UFO Aftershock fails with wglchoosepixelformatarb() error

[JeranTek]

I was attempting to run an old game, UFO: Aftershock on my shiny new system with an Intel Arc A770 adapter in it.

Unfortunately it consistently fails with an error about wglchoosepixelformatarb()

The game is available through Steam.

Details:

Windows 11 Insider, Build 25915 (Also tried on GA build 22621)

Intel ARC A770

WHQL: 31.0.101.4578 (Beta. I also tried with 4577, released 24 July 2023)

Processor: 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700K, 3400 Mhz, 16 Core(s), 24 Logical Processor(s)

SSU attached for full details.

[Hugo_Intel]

Hello JeranTek

Thank you for posting on Intel® ARC™ Graphics. We will be glad to help with this crashing issue when trying to play UFO: Aftershock on your system.

Taking a look at to report that you shared with us I see you are using an outdated version of your motherboard BIOS. In order to ensure the best compatibility with the GPU I would advise updating the BIOS to the latest version which seems to be 1.5.

I also see that you already tested our latest released drivers, however, I would also advise reinstalling the stable version 31.0.101.4577 using Display Driver Uninstaller in order to remove files from previous driver installation that might cause conflicts.

If the issue persists, please share with s the following information:

• Is Resizable Bar enabled on your system?
• Share with us a screenshot of the ingame graphics settings and if applicable, steps to reproduce this issue.

Best Regards,

Hugo O.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[JeranTek]

Hi Hugo,
Thanks for your reply.

I've done the things you suggested. I updated my BIOS to version 1.5

I've used the DDU to uninstall the beta display driver and I'm now running 31.0.101.4577

Resizeable BAR is enabled on my system.

I can't show you a screenshot of the in-game settings for the game because the game won't launch.

On launch it fails with the OpenGL error I quoted above.

I don't see a DrWatson or similar dump from the application itself.

[Hugo_Intel]

Hello JeranTek

Thank you for sharing the information with us. We will continue to check this issue with our team and in case we have further recommendations or need more information from you we will let you know.

Best Regards,

Hugo O.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[JeranTek]

I was pleased to see the new driver this week. 

31.0.101.4644 Released 11th August.

Unfortunately UFO: Aftershock still fails to start with the same WGL error.

Please let me know if you want any further information. I can provide a time-travel debug dump from the whole thing, start to finish if you want it. I don't have the symbols or the experience to tell you what's going on in the log but I can collect it.

[Hugo_Intel]

Hello JeranTek

Thank you for the update and for letting us know you still have the issue with the latest driver version. We want to let you know that we tested this game in our lab and were able to reproduce the issue getting the same error message that you pointed out, hence we have reported the problem to our driver team for them to debug it, please note that at the moment we cannot commit to any particular outcome or provide you with a specific time for resolution. We will post on this thread as soon as we have an update on the status of the problem.

Best Regards,

Hugo O.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[JeranTek]

Hugo,
That you can repro the problem is good news. It means you don't need to rely on me to supply details.
If it gets priority that'd be great but I know the pressures of development and this is only one amongst many issues.

Cheers,
James

[Hugo_Intel]

Hello JeranTek

We appreciate you took the time to report this issue. Our priority is to target the most popular games and apps to focus our efforts on providing a high-quality, stable experience for the broadest set of users. We will continue to improve our software performance and compatibility throughout 2023 and beyond. While we can’t accommodate your request at this time, please watch this article on our website for any possible changes to this situation.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Best Regards,

Hugo O.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[JeranTek]

Hugo,

Thank you for taking the time to get back to me.

I am, of course, disappointed that you are unable to fix this issue which has been present in Intel graphics drivers for over a decade now.

I do understand the need to focus on the volume of problems to fix things that are affecting the largest number of people.

Cheers,

James

[Hugo_Intel]

Hello JeranTek

We appreciate your understanding. We know it is disappointing not to be able to play a game on your GPU this is why we created the article provided in our previous post so you can stay tuned to possible changes to the situation. We will proceed to close this thread, however, if you need assistance with any other issue feel free to open a new topic.

Best Regards,

Hugo O.

Intel Customer Support Technician.