Vice City Problem....Please Help

[Trish]

Hello, I am having a problem with the graphics in vice city. I am actually playing a backup version of the game, and when playing, it is very jumpy and doesn't play smoothly. I looked into it, and alot of websites said to install the patch to make it version 1.1 I tried this, but it won't install, it says that gta-vc.exe is an unknown version. I did install the crack(found on thsi website), so i uninstalled the game, (so there was no crack) and reinstalled it, but the patch still has the same error. Could someone please help me, it is a fantastic game and i would really like it to play smoothly.
Trish
P.S My computer specs are sufficient for the game

[Vile]

When you tried to update the 2nd time, did you make sure the game exe was the original, and not a crack?

Also, this could be because of your video card. In the past I've heard a lot of people were having problems with this game, so I'm thinking it's the game itself, and you really need to try and sort out why it's not letting you update the game.

When you reinstall, make sure to delete the game directory after the install, and remove the cracked exe so the game replaces it with the original exe. (since you'll need the original to update it)

[Trish]

Yes i did try to update the original exe. I uninstalled the game, deleted the Rockstar Games folder in the Programs folder and then reinstalled the game. I then tried the patch, but it still didn't work, i didn't use the crack at all after reinstalling it. I was thinking that it may be because it is a 'backup' version..What do you think????? Thanks for the reply,
Trish
P.S I have a Matrox Millennium G500 video card(is it good enough??)....anyway, it doesn't explain why the update doesn't work.

[Vile]

Is that 16 or 32 MB?

http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/mill_g550/g550_vs_competition.cfm

I see it's comparable to a GeForce 2, and I don't mean this in a bad way, but I don't think it'll handle your game very well. :\

I've only played Vice City for PS2, but in the PC version, is there an option to change the visual settings, resolution, etc?
If so, maybe you can lower them.

[Dr.MAD]

I will always recommend to install the game from the original, and play from the backup. Also, it's important that we know if the game only lags (lagging=being jumpy ;)) when playing the copy, or also when playing the original.

[Icebane]

You can try changing the details within the game also. Teh Matrox card may not be good enough to run it. Not sure If Matrox had problems with Vice City either.

Try lowering the Draw Distance and Turn Frame Rate Limiter OFF.

[Trish]

Thanks for the replys!! I think my card is 32Mb, but i'm not sure. I have tried installing and running the game from the original, but there is no difference. I also changed the draw distance to 0 and turned the frame rate limiter off, and this made a bit of a difference, but it is still jumpy. Anyway, it still doesn't explain why the patch doesn't work. Any more ideas??? Thanks,
Trish

[Dr.MAD]

It's probably your card which is not powerful enough m8.
If you go in the visual options, and you turn the texture detail lower (the quality of the graphics will be lower, but the game will run smoother), does iot change something when you do that?

[astroboy]

It's probably your card which is not powerful enough m8.
If you go in the visual options, and you turn the texture detail lower (the quality of the graphics will be lower, but the game will run smoother), does iot change something when you do that?

Generally, matrox cards are not for gaming purpose. They are for desktop publishing or business usages. I would recommend using eitehr a Geforce Ti(FX) series or ATI Radeon to play modern PC games. Also, plz list your your comp spec so we can take a look.

[Icebane]

Yeah, Updating your Vid Card will fix it;)

[Trish]

Thanks for the replys!!!

Spy005: I did change the settings to as low as possible, and it did make the game a bit smoother, but it still is lagging.

Astroboy: I am looking at upgrading my video card, i was told a Geforce 4 MX was a suitable card. My computer stats are:
1.4Ghz Athlon
256Mb DDR Ram
40Gb Hard Drive
Win98SE

Thanks all!!!!
Trish

[astroboy]

Thanks for the replys!!!

Spy005: I did change the settings to as low as possible, and it did make the game a bit smoother, but it still is lagging.

Astroboy: I am looking at upgrading my video card, i was told a Geforce 4 MX was a suitable card. My computer stats are:
1.4Ghz Athlon
256Mb DDR Ram
40Gb Hard Drive
Win98SE

Thanks all!!!!
Trish

With your spec, I would say go for at least a Geforce 4 Ti 4200. The MX series is crap. Don't even think about that card.

[Icebane]

MX will do the job. But not for long... Upgrade to XP also, and get a Radeon Card...;)

[NorthViking]

get latest patch and lower the resolution
lowering resolution on GTA3 helped alot for me