Horrible Crashing of BRAND-NEW Mac since Patch 1.2.3 while OLD Mac is ok?

baratron · June 2014

My friend and I both play on 15" MacBook Pros. Mine is old, and is absolutely fine. His is 3 weeks old, and crashes all the time only since Patch 1.2.3. Help?! (Yes, we've both read http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/115079/please-read-first-known-technical-issues-mac#latest). I'm afraid this will be a long post since there is a lot of detail to cover.

Mine is mid-2010, with the lowest graphics card that ESO supports. My specs are Mac OS 10.9.3, 2.66 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7, 4 GB RAM, NVidia GeForce GT 330M with 512MB graphics RAM. As a result, I play on a modified Low/Medium graphics setting with shadows and grass turned off, and achieve good results except in Cyrodiil, which requires Low settings.

His is mid-2014, bought 2 weeks ago, retina display. His specs are Mac OS 10.9.3, 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, NVidia GeForce GT 750M with 2 GB graphics RAM. He can play easily on High settings but usually turns it down to a modified Medium when grouping, with shadows turned off but grass left on.

Both of us are in the habit of closing the Launcher as soon as the game has loaded.

My ESO client crashes about once every 5-10 hours of play, and it is only ever the client which crashes. My Mac OS session, other applications, and the computer itself all remain unaffected, and it is no more than a couple of minutes before I can force quit ESO if necessary and reboot the Launcher.

Since patch 1.2.3., my friend's ESO crashes constantly in dungeons, at least once every hour, and the ENTIRE COMPUTER shuts down. I have literally never seen a Mac crash in this way! It's like the Mac equivalent of the Windows blue-screen of death! A screen comes up explaining that the Mac OS session had to shut down in 10 or 12 different languages, and he has to start his entire Mac OS session again.

Our guess is that there is some issue with the new lighting effects in patch 1.2.3 and the graphics card/driver on his Mac. The crashes only seem to happen indoors. Also, there is a definite issue with lightning attacks on the screen. Tempest Island was a complete nightmare: whenever there were multiple NPCs using lightning, his computer would shut down within seconds of the battle starting.

The crashing is clearly related to situations with certain types of graphical effect, and may also be related to situations with many enemies on the screen - we're less sure about that since going through Fungal Grotto and Darkshade Caverns presented no problems at all, and Arx Corinium only crashed on the final boss.

We Googled for things like driver errors, which would cause this sort of issue on the PC. But Macs don't work like PCs - since they have standard hardware, drivers only need to be updated when there is a new version of the OS.

What other information do you need in order to solve this problem?

LavaDrop · June 2014

Download and run EtreCheck http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

Post the results here.

KhajitFurTrader · July 2014

Try renaming the UserSettings.txt file in ~/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live (or liveeu, depending on the server) to something like UserSettings.txt.old, or move it elsewhere. The game will create a fresh one on start. There is also a file named shaderCache.cooked, either in the user-specific directory mentioned above, or in the game directory /Applications/ZeniMax Online/Elder Scrolls (can't look at the moment, so search for it). Rename or cut and paste it elsewhere, too, it will be rebuild.

Please let us know whether that helps.

Moonraker · July 2014

Personally with such a drastic crash I would go straight to a delete and fresh install and see if the issue persists.

Ensure that the whole install in uninstalled including the Documents folder with preferences etc.;

~/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live

(liveeu if EU install)

You could also copy your install and transfer it to your friends Mac as a quicker way and a known working updated install. Just let his recreate the Documents live folder as there will be some differences in preferences etc.

As no others have posted on this type of crash after 1.2.3 patch and new lighting effects and use new MacBook Pros with the same card I suspect it is an issue with the install/ preferences.

Try that and post back.

If they has the latest OS X version (then 10.9.3 now 10.9.4) then it will have the latest Apple drivers. The latest Apple driver versions lag somewhat behind PC latest drivers also anyhow (around about a year from version though that doesn't mean it lacks all those update changes but certainly is behind)

There is the known issue with Lightning effects introduced in 1.2.3 Update and also Lighting also I believe from forums and official posts with a hotfix that went in today though there say it's not full fix just what they can do as a hotfix without taking servers down.

Looks like they need to either revert the change until it's sorted properly or fix it fully for both clients. Hopefully the hotfix helps alleviate at least some of the performance hit which seems not just in Cyrodiil PvP but in PVE also.

It's possible that for some reason it causes the CTD for your friend but as most don't get that try the reinstall first to address any corruption or missing data issues.

In the end it shouldn't require updated drivers on Mac or PC just to work as it did before so needs fixing by Zenimax and looks like they are working on it with the hotfix etc. Still tends to beg the question why this wasn't picked up during PTS testing especially as it's open to all now for both Mac & PC clients.

bitranch · July 2014

I had the same issue after 1.2.3. The game would run for maybe 5 minutes and then crash, rebooting my desktop in the process. An uninstall/reinstall fixed it (plus clearing up some other smaller issues that had developed along the way).

Moonraker · July 2014

bitranch wrote: »

I had the same issue after 1.2.3. The game would run for maybe 5 minutes and then crash, rebooting my desktop in the process. An uninstall/reinstall fixed it (plus clearing up some other smaller issues that had developed along the way).

Thanks for the feedback. Crashing that often is indicative of some serious corruption or other issue so this is good advice in this case.

