Will a Clean Install fix this?

[Old Marm]

I have been getting this error message when the game screen appears.  I have uninstalled and then reinstalled the game through the Steam options but the error doesn't change.  This error appears with and without mods.

[attachment deleted by admin due to age]

[nccvoyager]

Never seen this error thrown before.
Relatively new mid-range GPU, and one without low-power technology, so that's not a problem.
Driver version appears relatively up to date, though maybe a version or two behind.

My first thought would be missing resources, but deleting the local data and then installing it via Steam again would probably fix that.
Maybe try to verify file integrity first?
(If I remember correctly, in the Steam library, right-click "RimWorld" and choose "verify file integrity.)

Are you running Windows 10, or an earlier OS?
If you are running Windows 10, make sure DirectX is properly installed.
(DX11 should be selected by RimWorld by default if available, AFAIK. Since according to the log file it isn't, if you are running Windows 10, it should be checked.)

Is the "Core" "mod" still active?
(The "Core" "mod" is the base game files. These are necessary for RimWorld to run properly. [Except in cases that are not currently covered by any modification I know of.])

Removing all references to RimWorld from the registry, and removing all RimWorld files may resolve the issue, and it is worth a try.
But, in reality, you will probably just end up back here.

After that, I don't know.
Maybe we should wait and see if milon has any ideas?
I mean, this is an error I have never seen thrown so far, so my suggestions are limited.

[milon]

I've never seen it before either.  Here's a snipet of the error for anyone not willing/able to play with .rar files:

Exception loading from System.Xml.XmlElement: System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.MissingMethodException: Method not found: 'Default constructor not found...ctor() of System.String'.

I'm guessing that the XML files/parser got messed up somehow, but that's a pure guess.  Doing a clean install would be my first fix attempt, but it sounds like OP tried that.
@Old Marm, did you disable Steam Sync?  Sometimes a reinstall on Steam isn't a clean install since Sync can restore the b0rked files.

[Old Marm]

Thank you for your quick responses.  I just tried a reinstall after de-syncing and shutting down my computer.  I haven't tried removing Rimworld registry entries.  The error is still there.

[Calahan]

@ Old Marm - Please try uninstalling the game completely, including the registry entries. You said above you have not tried the latter part yet, so please can you try this (or report back if you already have). Instructions and tools for all this can be found in the OP of the following thread  https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=4805.0 .

Also, when you reinstall the game please try reinstalling it to a new location, ideally somewhere away from normal Steam or Windows install paths. So C:\Games\Rimworld for example, or something similar (but stay away from all "Program files" installation paths). Another possible solution is to try and install the game to another drive if you have the option to (even a USB stick would likely do).

Finally, it would help if you could please answer the following questions:-

1 - As nccvoyager asked, please can you confirm which version of Windows you are using.
2 - Can you please confirm whether or not the game has ever worked for you.
2a - If so, has A16 worked before? or did an earlier version(s) of the game work (if so which one(s)), but it stopped working due to this error once it updated to A16.
3 - I understand you are using the Steam version. If so have you tried installing one of the earlier versions of the game? I haven't activated the game on Steam myself, so I can't check, but I understand that there is an option somewhere (possibly under the Beta's tab) to roll the game back to A15, or maybe even to A14. If this is correct then it might be worth you testing to see if any earlier version of the game works for you.
4 - And lastly, do you only have the Steam version or do you have the DRM-free version as well? (I assume it's only the Steam version from your posts, but it's still useful if you can please confirm it).

2&3 combined should help us determine whether or not this is an A16 only issue you are having, or an issue with all versions of the game. Which might offer some clues as to the cause of this issue (and hopefully with it, clues to a solution).

[Old Marm]

This morning I removed all the mods from the mods folder, except for the Core.  I also unsubscribed from the Steam mods.  I made sure not to be synced with Steam, and uninstalled the game.  I shut down my computer and then started it up.  I reinstalled the game.  The error is gone.  The game plays very well.  I plan to add the mods back, a few at a time.
For your reference  I am running Windows 7 and I have both versions of the game. My drm-free version is Alpha 15.  I play this game everyday, it has always played well. Thank you for creating and supporting it.

[milon]

Great! I'm glad it's fixed. Please let us know if it happens again. And FYI, you can always update your DRM-free version using your original download link.