Was there a change/update to Graphics Settings?

[Frozen Burn]

Earlier this week, I noticed something new and odd with the game. 

 

I play on a desktop with dual monitors and have the game run on my main monitor (Full screen, NON-windowed) while I have character spreadsheets, and other things open on  my second monitor.  I have a high-end graphics card and run the game very will in full Ultra mode.  Normally, I can just click on the other monitor and there is no change in the game (except sound cuts out) - but graphics stay the same.

 

But earlier this week and ever since, when I click something on my 2nd monitor, the game on my first now blinks to a black screen for 1-2 secs and when it comes back, the game is faded and washed-out looking.  Then when I click back to the game, the screen once again blinks and blacks out for 1-2 secs.  This is highly annoying.  And it's never done this before.  

 

I've tried adjusting the graphics settings in game from "Desktop" to "Borderless Monitor 1" and that solves the blinking problem, the game is permanently washed out as if the brightness was set too high - which can't be adjusted for some reason.  I don't want to go to "Windowed" mode either.  I just want what I had up until earlier this week.

 

So was there a graphics change in game recently that makes the game "mute" itself graphically when tabbing to another monitor?  By some chance did something in my Windows settings screw this up - no changes were made recently and I've looked and not seeing anything - and this doesn't seem to affect my other games either.

 

Any help or support to resolve this is greatly appreciated.

[Apparition]

There hasn't been a change to graphics settings.  Have your graphics card drivers been updated recently?

[Frozen Burn]

Thanks, App.  Yes, drivers are up to date and there was no change in my system's software or drivers - that I know of.  This just came out of the blue.  Hmmm... Now that I think about it, there was a power outage earlier this week while I was sleeping.  When I woke, all clocks were reset and my comp, which was "sleeping," was shut off.  Something somewhere must have reset, then.  

 

Thanks for suggesting Graphics card - I checked Windows graphics settings, but forgot about checking the Nvidia Control Panel.  Hopefully, I can fix it there!

[Frozen Burn]

Ugh.  Still not finding anything in Graphics Card control panel nor my Monitor's control panel that will resolve this.  😞  

 

But it's only doing this with COH... not my other games. - which makes me think it's COH-related.  So, I'm at a loss for how to fix this.  

Edited April 9, 2022 by Frozen Burn

[SuggestorK]

sound like the Graphic Drivers was damaged by the unawaited shutdown due to Power Outtage, well none of todays Games i know of use Open GL like CoX does. So maybe try reinstalling Graphic Drivers could help.

[GM Impervium]

If everything's "fuzzy" and "washed-out" looking, it sounds like the resolution is being lowered and stretched. Try playing window'd (Full screen or not, may not matter), and then click your second monitor. And maybe keep the Window's Dual-monitor profile thingie up while you do. See if just CoH shrinks, or if changing your active monitor is actually doing something to the resolution of your primary screen?

Your graphics card might have also been damaged by the power outage. See if a similar thing happens if you play CoH (or any other game) on monitor 2.

I think there's also a setting in the NVidia control panel that will clamp the usage of GPU draw when a program is forced into the background. Maybe it just caps FPS though. Just spitballing here.

[WanderingAries]

Not much to add beyond what's been said above besides maybe having the system looked at from a hardware standpoint, but even that may not reveal itself until later in time. If we're focused on the power strike, then just be aware that it's normally the weakest component that likely feels the effects. I don't normally promote stuff in full, but this scenario is exactly why I have one of these in every room of the house and it's saved me tons of $$ (even though the batteries eventually need replaced). The reason I chose this one was high capacity vs price And it uses a clean power tech that allows it to be safely used on even medical equipment. They have cheaper ones, but I like to max my options out. IDK how many hurricanes this has helped with as I can use it to recharge phones or power a USB light off of.

 

Aside from that, I suppose you could go with the assumption that the software (OS/drivers) got borked with the solution of doing a clean reinstall, but I'd save that for last. If you don't already, then I'd use the -maxinactivefps flag and set it to like 5 (FPS) so that when the game isn't in focus (you toggle to the other screen), then it dials down the stress on the GPU for that period of time.

[Frozen Burn]

Thanks for all the responses and ideas.  

 

I did try playing in "Windowed" mode on both monitors and as I assumed - it worked fine, but I prefer to not play in "windowed" mode and prefer the fullscreen.  Going back to "desktop" resolution, still had the same issue.  

 

I started looking through the NVidia Control Panel again to see if I overlooked anything and to see if there was something that limited GPU power when something is in the background.  I saw where the background framerate default was "OFF" but you could turn it on and select the framerate you wanted.  I set it to my monitor's framerate (165fps) - and that didn't resolve the issue either.  I put it back to default "OFF."  

 

I found the developer tools section and turned that "on" so I could see what the tools are and that flashed the screen several times, seemed to reset everything, and forced the game closed.  I fired up the game again, and it is back to normal!  I can now tab out without having the screen go black for a few secs and be dim while I'm on the other monitor or on a new window on Main screen.  

 

I also then turned the Developer tools back off to see if the issue would resume.  More flashing of the screen and game being forced closed.  Fired up the game again, and still everything seems "normal" and I can tab out without issue.  

 

So something in the background must have reset when turning on/off the developer tools. 

 

Again, thanks for all your help and support.