Old Troubleshooting FAQ

[Skymirrh]

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This is an old topic that should not be used anymore. The new FAQ is here.

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Context

It's been a long time now that I help people out there regarding issues with Hotline Miami. Since the troubleshooting part of the stickied FAQ isn't up to date, I thought I'd make a new one with updated information whenever applicable. Please don't hesitate to link to this topic when following issues are posted ;)

I'm terribly sorry for Mac/Linux users but the fixes described here are targeting Windows users. However, the solutions are roughly the same, so I hope that'll help.

Finally, in any case, if you do not find a fix here, please use the search function before posting, as in 98% cases, your question has already been addressed before.

Troubleshooting

Achievements are bugged.
If you play on Original version, this is normal as achievements are known to be bugged in this version. Please use Updated version.
If you already play Updated version, just play through any level again (the introduction will do fine) and it should unlock pretty quickly (the game check for achievements only at fixed times).
If you still can't get it, do the achievement again, and after that play through any level. In 95% cases if you're trying to get an achievement such as Always On Top, you'll actually have missed something.



But I can only play on Original version!
Please don't play Original if you can avoid it. See next question for possible fixes to Updated version.
Updated version is more stable, features score leaderboards, an additional bonus level previously available only to PC preorders and PS3-Vita, fixes issues with achievements, and offers the possibility to change languages, resolution, and play in windowed mode.



When I press "Start" in the launcher with Updated selected, game crashes ("stopped working") or freezes on startup (for OpenAL DLL crash, see next further down the FAQ).
First, if you have any application that injects an overlay into games, such as MSI Afterburner, Precision X/Riva Tuner, VirtuMVP, etc. try to disable the overlay/the application.

Additionally, if you are on Windows XP and it crashes at startup, see the next entry in the FAQ for a possible fix.

If you're not concerned by the above/it still doesn't work, then this is an OpenGL compatibility error caused by your graphics driver.

In this case there are three possibilities:

• (a) You have a desktop computer with a dedicated graphics card.
  
• (b) You have a laptop with both integrated graphics and a dedicated graphics card.
  
• (c) You have a laptop or desktop with only integrated graphics.

(a) Update your graphics driver and try again, it will probably solve the problem. If you do not know where to look, here are pointers according to your graphics card:

• NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
  
• ATI / AMD: http://support.amd.com/en-us/download

See (d) as a last resort.

(b) You probably have NVIDIA Optimus/ATI Hybrid Graphics/PowerXpress or anything alike that switches applications between integrated and dedicated graphics. Make sure the game runs on dedicated graphics (the Updated version executable is HotlineGL.exe). See this guide[support.lenovo.com] for NVIDIA graphics, and this one[h10025.www1.hp.com] for AMD graphics.
If it still doesn't work, update your graphics driver as proposed in (a).
Please note that on laptops, you may or may not be forced to download drivers from your vendor (Asus, Toshiba, etc.) instead of given links. Be aware drivers provided by laptop vendors are rarely up to date. In that case, if the vendor drivers do not work, I have no solution for you and you're probably better off using Original.

(c) If your integrated graphics is Intel chipset, please take a look at this document[www.intel.com] and check if you are able to run OpenGL 2.1 (don't forget to expand "Older graphics products" if you don't find your chipset). If your chipset does not support OpenGL 2.1 or higher, then you can't run Updated and have to use Original, sorry :/
If you do support OpenGL, then update your integrated graphics driver and it should work : http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect
See (d) as a last resort if it does not work after updating.

(d) If all else fails, you can try to disable Steam Community by right-clicking on the game in library -> Properties -> unchecking "Enable Steam Community ingame". Please note you won't be able to access Steam overlay ingame.

If it still crashes, upload the file "C:\Users\<username>\Documents\My Games\HotlineMiami\debug.log" on http://pastebin.com/ or something and post the link here.

It contains information on what happens when you launch Updated version and could help me track down the problem for you.



I am on Windows XP and the game crashes on startup.
Right-click on the game in your library -> Properties -> Local files -> Browse local files.
Open "crash.log" with Notepad and check if you see something like this:

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< UNHANDLED EXCEPTION OCCURED >>>>>>>>>>>>>
001B:0F35D23F (0x00000001 0x0CCC4324 0x016D2138 0x0CCC4324) ct_oal.dll
...

If yes, then go to "C:\Windows\System32" and rename "ct_oal.dll" to "ct_oal.dll.backup".
Please note this might interfere with other applications, such as Gunpoint for example. If you experience any sound problem in any other application, try to switch "ct_oal.dll.backup" back to "ct_oal.dll".



