a really *really* bad install problem!

[freestonew]

hi all....

I recently posted a topic about how my install did not work, the game crashes always,

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=267240

"[1.5 does not work, on either of my 2 Vista compuers! ]"

I think that I have found the Guilty party, as to why my install does not work, and I post a new thread to be sure that everyone sees this as I feel that there is a *HUGE* issue here, with the 1.3 patch, the game, the 1.5 patch and the Surrectum mod, in Vista, at least!!
[if you use the Creative Assembly version of total war]

I have the feeling that there are many who try this mod and give up and never ever post why the install fails, I might be the only one so far and ......

sometimes the "small" issue turns out to be the tip of problem like of that farmer across the road from my upstate new york aunt, this farmer dulled his plowpoints on a rock each and every year and *this* year he vowed to dig out that rock. he got his wagon ready by the stone and he began to dig and then he dug...and dug..and dug! And digged some more. Eventually he had to get dynimite and blew up this rock as by now he had dug ten feet down and this rock, my aunt told me, was as huge as a house!

ok.

I have the game TOTAL ROME, by "the creative assmblies". the install directs me to
either install the game at
C:/program files\creative assemblies\total rome
or to a browse location that I could choose.
so far so good.
then I patch with the 1.3 patch.
"funny", i said to myself, why is that patch installer telling me that the patch is already installed when it is not installed, and why oh why when I try to "reinstall", the program tells it that it is already installed?!
[I had once installed total war on this computer before, then uninstalled the game]
I then use the UNINSTALL option, for the 1.3 patch, and low and behold the install program uninstalls the not-installed 1.3!!
*this* tells me a great suspician: that the 1.3 installed itself, with my previous Rome install, into another file folder other than Total Rome, on C drive!!

I then installed the 1.3 and there is no option for "browse", no option to change the file path for the install, but my Quick vision detected what i feel is the nut of the whole problem, that 1.3 is going to install to

C:\program files\activision\total rome

and....people, there is no way to change the file path!!
[installs it to some deep hidden vista user place, even with UAC disabled, as this installer is set up to install into the activision folder on C!]
Thus 1.3 install program does not thus install into the game folder!

then I would install the 1.5 patch.

surrectum 1.5, in its install, will "ask" to install into the "activision" folder.

but the Surrectum mod is hosed, ruined, due to the non-install of the 1.3 patch!

I see now what I will have to do, as I uninstalled the rome game but not enough time to reinstall, this morning: I will have to install Total rome to the "browse" option, to create a file path,

MANUALLY

to create....
C:\program files\activision\total rome folder,

then install the game into that folder.
*then* and only then, will the 1.3 patch "find" the correct folder to install into!
[hopefully!]
then 1.5 into that same file. then aha, the surrectum 1.5 into that activision folder!

whew!

precis: that the 1.3 patch is set hardcoredly, to install into the C:\program files\activision\total rome folder and if that folder is not "there" the patch will "tell" you that it installed correctly, but this 1.3 patch did not install into the game folder at all!! you apparently have *got-to-set-up* the total war game folder, at the game install, manually, to read "activision" instead of "creative assembly", on C drive-program folder, for those people who have the creative assembly version of the game!

be aware of this issue, please, with the forthcoming 2.0 Surrectum!

freestone

[Arnspac]

Well I'm not being snarky here but if you open the game before putting any patches in what version does it say in the top right hand corner?
1.0
1.5 or what ?

Rome Total War GOLD Edition is already patched to 1.5.

The correct path should read like this:

C:\ProgramFiles\Activision\Rome - Total War

not

C:\program files\activision\total rome

if it does something is drastically wrong.

[Souka]

The patch aint the culprit for you here, its the registry entries.

The 1.3 patch and the others is set to install in whatever directory you first installed your game in. I installed my rtw in "g:\games\rome total war" and i didn't have any issues installing the patches. I assume that your registry entry were wrong therefore the patch thought you had the game installed inC:/program files\creative assemblies\total rome instead ofC:\program files\activision\total rome
Have you installed rtw before and not removing it correctly? If you don't uninstall it correctly there will still be registry entries left of the game. So when you decide to install the patch to the new rtw folder the patch will find the first registry entry and install into that directory.

Edit: Btw i am using vista

[freestonew]

The patch aint the culprit for you here, its the registry entries.

