Please help! TDM modpack problem: random shipset assignment?

[Merry Jolkar]

Could some kind soul please clarify the use of the TDM modpack launcher? I am playing a PBW game, and some of the races use TDM ship sets. I keep seeing other player's ships with random ship sets (including some TDM sets that belong to AI races in the game Dra'Kol), but they are assigned to ships of another player. Someone suggested putting the game files I download from the PBW site into a savegame directory under the TDM directory. There was no savegame folder under the TDM-Modpack directory. I copied the savegame folder I have been using, under the "Space Empires IV Gold" directory, and then opened using the TDM modpack picker, via "load game command with player number and password specified (on right) and TDM modpack specified on left. I was able (for the first time) to load game (as opposed to simply starting it and loading game from the opening game screen). But, my friend's ship still shows up as an Dra'kol ship. The owner of this ship has had similar problems. Any suggestions?

Thanks! Merry

[Fyron]

Is the game using the TDM mod, or no mod? If no mod, copy the TDM races into the standard game's race folder, and run your savegame from there.

[Merry Jolkar]

I am hosting the game. I created it after launching from the TDM launcher, with TDM mod selected. The A.I.'s are TDM mod races. However, I did not do anything special when setting the game up on the PBW site to indicate that the TDM modpack is being used. Did I miss something on setup?
Thanks!
Merry

[Arkcon]

Hmmm... 'kay see, if you're playing PBW, and a person is in control, you're not playing TDM-Modpack.

So, someone is using a TDM Modpack shipset, and every turn you're seeing a different shipset. That's caused by you not having the shipset on your computer, in the folder your copy of SE4 is using to find the other shipsets.

Solution:
1). Find out what folder you should be using. It's SE4/Pictures/Race*. I unfortuneatly have C:/programs/Shrapnel Games/Malfador Machinations/ ... well, you get the idea, your hard disk could be messed up in a different way. You may have multiple installs, etc.
* I could be a little off with the name here, someone should correct me shortly.

2). Get the shipset, if its part of the TDM Modpack, then you'll find it. Or download just that one from the PBW server by clicking it's name on the player screen.

3). Put it in the folder with the other ones.

Problem should be solved, unless it's not Gold compliant. If you get error Messages, but the correct race pictures, we'll fix that when we get there.

[ January 28, 2003, 20:10: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Merry Jolkar]

I am not sure I understand what you mean by a person being in control. I created the game and uploaded the first turn, but the PBW has been on full automatic ever since.

Regarding people using ship sets that I do not have, all players installed TDM modpack before the game began, and I believe all players used only shipsets that appear in the TDM modpack. We are all using recently purchased Versions of the SE4 Gold, and have applied the latest patch (1.78, I believe). So, I'm not sure what to try next. Any further advice?
Thanks,
Merry

[Mephisto]

Try to alter your path.txt int eh Space Empires IV folder for a start:

(1) Open the file "Path.txt" in your Space Empires IV folder.

(2) Alter this line:

Using Mod Directory := None
to

Using Mod Directory := TDM-ModPack

(3) Save and close the file "Path.txt".

(4) The game will now run with the "TDM-ModPack". The starting Window should have a text line in the right upper corner reading "Using TDM-ModPack Directory".

Now load your PBW game. Do the ships still show up wrong?