[PC] Game client almost never closes gracefully

NoNameNamer

It is so rare for my game client to close gracefully when I exit the game or get logged out due to inactivity. I don't see an error report popping up but I can tell it happens as various addons almost always fail to save their state. Event Viewer shows hundreds of these crashes in different modules in the process. Windows and Nvidia drivers are up to date.

NoNameNamer

They are all Access Violations (0xc0000005) in different modules. No other game AVs in these modules upon exiting.

majulook

Are you logging out all the way, prior to quitting the game?

I noticed long ago that when you just select Quit when actively logged into a character I got application error logs.
When I log out all the way to the login screen and then quit I do not get them.

Shadowshire

@NoNameNamer

Whether it matters, on which mega-server were you playing when the Windows Event Viewer recorded the entry in the image?

Personally, I have not checked Windows Event Viewer in quite a long time. Maybe it is time to start examining it.

• Unfortunately, it is not unusual for the game software to abruptly display the account log-in dialog while I am playing -- ordinarily, while I am logged-on to one of my characters.
• Sometimes I am abruptly returned to the account log-in dialog screen without any warning. Usually, though, the game client stops responding to any input that does not move the character, then all input is ignored and the HUD freezes, then the account log-in dialog screen is displayed.
• From time-to-time I am logged-out to the account log-in dialog because of "inactivity", but I have never noticed any problems that ensue after I log-in again to resume playing.
• On other occasions I am returned to the account log-in dialog screen, accompanied by the game client displaying an error message such as "Booted from server."

Since the account log-in dialog screen is displayed, evidently the game client is still running. However, I don't know whether any add-ons have been unceremoniously unloaded.

Add-ons are loaded into and running in memory allocated to the game client, so there is no particular reason to suppose that their status is any different than that of their parent process, i.e., the game client itself. Certainly, add-ons should be given an opportunity to save their game-state, and close any open files to which they have access, before the game client forces them to exit or otherwise "unloads" them.

It is rare to be simply returned to the Windows desktop while the game is in progress. Instead, when the game client crashes, a dialog is displayed requesting the player to describe what they were doing when the crash occurred, then whatever process is displaying that exits.

After a game client crash, I always run Launcher and use the Game Options feature to Repair Files.

@majulook

Personally, ordinarily I do not log-out of the game by:

1. Using ESC > Logout on the character HUD then,
2. using ESC > Back to return to the primary account log-in screen, before
3. using ESC > Quit.

Instead, I just use ESC > Quit while the character is loaded, including after the following UI Error is displayed:



The consequences of this UI Error are such that I must Quit the game, then run Launcher and choose the Game Options feature to Repair Files. This process usually requires about 15-20 minutes, from the time I Quit until the repair is completed so that I can log-in to resume play.

The next time this happens, which will be too soon to suit me, I suppose that I should check Windows Event Viewer to see what Errors it reports around the time that the UI Error occurs.

majulook

@Shadowshire

When you get a UI Error check the box in the lower left corner of the UI Error window. This will give you a lot more information on what is causing the error. Also you can copy and paste the text of the UI Error window. If it is a Add-on issue post the full text of the UI Error into the Add-on sub forum here, or if it shows a issue with a particular add-on post it to the comment section of that add-on at ESOUI.com

If not a add-on issue it will give ZOS support a lot more info on the issue that you are having.

Shadowshire

majulook wrote: »

@Shadowshire

When you get a UI Error check the box in the lower left corner of the UI Error window. This will give you a lot more information on what is causing the error. Also you can copy and paste the text of the UI Error window. If it is a Add-on issue post the full text of the UI Error into the Add-on sub forum here, or if it shows a issue with a particular add-on post it to the comment section of that add-on at ESOUI.com

If not a add-on issue it will give ZOS support a lot more info on the issue that you are having.

Thank-you for your advice and suggestions.

IIRC then, at least twice, I have checked the box in the lower left corner of the UI Error Window and made a screenshot. Then I submitted the screenshot(s) by using /bug. I have made numerous /bug reports about this. The issue is probably buried somewhere on their "To Do" list.