The 1.3 patch and the others is set to install in whatever directory you first installed your game in. I installed my rtw in "g:\games\rome total war" and i didn't have any issues installing the patches. I assume that your registry entry were wrong therefore the patch thought you had the game installed inC:/program files\creative assemblies\total rome instead ofC:\program files\activision\total rome
Have you installed rtw before and not removing it correctly? If you don't uninstall it correctly there will still be registry entries left of the game. So when you decide to install the patch to the new rtw folder the patch will find the first registry entry and install into that directory.

Edit: Btw i am using vista

ooooh Dear!!

nothing worked, the installs, neither of the four tries worked!

No matter what I did with file names, always crashes when I leave the window of the image of italy
to go to the first beginning tutorial, the error always is....something about the totalwar.exe not working!

this happens on BOTH my vista computers, the basic and the premium one.
"administrator" and "compatibility" mode do not work.

As I see it, there are probably about six different things that i could try, that is....
6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x2 x 1 = 780 installs to try to find the right one.

better yet: Forgit about it!!
try the other huge Rome mod [???? name] or wait till 2.0 comes out.

golly, if there was a real problem, there would be 100 people posting.
And one of the computers is a new machine!

I have yet to get the fileplanet version, every time that i download, the download fails partway through
and that the megaupload site is the only file that I have, i cannot believe, can I, that this megaupload file is corrupted!

and, yes, the options page gives to me version 1.5c!

why only ME??!

I cannot seem to find anything in the forums about this problem.

on to other games.......thanks for giving to me your time, you all, I will leave now.

freestone

[Souka]

Uninstall and remove all folders, then go into start menu and search for regedit start it and go into "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" - "SOFTWARE" - And look for anything from creative assembly, delete it and go back. Now you enter "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" - "SOFTWARE" and delete anything from creative assembly. Now install rtw in "c:\games\Rome total war" after you have installed it start the game and look in the corners to see what version you got. If it says 1.3 or higher you need to install 1.5. After you've done this download (rs 1.5c) from megaupload and install it into "c:\games\Rome total war" And you should be good to go.

[freestonew]

Uninstall and remove all folders, then go into start menu and search for regedit start it and go into "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" - "SOFTWARE" - And look for anything from creative assembly, delete it and go back. Now you enter "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" - "SOFTWARE" and delete anything from creative assembly. Now install rtw in "c:\games\Rome total war" after you have installed it start the game and look in the corners to see what version you got. If it says 1.3 or higher you need to install 1.5. After you've done this download (rs 1.5c) from megaupload and install it into "c:\games\Rome total war" And you should be good to go.

STUPID ME!!!

I tried again this morning to install yet again the mod.

I installed the game, patched to 1.3.
Then I went away for a few minutes to do something else and when I came back to my computer, I decided to see if the version number in the corner of the options section was "1.3", this would tell me that the patch "took".

I checked.

the patch version was 1.5 !!!!

ooooooh!

*NOW* I know wht my install of surrectum was hosed and ruined!

Creative assemblies, apparently a "second derivitive" game distributer, "helpfully" patched the game to 1.5, in the box!

As the game is already 1.5, installing the 1.3 patch ruins the game.

got to be aware of this, I tell myself, in the future, when I install older games. what version is the game out of the box?

maybe today or tomorrow I will uninstall the game, it is already ruined, and install again and maybe NOW
it will work.

========


I had already found two more mods, the
Europa Barbarorum mod
http://www.europabarbarorum.com/downloads_mod.html

and a mod something like "real Rome".

the Barbarorum mod is about 800 megs in size with a 100 meg patch.

which One do I now install. I am looking for a mod with the soul of Rome, in it. Historic accurate buildings and a flavor of the Empire as it was. please, people, why should I choose Surrectum over barbarorum or the other "real" rome mod?!

your screenshots are amazing. I hope to be able to now play it.

thanks for your patience with my small issue!

freestone

[Souka]

Well the most realistic rome mod should be SPQR i think, haven't tried it for myself. RTR is good to i've heard but you should really try out RS because it's simply the best rtw mod there is.

[dvk901]

Roma Surrectum 1.5 was basically a 'hyped-up' more realistic portrayal of the REAL Roman Empire. At least, that was the goal. A lot of effort was put into giving a Roman player the sense he\she was playing with real Legions and Auxilia Battalions....real political figures, etc. My\our lack of knowledge and historians on the team at the time led to a reskinning of other factions, but admittedly, not all that great of a focus on them.

RS2 wil be very, very different. Every faction and culture has received and will in time receive even MORE attention to detail and TLC....and the Romans? Well, we kinda went 'ballistic' on them. They pick up where RS1.5 left off and are really real.

[HMonk]

Can't wait till the Romans arrive DVK.