Mod Launcher

[KaRei]

One small issue i had was that your mod folder names are not allowed to have spaces in it. Don't know if this comes from the tool or moddir itself.

This comes from moddir.

Thanks to all for their opinions. I'm glad that you like the tool.

Next target is (for v1.1):
- ability to display more mods
- ability to turn off and on the intro
- support of custom music without replacing the original ones or retyping anything by the player
- more comfortable support of own music in mods
(- support of own intro in mods)

 

[unmerged(29318)]

This comes from moddir.

Thanks to all for their opinions. I'm glad that you like the tool.

Next target is (for v1.1):
- ability to display more mods
- ability to turn off and on the intro
- support of custom music without replacing the original ones or retyping anything by the player
- more comfortable support of own music in mods
(- support of own intro in mods)

Two thumbs

 

[DSYoungEsq]

I have run into a problem.


Maybe I am misunderstanding the directions. I have Age of Discovery (by he-who-shall-not-be-named), which has a modified map, and World According to Kasperus, also a modified map in my EU2 MP folder, each within its own sub-folder. They show up as mods available to launch just fine. They launch and run just fine.


WITH ONE EXCEPTION:


They have incompatible Terra Incognita.



My recollection is that it has been determined that map mods cannot run using the moddir function and I think this has been determined as the reason this is true.


I am assuming your tool simply is a fancy front end for running EU2 with a moddir command attached. If so, then modified map mods will not run properly this way.

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[KaRei]

My recollection is that it has been determined that map mods cannot run using the moddir function and I think this has been determined as the reason this is true.


I am assuming your tool simply is a fancy front end for running EU2 with a moddir command attached. If so, then modified map mods will not run properly this way.

Moddir isn't supporting maps in mods and Mod Launcher is launching mods by moddir. In these two points you're right. But one think you cann't see is that Mod Launcher is preparing the map before the mod is launched.

And to your problem:
You wrote that Terra Incognita isn't working correctly. How it looks? Is Terra Incognita displayed correctly and it is only working in different way? Or is TI displayed incorrectly?

 

[unmerged(29318)]

Moddir isn't supporting maps in mods and Mod Launcher is launching mods by moddir. In these two points you're right. But one think you cann't see is that Mod Launcher is preparing the map before the mod is launched.

And to your problem:
You wrote that Terra Incognita isn't working correctly. How it looks? Is Terra Incognita displayed correctly and it is only working in different way? Or is TI displayed incorrectly?

that was problem with with incgrid.tbl file won't work on moddir. maybe should use bat file for solve that problem like in MyMAP .

 

[KaRei]

that was problem with with incgrid.tbl file won't work on moddir. maybe should use bat file for solve that problem like in MyMAP .

Mod Launcher ISN'T a moddir. It is using it, but not only it. Map files are handled by Mod Launcher separately. I have no problems with map compatibility in Mod Launcher.

DSYoungEsq, I suppose that with incompatibility of maps you ment that Terra Incognita is displayed incorrectly. Do you have as your main game (in Mod Launcher displayed as Vanilla game) a vanilla map game or modified map game?

 

[Enoch Root]

I haven't experienced any issue with TI in none of the maps. ; only the save game failure, and that's easy to fix.

Although it would be nice that both MyMap and Kasperus' executables included an empty save game folder so we don't have to do it by hand. *points at Agung, whistles*

 

[DSYoungEsq]

Moddir isn't supporting maps in mods and Mod Launcher is launching mods by moddir. In these two points you're right. But one think you cann't see is that Mod Launcher is preparing the map before the mod is launched.

And to your problem:
You wrote that Terra Incognita isn't working correctly. How it looks? Is Terra Incognita displayed correctly and it is only working in different way? Or is TI displayed incorrectly?

The Terra Incognita is incorrect, because the game uses the TI from the local maps sub-file, instead of the TI that has been created in the mod. Thus, for example, in WAtK, the northern Russian provinces are all covered by TI, even the ones Russia knows, and the TI around the Black Sea is all out of proper location.

