Oblivion Mod:PCS Library/Game Mistakes Newer Graphic Card's Capabilities

ProblemEdit

Game Mistakes Newer Graphic Card's Capabilities

Cause - Newer graphics card misdetectedEdit

When Oblivion is first run, it attempts to autodetect the maximum Shader Model and Shader Package the video card is capable of using. Unfortunately, some newer cards (both ATI and NVIDIA) are sometimes misdetected and Oblivion configures itself to use a Shader Package lower than the video cards maximum supported.
While this may not always cause issues, some cards will experience a drastic difference in performance between newer and older shader packages. Using the highest shader model supported by your video card is generally recommended, as newer Shader Models often include improved shader algorithms as well as visual enhancements.

Solution: To force Oblivion to use the highest possible shader package (only up to Shader Model 3.0; by default 2.0 is used):

• First enter the "Oblivion" directory located in the "My Games" folder (which is in turn located in the "My Documents" directory). There should be a file named "RendererInfo.txt".
• Locate the bottom entry in that text file and take note of the number listed (it should be between 1 and 19, as in "shaderpackage007.sdp").
• Then enter the "Data" folder located in Oblivion's directory in "Program Files" (or wherever the game is installed). There should be a folder named "Shaders".
• Assuming your video card has support for Shader 3.0 or higher, make a copy of the Shader 3.0 file named "shaderpackage019.sdp".
• Now make a backup copy of the Shader 2.0 file "shaderpackage0[number you found in the RenderInfo file here].sdp (i.e "shaderpackage007.sdp" as "shaderpackage007.org").
• Once you have made a backup copy of the shader, delete the original file.
• Now rename the copy you made of "shaderpackage019.sdp" to the name of the shader that you made a backup of (i.e. "shaderpackage007.sdp").
• You should now have 2 copies of "shaderpackage019.sdp", except one should now have the name of the Shader 2.0 package that contained the number written in the "RenderInfo.txt" file (i.e. "shaderpackage007.sdp").
• Now, whenever the game attempts to use the incorrect shader package, it will instead be using the highest one.

Note that this may cause some issues, such as crashing. If this is experienced, simply recopy the backup of the original Shader 2.0 package you made (i.e "shaderpackage007.org" as "shaderpackage007.sdp").

Solution: Simply edit the "RenderInfo.txt" file's last entry to use the correct Shader 3.0 package: "shaderpackage019.sdp".

• Once you saved the text file, change it's protection properties to "read only". This way the file won't revert to it's original state each time you run Oblivion.

Don't forget you did this if you change graphics cards later on, as otherwise the game will not be able to update the information.