[Windows] CTD after HF Release

[Dathremo]

My CK2 now CTD when it is loading in or shortly after reaching the initial screen after loading in

Prior to HF and the patch my CK2 worked absolutely fine and now I cannot play

I have tried uninstalling, and reinstalling, verifying the files, deleting the gfx file in my docs, turning off my AV program and everything else I can think of

I am running WIndows 10 Home, my AV is Mcafee

 

[AndrewT]

My CK2 now CTD when it is loading in or shortly after reaching the initial screen after loading in

Sorry, how far exactly does it get? To the launcher, or to the main game screen? Or somewhere between?

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.
- 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.

IF that doesn't 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 .

 

[Dathremo]

It sometimes crashes while loading in initially and sometimes it crashes after arriving at the main menu

I have done multiple clean re-install and I have no mods running at all

Please see below the requested attachments

Thanks

 

[AndrewT]

Edit that settings.txt:

refreshRate=60
fullScreen=no
borderless=no

Update that video driver:
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

If none of that helps, revery to 2.8.3.4:
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-roll-back-your-game-version.1121392/
Does that still run okay? You'll need to delete the Documents/paradox/ck2/gfx/ folder and settings.txt before you run the game.

 

[Dathremo]

Tried all of this, still crashes
I have the latest driver and I have updated the settings.txt as you said no difference
After HF was released my game did work briefly but it stopped working yesterday morning

It also crashes in 2.8.3.4
Is there any way to figure out what is going on?

 

[AndrewT]

It also crashes in 2.8.3.4

Then this is nothing to do with the recent patch.

Do Eu4, HOI4 and Stellaris still work okay on this computer?

If you exit Steam entirely and run ck2game.exe by itself, it will still fail but do you see any new error or message?

 

[Dathremo]

Then this is nothing to do with the recent patch.

Do Eu4, HOI4 and Stellaris still work okay on this computer?

If you exit Steam entirely and run ck2game.exe by itself, it will still fail but do you see any new error or message?

HOI4 and Stellaris run fine, EU4 and CK2 CTD (I think I have been having trouble with Eu4 for a bit, but since I prefer playing CK2 anyone it doesn't really bother me as much)


Like I said, my Ck2 was functioning fine up until the day HF released, and now it CTD

 

[AndrewT]

But if you run the same CK2 version you had before the patch was released it has the same problem, yes?

Maybe test that again but delete the documents/paradox/ck2/ folder entirely before running 2.8.3.4 .

 

[Dathremo]

But if you run the same CK2 version you had before the patch was released it has the same problem, yes?

Maybe test that again but delete the documents/paradox/ck2/ folder entirely before running 2.8.3.4 .

Tried it still crashes

 

[AndrewT]

Exit the Steam app entirely and run ck2game.exe by itself. It will still fail but is there any new error or message now?

 

[Dathremo]

Exit the Steam app entirely and run ck2game.exe by itself. It will still fail but is there any new error or message now?

When I start the game without steam same thing happens, just crashes to desktop there isn't any message or anything it just crashes

 

[AndrewT]

Just to be clear, EU4 crashes on startup exactly like CK2 does? Is that right?

If you have installed a gaming VPN app called Evolve, or the MSI Gaming App, or Duet disable it as it clashes with those two games.

 

[Dathremo]

Just to be clear, EU4 crashes on startup exactly like CK2 does? Is that right?

If you have installed a gaming VPN app called Evolve, or the MSI Gaming App, or Duet disable it as it clashes with those two games.

Yes EU4 also crashes when starting up, but I do not use any of those apps

 

[AndrewT]

Exit the Steam app entirely and run ck2game.exe by itself. It will still fail but is there any new error or message now?

What happens if you do this with eu4.exe ?

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. The same thing will work for EU4.

 

[Dathremo]

What happens if you do this with eu4.exe ?

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. The same thing will work for EU4.

Still crashes

 

[Dathremo]

Is there anytime frame for a patch to fix the issues with 3.0? I saw under Dev diary #109 "Divine" was talking about that, I'd really love to be able to play HF before exam season rolls around and burns up all of my free time

 

[AndrewT]

I have not seen any evidence that these won't-start issues are bugs in 3.0 . I've been able to solve them all so far, they've all been antivirus app or other external causes.

There are apparently bugs with certain unit packs not showing up and black shields, but they are not your problem.

Not to mention that you get this with EU4 too, and with the previous CK2 version 2.8.3.4 which used to work for you. So this must be something external to the game. We have just not spotted what exactly, yet!

While I haven't had other reports of McAfee causing this yet (Avast, AVG, Comodo, Windows Defender, MalWareBytes and BitDefender so far) I'd have to say that is by far the most likely cause left that we have not looked at here. Turning off (disabling, I assume you mean) antivirus apps tends to not actually disable them, they are deliberately made card to disable (as malware will try to do that of course!). Add ck2game.exe and eu4.exe to the exceptions list/whitelist of McAfee, and if Windows Defender is also running, to that too. If the Controlled Folder Access feature of WD is enabled, add these .exe files to the "Apps Allowed Through" list of that feature also.,

 

[Dathremo]

CK2 worked last night, and for most of today, and now I am trying to play it again and it is crashing

So since HF has dropped it has went from working to not working multiple times, there has to be some sort of issue you guys are missing, nothing on my pc has changed between an hour ago and now

 

[AndrewT]

So since HF has dropped it has went from working to not working multiple times, there has to be some sort of issue you guys are missing, nothing on my pc has changed between an hour ago and now

By the same logic, nothing in the game changed between those times either!

I agree there is something you and I are missing here, but I do not know what as yet. As your case extends to EU4 is seems like you have a different problem that the others here affected by the 3.0 patch, which have substantially been AV app issues.

 

[AndrewT]

BTW we do have one report of the firewall ZoneAlarm causing CK2 to fail to start. How and why that is possible I cannot see, but do you happen to have that?