(Problem) I can't see Planet surfaces

[Prime]

Hi, I just bought Universe Sandbox 2 and i have the latest version. For some reason, I can't see the surfaces of the planets; they just appear as black and you can just see it's atmosphere (kinda) and clouds if it has any. Any idea how I can fix this?

Also for some reason, the rocks orbiting around the sun in the solar system simulation have big purple boxes around them. I've seen gameplay of this game and I can tell this isn't normal.

I attached a picture showing the planet problem along with the purple rocks.

I'm running this on my laptop. System specs are:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 -4702MQ CPU @ 2.20GHz 2.20GHz
16 GB RAM
64 - bit Operating System, x64-based processor
I have Nvidia Geforce but I'm not sure which type
and running windows 8.1 with touch support.

Any help would be cool. Thanks

[Jar]

Sorry for the trouble. I'll point C7 here as he'll have more insight into this issue than I do, but in the meantime, can you please post your logs?

You can find them here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Universe Sandbox 2\Universe Sandbox x64_Data

[C7]

I'll really need your logs to be sure what's going on. Just from appearances, it looks like your installation didn't download fully or has some bad data in it. That color is to show when a shader is missing, and the black planet is a good indication the texture is missing as well.

Try this first : Verification of Game Cache

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335

Try this second : Full re-install, will require a complete redownload.

If that doesn't work, you'll need to try a complete re-install. To do this, right click on the game in your Steam library. Select Properties, and then go to the tab Local Files. From there, Select Delete Local game content.

After that process completes, double click the game in your Steam library to start downloading a fresh copy.

[Prime]

You'll need the output_log.txt document right? Should I copy and paste the entire text from it here or is there another way? Sorry I'm still sorta new to forums.

[C7]

When posting a reply, there's a little plus underneath the box where you enter your message. Called Attachments and other options.

Clicking the plus will expand it, and give you a window with a "choose file" button, that will allow you to select the file you want to upload.

Once that finishes uploading, you can complete the post normally.

Alternatively, you can use a service like drop box and then post a link to the file in the forum post.

[Prime]

Alright I have the logs attached now. I tried the steps you gave me, verified the game cache and went for a complete reinstall. I'm still seeing the purple squares and the planets are missing textures. Maybe it has something to do with my pc?

Also I think I should mention that stars have textures. I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not but just thought I should say.

[C7]

I checked out your logs, and it seems you're having some initialization issues with your graphics card. DirectX 9 is failing to load.

I suspect your drivers are not installed correctly.

There's two things to try,

First : Update your graphics card drivers.

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Also, it's possible you may need to get the drivers from the manufacturer of your laptop instead.

Second : You can force Unity to use another renderer.

Right click the game in your Steam Library, go to properties and select the General tab. Look for the option, Set launch options and enter this text exactly.

-force-opengl

Click okay and then try to launch Universe Sandbox again.
 

[Prime]

Alright so I tried the second option and it ended up working so thanks for your help! Really appreciate it.