This IS a Conservative C2C MP game Thunderbrd! :p

[JosEPh_II]

Removing it will not make any differance. The .bat file only runs if you type its name in or double click on it..

And you are 100% sure this is so?

I'm uploading my C2C MP Cnsvr Mod to Dropbox as I type. When it is finished Uploading I will come back with a Link to D/L it. This way All Conservative Pbem players will have the exact same mod set up the exact same way. Way too many variables now as it is just because of communications problems. This will solve that.

If this happens to fail too, then we have much deeper problem(s).

EDIT: Dropbox has changed and my "Free" acct can no longer "share" files. It only allows to "view" them. So that's out as well. No D/L link available.

JosEPh

 

[Toffer90]

And you are 100% sure this is so?

100%, the bat will not run unless you explicitly start it yourself.

I do agree that there is no need to include the bat in a derivative SVN version of the mod. It can only start the mod with the mod-folder-name that is exactly "Caveman2Cosmos".

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

And you are 100% sure this is so?

Removed the .bat file from the mod folder and the current savegame still crashes as before. Put it back in.

The only thing that I can think of to do would be for two people, who are not using the same computer, to go back through each rev installing each with one person creating a new PBEM game and the other trying to load it. Once we find a rev that it works at, then it would be easier to find the bug, as it would have to have been introduced in the very next update. Alternatively, I could try and make a PBEM game and see if you guys can load it. I may just do that later.

As a thought to try and determine if the mod on my machine is the same as the mod on your machine (JosEPh, Thunderbrd, etc), these are some of the Properties for the C2C MP Cnsvr folder in BtS/Mods:
Size: 1.61 GB (1,734,119,698 bytes)
Size on Disk: 1.63 GB (1,751,232,512 bytes)
Contains: 8318 Files, 1,146 Folders

I do not have the .svn folder in there.

 

[Thunderbrd]

Ok, time for a test. I do not know what is causing this problem. It's something someone did (maybe even myself) that really isn't making any sense to me.
I thought for a moment I had a theory, that we could change the lock modified assets to 0 and start again but apparently it's already on 0.

Hmm... I'll look deeper here if I can.

I do not have the .svn folder in there.

This MAY be an issue in itself. I just copy the whole folder. Now... Joseph and you have not and you still get the issue when you load his game. But I wonder if you could load the progressive one if you copied the whole mod. I seriously doubt it though.

I don't think Toffer's app would be an issue since it doesn't run itself.

I'm doing what investigation I can on my end here.

 

[JosEPh_II]

I don't think Toffer's app would be an issue since it doesn't run itself.

I'm sorry Toffer but I am not comfortable with that .bat in there at all. It's DOS based, it is a shell program. Just like Sourceforge is a shell program. I still remember some of my time working with DOS as a computers OS Before Win 95 hit the stage.

And if you have to "start it yourself", then:

100%, the bat will not run unless you explicitly start it yourself.

Why is it even necessary to be there? Who goes in to the Mod's directory to start the Mod with it? And even more important Why would someone need to go there in the 1st place to start C2C? This smells and feels like playing with fire. And I also disagree with the 100% part too. Shell commands are powerful tools.

JosEPh

 

[Toffer90]

I'm sorry Toffer but I am not comfortable with that .bat in there at all. It's DOS based, it is a shell program. Just like Sourceforge is a shell program. I still remember some of my time working with DOS as a computers OS Before Win 95 hit the stage.

I too used dos quite a bit before windows 3 and win 95. I'm quite comfortable with how batch scripts works.

And if you have to "start it yourself", then:

Why is it even necessary to be there? Who goes in to the Mod's directory to start the Mod with it? And even more important Why would someone need to go there in the 1st place to start C2C? This smells and feels like playing with fire. And I also disagree with the 100% part too. Shell commands are powerful tools.

JosEPh

I placed it there to make it easier for new C2C players to start the mod directly, they might not be aware of how to make a shortcut that starts the mod right away, and it would be easier for them to have a file in the mod folder that starts the mod.
New users/players could then make a shortcut for the bat file and add it to their desktop. new players might not be aware of the possibility to edit the CivBtS.ini file in "my documents\my games\ beyondthesword" to make the mod launch whenever BtS is launched.. Just saying that everyone likes to have an executable in the agame they install/download. I mysekf don't use the bat file much as I have edited the above mentioned ini file, but sometimes I have the main folder open when modding C2C, and it is then nice to be able to just double click a file in that folder to start thwe game to check the effect of my modding. Usually I just hit the windows key and write "civ" and hit the enter key to start C2C directly.

