Troubleshooting Barotrauma

A simple yet detailed guide to help You with troubleshooting Barotrauma

Quickstart

1. Verify the game's files integrity
   
2. Check if the problem persists when you are not using Steam Workshop Items
   
3. Check the rest of the guide for other hints
   
4. If it still does not work, feel free to ask for assistance at the forums or discord

Forums

https://steamcommunity.com/app/602960/discussions/

discord

https://discordapp.com/invite/undertow

Troubleshooting Step by Step

1. Check if you are using the latest version of the game

Most critical issues get hotfixed by the developers very fast. Therefore, when you encounter an issue, check also that the current version you have installed is up to date. You can compare the version number you find in the main menu with the version number shown on the official wiki which is being kept up to date from the developers' side and an active community: https://barotraumagame.com/wiki/Main_Page

2. Verify the game's files integrity

With a game which is in developement and is also getting often updates, rare cases can happen when the patching is not working properly. Files being downloaded corrupted and other reasons (e.g. defective storage, antivirus behaviour, and other) can cause that the game is simply missing files or unable to use them properly. Checking the game's files integrity is almost as good as a proper reinstall and can be quickly done via Steam: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335





Should it happen that the verification fails, Steam will automatically download any missing or corrupted files for you, without the need to redownload the whole game again.

I recommend to verify the files again afterwards, until it gives you a positive feedback.

3. Remove all mods

Without doubts: Barotrauma lives and thrives with its community - and the game is currently best enjoyed with community-made Steam Workshop Items, which add a lot of content while the developers continue working on improving the base game.

But those additions via Steam Workshop can also cause manifold issues. Especially when you consider that each new version of Barotrauma might add or change or remove something in the base game's code which can be essential for a Steam Workshop item to work with the game together.

Unless a Steam Workshop item gets updated simultanously with the game every time, there is a chance of "growing incompatibility over time" which might or might not cause issues. To be certain that you are not affected, please remove all Steam Workshop items (aka mods) from the game and check if the problem persists.

To be thoroughly on the safe side, keeping no leftovers from mods I recommend the following steps:

a) Deactivate all mods in Main Menu -> Settings



b) Unsubscribe from all mods - you may favourite them so you can easily subscribe to them again after the troubleshooting.





Close the game for the next step.

c) Clean up your Barotrauma/Mods and Barotrauma/Workshop folders. You can access those folders by right clicking on the game from your Steam Library, and then select Manage -> Browse local files. Only when both mentioned folders are empty, you can be sure that there are no leftovers from the mods which reactivate by themselves for just being in there.

Make sure to backup your own workshop items you want to keep and have not published yet.





d) Verify your game's files integrity as described above.

Now when you start Barotrauma again, you can be sure that the game is as vanilla again as it can be, before you installed any mod.

In very bad cases of mod related issues

Do as described above - and additionally delete the file "config_player.xml" from the Barotrauma folder. Deleting that file will result in your settings to reset, but it also makes the game "forget" any mods you had for certain.

If you still cannot get rid of certain mods, last chance would be interrupting any auto-update-mod functions by changing the line "autoupdateworkshopitems="true"" into "autoupdateworkshopitems="false"" in the "config_player.xml".



If you figured out that the issue is caused by one or more mods, I recommend you to inform the mod creator(s) about the issue and check if they provide any updates in that regards. If you are unsure which mod is the cause, you can activate and check them one by one.

4. Keep your drivers up to date

You might be surprised how a corrupted file with video drivers, usb drivers, etc. could cause the game to crash. Before trying to reinstall the game after all files have been verified and you still could not figure out why your game is not working properly, you might want to make a clean reinstall of your graphics card drivers first, as it turned out to be an uncommon yet not rare issue with crashes. As a matter of course that applies to any game related drivers like sound card's, DirectX, OS, etc. - and yes! - even plugged in controllers can cause issues despite you are not using them.

About Deleting Mods

Why should I unsubscribe and delete the mods?

Would it not suffice to deactivate them?

Yes. And no.

A good made mod will behave as if it does not exist for the game when it is deactivated. And it would indeed suffice just to have them all deactivated. But there are plenty of mods out there which need deeper changes within the game to work properly. Some even need to override vanilla game files entirely.

