Info: Tank graphics missing or invisible in version 7.1 ???

[Don7SP]

Hi,

I'm entirely new to Steel Panthers, but going through v7.1 of the tutorial scenario on my Windows 8 machine apparently doesn't display all the required tank sprites/icons appropriately.

In the following example, my Tiger tanks are entirely invisible with only their associated flag denoting their existence on the map:








I've since rolled my installation back to v6.0 and am no longer experiencing this problem.

[DRG]

I checked my master game and a virgin patched copy and both show those tiger tank Icons so make sure you are putting the patch in the same place as your main game

Don




If anyone else would like to check their tutorial for this issue it would be appreciated but I don't see a problem in the two versions on my win8 computer

[gila]

I've installed re-installed WinSPWW2 countless times and never encountred that before.
Try a full install on version 1 and try the tuturial,if that works then patch it up.

[scorpio_rocks]

Originally Posted by DRG

If anyone else would like to check their tutorial for this issue it would be appreciated but I don't see it in the two versions on my win8 computer

Don't Know if it helps, but all is fine on my Win7 machine (ver7.1CD)

[Imp]

Are you playing a saved game from before it was patched? If OOB has changed it could cause this issue

[Mobhack]

Of course - the original poster may not have applied all of the patches, in order, and was assuming that only the 7.1 incremental patch was what was required?.

Not so! - all of the patches must be applied to the original game!

Also - check the windows vista and seven installation thread at the top of the main forum (applies for 8 too). Basically - game must be installed to a directory outside of the new windows "managed hierarchy" (ie not Program Files), and all patch installers must then be pointed at that folder (if the path we supplied is not used).

Missing icons/scenarios/OOBs etc usually arise from:
1) - End user has not put all patches into the same folder.
Fix - reinstall from scratch, main game, consolidated etc in order, but this time make quite sure that the paths in the installers match. (Use the navigation tool, or copy and paste it).
NB - This one should only be an issue for owners of early CDs now, as they will have the original /program files/ path that worked for XP and before. Or it will apply to others who have installed to some dir they decided to use and forgot to update the installers (I have that T-shirt!).

2) - End user has Vista/Seven or later and has installed game into /program files/ as we tell them not to do in the installer text destructions as well as the vista/7 thread, and the post-XP windows has then nicely installed to a folder in his /user/ account folder and not the game's folder in /program files/. So the game has not been updated, the files have been dumped in a weird place the game knows nothing of. sometimes vista and later does this, other times it does not.

Fix - reinstall, after reading the sticky thread on vista/seven and later at the top of the main forum, and ensure you are not installing under any sort of /program files/ path.

3) - End User has simply downloaded the patch file, and run just that, assuming its the game. Believe it or not - some have done this!. It has an exe - but is missing many files of course. (This one usually has missing interface and terrain graphics so its rather obvious).

Fix. Duh! - download the base game install, and then install that, an then download and apply each patch in order. Read the Windows Vista/seven installation sticky thread above first.

4) End user has fiddled with the graphics or other data files. perhaps to install a mod.

Fix - figure out what files you moved/deleted/whatever. You did it, so you have to fix it. (You did back up the original files didn't you? - if not, reinstall from scratch).
And yes, I own that T-shirt and mug as well!.

5) Corrupt download.
It does happen, less so in today's Internet than the days of yore. If all else fails - download the files from the shrapnel site yet again. But see 5.2 thats about to follow..
5.2) Bad disk sectors.
This can cause corrupted files too. The fix is to run the usual disk correction utilities, and it is a good idea to do this before re-downloading files in 5.1 above, jut to be 100% sure. A test for bad sectors should be fine - a whole disk surface test is an extremely time-consuming affair so only do that if you suspect really serious hardware problems!.

That should cover most cases, methinks.

Andy

[DRG]

Well........... in this case he says it's OK with the v6 patch. That Icon was added to the V6 patch and was included in Icon0079.shp. That SHP file was not altered, and therefore not included, with the V7 or 7.1 patch so it should be in the game, and be untouched by, the V7 patch which leads me to think that perhaps, because we have changed the location of the game out of program files to the root C: drive that one of the patches is in the wrong place.

That said, nobody has confirmed they see the tigers in their copy of the game but as I said I used a virgin patched copy of the game ......... ( ie one that has never had anything but patches added to it )....... for the screen shot I posted which clearly shows the Tiger Icons in place

Don

[DRG]

Yes, It helps--------because.......... I CANNOT BELIEVE I JUST NOTICED THE ORIGINAL SCREEN SHOT............That frame on the second screen shot was changed for V6 so that game is AT LEAST V5 so my guess is the V6 patch was missed because that's when the new screens AND that Tiger Icon went into the game. If you patch V7 to V5 and skip V6 ( or put it in the wrong place ) this is exactly what you will get.

Don

[Andrew.Hope]

I had this problem: I fixed it by uninstalling everything, deleting the Shrapnel Games folder, redownloading WinSPWW2, and all three patches on the main page, and installing them in order.