How to Install FfH2

dragndude9 said:

I need to know if this method is different on Windows 7. I've tried everything this site had to offer on how to get FFH2 to work, and I've got everything especially on this tutorial, but when I try to play FFH2 after it's installed, nothing happens. It just doesn't start at all. No crash or error message.

Also, when I tried installing the patch, it claimed it could not locate FFH2, but this may be because I'm using the newest version of FFH2.

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The method isn't different for Windows 7, although it is a good idea not to install Civ IV in any of these paths: "\Windows", "\Program Files", "\Program Files (x86)". Windows 7 will attempt to protect these folders (and their subfolders) from changes, which can cause complications when attempting to patch the game, install mods, or patch those mods.

However, based on the information from your problem thread, I don't believe that this your only problem. The mod is failing to launch because you have not yet patched Civ IV to version 3.19, which is required for FfH2 to work. Because you have a digital download version of the game the official Firaxis patches will probably not work. You will need to contact your digital content provider and find out what you need to do to get the game patched. (I recommend first reinstalling Civ IV to a location that Windows 7 doesn't attempt to protect.)

Once your game is installed and patched to v3.19 it will be possible to attempt to resolve any remaining problems with the installation of FfH2 itself.

I also have Windows 7 and the Civ IV Complete disk. I've spent the past 4 hours trying to get this mod to work and nothing I've read here works.

At first I saw the mod was included with BTS so I tried to play it, but nothing would happen. The game would not start. I read here that this is due to not having the latest BTS patch. I patched BTS to 3.19 and then tried to play. I received the error "GFC Error: Failed to initialize the primary control theme." I un-installed and re-installed and patched to 3.19. Still did not work.

I then downloaded the mod and the mod patch. Same error message.

I noticed the game was being installed in the "Program Files (x86)" folder, so I un-installed and then re-installed again in My Documents/My Games path. The first time I tried to play any of of the Civ IV games, I received dozens of XML error messages. I un-installed again.

This time I installed the game in the default "Program Files (x86)" folder but used the Properties option so Windows 7 would allow changes to the folder. It went processed that and I had "Full Control". I patched BTS to 3.19, then downloaded a fresh version of FfH2, and the FfH2 patch. I started the game and received the same "GFC Error" message.

I can get every other mod to play. I can even get FfH Age of Ice to play. The only mod not working in BTS is FfH2.

Ideas?

Civ IV definitely should not be installed to the "My Games" folder. This is where games store information related to your use of the game; the actual games do not belong there. To avoid the problems that can arise from installing a game to the "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)" folders, I suggest creating a folder called "Games" in the root folder of one of your drives (for example: "C:\Games"), and then installing your games into that folder.

Once Civ IV is installed, download and install the v3.19 patch, and then confirm that it has installed correctly. To do this, load Civ IV and from the main menu choose "ADVANCED", then "ABOUT THIS BUILD". The line "Build Version" should state "3.1.9.0" - if not, then the Civ IV patch has been applied successfully.

The error you are receiving ("GFC Error: Failed to initialize the primary control theme") typically occurs when only the FfH2 patch and/or media pack is installed (rather than the entire mod), or when FfH2 is not installed to the correct location. The installer for the full mod is called "2009_05_16_FallfromHeaven2041n.exe" (or sometimes just "FallfromHeaven2041n.exe"), and is 391,924,975 bytes (373 MB) in size. If the installer you are using is a different size or has a different name then you're not using the correct/latest installer, and I suggest deleting it and downloading the latest installer from the "Mod" link in the first post of the FfH2 Bug Thread.

Next you will need to install FfH2 to the correct location. FfH2 should be installed to "[Path]\Mods", where [Path] is the path to your Beyond the Sword folder. So, for example, if you installed Civ IV to "C:\Games\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Complete" then you will tell the FfH2 installer to install to "C:\Games\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Complete\Beyond the Sword\Mods". If you tell the mod to install to another location (such as "C:\Games\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Complete\Mods" or "C:\Games\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Complete\Beyond the Sword\Mods\Fall from Heaven 2") then the mod will not work correctly and you will receive the GFC error message when trying to launch the mod. (If you have previously installed FfH2 in an incorrect location, be sure to delete that folder to prevent it from causing unforeseen complications or just confusion.)

When FfH2 is installed to the correct location your "[Path]\Beyond the Sword\Mods" folder should look something like this:


If you have installed the full mod (and not just a patch) then the size of the "Fall from Heaven 2" folder (right-click the folder and choose "Properties" to see the size) should be approximately 682 MB (more if you have also installed the Media Pack). Once the full mod is installed in the correct location you should no longer experience the GFC error and should be able to play FfH2.

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Note: When using the latest FfH2 installer it is not necessary to also download and install Patch N, because Patch N is included in the FfH2 0.41n installer. If the patch were to also be installed, however, it should not cause any problems.

