Ghost/Projection Bug help?

ZOS_JessicaFolsom · May 2014

Hi folks, could you please check to see if you're running DX9 instead of DX11? You need to be running DX11. We're finding that using DX9 instead is the cause of the issue described in this thread.

Mablung wrote: »

Like everyone else, I had no issues prior to the patch. It seems that they changed their optimization from DX11 to DX9 and failed to tell anyone or at least to implement a drop down option in settings as to what is preferred by the end user. This option is something seen in all new MMOs now and is another example of poor game design.

@Mablung - Where are you seeing this optimization change? This doesn't sound right to us.

rustykap · May 2014

@ZOS JessicaFolsom

The problem here is that I don't have the option to run DX11 since I'm still using XP. Like I said earlier, it used to work just fine for me using DX9 before the update.

ArcanusMagus · May 2014

I'm having the same issue. I switched to DX9 using a guide here on these forums and it fixed a serious display issue for me. The game worked perfectly for several weeks, then I have this exact issue described in the thread since the patch. What changed?

Seravi · May 2014

@ZOS_JessicaFolsom what are we to do if we cannot run DX11 due to the NVIDIA issues? If I have it set to DX11 just like many, many other NVIDIA users we get a black screen then crash seconds or minutes into play. If you have access to my tickets you can see the name of the top level support person that has been helping me since 4/1 with this issue and the constant that needs to be in place for us to play is DX9 not DX11. Thanks!

Wavek · May 2014

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi folks, could you please check to see if you're running DX9 instead of DX11? You need to be running DX11. We're finding that using DX9 instead is the cause of the issue described in this thread.

Mablung wrote: »

Like everyone else, I had no issues prior to the patch. It seems that they changed their optimization from DX11 to DX9 and failed to tell anyone or at least to implement a drop down option in settings as to what is preferred by the end user. This option is something seen in all new MMOs now and is another example of poor game design.

@Mablung - Where are you seeing this optimization change? This doesn't sound right to us.

I had this bug. I could not see ghosts etc. I renamed the "My Documents\Elderscrolls Online\Live" folder and relaunched the game and the issue was fixed.

I assume it was really the ini file that had something wrong. I was able to copy back in the AddOn and SavedVariables folders to restore my addons and the issue did not come back.

Traisa · May 2014

I had this problem after the latest patch, too.

I recall changing D3D11 to D3D9 when I was encountering issues in the past, where my computer would lockup and crash. I also had contacted customer support about my issue, and I was instructed to change my user settings, and run eso.exe and the launcher in XP compatibly mode and to run it as administrator. It had been working fine with that setting up until this latest patch.

Now, I've done what others here have suggested (on page 2 near the bottom) to change D3D9 to D3D11 and stop using the XP compatibly mode. After I had done those two things, I was able to see the ghost projections normally again, and the choppiness of moving about the world also went away.

JasonSilverSpring · May 2014

Wavek wrote: »

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi folks, could you please check to see if you're running DX9 instead of DX11? You need to be running DX11. We're finding that using DX9 instead is the cause of the issue described in this thread.

Mablung wrote: »

Like everyone else, I had no issues prior to the patch. It seems that they changed their optimization from DX11 to DX9 and failed to tell anyone or at least to implement a drop down option in settings as to what is preferred by the end user. This option is something seen in all new MMOs now and is another example of poor game design.

@Mablung - Where are you seeing this optimization change? This doesn't sound right to us.

I had this bug. I could not see ghosts etc. I renamed the "My Documents\Elderscrolls Online\Live" folder and relaunched the game and the issue was fixed.

I assume it was really the ini file that had something wrong. I was able to copy back in the AddOn and SavedVariables folders to restore my addons and the issue did not come back.

@Wavek, when you renamed the Live folder the game created a brand new ini file which likely defaulted to DX11 (D3D11). That is probably why it fixed the issue for you.

@ZOS_JessicaFolsom‌, some of us force DX9 to use the wonderful 3D Vision fix on the Helixmod blog site. In addition to fixing this ghost issue do you all plan to enable exclusive fullscreen support for DX9? Also, will SLI support be available for DX9 or only DX11?

Mablung · May 2014

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi folks, could you please check to see if you're running DX9 instead of DX11? You need to be running DX11. We're finding that using DX9 instead is the cause of the issue described in this thread.

Mablung wrote: »

Like everyone else, I had no issues prior to the patch. It seems that they changed their optimization from DX11 to DX9 and failed to tell anyone or at least to implement a drop down option in settings as to what is preferred by the end user. This option is something seen in all new MMOs now and is another example of poor game design.

@Mablung - Where are you seeing this optimization change? This doesn't sound right to us.

The change is based on the assumption that User Settings was defaulted prior to patch for D3D11 and that was changed with the patch to D3D9 per the SLi optimization per the patch notes. While that change was not specifically noted in the patch notes, it appears that is a safe assumption to have.

