EM Wont launch (steam)

The Muffin Man · Post by **The Muffin Man** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:09 pm

The game simply wont start, I'll click play and Steam will tell me its "preparing to launch" and then just stops.

I've had this game now for at least a week and i still can't get it to launch at all, I've updated drivers, re-installed, verified the cache.
my spec is above the minimum too.
Any help right now is much appreciated!

Post by **Vice** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:12 pm

Without a lot more information about your system, it's tough to say. If you complete the steps here, I can review your configuration for possible causes: http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmercenary/faq.htm#8

Check to see if you are running one of the security programs Steam lists here: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_art ... -SFLZ-9289

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:15 pm

Hi The Muffin Man, welcome to the game and forum!.....Hope to see you out there once you get it working!.....

The Muffin Man · Post by **The Muffin Man** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:17 pm

The email with the configuration has been sent!

Post by **Vice** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:46 pm

Thanks, reply with some things to try sent.

The Muffin Man · Post by **The Muffin Man** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:33 pm

"- Windows 8 is still pretty new and may have some temporary compatibility issues, either driver side or OS side, or both. But Nvidia card users can generally get the game to work well when using the â€˜Windows 7â€™ compatibility mode in Windows 8. So I would suggest that first.

- Next, try to launch the game with the â€˜Run as administratorâ€™ option, see if the behavior changes.

- Next, turn off the Steam overlay if you currently have it enabled. Then launch and test the game.

- If the problem persists, try shutting down Steam entirely and launch the game independent of Steam."

I was also told to uninstall my anti Virus software called Bulldog.
Any time I try to play the game I get AppCrash files but cant open them, I cant help but feel these could be of great use if I could open them.

I'm really Grateful for the fast responses, but everything that's been suggested hasn't worked

Post by **Vice** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:11 pm

It sounds like the game isn't even getting a chance to launch based on your description since it stops between Steam and the game (not screen/display switching, just 'launching' in Steam, then nothing). Here are a couple of other ideas on things to check:

- I did notice that your system does not report a desktop resolution or color depth setting. This could prevent the game from being able to detect your display options via DirectX, resulting in an error like you describe. Are you using any kind of special monitor/display system? Are you certain you have the correct drivers installed for your monitor? If it's installed as a generic display device, you may not be able to get a 3D game like this to work until you install the correct driver for your monitor, which will then tell your display adaptor needed information that the game can pick up and use. So if you don't have the proper driver installed for your monitor, try that first.

- Look for the save data folder. By default, it will be c:\\sw3dg\\EvochronMercenary. If that folder exists open it and look for a file named sw.cfg. If you find it there, delete or rename that file, then launch and test the game again.

If that file doesn't exist, then it means the game isn't even getting far enough along to create, which is one of the first things it does. If the file doesn't exist, there must be something completely interfering with the game itself or its ability to save data to your hard drive.

The Muffin Man · Post by **The Muffin Man** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 5:27 pm

I have a feeling that the problem is, as suggested, the monitor.
The monitor is a Samsung LCD 27 inch. I'm not sure whether I need some sort of special driver or anything, but i'll go back and check that all the drivers are up to date and working

I'll keep you posted, thanks vice

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 8:24 pm

I had samsung LCDs for a long time and they like to run on their optimized default settings. for my old one it was 1200x1600, I Have a 27" HP now!

bhxob · Post by **bhxob** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:18 pm

I'm having the same issue on a Windows 7 machine with EvoM installed via Steam.

No error messages, the game just doesn't start, though it has in the past.

I tried running the game from the installation folder, and got the same result.

I tried deleting the configuration and save data created in c:\\sw3dg and again got the same result from trying to run the exe directly or via steam, and this time no new configuration data was created, the program tries to start, but never gets far enough along to create any files that normally exist under that directory.

I tried running as administrator and got the same result.

If there are any specific registry settings I should be looking at please tell me. I've already done a brief pass and came up with old 'recently used' data and firewall data from where it had worked in the past.

bhxob · Post by **bhxob** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:18 pm

I was able to resolve my problem. After finding that other DirectX applications were having similar issues I started shutting down things to sort out what had caused it.

I had set up a new Skype account earlier in the day; When it tried to find a webcam it instead found XSplit Broadcaster's desktop capture software by default. That apparently left the desktop in a usable state for most things, but prevented new DirectX contexts from being created. Shutting down and reconfiguring Skype to not use that was the solution, and everything is fine now.

OBS is a less finicky desktop capture suite anyhow.

The Muffin Man · Post by **The Muffin Man** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:34 pm

I honestly can't seem to find a solution to this problem which is a real letdown considering i was really looking forward to this game

Post by **Vice** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:06 pm

Do you see a sw.cfg file in the save data folder (default c:\\sw3dg\\EvochronMercenary)?

The Muffin Man · Post by **The Muffin Man** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:34 pm

nope, the game doesn't even get far enough to make the file, i also tried downloading the game from this site too which has the same problem as the steam version.

Also the fault module i keep getting from the app-crash files is StackHash 5861

Post by **Vice** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:44 pm

That's a memory stop, something is getting in the way of the game even being able to initialize. What DEP settings are you using on your system?

The Muffin Man · Post by **The Muffin Man** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:28 pm

I've just changed them to "Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those i select" and added EM to the exception list
still no luck however

Post by **Vice** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 5:27 pm

You say you tested it with BullGuard removed. Did you also test it with Optimizer Pro (task name optprolaucher.exe) removed? Some sites suggest that program may cause system problems. They also suggest it may be difficult to get rid of completely, so once you try to uninstall it, check msconfig to see if it returned after the reboot and also check the task manager to make sure it doesn't return, then launch and test.

The Muffin Man · Post by **The Muffin Man** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:56 pm

I've uninstalled it fine but still got nothing

Post by **Vice** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 8:23 pm

Ok, then there's nothing else apparent I can spot to try short of reinstalling the OS. Your Windows error log contains a number of ntdll.dll and 'unknown' crashes, including in Half Life 2, Skyrim, and Steam itself. Are you encountering other problems in other games? Is it possible your system has been exposed to virus or malware damage recently? Have you run a system file check on it? This appears to be a fairly new system, so it's lengthy error log is concerning for such a new system. Do you have the restore discs/Windows 8 install disc?