UHD 770 HDR, DX 9.0c and ES: Oblivion

[lauriest]

Hi,

Following up on this question responded to by @RamyerM_Intel regarding HDR in ES: Oblivion game for 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12500 3.00 GHz. CPU, please find the SSU report attached.

The issue is the DX9on12 layer is not detecting:

bDoHighDynamicRange = 1

This being a setting in Oblivion.ini. This means all HDR mods will not work for the game.

Please find a summary of information on the PC:

System Information report written at: 06/11/24 01:40:31
System Name: THATS-MY-DESKTOP
[Components Information]

Item Value 
MEBx Version NA 
FW Version 16.1.30.2361 
LMS Version 2316.5.1.7 
MEI Driver Version 2345.5.3.0 
MEI DeviceID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_7AE8&SUBSYS_8951103C&REV_11\3&11583659&0&B0 
SOL Driver Version 2316.5.0.0 
SOL DeviceID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_7AEB&SUBSYS_8951103C&REV_11\3&11583659&0&B3 
PMC Version 160.2.0.1043

Thanks.

[RobbieR_Intel]

Hello lauriest,

It is great to hear from you again and thank you for reaching out and providing your SSU Logs.

Please answer the following questions:

• To confirm, is this the game you're referring to? https://store.steampowered.com/app/900883/The_Elder_Scrolls_IV_Oblivion_Game_of_the_Year_Edition_Deluxe/
• What is the Make and Model of your Monitor?
• What is the Cable you're using connected to the Monitor?

We look forward for your response!

Best Regards,

Robbie R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[lauriest]

Hi Robbie,

Thanks for your interest. The game is actually the original 2007 GOTY DVD edition which is basically the same as the re-packaged ones.

The monitor is a ViewSonic VX2728-2K 180Hz 27” 2K 180Hz Fast IPS Gaming Monitor, and the cable is a standard DP - DP connector that shipped with the HP Elite SFF 600 G9 Desktop PC (4F5F3AV).

This isn't an issue with the monitor though, the HDR rendering of 2007 is a different kind of specification to that of modern monitors. An older rig with a legacy GPU will play HDR on Oblivion with just about any VESA compatible monitor.

HTH

[RobbieR_Intel]

Hello lauriest,

Thank you for reaching out and providing more information regarding your issue with HDR in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. It's great that you're providing additional insight.

Since Oblivion predates modern HDR standards, it's possible that the game's implementation of HDR may not work seamlessly with the modern APIs.

I will also raise this concern to our Engineers to confirm if this is a known issue or whether we can expect any updates in the future for legacy HDR support in oblivion.

If you have further queries, kindly let us know.

We look forward to your response!

Best Regards,

Robbie R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[RandyT_Intel]

Hello lauriest,

Our engineer has reviewed the logs and identified that the graphics driver on your system is outdated. To further troubleshoot the issue, please follow these steps:

• Update the Graphics Driver: Please update your graphics driver to version 32.0.101.6078 WHQL Certified (Latest).

• Use Compatibility Mode:

1. Right-click on the Oblivion executable file (Oblivion.exe).
2. Go to Properties.
3. Under the Compatibility tab, check the box for “Run this program in compatibility mode for” and select an older version of Windows (e.g., Windows 7 or 8).

• Perform a Windows Update: Ensure your Windows operating system is up to date.

Additionally, could you please let us know where you are playing the game? For instance, are you using Steam? If so, is it The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Game of the Year Edition?

This information will help us better replicate the issue and provide a more accurate solution.

Randy T.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[lauriest]

Hi RandyT,

System is up-to-date. Installed the latest graphic driver along with ArcControl, so using the default settings from there. Changed the compatibility mode for Oblivion.exe to windows 7. Still a black screen in Oblivion with HDR on.

As mentioned above playing the original 2007 GOTY DVD edition, from the DVD drive. From the UESP:

---

A Game of the Year (GotY) edition of Oblivion was released on September 10, 2007 (for PC and Xbox 360; October 16 2007 for PS3). The GotY version of the game is the equivalent of the original, patched to version 1.2.1 with the addition of the Knights of the Nine download and the Shivering Isles expansion. The other eight are official downloads not included in the GotY edition.

The Steam and GOG versions are just a repackaging of the media. DX 9.0c installs with the game, the issue is the game engine includes explicit references to DX 9.0c, which isn't "natively" supported by the driver anymore.

Thanks.

[lauriest · Accepted solution]

There has been a development, refer to the following extract from the UESP:

---

When Oblivion is first run, it attempts to autodetect the maximum Shader Model and Shader Package the video card is capable of using. Unfortunately, some newer cards (both ATI and NVIDIA) are sometimes misdetected and Oblivion configures itself to use a Shader Package lower than the video cards maximum supported. While this may not always cause issues, some cards will experience a drastic difference in performance between newer and older shader packages. Using the highest shader model supported by your video card is generally recommended, as newer Shader Models often include improved shader algorithms as well as visual enhancements.

To force Oblivion to use the highest possible shader package (Oblivion only supports up to Shader Model 3.0, by default 2.0 is used), first enter the "Oblivion" directory located in the "My Games" folder (which is in turn located in the My Documents directory). There should be a file named "RendererInfo.txt". Locate the bottom entry in that text file and take note of the number listed (it should be between 1 and 19), then enter the "Data" folder located in Oblivion's directory in "Program Files", there should be a folder named "Shaders". Assuming your video card has support for Shader 3.0 or higher, make a copy of the file named "shaderpackage019.sdp". Now make a backup copy of the file "shaderpackage0[number you found in the RenderInfo file here].sdp (i.e shaderpackage007.sdp). Once you have made a backup copy of the shader delete the original file. Now rename the copy you made of "shaderpackage019.sdp" to the name of the shader that you made a backup of.

You should now have 2 copies of "shaderpackage019.sdp", except one should now have the name of the shader package that contained the number written in the "RenderInfo.txt" file. Now, whenever the game attempts to use the incorrect shader package, it will instead be using the highest one.

• Note that this may cause some issues such as crashing, if this is experienced, simply recopy the backup of the shader package you made.

Alternatively, you can simply edit the RenderInfo file to use the correct shader package. Once you saved the text file change it to read only. This way the file won't revert to it's original state each time you run Oblivion.

---

After many years away from the game, this had completely gone from memory. Turns out there is no problem with the Intel Graphics at all. The reason was posting here was the Reddit thread entitled: "Intel dropping native DirectX 9 support for 12th-gen CPUs and ARC GPUs."

That is no doubt true for the CPU, as far as the UHD 770 goes, it's a different matter entirely.

Thanks again for your interest, and hope this helps someone else setting up the game on the rigs of today.

[RobbieR_Intel]

Hello lauriest,

Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information with us. Your input is incredibly helpful, as it helps not only us but also others who might be facing the same issue.

Could you kindly share the direct link where you obtained this information? This will allow us to document the issue accurately and ensure it is addressed properly.

We look forward to your response!

Best Regards,

Robbie R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[lauriest]

Hi Robbie, certainly. The site used for the info is the UESP:

Oblivion Mod:PCS Library/Game Mistakes Newer Graphic Card's Capabilities - The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP)

HTH.

[RobbieR_Intel]

Hello lauriest,

Thank you for providing the requested link. Since the issue is now fixed, I will now close this inquiry. 

If you need further assistance, please post a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best Regards,

Robbie R.

Intel Customer Support Technician