Game Troubleshooting Guide

This guide contains solutions to most common problems related to Sonic Adventure games and their mods.

SA Mod Manager Issues

Mods and Codes don't Appear

You need to specify the game's location in Manager Settings. The SA Mod Manager can be used in any folder and with multiple games, so you have to set the game path manually.

Note that if you had the old SADX or SA2 Mod Manager before, you can directly update from it to install the new one and it will automatically set the game path for you in that scenario.

SADX Game Location Error on the Steam Version

The Steam version of SADX is not supported by our tools. You can download and run the SADX Mod Installer to convert your game to the 2004 version and install the Mod Manager automatically.

Mods on Linux and the Steam Deck

For SADX, you can follow the guide here.

For SA2, simply download the SA Mod Manager from its release page and put it in your SA2 folder, then run it through Protontricks.

If you plan to use the SA Mod Manager for both Adventure games on Linux, it is recommended to have a different copy of the Manager for each game, all in their respective game folder and just run them through Protontricks.

The Game Crashes on Clicking Save And Play

• Make sure both your Manager and Loader are up to date/
• Make sure that you have all of the Visual C++ Runtimes (x86) installed. See Installing Mods for more details.
• If you're still having issues, check if your game starts fine without mods and codes (you can use the Profile feature in the Manager Config tab to save your mods list).

SADX Launcher Error: "Unable to Detect SADX Mod Loader"

Go to your SADX game folder and delete AppLauncher.exe and the AppLauncher folder, then open the SA Mod Manager, click Game Config, Input and select Get AppLauncher to download the latest version.

1-Click Support in the Mod Manager not Working

1. Go to the SA Mod Manager's Manager Config tab.
2. Click "Uninstall Mod Loader".
3. Click "Install Mod Loader".
4. If the above doesn't work, import this registry file and try again.

1-click installation is supported only on Windows. If you're on Linux, you can install mods from 1-click links using the Add Mod button.

Error 403 on Updating Mods

If you're getting a 403 error when trying to update GitHub-hosted mods, it means GitHub has temporarily banned your IP address because there were too many requests. Wait a while and try again.

Error 443 on Updating Mods

Error 443 indicates a connection error. It's most likely caused by issues with your Internet connection, your service provider or firewall blocking connections to our servers, or the servers themselves being offline.

Other SA Mod Manager Errors

Please report SA Mod Manager errors on its GitHub issue tracker. Alternatively you can use the report button found in the The Manager has encountered an Error window.

Please include the log using the Copy Error Log button if you decide to submit an Issue.

SADX Mod Installer Issues

Other SSL or Connection Errors

This can happen because the domain dcmods.unreliable.network was blacklisted by your Internet service provider as malicious.

Short-term solution: Use a VPN to circumvent the block.

Long-term solution: Contact your ISP's tech support and tell them to unblacklist dcmods.unreliable.network.

Common Game Issues

Game doesn't Start (no Error Message)

If you have multiple monitors, try changing the Screen in SADX Mod Manager's Display tab.

SADX: "Windows Media Player 9 is not Installed" Error

SADX relies on Windows Media Player components, which are missing in some versions of Windows. To install Windows Media features on Windows 10, do the following:

1. In the Settings app, go to Apps, Apps & features, Optional features.

1. Click Add a feature, find Media Feature Pack and install it.
2. Restart your computer. The error should now be gone.

For other versions of Windows see this page for further instructions.

SADX: Missing Music and/or Character Voices

Check if your game has music and voice files. There should be ADX files in:

Sonic Adventure DX\SoundData\BGM\wma and Sonic Adventure DX\SoundData\voice_us\wma

or WMA files in:

Sonic Adventure DX\system\sounddata\BGM\wma and Sonic Adventure DX\system\sounddata\voice_us\wma.

If you can't find them, use the SADX Mod Installer or install the ADX Audio mod manually.

Make sure music and voices are enabled in the Mod Manager. In the Sound tab, make sure Music Volume and Voice Volume are not 0 and Enable Music is checked. In the Codes tab, make sure Disable Music and Disable Voices are unchecked.

Click the volume icon in Windows system tray and check if the sound is going through the correct output device. If you have multiple output devices and don't know which one is correct, try switching between them. For most cases, it should be Speakers or Headphones, or the model of your monitor if it has built-in speakers. Don't select S/PDIF or Optical if you aren't sure you're using it.

