The Patch!

[Suicide Junkie]

Xaren Hypr said:
I just get an "Unable to load ...<SE4Dir>\Savegame\save.gam" error. It's a solo game.

Are you using the same mod? If it is too different (removed anything? Changed stuff significantly?) then it won't work.

1) Make sure you've got your path.txt pointing to your mod folder correctly. The patches like to overwrite this a lot.
2) If you modded the se4\data folder, you're hosed. Always make your mods in a mod folder. At this point you will have to rewrite your mod. Copy the data into a modfolder this time.

Note:
A mod folder looks exactly like the SE4 root.
You have a SE4\Data\components.txt file, so your mod has:
SE4\Mymod\Data\components.txt

Follow that pattern, and you're set. Just make a new folder, name it after your mod, and copy the stock files&folders you wish to edit.
Note: If any files are not found in your mod folder, the stock version of that file will be used. So you don't need to copy the AI, shipsets, UI pictures, or anything that you aren't changing.

[Xaren Hypr]

The only changes that I've made to the stock SEIV directories are image-based (Imagepack additions, add'l nebula and space images, and the expanded shipset "mod"). Any changes to the datafiles are made to the mods I use. My apologies for not being clearer on where the .gam file was located. The actual save directory is:

d:\Games\Se4Gold\Mods\TDM-FQMDeluxe210\SaveGame\BS3000-TDM2.gam

After installing the patch, I updated my Imagepacks and tried to load up my game. I got the error and figured that old .gam files were no longer valid, so it's not a huge issue for me that it didn't work.

[Suicide Junkie]

Are you actually using that mod though?

Such a savegame would probably give an error like that if you had loaded with stock SE4 and tried to open the savegame.

[Xaren Hypr]

Turns out my backed up Path.txt file was no longer valid, but when I put "Mods\" in front of the existing directory pointer, it worked. Now all I have to do is locate why my WP's graphics are garbled (and why the game crashes with a violation error when I click on one).

Code:

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Access violation at address 00489D92 in module 'se4.exe'.  Read of address 00000004

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But at least the mod is now working, so I'll prolly just rebuild some maps and start another game. Thanks for the info/assist

[Fyron]

You need to reinstall Image Mod. Deluxe probably overwrites the mini files (like Planets.bmp). Probably no need to make new maps.

[Suicide Junkie]

It shouldn't crash though...
It should just come up with an error about files not found, and leave the space blank

[Ed Kolis]

Deluxe did not overwrite my Components.bmp... haven't checked the other minis...

[Fyron]

Missing Planets.bmp minis causes the weird sector object image screwups and access violations upon selection that he is experiencing. Not all access violations lead to a crash.