Stalker Call of Pripyat constantly crashes xray engine. Stalker: Call of Pripyat takes off. Removing mods and add-ons

18.08.2023

X-Ray Engine is a proprietary game engine created by GSC Game World for internal use. The vast majority of players know this company as the developer of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series of games. It was on X-Ray that the original part of Stalker, Shadow of Chernobyl, was created, as well as two official add-ons: Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat. Moreover, a modified version of the engine was planned to be used to develop the promising S.T.A.L.K.E.R. project. 2. Which, unfortunately, was frozen back in 2011.

Purpose

At the moment, X-Ray Engine is used mainly by mod creators. Yes, S.T.A.L.K.E.R is a series of games for which a huge number of modifications have been released. To help modders, GSC Game World has released a developer toolkit - SDK (Software Development Kit). But GSC forgot to “equip” it with official documentation, so the first mod creators had to work with the engine “by touch”. Fortunately, at the time of writing this review, a huge number of “manuals” and even thematic forums have already appeared on the Internet, where people exchange experiences with the SDK.

Specifications

The latest version of the X-Ray Engine supports DirectX 11. In addition, the engine supports volumetric lighting and complex effects with a large number of particles (like smoke). In addition, it provides fairly realistic rendering of complex scenes and works with ragdoll physics. The very first version of the X-Ray Engine allowed the developers to add support for soft shadows to the game, which at the time of the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl was considered a real technical breakthrough, especially for a game with large open locations.

Key Features

the presence of an official SDK, which is used by mod creators;
DirectX 11 support;
providing realistic physics and its own AI system (A-Life);
implementation of relief texturing technology;
working with soft shadows and volumetric lighting;
support for up to four million polygons in one frame;
lack of official documentation from the developer.

The error causes a lot of indignation "xrEngine.exe has stopped working" in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Skies. All because the game cannot be launched at all, a critical error immediately appears. We've noticed that the crash is usually preceded by installing the Windows 10 "creators update". On this basis, we conclude: the causes of the error are the features of individual components of Windows 10. Already today we have been able to find 3 effective ways to fix it.

Method No. 1: Activating the DirectPlay component

If the DirectPlay network programming interface is inactive, file sharing with online game servers becomes very difficult. In S.T.A.L.K.E.R, a component being disabled is a very common cause of an error. DirectPlay is useful software, so we recommend activating it.

How to enable DirectPlay:

go to the “Control Panel” by right-clicking on the “Start” button;
select the “Programs and Features” tile (if the viewing mode is set to “Large icons”);
Click on the link on the left side of the “Turn Windows components on or off” window;
after a short search and building a list, check the box next to “Legacy components”;
expand the list of items (near which you checked) and put a flag next to “DirectPlay”.

Method number 2: launch S.T.A.L.K.E.R in compatibility mode

Windows 10 supports compatibility changes for programs. We can run the application, specifically S.T.A.L.K.E.R, with Windows 7 compatibility.

Algorithm of actions:

Right-click on the game shortcut and select “Properties”;
go to the “Compatibility” tab;
activate “Compatibility Mode”;
Select “Windows 7” from the drop-down list;
apply the settings and close the window;
enjoy the game.

Method number 3: update video drivers

There is a high probability that the video card drivers were not updated with Windows 10 or were crashed during installation. If you install working and up-to-date drivers for the “ten”, the game should start without problems.

How to update your video adapter driver:

Right-click on “Start” and click on “Device Manager”;
open the “Video adapters” directory, right-click on the adapter and select “Properties”;
go to the “Driver” tab and click on “Update”;
Click on the option “Automatically search for updated drivers.”

In extreme cases, you may need to completely reinstall the game. Usually you don’t have to resort to extreme measures; you can correct the error using one of the methods listed above.

Games on the computer are a great way to “kill time”, have fun and just relax. Even without being an avid gamer, a person often has his own preferences in the field of game development. Some people love shooters, others can't live without strategies.

Back in 2006, a real event was the release of STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl. The game has gained millions of fans around the world. The latest version, Call of Pripyat, was released in 2009, after which the number of fans of the game increased sharply: the atmosphere of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is so captivating that even adults can sit for hours at it.

Unfortunately, many users are complaining that the XRay Engine bug is preventing them from enjoying the game at all. What causes its appearance and how to get rid of it? This is exactly what our article is dedicated to.

