Mesh issues. Is there a particular folder to delete?

[moonspot.]

Mesh issues. Is there a particular folder to delete?

No matter how many times I try to verify game files within GOG, it never catches the corrupted files. Downloading the entire game again is not a good option for me, so I am hoping that someone might know which particular folders to delete and redownload(via GOG verify) are for just kaer morhen and the island of mist; That is if the game is even split up like that.

A small sample of images for the issues I'm having
https://imgur.com/a/BLl1Ap3

I'd like to emphasize that these are the ONLY 2 areas where I've been encountering these problems.Or at least they're the only areas where these issues are soo egregious as to capture my attention.

SYS SPECS
Lenovo legion y520
CPU: i7 7700HQ
RAM 8GB

GPU: Radeon R7 560(mobile)
VRAM 4GB
GPU driver: 18.4.1

OS: windows 10-64-bit(version 1803)

 

[SigilFey]

That certainly seems to be corruption. Can you answer this first:

1.) Using any mods, or have you ever used any in the past?

2.) Have you tried downloading reference drivers directly from AMD.com? If not, rolling back drivers to something around January of 2018 may be worth a shot. (Especially with video drivers, I strongly recommend not updating unless there is a specific need.)

3.) Ensure the game is not installed anywhere under Program Files or Program Files(x86). Also, ensure the Permissions for ...\Documents\The Witcher 3\... are set to "Everyone".

4.) Add the game installation folder and the Galaxy installation folder (if you have it installed) to the exceptions list for any anti-virus / firewall you may be using.

Unfortunately, if none of that has an effect, I think your best bet is to download the installation package from GOG.com directly through your browser. Then, run that installation locally. (You can save the installation files afterward, so any future re-installations will not require anything to be downloaded.)

 

[moonspot.]

That certainly seems to be corruption. Can you answer this first:

*snippety*

1.) Mods.- Yep, using mods. Removed them, problems persist, so I put them back. I've no idea if TW3 has Skyrim problems where info gets baked into save files, though judging by their size I'd suspect not. If Game world scripts are generated and put into some obscure location by REDEngine3, than it's unlikely that they've ever been removed properly.

2.) GPU Driver. - Ran DDU and performed a clean install of the driver. No change. The same problems are in the same places.

3.) System protected locations. - GOG and games are on a separate drive from the OS altogether.
*special permissions sub point* Any particular file? I wholeheartedly disapprove of granting such privileges to folders in any location.

4.) Security. - No I have not and would not. Especially with software that is using 3rd party software(mods). Despite the many times I've seen people suspect security and point fingers at it, I've yet to see that having ever been the actual problem for more than a day or two. Its not an option to entertain without both specific knowledge in how & why plus an alternative countermeasure to fill in the gap.


Kind of want to know more about how REDEngine works now. Since it doesn't seem like textures are actually a problem, and can't say if the meshes are bad or if there are scripts informing the engine to the meshes location and shape that are in error or not.
I'll try downloading the install image through the browser on GOG and re-installing that and keep it for future use/diag.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[SigilFey]

I've no idea if TW3 has Skyrim problems where info gets baked into save files...

Yes -- that was going to be my first response. Since it's so weird and in only specific spots, I would focus on mods first. The save-state issue is the same for all games. If a game recognizes a mod, there's always the possibility of something from the mod being permanently saved in the save-state.

*special permissions sub point* Any particular file? I wholeheartedly disapprove of granting such privileges to folders in any location.

Here's the age-old conversation I haven't had in a while... If you use the computer for work, other family members, etc., I would change just the ...[UserName]\Documents\The Witcher 3... directory. If no one else uses the PC...I'd ensure the whole User Account was security free. While things have gotten (mostly) better with this over time, Windows cans still be very intrusive and problematic for gaming at default settings. Which leads me straight to:

4.) Security. - No I have not and would not. Especially with software that is using 3rd party software(mods). Despite the many times I've seen people suspect security and point fingers at it, I've yet to see that having ever been the actual problem for more than a day or two. Its not an option to entertain without both specific knowledge in how & why plus an alternative countermeasure to fill in the gap.

The only thing worse than Windows security is aggressive 3rd-party software (like McAffee, Norton, Comodo, etc.). I used to recommend AVG, but I'm afraid they've taken a turn, lately. Now, I'll suggest Avast! Low impact, very game-friendly, 100% possible to disable it without uninstalling it. The commercial brands will often function much like trojans themselves. Extremely unfriendly with gaming, since games will often want "random" access to system files or internet access as a valid part of the game (like a sudden incoming data package if a friend messages you through an overlay feature through the game itself...or a server check for achievements...) The "professional" anti-virus programs can mistake these things as "threats".

In the end, I think the most likely cause of your situation is mods. First step would be to make a list of the graphical mods you're using and ask for advice in Mod Discussions. That could save a lot of hassle, as someone there may recognize the issue.

 

[moonspot.]

**Snipperoo**

In the end, I think the most likely cause of your situation is mods. First step would be to make a list of the graphical mods you're using and ask for advice in Mod Discussions. That could save a lot of hassle, as someone there may recognize the issue.

I got it sorted, and it was not at all what I ever would have thought.
It was being caused by my tessellation setting. In an attempt to improve performance on my radeon RX560m, I dropped the tessellation from 64x and tooled around with 4x and 2x. Got the perf increase I needed, but failed to notice the graphical anomalies for a long time (just not as noticeable out in the wilds).
I've now got it set to 16x and so far the problems have disappeared. Now I'm just troubled by the realization of what this means, since that should not have happened because of trying to minimize or eliminate tessellation.
That said, haven't played/tested enough to be conclusive, but...yea. Its totally b/c of the tessellation setting..

 

[SigilFey]

Could be a driver issue, I suppose, but my eye is still squarely on mods. Tessellation is used pretty sparingly in TW3, actually. If a mod replaced a model, that might have created a conflict somewhere.

Aside from that, it might be a weird draw-call being processed incorrectly by the drivers. However, if that were the case, this would likely have popped up before and been solved the same way.

In any case -- good to hear you got it sorted!

 

[moonspot.]

Could be a driver issue, I suppose, but my eye is still squarely on mods. Tessellation is used pretty sparingly in TW3, actually. If a mod replaced a model, that might have created a conflict somewhere.

Aside from that, it might be a weird draw-call being processed incorrectly by the drivers. However, if that were the case, this would likely have popped up before and been solved the same way.

In any case -- good to hear you got it sorted!

That's easy enough to test. Anyone with an nvidia card can override the games tesselation setting in nvidia panel settings, and if the same thing happens as did on my AMD card then both a driver problem and mods as the potential source loses a lot of weight.

As for Tess being used sparingly, depends how you want to think about it. If you mean as in a portion of all the assets used, then sure. However if you play the game as Geralt, then its used quite often.

 

[SigilFey]

That's easy enough to test. Anyone with an nvidia card can override the games tesselation setting in nvidia panel settings, and if the same thing happens as did on my AMD card then both a driver problem and mods as the potential source loses a lot of weight.

As for Tess being used sparingly, depends how you want to think about it. If you mean as in a portion of all the assets used, then sure. However if you play the game as Geralt, then its used quite often.

Oh, sorry -- I misunderstood. Been a while since I did any in-depth fiddling with the config files. If you've put any of the settings over the game's default maximums, it's hit or miss whether it will work or not. (I use shadow tweaks above max, but that's it.)

If this seems to cause other issues, you can always return config files to vanilla default by either moving them, renaming them, or deleting them, then running a verify / repair. That will rebuild them.