**[BUG]** Black screen main menu after starting up

Age of Empires II: DE II - Report a Bug
1

:arrow_forward: GAME INFORMATION

  • Build: 101.101.40220.0 5438859
  • Platform: Steam
  • Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-4712HQ (2.3 GHz)
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 850M (driver version 452.06, released Aug 2020)

:arrow_forward: ISSUE

Essentially, the main menu doesn’t load properly.

When booting up the game, I hear the opening cinematic audio but see no video. On a mouse click, the game skips the cinematic and goes to the main menu. Again audio is fine, but 1 of 2 things happens:

  1. The main menu starts fading in from black but this transition stops mid-way (so you see a dark, frozen main menu screen). The mouse can move and occasionally I’ve been able to get to the X-Box login screen (though this is of no use). I haven’t been able to click any other buttons (campaigns, standard game, etc.)

  2. Completely black screen with no ability to do anything (but can hear main menu music)

:arrow_forward: REPRODUCTION STEPS

  1. Start the game
  2. That’s it. I haven’t done anything else

:arrow_forward: FIXES ATTEMPTED

I’ve tried all steps suggested by GMEvangelos in topic 61124 (“Black menu screen after opening cinematic, but music plays”):

  1. Updated on-board graphics drivers (not relevant as I’m using nVidia drivers)
  2. Performed a clean install of your video drivers.
  3. Set dedicated video card to run the game
  4. Disabled the Steam Overlay
  5. Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables
  6. Tried skipping the intro video by adding the SKIPINTRO launch option

but to no avail.

:arrow_forward: GAME FILES

(no game files)

:arrow_forward: IMAGE & ATTACHMENTS

  • Log file: [link] Shows rlink errors. Not sure what that means. (e.g. [rlink - error] 2020/09/03 19:48:09.313 (UTC) Unknown presenceID entered)
  • DxDiag.txt: [link]
  • Screenshot: (new users can only add 2 links so message me if needed) It’s just a darkened main menu showing the frozen transition state. Mouse pointer (AOE version of the pointer) is visible at full brightness.
1 Like
2

I have the exact same issue. I tried the same fixes and a fresh install but nothing worked.
I am able to play with one “solution” wich is switching graphic card to integrated graphics in Nvidia panel. Wich makes the game ugly and run around 40 or 30 fps.

The SKIPINTRO launch option solution will make the menu completely black with just the cursor and no sounds. Without, intro is launched but black, then menu appear but darked and not responding.

As I have a very close profile, I copy pasted and changed infos about my case from AcuteLion5633 message.

In addition, I was able to play AOE2DE some weeks ago with some bugs at multiplayer games, but still running. This huge bug seems new to me.

:arrow_forward: GAME INFORMATION

  • Build: 101.101.40220.0 5438859
  • Platform: Steam
  • Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-4710MQ
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 950M (driver version 452.06, released Aug 2020)

:arrow_forward: ISSUE

Essentially, the main menu doesn’t load properly.

When booting up the game, I hear the opening cinematic audio but see no video . On a mouse click, the game skips the cinematic and goes to the main menu. Again audio is fine, but 1 of 2 things happens:

  1. The main menu starts fading in from black but this transition stops mid-way (so you see a dark, frozen main menu screen) . The mouse can move and occasionally I’ve been able to get to the X-Box login screen (though this is of no use). I haven’t been able to click any other buttons (campaigns, standard game, etc.)
  2. Completely black screen with no ability to do anything (but can hear main menu music)

:arrow_forward: REPRODUCTION STEPS

  1. Start the game
  2. That’s it. I haven’t done anything else

:arrow_forward: FIXES ATTEMPTED

Tried solutions from here : https://www.ageofempires.com/support/aoe2/#black-menu

  1. Updated on-board graphics drivers (not relevant as I’m using nVidia drivers)
  2. Performed a clean install of your video drivers.
  3. Set dedicated video card to run the game (note that set integrated graphics allow to play)
  4. Disabled the Steam Overlay
  5. Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables
  6. Tried skipping the intro video by adding the SKIPINTRO launch option
  7. Fresh install of AOE2DE from steam.
3

I have had this issue before either due to corruption of window files or the game itself. usually wait awhile like 30 seconds to 1 min will fix it but I simply restore an old image and that fixed it.

4

FIXED!

This issue was fixed by rolling back the NVIDIA driver to version 445.87. Works perfectly now with a benchmark score of 960 to 1000 depending on settings.