MP problem - No connection could be estabilished to the server

[aaRBee]

Hello.

Me and my friend are experiencing a very annoying obstacle in FS 19 for quite a long time now. I can say we have like every possible fix I could find on similar problems ("No connection could be estabilished to the game" troubleshooting). It haven't worked, probably because none of the problems wasn't the same problem we experienced. We play from Epic Launcher.

Before I start describing the problem, let's make the terminology clear:
A game - A specific server that you start by clicking on "Create a game" in the multiplayer option (where you pick the save, set up the options, etc.)
A game lobby - A lobby where you can choose a game to play (you probably look for the one your friend starts) attached to a specific servers from a specific location providing the possibility of playing together with friends (e.g. Deutschland game lobby, Continental Europe 2 game lobby, International etc.)
A server locations lobby - A lobby where you can choose a specific server location (or specific game lobby) where all the games attached to this server location are found (6 server locations - Deutsch, Deutchs 2, CE, CE 2, Int., Int. 2)

Background:
The problem started on July 7th, 2020, after 2 week pause when we played ARK: Survival Evolved (after it went free on Epic). We stopped playing after that and only today, I tried the remaining fixes (well, pretty much every fix except "Others" - see the bottom of my topic)

So, the nature of my problem lies in the game lobbies. Do not get mistaken, my problem isn't that I can't join a specific game. My problem is I cannot even see that game in the game lobby because I cannot join the game lobby. But that doesn't apply to every lobby. I only cannot join a lobby where our game is started by my friend. And when I join that lobby before my friend starts the game on the specific server location (game lobby), I get kicked from that lobby after my friend starts the game.

You can see that in the video I prepared for you (sorry for my friend's Czech commentaries). I can join the Deutchsland game lobby without any problem (I can also join any game in that game lobby, no problem at all) but when I decide to join the game lobby where our server is located, I get the "No connection could be estabilished to the server" troubleshooter. It's the same, when I try to start the game and my friend tries to join. The very same problem.

I've already tried everything to fix it:
Port Forwarding = both router and Windows Firewall
VPN = we installed ProtonVPN and tried to join from different IPs - didn't work
Different launcher - Steam = my friend bought FS 19 on Steam, he tried to host the game -> same problem; I tried to host the game -> same problem
Command Prompt solution = the one where you type "netsh winsock reset" etc. in command prompt -> didn't work
Hamachi = we tried to connect through Hamachi
Others = different server locations, different settings, etc.

All without success. We are desperate to play together, but we can't. So any help you guys could get us would be super appreciated!

[aaRBee]

So I finally figured it out. It turns out I mistakenly thought I've tried the shader_cache removal fix, which I haven't tried. So yesterday, I removed the whole Documents FS 19 folder and reinstalled the game (to make sure I've tried everything) and guess what: it worked.

So basically, if anyone is experiencing the same problem as I am here is the fix:
1. Find the folder where FS 19 savegames are stored. It usually is Documents/My Games/FarmingSimulator19
Then, there are two ways
Way 1:
2. In the folder, find another folder named "shader_cache" (Documents/My Games/FarmingSimulator19/shader_cache)
3. Delete the folder

The game should work again now.

Way 2:
2. Delete the whole folder
3. Delete the game and make sure, there are no files left
The game should work fine after reinstalling it.

I've done it the second way, although the problem was in the shader_cache folder itself, so my way may have been a little bit unnecessary.


So basically, if you are experiencing a situation, when you can't connect to a master server (a game lobby or server location simply, e.g. Deutschland, Continental Europe, etc.) where your friend's server is located, then the shader_cache is probably the problem. It also explains why the game used not to work even after my friend bought the game on Steam and tried to play it from there. Steam may install the game elsewhere on your hard drive, but "the memories, the brain of the game" is always located in Documents, that stays the same for every launcher (Steam, Epic, non-launcher, etc.).

PS: If you find yourself in a discussion about GIANTS Software Support, please, tell everyone, that their support just *censored*. Thank you.