Not having the ability to select what DX version might work best for the end user is a flaw in design. Like I stated, no problems before patch. Patch with optimization, bugs with graphics.

eobethb14_ESO · May 2014

So, I fixed my blobs with the switch to DX11, but like other nvidia users, I get crap performance with DX11 compared to how I was able to play pre-patch.

I spent many long sessions through beta and EA and the first month. Sometimes I was in game almost all day long. I was able to pop around to various mules for banking and all was done with little performance issues.

Now, post-patch, I am unable to play much longer than 30 minutes.

Whatever changed sucks for me. I wish I was able to get the same performance as before, I honeslty care little for how pretty the game is, I am a child of the 70's so pretty much anything looks good to me, I just want it to run cleanly.

Seravi · May 2014

@ZOS_JessicaFolsom‌, I just spent over an hour doing a quest that should have taken minutes. I had five ghosts to talk to and one dead one to examine. Why did it take so long? Because I could NOT see ANY of them nor did they have quest markers. I had to FIND them!!! This has to be fixed! Something changed in this update forcing players to use DX11 and MANY of us cannot! This is a game changer and should be considered high on the list of things to fix ASAP.

JasonSilverSpring · May 2014

eobethb14_ESO wrote: »

So, I fixed my blobs with the switch to DX11, but like other nvidia users, I get crap performance with DX11 compared to how I was able to play pre-patch.

I spent many long sessions through beta and EA and the first month. Sometimes I was in game almost all day long. I was able to pop around to various mules for banking and all was done with little performance issues.

Now, post-patch, I am unable to play much longer than 30 minutes.

Whatever changed sucks for me. I wish I was able to get the same performance as before, I honeslty care little for how pretty the game is, I am a child of the 70's so pretty much anything looks good to me, I just want it to run cleanly.

@eobethb14_ESO‌, that is odd about your performance issue. I guess I am just lucky. I have Nvidia and I see improved performance running in DX11 after the patch. I am running the latest drivers (337.88) and have not noticed any problems. I also was running fine with the 337.50 Betas before that.

Are you on either of those drivers? Maybe the issue is tied to certain Nvidia GPUs or some combination with certain setups. Which version of Windows are you running? I am running Win 8.1 Update 1.

eobethb14_ESO · May 2014

I am on Vista, which I know is its own set of problems. I run on low settings and I was fine with that before, because the game ran fine for me.

I am not expecting to run anything other than the most minimal effects. I just want it to run, like it did pre-patch.

Yes, I am using the latest nvidia driver.

JasonSilverSpring · May 2014

Seravi wrote: »

@ZOS_JessicaFolsom‌, I just spent over an hour doing a quest that should have taken minutes. I had five ghosts to talk to and one dead one to examine. Why did it take so long? Because I could NOT see ANY of them nor did they have quest markers. I had to FIND them!!! This has to be fixed! Something changed in this update forcing players to use DX11 and MANY of us cannot! This is a game changer and should be considered high on the list of things to fix ASAP.

@Seravi‌, I wonder if you try forcing ESO to use OpenGL if that might temporarily fix the issue. I have never tried it myself, but if you change the D3D9 to OpenGL in the ini file I have read it will use OpenGL. Not sure if that impacts performance of visual quality but it might be a way to get around the ghost issue until ZOS fixes the issue with DX9.

Just a thought.

UPDATE: I just tested and the ghost bug did not occur for me if I forced OpenGL. You might want to try that. I did not test long enough to notice if there was a performance hit compared to DX9 but I definitely could see the ghosts. Tested the same spot with DX9 and ghosts were hidden.

traigusb14_ESO2 · May 2014

I was running DX11, but the patch overwrote my usersetings.txt file and changed it back to DX9.

When I saw this thread I went back to look... bam DX9. I guess I have to look at this file after every patch?

DX11 fixed this for me ATI -Radeon 6800

Maldon · May 2014

I wish I would have found this thread earlier, posted one myself and the only response I received was run a repair, which I did and accomplished nothing. I am running DX11 not DX9 and I have this exact issue.

Seravi · May 2014

@JasonSilverSpring, so in the usersettings.txt file you changed SET GraphicsDriver.7 "D3D11" to SET GraphicsDriver.7 "OpenGL"?

Mablung · May 2014

Seravi wrote: »

@JasonSilverSpring, so in the usersettings.txt file you changed SET GraphicsDriver.7 "D3D11" to SET GraphicsDriver.7 "OpenGL"?

Yes

JasonSilverSpring · May 2014

Maldon wrote: »

I wish I would have found this thread earlier, posted one myself and the only response I received was run a repair, which I did and accomplished nothing. I am running DX11 not DX9 and I have this exact issue.

@Maldon‌, are you sure your hardware supports DX11? I think it might still show D3D11 in the ini by default even if your hardware only supports DX9. What is your GPU and OS? I suggest trying changing it to OpenGL to see if that helps.

Galen · May 2014

Hmm, I have this exact issue which started up after the patch. I was wondering what was up with the ghosts/spirits... Before the patch they appeared just fine. (This seems to only affect people, not objects. Ethereal chairs, books, etc are rendered correctly for me, but not ethereal people.)

