Direct3D temporarily malfunctions on any Dolphin version update

[Cadex]

I normally use OpenGL as my default graphics back-end, but switch to Direct3D 11 for a few games. I'm having an issue where Direct3D stops working correctly (with a black screen or missing effects in most games) whenever I install a new version of Dolphin (typically the most recent Dev build).

Doing the following does not fix the problem:

1. Restarting Dolphin.
2. Restarting Windows.
   

However, strangely enough, doing the following does fix the problem:

1. Closing Dolphin and then opening an older Dolphin version already installed on my machine. It suddenly starts working correctly again in both versions.
2. Having Direct3D11 already selected as the graphics back-end prior to installing the new version, and therefore also the first time that the new version loads. (When the problem does happen, I have OpenGL initially set as the back-end.)
   

I do have those two DirectX updates commonly referenced here installed, and the OpenGL back-end seems to be working fine for me.

Not sure if this is relevant, but my folder structure looks like:
C:\Emulators\GC\Dolphin-5.0\
C:\Emulators\GC\Dolphin-5.0-5322\
C:\Emulators\GC\Dolphin-5.0-5421\
etc.

I will normally extract the Dolphin download to the base "GC" folder, rename the resulting folder from "Dolphin-x64" to "Dolphin-5.0-xxxx", and then run the .exe

Is this a Dolphin bug? Has anyone else run into the same problem?

EDIT:
Forgot to mention I leave all Dolphin settings at default except: Auto-Adjust Window Size = "Yes" and Internal Resolution = "2x Native".
Also, I enabled full logging and didn't see any errors/warnings or additional info in the log when the problem occurs.

[ExtremeDude2]

Is your computer and graphics card drivers up to date?

[Cadex]

(09-07-2017, 04:26 AM)ExtremeDude2 Wrote: Is your computer and graphics card drivers up to date?

The drivers are up-to-date and my specs are in my profile.  The hardware is on the older side, but meets the Dolphin requirements (Radeon HD 5870 which has DirectX 11 support).

Note that Direct3D works fine for me once I "fix" it by loading an older version or switching the default back-end to Direct3D before installing.

[Xerxes]

Try deleting things from your \Documents\Dolphin Emulator folder. I once had some really weird controller input bug that was breaking menus in games, but old versions worked ok. Once I deleted everything in there besides the GC and Wii folders (where game saves are stored) and reapplied the same settings, it miraculously started working again. Just make sure you don't accidentally delete anything you want to keep if you try this, obviously.

[Cadex]

(09-07-2017, 06:55 AM)Xerxes Wrote: Try deleting things from your \Documents\Dolphin Emulator folder. I once had some really weird controller input bug that was breaking menus in games, but old versions worked ok. Once I deleted everything in there besides the GC and Wii folders (where game saves are stored) and reapplied the same settings, it miraculously started working again. Just make sure you don't accidentally delete anything you want to keep if you try this, obviously.

That's a good suggestion, but I already tried deleting the entire folder and starting with a fresh install using the 5.0 installer. It didn't help, unfortunately... it happened again as soon as I updated to a 5.0-xxxx Dev version.

[JMC47]

D3D11 is no longer supported on Windows 7 due to missing features that we now take advantage of in Windows 8/10.

You'll have to use OpenGL and Vulkan on Windows 7, or upgrade to a newer OS.

[seoulgamer]

(09-07-2017, 07:39 PM)JMC47 Wrote: D3D11 is no longer supported on Windows 7 due to missing features that we now take advantage of in Windows 8/10.

You'll have to use OpenGL and Vulkan on Windows 7, or upgrade to a newer OS.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to disable Direct3D 11 entirely if the OS is Windows 7, then?

I mean, when Vulkan was first introduced it was possible to select it on the Mac version of Dolphin, which of course crashed the emulator. The Vulkan option was removed from later versions of Dolphin on Mac, so shouldn't the same be done for Dolphin on Windows 7?

[JMC47]

It's only malfunctioning in games that use LogicOps. To disable it for all games would be weird.

[Helios]

Do we need to do what we did with bbox and put a warning saying "hey, this game just tried to use logicops. you're going to have a bad time. have fun"

[Cadex]

Are LogicOps used in a large percentage of games? Because the D3D temporary issues affected all 5 of the 5 games I tested:

Super Mario Sunshine - lots of missing effects (black intro and stage select screens, water messed up, black item boxes)
Metroid Prime - some missing effects (gun bullet/beam and acid splashes)
Eternal Darkness - black intro quote
F-Zero GX - freezes at start-up
Viewtiful Joe - graphical glitches and slow


It also doesn't make sense to me why they would start working correctly again after running an old version, or by selecting Direct3D11 as the back-end before installing the new version. Unless LogicOps cause weird undefined behavior in Windows 7, rather than consistently not working at all.