X4 Troubleshooting

Description

Introduction

This thread collects various solutions to issues which prevent the game from starting.

The general rule is: If the game does not run or causes problems go through these steps FIRST then read the remaining topics in this posting. At the bottom follow a few tips if the game does run but crashes repeatedly or only runs with the wrong graphics settings!

Startup and Crash Errors

This page[wiki.egosoft.com] lists information related some troubleshoot steps.

For Crash Errors and Exit Codes you can visit this table[wiki.egosoft.com] and followed the linked issues to get information on how to troubleshoot them.

Did the game run before but now does not start anymore?

You may ran into a case of broken settings files.
In this case you can delete the settings by going to:

"%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Egosoft\X4\###userid###
and delete the following files:
- config.xml
- pipelinecache.bin
- progressbar.xml
- uidata.xml
- auth.xml
you can also delete - inputmap.xml but this will cost you your input settings!

The game did never start

1. Does your computer meet minimum requirements(Vulkan must be supported)
   Specifically the graphic card must meet certain minimum criteria because the game would not even start as long as the Vulkan API is not fully supported. Most integrated graphic cards and cards with less than 3GB of memory probably do not work.
   
   
   • Do you have a machine with more than one graphiccard (e.g laptops with integrated+dedicated GPU)?
     X4 Foundatins now has a good automatic detection of multiple GPUs and should select your dedicated (not integrated) GPU automatically when first started. This means the following instructions for manual override should not be necessary anymore.
     
     In fact we advise against this manual command line parameter and instead first check if you can delete your old graphic settings and try starting the game with fresh default settings.
     
     That being said the following is an "expert only" setting as a last resort:
     
     Manually forcing a graphiccard
     
     You can use the X4.exe commandline parameter to force a GPU:-gpu:xwhere x =0 = autodetect card (default)1=1st graphics-card2=2nd card etcSo you could try for example:X4.exe -gpu:2and if that doesn't work, tryX4.exe -gpu:1You can also add this same setting in config.xml in the games settings folder:Adding:<gpu>0</gpu>in the root section would be default, any other number would fix a selection.Be careful when editing the config.xml. If it breaks, delete this file entirely to go back to default settings.
     
     Listing of graphic card in settings menu
     
     Note that the game may list the currently does not show which card it is using in the graphics settings. It shows the name of the adapter the monitor is connected to, which is potentially misleading and will be fixed in 1.30.
     
     Power consumption setting
     
     Some users have noted that changing the POWER MANAGEMENT MODE from NVidias 3d settings from "Optimal power" to "Maximum Performance", helped to improve stability on laptops.
     
     
   • Upgrade to the latest graphic card driver (Vulkan must be supported)
     Also note that the minimum graphic card requirement for this game is 3GB of graphic card memory! Minimum requirement according to specs = Nvidia GTX 780/970 or AMD equivalent (Vulkan support required).
   
   
2. Try to disable virus checker
   We have heard that some anti virus checker might delay or break game startup, add X4 to the exceptions or disable the virus checker.
   
   
3. Game installed on SSD with special cache tool / RAPID mode
   Samsung - RAPID mode in their Magician tool
   Crucial - Momentum Cache.
   
   Some users reported that these combinations caused the game to HANG (wait forever) at startup. We are looking for a better fix at the moment, but you can work around this problem by moving to a different hard drive or turning RAPID mode off.
   
   
4. Disable Windows FILE COMPRESSION in case it is turned on for the game and/or save folder
   To do so open properties of the folder where the game is installed or the saves are stored and click on ADVANCED. Unselect the "compress folder" option.
   
   Sidenote: This is in general not a good setting. Our data is already compressed and this slows down loading a lot even if would work.
   
   
5. If you still have problems turn OFF the Steam overlay in the steam settings!
   The Steam overlay may cause problems with Vulkan on some hardware but also...
   
   
6. If the screen remains black but the game seems to run (you hear sound)
   Then this indicates a conflict with a 3rd party tool that is trying to create an overlay on screen. One example is the RivaTunerStatisticsServer --> Disable or remove from system!
   
   
   Disable other tools which hook into a games API!There are various tools which hook into game APIs for special comfort features and unfortunately some of these do not work (yet) with Vulkan. Try disabling any such tools you have if the game does not run.Examples:
   • Tools to run other games (e.g Neir Automata)
     
   • Tools that display any information in the game (e.g RivaTunerStatisticsServer)
   
   

   Only after these steps continue reading:

   
   
7. Remaining graphic driver / VULKAN related issues
   The game uses a relatively new technology called VULKAN, which is an API similar to Direct X but different (i.e OPEN).
   
