Black Screen then crash when launching with min-ed-launcher

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Describe the bug/error After downloading/installing/updating edh4 through min-ed-launcher then attempting to launch, A black screen appears for about 5 seconds, then vanishes and closes without warning. Initially I had used the vanilla installer to download horizons, but min-ed didn't recognize it as installed, so I followed the process somewhere in one of the closed issues (I recall it being in the 50's) to force it to reinstall/update. That seemed to get min-ed to see it, but now I'm facing this issue.

Another thing I noticed while following that closed issue set of instructions. There's this directory that looks like it's new horizons that's not named elite-dangerous-odyssey-64: I assume this is the directory that the vanilla installer installed into, and is the reason why min-ed didn't originally pick it up?

Debug log min-ed-launcher.log

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Ah! And to further confirm my suspicions, I swapped the two directories, renaming elite-dangerous-odyssey-64 to elite-dangerous-odyssey-64-old, then renaming FORC-FDEV-DO-38-IN-40 to elite-dangerous-odyssey-64. This version launched into the game correctly, but was out of date, even though the update checker ran over it.

Edit: So to clarify this has now become three issues:

1. Vanilla installed copy of EDH4 is not recognized by min-ed.
2. min-ed installed copy of EDH4 launches to a black screen then seems to crash out.
3. Vanilla installed copy of EDH4 that is moved to where min-ed expects it is not up to date, even though min-ed launcher claims it to be.

[OzDruiD]

I too have many installed directories, being from a Lifetime backer account, then a Steam key cutover just to keep things simple. - my account LONG outdates the offical steam ccutover- so technically sstill a "frontier" account.

This can be imcredibly annoying, as even though STEAM updates the game, or Min-Launcher updates the game files - if the Vanilla ED-Launcher is run, it still the thinks the game files are out of date and downloads again... so I get 3 downloads every update Steam, Mini Launcher, and ED-Launcher\Vanilla. Where is this all updating? The ONE folder \SteamApps\Common\EliteDangerous.

In the \products folder of that, directories I have elite-dangerous-65 elite-dangterous-odyssey-64 FORC-FDEV-DO-1000
I only memtion as my FORC FDEV is a different folder name.

I run my min-launcher in a separate folder entirely and whilst you CAN specificy a gamepath in the mini launcher conflig file, mine is being detected automatically. I only hope to help with these comments, if i find anything more I will post as well, but I know different 'versionss' of the game from Frontier and Steam matter - I will try and find the post around that in my own issue bug here on github.

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3. Vanilla installed copy of EDH4 that is moved to where min-ed expects it is not up to date, even though min-ed launcher claims it to be.

To follow up on this: a) vanilla launcher detected the renamed directory, so I didn't have to rename it back. b) vanilla launcher was able to recognize that the product was out of date and successfully downloaded and installed the required update, unlike min-ed. c) Instead of launching through vanilla, I tried min-ed this time, and it worked, connected and all!

Of course this is far from optimal, min-ed should be doing everything I did by hand and through the vanilla launcher. Of the two things that it's meant to do for me. It, with a thorough amount of coaxing, barely did one.

[OzDruiD]

@hugeblank Autodection seemed to work for me, so I am curious to expand on that, is your install in a non-standard drive, folder path etc, like it should work, however - it does provide the ability to specify non standard. Some unrelated issue, but possible other clues are part of issue https://github.com/rfvgyhn/min-ed-launcher/issues/83 - where it raised the important info for me ..Accounts pre-dating April 2019 have a different experience as well .. although this may have no influence on your auto-detection of correct folder install issue - the pathing etc might.

[hugeblank]

Nothing too non-standard about my install besides it being on Linux. It's through Steam, bought the game at some point before April 2022. I have all of my steam games on a library folder that's on a hard drive, off my main boot ssd to save space.

[OzDruiD]

@hugeblank ok - mine is also on a seperate ssd, Steam itself is installed separately in its entirety on that game drive, with the library underneath that. eg D:\Steam\xxxxxx - Now that I know its linux I guess there are other variables and factors to consider so I am going to think about it a bit more lol - the legends here that wrote this thing will soon chim in anyhow I bet.

[rfvgyhn]

While I haven't had a chance to look into the the actual problem, min-ed-launcher should handle the folders that are named by SKU. It seems like that's broken at the moment though.

I haven't thought of a logical reason for why FDev implemented it this way, but the launcher decides the product's folder location differently if it's running via steam/epic. When using steam/epic, it checks for products/[directory] (the value of [directory] comes from the purchases api response which can be seen in your log file) and if that doesn't exist, it checks for products/[SKU]. When using a frontier account, it does the reverse. You should be able to have only one folder per product, either [directory] or [SKU] and both launchers should be able to figure things out. My guess is there's a bug in min-ed-launcher in that logic.

@hugeblank As a temporary workaround, you might try deleting your cache and then checking if min-ed-launcher can properly update the game.

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@hugeblank As a temporary workaround, you might try deleting your cache and then checking if min-ed-launcher can properly update the game.

Alright, I've cleared it, the next time an update comes around we'll see if it's able to update properly.

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I haven't thought of a logical reason for why FDev implemented it this way, but the launcher decides the product's folder location differently if it's running via steam/epic.

Yeah I was wondering why there's 2 different possible locations for the same product too. They're making things so much more difficult for themselves.

When using a frontier account, it does the reverse. You should be able to have only one folder per product, either [directory] or [SKU] and both launchers should be able to figure things out. My guess is there's a bug in min-ed-launcher in that logic.

I have a question regarding this. I got the game through steam, but I believe I still needed to create a frontier account in order to install/launch the game. Is this not normal?

[rfvgyhn]

I have a question regarding this. I got the game through steam, but I believe I still needed to create a frontier account in order to install/launch the game. Is this not normal?

Yes, that's normal. It would have more accurate for me to say a frontier license. Before April 2019, when purchasing from Steam, you'd get both a Frontier and Steam license to play the game. You also have a Frontier license if you buy the game from their store.