Ok, I'm un-installing Civ IV and will try it again with a fresh install.

Does FfH2 come with Civ IV Complete? It's in the "mod" folder already, before I download anything from this website. There are about 15 mods, and FfH2 is the only one I want to play and the only one that won't work It seems odd that it would apparently come with BTS from the Civ IV Complete disk and not work.

Also, from this website I downloaded the FfH2 mod and on my computer it shows as: "FfH2041n" with a Type: Application at 11.5 MB. It does not show as "2009_05_16_FallfromHeaven2041n.exe" (or sometimes just "FallfromHeaven2041n.exe"). Am I downloading the proper mod?

UPDATE: Ok, Civ IV is about to give me a freaking stroke. I created a folder called c:\games. I installed Civ IV to this folder. I downloaded and applied the 3.19 patch. I tried to start BTS to check if the patch installed correctly, and I get an error. Just like before when I had Civ IV installed in my "My Documents" folder, I get an XML Load Error message when I try to start the game. It's clear that when I install Civ IV to ANY location other than the default location, I'll get XML Load Error message. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

rrouland said:

Does FfH2 come with Civ IV Complete? It's in the "mod" folder already, before I download anything from this website. There are about 15 mods, and FfH2 is the only one I want to play and the only one that won't work It seems odd that it would apparently come with BTS from the Civ IV Complete disk and not work.

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FfH2 does not come with Civ IV Complete, but Age of Ice does. Age of Ice is in the folder "FfH Age of Ice"; when FfH2 is installed it will be in a folder called "Fall from Heaven 2".

rrouland said:

Also, from this website I downloaded the FfH2 mod and on my computer it shows as: "FfH2041n" with a Type: Application at 11.5 MB. It does not show as "2009_05_16_FallfromHeaven2041n.exe" (or sometimes just "FallfromHeaven2041n.exe"). Am I downloading the proper mod?

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No, that file is Patch N. You need to download the full mod using the link on the line "Mod: Fall from Heaven II 0.41" near the top of the first post of the FfH2 Bug Thread. (I don't provide the link directly in this thread, so that if Kael needs to change the location of the mod installer for any reason I will not be directing people to an incorrect location.) When you click that link you will be taken to the Civ Fanatics' FfH2 download page; click the link "Download Fall from Heaven II" above the Fall from Heaven II banner. This will take you to Kael's "Fall from Heaven II download page" on ModDB; from there, click the "Download Now!" link in the "Mirrors" section. This should begin the download process (if not, click the "download FallfromHeaven2041n.exe" link that appears).

rrouland said:

UPDATE: Ok, Civ IV is about to give me a freaking stroke. I created a folder called c:\games. I installed Civ IV to this folder. I downloaded and applied the 3.19 patch. I tried to start BTS to check if the patch installed correctly, and I get an error. Just like before when I had Civ IV installed in my "My Documents" folder, I get an XML Load Error message when I try to start the game. It's clear that when I install Civ IV to ANY location other than the default location, I'll get XML Load Error message. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

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I'm not sure why you would be getting an error. I have the game installed to "C:\Games\Civ4" and it works just fine. The install was successful the first time, without any special tricks. I don't have any experience troubleshooting Civ IV install problems so you may want to ask for guidance in the Civ4 - Technical Support forum.

Alternatively, you could try installing Civ IV to the default location. I know that you originally had the game installed there, but your problem was being caused by installing only the patch instead of the full mod. You said earlier that you had since disabled Windows' protection of the "Program Files (x86)" folder, and as long as that has been done successfully everything should now work just fine from the default location.

Emptiness said:

Alternatively, you could try installing Civ IV to the default location. I know that you originally had the game installed there, but your problem was being caused by installing only the patch instead of the full mod. You said earlier that you had since disabled Windows' protection of the "Program Files (x86)" folder, and as long as that has been done successfully everything should now work just fine from the default location.

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Yes, you are correct. I was repeatedly installing only the patch and not the entire mod. Your link to the FfH2 Bug Thread finally got me the mod and not just the patch. When I was at the main civfanatics mod page, I saw the rankings of top downloads, with FfH2 at #1. I clicked that link and somehow from that point I got confused - in the top right corner are the very clear words "Download File" but I was looking through all the text in the middle of the posting and saw links to just the patch, media pack, etc. I downloaded each of those believing that I was installing the mod when I was not.

It's now working and I'm very excited to finally have a magical, turn-based strategy game. I was a huge fan of Master of Magic and I can't stand RTS games, so it's nice to play Civ 4 with a fantasy twist. Thanks for your help.

Does Windows 7 protect the Desktop like it does for the Programs file?

I reinstalled my game there.

I don't believe that Windows 7 protects the desktop, but I'm not certain.

