BATTLETECH - How to Fix your Infinite Loading Screen Since the Patch [Modding problems]

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CorVexen

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Apr 27, 2018
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One line summary of your issue
How to Fix your Infinite Loading Screen Since the Patch

Please explain your issue is in as much detail as possible.
Howdy Everyone

If your launching the game since the patch, and now face an infinite loading screen clicking on any of the main menu options, such as skirmish, new/load campaine, or multiplayer .....

AND you had a mod installed when the patch dropped

Then you've come to the right place to get that fixed.

Steps to reproduce the issue
AndrewT here on the forms dropped the kernal that became a fix for this issue. Heres what i had to do to get things running again.

Launch your game.
Get it to infiniate load.
Close it.
Open the Output_log.txt located in the folder E:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data for the steam install.
Scroll down to the bottom to find out which files are being called for from the server side Profiles.Dat file. it will say they are NULL or not found.

and then re-add them to your shinny new ManifestVersion.json file located in E:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\data
doing a clean install will not fix the problem, because profiles.dat on the server is spazing out that your manifest file isn't the same.

Now with your Manifest file matching what it was before the patch was installed, relaunch your BATTLETECH and behold the glory of your lance of 4 mechs getting shot to scrap by 12 assaults.

man, 2 days away was too long.

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I think I know what the issue is, but please bear in mind that my experience with this sort of thing is limited at best. As best I can tell...

The cause for this error is that the VersionManifest you were using was able to point the game towards files for two custom 'Mechs that you added to your campaign: your SHD-2K and VND-1AA. The VersionMenifest that you got from HBS when your game updated overwrites the custom VersionManifest you were using, and does not point the game towards the custom 'Mechs (specifically, the game cannot find the chassisdef files for those custom 'Mechs). So, when the game tries to load one of these custom 'Mechs in your campaign, it has no instructions on where to retrieve those files from, and it hangs and you get an infinite loading screen. If you re-add those custom 'Mechs into the new VersionManifest, the way you did when you added them to your campaign the first time, then the problem should resolve itself.

Basically, any time you have a mod that adds something into the game you need to edit the VersionManifest so that the game can locate those things when it tries to load them. Any time you update your game a new VersionManifest is added, which replaces the one you were using. So if you are using mods that add things to the game, you have to "re-install" your mods so that the new VersionManifest can locate the things that they add.
That all sounds about right to me, but my problem at this point is that I don't know the language I need to add to the VersionManifest for those two mechs.

Also, if I have the newer VersionManifest that doesn't include the modded mechs, theoretically it should all work if I have a fresh install of everything with no mods... but it doesn't. Which makes no sense to me.

The bigger question I have is why do we have a system setup here where a complete file wipe doesn't fix the problem. That seems extremely unusual. This isn't an "always online" game. Why is there apparently some of my profile information being stored outside my computer to such a degree that it actively prevent me from playing the game even completely offline. I have literally unplugged my router and it still won't work. I legitimately hope this isn't the case of some secret DRM screwing with us.
 
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Okay, attempted to install the Roguetech mod and now have the infinite load bug. I have done everything but a fresh install of Windows as far as removing my game files. I see I am getting the manifest issue, how does one open a ticket and with whom am I opening it?


By the way I am trying to get back to being able to play vanilla.
From what I have read, you could literally format your entire harddrive and it still wouldn't fix the problem. The problem is "something server side". Whatever that means. I've heard some people claim this is all caused by Steam cloud saves, but that doesn't completely jive with me. If that's the case, I should be able to to still play in Steam offline mode... but I can't. And even when I do, my Battletech profile on the main menu still shows that it is connected to "something" that manages our Battletech profile that we make. I honestly have no idea what service it provides other than to make me increasingly suspicious as to its true nature.

To open a support ticket, the tab is at the top of this page labeled "Support".
 
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Apologies in advance for the length of this post, but there's a lot of crucial information here

I've had some limited success in getting to the bottom of this.

I will start by posting what Support sent me:
Modding is not supported with this game, so this is likely to happen every time a new game patch comes out, as one did recently. The game's developers HBS have said they will make a tool or utility to get around this situation, but evidently it is not ready as yet.

Please try deleting the file profiles.dat file located at: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\LocalLow\Harebrained Schemes\BATTLETECH . That usually fixes that error.

Here is what one user found got him past this problem:
I went about uninstalling the game, purging my Steam folder of all traces of Battletech, deleting all my saved games, removed the HBS folder and contents, and removing any and all keys in the registry that pertained to BattleTech. I reinstalled the game and it still wouldn’t load.