Albeit, currently, I do not have any screenshots or copies of the text which include the additional information.

Regardless, the UI Error message never mentions an add-on anywhere in it.* Apparently some process makes an attempt to access one of the EsoUI Global Variables, and I do not know whether an add-on can do that. As an educated guess: the only way that an add-on could cause the error is if it made an API call to the affected feature with a parameter which "attempts to index a nil value". If that is the case, then failing to identify the faulting add-on is an error in the API UI Error message per se.

This has been an issue for a very long time. Probably it would be better to post a bug report about it as a separate discussion. I posted one report to the ESOU website on the Comments tab for a certain add-on, and asked what the developer thought of it. However, that comment was, evidently, summarily deleted. If I post it in the Add-on Forum, then perhaps someone will have something to say about it, but I have my doubts.

* UPDATE: When the UI Error dialog was displayed (after I wrote the remarks above), I selected the More Information checkbox. The text that follows is a copy of all lines which were displayed, which I have edited to make them more easily readable:

EsoUI/Libraries/Globals/GlobalVars.lua:47: attempt to index a nil value
stack traceback:

EsoUI/Libraries/Globals/GlobalVars.lua:47: in function 'GetControl' |caaaaaa <Locals> suffix = "Flash" </Locals>|r

EsoUI/Ingame/Inventory/Inventory.lua:1289: in function 'ZO_InventoryManager:PlayItemAddedAlert'
|caaaaaa <Locals> self = [table:1]{itemsLockedDueToDeath = F, selectedTabType = 1}, filterData = [table:2]{1 = 1}, tabFilters = [table:3]{}, filterKey = 1, tabFilter = [table:4]{pressed = "esoui/art/vendor/vendor_tabIco...", ignoreVisibleCheck = F, hidden = F, highlight = "esoui/art/vendor/vendor_tabIco...", tooltipText = "Stolen", activeTabText = "Stolen", inventoryType = 1, filterType = 0, normal = "esoui/art/vendor/vendor_tabIco...", descriptor = "NTakLootSteal"}, filterIndex = 1 </Locals>|r

EsoUI/Ingame/Inventory/Inventory.lua:1366: in function 'ZO_InventoryManager:OnInventoryItemAdded'
|caaaaaa <Locals> self = [table:1], inventoryType = 1, bagId = 1, slotIndex = 5, newSlotData = [table:5]{locked = F, quality = 1, stackSellPrice = 0, isPlayerLocked = F, age = 6039.2919921875, itemInstanceId = 1257738763, slotIndex = 5, sellInformationSortOrder = 1, bagId = 1, meetsUsageRequirement = T, stackCount = 1, itemType = 1, isPlaceableFurniture = F, iconFile = "/esoui/art/icons/gear_nord_2hs...", rawName = "voidsteel greatsword^n", sellInformation = 0, requiredLevel = 50, isBoPTradeable = F, uniqueId = 1518.0068361918, statValue = 1150, name = "Voidsteel Greatsword", stackLaunderPrice = 0, isJunk = F, isFromCrownStore = F, statusSortOrder = 16, stolen = F, launderPrice = 0, condition = 100, isGemmable = F, sellPrice = 0, requiredChampionPoints = 140, traitInformationSortOrder = 1, traitInformation = 0, brandNew = T, equipType = 6, specializedItemType = 250}, inventory = [table:6]{listDataType = 1, LibFilters3_filterType = 1, freeSlotsStringId = 3885, slotType = 2, rowTemplate = "ZO_PlayerInventorySlot", currentSortKey = "statusSortOrder", freeSlotsFullStringId = 3886, freeSlotType = 1, currentFilter = 0, currentSortOrder = F} </Locals>|r

EsoUI/Ingame/Inventory/Inventory.lua:688: in function 'callback'
|caaaaaa <Locals> bagId = 1, slotIndex = 5, newSlotData = [table:5], inventory = 1 </Locals>|r

