resolved 2.7.0.4625 Open Beta crash at second mission load

[Art-J]

^ It's true people might have been a bit overenthusiastic about possible solutions, but one thing is certain - even if these are not 100% solutions of the problem, at least they reduce the frequency of the crashes, so they're not entirely "fake news". From a few CTDs per day down to CTD every 2-3 days on my PC is an improvement - somewhat acceptable for Open Beta. I sure hope, however, solution will be found before pushing the patch to the stable.

[Ironhand]

1 hour ago, scoobie said:

...Another way of DCS "going wrong" (other than just crashing) is that I get this funny "freeze" sometimes. DCS stops in a mission load screen, with progress bar full and "Mission Load Done" status string. The hard drive remains silent (no activity), nothing happens, as if DCS was actually running happily. No crash. You may wait 10 minutes, but you'll find it stuck in this mission load screen. I've never been patient enough to wait longer...

 

I get that as well. You can wait until the cows come home and you won't see something different because, behind the screen you are seeing is one that says the sim has crashed and asks if you you want to report it. It's actually the active window but the frozen video display won't let you see it.  You'll see it, though, if you alt-tab. The way to access it is to alt-tab to the frozen screen and click the close app "X" in the upper right corner. That will allow the crash request to come to the front as the frozen window changes to one asking if you really want to exit. It won't accept any response but it'll close after you respond to the crash report window.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Ironhand

[scoobie]

Thanks for clarifications, Ironhand, Art-J!
In that case I'll just try some more tips given in this thread.

[petsild]

I have a solution that I started using to save time, I always give only one mission.
I will end the DCS and run again, I have a 99% certainty to connect to the server.

[Flappie]

Solution from Ironhand and The Gray Weasel worked for Miguel21. I edited my list of solutions since it seems to be the most reliable workaround so far.

I copy-paste it here for all to test:

 

Before starting DCS:

• Empty C:\Users\username\Saved Games\DCS...\fxo
• Empty %TEMP%\DCS.openbeta
• Empty %TEMP%\DCS (only if you can't found DCS.openbeta)

After your mission is over (you must do this after each mission) :

• Go to Main menu, Settings, and simply click "OK".
• Load any mission : DCS shouldn't crash anymore.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Flappie

[Burt]

I thought this was interesting. Possibly something in the driver packages could be causing some kind of affect. I usually just custom/clean install and didn’t know anything about this process.

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by Burt

[Rocky49]

This last update made, for me, a situation where I am seeing 2nd mission crashes, Crashes of Steam VR, constant stutters, frame rate fluxuating between 35- 53.  I have tried most of the work arounds suggested and none make the program playable.  The last update was the cause of all these issues for me.  on Wednesday the 5th I played DCS for hours, no issues at all.  I have maintained my Computer with update drivers, Windows 10 updates, etc, and made no change to them since before the 5th May. DCS BROKE THEIR SIMULATION. Please fix it.

[captain_dalan]

5 hours ago, Flappie said:

Solution from Ironhand and The Gray Weasel worked for Miguel21. I edited my list of solutions since it seems to be the most reliable workaround so far.

I copy-paste it here for all to test:

 

Before starting DCS:

• Empty C:\Users\username\Saved Games\DCS...\fxo
• Empty %TEMP%\DCS.openbeta
• Empty %TEMP%\DCS (only if you can't found DCS.openbeta)

After your mission is over (you must do this after each mission) :

• Go to Main menu, Settings, and simply click "OK".
• Load any mission : DCS shouldn't crash anymore.

 

Good tips! Thanks.
What about dogfight servers and respawning? Do we have to disconnect after every fight that we lose?

[II.JG1_Vonrd]

8 hours ago, Flappie said:

Solution from Ironhand and The Gray Weasel worked for Miguel21. I edited my list of solutions since it seems to be the most reliable workaround so far.

I copy-paste it here for all to test:

 

Before starting DCS:

• Empty C:\Users\username\Saved Games\DCS...\fxo
• Empty %TEMP%\DCS.openbeta
• Empty %TEMP%\DCS (only if you can't found DCS.openbeta)

After your mission is over (you must do this after each mission) :

• Go to Main menu, Settings, and simply click "OK".
• Load any mission : DCS shouldn't crash anymore.

