COTW CensusCall of the WildSolo-Developed Tools
Product Guide

Desktop App Troubleshooting

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Desktop App Troubleshooting

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This chapter is part of our “the hunter call of the wild cheats” guide. The tool provides read-only save analysis and does not offer cheats or modify game data.

Record This Information Before Troubleshooting

Before addressing any issue, record:

  • Desktop version number;
  • Mapping version number;
  • Windows version;
  • Current save path;
  • The page where the error occurred and the steps that led to it;
  • The complete error text shown in the interface;
  • Whether the issue can be reproduced consistently.

Do not publicly upload your Steam ID, license key, device credentials, or complete game save.

1. No Window Appears After Double-Clicking the EXE

Procedure

  1. Wait 30 to 60 seconds. The single-file version must unpack its runtime files first.
  2. Open Task Manager and check for a COTW Save Analyzer or Electron process.
  3. If the process is not responding, end it and start the app again once.
  4. Move the EXE to a normal local directory. Do not run it from inside an archive, a network drive, or read-only media.
  5. Confirm that the disk and the system temporary directory have enough free space.
  6. Check the quarantine history in Windows Security or third-party security software.
  7. Download the Portable EXE again from the official release page.

Actions You Do Not Need to Take

The desktop app does not require Node.js, and you do not need to run npm install, start.bat, or 启动工具.bat.

2. Windows Blocks the App

  1. Confirm that the file came from a trusted, official release channel.
  2. Verify the version and file name.
  3. If the release page provides a SHA-256 value, calculate the checksum and compare it.
  4. Review the specific reason given by Windows SmartScreen or your security software.
  5. Do not bypass a security warning if you cannot verify the source.

3. The App Remains on “Desktop Update Required”

This is a version gate, not a save error.

  1. Click the download link in the interface.
  2. Download the displayed latest-version Portable EXE.
  3. Close the old version.
  4. Start the new version.
  5. Confirm the version number under More Options.

Reimporting mappings, disconnecting from the network, or selecting the save again cannot clear the version gate.

4. License Key Activation Fails

Check the following in order:

  1. Whether the license key is complete or contains extra spaces;
  2. Whether the network is available;
  3. Whether the Windows date, time, and time zone are correct;
  4. Whether a firewall, proxy, or DNS configuration is blocking the licensing service;
  5. Whether the license key has expired, has been disabled, or has reached its device limit;
  6. Whether you are currently using an old client version.

If activation still fails, keep the error message and contact the license administrator. Do not send a screenshot showing the complete license key.

5. Offline Lease or Device Verification Fails

  1. Restore the network connection.
  2. Open the license details.
  3. Click Verify Online Now.
  4. Wait for the lease to renew.
  5. If the system clock was recently changed, restore the correct time and restart the app.
  6. If the device hardware or system changed significantly, you may need to bind the device again.

Before moving to another computer, use Deactivate Current Device on the original device while it is online.

6. “Save Not Found” Appears

  1. Confirm that the game has successfully saved at least once.
  2. Click the save source at the top left.
  3. Select the Steam ID folder that directly contains thp_player_profile_adf.
  4. Do not select the parent Saves folder.
  5. If you use OneDrive, check OneDrive's “Documents” directory.
  6. Confirm that the files have been downloaded to the computer and are not cloud-only placeholders.

A common correct directory is:

C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Avalanche Studios\COTW\Saves\<Steam ID>

7. The Wrong Account or an Old Backup Was Read

  1. Check the complete path at the top left.
  2. Open the Profile page and verify the level and cash.
  3. Check the game time at the top.
  4. Review the recent harvests.
  5. Manually select the correct Steam ID folder again.
  6. Click Refresh Now.

Do not identify an account only by its species counts, because different backups can have similar populations.

8. Refresh Fails

The game writing to files is a common cause.

  1. Wait for the game's save icon to disappear.
  2. Wait another 10 to 30 seconds.
  3. Click Refresh Now again.
  4. Temporarily disable 30-second scheduled monitoring and use manual refresh instead.
  5. Confirm that the save directory still exists and has read permission.
  6. Exit the game, then refresh again.

When a refresh fails, the app retains the last successfully loaded data and does not clear the page with the failed result.

