Troubleshooting FAQ

[Killrob]

Game Crashes on Launch?

This could be due to several things, here are some of them:

Corrupted Install. Try to verify your game files. To do so you just have to right-click the game in your Steam Library, choose properties, go to the Local Files tab and click the Verify Integrity of Game Files option. It will notify you after it is done if anything was broken.

Didn't Get Redistributables. It seems Steam has removed the folder that seems to harbor the redistributable files that come with the first game install. If you accidentially said no to installing these, the game might not function correctly. These are the files you need:
https://wiki.automationgame.com/index.php?title=Install_Redistributables

Plugin OnlineSubsystemNull Failed to Load. This happens due to left over game files from a previous version that did not get cleaned out. The solution is to manually delete the entire Automation Steam folder \Steam\steamapps\common\Automation
and then verify the files to get a fresh download with no left-overs from previous version. Note that uninstalling and redownloading via Steam does not fix the issue!

Windows N & Media Pack. Players running Windows N can run into the issue of the media pack not being installed or uninstalling itself. This needs to be installed for the game to run, you can get it here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/mediafeaturepack

Antivirus Blocking The Game. We’ve had tons of reported issues from people using Bit Defender, blocking the launch of the game making it just crash. What a bully! Add an exception for Automation and try to run it again. Also add an exception for the savegame folder Documents\My Games\Automation
Recently there have been a few reports of Windows Defender blocking the location as well, in that case you need to add an exception for that.

Low Graphics VRAM. Your graphics card or chip may have too little memory to stomach the default launch options of Automation, try to launch it via the Safemode button option either in the startup options picker or in the launcher.

Crashes Before Launcher. In most cases that is due to your system not having an up-to-date or corrupted install of the required .Net Framework. This can be solved by updating your .Net Framework install to Version 4.5.2[www.microsoft.com] or higher.

Crashes Before Launcher Despite 4.5.2. Well, that is unfortunate! You can launch the game directly via the executable files. You find the appropriate one for your system here: \Steam\steamapps\common\Automation\UE424\AutomationGame\Binaries

Your DirectX Install is Old / Broken. The game needs DirectX 11 to run, and some people had issues of the game claiming that some files were missing but a verify didn’t fix it. In that case try to download and install the latest DirectX 11 version.
Note that for running the Kee Engine Version (old Lite Campaign) you need to have the latest DirectX 9 version installed.

Outdated Graphics Drivers. The standard tech support goto answer, but sometimes this actually is what keeps the game from even starting. Find your latest stable-version graphics card drivers and install them. You can do so for instance here (NVIDIA)[www.geforce.com], or here (AMD)[support.amd.com], or here (Intel)[downloadcenter.intel.com]. The 2016/2017 Intel graphics default drivers don't seem to be compatible to UE4.21 anymore, you need to update them if you run an Intel chipset. Note to Intel graphics users: you need to download those drivers linked and install them, doing it via your system driver update does not work.

Weird Driver Conflict.In 2019, a Windows Creators update broke Automation for some people with integrated Intel Graphics unless you have the latest Intel Drivers installed. You need to download the latest Intel Graphics Drivers[downloadcenter.intel.com].

Messed Up Config Files. Also, for some reason, the game could be erroring on startup because of broken or outdated configuration files. In order to fix that, use the Clear Cache button in the game launcher, or manually delete the contents of %localappdata%\AutomationGame\
To do so manually, paste the link into the windows explorer path bar and hit Enter, then delete all that is in there.

Very Low Game Framerate on Good System

There is an issue with low FPS that is caused by having an XBOX controller or other controllers connected to your PC while playing Automation. This can also move your mouse cursor when you seemingly don't give it any mouse input. Make sure to disconnect your controller.

Another cause can be your anti-virus kicking into overdrive for some reason, make sure to whitelist Automation.

Yet another cause can be messed up configuration files. To remedy that use the Clear Cache button in the game's launcher.

Game Doesn’t Save Cars / Settings / Can't Build Anything!

This most likely is due to your anti-virus selectively blocking the game folders. The important one for engines and cars is: Documents\My Games\Automation
The important one for saving your units is: %localappdata%\AutomationGame\Saved
You can paste that with the % into your Windows Explorer path bar and hit Enter.
Another weird one could be that you have installed the game on an external drive, we had a few reports of that causing issues.

Where to Find The Log Files / Car Files?

They are in: %localappdata%\AutomationGame\Saved\Logs
There is a Game Log button in the Automation launcher taking you there.
If you are running into issues playing the game or have startup issues we will need your latest log file from there. You can paste that with the % into your Windows Explorer path bar and hit Enter in case the launcher doesn't work for some reason.
If you need to send a specific car that is causing issues, select it in the car manager and hit the Save For Sharing button, it will display where it put the small .car file.
You can send the files to [e-mail] and link your support thread.