What is XRay?

In order to find out how to solve the problem, you need to understand its root cause in more detail. Let's start with the fact that XRay is a game engine that is used in all parts of Stalker.

It was created specifically for this game, and this happened back in 2001. Since the STALKER project itself turned out to be simply an epic “long-term construction”, it saw the light of day only five years later. At first, the developers intended to use it exclusively with DirectX 8, but by the time the first part of the trilogy was released, they added support for DirectX 9. In 2008, when the release of the long-suffering Clear Sky was announced, version 10 was also added there.

Finally, “Call of Pripyat” also received DirectX 11. However, given some “roughness” in the game code itself, the engine was unable to fully unleash the full potential of the 11th version.

What is the manifestation of the error?

This moment cannot be confused with anything. The game suddenly stops and then crashes to the desktop. Since the dialog box describing the error code depicts a large beetle, the XRay Engine is often called a “green disaster” and a “misfortune beetle” on fan forums.

However, enough lyricism. What is the reason for the appearance of the “beetle”?

Reasons for appearance

Alas, there is simply no clear answer to such a burning question. The developers from GSC did not particularly comment on the reasons even when the company still existed, and now it is completely pointless to hope for detailed answers.

Using the trial and error method, it was found that the game most often crashes on the computers of those users who do not have the latest drivers installed for their video card. So if you don't know which version of this software is installed on your machine, it's time to update it.

We update the game itself

If you witnessed the appearance of Clear Sky, then you remember very well all those “flattering” epithets that players awarded the developers. And there was a reason for it! It was, in fact, completely impossible to play, and the XRay Engine error was still minor!

Just look at the immortal snipers and the completely empty “Dark Valley”! I was able to play normally only with add-on 1.5.04, and all the saves that were made on previous versions did not work. In short, if you have the Internet, don’t be lazy and go to the developer’s website. All existing patches for all games in the series are there, so you just need to download and install them. In this case, the XRay Engine error in Stalker will probably appear much less frequently.

Pirate versions

Since the developers did not take into account the interests of end users, the game is protected from illegal copying by the well-known StarForce system. It is not surprising that many users prefer to download NoDVD even in cases where they have a licensed disc with the game in their hands.

Unfortunately, many of these “pills” cause the XRay Engine error to appear. What to do if you don’t want to spoil the StarForce operating system, but you also don’t want to see the “green bug” all the time?

Alas, there is only one way out. Buy the game on Steam. Since in this digital content store the game is also available to foreign users (where StarForce is prohibited in principle), you will definitely get rid of the problem.

Other reasons

Another important factor that may contribute to the error may be your computer hardware. Too new or old components may well not get along with the mysterious Ukrainian engine, after which you will constantly be haunted by the XRay Engine error. “Call of Pripyat” is currently the “freshest” version of the game, which has the least common hardware problems. “Shadow of Chernobyl” and “Clear Sky” are much older in this regard, and therefore they often completely refuse to be friends with new video cards.

Mods

When “Stalker” was just released, the players’ delight knew no bounds. The game really gave a feeling of almost limitless freedom. The GG could go anywhere, being practically unlimited in the direction of his movement. As time passed, the enthusiasm became less and less.

It became clear that the developers were not going to return the cut locations, and there wasn’t enough action in the game. It was then that MODs (game modifications) appeared, sometimes making truly global changes to Stalker.

The most famous was the AMK project, without which gamers with experience now do not recommend completing “Shadow of Chernobyl”. Some mods were very successful, some not so much. But almost all of them have an XRay Engine error. “Call of Pripyat” is much less susceptible to this phenomenon for the reason that there are much fewer mods for this game.

So if you are using a MOD, then there is only one way out - to communicate with its developer directly or to sift through hundreds of pages of forums, where players sometimes post good homemade “patches” that, under certain conditions, can actually eliminate this error. Of course, you can’t always hope for this, since in the case of the XRay Engine (“Call of Pripyat” in particular), it’s difficult to say anything concrete.

Cheats

Other players, who find some levels too difficult, often get too carried away with cheats, with the help of which they can build for themselves an unlimited number of weapons and equipment, and get the best artifacts at their disposal.

