[Windows 10] Game does not start

[Soleil28]

Dear Support Team:

I am posting this message on the forum because I have not been able to find any solutions to my problem. When I bought Crusader Kings II on my other computer years ago, it used to work fine. About a year ago, I replaced it by another one, and since then, Crusader Kings II has refused to work.

Here is what happens: when I try to launch the game through Steam and through the .exe file, the launcher box opens, stays white, and then automatically closes without showing anything. I find this weird because I own Victoria II, EUIV, and HOI IV, and those games have no issues running at all.
I have tried the following solutions:
-Doing a clean reinstall and verifying the integrity of the files through Steam. It did not work
-At some point, my Windows Update module stopped working, so I reinstalled Windows and installed all the updates my computer was missing. It still did not solve the problem.
-I have followed the instructions provided in the common problems by installing the executable files, but this did not solve the problem either.
I am linking to this post the following: the DIXDIAG.txt file and the system.log file. I have, however, noticed that the settings.txt is completely absent from all CKII folders?

I really am on the end of my rope here, and I hope you all will be able to find a solution to my problem. I am really missing playing my favorite game.

 

[AndrewT]

What antivirus app do you use?

Add ck2game.exe to the exceptions list of your antivirus app; ESPECIALLY if you have Windows Defender, add it to the Ransomware "Apps Allowed Through" list.

 

[Soleil28]

Hello !

The only antivirus present on my computer is Windows Defender. CKII is already present in the "Apps Allowed Through" list on Windows Defender. I tried removing it and adding it back, and it did not do anything. I tried deactivating Windows Defender and run CKII, and it did not solve the problem either. I feel like the problem maybe comes from the nVIDIA drivers ?

 

[AndrewT]

You have the latest nVidia driver, which is the single most common situation with players of this and our other games- we'd know well before now if it was doing this to every CK2 player! What specifically are you seeing that points in that direction?


I'm not sure how you have have a system.log but not a settings.txt - can you look again in Documents/paradox/ck2/ please?

CKII is already present in the "Apps Allowed Through" list on Windows Defender.

This is specifically under the Ransomware-Controlled Folder Access function?

 

[Soleil28]

Hello!

This is specifically under the Ransomware-Controlled Folder Access function?

Turns out I was allowing it at the wrong place! After doing some research, I finally discovered the place that you are talking about and added it to the list. However, it did not do anything; the game still crashed.

can you look again in Documents/paradox/ck2/ please?

I went to look in the log folder and saw nothing. I then proceeded to look for the file on my entire computer without success. The only settings.txt that would appear were the ones for every other Paradox game that I own except CKII. I verified the integrity of the files using Steam, and it told me the files were all fine.

 

[AndrewT]

Please the attached userdir.txt file in the Steam folder where ck2game.exe is . It tells the game to write settings.txt and the /logs/ folder right there instead of under the Documents folder.

Does the game run then? If not doe sit at least make the settings file and logs folder there?

 

[Soleil28]

Hello !
Sorry for the delay.
I did exactly what you said, and it neither made the game work, neither created a settings.txt file in the /logs/ folder.

 

[AndrewT]

Does this affect EU4, HOI4 and Stellaris too? Or just CK2?

 

[Soleil28]

Just CKII

 

[AndrewT]

Okay then try this - exit the Steam app entirely and run ck2game.exe by itself. It will still fail I expect, but does any error show up?

 

[Soleil28]

Hello!

I just tried to run the game while having Steam closed and using the ckii.exe file, and it worked! I went into the game and did a test run with Byzantium, and it was all fine.

Then, I tried to go back into Steam and run the game through Steam and the launcher appeared! However, the loading of the game crashes right at the end at “Loading Graphics” for some reasons. It seems to me that Steam and CKII are clashing. Also, the settings.txt file is still absent from the logs.

 

[AndrewT]

If it got past the launcher settings.txt must be there. It's not in with the logs, but one folder up in Documents/paradox/ck2/

Hard to see why the game would start by itself but not from Steam, to be honest. Perhaps you have a bad Steam installation.

 

[Soleil28]

Hi!

I know it has been quite a while since I have stopped answering to this thread, but I am having the same problem again ! I felt like answering this would be better than creating another one again.

Again, if I try to run the game through Steam, the launcher opens (a white box), and then immediately shuts itself off. When I tried to run the game through the ckii.exe file, it showed me an error message saying "Please Start CKII through Steam for your first time" (I guess I had tried to clean reinstall everything again).

Any tips on what I could do to get the game running again?

 

[AndrewT]

Please edit the file Documents/paradox/ck2/settings.txt to say:
fullScreen=no

borderless=yes

IF that doesn't help, 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 Interactive/CK2 folders
- re-install game in Steam, run a Steam Verify when done.
- add ck2game.exe to the exceptions list of your antivirus app; ESPECIALLY if you have Windows Defender, add it to the Ransomware "Apps Allowed Through" list.
- 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 RivaTuner, RadeonPro, or a gaming VPN app called Evolve, or the MSI Gaming App, or Duet, disable it as it clashes with this game.


IF that doesn't help:
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.

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

 

[Soleil28]

Hi!
I have first trief to find the settings.txt file...but it just was not there ? I attached a screencap of my CKII folder, so that you could see that.

I then moved on to deleting the entire game with both folders in Steam/SteamApps/common/CK2 and Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK2, reinstalling the game through Steam, verifying the files integrity, and adding the game to the "Apps Allowed Through" list. That did not work-the launcher just opened as a white box before immediately closing itself again.

I really have no clue of why this is doing this. I am attaching the DXDiag in hopes that our answer is there.

 

[AndrewT]

Is there anything in that /logs/ folder?

What antivirus app do you use? Some need extra steps.