In addition to that, having many mods also means having many chances to have corrupted files. Whether due bad patching or other reasons. Therefore it makes sense for troubleshooting to reduce the amount of possible reasons which may cause issues.

In extremely rare cases it can happen that turning a mod on/off can be interrupted by a system's "hiccup". Imagine it like a switch being used too quick and it breaks/remembers the current status wrong.

But in most cases it is like mentioned above, with mods getting outdated. Like when the game all of sudden uses information from table B which is new in the latest version, but the mods still use a legacy item from table A, despite table A is either deleted or used for something else. It might "apparently" work at first like normal, but might also cause unforeseeable issues.

Imagine you ordering dish no. 029 in your favourite restaurant like you did all the years before, not noticing the menu and its numbering has changed. Everything works fine at first with your order being accepted as usual. And all of sudden instead of your favourite chicken dish you are getting fish.

Unsubscribing and deleting the mods properly means to be on the safe side. Only then you can be sure that no issues created by "leftover" information/files persist. This is why I am recommending the method.

About Troubleshooting Multiplayer

Just a few words on the matter.

While in general "all you need to do is the same as mentioned above" people might wonder why it can be a little harder troubleshooting issues which appear in multiplayer sessions.

To be certain that an issue is not caused by mods e.g. you need to be certain that each player, host and clients, are using the same version without any remaining mods. That can be hard as you will have to take your fellow players' words as they are, unable to check yourself if they forgot about their modded sonar GUI or not wanting to share that they are using alternative sailor skins e.g.

Even if you are not using any mods, your fellow sailors using some can cause issues to everyone. Even if it is very unlikely and probably only in extremely rare cases. Those often sound like "when the two of us play together we never have this kind of issue - it is only with you" - which describes an example of a scenario where two players use the same client modifying mod, thinking it would not affect anything on your side and therefore not noticing any issue when playing together since both having the same mod. And it just happens that the client modifying mod cause unforseeable and unexpected "hiccups".

"Hiccups" like mentioned in the official roadmap: https://trello.com/c/iplY0quj

If you or your fellow sailors have issues in a multiplayer sessions, go through the steps as mentioned above while keeping those "special" cases in mind. The server logs might be invaluable for any further investigations.

Take notes of who are affected by the issue.

Is it the host?
The clients?
The clients and host?
Specific clients? If so, what do they have different than the others?

It also makes sense if you can encourage your fellow sailors who are affected to share their experiences alongside yours on the forums. That is worth more than having to write something along the lines "they said they had X and Y" while you cannot be certain and might not be able to answer questions on their behalf.

The problem persists. What now?

1. Check the forums.

Have a look and use the search function of the official forums:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/602960/discussions/



Maybe someone else got the same problem and reported it already. Leave a comment in that thread with your experience to help the developers in identifying the issue.

You may also check the public roadmap.
Especially critical issues are tracked very visible there:
https://trello.com/b/hBXI8ltN/barotrauma-roadmap-known-issues

2. You cannot find a mention of your problem

Your feedback is very welcome - only with your contribution a new issue can be identified and tackled. Start a new thread at the forums and share your experiences.

If you do not want to use the forums there are three alternatives:

Report your issue via the Barotrauma website:
https://barotraumagame.com/bug

Report your issue via GitHub:
https://github.com/Regalis11/Barotrauma/issues/new?template=bug_report.md

Or check out the official discord:
https://discord.com/invite/undertow

Describe the issue as detailed as possible.
If you can describe the steps how to recreate the issue, it would be great.

It would be also helpful if you add some information about your system - though you do not have to if you do not want to. What will help for sure is a mention of what OS you are using (Windows, Mac, Linux - and which version). Additional information about CPU,GPU,RAM are welcome to get an idea in regards of performance issues.

If the game crashed for you, you can find a file named "crashreport.log" or "crashreport (number).log" in your Barotrauma folder.



In addition to that, there is a folder called "ServerLogs" which might have additional useful information if you hosted a Barotrauma server and activated the logging.





Those are extremely helpful as they might provide an essential hint to identify the origin of an issue.

