Game (7.5 & 7.6) crashes almost immediately in the main menu

[BenjiBaggins]

• Crash Errors Table

There's no error code, just a crash to desktop
Sometimes the website with the Exit Code 1061 opens

• Version and language (e.g. 7.10 Hotfix 1, English, etc.).

7.1 Hotfix 3 english (works)
7.5 english (crashes)
7.6 open beta english (crashes)
7.6 crashes

• Whether or not your game is modified using any third party scripts or mods (see note below).

Happens with or without mods.

• The game start you originally selected for the game in which the problem occurred.

Can't even start a game.

• Exact nature of the problem, where and when it occurs and what you were doing at the time.

Since development on 7.5 started I'm experiencing crashes that make even starting a game impossible.
If I click real fast, navigating the menu I get to a loading circle of max. 19%, then the game crashes to the desktop.

Same for the 7.6 open beta and the 7.6 release.

The last working version is 7.1 Hotfix 3
It works like a charm, absolutely no crashes, no problems with stuttering or anything.


The reason why I'm only now writing here, is because I gave it a try yesterday, trying different fixes I stumbled upon in the internet.
Weirdly enough 7.5 was playable after I started the x4.exe as administrator and I thought, well that's fine, an easy enough process (though I don't understand why it works).
But today, that suddenly didn't work anymore. I made no changes to the game or the system while I was asleep. It keeps crashing within the main menu after a couple of seconds.

• Any possibly relevant changes you have made to your game, system, or software before the issue occurred.

No.

• Where appropriate, additional symptoms, error messages, links to saves *, screenshots and crash dump files (see this Wiki entry).

latest crashdump file: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/mvf9vy0z ... jzthr&dl=0

• Your system specifications in the form of a DxDiag report and vulkaninfo (see this Wiki entry).**

DXDiag & VulkanInfo: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/mvf9vy0z ... jzthr&dl=0

[CBJ]

We can't help you without any information to work with. Please see the very first thread at the top of the forum, and provide the information requested there.

[BenjiBaggins]

We can't help you without any information to work with. Please see the very first thread at the top of the forum, and provide the information requested there.

Sorry, I edited the post and provided all information.

[CBJ]

It looks like you've installed the latest NVidia drivers, in which they have introduced a number of problems. Before you do anything else, try rolling back a version or two to see if you can find some stable ones.

[BenjiBaggins]

It looks like you've installed the latest NVidia drivers, in which they have introduced a number of problems. Before you do anything else, try rolling back a version or two to see if you can find some stable ones.

Should I also downgrade PhysX (if possible)?

[CBJ]

We don't use PhysX so it really doesn't matter, but I believe that's part of the driver anyway.

[BenjiBaggins]

It looks like you've installed the latest NVidia drivers, in which they have introduced a number of problems. Before you do anything else, try rolling back a version or two to see if you can find some stable ones.

I tried the previous 12 driver version, down to 566.03 but the same problem persists.
Aditionally, with the 566 drivers the intro-load picture becomes very desaturated.

I couldn't (easily) find/download older driver versions from the nvidia page.

[Alan Phipps]

To add to what CBJ said:

Your DxDiag Windows Error Reports are all either LiveKernelEvents which are usually driver or hardware issues, or Vulkan issues with X4 which would indicate an issue with your graphics driver.

You do have an Intel 14th gen cpu alongside a powerful graphics card and there have been cpu memory access stability issues with that combination under intense loading such as X4 involves. Let's hope it's not that.

I know nothing about your Behringer sound system but it may be that its sound driver (dated 14.03.19) which is used many times over in your sound devices could be updated too.

[BenjiBaggins]

To add to what CBJ said:

Your DxDiag Windows Error Reports are all either LiveKernelEvents which are usually driver or hardware issues, or Vulkan issues with X4 which would indicate an issue with your graphics driver.

You do have an Intel 14th gen cpu alongside a powerful graphics card and there have been cpu memory access stability issues with that combination under intense loading such as X4 involves. Let's hope it's not that.

I know nothing about your Behringer sound system but it may be that its sound driver (dated 14.03.19) which is used many times over in your sound devices could be updated too.

The Behringer's newest drivers introduce a problem when mixing with reaper, so I need to use the older versions on that.
Just tried and the problem persists even with the Behringer turned off, enabling the on-board sound.

I don't have any problems with any other application, but maybe it is the CPU, I heard bad stories about these 14th and 13th generation intels.
Is there a way to slow down the loading? Maybe that's why temporarily x4 7.5 worked without problem launched as administrator? Some lucky priority system setting?

[BenjiBaggins]

I just ddu (ed) the graphics drivers and reinstalled the nvidia app, which installed driver version 560.94 .
But even that way back I'm having the same issue.

