fixed Stuck on Sim PostStart

[BIGNEWY]

1 hour ago, Nealius said:

Happening in PG map as well, mission was created in v2.9.

Strangely, Syria and Sinai missions with the same supercarrier assets do not have issues. Is there any chance it could be terrain related (Marianas and PG being ED maps, Sinai and Syria being 3rd parties)? It shouldn't be the MOOSE or AIRBOSS scripts as those are copy-pasted (with edits only to the unit names) from the Syria mission which works fine.

Z-PG-Sandbox-RealWx.miz 1.31 MB · 0 downloads

Tested on my open beta DCS and it loads ok for me. 

On 2/1/2024 at 8:04 AM, Flappie said:

I'd like to be absolutely sure this has nothing to do with "%TEMP%/DCS...". Can you please make this test?

1. Start DCS and run any mission that works. Pause the game.
2. Browse to "%TEMP%" and make a copy your "DCS" or "DCS.openbeta" folder (it contains the mission files among other things).
3. Now exit DCS.
4. Run DCS, wait for the main menu, then Alt+Tab to Windows.
5. Browse to "%TEMP%": remove your "DCS" or "DCS.openbeta" folder and replace it with the copy you made at step 2.
6. Run the affected mission. Does it work?

Flappies advice is good to follow here if you have not already

thank you 

[Nealius]

6 minutes ago, BIGNEWY said:

Flappies advice is good to follow here if you have not already

It's not a fix, though. The issue keeps returning, and interferes with campaigns I paid for (Speed and Angels, Fear the Bones). 

What makes less sense is that only a small subset of the user base experience this issue. PC hardware issue? OS issue? Why does it run fine for everyone else except us?

Edited February 7 by Nealius

[DD_Friar]

I had this same problem. For me I THINK the cause was the inclusion of static versions of certain aircraft. That is where the dcs.log was ending. Lots of errors saying that various bits of the plane were missing.

I had to remove the UH-60 from a carrier, I also removed the b1-b

[BIGNEWY]

 

please attach your fresh logs if you are having issues still, it is the only place to look for clues. 

thank you 

[Nealius]

Log and DxDiag for good measure. Mods uninstalled.

In my case specific statics don't matter. They're the same even on different missions/terrains that don't experience the issue. I can't find any consistency other than Marianas, PG, and on the occasion Speed and Angels hangs up, NTTR. 

dcs07FEB24.log DxDiag07FEB24.txt

Edited February 7 by Nealius

[Nealius]

Reproduced with paid campaign Speed and Angels on NTTR, without supercarrier module but with the static tugs and deck crew. These seem to be the cause for the hangup for whatever reason. The end of the logs is always different. Months ago it was stuck on loading deck crew "tables." In some missions it's stuck on loading F-14A properties, in this one CH-47 properties, in others I've seen UH-60 properties. The only foolproof method of fixing it is to remove all static tugs and deck crew, however this is not possible with payware campaigns. 

dcs.log

Edited February 8 by Nealius

[Flappie]

8 hours ago, Nealius said:

Reproduced with paid campaign Speed and Angels on NTTR, without supercarrier module but with the static tugs and deck crew. These seem to be the cause for the hangup for whatever reason. The end of the logs is always different. Months ago it was stuck on loading deck crew "tables." In some missions it's stuck on loading F-14A properties, in this one CH-47 properties, in others I've seen UH-60 properties. The only foolproof method of fixing it is to remove all static tugs and deck crew, however this is not possible with payware campaigns.

First mission of the campaign?

[Hoirtel]

Just found this thread as I have a mission also stuck on SimPostStart. Opens fine in ME, older versions also broken and used to work. This is on Syria map. Plain Syria map loads fine, other map missions I have tried to load also load fine. Miz contains no scripts or mods. I also tried making a static template, which also didn't work. This rules out any of my triggers or drawings breaking it. Must be a bad unit in there somewhere (it has SC).

I can see there are various troubleshooting options in this thread and I haven't any of tried these yet. Fingers crossed I have put hours of work into this...