You can access your Barotrauma folder and the Barotrauma/ServerLogs by right clicking on the game from your Steam Library, and then select Manage -> Browse local files

Helpful Services for Sharing Information

For sharing your crash reports and server logs I recommend Pastebin
https://pastebin.com/

Screenshots can be shared easily with ImgBB
https://imgbb.com/upload

Should you need to share other files I recommend Litterbox by Catbox
https://litterbox.catbox.moe/

I am having performance issues

Here are some tips I have collected which can be helpful:

Run game from an internal SSD

Turn off vertical sync
Set particle limit to 20 and less (in doubt 0)
Set lightning resolution to 0
Use fullscreen



Set game to use graphics card in high performance mode (Windows 10 Settings -> Display -> Graphics Settings -> Select App Barotrauma -> Select Mode)
Increase game's priority in task manager
Disable Steam Overlay for the game





Unsubscribe and delete all unused mod files from Barotrauma/Mods
Delete content of Barotrauma/Workshop folder
Verify game's files afterwards

As for the usage of workshop items: check if the performance issues persist when you deactivate mods as described above.

That includes custom submarines as well! If you notice that a custom submarine gives you issues, while the vanilla ones work well, it is a good indicator that the custom made one is "overloaded". As in: too many items, lights, etc. which can have an impact on performance.

Azimuth (vanilla), Remora (vanilla) and Juna (Steam Workshop Item) - my custom-made flagship in comparison





Consider looking for a different submarine should you experience a related performance issue. As a matter of course, the same applies to every other mod as well - especially those overhaul/total conversion ones. Many might work fine at first, but the more items/ingame objects are created by the mods the more (performance) issues can occur. That is one of a few reasons why using as little as possible mods is recommended.

As a game in developement it always can happen that the initial minimum and recommended system requirements changes over time. So if you supported Barotrauma since early days, what worked previously just fine might be outdated nowadays.


(these information about the requirements are from 21.12.2021)

Please check the store page as you can find there an always up to date information about the minimum and recommended requirements for the game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/602960/Barotrauma/

Performance Issues After An Update

Should it happen that your performance decreased after a certain update, go through the steps mentioned above for the troubleshooting (check the game without mods, etc.) and feel free to share your experience at the forums like you would do with a bug. It can be as well a bug or an unintended side effect caused by changes to the game. Make also sure to verify your game's files to outrule issues caused by corrupted files.

Performance Fix via Steam Workshop item

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2701251094

I am having connection issues

Here are some tips I have collected which can be helpful:

First thing first: consider it as a matter of course that the same situation applies as for the "About Troubleshooting Multiplayer" part of this guide. Which means, that an issue which you suspect with your game can be actually caused by either the client or the host. And only when you work together, you might find a solution.

You will not be able to fix anything, if it turns out that the issue is caused by the other party and they refuse to take care of that. That being written, here are some general tips based on common knowledge and personal observation.

1. Peer 2 Peer (P2P) Setup

Unlike so called triple A games ("AAA" or "A³"), this game utilises a P2P setup for multiplayer. Which means: the server browser connects you directly to another player's gaming system, which is most likely a normal system running a normal game's app via Steam on Windows.

There are rare cases of dedicated servers, but that is another matter.

While a dedicated server means that there is a kind of computer focusing solemnly on providing you with the game's information, a "normal server" will have the same weaknesses as host as you have as client.

Like: when any third party apps interfere with the host, it will affect the game.
(in comparison: dedicated servers are not affected by third party apps, because they are dedicated)

Let me give you an example:
Imagine you have an internet security app like Avira, and the host has an internet security app as well e.g. Norton. When you have connection issues it could be either caused by yours, Avira, or the host's, Norton. For the troubleshooting it is therefore essential for host and client alike to check for possible sources of the issue.

2. With power comes responsibility

Like when hosting a party, the one with the more and better resources will have an easier time to do so. Consider it common sense that the one with the better gaming PC and better internet connection should be the one to host.

In Windows 10 you can easily check on the relevant system specifications by going for the Settings -> System -> Information



If you need to look up your internet speed performance, which consist of download and upload value, Speedtest by Ookla is considered a popular and reliable free to use service

https://www.speedtest.net/

3. Common issues

Some common issues which can affect your internet connection and are often overlooked by beginners are

a) Wi-fi issues.

Especially in urban areas it has become a big problem with many overlapping networks in close proximity, and users unaware of the issue for most use the default settings of the wi-fi device provided by their internet service provider.

