SPACE EMPIRES IV GOLD NOTICE - PLEASE READ!

[Growltigga]

Errr Saxon, I dont think I will be going to the US next week as I am currently in negotiations about a new job

see Gryphin and Growltigga thread for my current position

If I am still in my current employment, I would gladly pick up the game up for you but will have to charge you for the beer consumed by Tim

[jim]

Phoenix-D -

I still could not get your "path" thing to be seen, but I think this TDM download worked.

Now I can see the other races in the ModPack in the "existing" files.

Thanx! Off to try my luck!


*********** Hmmm, it aborts the setup if I try to scroll through the ship types for my own race. It sayd things like the darlock shipset is not there and locks up.***********

[ 08 March 2002: Message edited by: jim ]

[ZeroAdunn]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gryphin:

Folks, do you think we can egg him into a Mini Con? Really, it needs to be in Arizona. * Sigh *, I never get my way.

---

Hey that's a great idea. I'm all for it!

[Mephisto]

If you do not have a text in the upper right corner saying "Using TDM-Modpack Directory" you are not using it. Copying things around so you can see them in the game setup won't help you as the AI files will still be not accessed correctly.

Make sure you have done the following:
1.) Install SE4
2.) Install the latest Patch
3.) Download the TDM-ModPack
4.) Install it into the SE4 folder
5.) Open the "Path.txt" in your SE4 folder
6.) Delete the word "none" and replaces it with "TDM-ModPack"
7.) Save the "Path.txt".
8.) Start SE4

Now you should see the text "Using TDM-Modpack Directory" in the upper right corner.

Currently I'm trying to find an install program to make all this work for you but no luck so far. Either it is not free or it isn't capable of searching for a EXE file so it won't find the correct path. If anybody knows a program with a graphical GUI capable of searching for an EXE and for free use for freeware, please tell me!

[jim]

Phoenix -

Well, failure.

My PC locked up when i tried to play. The hardest damn lockup I have ever seen. The off/reboot button would not even do it. I had to use the wall socket method.

I have just uninstalled SEIV completely. I will try to re-install and re-patch to 1.49, and try again. If that fails, I hold little hope of SEIV-Gold being any better.

<sigh>


**** I DID see TDM Modpack in the upper right corner, and 1.49 in the lower left. I am trying the reinstall, repatch .... now.****

[ 08 March 2002: Message edited by: jim ]

[jim]

Well -

The error message seems to be the same.

I uninstalled.

Reinstalled.

Re-patched.

Move the downloaded TDM into the folder.

Extracted it.

Loaded game (the path had changed itself)

Got the 1.49 in LL corner.

Got the TDM in UR corner.

Tried the darlocks and got:

"Cannot open file c:\program files\shrapnel games\malfador machinations\space empires iv\TDM-ModPack\pictures\races\darlock\darlock_Race_Portra it.bmp"

Tried to skip that and simply not use Darlock

Tried to create new race. It locks up with the same message when I try to select a shipset. Presumably, it is when i try to scroll past where the Darlock one should be.

This second error message just locked me up again. I backed up and out and tried again.

OK - it went through the motions to let me play. I just selected 4 AIs and a new race of my own. Did not scroll. Std cluster large (not the 200+ I usually use), simultaneous. It has been grinding away for several minutes now. I have a PIII 733 and it looks like I have tried to break some CIA encryption, or something.

OK - it looks like I'm in, but why so slow, I'm not sure.

I'll post again in a few minutes with my results.

[jim]

I give up. At least for tonight.

The pc made grinding noises for 10 minutes and the second turn had not yet showed up.

Previously, I had found that 7 races in a large simultaneous game would choke the pc. This was 5 in a standard "large" and not 200 or so systems. I guess my next step is to try a non-simultaneous game. Those, however, are much less fun, even wth tactical not allowed.

The files under the darlock section definitely do contain the named missing bmp file. It is the next to the Last file in the Pictures folder for the Darlocks. Is that the wrong position? There are 65 bmp files there - is that the right number?

Again, I saw the 1.49 and the "Using TDM directory" and still got this.

Any help will be gratefully received.

[Phoenix-D]

"My PC locked up when i tried to play. The hardest damn lockup I have ever seen."

*blink* OK, I have NEVER seen SE4 do that. Not even my ancient 300 MHz Celeron laptop. sorry, but you're out of my range here..try contacting shrapnel support. It sounds like you did everything right, but SE4 is screwed up somehow on your machine.

Why is it that the people that dislike fiddling with their computers always end up getting screwball errors? I'm talking about when it's not their fault.

Phoenix-D

[Deathstalker]

Don't know if this will help or confuse the issue even more but..... Weren't the Darloks renamed to something else in the latest incarnation of the TDM Modpack?? (Drakol?) In wich case the savegame is looking for files that don't exist in the current modpack.

"Cannot open file c:\program files\shrapnel games\malfador machinations\space empires iv\TDM-ModPack\pictures\races\darlock\darlock_Race_Portra it.bmp"

This error is a classic example of a file folder not matching the contents inside (ex: Cardassian_*_*AI.txt whatever inside a 'Card' folder instead of 'Cardassian').

Hopefully I have shed some light (and not being the train at the end of the tunnel....)

[jim]

More on my trials and tribulations.

It seems that I can play a non-simultaneous game. It is just the simultaneous game that grinds my pc to a halt.

As to the spelling stuff, I will look at that Friday. I am out of time again.

Thanx to all.