When launching Updated version, I get an error about OpenAL DLL missing.
- or -
Updated version works but there's no sound on the standard 3.5mm jack output.
- or -
When I press "Play" in the library, nothing happens (no launcher).
OpenAL didn't properly install. Just install it again:
Right-click on the game in your library -> Properties -> Local files -> Browse local files -> _CommonRedist -> OpenAL -> 2.0.7.0 -> oalinst.exe.

If after reinstalling OpenAL, you still don't get any sound when playing Updated version AND have other outgoing audio ports connected (such as HDMI or S/PDIF), verify that the sound isn't actually going through these ports. There have been reports that Updated version doesn't properly recognize the default audio device. I have no actual fix but I have a workaround: open up the sound device configuration panel and disable the annoying playback devices (either that or unplug them). It should solve the problem (don't forget to restart the game after unplugging/disabling devices).

If you are on Windows XP, you can also try the fix in the previous FAQ entry.



I have Windows 8 and the game runs on slow motion/crashes randomly.
Right-click on the game in your library -> Properties -> Local files -> Browse local files -> Right-click on "HotlineGL.exe" -> Properties -> Compatibility -> Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 7.
If it still doesn't work try again with Windows Vista (Service Pack 2).



When I change resolution/language/etc. in the launcher, nothing changes ingame.
If you play Original, this is normal as Original is not meant to understand the launcher options and is only there as a last resort for when Updated doesn't work.
If you play Updated and changes are not applied, it may be due to the launcher config file being not found due to your Windows native language. The config file should be in the folder "C:\Users\<username>\Documents\My Games\HotlineMiami" but if you are for example Russian, it would be "C:\Users\ВашеИмя\Documents\My Games\HotlineMiami". This does not work because you have special characters (Cyrillic) in the path. The only way I know to solve this is to move your Documents folder to another path which does not contain any special character (right-click on the Documents folder -> Properties -> Location -> Move).



Keyboard inputs are not recognized ingame, I can't do anything.
Try to run the game as administrator.
You will find the executable by right-clicking on the game in your library -> Properties -> Local files -> Browse local files. The one you're looking for is "HotlineGL.exe".



My Xbox 360 controllers is not recognized by the game.
Go to "C:\Users\<username>\Documents\My Games\HotlineMiami" and open "hotline.cfg" with Notepad. Check that the line "joystick=1" is present, if you see "joystick=0" instead, change it to 1 and save.

It is also possible that other drivers interferes with Xbox controller. Often times people report that after getting a new mouse and installing its drivers the controller does not work anymore. If you have a gaming mouse like Razer for example, which has its own drivers, and you don't make use of the advanced features offered by these drivers, then you might as well uninstall them and let the generic mouse driver handle your mouse. Not only might it make your controller work again, it will also save you some CPU since these custom drivers always come with a background process which is useless if you don't use the features.

Finally if you have installed any virtual device program such as vJoy (which lets you use any device as a fake Xbox controller) it might interfere as well as the game will probably try to use the fake Xbox controller instead of the true one.



Game launches but is all black and white with big squares and artifacts everywhere, like on this screenshot[i.imgur.com].
If you have an ATI graphics card, disable Advanced Catalyst A.I. in the Catalyst Control Center. Newer versions of CCC hid the option, so you might have to disable it manually: http://www.moddb.com/mods/perfected-doom-3-version-500/features/how-to-disable-catalyst-ai-with-the-latest-ccc



The game is zoomed in.
- or -
The screen is off to the side, I only see part of the whole screen.
This is caused by your settings in "Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Display". When the text size is set to "Larger - 150%" or bigger, the game screen will be zoomed in. There are two ways to solve this problem:

• The clean way: Right-click on the game in your library -> Properties -> Local files -> Browse local files -> Right-click on "HotlineGL.exe" -> Properties -> Compatibility -> Check "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings" and apply.
  
• The dirty way: set text size back to 100% or 125%.

My screen is upside down.
If you have an Intel Atom N2600/GMA 3600 or similar, this is a driver issue. According to the FAQ, Intel should be aware of the problem and is working on a new version. I do not know anything else.



The desktop icon is blank.
Right-click on shortcut -> Properties -> Change Icon -> Browse to <steam_folder>\steamapps\common\hotline_miami -> choose any .exe -> apply.
The shortcut should now be fixed.



When I move my mouse, the game slows down (FPS drop).
Try to lower the polling rate of your mouse in your mouse configuration software.



