Game turning off when changing settings, database error, access error to game data

[Matpa]

I have a problem that I was solving with paradox support but they don't know how to help me so they recommended that I write about my problem here. You can see the whole conversation at this link: https://support.paradoxplaza.com/hc/en-us/requests/310928
Currently, the problem is that when I restart my computer and start the game through Steam, the launcher starts without problems and without any errors. Then I click play and the game starts loading. It loads shaders even though I start the game already many times. The game starts after 10 minutes. I click new game and the game works normally. But when I enter the settings either from the game level or from the menu and without changing anything I click x to exit the settings, the game immediately turns off without any message about the crash. Then I start the game again through Steam and then errors appear when the launcher starts. The errors are "Access Error to Game Data" and "Database error" screenshots in the attachment. I can start the game again but just like the previous one the shaders are reloaded and it's the same as before. I've been struggling with this since Wednesday and I don't know what to do anymore. I'm sending all the logs I have.

 

[AndrewT]

Ah, that is usually an antivirus app getting in the way. What antivirus app do you use? You need to make sure all these apps are in its exceptions lists:

victoria3.exe (in the Steam Victoria3/binaries folder)
dowser.exe (in the Steam Victoria3/launcher folder)
C:/users/{username}/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2024.17/paradox launcher.exe
C:/users/{username}/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

IF that doesn't help, Right click on Documents in the left column of File Explorer, just under This PC there. Go to properties, location. What does it say there?

 

[Matpa]

I have set these exceptions in Malwarebytes. It doesn't change anything. I have the documents in the location: "C:\Users\matpa\Documents". I have my system in polish so if you need any translation tell me.

 

[AndrewT]

That all looks okay, although I am not familiar with the internals of MWB. I don't know anything else that would cause that error though, are you sure there are no other exceptions lists in that app?

Do make sure it is not doing realtime scans of the C:/users/{username}/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/ folders.

 

[Matpa]

I can uninstall if Malwarebytes may cause any problems. Also one of the Paradox employees wrote to me about Script system error. The screenshot of the conversation is attached

 

[AndrewT]

FYI that person, like me, is an external support contractor, not a Paradox employee as such. They are pretty much all on leave right now!

I'm not certain that MWB is the problem, but it is the most likely suspect at this point. Check that realtime scans thing.

Another possible workaround is to make a new WIndows user on this computer - does that get past that error?

 

[Matpa]

I have a free version of MWB so I don't have real-time scanning. Paradox support already wrote to me about making a new windows account and that didn't help either. The exact same thing happens as on my main account.

 

[AndrewT]

Well, something is preventing the launcher/game accessing the Windows User Documents folders!

If you're willing you could try uninstalling MWB. You might need to use the Revo Uninstaller to make sure it is 100% gone.


Whether you try that or not,

Please install and run the free utility Speccy. Send its output to a text file and attach that here please.


https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/download

 

[Matpa]

I uninstalled MWB using Revo Uninstaller. I installed Speccy and attached is the .txt from it. Additionally, probably thanks to uninstalling MWB, I no longer have errors when starting the launcher. The only thing that appears is the End-User License Agreement every time. But I still have a problem when exiting the settings. It's probably as you write and it's caused by something blocking access to documents and maybe the settings file isn't being overwritten and the game doesn't know what to do and shuts down

 

[AndrewT]

Do you also get this new problem on that new user we made above?

I thought these might be another forgotten AV app running here, but it seems not - just Windows Defender.

Go into Ransomware - Controlled Folder Access - Apps Allowed Through, and make sure all those .exe files I listed above are in there.

 

[Matpa]

It seems to me that everything is working now. All I had to do was add these applications to the exceptions in Windows Defender. The only thing is that when I turned the game off I got a crash. I am sending the logs in the attachment. When I turned the game on for the second time, the shaders did not load and the game started in a few seconds and there was no crash. Thank you very much for your help.