9. Data Does Not Appear to Have Updated

  1. Confirm that the game has created a new save;
  2. Verify the path at the top left;
  3. Check whether the game time at the top has updated;
  4. Click Refresh Now;
  5. Switch to another page, then return;
  6. For harvests, check whether the source filter is limiting the results;
  7. For animals, clear the sex, fur, rare, association, and region filters.

10. A Reserve or Species Is Empty

  1. Confirm that the correct save is selected;
  2. Confirm that the corresponding animal_population_<number> file exists;
  3. Click Refresh Now;
  4. Check the current mapping version;
  5. Import the latest trusted mapping package;
  6. Check whether the species is displayed as a hash or local alias.

Missing mappings usually affect names and do not necessarily mean that the underlying population is absent.

11. Spawn Areas Are Not Displayed or Cannot Be Highlighted

No Spawn Areas Are Displayed

  • The current built-in DECA snapshot may not cover that reserve or species;
  • A resource file may be damaged;
  • The current species identifier may not map to the DECA data.

Spawn Areas Are Displayed but None Is Highlighted

  • No animal has been selected;
  • The animal's activity unit does not have a valid SpawnAreadId;
  • The SpawnAreadId does not match any area key;
  • You switched species after selecting the animal.

The app does not perform approximate matching, so the absence of a highlight may be the correct result.

12. Need Zones Exist but Cannot Be Associated with the Animal

The existence of need zones does not mean that the selected animal has an explicit path to one.

  1. Confirm that an animal is selected.
  2. Review NeedZonePathGuids in the technical information of the individual profile.
  3. Compare Discovered in Save with Full DECA.
  4. Review the need-zone explanation below the map.
  5. If neither source produces a match, accept the “No Explicit Association” result.

Do not treat nearby points as that animal's need zones.

13. DECA or Map Data Is Displayed Incorrectly

The desktop app prioritizes the snapshot built into the package.

  1. Switch to another reserve to determine whether only one map is affected.
  2. Switch to another species to determine whether only one species is affected.
  3. Close and restart the app.
  4. Confirm that the Portable EXE is not damaged.
  5. Download the latest official version.
  6. If the real basemap is missing, you can continue using the analysis background and list data.

A mapping-package update cannot repair a missing DECA snapshot built into the desktop app. These resources generally require a desktop-version update.

14. Fur, Equipment, or Dog Is Displayed as “Unmapped”

  1. Open More Options.
  2. Record the current mapping version.
  3. Import the latest trusted, complete mapping package.
  4. Click Refresh Now.
  5. Review the original record again.

If the latest mappings still do not cover it, retain the original hash or index so maintainers can update the mappings.

15. Harvest Records or Map Points Are Missing

A Harvest Record Lacks Details

A recent-harvest summary may not include a complete score, fur, weapon, organ, or coordinates. This is a limitation of the source record.

A Harvest Point Is Not Displayed

The record must have all of the following:

  • An identifiable reserve;
  • Valid coordinates;
  • Coordinate conversion for the corresponding reserve.

Confirm these fields in the harvest details, then check the Harvest Points layer on the map.

16. The List Is Empty After Filtering

Animal Records

Reset the following in order:

  1. Set sex to All;
  2. Set activity type to All;
  3. Set fur to All Fur Types;
  4. Turn off Notable;
  5. Turn off Associated;
  6. Clear This Area;
  7. Return to the first page.

Harvest Records

Reset the following in order:

  1. Set the source to All;
  2. Clear the search;
  3. All species;
  4. All reserves;
  5. All trophy ratings.

17. The Population Change Count Looks Abnormal

  1. Confirm that both refreshes used the same save directory;
  2. Confirm that an old backup was not restored;
  3. Confirm that the game did not update or rebuild the population;
  4. Verify the character level and game time;
  5. Establish a new baseline before comparing again.

Population changes are inferred from snapshot differences; they are not a game event log.

18. Information to Provide When Reporting an Issue

We recommend using the following template:

Desktop version:
Mapping version:
Windows version:
Page: Map / Profile / Harvests / License / Update
Reserve and species:
Steps:
Expected result:
Actual result:
Complete error message:
Consistently reproducible:

Redact:

  • License key;
  • Steam ID;
  • Username and complete save path;
  • Device credentials;
  • Other personal information.

19. Privacy Confirmation

  • The desktop app reads saves locally;
  • The licensing service does not receive game saves;
  • The built-in DECA snapshot is read locally first;
  • The app does not modify game saves;
  • We still recommend that you back up your saves before major game updates.