I bought the game through Steam, the crash happens launching through Steam and through the .exe directly. Application error logs in event viewer show .NET Runtime errors:
Application: Universe Sandbox.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.AccessViolationException
Stack:
at <Module>.?CreateRenderSurfaceEx@CTVScene@@$$FQAEPAVCTVRenderSurface@@HHW4cCONST_TV_RENDERSURFACEFORMAT@@_N1MPAD@Z(CTVScene*, Int32, Int32, Int32, Boolean, Boolean, Single, SByte*)
at MTV3D65.TVScene.CreateRenderSurfaceEx(Int32, Int32, MTV3D65.CONST_TV_RENDERSURFACEFORMAT, Boolean, Boolean, Single)
at NNKOAPOABOACJENPEJKGLHPMJFJLMLPPGIDP.BJKEAMIJEHBJPPMCAHKKIIHPDGHPKEGCIJDA.IMOAODIKOBBHFFIJBKHIPADGGJLPJMFDEFPC()
at NNKOAPOABOACJENPEJKGLHPMJFJLMLPPGIDP.PODCKHOPJEGOIJPCOBBHOGKNAGMHONLDIDOF.BDFLPGEPDHBBMPGNLBDPLFJMDLFMOPNCGMBA(System.Object, System.ComponentModel.DoWorkEventArgs)
at System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.OnDoWork(System.ComponentModel.DoWorkEventArgs)
at System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.WorkerThreadStart(System.Object)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink._PrivateProcessMessage(IntPtr, System.Object[], System.Object, Int32, Boolean, System.Object[] ByRef)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink.AsyncProcessMessage(System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.IMessage, System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.IMessageSink)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.AgileAsyncWorkerItem.DoAsyncCall()
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.AgileAsyncWorkerItem.ThreadPoolCallBack(System.Object)
at System.Threading.QueueUserWorkItemCallback.WaitCallback_Context(System.Object)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
at System.Threading.QueueUserWorkItemCallback.System.Threading.IThreadPoolWorkItem.ExecuteWorkItem()
at System.Threading.ThreadPoolWorkQueue.Dispatch()
at System.Threading._ThreadPoolWaitCallback.PerformWaitCallback()
and...
Faulting application universe sandbox.exe, version 2.1.5.900, stamp 4ef29d7c, faulting module ntdll.dll, version 5.1.2600.6055, stamp 4d00f27d, debug? 0, fault address 0x00011689.
Sometimes the error happens immediatly clicking the .exe, sometimes it gets to the rotating sun animation, but the error still happens. On the second error, faulting module is sometimes different .dll files (clr, dinput8). Windows XP SP3, fully updated .Net/Windows/GPU.
I've uninstalled the game, uninstalled .NET, and tried fresh installs for both, but it's always the same.