I have Windows XP SP3 and ATI Radeon 4600 series video card. It does have the latest legacy drivers (13.1) for it. (Old setup is old, I know. It was a nightmare getting the drivers to update because it's an AGP card...)

I guess I'll try switching to OpenGL, but last time I tried, it automatically reverted to D3D9.

Primaxx · May 2014

Willock wrote: »

I've found a temporary fix for this issue, assuming you have a DX11 compatible card.
I had actually set my game to DX9 to test out SMAA (still doesn't work), and was surprised to find forcing it to DX11 in UserSettings seems to fix it.

Navigate to " C:\Users\YOURUSER\Documents\Elder Scrolls Online\live" (or liveeu if you play on EU megaserver)

open "UserSettings.txt"

search (Crtl+F) for "SET GraphicsDriver.7"

change D3D9 to D3D11

Thanks, did this and it's fixed the problem for me.

Maldon · May 2014

Sorry to be a noob, but How do you change to OpenGL? I have windows 7, AMD Radeon HD 6670

Mablung · May 2014

Maldon wrote: »

Sorry to be a noob, but How do you change to OpenGL? I have windows 7, AMD Radeon HD 6670

In the steps in the post just above yours, where it states to change from D3D9 tp D3D11, change it to OpenGL in place of D3D11.

Seravi · May 2014

Well I changed it and yes I can see ghosts. Graphics are blah and the game is choppy so I am back to D3D9 for now. Also on OpenGL my CPU is running much harder than on D3D9. I went from 23% to 55+% and and am not willing to run my CPU that hard because ZOS tripped over something and messed up the renders. ZOS please fix this. We shouldn't be forced to run OpenGL or any other tricks we are doing to see the transparent figures/monsters in this game.

TicToc · May 2014

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi folks, could you please check to see if you're running DX9 instead of DX11? You need to be running DX11. We're finding that using DX9 instead is the cause of the issue described in this thread.

I have been seeing this issue too along with graphics driver crashes, ever since the patch. This is good to here since it seem like it may get me on the path to a solution...however...

My computer is running DX11, but the .ini file lists D3D9. i have tried changing it to D3D11 multiple times, but when I launch the game it changes it back to D3D9. This may very well be the problem, but how do I fix it?

Mablung · May 2014

TicToc wrote: »

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi folks, could you please check to see if you're running DX9 instead of DX11? You need to be running DX11. We're finding that using DX9 instead is the cause of the issue described in this thread.

I have been seeing this issue too along with graphics driver crashes, ever since the patch. This is good to here since it seem like it may get me on the path to a solution...however...

My computer is running DX11, but the .ini file lists D3D9. i have tried changing it to D3D11 multiple times, but when I launch the game it changes it back to D3D9. This may very well be the problem, but how do I fix it?

If you are running Windows XP or running in Windows XP compatibility mode, it will not run DX11.

TicToc · May 2014

Mablung wrote: »

If you are running Windows XP or running in Windows XP compatibility mode, it will not run DX11. [/quote]

Ah. That was it. I changed the comparability on the launcher executable yesterday, because someone suggested it as a potential fix for the crashes.

Thanks

edu.journeymanub17_ESO · May 2014

Willock wrote: »

I've found a temporary fix for this issue, assuming you have a DX11 compatible card.
I had actually set my game to DX9 to test out SMAA (still doesn't work), and was surprised to find forcing it to DX11 in UserSettings seems to fix it.

Navigate to " C:\Users\YOURUSER\Documents\Elder Scrolls Online\live" (or liveeu if you play on EU megaserver)

open "UserSettings.txt"

search (Crtl+F) for "SET GraphicsDriver.7"

change D3D9 to D3D11

If your card is not DX11 compatible you can also try "OpenGL" but, at least on my system, it takes a massive performance hit.

Thanks Willock, I can see the frost atronach again

My luck I have a DX11 compatible card.

On a side note, it seems the game graphics load faster in crowded areas after I set the DX11 fix above, it was really laggy after craglorn, I will either edit or make a new post on this thread if the things change more.

Dusty5 · May 2014

Ghost/projection issues STILL an everyday event. Windows 8 runs DX11 but issues still continue.

JasonSilverSpring · May 2014

Dusty5 wrote: »

Ghost/projection issues STILL an everyday event. Windows 8 runs DX11 but issues still continue.

@Dusty5‌, what is your GPU? Have you made sure you do not have the eso.exe set for XP compatibility? These are some issues for some causing them to run in DX9. You are correct that Windows 8 supports DX11 software, but your graphics card must support it as well for you to truly use DX11.

Software like MSI Afterburner is also useful as it will give you an on screen display of frame rates, GPU temps, etc. It also will tell you if you are using DX9 or DX11.

Seravi · May 2014

I submitted a ticket today: 140528-008477, explaining everything I have done and still cannot see them. Yes OpenGL works but the CPU hit and graphics are unacceptable for me. I have a top end graphic card and system and the game did work BEFORE the 1.1.2 update.