[BTS] How to open HoF saves?

[lymond]

I don't blame. Enjoy the game for a bit. I'm exchanging some convo with Neil. Problem is that right now we don't have many known users here using steam and running BUFFY, although it is growing. Like I said, I just started using the Steam version, after using another digital version and my old disks for about 10 years.

edit: Actually, U, I would like for you, before doing anything else, to run Asset Checker for BTS and post the results up. thanks

 

[Fish Man]

I don't blame. Enjoy the game for a bit. I'm exchanging some convo with Neil. Problem is that right now we don't have many known users here using steam and running BUFFY, although it is growing. Like I said, I just started using the Steam version, after using another digital version and my old disks for about 10 years.

edit: Actually, U, I would like for you, before doing anything else, to run Asset Checker for BTS and post the results up. thanks

Ran asset checker - exactly the same result as before. The save that you posted also didn't work; same message as the one I originally tried. Well...at least I won with Rome last night.

 

[lymond]

Ok...that actually was what I expected, but I did something a little different. I was focused on the BTS assets only, and not the fact that vanilla/warlords assets are also installed (FYI - The steam version installs these assets as BTS is standalone in steam, i.e., not dependent on the Vanilla Civ IV install. This was not the case for the disks or other digital versions, where Civ IV is installed and the the expansions embedded within)

To point, I ran asset checker myself and did a compare. I did find one anomaly. The following error:

Vanilla: Assets\XML\Audio\Audio2DScripts - Copy.xml,<-- Error: Extra file

My guess here is that you modified or added to the audio file and saved off a copy of the original file. However. the file is still an active xml file so may not pass the LMA asset checks. The file would be located here:

D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Assets\XML\Audio

Note that this is the higher level folder, which contains the vanilla assets, not the lower level BTS folder we've been focused on before..

My recommendation is to remove this file completely from the folder. Maybe save off in your Documents folder or wherever you feel is best, but remove it entirely from the folder. The other option is to remove the modified file and change the name of the copy (original) so that it becomes the actual audio file, which actually may be best since that asset would match. (As I mentioned before changing actually non-custom assets can cause problems, but, of course, is fine if you are aware of it and make accommodations for it like I do with the bull dll)

Try that out and let me know. I hope this works for you. The steam version is new to many of us. Also, I hope if it works that you are encouraged to play some GOTMs and HOF games, since you are becoming quite dangerous

 

[Fish Man]

Ok...that actually was what I expected, but I did something a little different. I was focused on the BTS assets only, and not the fact that vanilla/warlords assets are also installed (FYI - The steam version installs these assets as BTS is standalone in steam, i.e., not dependent on the Vanilla Civ IV install. This was not the case for the disks or other digital versions, where Civ IV is installed and the the expansions embedded within)

To point, I ran asset checker myself and did a compare. I did find one anomaly. The following error:

Vanilla: Assets\XML\Audio\Audio2DScripts - Copy.xml,<-- Error: Extra file

My guess here is that you modified or added to the audio file and saved off a copy of the original file. However. the file is still an active xml file so may not pass the LMA asset checks. The file would be located here:

D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Assets\XML\Audio

Note that this is the higher level folder, which contains the vanilla assets, not the lower level BTS folder we've been focused on before..

My recommendation is to remove this file completely from the folder. Maybe save off in your Documents folder or wherever you feel is best, but remove it entirely from the folder. The other option is to remove the modified file and change the name of the copy (original) so that it becomes the actual audio file, which actually may be best since that asset would match. (As I mentioned before changing actually non-custom assets can cause problems, but, of course, is fine if you are aware of it and make accommodations for it like I do with the bull dll)

Try that out and let me know. I hope this works for you. The steam version is new to many of us. Also, I hope if it works that you are encouraged to play some GOTMs and HOF games, since you are becoming quite dangerous

Thanks...but no cigar. There was a debug map extra file that I wiped off the face of the earth, but same old same old...

 

[lymond]

Yeah, that map is not an issue. I know as I just did this for my vanilla install for that HOF mod. Had to replace 3 steam files with original, but not the map to get it to work.

