Surviving Mars - You need DirectX 11/12 and a DirectX 11/12 compatible graphics card wrongful message prevents game start.

[Godboss]

Description
You need DirectX 11/12 and a DirectX 11/12 compatible graphics card wrongful message prevents game start.


Windows


Steam

What is your game version?
update feb 08 2022 Below & Beyond Content update #2 - Hotfix 3

What DLC do you have installed?
Space Race, Green Planet, Below and Beyond, Stellaris Dome Set, Marsvision Song Contest, Colony Design Set, Project Laika, In-Dome Buildings Pack

Please explain your issue is in as much detail as possible.
When I try to start the game, I get a window stating I need DX11 installed and a compatible graphics card which I do have, then the game just doesn't start.

I already did a full reinstall of the game following the instructions in this old post: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/surviving-mars-directx-11-error-at-launch.1093934/

The game was working a couple of months ago, now it simply doesn't start.

Can you replicate the issue?
yes, every time I try to start the game this happens


File(s) attached

 

[AndrewT]

No real idea on this one, I'm afraid! Maybe you don't have enough monitors?


Please attach here the latest (ONLY!) game log file, from here:
C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Roaming\Surviving Mars\logs\
To see the AppData folder you'll need to enable View Hidden Items in File Explorer.

 

[ellacharmed]

Is this the only Steam game with this issue?

DxDiag report shows system has many graphics cards(?!), more than 2? Maybe game is using the integrated one by default?
Change that in GeForce Experience? Or in Nvidia Controller to explicitly use the GTX.
Failing that,

• what changed in the Windows system couple months ago? A Windows update? A new app installation? New hardware?
• test with a single monitor and GTX?
• Is the game on default screen resolution?
• Do you play with mods?
• Tested with new user folders? ie after or if the game did not create a log in C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Roaming\Surviving Mars\Logs, rename the Surviving Mars folder and see if the game can recreate and start on a fresh, clean one

But the log would be most helpful here to pinpoint exact area where it stops.

 

[Godboss]

Is this the only Steam game with this issue?

DxDiag report shows system has many graphics cards(?!), more than 2? Maybe game is using the integrated one by default?
Change that in GeForce Experience? Or in Nvidia Controller to explicitly use the GTX.
Failing that,

• what changed in the Windows system couple months ago? A Windows update? A new app installation? New hardware?
• test with a single monitor and GTX?
• Is the game on default screen resolution?
• Do you play with mods?
• Tested with new user folders? ie after or if the game did not create a log in C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Roaming\Surviving Mars\Logs, rename the Surviving Mars folder and see if the game can recreate and start on a fresh, clean one

But the log would be most helpful here to pinpoint exact area where it stops.

Hi ellacharmed and AndrewT,

thanks for your help with this.
Please find attached the requested logs, I will try to answer all your questions to the best of my knowledge.

Yes, this is the only Steam game with this issue.
There are only 2 graphics cards however, there are a total of 5 monitors, 4 of them plugged in to the NVIDIA, 1 to the integrated one.
I don't find any way to change the graphic card or the monitor using GeForce Experience or Nvidia controller.
I haven't changed my system hardware in over a year, that includes the number of monitors
For work reasons I cannot disconnect my monitors for a single game's bugs
I cannot tell what is the games screen resolution as the game won't start and I don't know where those settings are kept.
I used to play with mods however I haven't played the game in a couple of months, not sure how to uninstall those games without the launcher.
I did test with new user folders, when I tried a clean reinstallation I removed the game folders manually to no effect.

 

[ellacharmed]

Sorry, I'd meant Nvidia Control Panel.
Anyway, in GeForce Experience, you can scan for apps & games as shown in image. You can also try the Optimize option once the game's card is shown.

You can Unsubscribe from Mods from Steam website, no need to be in game at all - go to Workshop tab and click on the Subscribed items under "Your Workshop Files" in the dropdown beside your avatar logo.
Or manually - go to the "\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\464920" folder and remove all folders there. Or if you want to make a backup, zip all the folders into an archive and move the .zip file to another location. The "464920" folder should be empty.
If you play with mods, it is possible one or more has not been updated since there's been a couple patches since Sept 2021 with release of new DLC. Did all this crashing begin when first attempt to launch game with the new Below&Beyond DLC? Or you've been able to launch that like you said couple months ago with new DLC, but not now upon returning to the game?

Troubleshooting is a process of elimination more than anything else. Unplugging monitors is only for few minutes for testing purposes, not permanent.
But I understand the reluctance. Unplugging my setup always make things not work when a replug is done.
Is the primary monitor registered to use the GTX or the integrated? Perhaps the recent updates cannot tell which is the primary monitor anymore.

 

[Godboss]

Hi ellacharmed,

I also don't know how to change the game's monitor choice from Nvidia control panel I did take a couple of looks at it, but none of the options stood out.

