BATTLETECH - After the unity logo the screen keeps black and the game never start

[BARBOSA (Aries)]

One line summary of your issue
After the unity logo the screen keeps black and the game never start

What platform are you running the game on?

Steam

What operating system do you use?
Windows 7 SP1
Which version of the game are you running?
1.7
What DLC do you have installed?
Flashpoint,
Urban Warfare,
Shadowhawk Pack

Please explain your issue is in as much detail as possible.
After the automatic download and install of 1.7 update on steam, i tried to start the game . Everything go as usual until unity logo fades. A white changing number appears on upper right corner of the screen and the game never starts, even though the mouse arrow change from windows standard to what is seen in the game.
Have you tried verifying your files?
Yes

Steps to reproduce the issue
Start the game and wait.

Attach DxDiag (PC), System Info log (Mac), or run sudo lshw -html > specs.html and uploaded specs.html (Linux)

Attach Output Log
Windows: BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\output_log.txt
Mac OS: Users >{name} > Library > Logs > Unity > Player.log
Linux: ~/.config/unity3d/Harebrained Schemes/BATTLETECH/Player.log

If the game crashed, please attach the crash file with the time stamp closest to the crash.
Windows: [Steam library folder]\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\DumpBox
OSX: Macintosh HD > Users > [username] > Library > Application Support > Steam > steamapps > common > BattleTech > DumpBox
Linux: [Steam library folder]/steamapps/common/BATTLETECH/DumpBox

If a save game was loaded at the start of the game session, upload it. Please make sure to upload the save game with the timestamp closest to when you loaded it.
Windows:
Steam: [Steam installation folder]\userdata[SteamID]\637090\remote\C0\SGS1
GOG: 'C:\Users\USER_ID\AppData\Local\GOG.com\Galaxy\Applications\50593543263669699\Storage\Shared\Files\C#\SGS#'
Vanilla:'C:\Users\USER_ID\AppData\LocalLow\Harebrained Schemes\BattleTech\C#\SGS#'
OSX:
Steam: Macintosh HD > Users > [username] > Library > Application Support > Steam > userdata > [SteamID] > 637090 > remote > C#> SGS#
GOG: Macintosh HD > Users > [username] > Library > Application Support > GOG.com > Galaxy > Applications > 50593543263669699 > Storage > Shared > Files > C# > SGS#
Vanilla: Macintosh HD > Users > [username]> Library > Application Support > unity.Harebrained Schemes.BattleTech > C# > SGG#
Linux:
Steam: /home/.steam/steam/userdata/[steamID]/637090/remote/C#/SGS#
GOG: /home/[username]/.config/unity3d/Harebrained Schemes/BATTLETECH/remote/C#/SGS#/
Vanilla: /home/[username]/.config/unity3d/Harebrained Schemes/BATTLETECH/remote/C#/SGS#/

Attach screenshot / video

 

[The_Pet]

Hi, I'm getting the same issue, here's the hardware and software details I got off Steam please let me know if you need anything else, but I will probably need you to explain how to get it. I have also done a clean uninstall and validation of files to no success.

Computer Information:
Manufacturer: NOVATECH LTD
Model: PC-2153M
Form Factor: Desktop
No Touch Input Detected

Processor Information:
CPU Vendor: AuthenticAMD
CPU Brand: AMD FX(tm)-8320 Eight-Core Processor
CPU Family: 0x15
CPU Model: 0x2
CPU Stepping: 0x0
CPU Type: 0x0
Speed: 3516 Mhz
8 logical processors
4 physical processors
HyperThreading: Supported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Supported
SSE41: Supported
SSE42: Supported
AES: Supported
AVX: Supported
AVX2: Unsupported
AVX512F: Unsupported
AVX512PF: Unsupported
AVX512ER: Unsupported
AVX512CD: Unsupported
AVX512VNNI: Unsupported
SHA: Unsupported
CMPXCHG16B: Supported
LAHF/SAHF: Supported
PrefetchW: Unsupported

Operating System Version:
Windows 10 (64 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0

