CK2 Not Responding at Second Loading Graphics

[beeman5]

Long time player of CK2... worked up until a few days ago... the game will not get past the second loading graphics screen. I have tried every fix I could find. Uninstalled, re-installed, verified game files.

No mods, playing with almost all DLC.

The game will hang at the second loading graphics and when task manager is brought up, it is not responding...

All help is appreciated!

 

[AndrewT]

Please do a full **clean** re-install:

- move any valued save games elsewhere
- "uninstall" in Steam-CK2
- manually delete both the Steam/SteamApps/common/CK2 AND Documents/Paradox/CK2 folders
- re-install game in Steam, run a Steam Verify when done.
- add ck2game.exe to the exceptions list/whitelist of your antivirus app
- start the game with no mods active and test

In particular make sure there are no files or folders left under either the Steam CK2 or Documents CK2 locations, before installing again.


Also if you have installed RadeonPro, or a gaming VPN app called Evolve, or the MSI Gaming App, or Duet, disable it as it clashes with this game.


IF NEITHER OF THOSE HELP:
DXDIAG is a program you run from a command prompt or the Windows start menu 'run' dialog box (or 'search programs' in Windows 7 or later). After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.

Please attach your Documents/Paradox/CK2/settings.txt.
From your Documents/Paradox/CK2/logs/ folder, attach system.log .

 

[beeman5]

That fixed it, thank you!!

 

[beeman5]

So, I may have spoke too soon

It loaded correctly the first time, yet when I booted it up the second time it came back with the same error...

Attached are the requested files. Thank you again for your help!

 

[AndrewT]

What antivirus do you use? Did you add ck2game.exe to its exceptions list?

Try these settings.txt changes:

refreshRate=60
fullScreen=no
borderless=no

 

[beeman5]

Negative results

Ck2.exe is on the exceptions for Norton Security v22.17.1.50

The game still crashes in a similar manner with the changes to settings.txt.

I don't know if this matters, yet one thing that happens after it crashes is that steam also crashes...

 

[AndrewT]

Do EU4, HOI4 and Stellaris run okay?

Use Notepad to make a new text file called userdir.txt in the Steam CK2 folder where ck2game.exe is. In that file place a single dot, save and exit. This tells the game to write the user files right there instead of under Documents.

 

[TbNewt]

My girlfriend has exactly the same set of problems. A clean reinstall of the game resulted in it running exactly once before the same endless loading bug appeared again at the start of the game. We have gone through all the suggestions (e.g. AntiVirus exception lists) without lasting success.

She can run other Paradox games like Stellaris fine.

She was able to play it a few days ago -the only difference I noticed is that she has the ruler challenges activated since yesterday when the problem appeared after she restarted the game to continue the challenge (we were on holiday before without internet access in case the feature was rolled out before). The challenge appears to the right of the main menu, suggests a ruler (Petronila of Aragon) and three achievement like targets. She was playing it in a "bronze mode".

Is it possible that this could have anything to do with it?

 

[MonzUn]

It isn't impossible that it has something to do with it.
You could try if making a backup of and deleting "Documents\Paradox Interactive\Crusader Kings II\cache" changes anything.

If it does any difference or you find out anything else that could help us get to the bottom of the problem, please consider giving us that info over here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...3-1-0-kkad-crash-on-loading-graphics.1174637/

 

[beeman5]

Do EU4, HOI4 and Stellaris run okay?

Use Notepad to make a new text file called userdir.txt in the Steam CK2 folder where ck2game.exe is. In that file place a single dot, save and exit. This tells the game to write the user files right there instead of under Documents.

All three of those games load fine.

So I checked out the other thread and I deleted cache and it worked! I think we figured out the issue? This glitch also seemed to crop up with the featured leader event, so the timeline makes sense...

Thank you everyone for all your help

 

[MonzUn]

Yeah, we have narrowed it down to be related to that cache file but the issue seems to come back for a lot of people so we're not quite there yet.

 

[AndrewT]

Yeah, we have narrowed it down to be related to that cache file but the issue seems to come back for a lot of people so we're not quite there yet.

Does it really seem to be related to the Featured Ruler thing? Because that would be weird.

