Where Did I Go Wrong Installing Stainless Steel *Kind of Long Post*

[Encino_Man]

FYI - I just got done coding a webpage for the first time for an introductory webdesign class spending nearly 20hrs. on it. Straight. So my patience with anything to do with computers right now is really thin. And I'm thoroughly frustrated because I really want to get better at these things. So sorry for any bad words and such when there probably shouldn't be.

Okay, let me first say this, I have no idea wtf I'm doing when it comes to modding games. As such, I always play the vanilla version because whenever I have tried to mod, I screw up the game, get frustrated, curse, inanimate objects get harmed, , etc. Ergo, things aren't too great. And, I'm terrible with technology in general, so it's safe to say I don't know jack about half the crap most people discuss when trying to install the mod. However, after watching numerous let's play videos of this mod, I really wanted to give this a shot. And, I tried following all of the directions but nothing seems to work.

Here is the basic info: I have steam (and VISTA!!! [almost forgot to add this in to my post! ). I lost my physical copies a while back and bought it all on steam a week or two ago.

I downloaded 6.3, the patch, and then 6.4 as instructed into the mod folder. I then tried following NoMercy's instructions as he is always linked too. Well, that appears to not have worked. Kingdoms doesn't even launch when I try to revert to the original set-up with the "medieval2.exe","kingdoms.exe", and "launcher.exe" in the main medieval total war II folder in the steam folder (or whatever it is called). When I change the "kingdoms.exe" launcher back to "launcher.exe" that is used to start up SS, I get to the loading screen for SS with the cursader guy before it cuts back to the desktop. (Although I actually saw the hourglass icon the last time I tried it so there was some improvement somewhere I suppose ). I tried using the campaign startup from the 6.3 campaign launcher thingy but got confused and nothing happened anyway.

So now I'm debating on whether or not I should just completely uninstall Medieval II and Kingdoms as well as delete all the SS content from my computer. Then reinstall Medieval II and Kingdoms. Then install 6.3, the patch, and 6.4 all over again but follow Mithrandir's directions.

Anyway I'll try to explain some more because I want to make sure people understand my frustration with these things. (Also the only game I have successfully modded was the Combat Mission games Afrika Korps and Barbarossa to Berlin because you just changed the skins. SUPER easy! )

With NoMercy's instructions, this step really lost me, #5.

Try...

1. In the m2tw folder you should see 3 exes. "m2.exe", "kingdoms.exe" and "launcher.exe"
2. Create a folder called "backup" and place the "launcher.exe" in that
3. Rename the "kingdoms.exe" to "launcher.exe"
4. Now go to your "Steam Games" list and right click kingdoms, select "properties" and then "set launch options"
5. In the box that appears paste the bit you copied(in SS 6.3 case it will be @mods\SS6.3\default.cfg)
6. As long as you always launch from kingdoms in steam and not the SS 6.3 shortcut it should work.

However, I'm also not sure if I properly downloaded the mode now anyway. (sifts through a bunch of tabs.)

So I go here: Stainless Steal 6.3 Released to get 6.3. Now, as my understanding, I must use one of the downloads to get the mod. I originally downloaded from the gamefront one. [btw should not the megaupload be deleted since it is no more?]

Next I get the 6.3 patch which is the link found here where it says, "here as a intaller":

Mandatory bugfixes for 6.3 are available with additional content/corrections from here as a installer or here for manual application. Only use the manual method if you have good reason to.

Then I go to the 6.4 release thread and pick from one of these options:

Download for SS6.4/6.3:
Since MegaUpload is down and new ver is coming soon, courtesy of Losthief we have this FULL package:

• SS6.3+SS6.4

6.4 patch download URLS:

• Link 1 - FileFront

by bane_tw:

• Link 1 - Torrent

by Losthief:

• Link 1 - Megaupload
• Link 2 - Filefront
• Link 3 - Gamefront

I picked Losthief - Link 3.

But here is what I did.
Everything was put into the Medieval Total War II mod folder in the Steam folder etc. etc. - Found it! (How the directory thingy is supposed to be anyway. Wasn't sure how to write it) steam/steamapps/common/medieval ii total war/mods

1. Downloaded 6.3 from Mirror 3, Gamefront. All 5 parts. However, I created a folder in there for them called Stainless Steel. Since I had no idea what I was doing because everyone seems to assume I know what I'm doing and that I know how this install process works (which I don't).