Yep, this is really bizarre. I'd almost have to see step by step what you do, but I'm not clear on that from what you've described. I've resolved a couple of steam issues in the last couple of days with some other dudes - although some similarity to your issue, it was not the buffy mod.

I would like to see your asset checker report - rerun. I mean it is either some renegade asset causing the issue, or just part of some the quirks with running the steam version.

All I can really advise right now, when you are up to it of course, is to try another reinstall, following the steps I laid out in this thread (again ignoring that dll stuff). I mean that is basically what I did on another machine - fresh install, perform the necessary steps, voila - I opened the saves and others.

(I should note that I'm perplexed that that audio file was there. You did not say anything more about it, but again I assume it is a file you modded. However, one of the steps I mentioned, and very important, is to uninstall and wipe the entire machine of any Civ IV folders - all of them and the cache. That file should not have existed if that was done..just saying. You need a complete ground zero reinstall.)

 

[Fish Man]

@lymond

Tried a ground 0 reinstall again, after a break from this...nothing :/

Is it possible someone could literally PM me their civ4 game files (that CAN open the HoF saves) so I could open these darn things? I know it's technically "piracy" but I don't think it's immoral given, y'know, I already own the game.

 

[lymond]

eh..it's not really piracy when we know you own the game..and I doubt the files would work on their own without the drm.

PMing that large a zip file is probably not possible. I'll have to look at setting up and upload, probably to google drive, kinda like Neil did with his assets.

However, would you mind running asset checker for BTS one more time, and let me look at those results. Meanwhile, I'll look it to setting up a google upload. Not sure how long it will take.

 

[lymond]

U - I uploaded my BTS files to Google Drive and will provide a link below. It's 3gigs so took a couple of hours to upload..always much slower. I could download it in less than a minute. I basically zipped up the "Beyond the Sword" sub-folder to the higher level "D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword". So you should be able to delete the sub-folder entirely, copy the zip to "D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword" and just straight-up unzip there.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GTVD3NYbvJQmwLfjHtH7FP3J8p1j6pXY/view?usp=sharing

(Hopefully it will work and it is not some issue with the vanilla higher-level assets)

I do recommend, as mentioned above, letting me take a look at your Asset Checker results one more time before making this change, just to see if I can spot something or a missed step.

(oh..and note that I just zip what I had in my bts folder, but I had several mods installed. )

 

[Fish Man]

U - I uploaded my BTS files to Google Drive and will provide a link below. It's 3gigs so took a couple of hours to upload..always much slower. I could download it in less than a minute. I basically zipped up the "Beyond the Sword" sub-folder to the higher level "D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword". So you should be able to delete the sub-folder entirely, copy the zip to "D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword" and just straight-up unzip there.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GTVD3NYbvJQmwLfjHtH7FP3J8p1j6pXY/view?usp=sharing

(Hopefully it will work and it is not some issue with the vanilla higher-level assets)

I do recommend, as mentioned above, letting me take a look at your Asset Checker results one more time before making this change, just to see if I can spot something or a missed step.

(oh..and note that I just zip what I had in my bts folder, but I had several mods installed. )

OK, thanks...trying it now.

 

[Fish Man]

@lymond

OH MY GOD IT F@&*ING WORKED!

well, here goes my entire weekend...

 

[lymond]

Hallelujah! And praise all the Supreme Beings that man has ever worshiped!

So it was worth 2 hours of my life to upload those files

Now, you can play GOTMs and HOF games!

 

[Fish Man]

Hallelujah! And praise all the Supreme Beings that man has ever worshiped!

So it was worth 2 hours of my life to upload those files

Now, you can play GOTMs and HOF games!

Hecks yeah!

OK so I just took a look at Saerial's marathon large space. 1500 BC, 15 cities, medieval era...1 AD physics...695 AD win...HOW??? Looks like I still have a lot to learn...

 

[lymond]

Ha..well, I can't help you much there, as I'm not a Mara player. Sera was a big Mara player. Wastin' Time is another excellent Mara space player and is running a long game on this forum right now..has been for some time: (The Let's Play, Deity Space....thread)

Of course, you can look at their games to see the trends and benchmarks for settling and techs. However, it is not as easy to see the fine details of how they micro things and use slavery and chops and fail gold to their advantage. That just takes experience.