X4: Foundations - Known Issues with possible workarounds

Ask here if you experience technical problems with X4: Foundations.

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Alan Phipps
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X4: Foundations - Known Issues with possible workarounds

Post by Alan Phipps »

We will try to maintain a list below of the more common and widespread issues encountered by players in X4: Foundations together with suggested fixes or temporary workarounds. As the game evolves, these will be added to and some will hopefully be removed. This list will be useful to players reporting technical issues as they can see if quick solutions are already available and whether a specific issue requires further reporting.

Steam Forum Equivalent to this listing
In this location you can find the equivalent Known Issues and Workarounds listing Sticky on the X4: Foundations Steam forum.

Vulkan graphics device errors
We suggest updating to the latest graphics drivers if you are having issues starting the game. If you are still having issues, please post your system specs as well as the VulkanInfo file. (See this explanation on how to get both.) Please also include any relevant error message.

Stuttering of graphics display when walking on a station
If you have OpenGL desktop compositing enabled, try disabling it (this may be just an issue with Linux using MSAA or SSAA - Nvidia).

Game selects the wrong graphics card
With multi-GPU setups, usually in gaming laptops, it can happen that the game chooses the onboard instead of the dedicated graphics card. In this case please force the game exe to use the gaming graphics card in your OS display control panel. You may find that the game is indeed using the main graphics card despite indications to the contrary.

You have recently changed from an AMD to a NVIDIA graphics card and the game will not launch
You may have AMD vestiges interfering with the NVIDIA card operation. Look for a file C:\WINDOWS\System32\amd-vulkan64.json and delete it if found.

The game is not starting from Steam. The following error message "Steam client is required, please start the Steam client and try again. (Clear the environment variable SteamAppId to avoid this error.)" is displayed
If the game does not start on Steam with the above mentioned error message being displayed, you can try out the following (Kudos to user Knightdark for the detailed explanation):
  • Step one: go into your steam folder and locate the folder where your game is installed. Do NOT delete it. Instead, you create a new folder and give it whatever name you like.
  • Step two: MOVE the X4 folder into the new one you just made. Do NOT copy it. MOVE it so the game is no longer there.
  • Step three: Go into your steam program and uninstall X4. Do not worry, if you followed the steps properly, this should only take a moment, since the X4 folder isn't there anymore.
  • Step four: Go into your steam program and create a new 'library folder'' you do this as follows: steam -> downloads -> steam library folders -> add library folder. Now, here's the trick, you have to chose a new location which preferably, would be a different hard drive.
  • Step five: Remember that X4 folder you moved? Go to it and MOVE it to the new library folder.
  • Step six: Re-install the game. If you followed my instructions properly, it should 'look for installed files' and shouldn't download anything. Now try and see if you can start the game or not.
  • Step seven: The folder the user made in step one, is now empty and should be deleted.
The game is not starting from Steam. After launching the game, an application hangs, and the game crashes to desktop
(Kudos to user Eleutherios working out how to fix the issue):
  • Step one: Open your X4 installation folder (e.g. C:\SteamLibrary\SteamApps\common\X4 Foundations).
  • Step two: Select all files within the installation folder.
  • Step three: Right-click and open the "Properties" menu.
  • Step four: If "Read-only" is set to "on" (✔), turn it off, select "Apply".
  • Step five: In the next pop-up menu, select "Apply changes to the selected items, subfolders and files". Now try and see if you can start the game or not.
Ship being unresponsive after loading a savegame
If your ship is unresponsive after you loaded a savegame, getting out of the pilot seat and sitting down again fixes the issue.

Game on Samsung or Crucial SSD not starting and cannot change graphics settings
Try moving the game installation to a different drive or not using Samsung SSD Magician and Rapid mode, or Crucial SSD Momentum Cache, if still on SSD.

Game not launching with Joystick Curves application
If you use VJoy virtual device and Joystick Curves to set the curves for your joystock, try disabling the Joystick Curves sofware and then see if the game launches.

No menus on starting or reloading Steam game
If on starting or reloading the game everything seems to work apart from having no menus, try switching the game display language in Steam to a different one, run the game, then switch language back and your menus may be restored.

Saves may have compatibility issues if Steam is not shut down properly
If the X4 game is closed while Steam remains running and then Windows 10 is not properly shut down but left in "energy saving" mode, the valid detection and loading of your saves later on could be affected. Closing down the game, Steam and the OS properly before restarting them should restore use of the saves where that was the issue.

Windows and Steam Influencing the Game
A couple of things to watch out for are your OS 'helpfully' freezing the game by raising a pop-up such as 'Do you want to enable Sticky Keys?' while playing. You will only notice such as that if you fully abort the game or look in Task Manager. The other issue when you are battling with a save or profile issue is that if you have Steam Cloud synch/backup enabled, it may 'helpfully' replace deleted bugged saves, configs and profiles that you were trying to get rid of for testing and elimination purposes.

