3rd Age Mod- Installation Help (non-Steam)

[LibertyPen]

Hi all,

Finally getting round to giving the 3rd Age mod a go and I have encountered an error in the installation. I have downloaded 3.0 (parts 1 and 2) and patch 3.2 from https://www.moddb.com/mods/third-age-total-war. However, when I try to run them in the way I have seen on Youtube Windows cannot open the file and directs me to select a programme from the list etc.

Can someone advise if I have done something wrong in the installation or where I should run the installation from?

Many thanks

[Gigantus]

Not sure what you might have done wrong so it will be easier to simply delete the mod folder and follow my guide. Simply ignore the Steam specific instructions in it, namely copying and renaming the medieval2 executable file, but follow everything else.

Edit: reading again it appears you have a problem with actually running the installation files. The modDB downloads should be straight forward executable files (application) so simply double clicking them should get them started.
Can you provide a screenshot of the downloaded files? Something like this:

[LibertyPen]

Hi,

Thank you for your help- it seems to be an issue with actually running the files. As you can see, they are not coming up as an application to simply run as seen in the guides.

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/cheaton/Downloads/Untitled%20(1).png[/IMG]

[LibertyPen]

Sorry- image is here https://imgur.com/l6w48vF

[Gigantus]

It looks as if you did multiple downloads (got interrupted?) looking at the [1] at the end of the file's name - the file size here however is correct. I am getting the impression that your system somehow has a problem with the full stop in the file's name. Please try the following:

Highlight\select the first file and then press F2
Change the name of the first file to TATW1
Press ENTER
Now double click the file to run it.
If this works then do the same with the other two files and name them TATW2 and TATW3 respectively before trying to run them.

[LibertyPen]

Hi, I have now done this and they are still a "file" rather than application.

If I try to open one the system prompts me to choose a program I want to run to open it.

Thanks for your assistance.

[Gigantus]

When you look at the file now in the browser does it say 'tatw1 file' on the right?
If so then add the extension to it (same procedure as before): TATW1.exe
Now try once more.

After renaming the file, the .exe part of the file name should disappear and the description to the right should change to 'application' as in my picture.
Most systems hide known extensions, hence I assumed the extension was still there after removing the lengthy end of the file name - seems it was never there in the first place.

[LibertyPen]

Hi,

Working exactly as it should be for TATW2 (Part 2) and TATW3 (Patch). Part 1 however (as you can see in the image link) is trying to direct itself to Kingdoms and is still in file format as opposed to application.

Is there a way to prevent this so it becomes an application?

https://imgur.com/a/StGdSFF

Thanks!

[LibertyPen]

I should add under "type" it is saying not just "file" but "0_PART1OF2[1] File".

[Gigantus]

This is going to be a bit more complicated - the 'xyz file' entry you see on the right for tatw1 means that the extension is hidden which also means you must have used the 'always use this application' option when trying to run the file.

Follow this tutorial on how to make extensions visible. Then do the renaming again, making sure it only says TATW1.exe, nothing else. Once it works reverse the tutorial.

[LibertyPen]

And that did it.

Thank you so much for your help (and knowledge)!

[LibertyPen]

So close, yet so far...

It has installed successfully but when I try to run it the following error message displays:

Header: "Kingdoms.exe- Entry Point not found"

"the procedure entry point _ail_set orientation@28 could not be located in the dynamic link library mss32.dll."

I assume this is something to do with having the files in the right places?

Any help is appreciated.

[Gigantus]

Never heard of that kind of error message. kingdoms.exe errors are usually steam issues but you say you don't have steam. The DLL file should be in the root directory of the game, but it may not be compatible.

Make a backup of that DLL file and then try this one.

[LibertyPen]

Hi,

That may have helped as the previous error isn’t coming up. It has now reverted to the typical “windows cannot find kingdoms.exe. Make sure you typed the name correctly and then try again”

Is this something to do with the names of files?

Thanks

[Gigantus]

Weird, I thought you said you didn't have steam installed? If so then you installed the mod into the wrong directory.
Right click your desktop shortcut for the mod, choose 'open location' and see if the browser opens in the mods\tatw directory (tatw might be spelled differently, can't remember)

[LibertyPen]

Hi,

No steam at all, so it is pretty weird.

It is saved in Medieval II Total War/Mods/Third_Age_3 (Same Mods file where Stainless Steel, which works fine, is saved if that helps)

Thanks,

[Gigantus]

Did you give the mod's BAT file admin rights by chance? That will result in this error message even though kingdoms.exe is present.

[LibertyPen]

Hi,

I have had a look at the Third Age.bat file properties and it isn't running as an admin :/

[Gigantus]

Can you open the BAT file (right click and choose 'edit') and copy the content here?
Have you tried starting the mod directly from that BAT file?

[LibertyPen]

Hi,

I tried opening them od via the file and the same kingdoms.exe error appears.

The content is:

cd..\..
start kingdoms.exe @mods\third_age_3\TATW.cfg