• [02/01/2018] 18.2.1 has been released, and they work! Thanks to Erebus for this bit of info.

If you own an AMD-based video card with drivers post-17.7.2 and have tried to play Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1, 2, or 3, or Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls, you may have noticed that the visuals look like something out of a really bad drug trip.


Traditionally, my recommendation is to fall back to 17.7.2 while you are playing these games. However, if you need recent (especially for recent DirectX and/or Vulkan games) drivers, you may not have this option. This applies to all devices this driver release train supports except the RX Vega, which has no rollback option.

However, after some research, I have found that 17.7.2's OpenGL driver, atioglxx.dll, can be used in more recent drivers. I have tested this on an RX 570 and it works perfectly. Older cards should work. Things look encouraging for newer cards.

This document will guide you through the process of installing the correct OpenGL driver into an existing recent driver installation.

UPDATE: I have had one report from NarrackUK that it does work with the RX Vega as of this writing (12/25/2017, 11:30am PST) with, hopefully, more soon to come. I would still like to hear from you if you have gotten this modification to work with an RX Vega.

UPDATE: [01/12/2018] VDZ has created an even less-intrusive patch for the Re;Birth series that I have successfully applied to Sega Hard Girls that does not replace the system-level DLLs. Instead, it uses a copy of the older atioglxx.dll copied to the same directory as the game with some changes to the main executable and an additional file indicating that the local atioglxx.dll should be loaded.

• This is an "it worked for me" case. Your case may differ.
  
• I take no responsibility for any damaged devices or "worsening drug trips" if it does not work.
  
• Filesystem locations for extractions are suggestions. When it comes to extracting 17.7.2, use whatever works best for you.

Before we continue, several assumptions will be made:

• Windows is installed on C:. Adjust as necessary.
  
• If you use rescue media, PE media, such as something created by WinPE or WinBuilder, or if you use Windows 10's Command Prompt option in Troubleshooting, when booted, your Windows drive is C:. Adjust as necessary.
  
• Windows is installed on the drive in question in \Windows. Adjust as necessary.
  
• Operating systems will be Windows 7 and 10 64-bit. Per the games' store pages, they may not work under 32-bit Windows. The RX 500 series is not supported under 32-bit releases of Windows.
  
• Windows 8 and 8.1 will not be supported in this guide as AMD stopped supporting Windows 8.1 as of 17.4.4 (WHQL) and 17.7.1 (non-WHQL and final driver ever to be released for 8/8.1). Only up to the RX 400 series is supported. The RX 500 series has no Windows 8.1 support.
  
• 17.7.2 is the last version in which these games worked.
  
• 17.12.2 is the latest release as of this writing and will be used as an example case of a newer release. Adjust as necessary.
  
• You have some advanced knowledge of how to work and maintain your system.

This method is, by far, the easiest and safest to implement. This does not involve the system-wide files, instead putting these files in the same directory as the game itself.

This involves replacing the game executable so it can see another file, one that tells Windows that it should look for DLLs in the same directory as the game, one of which being the third, the older version of atioglxx.dll. A fourth is an additional AMD DLL, atiglpxx.dll, which is needed for some systems with newer drivers. A fifth is the original game executable if you wish to revert back. Both have an additional fix to allow the program to use more than 2GBs of memory if needed. This second fix should help mitigate some crashes players sometimes seemingly randomly experience.

To implement, please follow these instructions:

• Download this file[1drv.ms] (on OneDrive).
  
• Unpack the file's contents into the directory where your game is installed. By default, this is in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls
  
• Play the game.

The main caveat is that if the game receives any updates, the game executable may need replacing.

More details on this fix, including technical details, can be found here, VDZ's fix for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 (has links to the other two games in that series). I use the exact same techniques he uses to make this work.

