NPCs keep disappearing/failing to spawn

[psicher1]

NPCs keep disappearing/failing to spawn

Today I noticed that NPCs in Novigrad keep disappearing/failing to spawn. If I meditate or move a certain distance away and then go back, the missing NPCS appear to return, but if I move away and return again, they're gone.

I made a video of the problem: https://youtu.be/qUtdc_oKka0

As you can see, the Cleaver's Henchdwarfs disappear, and then reappear. It also happens to merchants and regular civilians as well.

I have tried reloading older saves, and the issue exists there as well. While I suppose it is theoretically possible this issue has always been present in my game, I do believe it is new.

It is seriously effecting my immersion and enjoyment.

 

[SigilFey]

0.) Using any mods? Disable and uninstall them all.

1.) Delete everything in the directory containing your user.settings file (EXCEPT the gamesaves folder -- KEEP that)

2.) Run a verify / repair through Steam / GOG / Origin. Also make sure the game has been fully updated to v1.31.

3.) Install any purchased DLC you own and ALL free DLC (whether you intend to use them or not.)

3.) Load up only your most recent save and see if there's any difference.

If that all has no effect, can you post your specs, GPU driver version, outline any tweaks or mods you've used in the past, etc. Keep us posted!

 

[psicher1]

Thanks for the reply! I'll follow those steps and update you!

In the meantime, just in case it's helpful, I've attached one of many save files in which I've been able to reproduce the problem. It'd be awesome and helpful if someone would try and replicate it themselves.

 

[psicher1]

Sorry I disappeared for a few days. Anyway... I tried what you suggested and the problem persists. I even tried loading a save on a different computer and the problem persists. Did anyone try testing the save I uploaded?

My specs:

OS version: Windows 10 (64-bit) Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5820K CPU @ 3.30GHz (12 CPUs), ~3.3GHz Amount of RAM: 16272MB Graphic card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Screen resolution: 2560 x 1440 Graphics driver version: 21.21.13.7878 (although I also tried rolling it back to 378.66) Product version: 1.31 Boxed or digital: digital New Game+: no Hearts of Stone: no Blood and Wine: no Vendor: Steam​

 

[heroimage99]

It's not just me then? I thought I was going crazy. I know it's certainly driving me crazy. Really screws with my immersion. Sorry you're having this issue dude but you aren't alone. I really hope someone can find a solution to this.

 

[SigilFey]

1.) Is this happening in specific areas only, or does it seem to be random?

2.) Did it always occur like this, or did it start happening at a certain point during your playthrough?

 

[psicher1]

Thanks for getting back to me!

1.) It seems to happen in Hierarch Square and the Fish Market. It seems that for some reasons, some NPCs in one area can't load when those in the other area have already loaded. As you'll see in the video (turn on annotations) I'm attaching, if I talk to the Hierarch Square Armorer, the Fish Market Blacksmith and some surrounding NPCs disappear, and vice versa.

2.) I think the bug may have always been present. I only talked to the armorer for the first time recently but in hindsight, the workers on the scaffolding next to the bank appeared and disappeared at odd times ever since I first arrived in Novigrad.

 

[SigilFey]

My guess is you have a borked install (which should be fixed by a verify / repair), or a driver issue (rolling back may be better than updating for TW3), or a borked save-state (in which case you have the option of loading consecutively older saves until the problem goes away, then playing through the game from that point...hoping it doesn't return...)

 

[psicher1]

I don't think the install is the issue because I have done verify/repair with Steam several times. I also uninstalled and reinstalled the game entirely. Furthermore, I tested it on an entirely different PC and the problem persisted.

As for drivers, on my main PC I tested it with both the 378.78 and 378.66 NVidia Drivers. On my other PC, I was using entirely different drivers because the GPU was entirely different (the Microsoft Surface Book's NVidia dGPU).

And while it possible the issue is with my save, I also tried other people's saves from here (http://www.nexusmods.com/witcher3/mods/searchresults/?src_cat=21).

So at the moment, I'm kind of at a loss. Did you (or anyone else) test out the save I attached to one of my earlier posts to see if the bug could be reproduced?

 

[SigilFey]

You can send the saves into CDPR Support if you wish: http://en.cdprojektred.com/contact-support/

I don't actually have the game installed, at the mo -- spring cleaning! Does your statement mean that you experienced the issue on other people's games, but they do not? If so, that's pointing fingers at your video card / drivers / system config.

In general, though, certain issues seem to be "special treats" for just one and only one player on the planet. e.g. I still get the bald Roach issue in cutscenes and gameplay. No one else I know gets it anymore. Just me. And nothing fixes it. It won't go away. It's a unique, super-special bug that I get to keep forever and ever...just for me!

 

[psicher1]

I did submit a ticket, which included a save, file to CDPR Support. They responded back that I should verify my install with Steam and then see if the problem persisted. I did that, and responded back to them that the problem was still there. That was more than a week ago and I have yet to hear back.

As for your question...yes, when trying other people's saves, the problem was still there. I don't, however, know if they experienced it themselves, only that I continue to experience the bug.

I would agree with you that it was likely caused by my drivers and/or hardware, except that I was able to reproduce the bug on my laptop, which has quite different hardware.

If at the end of the day, I'm stuck with the bug, so be it. If a merchant is missing I'll pretend they're going to the bathroom or doing a home visit to a client or something. If Cleaver's guards are missing, I'll pretend they've accompanied him on a shakedown or something. Still, I hope CDPR gets back to me. If you have a way to contact people there, I'd appreciate it you would drop a line and mention that I am still waiting to hear back. Although the bug is still present, I certainly appreciate the help you've already given me.

 

[SigilFey]

Feel free to bump the ticket every few days. It may simply be something that the team can't reproduce, though. If that's the case, there may not be anything to be done (except fiddling ). Things are quite busy from what I gather, so responses will likely not be "immediate". Especially not if the bug is a tough one. Let me know if you don't hear anything back in a week or so.

In the meantime, can you list the specs for both of your PCs? Might as well start looking for anything of interest. Also, if you could confirm whether or not the other players saw the bug in their own games, that could help.

It could also be some weird issue with the DLC. You are sure that you have ALL Free DLC, Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine installed?