Geography files DO NOT need to be deleted.

[makanyane]

- NOTE: Due to a timestamp check, the following unpacked files will
cause the game to crash and must be deleted before the game is
launched:

data\descr_geography_new.txt
data\descr_geography_new.db

advice is given in various places including the closed stickie about the use of the unpacker
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...50#post1679750


however, it's actually been known for a few years that you can retain (and even modify the geography files) if you add

[misc]
rebuild_geography_db = true

to the .cfg file used to run the game/mod

that then causes the _db file to be rebuilt from the .txt file each time the game launches, which gets round the time stamp issue and allows modded descr_geography_new.txt files to be used to make changes to battlemap textures, vegetation quantity and hilliness etc.

#############################################################

UPDATE:
from the end result of this thread;
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...9#post12568729
it looks like the rebuild process can overload memory/texture space when the campaign is launched later. Revised recommendation in the light of that is use the "rebuild_geography_db = true" process when you're deliberately modding the geography file only. The rest of the time, re-name the descr_geography_new.txt
file so it's not used. Keep descr_geography_new.db in your modfolder, if you're running an amended one. And remove the "rebuild_geography_db = true" chunk from your .cfg (or it will try and regenerate the db from the .txt file in the Packs).

Battles should be fine with a revised .db in the modfolder and without the rebuild process in .cfg so long as the text file is removed/re-named.

[Emperor of Hell]

Thanks Mak - I'll show this to all the Third Age people deleting them

[Dunadd]

Is it necessary to unpack all the medieval II files before installing/ running mods like Third Age ?

This is likely a stupid question, but just to make sure.

[ElvenKind]

Is it necessary to unpack all the medieval II files before installing/ running mods like Third Age ?

This is likely a stupid question, but just to make sure.

No.

[Dunadd]

right - i knew they would run without unpacking - just checking it wouldn't cause faults later if you didn't unpack first.

On the topic of the OP i reinstalled MOS and tried running it with the rebuild line, but it wouldn't work even after several attempts so i moved the geography files to a folder outside my Med II folder and now it works - maybe that's just me though - the gods of modding seem to have a great and unquenchable hatred for me and ensure that most of my modding attempts end in ruin

[auc162]

Well, I have this entry in the cfg file:

[features]
mod = mods/Cronache_del_Ghiaccio_e_del_Fuoco
[ai]
ltgd_logging = true
[log]
to=mods/Cronache_del_Ghiaccio_e_del_Fuoco/logs/Cronache_del_Ghiaccio_e_del_Fuoco.system.log.txt
;level = * error
level=*script* trace
;level = ai.ltgd trace
[io]
file_first = true
[multiplayer]
playable = true
[hotseat]
scroll = true
turns = true
disable_console = true
admin_password = cronache
update_ai_camera = true
disable_papal_elections = true
autoresolve_battles = false
validate_diplomacy = true
save_prefs = true
autosave = true
save_config = true
close_after_save = false
gamename = hotseat_gamename
validate_data = true
allow_validation_failures = false
[video]
movies = true
assassination_movies = 1
show_banners = 0
[game]
label_characters = 1
[util]
no_animdb = true
[misc]
rebuild_geography_db = true
show_hud_date = true

Therefore it should be ok. But if I do not delete the descr_geography_new file, the game crashes at battle. And when I start the game the descr_geography_new_db does not regenerates.
Any suggestions? Thanks.

[FireFreak111]

I had an issue where it wasn't regenerating the vanilla file, it needs to be put in the main CFG file (medievalpreferences.cfg), which then may need to be set to read only (if it deletes the entry on launch)

[makanyane]

I've revised the advice in the OP as a result of FireFreak111's findings with an issue he was having which seems to have been caused by the rebuild process hogging memory.


@Dunadd & auc162
if the regeneration thing isn't working, possible reasons could be;

A. M2TW version - is yours upgraded to 1.5? not sure if it worked on earlier versions or not...
B. is it just the one descr_geography_new.txt that isn't working, i.e. is something in that .txt file broken
C. are you on Vista / win7, and have you resolved any UAC/virtual store issues?
D. Steam? I've got no idea if that might affect things...

[Redgrave]

Can someone explain to me where the .cfg file can be found? Sorry, but I'm a computer novice and it's all double-Dutch to me!

[Vipman]

Main M2tw folder for vanilla, and inside the mod folder for mods. (It opens with notepad. Just in case.)

[wilddog]

You can also just edit the geography.db file directly using the IWTE tool. That way you don't need to do anything to the config file, shouldn't hit the memory issue and it doesn't wipe out the RGB values of the distance colour.

[Bardha]

Main M2tw folder for vanilla, and inside the mod folder for mods. (It opens with notepad. Just in case.)

I am playing TATW vanilla 3.2. My computer skills are quite poor. I am not playing TATW through steam. I am running Windows 8.

I just launched my first vanilla 3.2 campaign (high elves) ever, after having played several vanilla 3.1 campaigns. In my new campaign, after 5 turn or so, the game crashes at the start of the first battle.

I tried to add the "rebuild_geography_db = true" to the .cfg file as suggested in this forum. However, I can only open the .cfg file with wordpad (for some reason I don't understand I can't open it with notepad; notepad doesn't even seem to function at all on my computer (I have no idea why)), and when I add the lines mentioned above, I am not able to save the changes in the .cfg-file (for another reason I don't understand, perhaps I should open the .cfg file as administrator, but when I right-click on it, that option is not even available).

Any suggestions to what I should to in order to make 3.2 work for me?

Any help appreciated.

PS: I am currently living in Chad with limited and (very) slow internet access, so searching through the whole forum is not really an option to me.

[irishron]

Are you logged in as Administrator?

http://windows7themes.net/take-owner...le-how-to.html?

[ElvenKind]

I am playing TATW vanilla 3.2. My computer skills are quite poor. I am not playing TATW through steam. I am running Windows 8.

I just launched my first vanilla 3.2 campaign (high elves) ever, after having played several vanilla 3.1 campaigns. In my new campaign, after 5 turn or so, the game crashes at the start of the first battle.

I tried to add the "rebuild_geography_db = true" to the .cfg file as suggested in this forum. However, I can only open the .cfg file with wordpad (for some reason I don't understand I can't open it with notepad; notepad doesn't even seem to function at all on my computer (I have no idea why)), and when I add the lines mentioned above, I am not able to save the changes in the .cfg-file (for another reason I don't understand, perhaps I should open the .cfg file as administrator, but when I right-click on it, that option is not even available).

Any suggestions to what I should to in order to make 3.2 work for me?

Any help appreciated.

PS: I am currently living in Chad with limited and (very) slow internet access, so searching through the whole forum is not really an option to me.

Turn off "Automatically Adjust daylight saving setting". http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials...ndows-8-a.html

If that doesn't work, reinstall using these steps: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...1#post12671569

Good luck!