Ultimately, I discovered the cause was Steam’s cloud-save feature. Even after deleting my saves, Steam was still pulling down files that retained the information from the 1.04 install.

Turning off cloud sync in Steam and deleting the folder “637090” in the “local install path\Steam\userdata\steam userid “ directory then launching the game finally got it to progress past the loading screen. I exited the game, went back into Steam, re-enabled cloud sync and launched the game again. Steam pops up a window saying that the local data didn’t match what was on the cloud and presents an option to either download the last data it has on the cloud or upload the newer local data from the PC. Choosing to upload the newer local data overwrites the old data on the cloud and resolves the issue totally.

If none of that helps, you may have to sidestep the problem until that HBS utility comes out. To do this make a second Paradox account using a different email (maybe a new one created for this purpose) and log into the game with that. That should avoid the problem profiles, remote cache, and saved games being synced down to your computers.

It is important to clarify. The folders that all need to be deleted can be found here:
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<USERID>\637090
  • C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\LocalLow\Harebrained Schemes
Strangely, I've heard some reports that the last one may also install to a different location (I am not sure if this was a fault of the person reporting it):
  • C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Harebrained Schemes
If you want to be safe, check both "Local" and "LocalLow" and delete any "Hairbrained Schemes" folder that contains "BATTLETECH" files inside.

Yes, I understand you don't officially support modding. But I'm not asking for technical support on how to get my mods working. My problem is not the mods. My problem is that despite wiping my computer clean of any trace of Battletech and reinstalling, it still won't work, no mods installed at all! That is not a mod problem, that is something else entirely. Games aren't usually that stubborn to not work.

I am aware that Steam cloud is partly to blame. If it's known to be causing so much trouble, why isn't this disabled by default? Nevermind... that doesn't really matter.

More to the point, I have already disabled Steam cloud, deleted the 637090 folder in its entirety, and then reinstalled the game. But I'm still presented the same issue: the game will load to the main menu fine, but any load screen past that is stuck in a perpetual loop.

Also, I'm not entirely convinced it is "just a Steam cloud issue". It's already been confirmed that its the VersionManifest file that is causing the problem and that is not matching up. But here is what is really weird: even if I play with Steam completely in offline mode, it still will not work, BUT my game is still trying to connect to the HBS server that keeps track of our player accounts (it says that I am "online" in the top right hand corner next to my player emblem).

Is there a more descriptive set of instructions that you can link me? Perhaps I'm missing a step? What you posted above is a good start but it skips over some of the details and I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Okay.. found something that may be helpful:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum...modding-problems.1095485/page-2#post-24347060

Now I realize this poster may be mistaken, but it sounds like he's saying that this is a long known issue and it is actually a problem that is fixed "server side". Why is there a "server" to begin with? This is not an "always online" game, right? Why is HBS/Paradox tracking player information that is so crucial as to shut down our ability to play the game... even in offline mode? I don't know of any game that is not always online that does this.

Saved games are saved to the Steam cloud, so that you can play the same campaign on multiple computers if you want. Mods are stored in the saved games for the same reason. So wiping your local files does not clear them out, intentionally - otherwise every time a user had to reinstall Windows, say, they'd lose their BT campaigns too.

User profiles are also held in servers, although there is some muddiness in what is held by us vs Steam.

The instructions I sent to you are all I have, I am sorry - they are just what another user found worked for them.

Did you try an alternate Paradox account, or Windows user ?

It is worth noting I have strong reason to believe the Windows account you use doesn't matter unless your computer is regularly used by multiple accounts. I only have my single account on my PC and so it did not affect me. If you have multiple accounts, you may need to scrub them all of any trace of Battletech, but that was not the case for me.

For the next couple of hours I was getting very frustrated while I tried every angle to get this going, but nothing worked...

I've tried following the directions provided, but they are too vague.

Which "loading screen" are they talking about? Are they talking about the one BEFORE the main menu or after?

I've never had trouble loading to the main menu. It is only when trying to load PAST the main menu that I encounter the infinite load loop.

I tried following the directions to the best of my understanding, but I never get past any loading screen after the main menu. It doesn't seem to matter if I try loading the campaign or skirmish, new game or old save, multiplayer or mechlab.

These directions aren't really helping. Surely there has to be someone who can explain *exactly* what I need to do.