2. Next, everyone was saying if you have Steam you use NoMercy's directions. Well I followed them but step 5 made me feel as if I was supposed to know something but completely missed whatever it was

3. Anyway, I then tried starting up Kingdoms with the gamefront files but nothing.

4. Went digging around on the forums trying to grasp where I went wrong since there appeared to be no set of instructions for the proper method of how to install the mod (that I or just missed them and am complaining by this point).

5. Frustrated I look over the 6.3 as well as the FAQ but nothing clicked. Then I saw the whole:

Mandatory bugfixes for 6.3 are available with additional content/corrections from here as a installer or here for manual application. Only use the manual method if you have good reason to.

6. I thought, "BY JOVE! I'VE DONE IT!!!! It had that whole start-up launch.exe thingy going on and I figured I had no need for the gamefront stuff so I completely deleted the folder and the downloads. After that I launched the 6.3/patch installer.

7. I followed that up with the 6.4 download using Losthief's link 3 - gamefront mirror whateveryacallit.

8. But then I hit a snag. I had made sure I still had NoMercy's backup folder with the "launcher.exe" in it while the original "kingdoms.exe" was changed to "launcher.exe" and originally changing "launcher.exe" back to "kingdoms.exe" and finding that the game wouldn't even load properly. I then tried booting up the mod through the Kingdom's launcher via Steam and I got to the to load screen with the Knights Templar guy. But it then subsequently crashed to desktop. I then tried launching it through one of the launchers in the mod folder but got some weird thing telling me it detected Steam and asking me if I had the Kingdoms launcher because it couldn't find it. I don't remember what happened but it didn't work .

9. Then I tried launching the game using the 6.3 campaign start-up and actually saw the hourglass load icon (it never appeared before) so I felt like I made some progress before the loading screen crashed again to desktop

10. Since then I've been trying to get the original "launch.exe" out of the backup folder NoMercy instructed to make (never said where to put it so it's in the Medieval II Total War Steam folder) and place it in next to the other two launchers "medieval2.exe" and "kingdoms.exe" (which is now still labeled "launcher.exe"). It goes there as "launcher.exe" - shortcut and I'm wary of these things. Meaning I don't trust it and want the original one back but have no idea how to do so.

11. And now, I had just discovered this beautiful thread, one which I wish I had originally discovered in the first place: Solving problems with Steam, Vista or Windows 7.

Don't get me wrong, I saw this

Download all the parts (including the setup) into the same folder and run SS6.3.exe.

but seeing as how the "installer" was in the bug/fixes thing, I thought it was just for that and not actually for Stainless Steel 6.3. It was not clear to me at all. So I'm not even sure I had actually downloaded the necessary stuff with it and the deleted files I got from gamefront, well I have no idea where to put them anyway once downloaded. My overall feeling right now tells me that there appeared to be no overall install instructions for installing the mod with the CD and or the Steam versions and I ended up running all over the place trying to figure out where I went wrong.

I can get the files into the mod folder just fine but its everything else is where I'm stuck. Right now I feel as if this is my best option:
1. Completely delete everything to do with Stainless Steal from my computer.
2.Uninstall Medieval II Total War and Kingdoms from Steam.
3. Reinstall them.
4. Then wait and see what people post here as directions.
5. Go from there.
6.
7. Play Stainless Steel through Steam!

And just an FYI for those trying to help. If you try to give me directions assuming I know even 1% of any of it, chances are I don't, so you might have to spell everything out. I understand if I made elementary errors and all that but I really just don't know what I'm doing. (All of it was mostly blind guess work. I prefer visual guides lol )

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read all that, possibly pull out your hairs, and then try and help me out.

P.S. I'm not touching any of it until people post here on what I should do. And I'll wait for a number of people to post answers before making my move no matter how much experience such-and-so claims to have. (I've just been having computer problems one after the other since December so I'm rather paranoid about it all.)

I'll stop typing in here now, I think I'm rambling

[Losthief]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

FYI - I just got done coding a webpage for the first time for an introductory webdesign class spending nearly 20hrs. on it. Straight. So my patience with anything to do with computers right now is really thin. And I'm thoroughly frustrated because I really want to get better at these things. So sorry for any bad words and such when there probably shouldn't be.