Video Card:
Driver: Radeon (TM) RX 470 Graphics
DirectX Driver Name: aticfx32.dll
Driver Version: 26.20.13031.18002
DirectX Driver Version: 26.20.13031.18002
Driver Date: 11 15 2019
OpenGL Version: 4.6
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 59 Hz
DirectX Card: Radeon (TM) RX 470 Graphics
VendorID: 0x1002
DeviceID: 0x67df
Revision: 0xcf
Number of Monitors: 2
Number of Logical Video Cards: 2
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Desktop Resolution: 3840 x 1080
Primary Display Size: 18.78" x 10.55" (21.54" diag)
47.7cm x 26.8cm (54.7cm diag)
Primary Bus Type Not Detected
Primary VRAM Not Detected
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x

Sound card:
Audio device: Speakers (Realtek High Definiti

Memory:
RAM: 16341 Mb

Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Media Type: DVD
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 2168585 Mb
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 1153643 Mb
OS Install Date: Jan 01 1970
Game Controller: None detected
VR Headset: None detected

Found the post about how to get the logs so I've added them.

 

[Mr Morden]

I am also getting the same issue - very annoyed

 

[Eelectrica]

One thing I've done is to create another user account in windows and run it from there. It works for me with the 1.8 update and HM expansion with a new user profile.
I haven't yet figured out why my main windows profile doesn't work with the game however. Still if you want to get the game running at least, it's worth a try.

Rolling back to 1.6.2 also works. Doesn't help if you want to play the HM expansion pack of course.

 

[Thorvald-TB]

Same issue here, using GOG. Just purchased seasons pass, installed all, startup and bam black screen after logos. No audio or anything. Used to work fine back when it just came out of kickstarter.

Fix the bug HBS... it's all over various forums.

 

[Blackadar]

The game worked on 1.8...for a day. Then I hit a mission that didn't load and all hell broke loose. The game wouldn't exit, forcing me to actually shut down. When I restarted the computer Steam showed BATTLETECH as UNINSTALLED!!! I reinstalled and the system wouldn't see the files at all. I verified the files, which updated a couple and then tried again. No joy. Then I went through a normal Steam uninstall. No joy. I then did the complicated uninstall - LocalRow, Saves and Game - and reinstalled. No joy.

There's nothing left on my end that I can try. Note I play WITHOUT mods and have 565 hours in this game. I've had zero hardware changes since release, including until and through today. So this isn't a mod issue and it's not a new hardware issue.

Looking forward to the fix.

 

[AndrewT]

The game worked on 1.8...for a day. Then I hit a mission that didn't load and all hell broke loose. The game wouldn't exit, forcing me to actually shut down. When I restarted the computer Steam showed BATTLETECH as UNINSTALLED!!! I reinstalled and the system wouldn't see the files at all. I verified the files, which updated a couple and then tried again. No joy. Then I went through a normal Steam uninstall. No joy. I then did the complicated uninstall - LocalRow, Saves and Game - and reinstalled. No joy.

There's nothing left on my end that I can try. Note I play WITHOUT mods and have 565 hours in this game. I've had zero hardware changes since release, including until and through today. So this isn't a mod issue and it's not a new hardware issue.

Looking forward to the fix.

Your problem is unrelated to the issue discussed in this thread, you have:

InvalidProtocolBufferException: Protocol message contained an invalid tag (zero).
at Google.Protobuf.CodedInputStream.ReadTag () [0x0011b] in <f9cf94bbbfb041d0abe88cee5be00fc7>:0

Please go to C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\LocalLow\Harebrained Schemes\BATTLETECH\ and delete the profiles.dat file .
Note it may be under Local, LocalLow or Roaming, depending.

 

[AndrewT]

Same issue here, using GOG. Just purchased seasons pass, installed all, startup and bam black screen after logos. No audio or anything. Used to work fine back when it just came out of kickstarter.

Fix the bug HBS... it's all over various forums.

You may or may not have the same issue as the others here; your output_log,txt will tell that.

And try post #83 above, does that help you too?

 

[Blackadar]

Your problem is unrelated to the issue discussed in this thread, you have:

Please go to C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\LocalLow\Harebrained Schemes\BATTLETECH\ and delete the profiles.dat file .
Note it may be under Local, LocalLow or Roaming, depending.

With all due respect, if you read my post a bit more carefully you'd see that I already did that. I deleted EVERYTHING for HBS in LocalRow. It doesn't work (and HBS doesn't have folders in Local or Roaming).

So this issue remains and has very much the same symptoms that everyone else here has described.

 

[AndrewT]

With all due respect, if you read my post a bit more carefully you'd see that I already did that. I deleted EVERYTHING for HBS in LocalRow. It doesn't work (and HBS doesn't have folders in Local or Roaming).