Fire up the WAtK GC as Novgorod for an example of what I am talking about.

 

[DSYoungEsq]

Mod Launcher ISN'T a moddir. It is using it, but not only it. Map files are handled by Mod Launcher separately. I have no problems with map compatibility in Mod Launcher.

DSYoungEsq, I suppose that with incompatibility of maps you ment that Terra Incognita is displayed incorrectly. Do you have as your main game (in Mod Launcher displayed as Vanilla game) a vanilla map game or modified map game?

Vanilla game with vanilla files in EU2 forlder, all the WAtK and AoD (same issue there) files in their own sub-folders within the EU2 folder. The vanilla game is correct, AoI (a moddir run mod by design) is correct, but WAtK and AoD both experience incorrect TI.

 

[KaRei]

... Thus, for example, in WAtK, the northern Russian provinces are all covered by TI, even the ones Russia knows, and the TI around the Black Sea is all out of proper location.

Fire up the WAtK GC as Novgorod for an example of what I am talking about.

WATK launched by Mod Launcher. WATK is as a mod of vanilla game. Grand campaign, Novgorod. It seems to work properly.

Try to upload your image.

The Terra Incognita is incorrect, because the game uses the TI from the local maps sub-file, instead of the TI that has been created in the mod.

To stop more speculations I'll reveal Mod Launcher's function. If vanilla map isn't backuped, it make it in the start. After it finds out all mods and display them and after you choose the mod to launch, Mod Launcher COPY map files from mod folder (if there are any) into Eu2/Map folder and then it start the mod by moddir. If you launch Vanilla game, Mod Launcher recopy vanilla map files back from backup. So in Eu2/Map are always map files of the mod or vanilla files, dependent on what you are launching.

I think that your problem is one of the strangest which could happen. Knowing the code I can say that it is impossible to reach this situation. It looks like the Incgrid.tbl is MISSING in WATK. Check if you didn't delete it from Eu2/WATK/Map folder.

EDIT: If the file is there, then try if the copying is working correctly. To do this, open Eu2/Map. You'll see there something abou 30 files. Half of them is named as Default_filename.xxx. Don't do anything with these files. They are backups of vanilla. Look at the filesize of Incgrid.tbl. Then open it and delete half of its intend. Save and look at the filesize now. Then launch WATK by Mod Launcher. Imediately after the Eu2 main menu appear, close the game (or check if the TI is still unworking before you close it) and look at the filesize again. It should be restored to it's first size (before you deleted half of the file). What is your result of this test?

 

[DSYoungEsq]

As you can see, incorrect TI.

This is WAtK GC, as Muscovy.

 

[KaRei]

Hmm, look if Incgrid.tbl is in the Eu2/WATK/Map folder and try if the copying is working as I wrote in my last post (below the image).

 

[DSYoungEsq]

EDIT: If the file is there, then try if the copying is working correctly. To do this, open Eu2/Map. You'll see there something abou 30 files. Half of them is named as Default_filename.xxx. Don't do anything with these files. They are backups of vanilla. Look at the filesize of Incgrid.tbl. Then open it and delete half of its intend. Save and look at the filesize now. Then launch WATK by Mod Launcher. Imediately after the Eu2 main menu appear, close the game (or check if the TI is still unworking before you close it) and look at the filesize again. It should be restored to it's first size (before you deleted half of the file). What is your result of this test?

Ok, I did this. After doing it, ModLauncher launched the WAtK mod properly, with a proper map. I then shut that down, and, indeed, the file size of incgrid.tbl was back to normal. Then, I tried to launch Vanilla from ModLauncher, and got the game with the TI from WAtK.

It appears that the ModLauncher isn't re-writing the files automatically. Is it checking for size difference and only archiving and then copying when a file size check comes back different? Whatever it is, the TI is not switching when I switch mods, but DID switch when the incgrid.tbl file in the EU2/Map subfolder had been slashed in size.

