Troubleshooting & fixes

Verified solutions from Goldoire/fefw-recomp through v0.1.7, plus fefw.ini diagnostic flags and log locations.

Runtime log: ./fefw.log
Setup log: ./work/setup.log
Required dump: Update 131072
Latest fix build: v0.1.7

Handheld RDNA2 mainboard and Vulkan 1.3 silicon assembly

Known errors & fixes

Every solution below comes directly from Goldoire/fefw-recomp release notes, README.md, and issue reports through v0.1.7:

Symptom / Error Message	Verified Cause & Fix
"These game files are a different version"	Only update 131072 (Title ID `04007EF01F8AE000`, build ID `DB93B0125F485060`) is supported. Verify that you dumped and included update 131072 alongside the base game (either merged into `exefs/` + `romfs/`, in `updates/131072/`, or inside your `.nup`).
Loading screen never finishes (gameplay tips keep scrolling)	Fixed in v0.1.7 (#97): GPU drivers could drop a byte from a newly loaded file, causing infinite unpack retries. Memory is now protected while the driver reads it—update to v0.1.7.
10–30 second freeze visiting Dagsion or large towns for the first time	Fixed in v0.1.7: texture preparation stalls on first visit were reduced from 14–30 seconds to under 4 seconds, and crowd shadow passes were merged (#79, #70, #83).
Battle map frame rate drops below 30 fps over time	Fixed in v0.1.7 (#69, #85): a runtime list grew every frame during tactical battles. Updating to v0.1.7 keeps battle maps at full speed.
Black screen in Windowed mode while audio & input keep working (Radeon 8060S, #100)	On AMD Radeon 8060S (ROG Flow Z13), Windowed mode can hit `VK_ERROR_DEVICE_LOST (-4)` on the first frame. Switch to Borderless or Fullscreen (`Alt+Enter`), which run without issues (#100).
Dark night scenes, unlit torches, yellow box behind braziers, or clipped eye iris on AMD	Fixed across v0.1.4 & v0.1.7 (#4, #11, #12, #23, #29, #89): shaders now support AMD 64-thread wavefronts, all 6 omnidirectional torch shadow faces render properly, and sideways eye iris clipping is resolved. Run Set up after updating to v0.1.7.
DLSS or FSR 3 does not activate or smears HUD text	HUD smearing was fixed in v0.1.6 (#20). Check `fefw.log` next to the launcher—if a Streamline (`upscalers\streamline`) or FidelityFX (`upscalers\fsr`) DLL is missing, `fefw.log` prints the exact filename (#14). Verify in `F1` > Graphics > Live render state.
In-launcher update fails with "Can't restore time: Invalid argument" (#129)	Download `fefw-recomp-0.1.7-win64.zip` manually, extract it over your existing folder (or into a new folder and copy `save\` and `mods\`), and press Set up.
"This processor is too old" crash on Sandy Bridge / Ivy Bridge CPUs (#33, #82)	Fixed in v0.1.7 (#33, #82, #39): non-CPU crashes no longer show the old-processor message, and Set up automatically builds a compatible non-FMA3 binary for 2011–2012 Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors.
Setup stopped, crashed on a shader, or only runs 1 Zig process (#46, #106)	Press Set up again—it resumes where it stopped, and v0.1.7 automatically retries or skips any single shader that crashes (#46). If only 1 Zig worker runs due to high RAM usage (#106), close heavy apps, click Pause, and click Set up to re-detect free memory.

Config keys (fefw.ini)

Configuration files sit in your run folder next to fefw-launcher.exe:

[fefw] ultrawide = off in fefw.ini: stretches the image instead of expanding the 3D field of view on 21:9 and 32:9 monitors (#10).
[nvn] push_uniforms = false in fefw.ini: reverts v0.1.7’s direct per-draw uniform buffer push optimization if you are debugging driver regressions.
[nvn] compile_note = true in fefw.ini: re-enables the bottom-screen "Preparing shaders" notification (hidden by default in v0.1.7; shader count is always visible in F1).
[dlss] frame_gen = 1 in fefw.ini: enables DLSS Frame Generation on RTX 40+ cards when Streamline DLLs and Windows Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling are present (#6).
[mouse] jc2_speed in controls.ini: scales PC mouse speed before passing motion to the game’s Joy-Con 2 mouse handler.

Logs & bug reports

Before opening an issue at github.com/Goldoire/fefw-recomp/issues, check these files in your launcher folder:

fefw.log (and nxrt.log / fefw_crash.txt on runtime crashes).
work/setup.log (or click Open full log on the launcher’s Setup page if compilation failed).
Include your GPU model, driver version, Windows/Linux version, and release tag (v0.1.7). Never attach game dumps or files derived from them.

Fortified stone citadel perched along a mountain ridge above Sisteron, France — Highland citadel battlements and tactical terrain vantage

Sixteenth-century engraved world chart by Jodocus Hondius with twin hemispheres and compass roses — Engraved strategic world chart and campaign navigation lines

Thirteenth-century brass planispheric astrolabe engraved with coordinate arcs and pointers — Precision brass astrolabe (1291 CE) — coordinate and clockwork calculation

Common questions

Why do I get an error dialog when closing the game with Alt+F4 (#126)?

Forcing termination via Alt+F4 while Vulkan queues or audio threads are active can trigger an abnormal-exit dialog (#126); quit via the in-game menu or window close button after saving, and note that v0.1.7 includes shutdown fixes for audio, swapchain, and frame generation.

What if FPS drops after many transitions between Dagda and the Arena (#133)?

Issue #133 tracks a gradual GPU utilization increase across repeated scene transitions in v0.1.7. Save your progress in the save\ folder and restart the game to restore full 60+ FPS performance.