 

Edited February 14 by Hoirtel

[rob10]

5 hours ago, Hoirtel said:

Just found this thread as I have a mission also stuck on SimPostStart. Opens fine in ME, older versions also broken and used to work. This is on Syria map. Plain Syria map loads fine, other map missions I have tried to load also load fine. Miz contains no scripts or mods. I also tried making a static template, which also didn't work. This rules out any of my triggers or drawings breaking it. Must be a bad unit in there somewhere (it has SC).

I can see there are various troubleshooting options in this thread and I haven't any of tried these yet. Fingers crossed I have put hours of work into this...

Do you have any mods INSTALLED?  Doesn't matter if they are in use in that particular .miz or not, they can cause issues anyway if you have them installed.  Removing them would be the 1st step you want to try.

[Hoirtel]

8 hours ago, rob10 said:

Do you have any mods INSTALLED?  Doesn't matter if they are in use in that particular .miz or not, they can cause issues anyway if you have them installed.  Removing them would be the 1st step you want to try.

Only statics & SRS in the mods folder. I did already remove them and try with no change. The file was opening not long ago. The only mod change I did recently was installing SRS. That I had to do because Voicechat is broken. 

I also ran slow repair and no change. Not been back to try other options yet. 

 

Edited February 15 by Hoirtel

[Hoirtel]

Results -

First test was to just try opening mission in ME, save, fly - stuck on Sim Poststart.

Went into users/appdata/local, cleared DCS file. Back to ME load, fly - stuck on Sim Poststart.

Re-opened DCS, load same mission as multiplayer server. Mission loads fine! (Thanks @AKULA_OPTIMUS)

Exit mission, went back to ME, load, save, fly. Mission still fine. All appears fixed. Very strange. 

....30mins and a few updates later... Stuck on Sim Post Start!! Getting boring now 

Edited February 15 by Hoirtel

[Flappie]

I'm running an experiment with @Nealius: we both launch the same mission and we monitor which files are being accessed thanks to Process Monitor.

I'm seeing differences here and there, but so far I'm unable to locate the problem. If you want to join the party:

1. Download Process Monitor archive
2. Extract Procmon64.exe to your desktop.
3. Run DCS and, when you're about to load the mission, Alt+Tab back to Windows, and run ProcMon64.exe.
4. Configure the filter pictured below then click "Add".
5. Alt+Tab back to DCS and load the mission which gets stuck.
6. Once you're 100% sure that DCS is stuck, Alt+Tab back to ProcMon, and click File > Save... and save as a .PML file (default setting).
7. Zip your .PML file and bring it here (you can use WeTransfer or your personal cloud drive, for these are rather big files).
8. Please mention the mission you were trying to load (official missions if possible, so I'm sure I have them).

Edited February 15 by Flappie

[Hoirtel]

1 hour ago, Flappie said:

I'm running an experiment with @Nealius: we both launch the same mission and we monitor which files are being accessed thanks to Process Monitor.

I'm seeing differences here and there, but so far I'm unable to locate the problem. If you want to join the party:

1. Download Process Monitor archive
2. Extract Procmon64.exe to your desktop.
3. Run DCS and, when you're about to load the mission, Alt+Tab back to Windows, and run ProcMon64.exe.
4. Configure the filter pictured below then click "Add".
5. Alt+Tab back to DCS and load the mission which gets stuck.
6. Once you're 100% sure that DCS is stuck, Alt+Tab back to ProcMon, and click File > Save... and save as a .PML file (default setting).
7. Zip your .PML file and bring it here (you can use WeTransfer or your personal cloud drive, for these are rather big files).
8. Please mention the mission you were trying to load (official missions if possible, so I'm sure I have them).

 

I'll do that, the mission is one of my own creation, which is still in creation. Which offical mission are you guys loading? I could see if it gets stuck for me. When I first noticed it I did try some other missions and they seemed to work fines, as did a blank Syria map. What was also interesting was saving the stuck file as a template and loading on new miz still got stuck. 

[Flappie]

So far, we used a mission from an official Tomcat campaign. But any stock mission will do as long as it helps reproducing the issue.