Okay, let me first say this, I have no idea wtf I'm doing when it comes to modding games. As such, I always play the vanilla version because whenever I have tried to mod, I screw up the game, get frustrated, curse, inanimate objects get harmed, , etc. Ergo, things aren't too great. And, I'm terrible with technology in general, so it's safe to say I don't know jack about half the crap most people discuss when trying to install the mod. However, after watching numerous let's play videos of this mod, I really wanted to give this a shot. And, I tried following all of the directions but nothing seems to work.

Here is the basic info: I have steam (and VISTA!!! [almost forgot to add this in to my post! ). I lost my physical copies a while back and bought it all on steam a week or two ago.

I downloaded 6.3, the patch, and then 6.4 as instructed into the mod folder. I then tried following NoMercy's instructions as he is always linked too. Well, that appears to not have worked. Kingdoms doesn't even launch when I try to revert to the original set-up with the "medieval2.exe","kingdoms.exe", and "launcher.exe" in the main medieval total war II folder in the steam folder (or whatever it is called). When I change the "kingdoms.exe" launcher back to "launcher.exe" that is used to start up SS, I get to the loading screen for SS with the cursader guy before it cuts back to the desktop. (Although I actually saw the hourglass icon the last time I tried it so there was some improvement somewhere I suppose ). I tried using the campaign startup from the 6.3 campaign launcher thingy but got confused and nothing happened anyway.

So now I'm debating on whether or not I should just completely uninstall Medieval II and Kingdoms as well as delete all the SS content from my computer. Then reinstall Medieval II and Kingdoms. Then install 6.3, the patch, and 6.4 all over again but follow Mithrandir's directions.

Anyway I'll try to explain some more because I want to make sure people understand my frustration with these things. (Also the only game I have successfully modded was the Combat Mission games Afrika Korps and Barbarossa to Berlin because you just changed the skins. SUPER easy! )

With NoMercy's instructions, this step really lost me, #5.




However, I'm also not sure if I properly downloaded the mode now anyway. (sifts through a bunch of tabs.)

So I go here: Stainless Steal 6.3 Released to get 6.3. Now, as my understanding, I must use one of the downloads to get the mod. I originally downloaded from the gamefront one. [btw should not the megaupload be deleted since it is no more?]

Next I get the 6.3 patch which is the link found here where it says, "here as a intaller":
Then I go to the 6.4 release thread and pick from one of these options:
I picked Losthief - Link 3.

But here is what I did.
Everything was put into the Medieval Total War II mod folder in the Steam folder etc. etc. - Found it! (How the directory thingy is supposed to be anyway. Wasn't sure how to write it) steam/steamapps/common/medieval ii total war/mods

1. Downloaded 6.3 from Mirror 3, Gamefront. All 5 parts. However, I created a folder in there for them called Stainless Steel. Since I had no idea what I was doing because everyone seems to assume I know what I'm doing and that I know how this install process works (which I don't).

2. Next, everyone was saying if you have Steam you use NoMercy's directions. Well I followed them but step 5 made me feel as if I was supposed to know something but completely missed whatever it was

3. Anyway, I then tried starting up Kingdoms with the gamefront files but nothing.

4. Went digging around on the forums trying to grasp where I went wrong since there appeared to be no set of instructions for the proper method of how to install the mod (that I or just missed them and am complaining by this point).

5. Frustrated I look over the 6.3 as well as the FAQ but nothing clicked. Then I saw the whole:
6. I thought, "BY JOVE! I'VE DONE IT!!!! It had that whole start-up launch.exe thingy going on and I figured I had no need for the gamefront stuff so I completely deleted the folder and the downloads. After that I launched the 6.3/patch installer.

7. I followed that up with the 6.4 download using Losthief's link 3 - gamefront mirror whateveryacallit.

8. But then I hit a snag. I had made sure I still had NoMercy's backup folder with the "launcher.exe" in it while the original "kingdoms.exe" was changed to "launcher.exe" and originally changing "launcher.exe" back to "kingdoms.exe" and finding that the game wouldn't even load properly. I then tried booting up the mod through the Kingdom's launcher via Steam and I got to the to load screen with the Knights Templar guy. But it then subsequently crashed to desktop. I then tried launching it through one of the launchers in the mod folder but got some weird thing telling me it detected Steam and asking me if I had the Kingdoms launcher because it couldn't find it. I don't remember what happened but it didn't work .

