Glitchy Shadows?

[Anshishoku]

I have been having a graphical issue ever since I re-installed Final Fantasy XIV onto my computer. The shadows on all objects including terrain and characters seem to flicker violently. Not only that but there is a bleed/ghosting effect as well. The ghosting effect flickers parts of the in-game imagery right next to the real imagery. I have yet to record this effect, however.

Please watch the video below to see the issues I describe.

Computer Specs:
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_ldr.180112-0600)
System Model: Z97X-SLI
BIOS: BIOS Date: 10/17/14 13:13:54 Ver: 04.06.05
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz (8 CPUs), ~4.0GHz
Memory: 16384MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 16220MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled

Graphics:
Card name: AMD Radeon (TM) R9 390 Series
Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Chip type: AMD Radeon Graphics Processor (0x67B0)
Display Memory: 4095 MB
Dedicated Memory: 3072 MB
Shared Memory: 1023 MB
Current Mode: 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Monitor 1 Name: HP 2009 Series Wide LCD Monitor
Monitor Model: HP 2009
Native Mode: 1600 x 900(p) (60.000Hz)
Output Type: DVI

Monitor 2 Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: Acer G205HV
Native Mode: 1600 x 900(p) (60.000Hz)
Output Type: DVI

Shadow Glitch Video:
https://youtu.be/Tva5bX53tV4

[Ariellendera]

Hello Anshishoku, Thank you for posting on the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums

Have you tried switching to DirectX 9? Also make sure your Graphics card drivers are updated to the latest version (alternatively, if you feel the graphics driver update caused the issue, you can try to install an older, more stable version). Also make sure that any program that provides and overlay is also disabled. For example, if you have an Nvidia card, the drivers may suggest installing Geforce Experience. As this may interfere with the game, we suggest leaving this disabled or uninstalled. Also, try disabling or closing all background applications/programs.

Hope to be of assistance.

[Xeon]

You have an AMD GPU. AMD GPU drivers have a known memory leak issue with this game that causes these issues and more, and to this date, has not been addressed.

Using DX9 option will not totally eliminate the leak but it will be much less frequent, meaning your shadows, flashing, ect, for the most part will work correctly. AMD cards also have poor tessalation performance, so DX11 actually slows them down, unlike their nVidia counterparts, which are usually faster in DX11 (or at least as fast).

[Anshishoku]

The game itself is using DirectX 9 (DX11 is turned off in the launcher.) Do I need to downgrade my computer itself to DX9?

[Xeon]

So you already have been using DX9 over 11 ingame? ugh... As I said, it does not eliminate the problem, but if you run it in DX11, they will be worse. Try it for fun. You do not need to downgrade windows Direct X.

I wish I had a direct answer with this, as I'm really good at solving PC issues. Have been doing it for 20 years. I would say if you're already in DX9 mode, you might have to turn the preset graphic settings down to a lower setting to help solve this.

I used to buy AMD products exclusively. I've used this game with a 6870, 7970, 290x and 390, and ALL of these cards have this very same problem, including frame rate issues. Even if you don't really notice choppy fps, it is there. Not at first, but the longer you play it, the worse the problems get and usually the only way to fix them is a restart of the game. SE has stated that it is the fault of AMD's drivers and that there's nothing they can do. AMD won't acknowledge this and fix this, and points the finger at SE. I don't exactly know who's at fault here, but it is the software, not the hardware, as ALL AMD cards have these issues.

You could try adjusting a few single settings, maybe LoD or depth of field (as they barely impact graphics anyway) Maybe use a lesser Anti Aliasing setting too, and then retry and post your results.

I played this game for over 3 years with AMD hardware. I decided to buy an nvidia card when my last card crapped out. I have never had ANY problems with this game since, and it runs 100 times smoother. But cards are VERY overpriced right now due to mining. For example, I bought my ASUS 980 strix card about a year and a half ago for $170. Now they are selling for $350 USED!!! However, the price on your card is inflated too.

You will not like this suggestion, but I would recommend selling your 390. They are selling used for $275-$300 right now. Put $50 or so with that money and go out and buy yourself a used 980 card. I would avoid 960 and 970 nvidia cards, and the 1060 cards are WAY WAY overpriced, so I wouldn't go with that route. If you can do this, I guarantee that if you did, you would come back and thank me when you see how much better this game runs.

[Anshishoku]

I tried lowering my settings to "potato" but it still had the same issues. I also have frame rate issues, especially in Eureka. I had to restart the game in order to fix it (if it didn't crash first).

I have always used nVidia graphics cards but wanted to try out AMD with my latest graphics card. The card worked great with the game until I formatted my pc and reinstalled everything. I think I might go back to nvidia if that will solve my problems!

[Xeon]

Yeah as I said, I had these issues for 3 years and never was able to figure out a fix. It sucks because the AMD card works well in other games, but since this is the only game I really play anymore, it made sense to go nvidia when I had to buy another card.

[Xeon]

It really does not make sense that these problems occur, since AMD makes the CPU and GPU for the PS4, and the PS4 version runs great...

[Einmimiria]

I tried lowering my settings to "potato" but it still had the same issues. I also have frame rate issues, especially in Eureka. I had to restart the game in order to fix it (if it didn't crash first).

I have always used nVidia graphics cards but wanted to try out AMD with my latest graphics card. The card worked great with the game until I formatted my pc and reinstalled everything. I think I might go back to nvidia if that will solve my problems!

Thank you for the update Anshishoku.

I would hold off on getting a new graphics card until you have tried to resolve the issue with your current setup.

I would suggest reinstalling your graphics card drivers (or perhaps reverting back to an older version). I'd also recommend doing a clean boot. For Windows 7, click Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press Enter to start the System Configuration utility. On the General tab, click the Selective startup option, and then click to clear the Load startup items check box. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then click Disable all.

If you are using DirectX 9 mode, try DirectX 11.

We hope we can be of assistance in helping you enjoy the exciting world of Final Fantasy XIV!