SoC Crashing on New Game & Load Save

[Wayward]

Can not get Stalker Shadow of Chernobyl to create a new game or load a save. Whenever I do, the game either freezes or instantly closes. Logs have been unhelpful as the game seemingly spits out a random error, often not even leaving a log file. I left a snippet at the end of this post.

I am currently sitting on a fresh install with no compatibility and default game settings. I am unable to create a new save or load an old game.

My specs:
-GPU: 4070 TI
-CPU: i9-13900K
-OS: Windows 11
-RAM: 32GB
-1440p

Things I've tried:
-Uninstall / Reinstall
-ZRP
-noprefetch
-Control flow guard (off)
-ASLR (off)
-Compatibility XP service pack 2, Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, etc..
-Running as admin
-Unofficial patch 1.0008b
-Running SoC as beta version 1.0007. I seemed to have the most luck here, but my save was corrupted not far into the game and then it wouldn't let me create a new save again.
-Various ingame settings, such as disabling EAX and vsync. Tried various mixes of settings to no avail.
-Checked that DirectPlay was enabled.
-Installed DX9 and Redistributable packages

Example Log end:
SERVER: Starting...
* phase time: 21 ms
* phase cmem: 93620 K
SERVER: Loading alife simulator...
* phase time: 0 ms
* phase cmem: 93620 K
Creating new game...
* Creating new game...
* Loading spawn registry...
stack trace:

0023:1001E9C0 xrCore.dll, str_container::dock()

[error][ 259] : No more data is available.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[kallipsoul]

Play as admin

[Wayward]

Originally posted by kallipsoul:

Play as admin

As stated in the post, the game is set to run as admin.

[thestile]

I was looking up this problem and the response I saw was that this issue (specific error) is usually due to mods, or, configuration files being messed with.

So I wonder if you had modded the game in the past maybe and some of the files got left behind? I thought I saw before that somebody else had done a reinstall of the game and some of the files were still left behind from the mods. So I think they had to manually go into the game files and erase them and maybe even the ones in the app data folder?

My bad if this info is all useless. I don't even know if you ever modded the game.

If you truly have a fresh install with all new files and no old ones I guess this couldn't possibly be the problem/solution

[Wayward]

Originally posted by thestile:

I was looking up this problem and the response I saw was that this issue (specific error) is usually due to mods, or, configuration files being messed with.

So I wonder if you had modded the game in the past maybe and some of the files got left behind? I thought I saw before that somebody else had done a reinstall of the game and some of the files were still left behind from the mods. So I think they had to manually go into the game files and erase them and maybe even the ones in the app data folder?

My bad if this info is all useless. I don't even know if you ever modded the game.

If you truly have a fresh install with all new files and no old ones I guess this couldn't possibly be the problem/solution

The only mod I've tried was ZRP after I was unable to create a new save. After ZRP didn't work, I went back to a fresh install. I disabled steam cloud, uninstalled the game, and then deleted what was left of the install folder. None of it helped Thanks for the advice tho.

[Wayward]

Interesting development: I've managed to get out of the starting area, but it crashes shortly after and I am unable to load any save. Current settings are running as admin, beta 1.0007, ZRP installed with default settings, static lighting, no EAX sound, no vsync, no intro, no prefetch, and 150fps cap in Nvidia control panel.

[Wayward]

Latest error:
Loading saved game "ahhh1.sav"...
* Loading spawn registry...
* 8661 spawn points are successfully loaded
* Loading objects...
stack trace:

[ipodmaster093]

Hello im not a expert but what i usually do is to check integrity files since some of them when you add a mod or change something brake some code. I always do that after installing something new in the folders of the game.

[Wayward]

Originally posted by ipodmaster093:

Hello im not a expert but what i usually do is to check integrity files since some of them when you add a mod or change something brake some code. I always do that after installing something new in the folders of the game.

Yeah, multiple times. All files validate ok.

[thestile]

That's really frustrating. I don't know what the heck the problem could be. Unless there's some weird driver incompatibility.
That doesn't seem very likely though.

I pretty much have the same setup you do, but with a different processor. I also capped the FPS to about 150 because I was getting like 600 FPS. Haha

I never had any issues though, not even modded.

[Wayward]

I'm either really unlucky, really dumb, or both (most likely). Anyways, below is the latest error log:
* Detected CPU: 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-13900K, F6/M7/S1, 2993.00 mhz, 17-clk 'rdtsc'
* CPU Features: RDTSC, InvTSC, MMX, SSE, SSE2

Initializing File System...
using fs-ltx fsgame.ltx
Data root directory: $fs_root$_appdata_\
! does not exist, creating...
--found external arch mp_military_2.xdb0
FS: 30263 files cached, 6002Kb memory used.
Init FileSystem 0.485157 sec
'xrCore' build 7461, Jul 11 2019