Have a look at this situation as an example. The graphics only show detected routers in close proximity around an apartment in an urban house.


(used channels in the same house/floor by number of routers with 2Ghz)


(used channels in the same house/floor by number of routers with 5Ghz)

Conclusion: 5Ghz wi-fi is recommended for good reasons. But not every device supports it.

Trivia: You might wonder: why not just pick a different, less occupied channel? Well... the default devices from the internet service providers come per default with auto-select-best... Another origin of connection issues - ever-changing-jumping-channels-devices...

Therefore you will see it is often recommended among gamers to use an ethernet cable connection. That does not only negate the issue of overlapping networks, but also counters possible interferences by other devices (smart devices, microwaves, emergency radio etc.) and architectural matters.

If cable is not an option, please consider wi-fi enhancers like repeaters and those devices which make use of your home's power grid. A simple enhancer you can make by yourself can already be a big boon (tested in a 200+ years old house with multiple apartments).

https://www.chip.de/downloads/WLAN-Verstaerker-zum-Selberbauen_35747900.html


(might look silly, but it has surprised everyone whom I recommended it - all you need is paper/cardboard, glue and aluminium foil)

By my personal experience: repeaters and power grid connection are definitely worth their money. Mesh internet wi-fi via inbuilt smart device might be the future.

b) Third party apps or third party users.

It happens more than often that some background apps decide "it is time for an update". Especially Windows has a bad habit on doing update downloads in the background without any notification. Webspace apps like Dropbox and alike which synchronise by themselves are another matter of course.

In addition to that people like to "forget" all kind of third party apps which affect their system's performance. Whether it is their internet security which not only can throttle internet speed, but also can block it entirely, or other stuff like discord or running separate gaming platform clients (Epic game launcher e.g.).

The less apps you have running, the more your gaming system can focus on Barotrauma and deliver better performance.

And if you have a shared internet connection, please keep in mind: when someone else is using it, you might end up at the lower end. Especially with the default setups of many wi-fi devices which prioritise media (Netflix, Disney+, etc.) over gaming. Even if you have a high download speed per default, you might suffer from the matter simply because the device takes care of your gaming data with much lower priority.

c) Host is behaving inconsiderate.

Probably the most cases I have observed where players desynced is because of that. It might not be much to people who have a high end gaming PC and very good internet. But it matters.

Host should always make sure at the start of a round, that every players has properly loaded their game. If host does not do that, the clients which load late have lots to catch up. That becomes especially a problem whenever host or another player decides to move the sub already at the start of a round. The farther away from the spawnpoint, the more happened between spawn and the time when the last player finished loading their game, the more they have to catch up.

That can and will lead to desynchronisation problems with players whose gaming systems are on the lower end. I can only encourage everyone: please be considerate in that regards. It does not take that long to wait for everyone finishing loading. Which is always better than having them disconnect and the avoidable need to load twice. In very bad cases it is causing other kind of issues to make it harder for them to join.

4. Rare issues

a) When host is loading the game from a slow (external) (hard) drive. Nowadays Solid State Disks have become so cheap, I can highly recommend it for anyone who play games often on their system to use one. The difference in performance is noticable and significant.

b) I have mentioned third party apps before, but not all are that obvious and visible. ASUS mainboards have an inbuilt tool called GameFirst VI to improve network connections. It just so happens, when Barotrauma is loading/needs too long to load, that tool consider the needed network connection for the app dead, and starts allocating resources elsewhere. Sounds familiar to wi-fi devices? Well, it is similar. It is worth to know your system.

PC Issues: Recommendation

Experienced users and experts can ignore this recommendation.

There are some fairly cheap upgrades for PC which can make a huge difference in overall performance. Not in regards of graphics or processing. But running the game from an internal SSD or having a RAM upgrade to a minimum of 16 GB counter not only loading issues, but make many games run much smoother. Players often describe related issues as "spontanious freezes", despite the game is running well the rest of the time. You might want to consider an upgrade, especially with those kind of components having become very cheap these days.

Not everyone considers themselves being a "nerd". I personally find the term offensive, especially when used on people who have "some" knowledge with PC. It is a matter of fact that information technology has become so easy nowadays, that most people do not bother with many stuff which are nowadays considered "nerd" stuff. Even when it is about simple things like why a 4MP camera is better than 2MP. Or why not.