9. Then I tried launching the game using the 6.3 campaign start-up and actually saw the hourglass load icon (it never appeared before) so I felt like I made some progress before the loading screen crashed again to desktop

10. Since then I've been trying to get the original "launch.exe" out of the backup folder NoMercy instructed to make (never said where to put it so it's in the Medieval II Total War Steam folder) and place it in next to the other two launchers "medieval2.exe" and "kingdoms.exe" (which is now still labeled "launcher.exe"). It goes there as "launcher.exe" - shortcut and I'm wary of these things. Meaning I don't trust it and want the original one back but have no idea how to do so.

11. And now, I had just discovered this beautiful thread, one which I wish I had originally discovered in the first place: Solving problems with Steam, Vista or Windows 7.

Don't get me wrong, I saw this
but seeing as how the "installer" was in the bug/fixes thing, I thought it was just for that and not actually for Stainless Steel 6.3. It was not clear to me at all. So I'm not even sure I had actually downloaded the necessary stuff with it and the deleted files I got from gamefront, well I have no idea where to put them anyway once downloaded. My overall feeling right now tells me that there appeared to be no overall install instructions for installing the mod with the CD and or the Steam versions and I ended up running all over the place trying to figure out where I went wrong.

I can get the files into the mod folder just fine but its everything else is where I'm stuck. Right now I feel as if this is my best option:
1. Completely delete everything to do with Stainless Steal from my computer.
2.Uninstall Medieval II Total War and Kingdoms from Steam.
3. Reinstall them.
4. Then wait and see what people post here as directions.
5. Go from there.
6.
7. Play Stainless Steel through Steam!

And just an FYI for those trying to help. If you try to give me directions assuming I know even 1% of any of it, chances are I don't, so you might have to spell everything out. I understand if I made elementary errors and all that but I really just don't know what I'm doing. (All of it was mostly blind guess work. I prefer visual guides lol )

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read all that, possibly pull out your hairs, and then try and help me out.

P.S. I'm not touching any of it until people post here on what I should do. And I'll wait for a number of people to post answers before making my move no matter how much experience such-and-so claims to have. (I've just been having computer problems one after the other since December so I'm rather paranoid about it all.)

I'll stop typing in here now, I think I'm rambling

ok, so im going to be honest, i just skimmed so i might of missed something.

But, the issue for steam and the issue for vista messing with installs you have to treat separate.

i want you to follow the instructions in my guide (link found in my signature, and it has pictures on how to do everything with explanations). Fresh links for ss6.3/6.4 if you need them found here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...417435&page=83 post number 1644, there is guides on what to click to get to the download button on the bottom of the post.

Now, you can't do the put mtw2 in a folder outside program files (thanks to steam), so skip that part. But do the UAC and especially, do the right click 'run as admin' options on both ss6.3.exe and ss6.4.exe (thats why your getting just the crusader image). I would actually just try doing those 3 steps starting with reinstalling mtw2 with uac off from the get go and skip the steam rename launcher stuff. And see if it works. Also if you try all of this and it still isn't working, run mtw2 in windowsxp compability mode. If it doesn't work then come back to me then, and we'll fix the steam issue, but im pretty sure your issue is related to vista not steam right now.

-losty-

[Encino_Man]

Wait wait. You're saying to 1. Completely delete everything to do with Stainless Steal from my computer. 2.Uninstall Medieval II Total War and Kingdoms from Steam. and 3. Reinstall them? (Well do M2TW & Kingdoms first obviously.)

Also why must the UAC be turned off?? How does it affect using the mod or installing it anyway?

I also started reading your guide but when I saw this part:

(non-steam install)

I thought, well this has nothing to do with me as I kept reading that installing it on Steam was a lot trickier than using the CD version. I figure the install is the easier part. I get that, I think. But then to make it work on steam I'd have to rename the SS6.3 folder to one matching one of the Kingdoms' folder like americas or crusades or whatever. Then when I want to play SS6.3, I boot up Kingdoms and click the "americas" thingy to play the mod? Lastly, could I install multiple mods using this strategy? If I want to play Third Age Total War and or The Last Kingdom mod(s) I would just follow the same route? Boot up kingdoms but click americas, crusades, etc. to play one of several different mods?

[Losthief]

Wait wait. You're saying to 1. Completely delete everything to do with Stainless Steal from my computer. 2.Uninstall Medieval II Total War and Kingdoms from Steam. and 3. Reinstall them? (Well do M2TW & Kingdoms first obviously.)

