FFP Not installing correctly.

[decoy26517]

Hello there.

I've tried both the upgrade patch version and the stand alone version and I keep getting the same problem.

When using the Final Frontier Plus shortcut I get the following error: "Mods\Final Frontier Plus \ is an invalid mod directory, ignoring"

I checked and the folder is there. It has stuff inside that resembles that in the regular FF directory.

When I launch BTS and look into the mod menu FF is there, but FFP is not.

 

[TC01]

Do you by any chance have the Steam version of Civilization 4 installed?

I ask because a friend was over recently who has the Steam version of BTS, and we got a similar error when attempting to launch mods using a mod launcher program I wrote.

Unfortunately, I don't really know what the issue is. I'll investigate and get back to you, though.

 

[decoy26517]

I do indeed have the steam version. That might be the issue.

 

[TC01]

The issue is complicated, but suffice it to say: Final Frontier Plus is being installed in the wrong place.

It should be installed to "Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization iv beyond the sword\Beyond the Sword\Mods", but is probably instead being installed to "Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization iv beyond the sword\Mods". I think the problem is to do with the fact that Steam tells the registry it is installing "BTS" in "Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization iv beyond the sword", but because of the way Civ 4 worked (before there was steam), BTS's executable, data, and other mods are actually located in a "Beyond the Sword" subfolder.

Moving the mod and relying on the in-game launcher to launch it should fix this issue. To summarize the above: locate the "Final Frontier Plus" folder on your computer, and move it to the location of the "Final Frontier" folder. These folders are hopefully in the directories I mentioned above.

I would like to come up with a better solution, and I'm going to work on it, but for now the above will hopefully let you at least play the mod.

 

[Kataz]

I have the same issue. The installer did install it into the correct "beyond the sword" folder which contains final frontier proper. There seems to be no way to launch it though as it doesn't come up in the Beyond the Sword mod list ingame like every other mod does.

 

[TC01]

I have the same issue. The installer did install it into the correct "beyond the sword" folder which contains final frontier proper. There seems to be no way to launch it though as it doesn't come up in the Beyond the Sword mod list ingame like every other mod does.

Also with Steam, I assume?

Can you try downloading this (or another mod launcher) and see if FF+ is at least listed as a mod for Beyond the Sword?

 

[MusX]

I have the same error. I don't use Steam for Civ4.
Is there any chance for zipped mod download instead of installer?
or at least zipped mod (with no FF files) + list of files to copy from FF to FFP?

 

[JJ Mirradian]

I am having a similar problem. I have downloaded both versions of FFP but when I try to install either of them, I get an error message saying Mods/FinalFrontier source file does not exist. I know the installer can have trouble finding the right location but I let the installer use the default folder as well as uninstalling and then manually selecting BeyondTheSword/Mods and then trying BeyondTheSwords/Mods/FinalFrontier. I have also tried downloading the FFP patch but either way with patch or without, BtS just stops working when I try to load FFP in game. I can't run the mod from my desktop either because the executable file is missing, although all the other files seem to be there. Just not the executable in either version.

Also, I know I need the 3.19 Civ 4 patch but when I try to install it, my computer just says it isn't a valid win32 file. I downloaded the patch just fine in game but can't install it. I assume this is why BtS stops working when I try to load the FFP mod.

I really don't know what to do here because I downloaded the mod just fine on my old computer (and played it) but that machine crashed so I got a new one. I am using a disk version of Civ 4 Complete Edition and can play FF Vanilla just fine. The only real change is that my old machine was 32bit and my new one's 64 with a multi-core processor running windows 7. I don't know if that matters in relevance to the game but I was able to play FFP just fine on my old system and really want to play it again.

Anyway, if anybody knows anything your help will be greatly appreciated. And sorry if this has already been discussed somewhere else. I searched the forum but this was the only thread I found close to topic.

 

[God-Emperor]

BtS needs to be at 3.19 or launching FFP will make it fall over dead, quite possibly without giving any actual error message to tell you why.

The in-game patch thing is known to fail a lot. Try downloading the patch and applying it manually. Use one of the mirrors from here. Note: inexplicably, the patch seems to be unavailable from the actual makers of the game (Firaxis), so use one of the other mirrors.

Also, mods don't have any executables in them, as such, but some (including FFP, but not the original FF) have a CvGameCoreDLL.dll file which is very similar. They all use the regular Civ4BeyondSword.exe (which loads the CvGameCoreDLL.dll from the mod, if there is one, instead of its own). A shortcut must point to that regular BtS executable, but you can tell it to load the mod by adding a space after the closing quotes after the .exe name and then adding mod="Final Frontier Plus" in the "Target" of the shortcut's properties.

