Co-op session connection issues

[Zifti]

After not having played for a while, we wanted to give it another go today but encountered substantial connection issues. Either the hosting screen endlessly showed "Waiting to create a network session with other players" (and "waiting for the host to start a game" on the other end) or, if it actually worked to start a game, we ended up with "reconnecting" every 3 seconds. Any ideas what could be the issue or how to resolve it?

Restarting the game and PCs several times did not help.

We are both running version v35389r on Windows, have played for hours previously with only occasional "reconnecting" issues at times, and use the "invite friends" button to join the game rather than the lobby code as this has been stated to be more stable.

[Iggy_Pine]

Hi there,

I suspect you're playing the flat version of the game, correct? In any case, I don't believe this is a game-related issue, although I'll try to troubleshoot the problem together with you.

Let's start from the basics:

Verify the integrity of game files: Sometimes, corrupted or missing files cause problems. To do this:

• Open Steam and go to your Library.
  
• Right-click Escape Simulator and select Properties.
  
• Go to the Installed Files tab and click Verify integrity of game files.
  
• Wait for the process to complete and restart Steam before launching the game.

Switch who is hosting: Sometimes, one player’s network conditions cause issues, so swap hosts and see if that helps.

Test joining via lobby code instead of the invite system: Even though invites are generally more stable, sometimes the lobby code method works better in certain cases.

Restart your router/modem: A simple but often effective solution. Unplug it for about 30 seconds before plugging it back in.

Did you install a new antivirus or firewall recently? Some security programs aggressively block P2P connections. Try disabling them temporarily to see if it helps.

Please report back.

Thanks!

[thejinx]

Been a few weeks since partner and I played.
Previously worked fine. Now we can't even play on an official level; the host loads and just sits in a partially loaded level unable to do anything, the partner just sits on 'waiting for host'.
On an unofficial level we get a warning about both clients's data being invalid. Or something to that effect.

There are no network issues here. Hard to convey this but please take it as read we are very well aware of networking having worked in the field professionally. The game files on both machines are validated. Both updated, both own the base game and all DLC content, and both have successfully validated all game files using the Steam client.

We have tried on both windows and linux. The same issue presents each time on both official and community rooms.

I have a feeling this is a bug introduced recently rather than being a one-off for this person.
Joining via steam friends for this particular game is not working for us at present. The joiner's client just seems to sit as though no multiplayer connection was invoked. Joining via code does work, but the above issues still persist and make it unplayable when the host tries to start.

Issue arises irrespective of who is hosting. As per our traffic logs, this is not an issue with our connection(s). For reference, we have tried from different physical locations and the same location.

The routers, firewalls, port configurations/rules are identical to when multiplayer worked for us previously.

[Iggy_Pine]

Thanks for the detailed breakdown.

A couple of things that might be worth checking:

Check for mismatched or cached data: Since you're seeing an "invalid data" warning in community rooms, try clearing the AppData cache:

• Navigate to C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\LocalLow\Pine Studio\Escape Simulator\
  
• Backup and then delete the UserData and Saves folders (or move them elsewhere temporarily)
  
• Restart the game and test again
  
• Test with a fresh user profile on one of your machines to see if there's any profile-related corruption affecting multiplayer.

If using Linux via Proton, test different Proton versions. Some updates can cause compatibility issues. Try switching between Proton Experimental or an older Proton version in Steam's compatibility settings.

[RedGeneral28]

Same issue. Been playing fine for years but now we're disconnecting constantly. Plus we're getting "Some players are missing DLC"

[Iggy_Pine]

Originally posted by RedGeneral28:

Same issue. Been playing fine for years but now we're disconnecting constantly. Plus we're getting "Some players are missing DLC"

Hey RedGeneral28! For the disconnecting issues, try the suggestions I posted in the thread.

For the "Some players are missing DLC" issue, ensure the DLC owner has a checkmark on the DLC. Right-click on Escape Simulator - Properties - DLC tab - sure the checkmark is on the DLC you're trying to play.

[76561198141739920]

try clicking on Options -> advanced -> multiplayer - protocol -> cross - platform

[RedGeneral28]

Originally posted by Iggy_Pine:

Originally posted by RedGeneral28:

Same issue. Been playing fine for years but now we're disconnecting constantly. Plus we're getting "Some players are missing DLC"

Hey RedGeneral28! For the disconnecting issues, try the suggestions I posted in the thread.

For the "Some players are missing DLC" issue, ensure the DLC owner has a checkmark on the DLC. Right-click on Escape Simulator - Properties - DLC tab - sure the checkmark is on the DLC you're trying to play.

For some, we've experienced disconnecting only while playing car wash DLC. Then we played through the Mayan and Talos and everything was fine.

Except for that "DLC is missing" thing, of course. All checkmarks were on. Quiting the lobby or restarting the game helped though.