Also why must the UAC be turned off?? How does it affect using the mod or installing it anyway?

1. yes

2. it moves files and causes access problems. Which for older games (a la mtw2) it can make it not work right, especially mods with the access issues.

p.s. do turn uac back on after the installs are confirmed working

[Encino_Man]

1. yes

2. it moves files and causes access problems. Which for older games (a la mtw2) it can make it not work right, especially mods with the access issues.

p.s. do turn uac back on after the installs are confirmed working

It moves them??! and also, good news! No one appeared to mention that last bit so I was iffy on the prospect of doing so.

I also edited my post just above yours and asked some more things in case you miss it:
I also started reading your guide but when I saw this part:

(non-steam install)

I thought, well this has nothing to do with me as I kept reading that installing it on Steam was a lot trickier than using the CD version. I figure the install is the easier part. I get that, I think. But then to make it work on steam I'd have to rename the SS6.3 folder to one matching one of the Kingdoms' folder like americas or crusades or whatever. Then when I want to play SS6.3, I boot up Kingdoms and click the "americas" thingy to play the mod? Lastly, could I install multiple mods using this strategy? If I want to play Third Age Total War and or The Last Kingdom mod(s) I would just follow the same route? Boot up kingdoms but click americas, crusades, etc. to play one of several different mods?

[Losthief]

try it without the rename first, if it works then you don't need to worry about it, its two seperate problems like i said.

1. is vista/uac

2. is steam

my guide solves the vista/uac problem, which is the crusader image problem symptom your having. For some, even with steam it works fmine without renaming the folder, so lets fix the vista/uac problem and then we'll worry about steam if we need to.

-yeah it moves a couple files to a protected folder so that virus that install there own programs on your computer won't work right, new games/programs know how to read the markers left behind by vista/uac, older games like mtw2 have trouble and run into errors. Its only on your program files and core files in your computer.

-losty-

[Encino_Man]

Yeah that didn't work.

I uninstalled everything again and retried with UAC off. (Still is atm.) Then I reinstalled M2TW and Kingdoms (I did not delete any of the Stainless Steel files this time around). After that I reinstalled SS6.3 followed by 6.4 to the appropriate folders steam/steammaps/common/etc./etc... Then I started it Kingdoms via Steam, clicked play and then saw the Stainless Steel mod, I clicked that. What followed was black screen, something about not enough campaigns and data being found followed by another pop-up that said "fatal error." So then I went and did the campaign set-up thinking that it was there since I forgot to do that bit. It said steam was detected and not knowing what to do I clicked no because everyone doesn't apparently I'm not to trust that question or other stuff and ergo I'm confused. By this point I was sort of following Hoooooooar's guide. After that I tried the game again and got the same thing I can only hear the music but see my desktop and have no access to wherever the music is coming from. I tried clicking play after it ended and all I get is something telling me "the app is still running." Amazingly, task manager doesn't even find it and Steam says I've played for 18 minutes (now it's 23mins) . At this point I'm ready to uninstall M2TW and Kingdoms yet again, uninstall and then delete anything to do with Stainless Steel and redo it all over again.

My general line of how I've been doing this:
1. UAC - Off
2. Install M2TW followed by Kingdoms
3. Download SS6.3's parts 1-5 & .exe to Stainless Steel folder on desktop and into a sub-folder.
4. Download 6.4 to the same folder but not into the sub-folder.
5. Run SS6.3.exe into programfiles(x86)/steam/steammaps/common/etc./etc./mods
6. Start running SS6.4.exe and then what? When it asks to set-up then what? Say yes this time? No?
7. If I say no and click the SS Campaign 6.3 Set-Up and it asks about Steam do I say yes no? If I say yes would it actually work this time or would I get another "does not detect enough campaign and or data files" error message? (If it even gets anywhere if I answer yes.)
8. Should I rename the mod folders first before trying to start up a campaign this time around like the others say? americas -> americas_original & SS6.3 -> americas .

Yeah I'm sure Vista/UAC had a hand in most of my earlier installs but now I'm wondering if it's Steam or whatever. I'm also beginning to suspect I'm on my way to be coming some sort of guru on how not to install this mod onto Steam.

As you probably noticed I'm beginning to get quite frustrated yet again.