Lighting / Shadow glitch after a small patch

[RagnarNidhogg]

@SigilFey @Vigaku86 So I will send them a new ticket again.
In my opinion it is no small amount of users which are affected. What I can tell you it seems only affect X1X users. As metioned a friend of mine has a X1S (no 4k or performance graphics) and he has no issue at all like this-> he is playing the game of the year edition. I did blame it already to D1 edition and tested today the game of the year edition (I bought now the game twice) with same result as with D1 edition. So I never installled the game of the year edition before no savefiles for this edition (acutally it is a different game). So any influence from older savesgame or whatsoever can be excluded and the shadow/lighting bugs are the same as with D1 edition. Furthermore the lighting graphics were fine on my X1X before until this strange ghost batch so it cannot be related to my hardware. To your question were it is occuring: at each door / windows everywhere at each house, cave, at each map. Time of the day doesn't matter, it is visible during night, rain etc. It is always the same geometry: hard edged circles of different light/shadow intensity.

 

[SigilFey]

In my opinion it is no small amount of users which are affected. What I can tell you it seems only affect X1X users. As metioned a friend of mine has a X1S (no 4k or performance graphics) and he has no issue at all like this

I know that it may seem like quite a large number of people are reporting on it, but keep in mind that even tens of thousands of people are less than 1% of the total players. That's the issue. Despite the numbers, the proportions are indicative of just how rare the circumstances are that generate the bug. It seems this is going to be one of those issues that has the devs sifting through the haystack straw-by-straw...looking for the straw-colored needle...

I did blame it already to D1 edition and tested today the game of the year edition (I bought now the game twice) with same result as with D1 edition. So I never installled the game of the year edition before no savefiles for this edition (acutally it is a different game). So any influence from older savesgame or whatsoever can be excluded and the shadow/lighting bugs are the same as with D1 edition.

Trying to clarify this:

1.) You originally had the D1 Edition for the X1X, and you played through the game (before the ghost patch) without encountering the bug.

2.) Your friend bought the GOTY Edition for the X1S, and he played through the game (before AND after the ghost patch) without encountering the issue.

3.) When the ghost patch was released, you first encountered the issue on the X1X using an existing playthrough of the D1 Edition.

4.) You began a brand new game, Geralt Level 1, using the D1 edition on the X1X. The bug persisted.

5.) You later purchased and did a fresh install of the GOTY Edition and began a new game, Geralt Level 1, on the X1X. The bug occurred in that version of the game as well.

Let me know if all of those details are correct, because it might be helpful to send in a couple of savegames to compare. Especially the "began a new game, Geralt Level 1" parts.

Furthermore the lighting graphics were fine on my X1X before until this strange ghost batch so it cannot be related to my hardware.

Unfortunately, that's not true. Depending on where the X1X was manufactured, it may contain totally different parts made by totally different brands. They'll all have the same specs, but not necessarily the same hardware. This can easily result in a specific GPU and driver version combo that has an issue with a certain game -- whereas all other versions of the X1X work just fine. That's the stuff that may take a lot of searching to uncover. (I'm not saying this is definitely the case, but it certainly seems to be something like this.) Whatever the ghost patch modified, it could have changed the way the engine was handling certain processes involving lighting / shadows / etc. (likely for optimization purposes). That, in turn, may not have been compatible with the drivers used to communicate with the specific architecture of the GPUs used in only specifc versions of the X1X. Fun stuff. Good times.

To your question were it is occuring: at each door / windows everywhere at each house, cave, at each map. Time of the day doesn't matter, it is visible during night, rain etc. It is always the same geometry: hard edged circles of different light/shadow intensity.

And this is the good stuff! So it seems to be radial lighting used on objects, but not the global lighting that causes the trees and buildings to cast shadows. Do you notice any doors / windows / cave entrances that function correctly? Does it affect any other light sources: campfires, torches carried by NPCs, wall sconces, fireplaces, magical effects, etc.?

