This is why you can't launch the game anymore, people! I knew you were incompetent, Ubisoft, but this♥♥♥♥♥♥takes the cake...

[Morten]

UPDATE: Ubisoft is working on a patch to fix this; expect it by the end of the week.

UPDATE, December 15: Ubisoft has released a patch, reverting the use of AVX.

This is to the people who can no longer start the game.

So while reverse engineering parts of the game to create interoperability with my tool I discovered that the incompetence from Ubisoft isn't just limited to gameplay and optimizations, but also to architecture.

Basically, they've changed from Intel SSE to Intel AVX. SSE and AVX are instruction set extensions for CPUs (This affects AMD as well, since AMD uses the instruction sets created by Intel).

Now, while SSE instructions are supported on pretty much any CPU that anyone still has today, AVX is not.


The CPU in the minimum requirements will work, but any idiot should realize that changing CPU support on an existing game, is moronic at best.

Minimum requirements doesn't list CPU features, it lists a CPU that people can use to estimate whether their CPU is strong enough.

If they buy it, and it runs fine, they shouldn't have to buy a new CPU a year later, because of some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ de facto change in hardware requirements.
You do that♥♥♥♥♥♥on a new game, not a patch to an existing one.

FYI, the switch from SSE to AVX adds no benefits to a game like Steep, unless they now use it to perform intensive computations for NASA while you play.

If you have one of the following CPUs, you can no longer run the game, as your CPU simply doesn't understand the game code anymore

First generation Intel i3, i5, i7 processor or older (Eg. i7 920, i7 960, etc.)
Intel Pentium processors (Eg. G4560, G2030, etc.)
AMD Phenom processors (Eg. X6 1090T).

To know whether you're affected by this, look up your CPU. For Intel, this is pretty easy as they list all the specifications on their website. Eg. if you have i7 920, Google that, then pick the Intel.com link that shows up. On that page, scroll down to "Advanced Technologies" and look under "Instruction Set Extensions". If it doesn't list AVX, you're ♥♥♥♥ed.
Eg. "SSE4.2" < Bad, you're ♥♥♥♥ed. "SSE4.1/4.2, AVX" < You're good.

What IS AVX

Put simply, it's a set of CPU instructions to make the exact same computations on multiple numbers at the same time. Usually floating point (decimal).
SSE uses 128-bit registers, meaning it can perform the same operation on four 32-bit numbers at the same time.
This is great for eg. vector math, where you can multiply each number in a vector in a single instruction, greatly enhancing performance.
This is still the norm for most programs, and all games I've ever encountered.

AVX is an advanced version of SSE, that uses 256-bit registers, meaning it can perform the same operation on 8 numbers at the same time.
AVX is usually only used for really computational intensive programs, like scientific programs, video encoders, etc.

Proof

I'm also known as MulleDK19. If you know who I am, you know this is legit.
But just in case, I'll show some proof.

Well, first of all, you'll notice that all the people who complain all have the old CPUs in question, i7 920, 960, 980, Pentiums, AMD Phenoms, etc.

This is an assembly (machine code) instruction from the old version:
CVTSI2SS XMM6, RCX

And that same instruction in the new update:
VCVTSI2SS XMM0, XMM0, RCX

What it does, is not important. What IS important, is that CVTSI2SS is an SSE instruction, while VCVTSI2SS is an AVX instruction.
They do essentially exactly the same thing, but the AVX variant has a new syntax.

Now, while they do use AVX specific features (256-bit registers, vs SSE's 128-bit registers) as well, I really don't see the reason to make the change from SSE to AVX, and I'm thinking the use of the 256-bit registers is not something they've done specifically themselves, but has been done by their compiler.

I don't see a reason compelling enough to switch from SSE to AVX and at the same time alienate a substancial part of the playerbase. If Ubisoft has a compelling reason, I'd sure like to hear it.

I can tell you this, though: I have never, ever seen a game use AVX before. It is usually used by scientific programs for intensive computations, etc.