My above sentences are a mess because I've been drinking again. ^^

 

[Thunderbrd]

@Toffer... I don't know if you're well following the problems we're having here but do you have any ideas what our problem could be?

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

But I wonder if you could load the progressive one if you copied the whole mod. I seriously doubt it though.

Interesting thought. I doubt it too, but I'll try.

 

[JosEPh_II]

I too used dos quite a bit before windows 3 and win 95. I'm quite comfortable with how batch scripts works.
I placed it there to make it easier for new C2C players to start the mod directly, they might not be aware of how to make a shortcut that starts the mod right away, and it would be easier for them to have a file in the mod folder that starts the mod.
New users/players could then make a shortcut for the bat file and add it to their desktop. new players might not be aware of the possibility to edit the CivBtS.ini file in "my documents\my games\ beyondthesword" to make the mod launch whenever BtS is launched.. Just saying that everyone likes to have an executable in the agame they install/download. I mysekf don't use the bat file much as I have edited the above mentioned ini file, but sometimes I have the main folder open when modding C2C, and it is then nice to be able to just double click a file in that folder to start thwe game to check the effect of my modding. Usually I just hit the windows key and write "civ" and hit the enter key to start C2C directly.

My above sentences are a mess because I've been drinking again. ^^

Alright then you have allayed some of my concerns. I had no idea of your background with DOS. I still have a complete Windows 3 installation package for DOS just for old times sake. I also had a complete DOS 6.2 until my 2 boys got into it and a couple of the hard disks came up missing. (This was back in '95 when they were 14 and 10)

JosEPh

 

[Toffer90]

@Toffer... I don't know if you're well following the problems we're having here but do you have any ideas what our problem could be?

Did a read up on the latest pages here now, but I'm still unsure about the situation, I just don't understand the problem well enough to have a theory.

What are the real differences between the MP SVN fileset and the main C2C SVN fileset?
I assume that all the players have the exact same UserSettings folder content, this is important.
Maybe something in python or dll freaks out over the mod folder not being named "Caveman2Cosmos", though I doubt this to be the case.
Grasping a bit here, but maybe there is a need to edit the save files security permissions in the security tab of the file properties, maybe the comp that generated it added in some strange user permission rules....
If anyone is using steam for the game, it may be important that they use the steam beta version of bts, (The beta is really just a rollback to the original v3.19 of bts, Steam felt they needed to change the game a bit when the gamespy servers were shut down.).

 

[Spirictum]

Grasping a bit here, but maybe there is a need to edit the save files security permissions in the security tab of the file properties, maybe the comp that generated it added in some strange user permission rules....

Although I'm not familiar with this, it makes a lot of sense

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

I have created a PBEM game using the C2C MP Cnsvr mod. My mod folder for that does already have the appropriate configuration settings file. Before anyone tries to load the attached save, do start a single player game using this exact mod (if you have not run it as yet) so that it can write the appropriate configuration settings file. The save file does not seem to have any odd user permissions, as far as I can tell.

The save game does open for me. The main reason I am doing this is because while the saves that Thunderbrd & JosEPh created opened fine on their computers, they failed to do so on other people's computers. I am expecting the same result from this file, but if other people can open it, then we have more information. Specifically that Windows 10 mucks up the save files. At the least, we know that JosEPh is using Windows 10, and I think that Thunderbrd is as well but not sure. I am using Windows 8.1 at this time. If it does open, we could play off this one.

I set the player order as: Elizabeth, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander, Roosevelt, William van Orange, Dom Pedro. This should be the same sequence, just adjusted start position. If it is wrong, I can redo. Game is set up with all known game and map options (Climate is Temperate as that was never specified in the thread).

I have noticed that the UserSettings folder (for this mod) does have 'Special Permissions' checked for two Groups. Specifically: CREATOR OWNER and [a long string of numbers and dashes]. I have not poked at exactly what those are, just noticed that they are there.

 

[JosEPh_II]

I tried twice and no go.

It would seem that Pbem games started under v37 in any form are "borked".