And in conclusion, I apologize again for the hassle that this is causing. The harsh reality, though, is that what was done is done, and it's not possible to "roll back" versions on the consoles. The only way to go is forward, and it looks like this is going to be a bit uphill.

 

[RagnarNidhogg]

@SigilFey
Upfront THANKS for taking this seriously!

I totally understand your explanation of bug verus affected player base. But bugs even affected to minor amount of people stay bugs right? and should be solved. Of course it always a matter of resources...

I try to explain how did it occur exactly.
Upfront I want to say I played the game since the release, so played each patch state. Now almost >60days playing time. So I really recognize differences if somethig is updated.
So I bought a new X1X to replace my old X1 in January this year.
So there were no old savefiles which could have corrupted a new playthrough.
I did install the game (D1 edition) again on the new X1X and also did install all my purchased DLCs (all DLCs which are available)
The game was updated from D1 state right to 1.60 after installation (X1X patch was already released at this time)
With this state I started a new game with performance mode.
I do not recall the exact date @Vigaku86 knows when this strange ghost patch was released.
After this patch the bugs with lightings did start for D1 edition

Game of the year edition:
I received yesterday the DVD and intalled on my X1X. There is a patch (around 500mb) which was updated. I assume it is the X1X patch + is this ghost patch included there too???
The result is the same (so far I checked the White orchard)

Understand your points regaring the different hardware configurations. I would assume there are not that many since the X1X was released in Nov 2017 I think? So mine, bought in January 2018 should be the state from beginning, maybe second version after D1 X1X, somthing like this. But I get your point, truly difficult

Global lighting seems ok. I also did not see issues with fire soures or magical effects. For me it seems to be only the object lighting. But it is affecting EACH window, door, entrace all around each map. It seems always to be the daylight/moonlight which is shining inside. As you see from my pictures in a former post, there is no seamless transition of light intensity. Only hard edged transition from brighter to darker (the more far away from the door the lesser the light intensity of course).
In Toussant it seems to be the shadow circle issue (basically the same but shadow). I have no Toussant savefile anymore but this is what other uses are reporting in this thread

If there is anything I can provide please inform
Cheers

 

[oVIGAKUo]

@SigilFey I can also clarify these issues as I have been studying them.
1) I did have the D1 edition for the XB1X and completed the game before the ghost patch and did not encounter the bug.
2) I also have a friend who bought the GOTY edition of W3 for the regular Xbox One after the ghost patch and he encounters no bugs.
3) When the ghost patch was released I first encountered the issue on an existing save file of the D1 edition.
4) I began a brand new game, Geralt Lv1, using D1 edition on X1X and the bug persisted.
5) Yes I did later purchased and did a fresh install of the GOTY Edition as well and began a new game, Geralt Lv 1, on the X1X. The bug occurred in that version of the game as well.

So as I've been studying the issue, I notice a lot of things. These circular spots are the most common in Toussaint. That is not to say they are not prevalent or noticeable in other worlds because they are. It's just Toussaint, they are the most obvious there.

Starting in White orchard, in almost any hut that you go inside, you will encounter the circular spots usually around windows or at the front door entrances on the floor. One example would be Tomira the herbalists hut. She has a spot at her front door entrance on the floor. The side mission called Twisted firestarter where you find an arsonist for the dwarf, the hut where the arsonist is hiding has a spot on the ground and on the windows. The inn at White Orchard also has spots on some of its windows.

Velen is basically the same. Huts are the most affected in the same areas like windows and door entrances. Huts like the ones in Crow's perch. However caves are affected too. Some caves have more prevalent circular spots than others. Take the story mission that involves Ciri, the king of the wolves. This mission has her go into a cave to fight a werewolf. This cave has bad lighting effects. You don't see circular spots necessarily, it's just the lighting is horribly off. In one section of the cave, it'll be lit correctly but then you move further in the cave and it'll just have a dark splotch all over the place. Another cave like this is the one where you do the contract in crookback bog called swamp thing. There you fight a foglet called Ignis fatuus and the lighting is off here too just like Ciri's king of the wolves mission.