Game runs at like half-speed compared to videos.
Make sure you have latest drivers and the game runs on your dedicated graphics card. If yes, disable V-sync. If you still experience slowdowns, make sure you play in fullscreen (fullscreen is always faster than windowed, applicable for anything). If you still suffer slowdowns, downscale resolution. And if you still can't get it to full speed, try not to play on your wheelbarrow :)



I can't use Shift+Tab to speak with my friends while ingame.
Steam overlay has been reported not to work Original version.
If you have latest drivers it should work flawlessly in Updated, however there have been reports it crashes the game when trying to Shift+Tab with some older graphics card. If that happens, I suggest disabling Steam Community by right-clicking on the game in library -> Properties -> unchecking "Enable Steam Community ingame".



Updated version randomly displays tearing/"VCR" effect, or vertical artifacts (black lines or points).
This happens on some graphics cards due to the game being upscaled from its Original resolution of 1280*720. First make sure you have latest graphics driver. Then try to disable V-sync and see if that improves. There is no fix apart from downscaling resolution otherwise.



I can't select any mask (even Richard), they're all unavailable (black).
Your save file got corrupted. You can either manually edit it (you'll need an hexadecimal editor for Updated version) to restore your masks or delete it and start again.

I advise against editing unless you know what you're doing, and remember to always make a backup.

For Updated version it can be found in "C:\Users\<username>\Documents\My Games\HotlineMiami\SaveData.sav".
For Original version it can be found by right-clicking on the game in library -> Properties -> Local files -> Browse local files -> "saves.dat".

[Skymirrh]

To the other people regularly watching Hotline Miami forums and helping out: I won't be around here for at least a week so please don't hesitate to bump this thread for me :D

[markoh00]

Great FAQ - thank you.
Any fix on how to use RIGHT Shift key in updated version to look around?

[Skymirrh]

No idea mate. I saw you contacted the devs about this, please keep us posted :)

[markoh00]

Първоначално публикувано от Skymirrh:

No idea mate. I saw you contacted the devs about this, please keep us posted :)

I will post if I get an answer - thank you :)

[Heisenberg]

I've tried reinstalling OpenAL but still no sound in the updated version...

[KainAlexious]

Still no sound in updated version. Tried the OpenAL fix.

[markoh00]

Първоначално публикувано от Skymirrh:

No idea mate. I saw you contacted the devs about this, please keep us posted :)

Now they know and hopefully they will fix the key binding problem for the shift key. Here is what Devolver Digital told me:

"...Will make a note to the dev who will do another update in January! Good find."

[Sad Scene Girl]

I am trying to play off of Windows 8, and everytime I try to play, it comes with an pop up, asking to download required files, which is Netframe 3.5
But apparently (from looking it up myself) 3.5 doesn't work on Windows 8. So I downloaded Netframe 4.5.1 to see if that would fix the issue, but it is still asking me to download 3.5.

Does anybody know how to fix this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[markoh00]

http://www.askvg.com/how-to-install-microsoft-net-framework-3-5-offline-in-windows-8-without-internet-connection/

[Matthew]

I tried fixing, then re-installing OpenAl but the sound still isn't there

[9mm Boss]

My sound is back in updated version thanks a lot.

[Pimp (Xanny Activist)]

sound fixed thanks!

[Skymirrh]

No problem :) Sorry for all you guys out there with a sound problem not getting fixed when installing OpenAL, I have no idea what causes this in your case.

[Qaizher]

Hi there guys. Im having CTD upon launching the Update for Hotline Miami. Updated my graphics driver and turned off the Community Ingame but I still get the same issue.
Posted my debug file here. Hopefully I can get some pointers as to what I need to do or what im doing wrong

http://pastebin.com/d5hBXByu

[Skymirrh]

Първоначално публикувано от Qaizher:

Hi there guys. Im having CTD upon launching the Update for Hotline Miami. Updated my graphics driver and turned off the Community Ingame but I still get the same issue.
Posted my debug file here. Hopefully I can get some pointers as to what I need to do or what im doing wrong

http://pastebin.com/d5hBXByu

Take a look at these two lines:

glMapBufferRange not supported
No IBO/VBO/PBO buffer support available.

This means your graphics driver does not support OpenGL 2.1. If you do have latest graphics driver installed, please check you run the game on dedicated graphics and not integrated graphics (only applicable if you have switchable graphics like NVIDIA Optimus/ATI Hybrid Graphics/PowerXpress or alike).

If you don't have switchable graphics, then I guess your hardware simply isn't good enough for Hotline's updated version. What is your graphics card?