 

Didn't work for me. Still 2nd mission crash.

[Flappie]

2 hours ago, II.JG1_Vonrd said:

Didn't work for me. Still 2nd mission crash.

Argh, I thought this one would work for everyone. Thanks for your feedback.

[Nealius]

After upgrading from an 8GB card to a 12GB card, I am not seeing any more crashes, particularly this one. On my previous card I would see my VRAM maxed out, and continue to be maxed out even on the menu after exiting a game. DCS obviously has a problem with how it manages VRAM, so I wouldn't be surprised if it caused these crashes.

[Miguel21]

3 hours ago, II.JG1_Vonrd said:

Didn't work for me. Still 2nd mission crash.

That's mostly what works for me:
"Go to Main menu, Settings, and simply click "OK". "
Always to be done at the end of a mission

And in a multiplayer game, I don't change the slot, I exit the mission, "Settings and OK" and reload the MP mission.

Well, it worked for a whole evening, hoping that it continues ^^

[wernst]

2 hours ago, Nealius said:

After upgrading from an 8GB card to a 12GB card, I am not seeing any more crashes, particularly this one. On my previous card I would see my VRAM maxed out, and continue to be maxed out even on the menu after exiting a game. DCS obviously has a problem with how it manages VRAM, so I wouldn't be surprised if it caused these crashes.

 

This is a finding that makes sense for the first time. Namely, it may explain the background most of the many workarounds suggested here.

Behind the many workaround recipes suggested there seems to be always the problem of memory management, e.g. that there is not enough graphics memory available.

Especially with regard to the new graphically intensive cloud display.

 

In particular, the "second load crash" problem could be explained by the fact that the restart empties the full graphics memory.
Just a guess.

But how many people have a 12GB VRAM card?

[Nealius]

29 minutes ago, wernst said:

But how many people have a 12GB VRAM card?

 

Probably only the VR crowd like myself, unfortunately. 

[Flia]

34 minutes ago, wernst said:

 

This is a finding that makes sense for the first time. Namely, it may explain the background most of the many workarounds suggested here.

Behind the many workaround recipes suggested there seems to be always the problem of memory management, e.g. that there is not enough graphics memory available.

Especially with regard to the new graphically intensive cloud display.

 

In particular, the "second load crash" problem could be explained by the fact that the restart empties the full graphics memory.
Just a guess.

But how many people have a 12GB VRAM card?

Not many thats sure. Majority have 8 GB only. Like me

[Ironhand]

51 minutes ago, wernst said:

 

This is a finding that makes sense for the first time. Namely, it may explain the background most of the many workarounds suggested here.

Behind the many workaround recipes suggested there seems to be always the problem of memory management, e.g. that there is not enough graphics memory available.

Especially with regard to the new graphically intensive cloud display.

 

In particular, the "second load crash" problem could be explained by the fact that the restart empties the full graphics memory.
Just a guess...

 

Doesn't really explain, however, why I was able to run the sim for 96 hours straight through many missions without issues until I purposely quit to the Desktop and restarted the sim only to have it crash on the 2nd mission I tried to open.

 

And, for that matter, it doesn't even have to be a complex mission--just a simple "you sitting on the runway" for some free flight. Enter the mission the first time, sit for a second, exit, restart the mission, BANG! (With or without the new clouds.)

 

@II.JG1_Vonrd

 

Did you try either or both of the options a few times? After the 96 hour marathon, I did the delete folders that had always worked and it didn't work the first time. I did it a 2nd time and it's worked since then.

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by Ironhand

[Wali763]

2 hours ago, wernst said:

 

This is a finding that makes sense for the first time. Namely, it may explain the background most of the many workarounds suggested here.

Behind the many workaround recipes suggested there seems to be always the problem of memory management, e.g. that there is not enough graphics memory available.

Especially with regard to the new graphically intensive cloud display.

 

In particular, the "second load crash" problem could be explained by the fact that the restart empties the full graphics memory.
Just a guess.

But how many people have a 12GB VRAM card?

