Freeze on joining MP server

[Xav]

Since 2.9 hit I have been unable to join certain MP servers; particularly those running large missions with many AI units. DCS will connect to the server, finish loading the mission and then as soon as role selection comes up completely freeze. When clicking the mouse it shows the prompt that the application is not responding; I have waited for >15mins and it never finishes so the only option is to kill DCS via Task Manager. This happens in both ST and MT versions, with VR and without. Servers with smaller missions (few or no AI units) load just fine and allow me to play with no issues.

To troubleshoot I have cleared all mods, ran a full repair via Steam, used low settings, deleted the "Saved Games\DCS" folder and even installed a completely fresh standalone open beta; none made any difference. On the Windows side I have installed all Windows updates, run DDU (in safe mode), installed the latest nVidia drivers (546.65), cleared temp folders, killed all background applications, manually set affinity, enlarged the page file; again to no avail.

I have no issues running any other heavy applications/games on my system and am running out of ideas besides reinstalling my OS, which is something I'd rather not resort to atm. Any help resolving this would be greatly appreciated.

 

My system specs:

AMD Ryzen 5800X3D, 64GB DDR4-3600, RTX 3090, 2TB Samsung 980 Pro NVME SSD, Windows 10

dcs_mt.log dcs_st.log

[Flappie]

Try default NVIDIA settings.

Also ensure you're using an adapted power plan settings (Default or max performance) in Windows settings.

[Xav]

Restore Defaults doesn't solve it unfortunately. I previously used DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to completely remove all nVidia drivers & settings so this wasn't too surprising.

I have Power Plan set to Max Performance when playing DCS, the issue persists.

[Flappie]

Please attach your DxDiag log.

How to: https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Obtaining-a-DXDIAG-log-for-diagnostics-and-troubleshooting-issues-with-graphic-cards.html

[Xav]

Here you go.dxdiag.txt

[Flappie]

Thanks. I don't see anything out of the ordinary.

Please try this:

1. Browse to "Saved Games/DCS...".
2. Rename your "Scripts" folder to "Scripts.bak".
3. Run DCS and try to join one of the servers that usually cause the crash. Does it work any better?

Edited January 19, 2024 by Flappie

[Xav]

Renaming the Scripts folder didn't help. However, I finally managed to solve the issue! It was caused by HPET; this post contained the solution for me:

The poster is running the same CPU as me; a 5800X3D. These are the steps I took to resolve the issue:

• Open command prompt as administrator
• Type this:
  • bcdedit /deletevalue useplatformclock
  • bcdedit /set disabledynamictick yes
• Reboot PC

I had previously already disabled HPET via Device Manager but this was apparently not sufficient. After doing the above steps the "Simulation Time" in my DCS performance overlay was drastically improved; in some situations 10x faster! This not only allowed me to join large missions on multiplayer servers again; it also improved my framerate in many situations, even in single player (at Nellis AFB for example). DCS is now GPU bottlenecked again instead of CPU bottlenecked; as it should be.

Thanks for the suggestions and hopefully this post will help someone else in the future.

[Flappie]

Thanks for your precious feedback.