windowed mode - run Freelancer with the -w command line option.

    Thanks adoxa. just to check, coz the updated flconfiguredatabase i have (assuming it is the oct 2010 one) has the the following...


    unknown = "**UNIDENTIFIED**"
    UnknownHardware
    break


    So anything that isnt listed should fall into this? But like you I think it isnt the flconfigredatabase, think ive proved that by the adding of my own line. Starting to think it is something to do with the resolution like some of the other Radeon 4850 users have had, but ive tried every resolution.


    Anyways going to look some more into this, cheers for the help adoxa.

    No, I don't think that's the newest version, so I've attached it (can't be bothered finding the link :)). As for resolution, that's why I suggested windowed mode. You can set the resolution directly by editing My Documents\My Games\Freelancer\PerfOptions.ini - right down the bottom is the size. You might also like to try JFLP (on my site), which supports widescreen (adds your current desktop resolution to the end of the list).

    funny, it said the one i downloaded was the lastest one!


    Strange thing is the last install didnt create the perfoptions.ini file, so going to do another unistall/install. Add the flconfiguredatabase you attached plus your jflp, plus getting fl to open in windowed.

    ok then, no perfoptions.ini created in mygames folder which is odd, ive set fl to be windowed, plus differing resolutions from 800/600 all the way through to 1680/1024 and i still get freelancer did not detect a 3d capable card.


    Think theres something missing here, any more suggestions?

    Sorry, I'm out. I guess PerfOptions isn't created until after the game runs, in which case it's probably of no help. Still, here's mine:



    Copy all that to PerfOptions.ini and I'm sorry in advance in the likely event that nothing's changed.

    thanks for all your help adoxa, i'll keep hunting a solution, and IF i find one i'll post it back here.


    Its just quite bizaare that i only had a small problem with vista, but apart from that all ive ever done was update to the official patch, unofficial 1.04, global server workaround and the odd mod here and there. ANd the fact that ive had the ATI Radeon HD 4850 for a couple of years now, and it played FL fine 6 months ago(no updating flconfiguredatabase). So something has changed in one of the driver updates(although I rolled back to 10 months ago) and that made no difference.


    Oh well, i'll keep looking.

    yep, directx is upto date, plus graphic drivers are also upto date as well. Thats the only I can think of, is somewhere something is causing freelancer not to see the card. because is gets past the freelancer splash screen, and I dont get the "freelancer does not recognise your 3d card" anymore, so that tells me it is recognising it, the message comes up when the digital anvil stuff comes up before the intro.


    Maybe theres a way to get past the intro?

    Well, if you want to risk it, you have an unprotected freelancer.exe (search gamecopyworld) and can use a hex editor, here's the patch to bypass that detection test. Go to hex offset 1B17B8 and change 0F 85 to 90 E9. So either this will work and for some reason the detection test is failing, or it'll just crash, which is probable.

    Just throwing my 2 cents in, but I've got a Radeon HD 5570 and it says no graphics detected but still runs fine...
    Maybe I'm missing something in your case?

    hi alfa astrix, you have a 4850? and you get the message, "Freelancer doesnt detect a 3d capable card etc etc" or the "freelancer does not recognise your 3d card, do you wish to continue" ?


    I'd be interested to know versions of catalyst control, on your card, as i said it worked fine 6 months ago on the same card.