Shadow problem

[thorvindr]

So I'm getting a different shadow problem that I haven't read about elsewhere. I'm definitely getting the funny light and shadow grid lines across the screen, but I think I've fixed that by manually increasing the resolutions on all the shadow settings.

The problem that nobody else seems to be having is that the shadows all move as I turn my head. Sometimes. It depends on where I'm standing.

For example, I'm standing in the keep with the Stormcloak who just rescued me from the dragon. If I stand in the center of the room (directly beneath the chandelier), the whole room looks really dark and I can see the shadows move across the room in concert with my viewpoint. As I walk around the room, the shadows actually move depending on where I'm standing.

As far as I'm concerned, this ridiculous patch has made the game unplayable. Does anyone have a solution to this?

[ChiefBuds96]

update your graphic drivers is my best guess, i have never encountered this..

[Sparhawk122]

I'm having a similar albeit smaller issue. I'll look up into the sky at night or whatnot and see these dark blue lines that are definitely out of place.

My drivers are all up to date. GTX 560 GPU. I've got decent specs.

[thorvindr]

Updated my drivers and tried the game again before posting. Didn't help. I can turn off shadows, and the problem pretty much goes away, but I don't want to turn off shadows, because then what am I supposed to hide in?

It wouldn't be such a huge problem, but the shadows don't just appear to move; they actually relocate. As I move about the room, when I go in and out of the (moving) shadows, my stealth indicator lights up and goes dark because when I leave the shadow I get detected, then when I move back into a (mobile) shadow I get hidden again.

It's been a while since I've played Skyrim, and this never happened before. I can only assume this bug was caused by the much-lamented recent patch. Game was in no way broken graphically, but they just couldn't leave well enough alone. I don't know what the update did, but the result is that shadows don't get drawn properly (and are, without hacking, VERY low-rez).

[thorvindr]

So... Nobody has any ideas? I find it hard to believe that I'm the only guy with this problem.

[BoPacker]

I'm thinking it's a graphics mod or graphics mod setting. Do you have any ENBs, texture or shadow mods?

[thorvindr]

Nope. Good call, but I have no graphic mods installed, and I've tried running teh game with all mods disabled.

[Devolth]

It's the graphics setting on skyrim. Set it to a default setting of medium or wherever you play it. Then try to make it playable. The updating shadows is the graphics card deciding when it wants to render the shadow based on your distance to it.

[Mikhail }>СМЕРШ<{]

Did you install any shader packs? that would be my number one guess.

[thorvindr]

Originally posted by Devolth:

It's the graphics setting on skyrim. Set it to a default setting of medium or wherever you play it. Then try to make it playable. The updating shadows is the graphics card deciding when it wants to render the shadow based on your distance to it.

I have a theoretical understanding of what you're saying, but no idea how to do that. I'll try it, but what I'm seeing doesn't look like what you're saying.

[thorvindr]

Originally posted by Mikhail }>СМЕРШ<{:

Did you install any shader packs? that would be my number one guess.

Nope.

[BoPacker]

what happens when you decrease the shadow resolution? There's a mod that's supposed to fix the striping, so you can get rid of it and still run at a lower shadow res.

[SerPrizes]

Try to verify the integrity cache, that should work, but if it doesn't; back-up your .INI files and delete them, then start Skyrim normally.

[thorvindr]

Originally posted by BoPacker:

what happens when you decrease the shadow resolution? There's a mod that's supposed to fix the striping, so you can get rid of it and still run at a lower shadow res.

When I decrease the shadow rez, I get striping. The striping I can live with, but I've already fixed it, as per my original post. The problem is the shadows moving all over the place.

Originally posted by Ravager!:

Try to verify the integrity cache, that should work, but if it doesn't; back-up your .INI files and delete them, then start Skyrim normally.

What's an "integrity cache?"

[BoPacker]

So you're saying that the shadows still move with the res lowered? To verify your integrity, right click on skyrim in the steam program, click properties, and then the local files tab. The button to verify file integrity is there.

[thorvindr]

Oooooooh. Verify the integrity of the cache. Yeah. I know how to do that.

Before I did anything, I had moving shadows and lines. When I doubled the shadow resolution, the striping went away, but the shadows still move. Are you suggesting that I lower the resolution below the default and see what happens?

Also, I'm skeptical of the usefulness of verifying my cache integrity. The game is running and not throwing any errors, but I suppose it can't hurt to check.