Blurry text in fullscreen mode

[Nutrie]

Greetings.

As the title says, I experience blurry text in fullscreen mode, in different parts of the UI windows (tooltips, inventory, stats) but NOT in the main dialogue window. Upon changing any of these settings, the text becomes clear: screen mode, aspect ratio, AA mode, reset to default, and maybe others that I didn't try. But this has to be done EVERY time I start the game because, for a strange reason, the issue reappears upon game startup. This doesn't happen if I run the game in a borderless window. Also, after I "fix" the blurry issue, there are some differences between some UI elements, as others have already mentioned: some small windows get resized when the issue is present.

I initially replied in this thread and I will post the thread here for examples and reference:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1086940/discussions/0/3808408328770355337/

So, I either run the game in borderless mode or change one graphics setting and revert it every time I start the game. I am running the game on a 4070ti and a 1080p high-refresh G-sync display (so no V-sync enabled in the settings).

I want to run this game in fullscreen mode because of better performance, obviously, and because the borderless mode locks me out of the ability to change the refresh rate.

Have you guys encountered this issue? I find it so stupid that Larian has not fixed this issue after almost 1 year since the game launched (as per the above link). I am downright disappointed as I expected this game, for its price, to behave flawlessly (at least from a technical point of view: UI, audio, and graphics). Paying almost full price for a game (because 20% off is exactly that) and being forced to use the borderless mode is just bad.


Thank you.

[Orion Invictus]

Can you post a screenshot of what it looks like?

[Crimsomrider]

Yes, this is an issue with DX11's Fullscreen Mode which refuses to launch the game with the proper resolution, which is why the game looks so blurry every time.

Sent a bug report directly to Larian ages ago and posted a bug report [DX11] - Incorrect Fullscreen Resolution On Startup[forums.larian.com] on their official forums with a GIF showcasing the issue, but unfortunately the issue remains ignored almost a year since launch.

There are no fixes unfortunately, only mere workarounds to either temporarily change any setting so the game readjusts the resolution or use the VULKAN API which doesn't suffer from this issue.

[calabacina]

I would like an option to increase the fonts of the description of the objects, a true fan of Baldurs Gate, of the first Baldurs Gate I mean, today he would no longer have good eyesight by virtue of the fact of the hours spent in front of a monitor. think about it.

[Nutrie]

Originally posted by Crimsomrider:

Yes, this is an issue with DX11's Fullscreen Mode which refuses to launch the game with the proper resolution, which is why the game looks so blurry every time.

A very good assessment and, unfortunately, true. I tested it myself: I took two screenshots, one in fullscreen and one in borderless. The former screenshot has a resolution of 1920x1061, whereas the latter has the normal resolution of 1920x1080, precisely like your GIF posted on their forums.

So Larian received complaints regarding this issue starting with August 2023 and yet they haven't done anything to fix this issue. It's pretty obvious that they don't care.

[Orion Invictus]

So... why not just use borderless windowed, which nowadays is just as efficient as old-fashioned exclusive full screen, if not more so?

Exclusive full screen is going the way of the dinosaur, and with good reason. Might be a nice chance to adapt and embrace the present.

[Nutrie]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

So... why not just use borderless windowed, which nowadays is just as efficient as old-fashioned exclusive full screen, if not more so?

I respectfully disagree with this, with a small exception.

First, I will use the borderless mode only because I am forced to use it, and I am not happy with this. I reckon most of the players didn't have any problem with this because, maybe, most of them do not even bother to change the graphics settings (except for the performance tab), since the borderless is the default setting.

The borderless mode will deliver, in general, worse performance than the fullscreen mode, with some exceptions (like in BG3 where the framerate seems to be the same). People check only the framerate and assume that they are equal, but we need to take into consideration also the latency. The fullscreen mode will always deliver better performance because the game will take exclusive control over the GPU, directly through the DX API. On the other hand, in the borderless mode, we insert one middleman, that is, the Desktop Windows Manager. This is akin to comparing a console (fewer processes, better access to hardware) versus a Windows PC; or to comparing DX11 (high-level, more layers) versus DX12 (low-level, more direct access).

In borderless mode, I cannot change the graphics adapter, the monitor, or the game refresh rate (very important).

In borderless mode, the DWM will apply a Vsync to the game (as for everything on the desktop), and I didn't invest in a Gsync display to run the game with Vsync.
https://superuser.com/questions/844773/is-it-possible-to-turn-off-v-sync-in-windows-10-for-windowed-games
Moreover, having an always-ON Vsync means an added latency, but let's say that, in BG3, the latency doesn't matter.

A gamer who is serious about game performance will always run the game in exclusive fullscreen. I've always played the games only in fullscreen and have had nothing but the best experience.

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Exclusive full screen is going the way of the dinosaur, and with good reason. Might be a nice chance to adapt and embrace the present.

If we are to make a forecast, the future in gaming may be reserved for low-level access (fewer layers, direct/exclusive access): DX12. Another example might be ARM CPUs: fewer instructions, more specialized.

You think that borderless is the future because all the YT steamers are playing in borderless, but that is because they need that mode to easily switch the windows and the screens; besides switching the windows on the fly, there is no other advantage to borderless.

