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Forums > Home› Star Trek Online General Discussion

Weird error; a little help please... can't play game unless

lordstipe2000lordstipe2000 Member Posts: 61 Arc User
edited August 2023 in Star Trek Online General Discussion
So several months ago after a routine update ARC and STO just stopped working. What happens is that I will go to login into the game as normal and after logging in while loading in to the character selection screen it just goes black and I get the spinning wheel like the computer is working. That's it after 3-4 minutes the game crashes. I have run a check on the files. Didn't work. I uninstalled and reinstalled ARC 3 times now. No go. Nothing. I changed noting on my computer. This occurred after an ARC update. The game just won't progress to the character login screen. Now the weird part. When I downloaded the game thru Steam it worked just fine. No issues. Now I could just run the game thru Steam however its really my son's account and he has it through Steam so we wouldn't be able to play together. I am super frustrated. Any thoughts? For Specs I am running Windows 10, 8 GB of RAm, 1terrabyte hard drive, Ngvidia GTX 7200 graphics card. Intel Core i7 processor. Which like I said thru Steam it works so it can not be anything of the base hardware.

Thanks!
Post edited by baddmoonrizin on

Comments

  • howtorhowtor Member Posts: 194 Arc User
    check your firewall settings. I know the game access's thru different ports at different times. I had that issue where it would let me log in but stop/crash when getting to the character screen.
  • phoenixc#0738 phoenixc
    phoenixc#0738
         Member Posts: 5,504 Arc User
    edited September 2020
    The problem could be that the servers detect the second login attempt to the same account and block it since a single account can only log in from one client at a time no mater what client the player is using.

    There might have been some bug that allowed simultaneous logins without recognizing that the Steam authorization tokens for the account were in use at the same time as the regular ARC login, and that is more likely to be on the server end than the client end. They often spin up server patches at the same time they do client patches.

    And the Steam remote login tokens are definitely different (which is actually the usual case) since one of the other games I play through Steam I cannot play via their regular launcher at all (or log in for anything for that matter) because I have an email account suffix that they do not allow (.net instead of .com) for game accounts (which I found out after playing too long to make changing practical, especially since it is one of the few buy-to-play games I have).

    Luckily STO does not have that email suffix restriction because the Steam version stopped working for me and I had to switch to the ARC launcher to get back in the game.

    Anyway, if it is a server patch that just happened to be implemented in the same maintenance that the client patch was then there isn't any way to fix it on your end. One way to test that would be to make sure your son is logged out from the game and if you can get in then it is the rule that only allows a particular account to be logged in from one location at any particular time. If that is the case the only solution would be to make your own account either via ARC or Steam (it does not really matter which unless one or the other just does not like your particular system).
  • howtorhowtor Member Posts: 194 Arc User
    phoenixc#0738 wrote: »

    The way I read the question was they were not trying to log in at the same time. would still suggest try turning off the firewall to see if a setting with the update changed it from allow to block when it tries to access the log-in server.
  • lordstipe2000lordstipe2000 Member Posts: 61 Arc User
    howtor wrote: »
    check your firewall settings. I know the game access's thru different ports at different times. I had that issue where it would let me log in but stop/crash when getting to the character screen.

    Tried that and no luck. To clarify until a couple of months ago STO worked just fine thru ARC. Now it crashes every time when trying to log in. Flip that with the fact it works just fine thru STEAM. I just don't want to use Steam as I can't play with my son.
    r
  • spiritbornspiritborn Member Posts: 4,263 Arc User
    Unless your son plays a console version there should't be any issues playing the game with him as there's no seperate "steam" version, the steam launcher and arc launcher versions are literally the same thing as there's only a "PC" version not seperate versions for each
  • lordmerc22lordmerc22 Member Posts: 776 Arc User
    Try go to arc/sto/star trek online_en\ and run there manually the Star Trek Online executable. Pretty much bypasses the arc I think so you can see if thats the problem. I would also right click and run as admin the executable if I were you. if you dont know where arc folder is located just right click the icon and select destination folder to take you there. Also in play of "sto" in the path I mentioned you may had named it else during installation
  • seaofsorrowsseaofsorrows Member Posts: 10,918 Arc User
    edited September 2020
    The problem is obviously with Arc since it was working before and crashed after an Arc update.