I know I'm not the first user to have trouble getting FfHII to work with Windows 7, but I have followed the instructions given to other users who have posted here, and I still cannot get the Mod to work. Currently, I have it installed to

C:\Sid Meier's Civilization 4 Complete\Beyond the Sword\Mods

I have downloaded version 2041n and patched it to version "o." There is a shortcut on the desktop that I can use, but whether I use that or try to load the mod from within BtS, it doesn't work. My screen's color scheme and resolution change to support the mod, the screen briefly flashes black, and then the mod fails to load, the screen having returned to normal. Does anyone have any advice for me?

Before you ask, yes, I have patched BtS to 3.19; I completely uninstalled and reinstalled the game, and the first thing I did upon installing it was patch BtS. Also, I know the problem is not with my install of the base game, as I have begun a game in BtS and played the first few turns with no problems or crashing. I'm rather at a loss for what to do.

Update: Found the problem: Apparently, my computer downloaded the 3.19 patch without installing it. I feel like a fool. Pardon my intrusion.

Hello,

I hope this is the correct place to post this question (and to get an answer): How do I verify that I have installed the latest patch (0.41o)? I know there should be a readme file containing the installed version in the mod's folder.

I ran the FfH2041o.exe and during the installation it gave the list of extracted files. The "readme.rtf" was also amongst them. If everything went correctly, the new readme file should contain "Version 0.41o", shouldn't it? However, when I open the readme file it still says "Version 0.41n", which is the version I installed FfH2 with. Either they forgot to update that line in the "o" patch, or something went wrong on my side? I would appreciate your help!

Some info:
I have Windows 7 64Bit; installed Civ 4 to "C:\Games\Sid..." folder (hence, NOT into "My Games" or any other system folder); I have successfully patched to BTS 3.19

DST1348 said:

I ran the FfH2041o.exe and during the installation it gave the list of extracted files. The "readme.rtf" was also amongst them. If everything went correctly, the new readme file should contain "Version 0.41o", shouldn't it? However, when I open the readme file it still says "Version 0.41n", which is the version I installed FfH2 with. Either they forgot to update that line in the "o" patch, or something went wrong on my side?

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Looks like the version # in the readme is incorrect. Nothing to worry about.

If your readme says "Version 0.41n" and you need to be sure which version (N or O) you have installed, you can load FfH2 and look in the Civilopedia at the entry for "Dain the Caswallawn" (on the Leaders page). With 0.41n his favorite wonder will be listed as "Pagan Temple"; with 0.41o it will say "Catacomb Libralus".

Another sign that you have Patch O is that Sons of Asena will explode on death.

Xantm said:

I know I'm not the first user to have trouble getting FfHII to work with Windows 7, but I have followed the instructions given to other users who have posted here, and I still cannot get the Mod to work. Currently, I have it installed to

C:\Sid Meier's Civilization 4 Complete\Beyond the Sword\Mods

I have downloaded version 2041n and patched it to version "o." There is a shortcut on the desktop that I can use, but whether I use that or try to load the mod from within BtS, it doesn't work. My screen's color scheme and resolution change to support the mod, the screen briefly flashes black, and then the mod fails to load, the screen having returned to normal. Does anyone have any advice for me?

Before you ask, yes, I have patched BtS to 3.19; I completely uninstalled and reinstalled the game, and the first thing I did upon installing it was patch BtS. Also, I know the problem is not with my install of the base game, as I have begun a game in BtS and played the first few turns with no problems or crashing. I'm rather at a loss for what to do.

Update: Found the problem: Apparently, my computer downloaded the 3.19 patch without installing it. I feel like a fool. Pardon my intrusion.

Click to expand...

hello I have a similar problem, except my BTS is patched to 3.19 and my files are in program files .86; I reintalled bts, redowload ffh2 n but I still can't have it working, the files are there but BTS ignore them
Same thing with Master of magic; no problem with ashes of erebus strange ...

Opuhara said:

hello I have a similar problem, except my BTS is patched to 3.19 and my files are in program files .86; I reintalled bts, redowload ffh2 n but I still can't have it working, the files are there but BTS ignore them
Same thing with Master of magic; no problem with ashes of erebus strange ...

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I finally reinstalled everything in a new c: directory and I got all my mods

hey ;
i download " FallfromHeaven2041n.exe " with Windows 7 but when it s finish the file on my computer is " FallfromHeaven2041n " without the.exe extension.

i don't understand why and how to change that

i know civ 4 date a long time ago but if you can help me to replay with the best mod of civ 4 ^^

(sorry for my english)

benitoto said:

hey ;
i download " FallfromHeaven2041n.exe " with Windows 7 but when it s finish the file on my computer is " FallfromHeaven2041n " without the.exe extension.

Click to expand...

You dont need to change it. Just double-click on the file. You probably have Windows set to hide the file extensions.

Anyone have a fall from heaven II barebones mod? It would come in handy for making mods on ffh 2 for private use