Kingdoms Launcher Editing Application

[Squid]

If you installed the Retrofit mod into your mods folder in the steam install you can use this tool to enable launching the mod from the steam launcher.

[slyder82]

Fatal Error, this comes up when I try to launch the Third_Age mod through the launcher that I set up with your program.

Third_Age
Browsed for: TATW.cfg
Language: English (automatically inserted)
Browsed for: mods\Third_Age
Kingdoms

It's a kingdoms mod. I have been having issues with this mod/game since I got it. note, it says that your program didn't have access to the registry keys but then I ran it as admin and there was no issues with that.

I had the same problem, all you have to do is make sure you run the program/app as an Administrator and there shouldn't be any problems.

[Tellos Athenaios]

In editing my registry to insert the necessary entries I discovered that on my 64bit Windows 7 all-discs-no-steam installation the correct root key to use is:

HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Sega\Medieval II Total War\

This is a reparse point which means that queries to this tree are redirected to another one. Namely:

HKCU\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\

As you can see the HKLM key corresponds directly with the on from Gigantus's tutorial, except it contains an inserted "\Wow6432Node\" string on a 64 bit Windows. This implies two things:

1. The Steam launcher integration trick works for the no-team launcher as well. Ergo so does the tool.
2. If the tool doesn't do so already, it probably should check for the 64bit key as well because even Steam users on 64bit Windows might need it.

I don't know whether or not the tool checks for this key, because I have not actually used the tool. The reason has to do with a 3rd “discovery” I made, which is that one can launch arbitrary executables through the launcher. Simply specify the full path to the file you wish to run (could be batch files, could be js files could be exes) in the GameExe field and the launcher will happily run it.

Your program will be passed the following commandline args, where the entries in ${name} syntax refer to the values specified in the registry:

@${Path}/${ConfigFile} --features.mod="${Path}"

E.g. for me this is:

@E:/Games/Medieval II - Total War/Mods/EB_SVN-1.3/mods/EBII/EBII.cfg --features.mod="E:/Games/Medieval II - Total War/Mods/EB_SVN-1.3/mods/EBII"

The upshot of all this is that mods which may wish to include a custom launcher for editing settings could insert an entry which points to their own program and passes on the commandline the mod to edit.

[Squid]

Thanks, I'd already found that out, about the 64-bit registry location, when the tool wouldn't work for one of my machines which ran win7 x64 but worked correctly on my winxp x32 machine. The tool already covers both x32 and x64 systems.

The ability to launch a custom setting editing launcher would be pretty cool, I'll have to look into how to integrate that into the tool.

[General George Monck]

Dear Squid,

I wish to voice my appreciation of your excellent application. Thank you. Also I wish to mention that I have included it as part of my instructions for Steam users of M2TW to install BC2.02, see here. However I have been rather stumped by a question by one of my users;

Edited: Okay i figured out why but now im getting the CA_LIBS error.

btw in your Install Procedure, step 6 you said to run kingdoms launcher but the description of this app says

"This app was designed for steam users of kingdoms so that it is easy to add mods to the launcher and be able to play them. It will allow to add new mods remove old mods, edit the order of mods in the launcher"

But i don't have kingdoms installed :S It still doesn't work anyway when i use it.

I had assumed that those who have M2TW but not Kingdoms have the Launcher anyway because the Launcher mechanism is part of the 1.03 patch, which one gets automatically in the Steam version of M2TW.

Am I wrong? I don't know because I downloaded both M2TW and Kingdoms at once.

Ever Your Servant,

GGM

[Squid]

I honestly don't know, if someone with just M2TW would try and either succeed or fail I will update the OP accordingly.

[Squid]

Version 1.2

Changed

• If there one config file in the data folder it is automatically selected
• If there's more than one presents the user with the option of which config file to choose
• If there's no config file leaves the config file empty, as with the kingdoms mods
• Language is not required to be entered
• The mod name is filled in if none has been given and a folder is selected
• There's a right click menu on the main form
• Can use the delete key to delete settings
• Gives an error is the folder selected contains a space
• Not checking if a folder was actually chosen

Fixed

• Program not closing if M2TW or Kingdoms has not yet been run
• Folder browser not starting in the M2TW folder
• Crash if the user does not have permissions to modify the regitry
• Crash if the folder is not within the mods folder

Go to the first post to get the new version.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Are you still planning on letting people choose arbitrary executables for the GameExe field?

[Squid]

Yes but I haven't decided what the best way to implement it is.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Well, then, I might as well throw in my 2 cents:

I would change the UI to use a drop down box which will accept any absolute file path, plus the two “medieval2.exe” and “kingdoms.exe”. Then I would add another button to pop up a file chooser which when a file is chosen enters the absolute path in the drop down list editor component (the text field). To validate input you can check that the given path is a file, is executable and that the file extension of the program submitted is listed in the %PATHEXT% system variable. (Which is something like: .COM;.BAT;.EXE;.WSF;.JS;.VBS).

Slightly more complex option is a 3rd radio button “custom”, which when ticked presents the user with a formerly hidden field/button for selecting the absolute path as per above.

[Pope_Fred_I]

I'm running M2TW:K on Steam, and I am trying to run a mod (PDER) as well. I keep getting the following error instantly when the splash screen flashes on the screen:

"CA_LIBS", with the text "Medieval II suffered a fatal error and will now exit."

After which I click OK and the program closes. I'm using the launcher app, and I've checked both the cfg and bat files to ensure that they're correct.


Help!

[irishron]

Can you start a campaign in vanilla? Have you tried the four Kingdoms camapigns?

[Pope_Fred_I]

Can you start a campaign in vanilla? Have you tried the four Kingdoms camapigns?

Yes and yes.

[irishron]

Then download a fresh copy of the mod and try it, again.

[Pope_Fred_I]

Then download a fresh copy of the mod and try it, again.

Same error.

[Pope_Fred_I]

Same error.

Now suddenly I'm getting a "Medieval 2: Total War encountered an unspecified error and will now exit" error message when I try to play vanilla.

[irishron]

Verify your game cache integrity via Steam.

[Pope_Fred_I]

Verify your game cache integrity via Steam.

How do I go about doing that? I know I've done it before, but I've forgotten.

[Ishan]

• Right click on the game within the Steam library.
• Go to properties.
• Click on local files.
• Click on verify integrity of game cache.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Check that the Path you entered does not end with a backslash (\). The exe does not check or expect that, it blindly enters the Path in its directory naming patterns, so if the Path ends with a backslash (\) or slash (/) you will see the exe looking for things like <Your M2TW>/mods/<Your mod>//data (see the double slash there?) and so on.