Skellige is not as noticeable as the others due to mainly being outdoors. However, just like velen and white orchard, huts are mostly affected. Kaer Trolde castle does have some spots as well. For instance, if you go up the staircase to talk to either Cerys or Hjalmar, you'll see spots on the ceiling and sides of the walls.

In Toussaint, as I stated before, the spots seem to be the most prevalent here. You need to look no further than the home Geralt has in Corvo Bianco. Hopefully it is fully restored and if you look at the front door entrance you will see a huge circular spot. Even when you go inside Geralt's home, you will see circular spots at the door entrance.

To sum up, it seems huts are affected a lot. Why? Because most huts have a constant lightsource that never changes. Huts and other indoor places like it (caves and brothels for instance), are usually dark inside in some way. Now I'm not saying super dark, I'm just saying they don't have a huge lightsource like the sun to block out the circular spots. For instance, Geralt's home in corvo bianco, if you go there at 12pm when the sun is bright, the circular spot at the front door entrance will be gone. However, if you meditate until 6pm, the spot will appear. Why? Because the sun's lightsource is gone now. Also in Beauclair, if you travel around the city around 12pm, things will seem normal. That is until you walk under certain archways in the city. Then you'll see huge circular spots under the archways. Again Why? Because the archways are blocking out the sun's lightsource and the archways emit a darker lightsource which cause the spots to appear. And yes, torches do affect circular spots. That is because Torches emit a huge bright lightsource.

I hope I have been helpful in to how these circular lights seem to appear and where they tend to be. I have attached files too so that you can see examples of the circular spots I have encountered.

 

[RagnarNidhogg]

@Vigaku86 Thanks for your explanations! I have the very same issues
@SigilFey
Can you please note CD Red to check these explanations and screenshots?
I want to add following:
I did de-install and re-install the GOTY edition but did NOT update to 1.60 + ghost patch
I kept my X1X offline and started a new game with state 1.30
The result is: NONE of the lighting bugs reported in this thread did appear. It is very simple to check because you already notice in the tavern of the White Orchard if these bugs do appear or not.
So the lighting bugs are clearly related to the latest patch which was released. I want to add when 1.60 was released all was still fine. As Vigaku metioned this ghost patch (end of March this year) messed up everything.
If requested I can upload screenshots; same location as Vigaku made the screenshot in the White orchard with no lighting issues on 1.30.
These problems are now peding already too long and this is really disappointing.
So please push this to CD Red
THANKS

 

[SigilFey]

I totally understand your explanation of bug verus affected player base. But bugs even affected to minor amount of people stay bugs right? and should be solved. Of course it always a matter of resources...

Exactly. But even moreso than resources, sometimes it's a matter of possibility. When a lot of people experience the same bug, it's easier to zero in on the cause. It's like trying to find a single penny in a small fountain. When very few people experience a bug, it can be like trying to find a single penny in a lake. Not that it shouldn't be found, but it simply can't be found. There are simply too many nooks and crannies for it to be hiding, and there's not enough info on exactly where it could be. The only thing to do is search in logical areas and hope to catch a glint out of the corner of your eye.

For this one, I think it's already obvious that it's a particular affect used for windows and doors. But...why does it affect certain X1X's but not others? That's...perhaps a nastier problem.

_______________

But thank you so much, and to @RagnarNidhogg as well! Especially for the pictures. I will certainly do what I can to keep this current. I wish I had more I could respond with, but I still don't even know what that update was. It occurred on March 27th, but I've not heard anything since.

 

[RagnarNidhogg]

@SigilFey Thanks for your answers and your help. I
was curious about your assumption of different X1X setup. Today I checked the game at a friend. X1X different edition, special edition but not D1, W3 D1 edition disk, patch 1.60, he mentioned also this ghost patch was installed, he is using a 4k screen (me not). Key point is he has no lighting bugs. So as you sad, something seems to mismatch with my hardware version of X1X. But how to solve this... I am really frustrated because I actually bought the new X1X to have better performance to play W3 but now this...

