Error in AMD Catalyst 13.4

[Kompass63]

To all who have an AMD graphics card!

The AMD Catalyst 13.4 does not work with shaders!
There appear large red triangles on the screen or something like that:

You better install the AMD Catalyst 13.8 BETA
or the AMD Catalyst 13.5 BETA2, so it seems to work again.
Correction: Catalyst 13.x seems no longer to integrate shaders.
The last version 12.8 used by me compiles the shaders ...

Shaders are usable again (in Catalyst 13.8 BETA & Catalyst 13.5 BETA2), the message in the app.log is not displayed if it works correctly.


EDIT: Before you install the 13.8 Beta, it may be necessary to uninstall the current display driver. The 13.8 may not overwrite the current driver.
The Catalyst 13.8 Beta   contains the display driver version 13.200.0.0 from 23-Jul-2013
The Catalyst 13.5 Beta2 contains the display driver version 12.102.3.0 from April-16-2013.
You can determine your version by using Device Manager.
Do you have a different version, the 13.8 the previous version has not overwritten.
In this case, please uninstall the display driver separately before you install the 13.8 again.

 

[EQ2Alyza]

I hope this is the case for all the questions we've gotten about red triangles on startup. Good job finding this out 

Please continue testing further releases and report to me if shaders begin working again.

 

[Kompass63]

At the moment it looks as if I do not manage to install Catalyst 12.8 without error ...

 

[nfitc1]

Anything higher than 12.4 (on my laptop) and my CCC refuses to acknowledge that I even have an ATI card.

 

[Template]

I had some major major issues (and yes RED TRIANGLES) but I got shaders working again with Catalyst 13.5 beta, Windows 7 64-bit and my 6850.

I did a lot of exchanging drivers... What I ended up with is that :edit:13.5beta2 works...

I also recommend further steps I took while searching for a solution: reinstalling ff7 completely, compulsively resetting the sounddriver in ff7config utility, and again, futzing with the sound options and outputs through windows. I do not know specifically what fixed it but I can confirm I have the HDR shaders working on catalyst 13.5 beta.   

 

[Kompass63]

And what's with the app.log there should something like

INFO: Shader limits: varying 128, vert uniform 16384, frag uniform 16384
INFO: vertex shader compile log:
Vertex shader was successfully compiled to run on hardware.

INFO: fragment shader compile log:
Fragment shader was successfully compiled to run on hardware.

INFO: main program link log:
Vertex shader(s) linked, fragment shader(s) linked.

in it.
It appears to me with 13.5 no longer, I think Aalis driver no longer compiled the shaders.
with 12.8 goes again, but the Control Center crashes...

Win7-64bit, HD6870

 

[Template]

Mine?

Code: [Select]

INFO: FF7/FF8 OpenGL driver version 0.7.11bINFO: Auto-detected version: FF7 1.02 US EnglishINFO: ATI Technologies Inc. AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series 4.2.12198 Compatibility Profile Context 12.102.3.0INFO: OpenGL 2.0 support detectedINFO: Using PBOINFO: Found swap_control extensionINFO: Max texture size: 16384x16384INFO: Number of texture units: 8INFO: Original resolution 640x480, window size 1920x1080, output resolution 1920x1080, internal resolution 3840x2160INFO: FBO extension detected, using fast scaling/postprocessing pathINFO: Shader limits: varying 128, vert uniform 16384, frag uniform 16384INFO: FFMpeg movie player plugin loadedINFO: FFMpeg version SVN-r25886, Copyright (c) 2000-2010 Fabrice Bellard, et al.INFO: FF7Music helper plugin loadedINFO: Loading external library Multi.dllLOCK UNLOCK TEST MATRIX INITIALIZE INITIALIZE DD/D3D END ERROR: could not open file C:\Games\FF7\ff7input.cfginitializing sound...creating dsound primary bufferreading audio fileloading static soundssound initializedset music volume: 127set music volume: 127Entering MAINExiting MAINSTART OF CREDITS!!!ERROR: couldn't open movie file: C:\Games\FF7\movies\eidoslogo.aviINFO: C:\Games\FF7\movies\sqlogo.avi; h264/aac 1280x896, 15.000000 FPS, duration: 14.533333, frames: 218set music volume trans: 127->0, step=60END OF CREDITS!!!Entering MAINset music volume: 127Exiting MAINSTART OF MENU SYSTEM!!!END OF MENU SYSTEM!!!Entering MAINExiting MAINField StartEntering MAINExiting MAINSTART OF MENU SYSTEM!!!WM_CLOSE END OF MENU SYSTEM!!!Field QuitUNINITIALIZE DD END UNINITIALIZE DD

The game was acting really slow and weird as I started to get closer to fixing it by simply turning the shaders off etc. After the shaders started working again I noticed the chocobo intro movie started correctly fading out as I pressed X instead of simply going blank.