 

[KaRei]

Ok, I did this. After doing it, ModLauncher launched the WAtK mod properly, with a proper map. I then shut that down, and, indeed, the file size of incgrid.tbl was back to normal. Then, I tried to launch Vanilla from ModLauncher, and got the game with the TI from WAtK.

It appears that the ModLauncher isn't re-writing the files automatically. Is it checking for size difference and only archiving and then copying when a file size check comes back different? Whatever it is, the TI is not switching when I switch mods, but DID switch when the incgrid.tbl file in the EU2/Map subfolder had been slashed in size.

In fact Mod Launcher is deleting whole file and then it is copying the new one there. It isn't checking the size to determine if copy or not, it copy the file always if the file is found in mod map folder. I'll try something here now.

Oh, do you have 1.0 or 1.0.1 version of Mod Launcher?

EDIT: Aren't you using Win98? Now I've tested Mod Launcher on this OS and it is ... BAD.

 

[DSYoungEsq]

In fact Mod Launcher is deleting whole file and then it is copying the new one there. It isn't checking the size to determine if copy or not, it copy the file always if the file is found in mod map folder. I'll try something here now.

Oh, do you have 1.0 or 1.0.1 version of Mod Launcher?

EDIT: Aren't you using Win98? Now I've tested Mod Launcher on this OS and it is ... BAD.

WinME. ModLauncher 1.0.1


WinME is, of course, Windows98 with an attitude.


Ok, I've done some playing around. Here is what I found:

If I modify or remove incgrid.tbl, then ModLauncher replaces it, and replaces it with the correct version of the file for the version of the game I am launching (vanilla if vanilla, WAtK if WAtK, etc.). So, at some point, in WinME, when ModLauncher says: delete this file and replace it with that version, WinME is only doing that if the file being replaced is not substantially similar to the file with which it is to be replaced. Don't ask me why; I hate Windows.

 

[unmerged(29318)]

I
Although it would be nice that both MyMap and Kasperus' executables included an empty save game folder so we don't have to do it by hand. *points at Agung, whistles*

just say your wish come true. just check in my signature
@KaRei
Like i said before MyMAP in moddir was using bat file (MyMAP.bat) to swap incigrid.tbl files
http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=235076
Could you please make special treatment for mod with map modified in mod launcher. when we click mod icon that will address to bat files. or script program like that bat file for Mod Launcher.

 

[KaRei]

To DSYoungEsq: I cann't help you here more. You have two options to do: upgrade from ME to XP OR wait for the next release of Mod Launcher. From now I'm giving "add compatibility with Win98" as main target for next release.

To Agung Pasha: Exactly this is what Mod Launcher is already doing. Backuping vanilla map and copying modified map files from mod folder into Eu2/Map. It isn't using BAT but it is doing it itself.
I wrote this already in my pre-pre-previous post (#30), so I don't know if I'm misunderstanding you, or you're misunderstanding me, or you missed the post.

 

[unmerged(11075)]

thank you for this precious mod there.

 

[unmerged(22430)]

Does this work for other paradox games too?

 

[KaRei]

Does this work for other paradox games too?

I don't know (haven't possibility to test it).

Here are some points which must be met:

• EXE file of the game must be named as "EU2.exe" !!! Just only rename it.
• Mods are displayed if they have any ".eug" file in their "Scenarios" folder (Mod Launcher is testing this only to filtrate folders (recognize which are mods and which aren't) and it isn't important for the play. You can easily muzz Mod Launcher by creating any *.eug file in "Mod/Scenarios" if the game has different structure).
• To launch mods, the game must have moddir function as Eu2 has.
• Custom maps must be placed in "Mod/Map" and the files must have same names as their Eu2 versions (Mod Launcher copies only map files with these names and it copies them to "Game/Map" folder). It will not work if game has map files in different folder than in "Game/Map" or if the game has different map-file names or types.

"Mod/" represents any mod folder (folder name isn't important).
"Game/" represents game root folder (folder name isn't important).