Fof your convenience, here are links to all three of VDZ's guides that do the same thing, only for the Re;Birth series:

• Re;BIrth 1
  http://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1267010347
  
• Re;Birth 2
  http://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1267725668
  
• Re;Birth 3
  http://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1267750505

An easier way to install 17.7.2's OpenGL driver by injecting it into an already-unpacked install tree and installing the resulting tree.

• Download 17.7.2 for your system. (Windows 7[support.amd.com] Windows 10[support.amd.com])
  
• Download a recent driver package. (Windows 7[support.amd.com] Windows 10[support.amd.com])
  
• Extract both packages to directories of your choice.
  
• Copy atioglxx.dl_ (Windows 7) or atioglxx.dll (Windows 10) from the 17.7.2 tree into the install tree for the more recent driver, overwriting the existing copy.
  
• Run setup.exe in the base of the newer driver's tree to install the driver with the alternate atioglxx driver within.
  NOTE: You may receive a message about driver signature issues. Tell it to install anyway. The file would be 17.7.2's aitoglxx.dll and the installer expects the shipped version with this driver to be present.
  
• Reboot.
  
• Log into your computer and Steam.
  
• Test the game.

I received this recommendation from iskanderStone after writing the original, more-adventurous procedure. Thanks for the suggestion!

Only perform this if you are really comfortable with modifying an existing installation and/or if reinstalling the driver is not possible or feasible.

Before we continue, you need to obtain the following:

• Recent drivers (Windows 7[support.amd.com] Windows 10[support.amd.com])
  
• Release 17.7.2 (Windows 7[support.amd.com] Windows 10[support.amd.com])
  
• AMD Clean Uninstall Utility[support.amd.com] (Optional but highly recommended)

I recommend starting with as clean a slate as you feel comfortable with. The abovementioned AMD Clean Uninstall Utility helps achieve that by cleaning up extraneous driver directories. This helps enormously when you are trying to locate the current atioglxx.dll installation.

• Run the AMD Clean Uninstall Utility to clean out previous installations of the AMD drivers. This will aid in locating the current installation of the atioglxx.dll driver in the next few steps.
  
• Install current drivers as normal.
  
• Reboot.

• Run the installer appropriate for your system. Fill out the pathname to extract to if desired or make note of where the contents will end up. Do not install this driver. We want just one file from this installation.
  
• Bring up a command prompt by using Win-R, then typing "cmd" and pressing enter.
  
• Change into the directory where you have 17.7.2 extracted to. For example, (Base directory)\Packages\Drivers\Display\W76A_INF\B316285 for Windows 7 or (Base directory)\Packages\Drivers\Display\WT6A_INF\B316285 for Windows 10.
  
• Windows 7 only: Type the following: expand atioglxx.dl_ atioglxx.dll
  
• Copy atioglxx.dll somewhere easy to reach. I recommend C:\.

IMPORTANT: You cannot use standard Safe Mode. The OpenGL files are still opened and locked in Safe Mode. You must use Safe Mode With Command Prompt.

If you are running Windows 7, start or restart as normally, then press F8 as the system is getting ready to start. Then select "Safe Mode With Command Prompt".

If you are running Windows 10, please use the following procedure:

• Start your system normally.
  
• Get ready to restart. Instead of just clicking "Restart", hold shift while clicking on "Restart". It will give you some additional options for the next step.
  
• A list of options comes up. Click on "Troubleshoot".
  
• Click on "Advanced Options".
  
• Click on "Command Prompt".
  
• Select an account to log in with (if given multiple choices).
  
• Enter the account's password when prompted.

If you have Windows installation media, you can also use this in order to get into a command prompt mode in order to replace the DLLs in question. When your installation media is inserted, use your system's means to start Windows from said media. After selecting the language (where applicable), select "Repair Computer". Windows 7 will have you locate your Windows installation, then give you the option of advanced options for repairs, at which point, select "Command Prompt". Windows 10's method of accessing this command prompt is the same as when you get to the "Options" screen after shift-clicking restart.

IMPORTANT: Your installation media and installed version of Windows (including bits and edition (latter for 7)) MUST match.


