Launcher problems under Linux

[Hubbabub]

When I try to start up Stellaris in Steam as a Linux app, I get this every time.
(I don't have that problem with Hearts of Iron IV)
When I change, and use it as a Windows app using Proton, I don't get this “Steam runtime communication error”.

I can start Stellaris with the Play, as a Linux app, I don't get any DLCs or Mods added.
When I start it as a Windows app using Proton, I get the DLCs and Mods, but much of the graphics are gone.

 

[AndrewT]

Given that those two games use the same installation of the same launcher, it's a puzzle why one sees this and the other does not.

I don't see any relevant errors in those logs. Has this game always been like this for you, or it was okay up to some point?

What happens if you hit IGNORE on there?

 

[Hubbabub]

Given that those two games use the same installation of the same launcher, it's a puzzle why one sees this and the other does not.

I don't see any relevant errors in those logs. Has this game always been like this for you, or it was okay up to some point?

What happens if you hit IGNORE on there?

The problems started around the time the DLC “Astral Planes” was released, before that it worked as it should.

If I click on the Ignore button, I can usually/sometimes start the game, but no DLCs or Mods gets loaded
In the Launchers DLC menu, the DLCs can't get verified
Mods don't show up in the Launchers Mods menu

 

[AndrewT]

If you make a new Windows user on this machine and log into it with that, do you still see this issue?

 

[Hubbabub]

When I load Stellaris as a Windows app using Proton, the Launcher works as it should.
But when I have started the game it looks like this

 

[Hubbabub]

If I roll back Stellaris to the old version, Caelum 2.9.3 (as a Linux app) the Launcher (2023.15) works
(DLCs has been verified and Mods are showing)
But the game crashes.

---

If I roll back Stellaris to the old version, Caelum 2.9.3 (as a Windows app with Proton) the Launcher (2023.15) works
(DLCs has been verified and Mods are showing)
The game starts, but much of the graphics is gone (same as "before")

 

[AndrewT]

Sorry, my last update was dumb.

Try disconnecting the machine from the internet then starting the game up. Once n the main menu, reconnect the internet. Does that work okay then?

 

[Deterok]

Oh, this is unbelievable. I’ve been waiting for two weeks to play the game… How could this happen…
Two weeks...
Why don’t you fix the bugs related to launching the game, why are they not a priority?

 

[AndrewT]

Oh, this is unbelievable. I’ve been waiting for two weeks to play the game… How could this happen…
Two weeks...
Why don’t you fix the bugs related to launching the game, why are they not a priority?

Did the above workaround not help you?

Have you opted into the beta of the next patch?

[DEV TEAM] 3.10.2 "Pyxis" Steam Open Beta

Hello! We've just released an update to the Stellaris Test branch on Steam, containing the 3.10.2 patch that is currently in certification for release later this week. Of particular note, this release includes a fix to a common MacOS crash (that...

forum.paradoxplaza.com

 

[Hubbabub]

Sorry, my last update was dumb.

Try disconnecting the machine from the internet then starting the game up. Once n the main menu, reconnect the internet. Does that work okay then?

It did not work for me
I tried it 3 different ways, no go
(Also with the new update)

 

[AndrewT]

It did not work for me
I tried it 3 different ways, no go
(Also with the new update)

That is disappointing, that means you have a different issue to everyone else. Quite what I do not know!


Please do a full **clean** re-install, now the new patch is out:

- move any valued save games elsewhere, and user empire designs.txt from /Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/ if you have made any custom empires or races.
- "uninstall" in Steam-Stellaris
- manually delete both the Steam/SteamApps/common/Stellaris AND Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris folders - In particular you need to make sure there are no files or folders left under either the Steam Stellaris or Documents Stellaris locations, before installing again.
- re-install game in Steam, run a Steam Verify when done.
- start the game with no mods active and test


If that doesn't help:

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/settings.txt and pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log , exceptions.log .

Also in Steam please click on Steam-Help-System Info, and paste everything there into a text file and attach that here.

 

[Modin676]

When I load Stellaris as a Windows app using Proton, the Launcher works as it should.
But when I have started the game it looks like thisView attachment 1055696View attachment 1055698View attachment 1055700View attachment 1055699

Thanks a lot, this is the same for me. And when I disable proton and start the linux version it will do with the usuall crash report popping up . Next time I want to start, it wont.

 

[Modin676]

That is disappointing, that means you have a different issue to everyone else. Quite what I do not know!


