M'44: Problems with Byelorussia PBEM file

[HirooOnoda]

Let me first say this **may be** a Vista Problem. I've recently had to upgrade from XP to Vista. Blah.

I'm in a team-game of Dave Gillies "Byelorussia" scneario and I had no problems running this file in XP. But now under Vista when I open a saved-game file from my team-mates I get on green hex and the rest of the screen is black.

Now I can start this scenario as either a PBEM or Normal game and everything is fine, it's just the saved PBEM files from my team-mates which don't give me the map with the units.

Ideas?

[Ricky B]

Something in your install is out of date - either the game itself or the scenario files - oob or pdt. Double check that you have the latest Minsk update installed - I have found that installing updates in Vista go into the wrong folder by default, as all my HPS games are in the Program Files (x86) while the updates try to go into just Program Files, and so the games don't update. You can check the version of the game you are running through the Help-About menu choice.

If the game is up to date, then reinstall all the scenario files, again into the (x86) version of the Program Files folder, assuming that is where the games are -Vista has a major problem (security wise) with anything installing in the non x86 version, which is the reason for the other.

[HirooOnoda]

Ricky,

I do have the lastest update, 1.02, from HPSSims.com.


Is there some file from VM site that I need?

[Sgt Fury]

Hey Hirroo,

Yes you will need the full Minsk install from VM's site as my scenario builds upon his work. This is what you need:

1. Install Minsk
   
2. Patch Minsk to latest
   
3. Download and install VM's latest Minsk package
   
4. Install version 1.21 of my scenario (at Glenn's site, and attached here)
   

Dave

[HirooOnoda]

Hey Hirroo,

Yes you will need the full Minsk install from VM's site as my scenario builds upon his work. This is what you need:

1. Install Minsk
   
2. Patch Minsk to latest
   
3. Download and install VM's latest Minsk package
   
4. Install version 1.21 of my scenario (at Glenn's site, and attached here)
   

Dave

Dave,

Thank you! But, it's still not working with the PBEM file.

I've never had any trouble with an HPS game like this. It is very puzzling.

[Sgt Fury]

Try opening the scenario in the editor. Sometimes it gives a better reason for the problem.

Dave

[Glenn Saunders]

.... But now under Vista when I open a saved-game file from my team-mates I get on green hex and the rest of the screen is black.

Ideas?

Nothing to do with Vista - it is a problem with the map or the submap - for certain - on the PC that happens to be running vista. Seen it many times in development of games.

Open the Scn file in notepad - look at themap file 0make sure you have that. If you do, open the Submap file in notepad and see what Map file that calls. Your missing or this is some problem with either of these two files.

Glenn

[HirooOnoda]

Which is the "Scn file"? I click on some of the .scn files and all that I see at ASCII characters.

And what is "themap file 0make"?

I did open the .scn that Mr. Giles did in notepad and I can't tell what "map files calls". How can I tell that?

Thank you for any assistance.

[Ricky B]

The "scn file" is the .scn file that you opened from Mr. Giles. And if you are really having problems with Glenn's grammar, try "look at the map file - make sure you have that". Seems like you figured most of it out, got the scn file open but can't figure out what map is called. At the top of the scenario file will be something similar to the following:

20
441031_01: Counter Punch
1944 10 31 6 0 0 1 12
250 350 450 550
0 0 70 80 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 3 2 0
0
1 2 2 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
B45_SW_Kecskemet_sub.map
Prelude.oob
Budapest.pdt

The third line from the bottom, ending in .map (pretty sensible scheme there!) is the map file, you need to be sure you have the exact same filename in the game folder.

Rick

[Ricky B]

And actually, if you open the scenario in the scenario editor, the is a menu choice under the first item - File or whatever - that shows the filenames of the files used in the scenario, same as the last 3 lines in my prior post.