[Hoirtel]

On 2/15/2024 at 10:28 PM, Flappie said:

So far, we used a mission from an official Tomcat campaign. But any stock mission will do as long as it helps reproducing the issue.

I don't have the Tomcat so can't check that one. However I did try the other recommended action which was to remove the super carrier, it now opens every single time! I had a whole carrier group and some statics but worth noting that this is a very old miz which I have updated and changed many times, always been saved in the newer versions but the carrier group I probably haven't touched specifically for a very long time. Next I will add it back in and see how it behaves. 

[Flappie]

A friend of mine gave me a good way of reproducing the bug. I run his mission, display the units list, tick "Show Hidden Units", save the mission then run it. Stuck at Net Sim Poststart everytime. Since his mission has deck crew personnels, I take it it's the same bug. I've just reported the bug.

His mission takes place in Syria terrain by the way.

[Nealius]

On 3/11/2024 at 8:17 AM, Flappie said:

A friend of mine gave me a good way of reproducing the bug. I run his mission, display the units list, tick "Show Hidden Units", save the mission then run it. Stuck at Net Sim Poststart everytime. Since his mission has deck crew personnels, I take it it's the same bug. I've just reported the bug.

That's a weird one. I have no hidden units, and "show hidden units" is unchecked, but still get the hang on two specific missions, one in Marianas and one in Persian Gulf. 

[Flappie]

I know, even devs said that my way to reproduce the issue was weird. But it works for me, everytime.

The trick allowed them to find something wrong regarding deck crew characters, which makes me think it could be the fix we're all expecting. I'll test it tonight.

EDIT: the fix works for my case, I hope it will work for you all.

Edited March 15 by Flappie

[Nealius]

I was trying to narrow down why it's always my Marianas and PG missions that get hung up, and the only three points of commonality between them are a combination of supercarrier, static tugs/cranes/crew, F-14A client slots, and F-14A statics on the deck. 

In all my other missions that are unaffected, I have F-14Bs instead of As on the supercarrier. 

Edited March 13 by Nealius

[fagulha]

7 hours ago, Nealius said:

I was trying to narrow down why it's always my Marianas and PG missions that get hung up, and the only three points of commonality between them are a combination of supercarrier, static tugs/cranes/crew, F-14A client slots, and F-14A statics on the deck. 

In all my other missions that are unaffected, I have F-14Bs instead of As on the supercarrier. 

 

same here, only happens when a carrier/statics are involved. Lately my workaround is editing the mission in ME then save and launch Single Mission from the main menu and usually works (sometimes it doesn´t), If i launch the mission directly from the ME i get the Sim poststart hung. From all of my tests in missions it has in common the Supercarrier and deck statics (core ones).

[islapaisano]

Hello all...new to this forum.  I had a mission that I have run with no issues for a year or so.  The other day I added a carrier into it, and then ran the mission....no problem.

The next time I ran DCS, that mission froze on sim poststart.  I tried many things, and then after I found this thread I deleted the carrier that I had added....now all works normal.

 

[DD_Friar]

Could it be a specific carrier that causes this issue? I tend to use CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt. I have the supper carrier dlc (as do my squad mates) and although mission loading does pause at the same step, we do not get the failures.

regards

DD_Friar

[Flappie]

It's apparently related to carrier personnel. And the upcoming fix is related to carrier personnel. I hope it will be fixed for good with the next update.

If any of you has a reliable way to reproduce the bug, please send me your .miz so I can test it with ED internal version.

[islapaisano]

22 hours ago, Flappie said:

It's apparently related to carrier personnel. And the upcoming fix is related to carrier personnel. I hope it will be fixed for good with the next update.

If any of you has a reliable way to reproduce the bug, please send me your .miz so I can test it with ED internal version.

I will add a carrier back into the mission and see if I can reproduce the lock up...

[islapaisano]

45 minutes ago, islapaisano said:

I will add a carrier back into the mission and see if I can reproduce the lock up...

I added Truman into the mission and it locked up. I deleted Truman and it loaded normally.  I added Stennis into the mission and it locked up. Deleted Stennis and it loaded normally again.