SADX: Missing Sound Effects

1. Check if your game has sound effect files. There should be DAT files in Sonic Adventure DX\SoundData\SE or in Sonic Adventure DX\system\sounddata\se. If they are missing, you need to reinstall the game or copy these files manually from the original game's CD 2. If you have the Steam version, reinstall it and use the SADX Mod Installer.
2. Click the volume icon in Windows system tray and check if the sound is going through the correct output device. If you have multiple output devices and don't know which one is correct, try switching between them. For most cases, it should be Speakers or Headphones, or the model of your monitor if it has built-in speakers. Don't select S/PDIF or Optical if you aren't using it.
3. Look for the file dsound.dll in your SADX folder. Try renaming this file to something else and see if sound effects come back.

SADX: The Game Skips Videos

1. Check if your game has video files. There should be MPG files in Sonic Adventure DX\system. The intro is called RE-US.mpg. If it is missing, you need to reinstall the game (and run the SADX Mod Installer if you have the Steam version).
2. Make sure the Disable Videos and Skip Intro codes are unchecked in the Mod Manager's Codes tab.
3. If you have any software that affects video playback, such as ffdshow, LAV, Smooth Video Project etc., you might need to disable or uninstall it.
4. See the steps for the "Windows Media Player 9 is not installed" error.

"Failed to load d3dx9_43.dll" when Trying to Start the Game

There are several things that can cause these errors:

• The required Visual C++ runtimes are missing. Most mods are compiled with Visual Studio 2015-2022, so you need this runtime to load them. Older mods may be compiled with Visual Studio 2013 or 2012. Download and install all of the runtimes from this page.

• DirectX 9.0c end-user runtimes are missing. Download and install all of the runtimes from this page.
• The mod is missing the DLL file. In the Mod Manager, right click the mod and select Verify integrity (only for mods that have a manifest). If any errors are detected, let the Mod Manager repair the mod and try again. If no errors are found, contact the mod developer.
• The DLL file was compiled in Debug mode. If you have all the runtimes installed, the mod DLL file exists and you are still getting the error, contact the mod developer.

The right way to install dependencies is to use official installers. DO NOT put individual DLL files in Windows system folders because that can break the official installers, and your Windows installation will be stuck with wrong versions of the runtimes. If you ended up in this situation, see this page.

Some tutorials tell you to put DLL files in the game folder. Such fixes are not recommended and should only be used as a last resort.

SADX: "Direct3D Reset Failed: D3DERR_INVALIDCALL" Error During Gameplay

This error occurs when the Direct3D device handle used by the game becomes invalid. This can happen when other 3D programs or games take control of the Direct3D device, or when User Account Control (UAC) dims the desktop. To avoid this issue, you can do the following:

1. Avoid running other programs (especially those that require elevation) while the game is running.
2. Enable Resizable Window in the Mod Manager's Graphics settings.

SADX: "Shader creation failed" error on Linux (unexpected KW_SAMPLER_STATE and others)

This error is produced by the Lantern Engine mod, which needs to compile a shader before it can work. The D3D compiler supplied in many versions of WINE doesn't support the features used by Lantern Engine's shader.

To work around this problem you can try the following:

1. Run the game through Steam/Proton. Do not use WINE.
2. Install DirectX End-User Runtime manually onto the same prefix as the game. Installation: Using Protontricks, run dxwebsetup.exe and follow the instructions. Internet access is required.

Other solutions for WINE (not recommended but may work)

1. Install the D3D compiler manually using the following terminal command: winetricks d3dx9 d3dcompiler_43 d3dcompiler_47
2. Copy d3dcompiler_47.dll from the official DirectX redistributable to the game folder and set it to native in winecfg.
3. Delete the folder ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/71250 and reinstall the game.

SADX: Can't Rebind Keyboard Keys

Keyboard binds from the Steam version won't work on the modded game because the modded game is based on an old version of SADX that doesn't support custom keybinds. However, you can rebind keys with the Input mod and a configuration tool that is included in the SADX Mod Installer. After using the installer, select Configure Sonic Adventure DX on Steam or run AppLauncher.exe in the SADX folder, and you will be able to change keys in the Controls tab.

SADX: Input Issues: Controller not Detected, Spinning Camera, Wrong Button Layout etc.

1. Make sure Better Input is enabled in the Game Config tab's Input options in the Mod Manager.
2. Make sure your controller is detected and configured in SADX Launcher's Controls tab. If you don't have SADX Launcher, you can get it with the SADX Mod Installer.
3. If you are using Steam Input, try disabling it.

SADX: Issues with Sony DualShock or Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers

1. Install ds4windows and use it in X360 emulation mode.
2. If necessary, run SADX Launcher to configure axes and buttons.

Where to Get Help

You can ask for help on the #help channel on the x-hax Discord server.

If the game crashes, please provide your mod list and the crash dump as instructed by the Mod Loader.

If your game doesn't produce crash dumps, import this registry file to enable them.