So this issue remains and has very much the same symptoms that everyone else here has described.

Did that error go away after deleting that file?

InvalidProtocolBufferException: Protocol message contained an invalid tag (zero).
at Google.Protobuf.CodedInputStream.ReadTag () [0x0011b] in <f9cf94bbbfb041d0abe88cee5be00fc7>:0

If so it was a problem in its own right that would have stopped the game loading, whether you perhaps also had the issue being discussed here. Not that I've seen users with two unrelated problems like that, but there's always a first time!

 

[Kraal Rokviente]

I've got the same issue as Eelectrica, , game works with 1.6 bute when I switch to 1.8 or the screen keeps black after the first three icons. I will fall back to 1.6 and hope that sometimes a fix will be available to solve that issue.
I've already deleted the profiles.dat but that didn't changed anything.

 

[Mandatory Rat]

Hi folks! Same problem. Returned to the game after the release of HM, and all I see is a black screen after the Unity logo
I have a Steam version all DLC etc.
I tried a "clean" installation and all of the above options (without reinstalling the system ofc) - there is no result.
I rolled back to version 1.6.2 (works), when I return to the current version - again a black screen.

 

[The_Pet]

One thing I've done is to create another user account in windows and run it from there. It works for me with the 1.8 update and HM expansion with a new user profile.
I haven't yet figured out why my main windows profile doesn't work with the game however. Still if you want to get the game running at least, it's worth a try.

Rolling back to 1.6.2 also works. Doesn't help if you want to play the HM expansion pack of course.

I'd like to thank Eelectrica for suggesting this, I created a new windows user account and can now play Battletech with all the expansions and patches.

 

[Hobby]

I'd like to thank Eelectrica for suggesting this, I created a new windows user account and can now play Battletech with all the expansions and patches.

Okay then, AndrewT... Are there any dependances between game and user profiles? They are, right. Which one? What are they like? Is there some list with ALL game dependances? Can we see it, please? We are close to solving this issue I think....

EDIT: I just tried to make a new user profile -- Asdf. Mr. Asdf is an administrator. Then I log out and relogged in as Mr. Asdf.

Found Steam, ran Steam (I need to make new login to my Steam account) and ran Battletech. After 3 logos was significant FPS drop (to 1 ~ 3 fps) for a few seconds. Then the game started. Version 1.8.0-629R.

After that logged to my ingame profile. Everything is OK now. Then i quit game, log out Mr. Asdf and log in my default Windows account. Then I made same test pattern - so I ran Steam (was auto-logged), ran BT and after 3 logos ... nothing. Just dark matter.

So I think it is proof that problem is in user-profile. But where?

Yesterday I have performed full uninstall od BT:
- uninstall from Steam
- deleted rest from Steam library "Battletech" in folder with that folder, too
- deleted all BT folders from %APPDATA% Local (was) + %APPDATA% LocalLow % (was) + APPDATA% Roaming (was not)
- ran Regedit and manually deleted everything with mask "harebrai" and "battlete" (almost 10 items found)
- then I scanned all my HDD for the same mask and deleted all the rest files (if it were any)
- then I manually deleted %temp% and %tmp%
- I performed full scan by CCleaner (all 3 phases - brief + deep scan % registry scan)
<reboot>
- I performed full scan by CCleaner again for resting formerly loaded anything (nothing found)
<reboot again>

Then I ran Steam and made clear install of BT

U know the rest - nothing happened - just dark matter

EDIT2: IMHO the key is in hotkey Current user in Regedit. Everything else is the same in working & in non-working version (same game files, same HW, same Steam install, ...) Am I right? What is hidden by old version (old installs - not uninstalled) there from our sight?

That must be some key, which is present in Flashpoint installation (my first clear install) and NOT present in todays (actuall) uninstallation. I hope it will be only a few registry keys). Do you have a list of this differential keys in hotkey Current User? (remember - all with mask harebrai* & battlete* was previously manually deleted from registry with its "folders"... so it must be some different key, what prevents the game from running...