Mods are not showing in steam workshop for some reason, and also my steam library workshop folder has no 464920, so I guess that whatever mods I had are no longer installed.

I did play the game when B&B DLC was launched and had no problem then, but I do now.

Disconnecting 4 of my monitors takes more than a few minutes due to the setup and cables location reconnecting and reconfiguring, assuming it all goes well, would take an overall hour to get it all back to the way it was. I would have to do it when I am not working and have enough time to spare and can afford the risk of something going terribly wrong.

The primary monitor is using my GTX, both on the windows control panel and nvidia.

 

[ellacharmed]

Well, from the last log contents, we're dealing with 2 things

1. cannot read AppData/LocalStorage.lua: File Not Found
2. RenderDevice::Init failed

Issue #1
If you want to uninstall and reinstall again yet another time and don't care about previous Saves or mods, do the following, assuming the Steam client is installed to the following default path, and your Documents user path is also the default:

1. Make sure the following folders are empty, no contents, no files or subfolders:
   • \Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\464920
   • C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\Surviving Mars
2. Uninstall game from Steam client
3. Make sure the Surviving Mars & 464920 folders are totally removed from these folders respectively:
   • \Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\
   • \Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\
4. Exit totally from Steam client, we want the reboot to force the Steam Client to start and launch its startup sequence and update itself (if necessary)
5. Save whatever work if you have documents opened.
6. Reboot PC
7. Launch Steam, and reinstall game.
8. Launch game, check that the game creates Surviving Mars folder in C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\

Issue #2
Didn't GeForce Experience find the Surviving Mars program and set the optimal settings for it?
Mine looks like this, once it scans the PC and the game's card pop up, I'm able to right-click and tweak settings if I wish.

Also the Control Panel settings is the same as above actually. So, you need to do one. Doing both is not necessary, I think. Mine is located in the Manage 3D settings.


If Nvidia cannot recognize the game, I'd also suggest uninstalling the Driver and let GeForce Experience do a clean install.
This entails

1. uninstall driver from Control Panel
2. reboot pc
3. if GeForce Experience did not auto recognize the driver is missing, run it from the system tray and install latest driver.
4. alternatively, you can ensure a full driver install by manually downloading the installer from https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/drivers/ to explicitly match your GPU model and Windows OS
5. reboot pc again after installation is complete

 

[ChoGGi_2]

cannot read AppData/LocalStorage.lua: File Not Found

You'll get that msg on a new install. The file isn't created till later on (after video card detection, which is failing).


@Godboss, does this help to change primary card?

1. Open the "Nvidia Control Panel".
2. Select "Manage 3D Settings" under 3D Settings.
3. Click on the "Program Settings" tab and select the program you want to choose a graphics card for from the drop down list.
4. Now select "preferred graphics processor" in the drop down list. (You can see what the automatic option is listed as global setting) If you want to use the dedicated graphics card, select High-performance Nvidia processor.

 

[Godboss]

You'll get that msg on a new install. The file isn't created till later on (after video card detection, which is failing).


@Godboss, does this help to change primary card?

1. Open the "Nvidia Control Panel".
2. Select "Manage 3D Settings" under 3D Settings.
3. Click on the "Program Settings" tab and select the program you want to choose a graphics card for from the drop down list.
4. Now select "preferred graphics processor" in the drop down list. (You can see what the automatic option is listed as global setting) If you want to use the dedicated graphics card, select High-performance Nvidia processor.

Hi all,

Thanks for your time on this. After I fiddled around with your suggestions the game is now back to working order, I believe it was the reinstallation instructions provided by ellacharmed that did the trick.

P.S. - ChoGGi_2: Thanks for the great mods you made, I mostly only use those

Thank you everyone!!!

 

[Sicae]

Sorry to piggyback here but I am having the same issue.
-This is the only game with this issue.
-This is a clean Win11 install
-There are 2 GPUs in the System (1080ti & 3080ti)
-They are on the same driver version (Game Ready 512.95)
-Geforce Experience can see the game but can't optimize it (it acts like it did but no settings change)
-Tried forcing the CUDA and Render GPU to each GPU neither worked
-Reinstalled the game via Steam UI (didn't help)
-Reinstalled the game per your instructions above (didn't help)
-I currently have 0 mods installed
-All current DLC is selected but without DLC fails to launch as well with the same error.

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[AndrewT]

If you unload GeForce Experience completely, does that help at all?

If not Please attach here the latest (ONLY!) game log file, from here:
C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Roaming\Surviving Mars\logs\
To see the AppData folder you'll need to enable View Hidden Items in File Explorer.

Plus, DXDIAG is a program you run from the Windows search box on the task bar. 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.

 

[Sicae]

Sorry for the delay in response. Unloading GeForce Experience did not help. However, it just started working today. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[AndrewT]

nVidia driver update perhaps?