Initializing Engine...
Executing config-script "user.ltx"...
[c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\_appdata_\user.ltx] successfully loaded.
Starting INPUT device...
Loading DLL: xrRender_R1.dll
Loading DLL: xrGame.dll
! Unable to find Software\GSC Game World\STALKER-SHOC\ in registry
* [win32]: free[3990220 K], reserved[93780 K], committed[110240 K]
* [ D3D ]: textures[0 K]
* [x-ray]: crt heap[7687 K], process heap[2272 K], game lua[0 K], engine lua[0 K], render[0 K]
* [x-ray]: economy: strings[1032 K], smem[0 K]
Executing config-script "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\config\default_controls.ltx"...
[c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\config\default_controls.ltx] successfully loaded.
Executing config-script "user.ltx"...
Executing config-script "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\config\rspec_high.ltx"...
! Unknown command: r__wallmark_ttl
! Unknown command: rs_skeleton_update
[c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\config\rspec_high.ltx] successfully loaded.
Executing config-script "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\config\default_controls.ltx"...
[c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\config\default_controls.ltx] successfully loaded.
! Unknown command: sv_statistic_save_auto
[c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\_appdata_\user.ltx] successfully loaded.
SOUND: OpenAL: enumerate devices...
SOUND: OpenAL: EnumerationExtension Present
devices Generic Hardware
SOUND: OpenAL: system default SndDevice name is Generic Hardware
SOUND: OpenAL: default SndDevice name set to Generic Software
SOUND: OpenAL: All available devices:
1. Generic Software, Spec Version 1.1 (default)
2. Generic Software, Spec Version 1.1 (default)
SOUND: OpenAL: SelectBestDevice is Generic Software 1.1
SOUND: OpenAL: Required device: Generic Software. Created device: Generic Software.
* sound: EAX 2.0 extension: absent
* sound: EAX 2.0 deferred: absent
* sound : cache: 65538 kb, 7609 lines, 8820 bpl
Starting RENDER device...
* GPU [vendor:10DE]-[device:2782]: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
* GPU driver: 32.0.15.6614
* Enumerating displays on '\\.\DISPLAY1'...
* Display #1: Generic PnP Monitor [\\.\DISPLAY1\Monitor0, active, attached]
* \\?\DISPLAY#ACI27EC#5&14593f6a&0&UID4353#{e6f07b5f-ee97-4a90-b076-33f57bf4eaa7}
* CREATE: DeviceREF: 1
* Vertex Processor: PURE HARDWARE
* Texture memory: 4087 M
* DDI-level: 9.0
* GPU shading: vs(fffe0300/3.0/30), ps(ffff0300/3.0/30)
* GPU vertex cache: unrecognized, 16
* DVB created: 1536K
* DIB created: 512K
count of .thm files=4
load time=9 ms
* distortion: used, dev(30),need(14)
* SSample: 1024x768
* SSample: enabled
- r__tf_aniso 4
- r1_tf_mipbias 0.
Starting engine...
Loading DLL: xrGameSpy.dll
* DVB created: 1536K
* DIB created: 512K
- r__tf_aniso 4
- r1_tf_mipbias 0.
* SSample: 1024x768
* SSample: enabled
* GPU shading: vs(fffe0300/3.0/30), ps(ffff0300/3.0/30)
* GPU vertex cache: recognized, 24
*** RESET [45 ms]
"c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\bin\xr_3da.exe" -noprefetch
* phase time: 0 ms
* phase cmem: 104416 K
Prefetching objects...
* phase time: 10 ms
* phase cmem: 93550 K
SERVER: Starting...
* phase time: 24 ms
* phase cmem: 93770 K
SERVER: Loading alife simulator...
* phase time: 0 ms
* phase cmem: 93770 K
Creating new game...
* Creating new game...
* Loading spawn registry...
* 8641 spawn points are successfully loaded

FATAL ERROR

[error]Expression : fatal error
[error]Function : CScriptEngine::lua_error
[error]File : .\script_engine.cpp
[error]Line : 73
[error]Description : <no expression>
[error]Arguments : LUA error: error in error handling


stack trace:

[ipodmaster093]

check your computer anti virus program maybe it flaged the games has a virus. that happened to me with total war shogun 2.

[Wayward]

Originally posted by ipodmaster093:

check your computer anti virus program maybe it flaged the games has a virus. that happened to me with total war shogun 2.

I tried disabling it, even made an exception for the XR_3DA executable. Didn't help.

[ManOwaR]

Just open game install folder, and delete everything from there.
Then select to verify integrity of game files in game's properties in STEAM.
Also disable in-game overlay there.

[Wayward]

Originally posted by ManOwaR:

Just open game install folder, and delete everything from there.
Then select to verify integrity of game files in game's properties in STEAM.
Also disable in-game overlay there.

Hey ManOwaR, thanks for taking the time to reply. I tried your method, but the game crashed on loading new game. See below for footage:
https://youtu.be/U0JtR7pPZ5s

[Wayward]

It was not my intention for that video to sound like a fat guy ASMR, but here we are.