Also, I attempted to bypass the Steam cloud completely by creating a family account tied to my main Steam account. I check its Steam cloud files for Battletech and it is 0/93.13 GB. That means there are absolutely no existing steam files that need to synch... so they shouldn't even be an issue. And yet I'm still encountering the same problem.

Despite Steam cloud being completely shut off and deleting the 637090 local user folder, the game still keeps creating a new one every time I launch the game. Is that suppose to happen?

And finally... progress!
Okay.. after spending about three hours on this trying different things I finally had a breakthrough!

I tried everything from multiple angles including making completely new Paradox accounts.

After exhausting every single option I could imagine, I ultimately had to give up on the solutions you provided. They just didn't seem to be working.

I was about to give up until I discovered I could roll back the 1.2 patch update to 1.1. I thought maybe if I could recreate the game files I had when they worked before the 1.2 patch... maybe I had a chance of making the game load past the main menu.

Also, based on my output_log.txt file, I already knew the critical files that were preventing me from loading. These were:

Data.DataManager.LoadRequests [ERROR] manifestEntry is null for [chassisdef_shadowhawk_SHD-2K] [ChassisDef] - resourceIds are case sensitive so be sure to check that too.
(Filename: C:/buildslave/unity/build/artifacts/generated/common/runtime/DebugBindings.gen.cpp Line: 51)

Data.DataManager.LoadRequests [ERROR] manifestEntry is null for [chassisdef_vindicator_VND-1AA] [ChassisDef] - resourceIds are case sensitive so be sure to check that too.
(Filename: C:/buildslave/unity/build/artifacts/generated/common/runtime/DebugBindings.gen.cpp Line: 51)"


Based off my knowledge of the game, I know that these two identities were 2 mech chassis I added to the game with this mod:
https://www.nexusmods.com/battletech/mods/18

What is interesting about this is that the mod actually adds 75 new mechs to the game. Yet my report showed that only TWO were causing the problem! I was able to deduce from previous memory that these must have been the two custom designs I had saved to the Skirmish Mode MechLab.

And so with reversing my game version to 1.1 and the specific mod installed, I attempted to load up Battletech once again. It started right up and loaded the mechlab with no issue!

What I found is shown in the jpg attachment below. Take special note that all of the designs listed there are part of the vanilla game EXCEPT the SHD-2K and VND-1AA; these two were specific to the mod I had used.

My first action upon seeing this was to immediately delete my custom SHD-2K and VND-1AA in the mechlab. I figure better to eliminate any variables while I could.

With the offending mech files removed, my next step was to attempt to load Battletech without any mods at all. This worked perfectly without any incident.

So in summary, I have now successfully loaded a vanilla version of the game, but I am currently still using 1.1.2. I want to still update to 1.2, but I am not certain what is the best way to do that. I'm hoping you can offer some guidance in that task.

I would like to make it clear that I count myself lucky that I only had two aberrant files that were causing the problem. Your results may vary. What I can say is that locating my output_log.txt was CRUCIAL in solving this problem. Once found, you will need to word search for any "null" entries. those will give you a clue as to what you are missing to load your game. You will need to reinstall the mods specific to the files you are missing. Obviously, you will need to be careful to install the correct version of mods as well. Directions for finding your output_log.txt file are here.

The other important step is you will need to roll back your version of the game to the last one you had installed when it was still working. This is crucial because your game will likely need to be the right version for the necessary mod(s) to play nicely with it. This can be done in Steam by going to the game's properties (right click) and clicking the "Betas" tab. Older versions of the game are listed in the dropdown menu.

I could not have done this without the help of others who have posted before me. Special thanks to CorVexen, the OP for this thread, and the moderator who stickied this so I could find it.

I will post an update later once I have figured out how to get the game to successfully update to 1.2, but for now that will hopefully at least get the ball rolling for some of you.

Unfortunately, none of this really answers definitively WHY this is happening to begin with. Despite scrubbing every file related to Battletech off my computer, WHY is the game so adamantly refusing to work properly? Based off various sources I've read, it has something to do with the VersionManifest.csv not synching with either Steam cloud files (make sure you turn that crap OFF!) or the online Paradox profile you register in game. I suspect at least in my case it was the latter. My suspicion is supported by a post made by Alumic (link). Keep in mind, I believe Alumic was lucky in getting a Support staffer who knew how to fix it. You may not be so lucky. Support staff do not all have the same level of expertise. My recommendation is to be patient with them and keep trying to work it out.

