[BUG] Half Life Alyx crash when loading saves

[j0sk]

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Describe the bug When you are killed in the game then load save games user interface is shown. When you click to load save game then Half Life Alyx crash like 70% of times.

To Reproduce Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Open SteamVR and then Half Life Alyx. Be sure that in Linux you are opening native (non proton) version of game with Vulkan api.
2. Load your existing save game
3. Die in game
4. User interface menu of saved games is displayed
5. Click one of the saved games
6. 70% times whole game crash

Expected behavior Save game should be loaded without crashing the whole game.

System Information (please complete the following information):

• Manjaro
• SteamVR version: 1.21.2
• Steam client version: Nov 19 2021
• Opted into Steam client beta?: Yes
• Graphics driver version: Mesa 21.2.5
• Gist for SteamVR System Information: https://gist.github.com/j0sk/bf8a503754924920d3837528bbbe40bd

Screenshots N/A

Additional context I found that same error exists with Windows when Vulkan API is used. One solution to avoid this issue is minimize the game on the monitor. That fixed issue on the Windows and I was able to create on KDE Plasma Desktop window rule that automatic minimize the "hlvr" window on monitor. That fixed this issue too on linux. Without that window rule there is no way to minimize the game on monitor.

This way I made the window rule:

Launch Steam and Steam VR

Launch the game and stay on the menu

ALT+TAB to your Plasma desktop

Open Plasma SETTINGS > WINDOW MANAGEMENT > WINDOW RULES > ADD NEW

Fill the form: Description: Half Life Alyx fix Window class (application): Exact Match hlvr Match whole window class: no Window types: All selecteted

Add property: Size and Minimized

Settings for size: Apply initially 800 600 (It may be good that it is running on small window too)

Settings for minimized: Force Yes

Press APPLY

Now Half Life game should be minimized on monitor

Put your VR Helmet on and start playing. Now it shouldn't crash any more during the loading the save games

This issue is well known: https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLifeAlyx/comments/k85k0s/game_crash_or_steamvr_crash_when_loading_saves/ https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLifeAlyx/comments/oj8pv2/alyx_crashes_exclusively_when_loading_late_saves/ https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLifeAlyx/comments/i6r10l/loading_screen_crashes_fix/ https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLifeAlyx/comments/o9i4q0/half_life_alyx_crashes_steamvr_when_loading_need/

Note: Commenters who are also experiencing this issue are encouraged to include the "System Information" section in their replies.

I hope that this game will get real fix for this issue.

[Andreuha]

Experiencing the same issue. Saves about half way through Chapter 8 no longer load. Tried many things. Only a few saves in the list are visible so there's no apparent way to backtrack except with a significant reversion or starting a new game from the same chapter.

[frankvoelker]

Same here, first fresh start with Vulkan is ok but after dying and loading a savegame game either crashes completely or I have very bad inconsistency betweeen left and right eye, image is "jumping" around, when I turn my head it does not follow correctly... bad headache

[okawo80085]

Half-Life: Alyx crashes SteamVR with -203 so consistently that i use it as a test for -203 crashes. Same symptoms, crashes on second/third scene loads, doesn't matter if its a death, level transition, checkpoint load, any scene load really.

Funny thing is that the game itself doesn't crash, usually only vrcompositor does (usually on texture the update call), more info in #452.

[topin89]

Experiencing the same issue. Saves about half way through Chapter 8 no longer load. Tried many things. Only a few saves in the list are visible so there's no apparent way to backtrack except with a significant reversion or starting a new game from the same chapter.

Just got the same, but on Windows. Most common answer was "just minimize it all with Win-D". Most unexpectedly, it helped. Maybe problems are related, maybe not. Second part, most cases, my included, starts with "but I have 2080/3060/etc". I'm also not sure if this is related.

[okawo80085]

Experiencing the same issue. Saves about half way through Chapter 8 no longer load. Tried many things. Only a few saves in the list are visible so there's no apparent way to backtrack except with a significant reversion or starting a new game from the same chapter.

Just got the same, but on Windows. Most common answer was "just minimize it all with Win-D". Most unexpectedly, it helped. Maybe problems are related, maybe not. Second part, most cases, my included, starts with "but I have 2080/3060/etc". I'm also not sure if this is related.

Interesting, I'll try out that fix on Linux next time I get some free time.

[BurAndBYsAlt]

mdmpde.txt Have the same issue, maybe decoded mdmp helps figure out the stuff. ntdll!NtGetContextThread+0x14: 00007ffa'b018ed74 c3 ret! P.S.: It happened at several times at the same place with the same exception. Maybe some of my files are corrupted???

[XDM-Inc]

same here if i try to use a older version a steamVR

[rdeforest]

Switching to native Linux version fixed this for me (and some other stuff I didn't even know was broken)