Please do a full **clean** re-install, now the new patch is out:

- move any valued save games elsewhere, and user empire designs.txt from /Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/ if you have made any custom empires or races.
- "uninstall" in Steam-Stellaris
- manually delete both the Steam/SteamApps/common/Stellaris AND Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris folders - In particular you need to make sure there are no files or folders left under either the Steam Stellaris or Documents Stellaris locations, before installing again.
- re-install game in Steam, run a Steam Verify when done.
- start the game with no mods active and test


If that doesn't help:

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/settings.txt and pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log , exceptions.log .

Also in Steam please click on Steam-Help-System Info, and paste everything there into a text file and attach that here.

thank you for the advice, I uninstalled and deleted any stellaris instance on my Tumbleweed, and next time I have time, i will try reinstalling and will give you feedback here

PS: I just tried, wont start from Steam on native.

 

[kevin-ditscheid]

Same problem here with 3.10.3

I used Proton to start and the launcher was working there. This is what others already mentioned in this thread.

I reset the compatiility mode and the game scheduled an update of itself. After completing of the update, I got a new error message:

the launcher seems to work, but I renamed the file of that error message anyways and restarted it and it seems to work now.
I am curious about the version number of that launcher though, shouldn't 2023.15 be a newer version then 2023.2?

 

[AndrewT]

shouldn't 2023.15 be a newer version then 2023.2?

Yes, definitely. But we see the orange dot up the top-right there, which means it has installed an update.

 

[kevin-ditscheid]

Yes, definitely. But we see the orange dot up the top-right there, which means it has installed an update.

Indeed, it is broken again with 2023.15.
I think the compatibility mode jumps to 2023.2, because I have a folder for this launcher present under ~/.paradoxlauncher. The compatibilitymode might jump to that launcher and it gets registered for the game somehow, so the native version starts up with the old launcher.
If I restart Steam, the game updates the launcher to 2023.15 and is broken again.
The launcher also seems to have problems creating a log file, because I don't have one in .local/share/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/logs.

 

[AndrewT]

2023.15 have been confirmed to fix the launcher startup issue we had in Linux under 2023.14. Why you get such problems with it I do not know!

The launcher also seems to have problems creating a log file, because I don't have one in .local/share/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/logs.

Hmmmm, they should definitely be there:

• $XDG_DATA_HOME/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/logs/ (if $XDG_DATA_HOME is set)
• ~/.local/share/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/logs/ (if $XDG_DATA_HOME is not set)

Maybe a file system access issue?

 

[kevin-ditscheid]

I fixed my issue (I think).
So, I noticed, that the Stellaris game folder hat .exe files inside them, without the compatibility mode enabled in the Steam settings.
I reenabled the compatibility mode and the Game did not update. I disabled the compatibility mode and all the game files updated to the linux version.

With this mess discovered, I closed Steam and opened it again and somehow Steam updated the game again to the windows version, without the compatibility mode being enabled.
I tried to reinstall the game, but Steam did download the Windows version again.
Somehow, it got the idea, that I needed the Windows version by default.

My solution was to enable compatiility mode and disabling it right after, so Steam downloaded the Linux version. I then closed Steam, restarted it and then stopped the update of the game files to the Windows version in the download overview.
I then enabled compatibility mode again and disabled it right after and the update got removed from queue.
Now it seems like Steam knows that I am on Linux with that game again and doesn't try to update it to the Windows version anymore.

Very weird behaviour I never encountered before.

 

[AndrewT]

I had a similar report last week, whether here or in a ZenDesk ticket I don't recall. Like you, I don't know how Steam decides what OS you have.

What distro do you use? The previous case was on one I hadn't come across before.

 

[Aleios10]

This looks like a fun little steam problem? Either that or there's some metadata issue with the launcher and steam ident?

Make sure forced compat tool is off. Remove the wine prefix from compatdata if exists. Close steam. Reopen. Check if it is trying to download the runtime and stellaris again.

If so, it's steam deciding that the game is better run under WINE. Likely getting a communication error because it's just launched inside the wine prefix.

The way I 'fixed' it is to use 'Steam-Play-None' which you can get via proton-up. There's a github repo for it too. It's just a stub that tells steam to bugger off.

I don't know how steam determines all this, but there might be something Paradox can do here?

Just for reference:

Distro: Arch Linux
Kernel: 6.6.4-zen
Paths: ~/.local/share/Paradox Interactive, ~/.paradoxinteractive
Erroneous wine paths: ~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Paradox Interactive, ~/.wine/drive_c/users/user/App Data/Paradox Interactive

I also did not enable steam play initially, it simply decided it's a windows game now.