[CBJ]

The NVidia drivers that are known to be problematic are the ones after 576.28. That version should be fine. The specific crashes you've been having do point towards a graphics-related issue rather than a CPU one, but it's not impossible that it could be the known Intel CPU problem.

Is any part of your system overclocked or anything similar? Sometimes overly tight timings can lead to GPU issues too.

[BenjiBaggins]

The NVidia drivers that are known to be problematic are the ones after 576.28. That version should be fine. The specific crashes you've been having do point towards a graphics-related issue rather than a CPU one, but it's not impossible that it could be the known Intel CPU problem.

Is any part of your system overclocked or anything similar? Sometimes overly tight timings can lead to GPU issues too.

My system is strong enough for anything I do, so no need to overclock.



...on the newest nvidia drivers again, I tried to start 7.5 (as administrator) and it worked. I started a new game, everything seems fine.
Closed the game and tried again, but it crashes again.

[CBJ]

My system is strong enough for anything I do, so no need to overclock.

Sure, but sometimes systems like that are overclocked when you get them.

...on the newest nvidia drivers again, I tried to start 7.5 (as administrator) and it worked. I started a new game, everything seems fine.
Closed the game and tried again, but it crashes again.

I checked your crashdumps again, and two of them were in the driver itself, i.e. not in game code at all. Can you upload some new crashdumps made with your latest driver configuration, please, so that we can see whether that's still the case? Please mark which ones are new.

[BenjiBaggins]

My system is strong enough for anything I do, so no need to overclock.

Sure, but sometimes systems like that are overclocked when you get them.

...on the newest nvidia drivers again, I tried to start 7.5 (as administrator) and it worked. I started a new game, everything seems fine.
Closed the game and tried again, but it crashes again.

I checked your crashdumps again, and two of them were in the driver itself, i.e. not in game code at all. Can you upload some new crashdumps made with your latest driver configuration, please, so that we can see whether that's still the case? Please mark which ones are new.

I had to reinstall windows yesterday, the mbr record was broken after a mainboard firmware upgrade. Btw. all the overclocking features in bios are disabled, as far as I understand it.
And I just switched to the Studio Drivers, 576.52, believing the more stable claim and produced a super fresh crash dump...uploading to dropbox now: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/mvf9vy0z ... wqdnz&dl=0

[CBJ]

One of the two new crashdumps comes from game code, but happens because a driver call fails. The other comes directly from the driver itself. So we are still looking at some kind of driver or hardware issue here.

[BenjiBaggins]

One of the two new crashdumps comes from game code, but happens because a driver call fails. The other comes directly from the driver itself. So we are still looking at some kind of driver or hardware issue here.

I went to 7.10 again because I remembered that I only get one crash file, if this version crashes.
Maybe there's some more/different clues... I also put that into the Dropbox.

[CBJ]

That's a completely different error, and is probably caused by the fact that you've rolled back to an older version while keeping your current settings files. You will need to back up your config.xml, uidata.xml, userdata.xml and userdata_signed.xml files and then delete them from the Documents/Egosoft folder to avoid the crash, and potentially breaking those files. You can restore them again as and when you go back to the newer version.

[BenjiBaggins]

That's a completely different error, and is probably caused by the fact that you've rolled back to an older version while keeping your current settings files. You will need to back up your config.xml, uidata.xml, userdata.xml and userdata_signed.xml files and then delete them from the Documents/Egosoft folder to avoid the crash, and potentially breaking those files. You can restore them again as and when you go back to the newer version.

My bad.
Right, I deleted those files and 7.10 worked again without a hitch.

So, what is that driver call (that (I assume) was introduced during 7.5) that fails?

[CBJ]

It's not as simple as there being a new "driver call" introduced. Identifying why the drivers are struggling on your specific system, but not for the vast majority of other players, is also not that simple, sadly.

You didn't mention the exitcode that was actually displayed when the crash occurred, and that information isn't in the crashdump (at least not directly). What exitcode do you see when the game crashes, and is it always the same one?

[BenjiBaggins]

It's not as simple as there being a new "driver call" introduced. Identifying why the drivers are struggling on your specific system, but not for the vast majority of other players, is also not that simple, sadly.

You didn't mention the exitcode that was actually displayed when the crash occurred, and that information isn't in the crashdump (at least not directly). What exitcode do you see when the game crashes, and is it always the same one?

Yeah, I didn't really think it would be that easy.



Most times the exit code doesn't come up. Hasn't come up in a long while actually. But when 7.5 first started in beta, I think it was 1061, is that possible? Physical device loss.

The last few times today...there wasn't a crash dump file triggered.
Why is that?

Also...the 7.6 beta dissapeared from my steam-beta-join list..