   
   Laptop with Nvidia + Intel GPU / Computer with multiple graphic cardsOur engine might be trying to open the wrong graphic card. To fix this you can temporarily disable a graphic card in your device manager without physically taking the card out of your machine.Update AMD cards to 18.12.1 OPTIONAL driverFor AMD Graphic cards users: Please consider to upgrade your driver to optional version 18.12.1 -If running Windows 8.1 on AMD hardwareOn Windows 8.1 we recommend you running the last available supported AMD driver (which is 17.7.1). If you happen to still have Windows 8 installed, please consider upgrading your machine to Windows 8.1 (it's free).If none of this is an option for you, you could still try using one of the Windows 7 drivers at your own risk).Problem due to previous AMD driver uninstallIf after the above steps, the problem still persists a previous driver install may have left a broken file. To fix it, run vulkaninfo from the command prompt.If it shows:"C:\WINDOWS\System32\amd-vulkan64.json does not have an 'api_version' field".A possible fix is to manually delete the file "amd-vulkan64.json" and then reinstall the latest AMD driver. (use on your own risk though).
   
   
8. Graphic card running out of memory
   As pointed out in other threads, the game currently allows graphic settings that can crash the game on ALL graphic cards, because the settings exceed the graphic cards dedicated memory (yes this is possible even with a 12GB high end card by using 4K with SSAA9x)
   
   Cards with less dedicated memory need much lower AA settings to run stable. Be very careful with MSAA 4x!
   
   
9. Contact EGOSOFT
   If everything else fails, please email your Crashdump (.dmp files in game folder), DXDiag and VULKANINFO output to [e-mail] Instructions on how to do this are here: Retrieving DXDiag and VulkanInfo[wiki.egosoft.com]

If the game does run or did run with the same hardware and now fails

General note on graphic settings, Performance and stability

Please be mindful of the memory consumption on your graphiccard when changing graphics settings. Running out of graphic card memory can be the cause of all of these symptoms:

• On GPUs barely meeting our min requirements: Instant crash on startup or on entering the game if setting are too high.
  
  
• The counter intuitive thing is that this warning applies for the minimum cards (3GB GPU memory) as well as for the top range with 12GB and more. If you run in 4k with SSAA (now removed) AND high texture quality, the game will even run into problems on those cards
  
  
• After longer time of playing: Graphical glitches or missing textures (like people without heads).

For mid range cards (those closer to our minimum spec of a GTX780 or 970), it may make sense to switch to MEDIUM or LOW settings or choose custom settings and especially reduce the texture quality.

Game does not start anymore after changing settings

In the worst case scenario you may have changed your graphics settings to something that gets your game to crash immediately on loading, then the game can not start anymore afterwards. The most likely case for this is again changing AA settings to something that is too high.

In this case you can delete the settings by going to:

"%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Egosoft\X4\###userid###
and delete the following files:

• config.xml
  
• pipelinecache.bin
  
• progressbar.xml
  
• uidata.xml

you can also delete - inputmap.xml but this will cost you your input settings!

Problems with Antialiasing settings on NVIDIA cards

Nvidia drivers have a minor issue with how they name their VSync options towards Vulkan games (like X4). You will therefore note, that the default VSync mode name "Triple Buffering VSync” is in fact not syncing (you will see tearing).

A consequence of this is also that VSync OFF (which is very useful for GSync users) is greyed out. Again this is the driver reporting this IN ERROR, not our game!

Nvidia is working on fixing this naming issue.

The best combination for GSync users at the moment is probably VSync (simple version) with Borderless!

[Ketraar]

thanks @zpc I have updated the links.

[zpc]

@Ketraar / @eMynock

The guide still links to the old wiki url (https://www.egosoft.com:8444/confluence/display/X4WIKI/Retrieving+DXDiag+and+VulkanInfo)

---

Just for the record - the new one is here: https://wiki.egosoft.com:1337/X4%20Foundations%20Wiki/Troubleshooting/Retrieving%20DXDiag%20and%20VulkanInfo/?language=en

[Blitz4]

"Game does not start anymore after changing settings"

That section is worthy of mention in https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/X4:_Foundations

Thanks

[Stanislav]

Game doesn't start. Nothing happens after clicking button "start" in steam.
Vulkan works at other games.
Have latest AMD drivers with 6650xt GPU.
3770k CPU, 32Gb RAM.
windows 10

[rudi]

Thank you! how much of impact does steam overlay have in general? (game runs well, and checking in case i should turn it off if it overall improves performance. I don't notice the difference, but it takes me a lot to notice :) )