Why do I not have a ff7input.cfg file anymore lol? Still works fine controls wise as far as I can tell. Oh and the other error thrown up is simply because I wanted to skip the eidoslogo movie and omitted it. I think the lines:

Code: [Select]

INFO: FBO extension detected, using fast scaling/postprocessing pathINFO: Shader limits: varying 128, vert uniform 16384, frag uniform 16384

indicate correctly loaded shaders. Some of them don't work for me but the HDR set did through bootloader. Running on a 46" Sony Bravia looks really nice for a 15 year old game.  :-D

 

[Kompass63]

I thought to myself, no "Fragment shader was successfully compiled to run on hardware." or similar...
I think the shaders are not involved ...
...

 

[Template]

Yeah it looks the same the same with it on or off, but it doesn't throw off an error until I try the SmartBloom shader... but I suspect you're right and even the Advanced HDR shaders don't do anything in this case. Oh well, cheers.

Code: [Select]

INFO: FF7/FF8 OpenGL driver version 0.7.11bINFO: Auto-detected version: FF7 1.02 US EnglishINFO: ATI Technologies Inc. AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series 4.2.12198 Compatibility Profile Context 12.102.3.0INFO: OpenGL 2.0 support detectedINFO: Using PBOINFO: Found swap_control extensionINFO: Max texture size: 16384x16384INFO: Number of texture units: 8INFO: Original resolution 640x480, window size 1920x1080, output resolution 1920x1080, internal resolution 3840x2160INFO: FBO extension detected, using fast scaling/postprocessing pathINFO: Shader limits: varying 128, vert uniform 16384, frag uniform 16384ERROR: failed to stat file C:\Games\FF7\/shaders/SmartBloom.postERROR: init_postprocessing failed, postprocessing will be disabledINFO: FFMpeg movie player plugin loadedINFO: FFMpeg version SVN-r25886, Copyright (c) 2000-2010 Fabrice Bellard, et al.INFO: FF7Music helper plugin loadedINFO: Loading external library Multi.dllLOCK UNLOCK TEST MATRIX INITIALIZE INITIALIZE DD/D3D END ERROR: could not open file C:\Games\FF7\ff7input.cfginitializing sound...creating dsound primary bufferreading audio fileloading static soundssound initializedset music volume: 127set music volume: 127Entering MAINExiting MAINSTART OF CREDITS!!!ERROR: couldn't open movie file: C:\Games\FF7\movies\eidoslogo.aviINFO: C:\Games\FF7\movies\sqlogo.avi; h264/aac 1280x896, 15.000000 FPS, duration: 14.533333, frames: 218WM_CLOSE END OF CREDITS!!!Field QuitUNINITIALIZE DD END UNINITIALIZE DD

 

[Kompass63]

I think I'm wrong ...
the shaders are still involved, only the messages stay out ...
I have just edited a filter manually (pure gibberish written) and Aalis driver has responded ...
I will examine the afternoon again more exactly, now I have to go to bed (had night shift).

 

[ProtoX]

well I have 13.1.   13.2 and up don't support 4xxx series and i don't have any issues using both pbo and vbo to load textures

 

[EQ2Alyza]

So shaders work on 13.1 with a 4xxx series?

I might just have to send everyone to this thread and have the OP updated with every confirmed GPU+driver that works.

 

[Kompass63]

well I have 13.1.   13.2 and up don't support 4xxx series and i don't have any issues using both pbo and vbo to load textures

Can you please explain to me how vbo and pbo related to the shaders?
I had made during the tests to off...

 

[ProtoX]

well keeping vbo and pbo on with shaders enabled (my current setting) I have no issues. turn shaders off game crashes due to pbo setting. vbo and shadder turn on while pbo turn off game runs fine.
for some strange reason when the shaders are turned on it actually allowed me to use pbo with no problem.