To tackle PC issues in an easy way I like to recommend to you TuneUp Utilities. Nowadays owned by AVG and therefore known as AVG TuneUp. It is an easy to use tool which I consider great for anyone who has not much knowledge about Windows optimisation. With my high end PC I am hardly ever using it anymore, but I do appreciate still what it can do for weaker PCs and especially users who are not accustomed to PC "stuff".

It shows you background apps and helps you to put them down. Among many other things which might help fixing PC issues and improve performance. You might be surprised to see what you might have overlooked before. A lot of its features can be done without it. But to get the idea it is worth to take upon the free trial.

Last but not least: do not underestimate the dangers of malware.
Keep your system up to date and trigger manually a virus scan/rootkit scan.
I have seen PCs with 250+ virus alerts and hidden trojans and bitcoin mining apps - only you can save yourself from such. Also, those PCs often were slowed down by 50% and more because of them...

Save Game Editor

https://ignis05.github.io/baro-save-editor/

I like it so much, despite it gives a suspicious first impression.
I would love to have its function officially ingame. It helped me especially with multiplayer campaigns when some settings are off or me and my party wanted some edits with the submarine.



Whether changing the maximum missions per rounds or converting a save game from multiplayer to single player and vice versa - the editor got you covered.

Just recently it was a big help for moving all movable items from one submarine to another. It saved so much time we would otherwise have spent moving forth and back by switching between submarines.

I did that by extracting the submarine file and opened it in the ingame editor. Saving all items within lockers, crates etc. as item assemblies and edited them into the "new" submarine.

You can find your save game(s) in Windows here

%systemdrive%\users\%username%\AppData\Local\Daedalic Entertainment GmbH\Barotrauma

%systemdrive%\users\%username%\AppData\Local\Daedalic Entertainment GmbH\Barotrauma\Multiplayer

(you can copy&paste these links into Windows Explorer)

Your cloud saves are located here

https://store.steampowered.com/account/remotestorageapp/?appid=602960

Miscellaneous

Keep Backups

Should you decide to uninstall the game, make sure to backup your self-made/customised objects. Also, while there is Steam Cloud synchronisation, it still makes sense to make extra backups of your save games once in a while. A "hiccup" can happen any time where the Steam Cloud synchronisation might not work properly, and it is better be safe than sorry. Synchronising your save game folder with an additional cloud service is recommended.

Stay up to date

News:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/602960?updates=true
https://barotraumagame.com/news/ (I love the blog <3)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/undertowgames
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/regalis11

Join the active community!

discord: https://discord.com/invite/undertow

Official Guides

https://steamcommunity.com/app/602960/discussions/0/1697221160899120421/

Hosting Guide

https://steamcommunity.com/app/602960/discussions/1/2250056952644462246/

Barotrauma Steam Points Shop

https://store.steampowered.com/points/shop/app/602960

Make every chat and every forums post more hilarious with the Captain Clown emoticon!

Enhance Your Barotrauma Experience with Mods!

https://steamcommunity.com/app/602960/workshop/

They might be number one reason for people to look for troubleshooting, but they also can make the game much more enjoyable. If you liked the game vanilla, please give the mods also a chance. The very good ones might even find their way into becoming an official part of the game. It is thanks to the mods and the community that this game offers so much replayability. Also, make sure to leave "a thumbs up" should you like a mod. It means to content creators a lot and motivates them to improve and eventually share more in the future.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2679420296
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2709163205

How do I use Mods?

All you need to do is to subscribe any Steam Workshop item (mod) you like to use for your game and activate them in the game's settings.



Most beginners forget or are unaware that they need to activate it first, before the content becomes availabe ingame. Some mods also need to be on top of the loading order to work properly (a matter of priority among mods). You can drag and drop them in the list in the settings menu.



Certain mods need manual modifications by downloading from certain external pages or overwriting game files. Please be careful with those as you do those manual modifications and visiting external websites by your own risk. Those mods have the highest risk to break the game, resulting you need to go through the troubleshooting steps.

Afterword

Thank you very much for reading my guide!
And sorry for my bad English. It is not my native tongue.

I always hope you may never need these information.
But I also think it is good to have them in one place, just in case.

I wish you all "smooth sailing" and great adventures in the depths of Europa.