Windows

Generic troubleshooting: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/troubleshooting/

Discord: https://discord.gg/pa

Clean Boot

A great way to troubleshoot Windows issues is by starting with a clean boot: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135/

Windows System Requirements

MinimumRecommended
Windows 7 Service Pack 1Windows 10 latest

NVIDIA Low FPS

Known issue with latest driver impacting many games typically in multiple display environments with AMD CPU / NVIDIA GPU.

Disable, set to manual or stop the NVIDIA Display Container LS Windows service.

Disabling will remove the NVIDIA icon from the Windows taskbar.

Report via NVIDIA Support or the NVIDIA Display Driver Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/kJ9Bqcaicvjb82SdA from 466.11 thread: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/forums/game-ready-drivers/13/448105/geforce-46611-grd-feedback-thread-released-41421/

Windows Updates KB5001330 / KB5000842

Also see: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-10-20h2#1594msgdesc

Update Your Windows Graphics Drivers

Please make sure your graphics drivers are up to date by downloading your drivers directly from the graphics card manufacturer websites. Drivers from Windows laptop manufacturer websites are often outdated.

Alternatively use the graphic card manufacturer auto detection and update tools:

For a clean driver uninstall:

Multiple GPUs or Switchable Graphics

If your gaming laptop or desktop has multiple graphics cards, please make sure you have updated drivers for both GPUs and that you have configured both PA and CoherentUI_Host to run on your high performance dedicated GPU:

Check the GPU in the Windows Task Manager. For some dual GPU configurations you may want PA and Coherent on different GPUs.

Windows Planetary Annihilation Data Directory

The default location is in your local app data directory:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Uber Entertainment\Planetary Annihilation
C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\local\Uber Entertainment\Planetary Annihilation

Your user AppData directory is hidden by default so you have a couple of options:

Windows Incompatible Software

ASUS / ROG GameFirstMay cause network lag resulting in unit stutter / jumps with both online and offline servers.
Firewall / Security Suites
May cause connection failures and crashes.

Disable or add exceptions for SSL / protocol scanning / filtering for PA.exe, server.exe and CoherentUI_Host.exe

ESET: https://support.eset.com/en/kb5833-manage-protocolssltls-filtering-in-eset-windows-home-products
Kaspersky: https://support.kaspersky.com/12684#block2
On Screen Displays (OSD)May cause black screens and crashes.

MSI Afterburner / Rivatuner
ASUS / ROG Sonic Radar
3D API / OpenGL InterceptorsMay cause black screens and crashes.

Lucid Virtu MVP
Sound EnhancersMay cause no sound, stutter, static, etc.
Nahimic Audio Driver

Also bundled in:
ASUS / ROG Sonic Studio
MSI Audio Drivers
Alienware Command Center
May cause no sound, stutter, static, etc and may also freeze when launching on a second display with NVIDIA drivers.

Add PA.exe to:
C:\ProgramData\A-Volute\A-Volute.Nahimic\Modules\Scheduled\Configurator\BlackApps.dat

Windows Crash Dumps

PA generated crash reports with logs (and dxdiag on windows) are usually automatically uploaded to our crash reporting system.

When reporting crashes it also helps if you include the crash ID from your logs (same as the filename of the generated minidump):

xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.dmp


The default location for crash dumps generated by PA is now the logs directory in your Planetary Annihilation data directory.

The environment variable MINIDUMP_DIRECTORY can be used to change the location where PA crash minidump files are saved and will also generate more detailed (and larger) minidump files similar to the new --enable-detailed-minidump command line option.

Windows Error Reporting (WER)

The default location for mini crash dumps created by Windows Error Reporting (WER) is:

  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps\

WER crash dump files are named like:

  • PA.exe.NNNNN.dmp

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/performance/read-small-memory-dump-file#configure-the-dump-type

Windows Environment Variables

To set environment variables on Windows use:

  • Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > Environment Variables (or search for environment variables if using Windows 10).

HDR10

Experimental hardware HDR10 support can be enabled on latest Windows 10 for modern NVIDIA 10 series or newer GPUs connected via DisplayPort 1.4+ or HDMI 2.0+ with full output of dynamic range and colour depth in the NVIDIA Control Panel using:

  • --hardware-hdr
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