 

[SigilFey]

Try to find the exact make and model number of your box. It should be on the packaging as well as on the actual unit. Likely with a corresponding SKU. Also get the info from your friend. If you can send both model numbers in as a comparison (bug vs. no bug), that might help.

 

[RagnarNidhogg]

Lighting bug
Xbox One X Model 1787
Mrf Date 02 Oct 2017
Product ID 11043231010899174017

No lighting bug
Xbox One X Model 1787
Mrf Date 11 Sept 2017
Product ID 10994221171543173617

Actually it seems to be the same model althought the xbox without the bug is the scorpio edition. But I believe this has just the name scorpio edition as a name on the box as a difference. Almost same production time

Post automatically merged: Aug 14, 2018

@SigilFey please see HW versions at above post. There seems to be no difference from version... model no is the same. This really gets stranger and stranger. Is there any change for a solution or will this be kind of bad luck, honestly speaking?

 

[Le_petit_Hulk]

Hi, I have exactly the same light/shadow strange bug on The Witcher 3 on my Xbox One X.
I not have 4K TV (Full HD 1080p) and I have vanilla version, The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.

This bug need patch please... I can't play to the game with this condition, it's absolutely awful.

 

[BizarroPete]

I'm glad to see there is a thread about this. I started playing The Witcher 3 again on my Xbox One X, so I can finish the Blood and Wine DLC, and I've been seeing this lighting bug, like the examples Vigaku86 posted. I don't believe I saw the bug until I started playing this DLC in going to Toussaint. The game looks great otherwise, so I hope it's fixed.

Here's my Xbox One X info:
model number: 1787
MFR Date: 13-SEP-2017
Prod ID: 10977422041228173717

 

[Batviper]

I am glad I've found this thread. I am having this problem too. I own the GOTY edition, used to play on my Xbox One S with no problems. I decided to start playing again on my Xbox One X and ran into this problem in White Orchard. It's much more noticable in the huts.

I haven't played for a long time so I have no knowledge of a ghost patch, but my first thought was something must have been messed up in an update. It seems this was indeed the case. I am on a regular X and I believe it was manufactured around October. The model number is 1787. I had a Scorpio Edition before my current console but the HDD failed and I had to switch to this one. It was also a model 1787. And it was manufactured around September.

I did try the Witcher 3 after it got the enhancement update on my Scorpio but I am afraid I didn't play it properly and thus didn't visit any houses and such so I didn't notice any problems. I am afraid it's hard to say if I would have run into this issue on the Scorpio after the ghost patch since it broke before that. But I am definitely having the issues listed in this thread on my regular X and I hope it will be fixed eventually.

 

[BizarroPete]

Just thought I should provide an example, which I think shows off the problem pretty well.

 

[KanoMakingWaffles]

Just registered to say that my game is glitched too. I own the digital version and bought the game and the expansions on day one so I can't go back to the unpatched version. This is unacceptable. If you break a game, fix it!

 

[RagnarNidhogg]

Like the users said before, Cdred really needs to fix this. This is a major bug. I stopped playing because it really looks aweful. @SigilFey is there any news? Is Cdred working on a patch? Thx

 

[Le_petit_Hulk]

I specify that reinstalling the game does not change anything. I erased the game, I installed it again, I started a new game but the bug is still there.

 

[romito201]

Just started playing this for the first time I am also experiencing this problem as well. But seeing how long this has been a problem sad to say this probably won't get fixed.

 

[SigilFey]

They are still looking into it. Please, send it into CDPR Support directly. Include your XBox model number and manufacture date. Whatever it is seems to be "not easy to fix". Just keep the info coming!

 

[Le_petit_Hulk]

I have a easy fix for CDPR, just remove latest ghost patch and replace by the previous update.

This Bug is related by this strange ghost patch.

Previous update work perfectly.

 

[ichi_fox]

I’ve registered here just to add that I’m also experiencing these issues. I have the GOTY Edition digitally on Xbox one X.

The following link is to a picture I took comparing an area of Beauclair on both the PS4 slim and Xbox One X (bottom) as I have the game on both platforms

http://imgur.com/a/nprmWhv