As usual, you have to pay for everything. In this particular case, this is expressed in a loss of program stability, when the XRay Engine error in Stalker begins to appear every few seconds. If this happens, simply try looking for a different version of the cheat. Fortunately, today they can be found in thousands of copies on the Internet. Finally, try to pass the difficult level honestly! Perhaps this way you will get much more pleasure from the game.

"Shamanism"

Alas, even the most logical and correct, at first glance, methods fail when it comes to this game engine. For example, if you are not playing with a “native” resolution, this may well be the reason for this error.

Your monitor resolution is 1280x1024, but do you prefer to play at 800x600? It is likely that the XRay Engine appears in Stalker precisely because of this. Change the resolution to the native one (recommended for this monitor). In some cases, such a simple measure helps to completely eliminate the error.

Sometimes the problem occurs when your page file is set to too small. Ideally, its size should be twice the amount of RAM.

How to increase the size of the swap file?

It's actually quite easy to do. To do this, right-click on “My Computer”, and then select “Properties” from the context menu. In the dialog box that opens, select the “Advanced system settings” option. Click on the “Options” button in the “Performance” item, and then select the “Advanced” tab. Then you need to click “Change” in the “Virtual memory” item, then enter the value you require there and left-click on “OK”.

Occasionally, the game can be launched if the system has less than 512 MB of memory, but you shouldn’t do this: the XRay Engine error and terrible “brakes” will still not let you play.

Finally, we need to talk about the features of the game itself. It is advisable to disable unnecessary image enhancement options. This statement is especially true when it comes to “Stalker Call of Pripyat”. XRay Engine appeared very often in version 1.6.0 when the player tried to set the maximum quality settings.

And more about drivers. It is not so rare that an error plagues those users whose computers have a discrete audio card. Try updating the drivers for it, and in particularly difficult cases, disable the device from the Control Panel. Attention! Do this carefully, as otherwise you may lose all sound on your computer.

What can we say at the end of our entire story? We wish you that no errors prevent you from setting new game records! We hope that our recommendations will help you in this matter.

Back in 2006 it was released the best game of all time– STALKER.

This game was in development for six years, and many gamers no longer believed in its release. But in 2006, it finally happened. Stalker exceeded all expectations, and many fans completed “Shadow of Chernobyl” several times in one go.

In 2008, the next part of this exciting game was published - "Clear sky", and a year later “Call of Pripyat” appeared.

It was in this part of Stalker that players most often began to encounter one problem - “Xray Engine 1.6 Error”, and in this review we will try to tell users how to deal with this problem.

"Bug of Happiness"

Exactly That's what gamers called this error, because when it appeared, a sign with a description of the error popped up, with a green bug drawn on the left. When X-ray Engine 1.6 error appeared - game closed randomly with access to the desktop.

There was little information on the Internet about solving the problem, and practically nothing came from the manufacturers themselves no information for this error, but the obsessed gamers did not give up - they looked for a solution to the problem wherever possible.

Those who came out game updates patches partially solved this problem, but in some cases it still returned. Gamers also noticed a clear pattern: if they updated the game to the latest version and updated the video driver, the “misfortune bug” almost receded.

Finding and eliminating causes

With the release of the first part of STALKER, users have already noted numerous bugs. In the game it was possible to encounter unkillable opponents, and it was also possible to come across completely unpopulated locations.

Already in “Shadow of Chernobyl” the X-ray Engine 1.6 error began to appear occasionally, but it wasn't pushy enough, and it was more or less possible to complete the game.

When the developers “tested” new patch 1.5.04, then the problem with the “beetle” was almost completely solved. But all this is provided that you download a licensed version of the game, which has all the necessary patches in its arsenal.

Another most common cause of the X-ray Engine 1.6 error is use of pirated cracks. Since Stalker at that time was protected by the well-known anti-piracy software – StarForce, the use of any kind of pirated software led to the appearance of an error with a “bug”.

In this case, there is only one solution - purchase Stalker, say, on Steam, and play without problems without fear that the exciting gameplay will be interrupted by the annoying X-ray Engine 1.6.

Another very common cause of this error is "crooked" fashions, which, on the one hand, are very necessary, but on the other, require proper installation and must be well designed.

There is no doubt that mods make Stalker much more colorful, but they are often the cause of the X-ray Engine 1.6 error.

