launcher is broken, game won't launch, already tried reinstalling multiple times.

[Mikesrevenge]

I recently bought stellaris on steam and so far it has been an absolute nightmare of a program to use.
So first off when i clicked on stellaris it came up with "bootstrap error" and the launcher refused to open.
So i followed the instructions on other posts and deleted everything to do with stellaris and paradox interactive then reinstalled. Eventually the launcher would work but then when i tried launching the game from the launcher it says "failed to load game" and "something went wrong, contact support". I then tried the other suggestions, border-less windowed, add to ransomware exclusion in windows defender etc to no avail. After this it no longer showed the mod section at all in the launcher. Launching the game standalone does work but using this method i can't even use mods which is alot of the reason i bought it on pc in the first place.

The idea of having a separate launcher after buying a game from a service like steam that already has all the functionality needed for mods and dlc is just infuriating because it leads to situations like this. As far as i can see the launcher is a pretty big source of error's and bugs judging by this tech support forum and the sheer frequency of very similar issues relating to it.

Regardless i have included the log files and hope for some semblance of help so i can get back to playing one of my favorite games.

 

[AndrewT]

I removed some unacceptable text from your post. Please don't be insulting when you post, it doesn't help and won't get your problem fixed faster.

The idea of having a separate launcher after buying a game from a service like steam that already has all the functionality needed for mods and dlc

FYI there always was a launcher for this game that handled enabling/disabling mods, they were never handled by Steam. The only difference is now is the launcher is a separate app with its own dev team, so only one installation handles all the games instead of each one having its own launcher.


The launcher has installed and updated to 2020.15 successfully, according to those logs. But is having a Windows permissions problem trying to run:

2020-12-10 19:59:14 [launcher] [ERROR] Couldn't start the launcher:
%s fork/exec C:\Users\mckyi\AppData\Local\Programs\Paradox Interactive\launcher-v2.2020.15\Paradox Launcher.exe: The requested operation requires elevation.
2020-12-10 19:59:18 [main] [CRITICAL] fork/exec C:\Users\mckyi\AppData\Local\Programs\Paradox Interactive\launcher-v2.2020.15\Paradox Launcher.exe: The requested operation requires elevation.

I'm frankly not sure what could cause that, especially as it did work at one point, according to your narrative. You have specifically added the launcher .exe from that folder to the Ransomware exclusion list?

What if you run steam.exe as the Windows Admin user, does it get past that point?

 

[Mikesrevenge]

I ran steam as admin and started the game that way and the same result as before, the launcher loads but the game wont load. I've never had to put a game on the ransomware exclusion list but after doing so for this game their was no difference, it still doesn't load. Everything's set to run as administrator, the launcher exe, the game exe. Everything to do with paradox and stellaris.
After reinstalling the game again, the launcher is reverting back to the "bootstrapper error, couldn't start launcher" error. When i run it through steam the same error occurs but next to the play button it says "synchronizing cloud" briefly before crashing. Would the launcher being blocked by the firewall and therefore not able to connect to the cloud cause it to crash like this?

I meant that this is the first time trying to play the game on PC but i've had it on the PS4 for months now, i only recently bought it on PC.
Perhaps is their a way to install mods without having to use the launcher to run them or are mods strictly tied to the launcher?

 

[Mikesrevenge]

So, slight update.
I uninstalled everything again and reinstalled it in a newly created folder on my D: drive, this finally made the launcher launch every time.
Now, the only problem remaining is that i can't launch the game from the launcher, it still comes up "launching the game failed" and "contact support".
By any chance does the launcher look for the game in a specific location? If so is their a way to change what file it looks in to find the stellaris executable?

 

[AndrewT]

Perhaps is their a way to install mods without having to use the launcher to run them or are mods strictly tied to the launcher?

1. Find the file "dlc_load.json", located in Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/
2. Right click it and select Edit (this can be done in any text editor)
3. To enable mods, add them to the "enabled_mods" list

This is what your file should look like:

{
"disabled_dlcs":[],
"enabled_mods":["mod/ugc_1792575623.mod"]
}

You get those mod ugc_ filenames from the Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/mod/ folder.

By any chance does the launcher look for the game in a specific location?

It should find it wherever it is installed; all my games are on D: and it all works fine. I suspect you may have an new issue; if you run stellaris.exe from the new location does it start okay or error also?

 

[Mikesrevenge]

When i launch the game from the new location (D drive it runs just fine using the .exe but not with the launcher. I'll try using the method for mods you stated above and if that works i might just leave it at that and abandon trying to use the launcher.