GOG\Stellaris 3.4.3\Launcher 2022.8\Installation of this mod failed

[Mazianni]

I receive "Installation of this mod failed" error in the Paradox launcher.

I would provide additional details, but when I attempt to do so, the anti-spam/anti-bot filtering blocks me posting technical details.

 

[Mazianni]

Mod: UI Overhall Dynamic
(Supports 3.4.x)

Environment

• GOG 2.0.51 Beta
• Stellaris 3.4.3
• Launcher 2022.8
• Windows 10 20H2 19042.1706
• Intel i7-7700K
• NVIDIA GTX 1070
• 16 MB Ram
• 1T SSD, 363 GB free

Symptoms identified

• Mod is subscribed in Paradox Mods website UI
• Paradox Launcher shows mod under All installed Mods but with "Installation of this mod failed" (Red triangle exclamation)
• Mod does not appear to download fully to %userprofile%\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Stellaris\mod

Actions attempted

• Verified installation via GOG
• Unsubscribed from mod, deleted mods_registry.json, deleted launcher-v2.sqlite, /mod/ folder and all contents, restarted Launcher, re-subscribed
• Repeated the above, but also re-launched GOG as an admin user before restarting Launcher

Actions not available

• No second computer to attempt installation of Stellaris & mod installation on

 

[AndrewT]

Mod does not appear to download fully to %userprofile%\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Stellaris\mod

When you say "fully" you mean it is partially there in some way?


What antivirus app do you use? You need to make sure all these apps are in its exceptions lists:

stellaris.exe and dowser.exe (in the Steam Stellaris folder)
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2022.8/paradox launcher.exe
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

 

[Mazianni]

When you say "fully" you mean it is partially there in some way?


What antivirus app do you use? You need to make sure all these apps are in its exceptions lists:

stellaris.exe and dowser.exe (in the Steam Stellaris folder)
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2022.8/paradox launcher.exe
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

I expect a descriptor.mod file in the root folder of the mod folder, for example

%userprofile%\documents\paradox interactive\stellaris\mod\mycustommodfolder\descriptor.mod

I also expect at least a common and localisation folder

The only thing that downloads is a repository.json and repository.json.asc in a ...\mod\pdx_1166\.cpatch\{guid}\ folder

I have shut off my antivirus (turned it completely off) for the purposes of testing after you ask this question. It does not change anything.

The error says something went wrong either on your side, or my internet is not working. Since I am, in fact, getting a partial download of the mod but not a full download, and given everything I've done to test, I'm not convinced the problem is local. However blaming it on my internet seems like an easy cop out and the equivalent of saying "please don't buy anymore paradox games." (I just spend the last week downloading and playing demos from Steam's NextFest. I've re-downloaded a number of old games that I've had in my Steam library as well. I've been trying to find something to play but I haven't been having much luck-- which is why I returned to Stellaris in hopes that it would solve my ennui with the games I have... I even attempted download of mods via Steam Workshop, and even tried pulling down a mod for RimWorld (also purchased via GOG) by way of SteamCMD... but RimWorld wouldn't take mods either. Long story short, too late-- it's not my internet... and GOG doesn't have a mod workshop like Steam, plus the Paradox Launcher is what is responsible for downloading the mod. So I don't feel comfortable attributing it to the only thing RimWorld and Stellaris have in common, GOG.)


Also, I have built a very very simple mod, which I have the files locally installed... the game will run with my custom mod installed. (This is how I know that a descriptor.mod file is expected in the mod contents.)

I just wanted to try a different UI to see if things would be any better. (The amount of data presented during the end game can be a bit overwhelming.)


Also, I looked in the log folder and none of the log files are updating. If there is a log file elsewhere (such as in %appdata% that I should be looking for, I'm interested to know.

 

[AndrewT]

Game log files are in Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/ and Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/logs/

Launcher log files are in C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/

Neither of them log mod installation or use though!


I just installed 2 mods from the PDX mods site by subscription there. One only made a file ucg_xxxxxx.mod , the other a folder pdx_22373 and file pdx_22373.mod , that's all. Neither have the descriptor file you mention. They both appear to work fine.

 

[Mazianni]

Game log files are in Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/ and Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/logs/

Launcher log files are in C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/

Neither of them log mod installation or use though!


I just installed 2 mods from the PDX mods site by subscription there. One only made a file ucg_xxxxxx.mod , the other a folder pdx_22373 and file pdx_22373.mod , that's all. Neither have the descriptor file you mention. They both appear to work fine.