In this case, this error is eliminated by correctly selecting the necessary mods, studying multiple user reviews about a particular add-on, selecting the most stable mod and installing it correctly. If everything is done correctly, then the “bug of misfortune” will bypass you, and you will fully enjoy your favorite game with very dynamic mods.

There is another reason why the X-ray Engine 1.6 error occurs - this is using all kinds of “cheats” for quick passage. If you are zealous with the use of cheat codes - endless ammunition, some powerful weapon, and so on, then in this case you will become more likely to encounter an X-ray Engine 1.6 error during the game.

Overloading the game with “cheats” leads to loss of stability the X-ray engine itself, and the appearing friezes and lags provoke the appearance of the “misfortune bug”. The gamer must be aware of what is acceptable in the Stalker game, and what is too much - in terms of “cheats”. The less “crutches” you use in the game, the more stable and error-free Stalker will work for you.

There have also been cases where an error occurred when monitor settings installed individually.

In order for Stalker to work flawlessly for you, the monitor settings must be “recommended”, and in most cases this will get rid of the annoying “bug”.

In conclusion, I would like to draw your attention to another important point due to which the X-ray Engine 1.6 error occurs. This trouble may appear when pagefile.sys is not of sufficient size for stable operation of the system as a whole.

In the case of Stalker, the “swap” must be at least twice the size of your RAM, and only then will you achieve stability in the game, and “X-ray Engine 1.6” will leave you forever. We will not tell you how to adjust the size of the paging file here, since this has long been described in Google in great detail.

Conclusion

Even today, all parts of the beloved Stalker game never cease to delight enthusiastic fans of this series. Stalker literally appeared revolution in the gaming world, and its realistic graphics truly mesmerized the players of that time.

Yes, there were some problems, and today we have studied the main methods for solving these problems. Have a good game!

Today we will look at the most common problems associated with the game, which has become the largest brainchild of the Ukrainian studio GСС Game World, namely S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. This first-person shooter was introduced back in 2009, but is still popular today. Oddly enough, many players have various questions about the stability of the game, since it can often crash or freeze.

Before you start fixing bugs, check whether your computer meets the minimum technical parameters:

Processor – Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz / AMD XP 2200+
RAM – 512+ MB
Video card - 128 MB video memory and Direct3D 8.0 support

Updating the XRay game engine

If the game crashes due to any XRay Engine errors, then an update to the game engine version is required. At the moment, the most current patch is version 1.6.2, which you can download from the link https://www.playground.ru/files/patch_s_t_a_l_k_e_r_zov_pripyati_v1_6_01_1_6_02-27504/. It's also worth noting that this update fixes crashes after playing for a long time in single player mode. 90% of crashes and freezes are fixed by this patch. Forward!

Removing mods and add-ons

It often happens that after installing one or more mods, Stalker begins to stutter or even crash during the game. When there are several mods, it is most likely due to their conflict. Solution: remove the mods one by one and check if the crashes have disappeared. Even if you only have one mod, you will have to remove it, since it could have some damaged files or a lack of them, which is why you started experiencing crashes and freezes.

Stalker: Call of Pripyat crashes when moving between locations

All you need to fix this unpleasant bug is to install the Sigerous Mod 1.7. As its developers assure, it fixes ALL bugs and after installation you will forever forget what it’s like when Stalker freezes or crashes. How to install it:

Download from the link https://depositfiles.com/files/yz4rn9sov
Open the game folder
In the root of this folder we find and delete gamedata
Launch the installer
We wait for the installation to complete and restart the computer

This has helped many, as evidenced by reviews on forums and fan sites. After installation, you can write in the comments whether it helped or not.

Install the MISERY 2.0 add-on

The MISERY 2.0 mod for Stalker: Call of Pripyat brought a lot of interesting innovations, including more than 200 guns, 80 of which are completely new. It would seem, why do I need all this, because I just want to play! The bottom line is that the developers of this add-on have fixed many bugs and errors that could cause problems with the game. What we do:

Download Misery 2.0 from the link https://yadi.sk/d/Nq7fIhF07US28
Open the archive and unpack it
Run the file MISERY2.0 setup.exe
Waiting for the installation to finish

After the installation is complete, you will need to run the game through the Stalker-COP.exe file, and be sure to run it as an administrator.

That's all, we looked at the main critical errors that cause STALKER: Call of Pripyat to crash. For all other questions you can ask in the comments.