Again, I will be sure to post what I find after I look into this further.
 
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And here is that update as promised:

I have now successfully loaded a **VANILLA** version of the game, but I am currently still using 1.1.2. I want to still update to 1.2, but I am not certain what is the best way to do that."

So from what you said, I should "opt in" to the 1.2 version using the Steam properties interface and that should update everything? The only reason why I'm being so careful is because I need to know that when I do this, the VersionManifest.csv will to update correctly. And that should work even if Steam cloud is disabled, yes?

Yes, the Steam cloud holds the save games. It being unavailable won't stop the game from patching.

To clarify, after resolving my mismatched VersionManifest problem using the solution in the previous post, I played it safe and deleted all files one last time. This was done to ensure I had no lingering mod files still loaded. I then installed Battletech as normal using the Steam client. Game loaded fine after that and appears to be fully working once more.

One final curious note to make; despite removing all files from my computer, the reinstalled game had still preserved my mech designs in Skirmish Mechlab. This combined with the knowledge expressed in my previous thread regarding custom mech designs gives me reason to believe that *something* in the HBS server-side files is the root of the problem. What I can't explain is *how* those files keep resurfacing despite all attempts to block their installation. They seem to install even if I am not logged into my Paradox/HBS profile. I suspect they are installed whenever you install the game, but I have no way to confirm that on my end.
 
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Been testing the issue more and I have an update.

Keep in mind you will probably still have to wipe all related Battletech files as mentioned earlier. Again, those files are found here:
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<USERID>\637090
  • C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\LocalLow\Harebrained Schemes
After doing that, I can confirm from my own testing that this solution works and may save you if you can't figure out the correct files you need to load:

THIS IS HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM at least it fixed mine. Good luck and I'll see you in the Reach !!

Switching to the public_beta branch (Steam):

  1. In the left column games list of your Steam library, right-click BATTLETECH.

  2. Select Properties

  3. Click on the tab labelled BETAS

  4. In the dropdown menu, select public_beta (Note: if you do not see this available, you may need to restart Steam and/or wait a few minutes.)

  5. Click the CLOSE button

  6. BATTLETECH should start updating automatically

  7. When the update has completed, right-click BATTLETECH again, select Properties, and open the LOCAL FILES tab.

  8. Click the VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES button.

  9. When this completes, restart Steam and then launch the game.

After that, it is important that you follow the above steps EXACTLY. Doing that worked for me. After step 9 you should test the game to make sure it loads correctly with vanilla files. After that, you should be able to safely reverse it to the current released version of the game (currently 1.2).

To be fair, it may be possible to do the above solution without wiping your savegame data (probably not if it messes with the VersionManifest.csv, though), but I have not had time to test this. If someone finds out, please post an update.

As far as I can tell, any mods that either mess with the VersionManifest.csv file or change something in your Paradox player profile (such as adding more emblems) seem to cause the most problems (especially when there is a patch). If HBS adds a function that lets you revert your Paradox player profile data to default settings, it should save a lot of frustration for people that don't know how to fix it. Otherwise, I recommend trying the above solutions.
 
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In the dropdown menu, select public_beta
Does this mean the public_preview beta? If so, that will be different now from what it was back in April ...
 
Does this mean the public_preview beta? If so, that will be different now from what it was back in April ...
It doesn't seem to matter. I did it using the current beta version and it worked. I think the reason for this is that installing the beta forces the game to properly synch your player profile data (which seems to be the primary culprit for most issues with this)... in theory. To be honest, I can only guess, but based on various reports, the issue seems to have something to do with the VersionManifest.csv and/or the online Paradox player profile you can make in game. Something related to them isn't synching with whatever is trying to synch with HBS server data. It's why you can literally wipe your harddrive and reinstall the game and it doesn't actually fix the problem.

Of course, I could always be wrong. I'm no software engineer. Everything I know about this is based on what I've been able to uncover from other people's reports and my own trial and error.
 
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Well there is or may be stuff stored in the Steam cloud, HBS servers and Paradox accounts. This why it's been so hard to come up with a fits-all approach to this issue.

But having opted into the beta and run th egame okay, would you want to opt out of it again?
 
Well there is or may be stuff stored in the Steam cloud, HBS servers and Paradox accounts. This why it's been so hard to come up with a fits-all approach to this issue.

