Crashes on Startup in v2.0.8 and later

Date First Logged: September 30th 2021

Updated: April 17th 2022

Current Status: Issue Investigated, Known Software Conflict. Workarounds advised.

Issue Description

Following an update to v2.0.8 some users are experiencing a crash on startup. This is known to affect users on the Windows OS

Upon further investigation in April 2022 we identified that a common factor appeared appeared to be Nvidia GPUs and that the Unity Engine was crashing when attempting to create the GFX Device, implying the issue is a result of incompatibility between the nvidia drivers and Unity 5.6.7.

We confirmed that there is a related known issue in this version of Unity where a conflict with certain Citrix software can cause this crash. It is possible other software which interfaces with the GPU also cause this crash.

To confirm you are suffering this specific issue please refer to the output.log file that is generated an affected user will see the following lines right at the top of the file.

Initialize engine version: 5.6.7f1 (e80cc3114ac1)
GfxDevice: creating device client; threaded=1
Crash!!!

Conversely a sucessful GFX Device creation will look like this:

Initialize engine version: 5.6.7f1 (e80cc3114ac1)
GfxDevice: creating device client; threaded=1
Direct3D:
    Version:  Direct3D 11.0 [level 11.1]
    Renderer: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER (ID=0x1e84)
    Vendor:   NVIDIA
    VRAM:     8011 MB
    Driver:   30.0.14.7111
Default GameObject BitMask: UI already registered
 
(Filename:  Line: 103)

Begin MonoManager ReloadAssembly

We would first advise users check for Citrix software on their PC.  Additionally we would advise users to use the most recent nvidia drivers. We also have two valid workarounds to this problem.

We do not expect this issue to be resolved in the foreseeable future by us as the crash is an engine-level / device driver crash and not related to our code.

But would like to hear from users affected by the issue and if any of the following solutions work for you so that we can continue to advise others on best steps to take.

Suggested Steps

1. Update your GPU Drivers to the latest version
2. Check if you have Citrix Workspace and follow instructions in the dedicated section below.
3. Disable any programs which introduce an in-game overlay.
4. Close all other applications and run the game
5. Run your computer in safe mode with display driver running and run the game
6. Try one of the following workarounds

Known Software Conflict - Citrix Workspace

This issue is known to occur for users who have Citrix Workspace installed as reported by the developers of Cities Skylines.

If you have Citrix Workspace installed It is advised that you do the following:

1. Uninstall Citrix Workspace
2. Re-install it from command prompt using the following command:

CitrixWorkspaceApp.exe ADDLOCAL=ReceiverInside,ICA_Client,AM,SELFSERVICE,DesktopViewer,Flash,Vd3d,WebHelper,BrowserEngine

Additionally paradox advise that the Windows 10 Store version of Citrix Workspace does not have the feature which causes this problem.

Verified Workaround - D3D9 Mode

Multiple users report that running the game in D3D9 mode allows the game to run as normal. It should be noted that as D3D9 is a less advanced renderer this may affect fidelity and shader quality in some cases.

To apply this workaround you need to add the "-force-d3d9" launch argument.

Apply via Steam Client

To apply launch arguments via the Steam client follow these steps:

1. Navigate to your Steam Library
2. Right click "War for the Overworld" and select "Properties"
3. In the general tab copy and past the following text, without the quotation marks into the "Launch Options" text box: "-force-d3d9"
4. Close the properties window and launch the game.

Apply  via GOG Galaxy

To apply launch arguments via the GOG Galaxy client follow these steps:

1. Select War for the Overworld from your GOG Library
2. Click the settings bar next to "Play" indicated by two lines with circles on them
3. Navigate to Manage Installation > Configure
4. At the bottom of the window tick "Custom executables / arguments"
5. Duplicate the WFTOGame.exe executable configuration via the duplicate button.
6. On the newly duplicated executable configuration add the argument "-force-d3d9" without quotation marks.
7. Set this executable configuration as your default.

Verified Workaround - Roll back to v2.0.7

This issue follows an update to the underlying Unity Engine from 5.4.6 to 5.6.7. This update was primarily to address a crash occuring for users 

As a result most affected users should find that rolling back to WFTO v2.0.7 will address the launch crash. 

Unfortunately for a very small number of users (on 10th Gen Intels or later) will then be affected by the issue which prompted the release of v2.0.8 and will need to use the workaround listed on This Page.

Roll Back via Steam Client

To perform a rollback via the Steam client follow these steps:

1. Navigate to your Steam Library
2. Right click "War for the Overworld" and select "Properties"
3. Select the Betas tab in the properties window
4. From the "Select a beta" drop down select "Unity5.4.6 - WFTO v2.0.7"

Your Steam client should then update the game to 2.0.7 and your issue should be resolved. If you still crash and have a 10th Gen or later Intel CPU then please read This Page.

Roll Back via GOG Galaxy

To perform a rollback via GOG Galaxy please follow these steps:

1. Select War for the Overworld from your GOG Library
2. Click the settings bar next to "Play" indicated by two lines with circles on them
3. Navigate to Manage Installation > Configure
4. Under the "Beta Channels" Drop down select "Unity Engine 5.4.6 (WFTO 2.0.7f1)"

Your game should then update to v2.0.7

Reporting to us

If the above workarounds do not yield results for this issue we are advising that customers seek a refund from the store they purchased the game from once they have reported the issue to us. In your report please include the following:

• DXDiag output
• System Specification
• Laptop Brand and Model
• Output Log and Launcher Log from WFTO.

If possible we would also like to ask you to check your Windows Event Manager to see if there are any Application Error Events if so please include the report for us.

1. Type Event Viewer into Windows search and then launch the Event Viewer
2. Open the Windows Logs > Application view
3. Look for an Error or Information level event at the time you launched War for the Overworld. It will likely name Source as WFTOGame
4. Click the event and in the right hand menu click "Save Selected Events..."
5. Give it a name and click save.
6. On the Display Information window ensure English (United Kingdom) is enabled.
   1. Click "Show all available Languages"
   2. From the list check English (United Kingdom)

Once you have submitted your report please feel free to submit a refund to your store. We humbly apologise for the inconvenience and will endeavour to alert you if we find a solution or workaround to your issue.

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Article History

2022-Apr-17 - Added detailed notes for Citrix software conflict.

2022-Apr-08 - Added investigation update and verified D3D9 workaround

2022-Feb-07 - Added potential workaround

2021-Dec-10 - Initial Article created