First Contact Issues

[Mintz]

I'm not sure where to post this, but in my recent games I've not been able to do the first contact events.
Specifically, I have the first contact event activate, but even though I assign envoys to the missions, they never progress. I thought it might just be an issue with one game I had, but it carried over in another two play through attempts.
I have tried sending envoys to different first contact events, but again, I will have it tick at 100% multiple times and it will never progress.

Is this a known bug? How can I fix it? Is any other information needed to make it possible for someone to help me?

[crgzero]

Any mods?

I've had no issues myself.

If no mods try validating the game through steam to see if any files have been corrupted and need to be redownloaded.

[steventirey]

Just because the bar fills up does not mean an event will happen. Once it fills, there is a chance for something to happen. And sometimes (well, most often as far as I can tell) this will happen several times in a row before something finally happens.

[Gedsaro]

doesn't it work just like archeology/espionage missions? the bar fills up over time, once bar is full roll a die (believe stellaris uses a d10?). subtract difficulty from result, add any skill or progress modifiers as well, if the final number is big enough, complete the stage (which here i think usually gives a bit of text about making progress, sometimes a choice as well), roll middling, you following rolls on this stage will get a plus 2 (so be more likely to finish it), roll meh, get a +1 on following rolls for the stage, roll bad, nothing happens, wait another 90 days for another chance.

so especially if the empire you are trying to contact is using the policy that makes it harder for people to communicate with them (and even more so if you are to) it can take quite a while to make any real progress

[Ryika]

Since it progresses to 100%, that sounds like a mod issue.

This particular issue is, for example, caused by trying to remove random events from the rolls, and doing it badly, as I've found out myself in the past. It may also be caused with any mod that tinkers with the first contact system, but uses outdated code that invalidates the script.

[Mintz]

I have no mods nor have I ever modded stellaris. It is also the case that I've had some of these first contact events running for 10 years without it advancing.
I have also verified the files, it did not change anything. Nor did reinstalling.

[Ryika]

Then maybe God is messing with you to prove a point to Satan. I don't really see what else could be causing the issue if what you're saying is correct.

Maybe post a save file where it's happening?

[Dustreaper]

Post a save file or even a screen shot of the first contact screen and one hover over the progress bar.

[Mintz]

best way to post save files? can I just post the file straight to steam?

edit: and in what file can I find them >_>

[Ryika]

You need to upload it to some file uploading website, or Dropbox, or whatever you have access to.

Make sure to save the file locally, then you can find it in:
Documents\Paradox Interactive\Stellaris\save games

[Mintz]

Save File: https://easyupload.io/0pkaj4
Screenshot: https://easyupload.io/nas0ta
The old save files I could not relaunch as it crashed the game... so I relaunched something and just waited a bit.

[Ryika]

Works perfectly fine for me. I load the save, and on the next tick, the stage finishes.

So one of two things is almost certainly true:
1.) You have mods running after all
2.) Or your game files are modified

The first is more likely, and easier to check and fix, so open the launcher, look at the active playset in the center of the ui, go to the playsets tab, select the playset and make sure there really are no mods in there.

If that doesn't help, you'll need to do a clean reinstall of the game.

So to get to the install directory, right-click the game in your library, manage -> browse local files. Once that's open, uninstall the game through steam. When that's done, delete anything left in the directory. Then you can install the game again.

If these don't help, then I don't know, your game's probably haunted.