Something in my reply keeps triggering the antispam/antibot... so I'm going to have to post it in pieces to figure out what it is...

First, are you sure of that?

%localappdata%\Paradox Interactive\launcher-v2\logs\cpatch.log contains a reference to the {guid} folder that is created when I download the mod. There is (what appears to me to be) a meaningful log entry in cpatch.log

I found this starting point in the logs that references the {guid}

(see cpatch.log.txt attached)

Within that folder is the _keys folder with a public.gpg (I didn't mention this before because I wasn't certain of its relevance.)

When you google this it says it's a GnuPG public key

-- but this is where it downloads the repository.json and repository.json.asc

ergo, the cpatch.log does contain mod installation data.

The most relevant line appears to be

2022-06-20 10:26:08 [daemon] [ERROR] patch size: downloading repo metadata: failed to verify repository.json signature: openpgp: signature made by unknown entity

The failure seems to be a GnuPG signature issue on the downloaded mod. (Probably not even on the mod itself, but instead the repository.json that tells the patcher what files need to be retrieved in order for the mod to be successfully installed.)

The repository.json contains inferences to something that should be downloaded and version info

If you look up the mod (When I attempt to mention paradox plaza dot com the antispam tech prevents me from posting a reply-- so I can't post a link to the mod... but it's 1166... the name of the mod is in the first post.)

You will find that this mod has had 26 versions (just like the repository.json indicates)

The dates of the mod versions line up with the repository.json file. (see attached copy)

The contents of the repository.json.asc is a PGP signature in ascii format. Presumably this is the signature that fails to validate against the downloaded repository.json.

Clearly this isn't an internet issue, and it's also not a system permissions issue.

 

[AndrewT]

Something in my reply keeps triggering the antispam/antibot... so I'm going to have to post it in pieces to figure out what it is...

Users with low post counts cannot include links in their posts. This is a forum anti-spam measure.

Anything else ought to be okay, just no links.

 

[AndrewT]

Clearly this isn't an internet issue, and it's also not a system permissions issue.

I can't say I completely followed you there, but I think you're saying this is either a bug in the mod or the launcher?

Either way it would affect every user of this mod - can you contact its author to see if that is so?

Note that patch 1.6.1 came out last night so the mod will likely need to be updated now.

 

[Void Brain]

Hey, did you ever fix this Mazianni? I'm having the same issue with the newest version of UI Overhaul while trying to install it into my copy of Stellaris (GOG). I get the installation failed notification. Hovering over the red triangle alert says that the metadata wasn't able to be fetched. I also notice that in my /mod/ folder in my Documents that the mod seems partially downloaded. No actual mod files are there, just some JSON files. Gonna try with Firefox and see if it's an issue with the launcher communicating with the browser.

EDIT: The above browser switch did not work. I'll also note that my antivirus is off.

I can't say I completely followed you there, but I think you're saying this is either a bug in the mod or the launcher?

Either way it would affect every user of this mod - can you contact its author to see if that is so?

Note that patch 1.6.1 came out last night so the mod will likely need to be updated now.

This isn't how bugs work. A bug doesn't need to affect every system and/or configuration. That being said, you can google how many people are affected by this issue. Clearly the Stellaris launcher does not know how to properly fetch/parse JSON data.

 

[Mazianni]

Hey, did you ever fix this Mazianni?

I gave up and uninstalled.

The response "I don't say I completely followed you there" is the lowest effort dismissal I've seen anywhere and "contact the author" about problems with the mod installer (Paradox Launcher) is counter intuitive. Mod author has nothing to do with how Paradox stores or retrieves the mod. The provided logs showed that the version the launcher was trying to download didn't have "a valid signature" which is a problem for the launcher. If it doesn't pull down the right version for the signature, or it cannot authenticate signature, then the mod file is always going to fail to install.

I don't want to have to try to reverse engineer mod installation to figure out what's gone wrong. Paradox clearly doesn't care.

It was good that you pinged me. I was feeling the urge to maybe pick up some of the DLC that I'd missed, because I did kind of like this game... but it was timely to get a reminder that I can't use mods and support is terrible. Kudos

Edit: I can create my own mods locally and they work fine. The GnuPG encryption signature is just never valid when I download any mods from Paradox's library. Either the mod file it's pulling down is the wrong one, for some reason (for every single mod) or the validation signature it's pulling down is the wrong one, or both. The fact that the mod[erator] wanted to say that there are no mod install logs when mod installation & file signature checks are actually logged tell me everything else I need to know about Paradox support.