 

[Template]

what's the shader actually doing if it looks the same with it on or off? maybe i just don't notice because it's subtle?

 

[Kompass63]

Hi ProtoX

well keeping vbo and pbo on with shaders enabled (my current setting) I have no issues. turn shaders off game crashes due to pbo setting. vbo and shadder turn on while pbo turn off game runs fine.
for some strange reason when the shaders are turned on it actually allowed me to use pbo with no problem.

I can combine these options as desired without receiving an error message.
However, the options pbo and vbo with me seem to have no effect.

Hi Template

what's the shader actually doing if it looks the same with it on or off? maybe i just don't notice because it's subtle?

Yes, I also have difficulty to detect a difference between shaders on and off.
I suspect the graphics hardware used their own filters that make the effect of Aalis filters unnecessary.


The following is a theory of mine that may be completely wrong.
If I'm wrong, tell me, please.

Aalis driver can integrate up to four filters in the graphics card.
With the "use_shaders = yes" option "main.frag" and "main.vert" in the folder "shaders \ Nolight" will be integrated.
The filter "yuv.frag" is not used at all for me, I suppose, is only for animated pictures there.
And then there are the filter with ".post" at the end which can be integrated with the options "enable_postprocessing = yes" and "post_source = xyz.post" .

Which filters are used, can be seen when you open the filter with Notepad and insert somewhere the line "hello".
This can not interpret from the graphics card and it appears an error message.
Therefore, I also know that only the filters are used from the "Nolight" Folder.

If you copy the filter "mainAdvanced.frag" to "Nolight \ main.frag" you can admire the effect of this filter (too dark).
Side note, all other .frag or .vert fail on me.

The filters with ".post" at the end I recognize differences, mostly for the worse, which is why I have this option set to off.

I'm going to try to switch off the filter from graphics card, which obviously achieve excellent results, to see which filter is useful or not.

 

[spadge3k00]

appreciate the fix, thx kompass

 

[Template]

Nice find! Maybe now people can work on the filter to see if it's even possible to improve on what we get with 1920X1080. One curve-ball in this discussion I can't help but throw is that I can force hardware Anti-aliasing to work well at 1280X960, but not any other resolution I wanted to try. Why is that? Makes a nice softening effect at 1280X960, but I prefer a widescreen, higher resolution to a filter of any kind, personally. Call me crazy.  :evil:

 

[Template]

Apologies for double post but I wanted to bump this thread because I may have some helpful info regarding this/these issues with ATI cards and drivers.

Recently I took the lead of another poster here and started to test playing the game with postprocessing, VBO and PBO turned off, and texture caching turned ON. Game is keeping a cache again and after a custom texture or file has been loaded once, it is thereafter basically instant. No more choppy Choco/Mog Summon animation. Gameplay is much smoother and more natural, after the cached textures have been saved. Instead of the world map taking 3 or 4 seconds to load once you've zoned out of another area it's instant. Also, the textures don't seem to run as choppy even before they've been cached. Like even the brighter text highlighting key places and stuff would cause a pause sometimes for me. Not any more.

This is with a AMD quad core 3.0 and a 6850. Not a blazing fast system by any stretch, but throw in an SSD and the texture caching, and FF7 finally feels like it was actually made to run on a PC.

Edit: I tried 13.6beta today, couldn't get into the game so went back to 13.5beta2, had to uninstall first, then reinstall.

New edit: Got Hardware AA working at 1080p. Trick is to set the internal resolution at a multiple of 320X240 so i went with 5120X3840 and AA kicked on even tho the game res is set 1920X1080 Looks better than any other setting I've tried. Edit#58 VBO on seems to work and texture caching still engages, have no idea what VBO's actual effects are tho. Still testing.

Recent edit: Found another post where I musta got the idea from to get AA working. Is it possible, postprocessing isn't functioning for the same reason, the internal resolution? I turned it on in addition to my AA with VBO and PBO turned off, and I think it was working, slowed my card down a good bit.

 

[scix]

The open source drivers might be worth trying if your card is supported by R600g. Power management is still bad but I found that performance was better than Windows on my system. You'll need to force on full GPU frequency with a kernel patch if you have a laptop, though. In addition, it might be worth using the git version of Mesa so as to use the R600sb shader compiler. It might not be needed for this game, though; I didn't run comparison benchmarks. It speeds up pretty much all modern games, however.