If you have any programs that can create a PE version of Windows, especially if they offer you a chance to open a command prompt, this will also work.

IMPORTANT: PE boot media and the Windows install you intend to work on do NOT have to match. ALL YOU NEED IS FILESYSTEM ACCESS.

• Log into your computer's C: drive.
  
• Change directory into \Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository.
  
• Perform a "dir /s atioglxx.dll". If you had used the AMD Clean Uninstall Utility, there should be only two instances of it. If you had not used this utility, you will have a few more available. If you are running the most recent drivers, look at the directory that has the version with the datestamp closest to the driver's release date.
  
• Enter the directory with the atioglxx.dll you wish to replace. This will be the first instance. On my system, it's located here:
  
  C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\c0322096.inf_amd64_7ff7d53c3793b9e4
  
  
• To be able to go back to the current version, rename the current version as follows:
  
  ren atioglxx.dll atioglxx.dll-current
  
  
• If you had copied the 17.7.2 version of this file into the root of the drive where Windows is installed, copy it in now:
  
  copy \atioglxx.dll
  
  
• Change directory into the other directory within this directory. A dir /s atioglxx.dll can help in this instance.
  
  
• Perform the rename and copy steps above.

• Type "exit" and boot as normal.
  
• Log into your system and Steam.
  
• Try the game

I would especially like to hear from RX Vega owners to see if this helps.

If you need to roll back, simply reinstall the latest drivers or delete the atioglxx.dll files from 17.7.2 and rename the "atioglxx.dll-current" back to "atioglxx.dll".

Here are some related technical articles you may find of interest. This list will be revised as I come across any more articles. I may link to other games' guides here. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

• Resolution Unlock + Working background + Outline Fix by LewdPink
  
• Solving Radeon texture glitches (rainbow colors) which is far less intrusive than modifying driver install trees or existing installations, by VDZ

I would like to thank the following for their contributions to this cause:

• LewdPink for insights into how Felistella's engine interacts with Cg and, subsequently, the card's drivers and the card itself and for the Resolution Unlock + Working background + Outline Fix modification for giving me a few hare-brained ideas of what to possibly do.
  
• NarrackUK for being not just my first successful test case, but one with an RX Vega to confirm!
  
• Various gamers on the Internet for postings (many of which, more than a few years old) who gave me the idea of replacing atioglxx.dll in the first place.
  
• iskanderStone for the suggestion of an easier way of rolling back atioglxx.dll.
  
• dragontyron for catching incorrect links to the most recent drivers for Windows 10 on the 17.7.2 links for Windows 10.
  
• VDZ for providing details on how to make an even less-intrusive fix which does not disturb the system-wide files.
  
• Erebus for reporting that 18.2.1 works.
  
• Everyone who has taken the time to test this modification and give reports.

After experiencing the sheer amount of frustration of dealing with customer support at both IFI and AMD, I was looking for a workable solution regardless of how absurd, including OpenGL->Vulkan wrappers, a resizing OpenGL shim I had seen elsewhere (possibly to reroute OpenGL calls), etc. Then I came upon those who were having issues with Unreal-based games, as well as Quake users. Originally, I tried the idea of copying the atioglxx.dll file into the game installation directory(1). When I realized it would not work, I decided to replace the system-level copy, which did work. This document is the result of this work.

I hope this works for you, especially if you are an RX Vega user.(2) Please let me know what kind of results you get from this, regardless of hardware. As it stands, I now believe I have sufficient ammunition to go to AMD to report that it works on my RX 570. Further RX Vega successes will only add to this ammo dump.

Good luck!

--IJ.

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1. [UPDATE: [01/12/2018] VDZ's work on the Re;Birth series has given new life to the same-directory-as-game method and is documented within.

2. As of 12/25/2017 11:30am PST, I have one report it works with the RX Vega. If you can get it working, I would love to know. Keep those reports coming!