For those on intel GPU's experiencing crashes on start up. Try this...

[cyan surge]

I was exploring workaround for intel cards to get past the load screen unity error and started breaking down render options. For those on intel GPU's experiencing crashes on start up you need to force direct X 12 . Go to your game in Steam, right click and select properties, then on the General page type the following in launch options per pictured and without quotes "-force-d3d12"

I'm sure Anvil knowing this will drop a solid patch for this shortly.

[cyan surge]

Just as an update if you try to force DX11 (-force-d3d11) or Vulkan (-force-vulkan) it will crash (Vulkan crashes instantly). It appears it's the shader compiler from what I can gather as both Vulkan and DX11 use similar compiler paths compared to DX12. So yeah stick with the DX12 fix for now till a patch comes out.

[twin flint]

Everyone has known about this since Age of Sail launched. This only gets the game to start and kinda work, but causes tons of issues like invisible objects and near constant crashes.

Anyone trying this be warned.

[winter spindle]

We're looking into this folks

[twin flint]

Obviously appreciate it, but what timeline are we looking at? There may not be a lot of us Intel Arc GPU people, but a ton of Intel laptop users are precluded from playing the game which affects the health of the community. Have you obtained an intel gpu yet to troubleshoot and figure the problem out?

[stray owl]

It also helps to go potato mode when forcing dx12

[shadow garnet]

Yeah, purchased the new dlc immediately and was buzzing for ages of sail...sucks to be an intel person.

[fathom mango]

i mean i didn't know this

[crimson surge]

Isn't this the script that makes the performance tank and causes a bunch of glitches

[fathom mango]

ye i tried it and it doesn't work well at all

[twin flint]

It is.

[cyan surge]

I've yet to experience any issues since implementing it. Mileage may vary depending on setup (I'm running 64gb quad channel ram and a xeon which is not the norm, so I have a bit of head room) and this should be treated as such as a temp solution to at least get intel gpus into the game.

[stray hull]

thank you

[twin flint]

"iM rUnNinG 64 gB QuAd GIGA-NINJA cHanNel rAm yOu poor fucking plebs and all is cool"

We all knew about your temp-hack and for two days now and it doesnt work. You want me to link you the thread from two hours after launch?

[cyan surge]

Not sure what your trying to say dude. Bit of a weird flex to be honest. Just stating what I ran this on and that it might help some people. Which is the intention of this post from the get go. But hey you be you man, no hate.

[tight seal]

🤔

The team are still investigating this issue. You may of course use the tips above however you do so at your own risk. We ask for your patience whilst the team work through this issue.

[twin flint]

Or fuck their system up. I literally got the same suggestion from gemini ai when I gave it my player.log. even before your "exploring workaround for intel cards". It doesnt work for almost anyone who has responded regarding this issue.

[fathom mango]

its still a temp fix that can work

not everyone knew, like myself

[cyan surge]

This was never intended as a permanent fix or something that works for everyone, but as a workaround that allowed me, as an Intel user, to get into the game, and share in an effort to help other intel gpu users do the same.

If it doesn’t work on certain setups, that’s completely valid. The Steam launch command can be removed just as easily as it’s added, and it shouldn’t cause any permanent system issues by trying it.
As an intel user, if your results were different, that’s useful information too. Posting logs gives the devs more data points to cross ref and helps narrow down what’s actually happening across different Intel GPUs, driver versions and setups.

The goal is to simply help Intel users get into the game until an official patch lands. Like you, I want everyone to enjoy the new Age of Sail DLC. (The OCE crew had a blast last night on it, all 200 of us... yes it was crazy), and this workaround allowed me and some of our Intel users to join in on the fun. As for Gemini suggesting the same thing that shows multiple people and tools are arriving at the same temporary workaround as one of the few ways to get past the initial crash. The more logs and variations the devs get, the faster they can drop a perm fix.

If you have any additional tips that help improve the experience further (like lowering water detail, which I've seen some intel users have success with to improve performance), I’m sure the Intel user Holdfast community would appreciate hearing them. Every tweak to improve stability only helps all of us.

[winter spindle]

Its on our list to look into thisweek

[twin flint]

Nice AI answer. TL;DR.

[cyan surge]

Na, just putting it to bed. I've given what I can so I'll let the devs take it from here. See you on the high seas.

[hollow yarrow]

can confirm with a b580 and intel i5-14400 that forcing directx12 fixes the launch crash. if you leave the default settings alone the performance is pretty ok, but confirming that the water is close to unplayable on any setting other than potato. Lowering the settings causes a slew of issues and the performance is hit or miss. weirdly enough, if I go native resolution potato I get the same framerate as I do when I have upscaling turned on, but it crashes. Also, I may not have restarted that time so it may not have actually applied the setting, but Im gonna test that more. Also been having an issue where it won't actually apply the resolution upscaling preset. just stays on quality after every restart. The majority of the invisible textures i've seen on d3dx12 are stone walls (like low ones around houses) and some of the walls/floors in the buidings of multistory buildings

[cyan surge]

Patch just dropped. Can confirm on removing -force-d3d12 intel GPU's can now load back into the game! Love your work devs!!! 🫡

[winter spindle]

[tight seal]

A patch has been released, please try loading into the game @hollow yarrow @twin flint @fathom mango @fathom mango @stray hull @crimson surge @shadow garnet @stray owl