Getting Tech Support

Saying that the Game Crashes is as good as telling your doctor that it hurts and expecting them to stop it from hurting. What is 'it'? When/what causes 'it' to hurt? Just like a Doctor we need information to solve your problem. When making a post, please try and provide as much information from the list below that you can! We can't help you, unless we know what is wrong.

0. Make sure you've read the Troubleshooting FAQ
That makes you special already, and really helps us helping you.

1. Describe your problem precisely!
How did you trigger it, what were the previous choices you did, etc.

2. Pictures can say more than 1000 words
If you have a problem describing your problem, make a video or take a screenshot. Sometimes that's easier

3. Include the game logs
Some other errors leave a hint in the logs. Hit the Game Log button in the game's launcher and send us your AutomationGame.log file.

Those things will ensure we can quickly address the issue and get you playing.
Cheers!

[djknockout]

my game wont open up after the options menu, done all the faqs, thanks in advance

[Killrob]

Originally posted by djknockout:

my game wont open up after the options menu, done all the faqs, thanks in advance

Best send us your game log then :) info on that is above. Cheers!

[Mendus5138]

i think tis my crapy pc

[Tami_de]

X3DAudio1_7.dll missing? reinstalled twice, cleared cache and saves (before I knew what the issue was). Any ideas?

[Killrob]

Originally posted by Tami_de:

X3DAudio1_7.dll missing? reinstalled twice, cleared cache and saves (before I knew what the issue was). Any ideas?

That sounds like some of the redistributables didn't install correctly, a reinstall won't fix that, you need to manually install them. Probably is this one: https://www.microsoft.com/en-nz/download/details.aspx?id=8109

[RockStarMKIV]

i just got the game and it doesn't want to load up i tried downloading the 3 things i only had one game crash when i tried to start it up all the other times all i see game name big circle loading icon loading itself and game tips. don't think its graphics never had any thing like this maybe something with the update. idk what else to do even if i can do anything.

Also it keeps doing updates idk how many there are i'm at 3 now why cant you just update all that's needed?

[Killrob]

Originally posted by RockStarMKlV:

i just got the game and it doesn't want to load up

It is very hard to follow what you are saying. It seems like the game is loading fine for some time and then crashing, or you are not waiting long enough for it to load.

Have you tried to verify your game files? The game trying to update itself several times would imply that something with your install is broken. If the game doesn't start after verifying the game files (give it a good 5 minutes to load), you need to send us your game log. You get the log from the game log button in launcher. You can send it to [e-mail] mentioning what is happening, so that we can have a look and help you out.

[RockStarMKIV]

i did the files its says its all good there but when i start it and hit play it just endless and ill try.
maybe its the new update? also how world i send it ? just copy paste im still new to this. what does it take to run the game?

[Killrob]

Originally posted by RockStarMKlV:

i did the files its says its all good there but when i start it and hit play it just endless and ill try.
maybe its the new update? also how world i send it ? just copy paste im still new to this. what does it take to run the game?

Click the "Game Log" button in the Automation launcher, that takes you to the folder with the log files. Write an email to the above stated address and attach the AutomationGame.log to that email. Mention what the issues are and we'll have a look into what is causing your game to not launch properly.

[ElkHunter194]

I was able to play the game the first time I launched it, and made a car and exported it to beamng.drive so I could try it out. The next day, I decided to try and make another car in sandbox but I got to the launcher, clicked play and I had a black screen for a few seconds then it crashed. It does this every time, and I've tried safemode, clearing my settings, etc.

[Killrob]

Originally posted by ElkHunter194:

I was able to play the game the first time I launched it, and made a car and exported it to beamng.drive so I could try it out. The next day, I decided to try and make another car in sandbox but I got to the launcher, clicked play and I had a black screen for a few seconds then it crashed. It does this every time, and I've tried safemode, clearing my settings, etc.

That is really odd, we've had a few people mention that. Which version are you on, the default public branch or openbeta?

[ElkHunter194]

Originally posted by Killrob:

Originally posted by ElkHunter194:

I was able to play the game the first time I launched it, and made a car and exported it to beamng.drive so I could try it out. The next day, I decided to try and make another car in sandbox but I got to the launcher, clicked play and I had a black screen for a few seconds then it crashed. It does this every time, and I've tried safemode, clearing my settings, etc.

That is really odd, we've had a few people mention that. Which version are you on, the default public branch or openbeta?

I am on the default public branch

[Killrob]

Originally posted by ElkHunter194:

Originally posted by Killrob:

That is really odd, we've had a few people mention that. Which version are you on, the default public branch or openbeta?

I am on the default public branch

So does it still do that after the big update that came out just after this yesterday? Does it say anything about the state of your drivers?

[ElkHunter194]

Originally posted by Killrob:

Originally posted by ElkHunter194:

I am on the default public branch

So does it still do that after the big update that came out just after this yesterday? Does it say anything about the state of your drivers?

It says that my drivers are outdated. Guess I'll try fixing that, hopefully it should work!

[Sams]

I can open the launcher just fine, but when I click "Play," the launcher closes and the game does not start. I am currently validating the files right now, more info coming.