But having opted into the beta and run th egame okay, would you want to opt out of it again?
Yeah, after you opt in to the beta, you need to..
  1. validate game files in steam properties menu
  2. start the game and attempt to load either skirmish or a campaign save.
  3. if that works, then exit the game
  4. go back to the steam game's properties and select current version (right now 1.2)
  5. after steam finishes download, validate files
  6. then start up game again and try to load skirmish or (if your save files still survived by this point) a campaign save
If everything worked the game should now be properly loading everything in 1.2

I had the bug happen again to me earlier this week (I was purposefully trying to break it again) and this method worked on the first try.

Edit: keep in mind that when I tried this I still deleted all steam cloud files, user, and savedata first. I also turned off steam cloud synch just to be safe. As mentioned earlier, I haven't had time to try this with savefiles left intact.
 
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im trying to start a new campagn and im getting the continuious loading wheel at top left no mods installed ive varifyed game cache and also un in stalled and reinstalled the game
Please make your own thread in the forum here, and attach the output log and dxdiag text files there.
 
I have this issue ANY time I attempt to tweak or mod ANYTHING in the BT folder. Its quite frustrating because the game flat out refuses to run. The only thing that solves the issue is unonstalling the game and then re-installing it via steam. 3 hours later im back to trouble shooting the original issue because I have no idea whats going on.
 
I have this issue ANY time I attempt to tweak or mod ANYTHING in the BT folder. Its quite frustrating because the game flat out refuses to run. The only thing that solves the issue is unonstalling the game and then re-installing it via steam. 3 hours later im back to trouble shooting the original issue because I have no idea whats going on.
Are you editing the VersionManifest properly? Issues with the VersionManifest (broken lines, or saves that have been made with a VersionManifest which isn't exactly the same as the one you're using currently) will cause an infinite loading screen.
 
Nothing of the above worked for me. Stopped playing Roguetech Mod a couple of months ago and just bought the dlc today. I made fresh install with the DLC and can't play anything. The game is every time stopping at the black loading screen.

I have the GOG version and there I can only use the newest Beta version for a fresh install. So I can't get back to the state where I last played battletech with Roguetech.

Dear people at paradox,
I've backed this game at Kickstarter bought the DLC today and can't play the whole game because paradox saved modified Save/config files of an older Version of the game and that is forcing me now to install an older game/mod combination that I can't get anymore??? Holy moly! I really never had something like this.

Can someone at paradox please delete my wrecked saves off my account. So I can try the dlc that I bought today?
 
I recommend a clean reinstall, as described here:

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...h-guide-uninstall-battletech-cleanly.1107452/

That is for Steam, equivalent GoG paths are:
C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\BATTLETECH\
C:\Users\USER_ID\AppData\Local\GOG.com\Galaxy\Applications\50593543263669699\


Then the registry edit:
"Open up RegEdit.exe, navigate to 'Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Harebrained Schemes\BATTLETECH'. Now delete the 'CachedSettings_h2706256392’ key”.

Then install the game again.
 
I'll give it a try when I'm back from work.

EDIT: Tried a fresh Install as described above but still doesn't work.
The Game still searches for some modfiles he can't find.
Added my output.log.

I'm totally frustrated
 

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I have never seen a game freak out so much over silly mods... why the hell can't you guys just reset our cloud data to end this nonsense?
You know, this is just silly. I don't have time for this garbage. If I can't do a simple fresh install and play, I just want a refund. It's not worth the stress.
There's a reason HBS isn't officially supporting mods with BATTLETECH. It's a lot of time and money spent making sure that people are able to mess around with the game files without destroying their game, even if the messing around carries a fairly high chance of exactly that happening.

The consequences of any attempts to un/install mods for BATTLETECH are solely on us. That's why I've stayed very far away from RogueTech. Anything that I can't fix by reverifying the game files isn't worth the risk.
 
I get that.

However, not being able to resolve this by removing the mods or by performing a fresh install is terrible. There is absolutely no reason why a fresh install shouldn't work. So either they need to give us an ability to remove the data efficiently (EDIT: our save and configuration files that conflict with the fresh install), or fix the uninstall bug that obviously isn't fully uninstalling the game. There is absolutely no reason why a fresh install should not resolve this.

EDIT:

I am currently trying to uninstall/reinstall for a 4th time after following the guide a few posts up. I found the local folders that are left by the game even after removal.

EDIT2:

After finding the hidden folders in appdata, disabling cloud storage, and doing my 4th reinstall, the game FINALLY works. No save games, as expected. I am scared to log in.........
 
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