Larian should provide a functional fullscreen mode, period, there's no excuse for this.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Nutrie:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

So... why not just use borderless windowed, which nowadays is just as efficient as old-fashioned exclusive full screen, if not more so?

I respectfully disagree with this, with a small exception.

First, I will use the borderless mode only because I am forced to use it, and I am not happy with this. I reckon most of the players didn't have any problem with this because, maybe, most of them do not even bother to change the graphics settings (except for the performance tab), since the borderless is the default setting.

The borderless mode will deliver, in general, worse performance than the fullscreen mode, with some exceptions (like in BG3 where the framerate seems to be the same). People check only the framerate and assume that they are equal, but we need to take into consideration also the latency. The fullscreen mode will always deliver better performance because the game will take exclusive control over the GPU, directly through the DX API. On the other hand, in the borderless mode, we insert one middleman, that is, the Desktop Windows Manager. This is akin to comparing a console (fewer processes, better access to hardware) versus a Windows PC; or to comparing DX11 (high-level, more layers) versus DX12 (low-level, more direct access).

In borderless mode, I cannot change the graphics adapter, the monitor, or the game refresh rate (very important).

In borderless mode, the DWM will apply a Vsync to the game (as for everything on the desktop), and I didn't invest in a Gsync display to run the game with Vsync.
https://superuser.com/questions/844773/is-it-possible-to-turn-off-v-sync-in-windows-10-for-windowed-games
Moreover, having an always-ON Vsync means an added latency, but let's say that, in BG3, the latency doesn't matter.

A gamer who is serious about game performance will always run the game in exclusive fullscreen. I've always played the games only in fullscreen and have had nothing but the best experience.

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Exclusive full screen is going the way of the dinosaur, and with good reason. Might be a nice chance to adapt and embrace the present.

If we are to make a forecast, the future in gaming may be reserved for low-level access (fewer layers, direct/exclusive access): DX12. Another example might be ARM CPUs: fewer instructions, more specialized.

You think that borderless is the future because all the YT steamers are playing in borderless, but that is because they need that mode to easily switch the windows and the screens; besides switching the windows on the fly, there is no other advantage to borderless.

Larian should provide a functional fullscreen mode, period, there's no excuse for this.

Counterpoint: If you need an additional tool to TELL YOU about something, that means it's too insignificant to be noticeable.

Also, I don't watch gaming YTers. Most of what I watch is comedy or educational. Often both.

[Nutrie]

Originally posted by calabacina:

I would like an option to increase the fonts of the description of the objects, a true fan of Baldurs Gate, of the first Baldurs Gate I mean, today he would no longer have good eyesight by virtue of the fact of the hours spent in front of a monitor. think about it.

I agree, the UI fonts in this game are too small. For example, the fonts in PoE were better for reading. I don't even want to know how the fonts in BG3 look in a 4K resolution.

[Blevalschitsa]

Yeah, I reported this issue also and broken anisotropic filtering (beards look like patches of paper), but their answer was like "yeah, we know about this issue, wait for a fix". That was like 3 or more months ago.

[Nestorfield]

After a billion updates they can't/don't want to fix this issues, ridiculous.

[Blevalschitsa]

Update 7 is out, but it's still not fixed!!

https://imgur.com/1QzpJa4

[Innocuous]

This is user error:

Gysnc works for me perfectly in borderless window using DX11, and with the Lossless Scaling app I'm not just running it in g-sync, but at 200+ fps g-sync.

Enable it in nvidia control panel to run in both, or make a game specific setting for BG3 in Nvidia control panel. Verify by setting control panel to show you when g-sync is on.

You're welcome in advance.

[max]

Just out of curiosity I checked with exclusive fullscreen and it works correctly.
Do you have DPI scaling set to system? If yes, then set to Application.

[Blevalschitsa]

Originally posted by max:

Just out of curiosity I checked with exclusive fullscreen and it works correctly.
Do you have DPI scaling set to system? If yes, then set to Application.

This is the only game with this behaviour. I never changed anything in windows. Temporary solution is to click on any graphic setting and revert it back, but you have to do it every launch.

[Nutrie]

Originally posted by Innocuous:

This is user error:

Gysnc works for me perfectly in borderless window using DX11, and with the Lossless Scaling app I'm not just running it in g-sync, but at 200+ fps g-sync.

I think you misunderstood. I didn't say that there is a problem with G-sync, or with scaling.

Originally posted by max:

Just out of curiosity I checked with exclusive fullscreen and it works correctly.
Do you have DPI scaling set to system? If yes, then set to Application.

When you first change to exclusive fullscreen, it does work, yes. But then it glitches when you restart the game with this setting ON. I don't use any scaling on my system as I don't need to, I have a 1080p resolution.

Anyways, as per the post marked here as the solution, I found the culprit. When you restart the game with exclusive fullscreen ON, the game start to render the image at 1920x1061, instead of the usual 1920x1080. I saved screenshots while in exclusive fullscreen: on the first time, the resolution is normal 1080p, and on the second time, it glitches 1061p. The blur appears when the game stretches the 1061 pixels image on a 1080p display, this is normal.

So, yes, the exclusive fullscreen mode is broken in this game, at least on a 1080p screen.