 

[JJ Mirradian]

Thanks God-Emperor. I'm up and running now.
Edit: Also I wanted to ask if you or anyone else knows whether or not a Final Frontier style mod for Civ 5 is in the works. I tried Google but couldn't find anything real definitive.

 

[M1Burns]

Hello, umm, as per mentioned above, I have installed the patch 3.19 necessary to run Final Frontier Plus, but when installation is complete and checking the box to launch FFP, I received the message,

"Mods\Final Frontier Plus \ is an invalid mod directory, ignoring".

Unlike some of the people above, I do not have the Steam Version of the Complete Edition. I brought the disc version so that should clear up any kind of Steam problem. Any suggestions?

BTW, I have also tried moving the FFP folder into the Beyond the Sword MODS folder, but after loading halfway, an error pops up

"GFC Error: failed to initalize the primary control theme

 

[God-Emperor]

Hello, umm, as per mentioned above, I have installed the patch 3.19 necessary to run Final Frontier Plus, but when installation is complete and checking the box to launch FFP, I received the message,

"Mods\Final Frontier Plus \ is an invalid mod directory, ignoring".

Unlike some of the people above, I do not have the Steam Version of the Complete Edition. I brought the disc version so that should clear up any kind of Steam problem. Any suggestions?

BTW, I have also tried moving the FFP folder into the Beyond the Sword MODS folder, but after loading halfway, an error pops up

"GFC Error: failed to initalize the primary control theme

If that first quote is exact, then there is an extraneous space before the last "\". If so, that is probably just an issue with the installer.

Can you launch it normally as a mod from the BtS Menu? If so, you can do it that way or create a shortcut to launch it directly. If the install created a shortcut you should try that.

That GFC error thing is because mods that change the theme (related to the user interface) have to be in the mods folder under the BtS installation, not under "My Games".

 

[M1Burns]

If that first quote is exact, then there is an extraneous space before the last "\". If so, that is probably just an issue with the installer.

Can you launch it normally as a mod from the BtS Menu? If so, you can do it that way or create a shortcut to launch it directly. If the install created a shortcut you should try that.

That GFC error thing is because mods that change the theme (related to the user interface) have to be in the mods folder under the BtS installation, not under "My Games".

Okay, actually the exact quote was (forgive me for the little errors I skimmed over)

"Mods\Final Frontier Plus\ is an invalid mod directory, ignoring"

The Final Frontier Plus mod does show up in my mods list when I launched the game, but during one of my re-installation in an attempt to solve the problem, I told the installer to go to my MODS folder in Beyond the Sword folder, but as per the error, GFC problem goes up again.

Yes, I have used the shortcut the installer automatically gives, but I still get the first error, and the second error if I move the FFP folder in the MODS folder in the Beyond the Sword folder.

So, anything I might have looked over? If so, tell me. Thanks!

 

[God-Emperor]

You should put it where it goes, i.e. not in the folder under My Games but alongside the mods that the game came with. It should be in the same folder as the original Final Frontier, Afterworld, Broken Star, and all the other mods BtS comes with.

Try running it from BtS via the mods list after FFP is in the correct location. If it will run from there then it is simply an issue of getting the shortcut to correctly specify what to run.

Do you still have the regular Final Frontier mod installed? If not, the problem might be that you used the installer that requires it to be there. It copies FF and then overwrites the changed stuff, which makes the installer a lot smaller. Ont he other hand, I would expect the installer to give some error if FF was missing when it tries to copy it. (I have never tried to install it like that, so I don't know what the installer does if regular FF is not there.)

 

[M1Burns]

You should put it where it goes, i.e. not in the folder under My Games but alongside the mods that the game came with. It should be in the same folder as the original Final Frontier, Afterworld, Broken Star, and all the other mods BtS comes with.

Try running it from BtS via the mods list after FFP is in the correct location. If it will run from there then it is simply an issue of getting the shortcut to correctly specify what to run.

Do you still have the regular Final Frontier mod installed? If not, the problem might be that you used the installer that requires it to be there. It copies FF and then overwrites the changed stuff, which makes the installer a lot smaller. Ont he other hand, I would expect the installer to give some error if FF was missing when it tries to copy it. (I have never tried to install it like that, so I don't know what the installer does if regular FF is not there.)

Okay, but I really don't know where the original mods are stored location-wise. Besides My Games, I operate on a Vista system.

I have not tampered the original files of Final Frontier in anyway excluding FFP installation problems, so that's not a problem.