SPACE EMPIRES IV GOLD NOTICE - PLEASE READ!

jim · #1 March 8th, 2002, 03:20 AM

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 · #2 March 8th, 2002, 03:48 AM

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 · #3 March 8th, 2002, 04:10 AM

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 · #4 March 8th, 2002, 04:33 AM

"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 · #5 March 8th, 2002, 05:20 AM

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 · #6 March 8th, 2002, 05:57 AM

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.

Phoenix-D · #7 March 8th, 2002, 06:34 AM

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

Definitely looks like some bug. Probably SE4 and your hardware don't like each other. What kind of PC do you have?

I'm really sorry about this, you seem to be one of the few people having major issues with SE4

Phoenix-D