And since the Another Mp game is now based on the Official v36 version it still works. So somewhere between v36 Official release and the current mod state Pbems were broken. I think T-brd's suspicion about the NPCs has some basis.

Unfortunately to disabled all the NPC work to test if Pbems would then work is Waaaayyyy beyond me.

EDIT: We could go back to playing the Massive game with a few new players taking over Vokarya and Praetyre's Empires.

Or see if we can start a new Pbem off the SVN using the same fileset as Another and Massive. My Conservative game would not change much, but the Progressive would have big big changes. Just sayin'.

JosEPh

 

[Thunderbrd]

What are the real differences between the MP SVN fileset and the main C2C SVN fileset?

The fileset we are using is specifically a copy of the main mod core SVN#9445. Copy the whole folder and replace the UserSettings with an exact copy of the UserSettings from the game originator, as shared through the MP SVN.

Should be as identical as identical can possibly be, with the only difference being the system itself. We know there may be differences in the main BtS ini files but that has never been an issue before so why would it be now right?

Maybe something in python or dll freaks out over the mod folder not being named "Caveman2Cosmos", though I doubt this to be the case.

Well... that's certainly not something out of the realm of consideration. We've had some reported issues there since the last time we tried setting up an MP game but then again I think we had them being reported beforehand as well. I don't think we've yet found why there are any issues there and maybe something in the python was injected somewhere.

Grasping a bit here, but maybe there is a need to edit the save files security permissions in the security tab of the file properties, maybe the comp that generated it added in some strange user permission rules....

Maybe. I even checked to ensure that the Locked Modified Assets option is off and invisible, which it is. It smacks of something hitting that checkpoint somehow and failing. But since it's 'always' off, (although maybe not on some kind of deep default before the actual game data loads) then it should never be an issue with that.

I think that Thunderbrd is as well but not sure.

I'm on Windows 7. I like Windows 7. I see no reason for an 'upgrade' at all.



Alberts has taken notice of the issue and stated he'd help us take a look. There's some hope yet.

 

[JosEPh_II]

I was okay with switching to win 10 64 Pro when it came out. But over the last month, once the 1 yr anniversary date of it's installation came and went on any of my 4 comps that have it, I'm ready to go back the win 7 64 Pro. Both my sons refused to switch, and 1 used to do computer repair for a living.

JosEPh

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

Since it hasn't been done yet, I made another experimental new PBEM game. I am still using the C2C MP Cnsvr mod folder, with one important change. I have deleted all files and folders (excepting the UserSettings folder) and pasted in the files and folders (again, excepting the UserSettings) from the release version of v37. To phrase that another way, it is the release mod for v37 (except the UserSettings) placed in the mod folder named C2C MP Cnsvr.

Hopefully a couple of people will be willing to test this. If the issue is the NPC teams, then this will not load. If it does load, the problem is something else. Something put in after this point.

 

[Thunderbrd]

I don't have a v37 stock copy on hand and with the svn down I'm scrud for that.

 

[JosEPh_II]

I don't have a v37 stock copy on hand and with the svn down I'm scrud for that.

Same boat.

JosEPh

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

Well, either of you could just download it in the way that any non-SVN user does. No worries though.

 

[JosEPh_II]

Okay, gonna try this again using T-brd's steps from the Progressive game.
1. Delete from C:\Program Files (x86)\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\Mods the C2C MP Cnsvr Mod.
2. make copy of SVN 9445 and place in the .....Beyond the Sword\Mods folder. Rename to C2C MP Cnsrv <-(notice difference in abbreviation, I was dyslexic and flipped the r and v)
3. Do Not replace the User Settings folder, My initial turn should set that for all players (as T-brd discovered)<--- This impo was our problem but....who knows?
4. When turn is played and save is placed by the game in the Pbem C2C MP Cnsrv folder, Copy the save As Is and Paste in the ...SVN\C2C MP\Save+TurnList\Cnsrv MP Game saves Folder where you found your turn waiting for you.
5. Very Important step process here:
To pass the save without Renaming it, put the save in the appropriate SVN folder (Cnsrv MP Game saves), then right-click on it and select TortoiseSVN->add. Then on the old one (the one you double clicked on to get to play your turn) right-click and select TortoiseSVN->delete. Then do the SVN commit.
6. once commit is made come to forum this thread and post who is next.

So I will now attempt to start the conservative game again.

JosEPh