Return of Shakturi failure to launch

[rmwilsonjr]

Just downloaded and installed Return of the Shakturi, activated the DLC, and everything is fine except when I launch the game, I get to the screen where you choose "Play" which I click on, but nothing happens. The spinning circle spins for a few seconds, then disappears. DW2 with update 1.1.4.4. worked fine. Any suggestions?

[MaximKI]

What platform of the game are you running - GOG, Steam, Slitherine standalone installer? What version of the game are you trying to run?

[rmwilsonjr]

All of my purchases and downloads have been through Matrix, not Stream or GOG (not sure what that even is). I'm trying to run v 1.2.6.7. the new Return of the Shakturi DLC. Prior to installing v 1.2.6.7 I had downloaded and installed v 1.4.4.4 on the original v 1.0.6.4. that I installed when DW 2 came out. I uninstalled v 1.2.6.7 and the game works fine running 1.4.4.4. The screen where you select "Play" listed v 1.2.6.7. on the upper right margin when that version was installed, so I concluded it had been properly installed (The installer also declared a successful install). I uninstalled and reinstalled it twice with the same results. My processor is an AMD 7000 series 9 if that is relevant. Thanks.

[MaximKI]

A few questions to help us pin down what's going on.

Could you tell us exactly which installers you're using and in which order? Please be as precise as possible, including installer names.

Does your game Crash to Desktop when pressing the play button?

[rmwilsonjr]

Thanks. Here is the order of things as best I can recall:
1. I accessed DW2 under MyGames on MyPage on Matrix, and clicked on "File Downloads"
2. I downloaded [PC]LegacyUpdate v1.1.4.4, dated 8/22/23 using the US Location button. The zip file that downloaded to my computer is named DistantWorlds2-MultiUpdateComp-v1.1.4.4.
3. From the same downloads page, I downloaded [PC]Update-v1.2.6.7, dated 10/24/24 again using the US Location version. The zip file on my computer is named DistantWorlds2-MultiUpdateComp-v1.2.6.7.
4. Here's where it may get fuzzy. I recall what I did clearly, but the sequence may not be entirely accurate. To clarify my earlier post, your question prompted me to recall the sequences involved and I now believe I downloaded 1.2.6.7. first, and installed it first or tried to install it, thinking that for the price, it would be inclusive of v1.1.4.4. and all of the changes from that version would be included in v1.2.6.7. However, during the install I got a "You don't have the latest version", sending me back to the download page. Knowing myself, I likely tried again once. Anyway, that failed effort convinced me that I had to have v1.1.4.4 installed before v1.2.6.7 would install.
5. At this point, I uninstalled v1.2.6.7 using the uninstaller provided, then installed v1.1.4.4. and then reinstalled v1.2.6.7. Again, during the reinstall of v1.2.6.7, I think I got the same "You don't have the latest version" message. After trying again with same result, I may have installed and uninstalled one or both versions one more time without success. Finally, after uninstalling both, I re-extracted the zip files for both versions to my DW2 folder, writing over existing versions, reinstalled v1.1.4.4. and then reinstalled v1.2.6.7. and they were both declared to be "successful" installs by the installer.
6. v1.2.6.7. is the version that appears on the opening screen when it is installed. The game works fine with just v1.1.4.4. With v1.2.6.7. installed, when you hit "Play" it does crash to the desktop, but not instantaneously. I had a short period of the spinning blue circle before even that disappears.

Really appreciate the prompt attention you guys give this. Thanks again and if there are any more questions I can answer, please let me know.

[MaximKI]

Thanks for the info.

It is strange that you get the "You don't have the latest version installed" message. Since we haven't seen many similar reports like this, it's quite possible there may be a system-specific installation issue. Here are the steps we recommend you follow:

1) Do a complete uninstall of Distant Worlds 2 from your system. This means running the uninstaller and then manually deleting any remaining files associated to Distant Worlds 2. This would typically be deleting the Distant Worlds 2 folder where you install other Matrix Games. The typical location for this would be something like this: C:\Program Files (x86)\Matrix Games.

2) Download, unzip, and run the DistantWorlds2-SetupRemaster-v1.0.6.4.zip file from the Distant Worlds 2 File Downloads on the Matrix Store.

3) Download, unzip, and run the [PC] Update v1.2.7.7 - the latest update we released recently. Note: you should not need to download and install the 1.1.4.4 Legacy Update as our updates are comprehensive and include all update files up to that point. In addition, this is a MultiUpdateComp installer, which should allow you to activate and install any DLC content you may have purchased.

Also, please double-check that your anti-virus is not somehow interfering with the installation process.

If you're still seeing issues after following these, please let us know.

[rmwilsonjr]

I will give that a try, thank you. A couple of other questions for you:

1. Is it possible to preserve my "saved game" library somehow through the uninstall/reinstall process? I've got a winning hand going in a v1.1.4.4 game and would hate to forfeit it.

2. I noticed in your post that your Matrix folder is located in the Program Files (x86) folder. My computer is dedicated to only two Matrix games, DW2 and CMO, (plus a browser and Norton anti-virus) and my path for DW2 looks like this: C:\Matrix Games\DW2. Should I be installing the games in the Program File (X86) folder first, to match your path?

Thanks again for all your help. You guys rock.

[rmwilsonjr]

Ok, I have uninstalled my DW2, cleaned out all of the old files/folders that did not disappear during the uninstall, and reinstalled v1.0.6.4 and then installed the new v1.2.7.7 update that came out a couple of days ago. Both installed successfully.

When I run the game, the opening screen says I am running v1.2.7.7. When I start a game, however, in the upper right corner of the screen there is printed EXPANSIONS AND DLCs, under which is listed the two Factions expansions, Ikkuro and Dhayut, and Quameno and Gizurians, and Return of Shakturi. Next to each of the Faction expansions, in bright yellow it says "NOT INSTALLED". Return of the Shakturi is shown as "INSTALLED" This message persists through the set up of the game, then disappears when the new game starts.

I've run the setup application for v1.2.7.7 a couple of times, and when it asks which new program to install, it shows DW2 installed, Return of the Shakturi as installed, and both Faction expansions as available to install. I've selected each Faction expansion on separate installations and completed the install, always successfully but I still get the message that they are not installed when I start the game.

So, I uninstalled everything, reinstalled v1.0.6.4 successfully and then installed v1.2.6.7. thinking maybe the two Faction expansions would load with that version. Again, the install was successful but when I ran the game, I ran into the same problem that started this thread: The game crashed to the desktop. So, I installed v1.2.7.7. on top of v1.0.6.4 and v1.2.6.7., again successfully, and this time the game started normally, but the message in the upper right corner saying the only Return of the Shakturi was installed and the two Faction expansions were not installed persists and when I start a game, none of the 4 new Factions appear as an option.

So the question of the day is now how do I now get the two Faction expansions installed? I don't see any serial numbers for those anywhere, but suspect that may be the issue??

BTW, I found the "saved games" folder before I uninstalled and saved a copy in a separate folder and will try to copy it back into the "saved games" folder in the new install. I also installed it in the same path as before, C:\Matrix\DW2, and did not install it in C:\Program Files (x86)\Matrix.

[MaximKI]

Hey thanks for the info.

Before we proceed further - just to confirm, do you have the Ikkuro and Dhayut + Quameno and Gizurean expansions purchased? If so and you've purchased them through the Matrix store you should be able to see serial keys for these products in your My Page section. Do you see them there?

[rmwilsonjr]

Oops.