Delsskia · July 2014

"A screen comes up explaining that the Mac OS session had to shut down in 10 or 12 different languages, and he has to start his entire Mac OS session again."

This sounds like a Kernel Panic. Have your friend take his MB back to the Apple Store so they can have a look at the logs and the machine.

Moonraker · July 2014

Delsskia wrote: »

"A screen comes up explaining that the Mac OS session had to shut down in 10 or 12 different languages, and he has to start his entire Mac OS session again."

This sounds like a Kernel Panic. Have your friend take his MB back to the Apple Store so they can have a look at the logs and the machine.

It is a Kernel Panic error message. I would still however suggest a fresh install before going down that route (which may be necessary if it was happening in general use) if it is happening only when running the Mac ESO client. There have been some other reports of similar quick hard crashes noted above which were remedied this way.

Delsskia · July 2014

Nah, just take it to the Apple Store. The game obviously stresses computers far beyond what "normal use" will. The Geniuses can stress test it and see what's causing the Kernel Panic, and if it's a hardware or OS issue, fix it before the problem gets worse. Also, the problem will get documented with Apple, so if you get other panics or issues in the future, they'll have a baseline to work from.

Worst case scenario, they'll give you the peace of mind that your computer is either repaired or working fine. Then if the problem persists, you can narrow it down to the game rather than your brand new laptop.

Moonraker · July 2014

Delsskia wrote: »

Nah, just take it to the Apple Store. The game obviously stresses computers far beyond what "normal use" will. The Geniuses can stress test it and see what's causing the Kernel Panic, and if it's a hardware or OS issue, fix it before the problem gets worse. Also, the problem will get documented with Apple, so if you get other panics or issues in the future, they'll have a baseline to work from.

Worst case scenario, they'll give you the peace of mind that your computer is either repaired or working fine. Then if the problem persists, you can narrow it down to the game rather than your brand new laptop.

Why take it to the Apple Store if simply uninstalling and a fresh install resolves the issue? Makes no sense.

As the OP explained, the Mac used was working fine before patch 1.2.3. Therefore it was working fine under the 'stress' of running ESO up to this point. After patching it doesn't crash normally but a hard crash causing a Kernel Panic message. As I noted and even posted in this thread by others, a few others have posted similar problem and that a fresh install resolved the issue. So it is the logical place to start.

If, after a fresh install with addons disabled etc. it reoccurs, than it would be a logical next step to contact Apple Support even with a new computer to resolve the issue.

You also assume that popping into the nearest Apple Store is an option for everyone. For me that would be a 500km round trip and a day out the window

Delsskia · July 2014

Moon, you're obviously in a mood to argue this morning. I'll just keep it simple. The computer is the priority, not the game. If your brand new Mac is having kernel panics, take it to the Geniuses at the Apple Store. Period. Apple will also provide free shipping if the driving distance is prohibitive.

To the OP, this is good advice.

Moonraker · July 2014

Delsskia wrote: »

Moon, you're obviously in a mood to argue this morning. I'll just keep it simple. The computer is the priority, not the game. If your brand new Mac is having kernel panics, take it to the Geniuses at the Apple Store. Period. Apple will also provide free shipping if the driving distance is prohibitive.

To the OP, this is good advice.

The only obvious thing to do is try the obvious first... As Apple itself states on Kernel Panics:

In most cases, kernel panics are not caused by an issue with the Mac itself. They are usually caused by software that was installed, or a problem with connected hardware.

Best course of action is to follow the official support advice which can be found here.

The OP can take the advice offered here and make their own choice I'm sure.

Seedier · July 2014

Actually @Moonraker has a point - Kernel panics are rarely hardware problems.
It's a good bet that re-downloading the game (painful, i know) will fix the problem. I found that it's a good idea to keep a pristine copy of the freshly downloaded game folder on an external drive, just in case.

baratron · August 2014

As people are still commenting on this, I'll let you know what we did, and then the thread can be closed.

KhajitFurTrader wrote: »

Try renaming the UserSettings.txt file in ~/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live (or liveeu, depending on the server) to something like UserSettings.txt.old, or move it elsewhere. The game will create a fresh one on start. There is also a file named shaderCache.cooked, either in the user-specific directory mentioned above, or in the game directory /Applications/ZeniMax Online/Elder Scrolls (can't look at the moment, so search for it). Rename or cut and paste it elsewhere, too, it will be rebuild.

My friend tried this as the least 'drastic' measure. It greatly reduced the number of crashes. Then the hotfix patch seems to have fixed the problem altogether. We can go around Tempest Island and other group dungeons without risk of his computer seizing up.

Thanks to all for helping!

Moonraker · August 2014

baratron wrote: »

As people are still commenting on this, I'll let you know what we did, and then the thread can be closed.

KhajitFurTrader wrote: »

Try renaming the UserSettings.txt file in ~/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live (or liveeu, depending on the server) to something like UserSettings.txt.old, or move it elsewhere. The game will create a fresh one on start. There is also a file named shaderCache.cooked, either in the user-specific directory mentioned above, or in the game directory /Applications/ZeniMax Online/Elder Scrolls (can't look at the moment, so search for it). Rename or cut and paste it elsewhere, too, it will be rebuild.

My friend tried this as the least 'drastic' measure. It greatly reduced the number of crashes. Then the hotfix patch seems to have fixed the problem altogether. We can go around Tempest Island and other group dungeons without risk of his computer seizing up.

Thanks to all for helping!

Glad it helped you and your friend