Black screen when not in Cockpit
When your screen turns black as soon as you leave the cockpit of your ship, and you cannot move but still hear noises, try the following: Open the main menu, and go to Settings > Controls > Controller/Joystick and change your sensitivity value to be above 0 on both. If that doesn't work go back to the controls and select load profile, then click controller.

Mouse Cursor moving to bottom of screen
You can work around by unmapping the Emulated Mouse Cursor.
Controls > Menu Navigation > Emulated Mouse Cursor (Horizontal / Vertical)
Select the mapping and press Delete to unmap.

Mouse Cursor is invisible
If your mouse cursor is invisible in the game, please check that you have disabled the options "Hide pointer while typing" and "Display pointer trails". Under Windows you find them in the Control Panel under Mouse -> Pointer Options.

Mouse Cursor Lagging
If your mouse is lagging in full screen mode then try with windowed full screen mode.

Keyboard or keys stop responding while in game
Pressing ESC twice may correct the issue. Also you can try opening and closing the map or getting up and then sitting back in the command chair as these sometime help.

Joystick, HOTAS or controller that used be recognised in-game is no longer recognised
See if disabling the Global Steam Input Settings option in the Steam X4, Properties, General tab helps at all. A workaround for the VKB-Sim T-Rudder is detailed here.

Joystick in game options
Try these options to improve stick gameplay:
- Adjust the dead zones 5 %
- Gamepad mode OFF
- Confine mouse to window ON
- Adaptative steering ON
- Bidirectional throttle ON

Joystick or pedals input seems to have a huge deadzone and/or gives over-large control demands to game
Check that the mapping of your device output to game input is correctly set in all axes for the digital or analogue control style appropriate for your device and set-up.

Throttle/mousewheel control stuck at max (maybe after traveldrive toggle use)
If the throttle input control suddenly gets stuck at max setting (positive or negative) try pressing X or Y keys and see if the throttle/mousewheel control unsticks after that.

No or limited Sounds/Voices/Music playing in-game
1. If you have been playing Stalker with a certain Anomaly mod then that can mess with the global OpenAL settings. See here and onwards.
2. As strange as this may seem, try plugging your HOTAS into a USB 3 rather than a USB 2, and also try updating your mouse driver before seeing if sounds are improved.

Severe lag when in closed station rooms or in the spacesuit
A couple of players have linked this lag to their sound device or driver. Try updating, changing or disabling sound devices and drivers (especially disabling unused ones) and see if this helps. Also try this: change the sound quality from "24bit, 96000hz" to "24bit, 44100hz".

You keep losing target lock and your selected target keeps changing
That is normal for gamepad mode enabled. You need to manually lock the target with a button 'Target Lock' or turn off gamepad mode and use manual targeting.

One or more player ships show no target markers
If one or more of your ships show no target marker boxes then uncheck any empty weapon slots in their secondary weapon groupings and the issue may be resolved.

Assigned Station Manager disappears in transit
The chances are that the Manager is stuck on one of your ships and only appears in their post when and whilst that specific ship is docked at the assigned station.
Possible workarounds include:
1. Dock the offending ship with stuck manager at the station, teleport yourself to the station, enter the manager's office, then the manager appears there. The offending ship is then free to undock without taking the manager off the station.
2. Assign the manager back as service crew of the ship they are stuck on, dock at the station you want them assigned to, head to the manager's office, assign a crew member as manager, leave the manager's office and return to it again, and then the latest manager should permanently show up for duty.

Cannot get close enough in your ship to scan signal or data leaks embedded in superstructure
If you are trying from inside a ship, either going EVA or trying a different ship where the player is positioned closer to the front of the ship may give you a better scanning range.

Explore Order ineffective
We are aware of this order having the ship either not using its travel drive or simply not flying at all. A work around would be to queue 'Fly To' orders. We will hope to address this issue soon.

Can't disable VSync on NVidia cards
Nvidia drivers have a minor issue with how they name their VSync options towards Vulkan games (like X4). You will therefore note, that the default VSync mode name "Triple Buffering VSync” is in fact NO VSYNC. You may have to try out the others modes depending on your driver version. Nvidia is working on fixing this naming issue.

Ships stuck in geometry
Ship have been known to fly through some geometry such as station modules. While some manage to reach their destination, others may get stuck. Leaving the sector should allow them to continue. Also, if you fly towards a surface and save just before collision, you may find yourself on the other side of the surface after the save cycle completes.

The player is missing licenses granted by their current relations with a faction.
Players with this issue may need to drop relations with the faction until losing the rank associated with those licenses, then increase relations again to retrigger the promotion ceremony and re-award the licenses.
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