Bug: Too dark UI and screen with HDR on Vulkan on Release

[rapturec]

Everything was fine while playing the latest beta, but today I updated to the release version. Then updated to the latest Nvidia drivers (536.67, recomended by the game), rebooted.

On Vulkan the gameplay is too dark, the UI is even darker. Even the game-loading videos and save-loading pictures are very dark. The monitor menus shows the game is running in HDR mode.

I tried to recalibrate HDR settings in game, but it won't help, cause 500 brightness is not enough. It seems to help a bit to set "HDRPaperWhite" parameter in graphicSettings.lsx to some crazy values (like, 4000+). And while game becomes brighter, the UI still stays very dark. All the buttons, action bar, characters icons, inventory, menus, and etc.

I even tried different fullscreen/windowed settings or vsync, noithing helps.

On DX11 everything works fine, and HDR callibration even works with "reasonable values", But you know, DX11 is not so "modern", and I belive not so fast.

[McDeath]

if you have a nvidia card you should run in dx11 mode not vulkan if you have an amd card you should use vulkan just fyi

[rapturec]

Originally posted by McDeath:

if you have a nvidia card you should run in dx11 mode not vulkan if you have an amd card you should use vulkan just fyi

But why? I believe it was running well in Vulkan mode with the latest beta that came out just before the release (patch 11 or so). But now I'm not sure about this anymore. Does dx11 have full graphics?

[McDeath]

nvidia cards are made for dx11 and amd cards are made for vulkan they are almost the same but different api's

[rapturec]

Originally posted by McDeath:

nvidia cards are made for dx11 and amd cards are made for vulkan they are almost the same but different api's

Well, thank you for your help!

[Zymox]

What he is saying is nonsense, Nvidia is not DX11 and AMD Vulkan, there is not relationship like that, that's complete nonsense.

I have the same issue as you, Vulkan with HDR enabled is very dark. It's a bug that they need to look into.

[Jonny Tenebrous]

This matches my experience, too. Running a RTX 3070Ti, Windows 10, GeForce 536.67 drivers released 18 July 2023. HDR is far too dark when running Vulkan.

[rapturec]

I should note that the game on Vulkan seems to render absolutely fine, except for a bug with the picture darkness in HDR. So this is still definitely a bug that needs to be fixed.

I don't remember for sure, but I thought I was running the game specifically in Vulkan mode before the public release, as it's a lower-level and more modern API than DX11. And it seemed to me that it was producing slightly higher fps than what is available now on DX11. Yes, I think it was exactly Vulkan and the fps gauge was higher.

I recall that I had a similar experience when I ran the previous Larian Studios game, Divinity Original Sin 2 on a macbook with an M1 processor. There too, the game was completely dark and unplayable if you turned on HDR mode. Which was especially frustrating, because the macbook's display rendered the lights and magic flashes just amazingly, it was very beautiful, but everything else was practically black. And lo and behold, they didn't fix it even in the newer version of their engine.

[Gorbisloth]

I have the same issue. If HDR is on with Vulkan the game is so dark it's unplayable. Even after shutting the game off the screen stays dark. After reading this I went in and turned off HDR and it went back to normal. Vulkan runs fine with HDR off. Turn HDR on while the game is running and it immediately goes very dark.

Nvidia 3080 with a LG 27GN950 Monitor. Updated Nvidia drivers today.

[The Equalizer]

DEVS PAY ATTENTION AND FIX THE HDR BEING BROKEN IN VULKAN PERIOD. YOU CAN'T HAVE A BETTER API RUNNING THINGS IN THE DARKNESS!

[west'd've]

Turning HDR off and back on after launching the game fixes it for me temporarily.

[Juma]

I have the same issue, HDR works fine in DX11 but not in vulkan. Ive tried differnt solutions like turning off and on HDR but it does not work

[Sythalin]

Originally posted by McDeath:

if you have a nvidia card you should run in dx11 mode not vulkan if you have an amd card you should use vulkan just fyi

Don't thank or listen to this tool. If what they said were true then AMD cards wouldn't be able to play a very large majority of games that exist because they only use DX11/12, and vice versa for games that only run Vulkan.

It's your good old classic kid trying to sound like they know what they're talking about and people who are actually educated literally at them.

HDR darkening issue in Vulkan is a bug. Report it to Larian to have it looked at.

[Klutch]

if you can change your "response time" on your monitor, you can make the colors pop out. If you can't adjust your response time, then the colors on all games probably are gonna look dull.

[Who u]

I have different issue that only have with UI, which is dark for me regardless of which API i choose.

[Lux Dujour]

So I just went through trouble shooting dark screen using Vulkan through Nvidia card. It was as simple as going to my display setting under my HDR monitor and switching HDR off.