EDIT3: only thing which fits to this is key HKCU - Software - Unity & Unity Technologies

EDIT4: output_log(s) clipped with:
>> Unity [ERROR] NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object <<


EDIT5: Finally solved! Solution can be found here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/battletech-3-logos-and-fps-screen-shown-forever.1260587/

 

[SaucySalamander]

Hey getting the same issue on Linux. Just bought the game(11/24) and the season pass. I did downgrade to 1.6 and it worked. I clean installed 11/24/19 twice. After the 3 logos it stays on a black screen. When I move the mouse I get the "press ESC to skip message" but ESC does not work. The attached logs are when I ran the game at version 1.8.

 

[AndrewT]

Hey getting the same issue on Linux. Just bought the game(11/24) and the season pass. I did downgrade to 1.6 and it worked. I clean installed 11/24/19 twice. After the 3 logos it stays on a black screen. When I move the mouse I get the "press ESC to skip message" but ESC does not work. The attached logs are when I ran the game at version 1.8.

So far we've only seen this issue on WIndows. I don't see any of the characteristic errors from the cases above in your log file, indeed there is no game crash or error there at all, until right near the end when it is exiting anyway.

Lots of video related errors but they don't seem to stop the game at all, not sure what to make of them to be honest.

What happens in the end, did you have to force close the app or it died or what?

 

[Gatoholico]

Hi, just have the same issue as @SaucySalamander; a black screen follows the 3 logos on linux with the [press esc] message. I had to manually kill the process. I've been playing the 1.6.2 patch just fine. Tried a clean reinstall, deleted ~/.config/unity3d/Harebrained Schemes/BATTLETECH and ~/.local/share/Steam/userdata/XXXX/637090, tried disabling shader's cache, steam's hover interface, etc.. but no luck..

 

[Hobby]

Here is the link to txt-difference maker: https://www.diffchecker.com/7Axsfx9v

row #201 in working instance (different user profile, everything else is same):

Updating id:tutorial_mechlab_01 from data/descriptions/Tutorials/MechLab/tutorial_mechlab_01.json to data/descriptions/Tutorials/MechLab/tutorial_mechlab_01.json


row #201 in non-working instance (main user profile, everything else is same like in working profile):

Unity [ERROR] NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object


row #201 <-------------- so this is the point, where the first major difference occur in Output_log -- followed by loading resources in working version, and by nothing in non-working instance.


ie. This row making the difference: "Updating id:tutorial_mechlab_01 from data/descriptions/Tutorials/MechLab/tutorial_mechlab_01.json to data/descriptions/Tutorials/MechLab/tutorial_mechlab_01.json" and my question is: "what is this row doing exactly?" Does anyone know?

EDIT: relative path is related to

<drive_with_steam_library>:\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_data\StreamingAssets

EDIT2: This json file in an array type file which consist of:

{
"Id" : "tutorial_mechlab_01",
"Name" : "Mech Lab Overview",
"Details" : "This tutorial will cover the basics of Mech Lab functionality. You can dismiss it at any time by clicking the Back button, and you can review this information at any time by clicking the \"?\" button in the upper left corner of your screen.",
"Icon" : "00-TutorialOverview"
}

...nothing more. Just this. One profile can handle this, another can't. Leading to user-rights, but it has been checked and renewed (users -- full control, everybody else too)

EDIT3: Finally solved! Solution can be found here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/battletech-3-logos-and-fps-screen-shown-forever.1260587/

 

[SaucySalamander]

So far we've only seen this issue on WIndows. I don't see any of the characteristic errors from the cases above in your log file, indeed there is no game crash or error there at all, until right near the end when it is exiting anyway.

Lots of video related errors but they don't seem to stop the game at all, not sure what to make of them to be honest.

What happens in the end, did you have to force close the app or it died or what?

@AndrewT I had to force close the app(CTRL C) which was the error at the end. I was experiencing the same symptoms on Linux so I thought maybe it was something common between Windows and Linux that was causing it. I'll try to continue looking through the forums and see if anyone had similar video related errors that are causing these same symptoms. Thank you for taking a look.

 

[AndrewT]

Hi, just have the same issue as @SaucySalamander; a black screen follows the 3 logos on linux with the [press esc] message. I had to manually kill the process. I've been playing the 1.6.2 patch just fine. Tried a clean reinstall, deleted ~/.config/unity3d/Harebrained Schemes/BATTLETECH and ~/.local/share/Steam/userdata/XXXX/637090, tried disabling shader's cache, steam's hover interface, etc.. but no luck..

1.6.2 ? So 1.7.x also had this problem, or a problem, for you?

 

[hunterblood]

Was just told to post this here. Having the same black screen issue.