If I owned Assassin's Creed: Origins, I'd check its code as well. It's running on the same engine, so perhaps whoever is responsible for the engine development at Ubisoft switched to AVX, and Steep ended up with AVX as well. It'd be interesting to know if Origins uses AVX as well. Which would be okay (in terms of supported CPUs), since Origins is a new game that would have never run on an i7 920, then stop working. But if that's the case, it sneaking into Steep as well, is a majestic ♥♥♥♥ up.

I've started getting really bad performance since the RTTO patch. Lower frame rates, stutter, constant crashes, etc. If Origins uses AVX as well, perhaps that's part of the reason Origins has ♥♥♥♥♥♥ performance too? That would be funny.




There is no fix to this, except for Ubisoft to revert their stupid decision to change CPU architecture and switch back to Intel SSE.

[DevkoN]

Can someone ask Ubi Support - or confirm if this is legit???

If this is the really the case here, what can we do now???
We need an option to refund this even if we played more than 2 Hours.

[KheeL]

THX Morten! Bye game - refund?!?

[blobb1]

Looks to be consistent with the works / doesn't work threads.

[KingG2]

Nobody ON THE HOTLINE KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM LOL

[Pontic Greek]

I have a core i7 980. Steep ran just fine before.

This explains why all of a sudden it stopped working

[Buggy]

Thank you for the effort to find the reason why it won't launch !!

No matter who decided or just wrongly "forgot" to link library/API which support legacy CPUs.
(Or things like this while compiling)

Ubi fxcked the great game!!

Ubi, please remember , YOU CAN'T MILK FROM A DEAD COW!!
(If you (ubi) still want to sale new DLCs to existing customers)

[Radical Zeal]

An awesome game, completely ruined in less than a year

[Morten]

Originally posted by blobb1:

Looks to be consistent with the works / doesn't work threads.

Yup, the people posting their specs all have i7 920, 960, 980, Pentiums, Phenoms, etc.

Originally posted by Pontic Greek:

I have a core i7 980. Steep ran just fine before.

This explains why all of a sudden it stopped working

Case in point.

[DevkoN]

So funny how they dont give a fu** about this.

Look at ubisoft support forum its full of threads with this particullar problem.

They dont answer here or on their offical forums. We are ♥♥♥♥♥♥ guys.

[DevkoN]

Tryd it 2 times already...

[Quily]

hopefully we can get a refund at least, i only played 8hrs and was really enjoying it, this update doesnt majke sense, basically dumped half its player base the day it releases dlc, strange times we live in.

[Pontic Greek]

If they don't patch this to fix it for me, i will request a refund. If they don't give me one i will be taking legal action

[RyanBurnsRed]

Originally posted by DevkoN:

Can someone ask Ubi Support - or confirm if this is legit???

If this is the really the case here, what can we do now???
We need an option to refund this even if we played more than 2 Hours.

It's the only logical explaination we've gotten all week. All Ubisoft has ever responded with was copy/paste messages about veryfing game files as if we're stupid.

Seriously hope this means we can refund

[Radical Zeal]

If it is not broken, don't fix it.
Why the f*ck did they changed all what was working fine?
They only needed to add the new content, without breaking or modifying the old one.
- Snowboards and skis are now hiddend below the snow. :(
- Wingsuit Rocket Flare is now broken. It now just looks like the smoke one. It used to look like this: https://youtu.be/aa1qwOdv8DA

And many other things, plus the change that is causing a lot of people no longer been able to play at all.

And guess what, Road to the Olympics (Pre-Order Bonus) Olympic Winter Games Mascot (Soohorang) costume to be used in the Korean mountains, is absolutelly nowhere. This was an scam too?
I pre-order Steep™ - Road to the Olympics. Where is the (Pre-Order Bonus) Olympic Winter Games Mascot (Soohorang) costume to be used in the Korean mountains, and how can I use it?

[DevkoN]

Can we report this situation to valve somehow???

This is Scam and i dont think Ubisoft is allowed to do this