 

[TbNewt]

Well, it would explain why the problem is not more widespread, right? For example I don't have access the featured ruler challenge mode including the bronze mode yet and information on that feature is very sparse. I could only find a reddit entry in which it was suggested that it is a staggered roll out.

 

[beeman5]

Does it really seem to be related to the Featured Ruler thing? Because that would be weird.

I think so? I had just started the Queen Petronilla featured ruler campaign when this bug cropped up. I forget the exact date, yet it was 7 days remaining on the campaign. I didn't think it was that relevant until I reviewed the other thread.

Maybe starting a featured ruler campaign some how messes up the cache file? (Something to do with the achievements for that campaign?)

 

[beeman5]

So I forgot to clear the cache once and the game started fine, no crashing... I think it confirms that the featured ruler campaign was triggering the crashes.

Just giving more fidelity

 

[Wave]

I get this same issue and the error.log in documents/pdx/CK2/logs says

[virtualfilesystem.cpp:711]: Could not open file: gfx/flags/flagfiles_0.tga, error: Access is denied.

This apparently is a reference to the gfx folder in the documents folder, not in your steamapps folder. I tried running Steam as admin and removing the read only restriction from the CK2 folder. Did not help.
I also tried running the ck2 executable as administrator which was unsuccessful as well.

I'm not sure about the updates and when my steam has downloaded any, I don't recall having any updates today (16th May) but the game was running fine yesterday.

EDIT:
Tried deleting the documents/CK2 folder (Assuming that's the cache everyone's talking about? I don't have a folder called Cache anywhere ) and I'm still running into the same error.
If the log is correct it sounds kinda funny that CK2.exe creates a file into the cache but doesn't have a read access to it..

EDIT 2:

Now that I'm feeling helpful, here's the following DLC packs I have:
Holy Fury
Reaper's Due
Rajas of India
Sons of Abraham
The old gods
The republic
Sunset Invasion
Legacy of Rome
Sword of Islam

No content packs, I believe the other stuff comes with the DLCs such as the first 3 dynasty coat of arms packs and a bunch of portraits.

Also reinstalled the game through steam but didn't remember to check if the local files were actually all deleted.

 

[bestbrian]

Loaded the game yesterday for the first time in ages without any difficulty. Today, just like abotve, the game gets hung up at the second graphics loading screen, and then crashes. As for Featured Ruler being a cause, I don't know what that is, and I didn't do anything with it.

 

[Wookie1]

I am having the exact same problem, in my case I was playing CK2 for 2-3 hours this morning. Then closed it at lunchtime, it installed the new patch and I have just tried to reopen it now, am getting an error saying [virtualfilesystem.cpp:711]: Could not open file: gfx/flags/flagfiles_0.tga, error: Access is denied.

I have done a full, clean reinstall, have added an exception to the game and the document folder in my Avast! anti-virus and cleared my cache.

 

[bestbrian]

I am having the exact same problem, in my case I was playing CK2 for 2-3 hours this morning. Then closed it at lunchtime, it installed the new patch and I have just tried to reopen it now, am getting an error saying [virtualfilesystem.cpp:711]: Could not open file: gfx/flags/flagfiles_0.tga, error: Access is denied.

I have done a full, clean reinstall, have added an exception to the game and the document folder in my Avast! anti-virus and cleared my cache.

Yep. Did a complete delete/reinstall, also, and still crashing on load.

Btw: No mods. All DLC, except for The Republic, and fully patched.

Edit: Was finally able to discover how to disable my antivirus (AVG). Verified integrity with Steam, and then successfully loaded. Reactivated antivirus, and game again successfully loaded. It would appear my problem was with AVG.

 

[AndrewT]

I am having the exact same problem, in my case I was playing CK2 for 2-3 hours this morning. Then closed it at lunchtime, it installed the new patch and I have just tried to reopen it now, am getting an error saying [virtualfilesystem.cpp:711]: Could not open file: gfx/flags/flagfiles_0.tga, error: Access is denied.

I have done a full, clean reinstall, have added an exception to the game and the document folder in my Avast! anti-virus and cleared my cache.

This is certainly your AV app preventing write access to that folder. A new ck2game.exe is not recognised as okay by it. Perhaps @bestbrian can help you with details for AVG.