 

I have got a 12GB 6700XT and my DCS crashes all the time. Over night I did a complete reinstall of DCS. First installed Stable (after deleting the DCSOpenbeta-folder) and then Openbeta, which copied many files over from Stable and downloaded the rest. Since somewhere above stated, that only the one system with an update to 2.7 and not a direct download of 2.7 worked for him, I thought this way it could help.

 

Then I renamed my old SavegamesFolder and started DCS. Loaded the FW-190D Takeoff-IA on the Caucasus-map and after one TO and landing hit LShift+R. Guess what..... The loading got stuck at "Mission load done" like in most instances.  At least I was able to send a Crashreport. Usually, DCS and most of Windows does not react anymore (except for the taskmanager, where I still cannot quit DCS) so I have to log out of the local Win-account and back in to get back going.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Wali763

[wernst]

1 hour ago, Ironhand said:

 

Doesn't really explain, however, why I was able to run the sim for 96 hours straight through many missions without issues until I purposely quit to the Desktop and restarted the sim only to have it crash on the 2nd mission I tried to open.

 

Your 96 hour marathon is a valuable argument, that makes me wonder. 

Leaving the PC running continuously cannot be a solution, but perhaps an indication of where the root of the problem is . . .
. . . e.g. with regard to critical memory management, one could assume that when you log in again, a certain memory management setting is sent from DCS,

which remains fixed as long as the game is open. That would also explain why there are various suggestions as to how best to quit the game so that memory management can be preserved.

 

Meanwhile for me it's clear: We can rack our brains without really getting any closer to the cause.

Only the devs know what they did from 2.5.6 to 2.7. and only they know what to do.

 

But gradually I also believe what has been posted here, namely that the crash problem affects too few people and is not taken seriously.

[XPACT]

4 minutes ago, Wali763 said:

Usually, DCS and most of Windows does not react anymore (except for the taskmanager, where I still cannot quit DCS) so I have to log out of the local Win-account and back in to get back going.

 

Did you try this?

 

[Wali763]

Yes, I did a few times when I was stuck, but it never worked for me.

 

EDIT:

 

Just tried it once more and now it worked. Thx.

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by Wali763

[Ironhand]

1 hour ago, wernst said:

...Meanwhile for me it's clear: We can rack our brains without really getting any closer to the cause...

 

Oh, we’re not going to figure it out. I’m hoping that something we observe will finally provide the clue that will lead to the solution.

[II.JG1_Vonrd]

Should we be sending all of the crash files to the Devs every instance? Has anyone created a ticket with support (I would imagine so but since this thread is already 22 pages I haven't read all of them to find out)?

Edited May 11, 2021 by II.JG1_Vonrd

[Flappie]

6 minutes ago, II.JG1_Vonrd said:

Should we be sending all of the crash files to the Devs every instance? Has anyone created a ticket with support (I would imagine so but since this thread is already 22 pages I haven't read all of them to find out)?

 

You can keep sending your automatic crash reports, yes.

No need to open a ticket: devs are on this bug since mid-April.

[orcrist]

Well, it's been several days and a shedload of missions since my last post, reboots, and neither my R9 rig nor either of our R5 rigs has crashed since installing the latest beta update. So, I have to say that I think this is fixed for us, but we didn't do anything other than install the latest update. I know we definitely are NOT running the latest NVIDIA drivers because I am firmly of the opinion that if something isn't broken, don't f*** with it where software is concerned. We are running a few mods, we run multiple modules, multiplayer, single player, custom missions, standard missions, instant action ... nothing seems to break it or make it crash now; it's been 'stable' since the most recent beta update, with or without any of the fullscreen on/off malarkey. 

 

Our specs for the record, all running 2.7.0.5659

 

1 x Ryzen 9 3900X / 2080Ti / 32GB / Strix X570-F / W10 Pro 

2 x Ryzen 5 3600X / 3060Ti / 32GB / Strix B550-F / W10 Pro

Edited May 11, 2021 by orcrist

[Burt]

Yeah I get more of my crashes in the syria map. Not much, but when it happens its mostly that map and not to much on the Caucus, PG and Nevada.