EsoUI/Libraries/Utility/ZO_CallbackObject.lua:116: in function 'ZO_CallbackObject:FireCallbacks'
|caaaaaa <Locals> self = [table:7]{fireCallbackDepth = 1}, eventName = "SlotAdded", registry = [table:8]{}, callbackInfoIndex = 1, callbackInfo = [table:9]{3 = F}, callback = EsoUI/Ingame/Inventory/Inventory.lua:685, deleted = F </Locals>|r

EsoUI/Ingame/Inventory/SharedInventory.lua:494: in function 'ZO_SharedInventoryManager:HandleSlotCreationOrUpdate'
|caaaaaa <Locals> self = [table:7], bagCache = [table:10]{}, bagId = 1, slotIndex = 5, isNewItem = T, slotData = [table:5], result = 2 </Locals>|r

EsoUI/Ingame/Inventory/SharedInventory.lua:267: in function 'ZO_SharedInventoryManager:RefreshSingleSlot'
|caaaaaa <Locals> self = [table:7], bagId = 1, slotIndex = 5, isNewItem = T, itemSoundCategory = 6, updateReason = 0, bagCache = [table:10] </Locals>|r

EsoUI/Ingame/Inventory/SharedInventory.lua:56: in function 'RefreshSingle'

EsoUI/Libraries/Refresh/Refresh.lua:65: in function 'ZO_Refresh:UpdateRefreshGroups'
|caaaaaa <Locals> self = [table:11]{currentlyRefreshing = T}, refreshGroup = "inventory", refreshData = [table:12]{allDirty = F, wasShown = F}, _ = 1, singleData = [table:13]{1 = 1} </Locals>|r

EsoUI/Ingame/Inventory/SharedInventory.lua:93: in function 'OnInventorySlotUpdated'
|caaaaaa <Locals> eventCode = 131224, bagId = 1, slotIndex = 5, isNewItem = T, itemSoundCategory = 6, updateReason = 0 </Locals>|r

______________________

Of course, I have disabled the add-on NTakLootSteal but I don't know yet whether the UI Error message will stop being displayed.

For what it is worth, I don't have the copies that I used to have of the UI Error message with the More Information lines. But the mass of text above is larger than any that I have seen before for any UI Error. Regardless, if a ZOS programmer spotted the name of an add-on among the data, then I suppose that they would simply ignore the issue whether, perhaps, they might have contacted the add-on developer because of the severity of the error's consequences in this instance.

The folder name and the .ZIP file name are exactly NTakLootSteal. However, IIRC, it has a similar but different name on the ESOUI Info tab of the pages which were displayed for it. Consequently, search as I have, including reviewing lists of add-ons in two categories and in the list of the most recently uploaded add-ons, I have not been able to find any Information for that add-on. It has not been updated recently, and seems to have simply disappeared from the ESOUI website. Perchance you should find it, then please let me know.

NoNameNamer

I think I have found the root issue on my system. In addition to the AVs in the Nvidia modules, I have noticed one in Razer's RzChromaSDK64.dll. So I have uninstalled everything from Razer and made sure that dll is gone. It seems ALL crashes are gone for now. Not only that, but my FPS has improved quite significantly and experience is smoother.

(I have had nothing but bad experiences with Razer products, especially their software, but still can't believe the kind of performance degradation I've been putting up with for months now. This is a new system so I had no idea something was wrong.)

majulook

@Shadowshire

Add-on NTakLootSteal >>> https://www.esoui.com/downloads/info2349-1.3.4.html

Read through the comments section and there are a couple of mentions of the issue "EsoUI/Libraries/Globals/GlobalVars.lua:47: attempt to index a nil value" and possible fixes by the add-on author.

Good luck

Shadowshire

@majulook

Thanks for the link. I found the ESOUI page for it last night by searching with Duck Duck Go and the string eso NTakLootSteal.. I did not read enough of the previously posted comments to discover that the issue has already been reported. So I reported the issue as I have discovered it to be. Apparently it has been occurring on my computer system since the most recent NTak Loot'n'Steal update to version 1.84 on 11/09/2019.