    The advice given above is best.. go into the folder where Arc installed Star Trek Online and launch the game using just the .exe. Try playing the game without Arc, you don't need it.

    Try the most basic stuff first before you start altering your network/firewall configuration. :wink:
    Insert witty signature line here.
  • trennantrennan Member Posts: 2,839 Arc User
    First, I'd never advise anyone to turn off their firewall. If this is a concern, instead open your antivirus software and whitelist the game, i.e. ad to the exceptions part. This will work the same as disabling your firewall, as it won't scan the exceptions.

    Second, since it seems to be an arc problem. Go into your C: and hunt down your Star Trek files. Inside there you will find the game launcher that doesn't require Arc or Steam, create a desktop shortcut for this and give it a try.
    Mm5NeXy.gif
  • leemwatsonleemwatson Member Posts: 5,343 Arc User
    edited September 2020
    lordstipe2000 wrote: »
    howtor wrote: »
    check your firewall settings. I know the game access's thru different ports at different times. I had that issue where it would let me log in but stop/crash when getting to the character screen.

    Tried that and no luck. To clarify until a couple of months ago STO worked just fine thru ARC. Now it crashes every time when trying to log in. Flip that with the fact it works just fine thru STEAM. I just don't want to use Steam as I can't play with my son.
    r

    Firstly, uninstalling Arc won't uninstall STO. Arc is just a launch platform like Steam. It's likely your STO pref file in the Arc folder is corrupted, so when launching through Arc, when the GameClient comes up, you need to click on Options and start the game in Safe Mode. This should fix your issue from what you describe.

    There are absolutely no differences between the Steam and Arc versions (except for purchasing Zen, which is worse value on Steam), because basically both platforms just start the Client up. There is only one game server on PC, so no matter which 'version' you start, the server and account are the same.
    "You don't want to patrol!? You don't want to escort!? You don't want to defend the Federation's Starbases!? Then why are you flying my Starships!? If you were a Klingon you'd be killed on the spot, but lucky for you.....you WERE in Starfleet. Let's see how New Zealand Penal Colony suits you." Adm A. Necheyev.
  • annemarie30annemarie30 Member Posts: 2,596 Arc User
    yep. find the folder STO is in, run the executable and launch it. make sure you force verify when you launch it will talk a half hour but you are checking all the files. if you have any add ons or mod to the client remove them.
    awkward.jpg
    We Want Vic Fontaine
  • phoenixc#0738 phoenixc
    phoenixc#0738
         Member Posts: 5,504 Arc User
    They are the same game, and the files themselves might be the same, but Steam and ARC install to different locations (and the one for Steam is a pain in the rear to locate) so if the machine in question has installs from both they may be tangling somewhere in the registry or the User tree, perhaps trying to launch a version that was either uninstalled, deleted, or not updated or confused by different levels of program trying to use the same settings files.
  • trennantrennan Member Posts: 2,839 Arc User
    edited September 2020
    phoenixc#0738 wrote: »
    They are the same game, and the files themselves might be the same, but Steam and ARC install to different locations (and the one for Steam is a pain in the rear to locate) so if the machine in question has installs from both they may be tangling somewhere in the registry or the User tree, perhaps trying to launch a version that was either uninstalled, deleted, or not updated or confused by different levels of program trying to use the same settings files.

    For Steam, it's C: ~> Program FIles x86 ~>Steam ~> Steamapps ~> Star Trek Online ~> Star Trek Online.

    AS for the Arc files. No clue there. I uninstalled the Arc version back when they did away with Arc quests.
    Mm5NeXy.gif
  • echattyechatty Member Posts: 5,914 Arc User
    For Arc it's C>Program files x86> Start Trek Online> Star Trek Online
    Now a LTS and loving it.
    Just because you spend money on this game, it does not entitle you to be a jerk if things don't go your way.
    I have come to the conclusion that I have a memory like Etch-A-Sketch. I shake my head and forget everything. :D
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