Full install for Stainless Steel 6.4, Meloo Fix, Steam compatible

[Nordlaender]

Well, I tried again using the downloaded full installer and it now produces a strange Error code and then stops installing.

[Nordlaender]

uTorrent won't let me extract the full install file again so I uninstalled uTorrent. It's like they want me to pay money for it or something.

[Gigantus]

Your error message points to a faulty download, eg transmission error.


I would suggest to try the media fire or google drive download instead.

[Nordlaender]

Your error message points to a faulty download, eg transmission error.


I would suggest to try the media fire or google drive download instead.

Wow! I downloaded from the Google site and fought through my firewall and it's now installed! Thanks!

I probably will not be able to repeat the 4 outgoing trade fleet thing again, but that's ok. I notice that after maxing out the ports for Jerusalem, there are 3 incoming fleets and 2 outgoing. Obviously, that is an error in the EDB file. I will try to switch my Data folder for the one in ss6.3, unless this would cause some kind of meltdown. Guess I'll find out.

Thanks again! I don't know how many times you've helped me. I hope to dump my mod on unsuspecting players someday for their own amusement.

[Gigantus]

One is glad to be of service

[Nordlaender]

Well, switching the data folders after I installed the Full SS 6.4 version did not allow the game to work. I don't know why.

I guess the old way of installing SS 6.3, then SS 6.4 patch, and then the last patch is the only way to trick Steam into launching a data folder that has been switched out according to the instructions somewhere on Steam. I also discovered that the hardcode limit for trade fleets in Gigantus Bare Geomod is 3.

Oh well... a lot of work down the drain.

[Gigantus]

Please explain 'switching out'.

[Nordlaender]

Ok, uh... I copy the original "data" folder in the ss6.3 mod to another drive, usually the C drive. Then I move my modded "data" folder and drop it into the ss6.3 folder. I simply replace the data folder with my modded folder while also keeping an original copy of the unmodded data folder elsewhere.

That's what I mean be switching out. Does that make sense?


I'm wondering now if the modded "data" folder somehow conflicts with the few other folders in the ss6.3 folder, some of which are just empty. I don't know.

[Gigantus]

Doesn't make any sense, really

It makes more sense if you copy the original data folder (better yet the whole SS6.3 directory) somewhere as backup: select SS6.3 directory, press Ctlr+C and then Ctlr+V = creates a copy of the directory with 'copy' as name extension of the directory, and then mod the original folder. That way you can always copy back a file that you may have inadvertently messed up.

'data' is the main working directory, all other directories of the same level (custom, preferences etc) are generated at first game start if they don't exist - which means you usually don't have to worry about them. Or delete them just for the lulz, I always do that if a mod provides them as I have custom key layouts that will otherwise get ignored (preferences\key.dat file).

[Nordlaender]

"It makes more sense if you copy the original data folder (better yet the whole SS6.3 directory) somewhere as backup: select SS6.3 directory, press Ctlr+C and then Ctlr+V = creates a copy of the directory with 'copy' as name extension of the directory, and then mod the original folder. That way you can always copy back a file that you may have inadvertently messed up."

That's exactly what I did before I started modding my SS 6.4 data file, but now I cannot place it in the new full install folder and get it to work. I'm baffled.

[Nordlaender]

Well, I have some good news and some bad news. I found an old back-up copy of my SS 6.4 mod on my C drive that had not been corrupted since it was saved. I noticed all of my other back-ups on the D drive had files that were modded and also brand new ones, leaving me flabbergasted as to what had happened. On a hunch, I copied the entire ss6.3 folder over to my C drive and then deleted the mods/ss6.3/data folder. I then copied my modded back-up data folder into the ss6.3 folder and the game came right up -- except I had lost about a year's worth of work. This is why you should always back up to a safe place.

So, it appears that switching out a data folder can be used as a means of creating your own mod, but you had better keep it backed up in a safe place. Safe place means a separate drive on which you do not install any version of MTW2 or its mods.

I also cannot replicate the 4 trade fleet thing again. It is now controlled by the port chain and not the wharf chain. This is something from the base MTW2 game that is controlling that. However, if you want to get past that control mechanism, here is how to do it:

1) Install SS 6.3 first
2) Install the SS 6.4 patch
3) Install the Meloo fix
4) Switch the data folder from SS 6.4 with one from the Kingdoms' mods and launch it under that mod's name.

That's the way to get 4 trade fleets that are governed by the wharf building chain and not the port building chain. I have no idea why, but it works.


Now, I have a ton of stuff to rewrite and re-mod. Fortunately, bits and pieces are hanging out in the many data folders on my D drive. I wish I had saved the whole data file of my mod to the C drive again before I moved it out of the crusades folder. (sigh) Lesson learned.

[Nordlaender]

UPDATE!

I managed to recreate the old? method of tricking Steam into launching Stainless Steel, but it requires more than just the data folder to be switched. Whichever folder you choose to use (americas, crusades, teutonic, britain), you must remove all four subfolders in it to a safe place and then replace them with these:



Initially, the system.log kept asking for those .dll files, which I found in the main MTW2 directory, so I made copies of them and put them in the folder with my mod. As for the other stuff, I believe I just put it there for the purpose of keeping everything together.

By using this method, you can recreate the 4 outgoing trade fleets and 4 incoming trade fleets. I have no idea why.

Hope this helps.

[asapas]

It appears that I have many files missing.... For example in system log I can see these type of lines

19:08:53.388 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.388 [system.io] [info] exists: found data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range.tga (from: packs/data_2.pack)
19:08:53.388 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range_constructed.tga
19:08:53.389 [system.io] [info] exists: found data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range_constructed.tga (from: packs/data_2.pack)
19:08:53.389 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/southern_european/buildings/construction/#southern_european_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.389 [system.io] [info] exists: found data/ui/southern_european/buildings/construction/#southern_european_ballista_range.tga (from: packs/data_3.pack)
19:08:53.389 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/northern_european/buildings/#northern_european_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.389 [system.io] [info] exists: found data/ui/northern_european/buildings/#northern_european_ballista_range.tga (from: packs/data_2.pack)
19:08:53.389 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/northern_european/buildings/#northern_european_ballista_range_constructed.tga
19:08:53.389 [system.io] [info] exists: found data/ui/northern_european/buildings/#northern_european_ballista_range_constructed.tga (from: packs/data_2.pack)
19:08:53.389 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/northern_european/buildings/construction/#northern_european_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: found data/ui/northern_european/buildings/construction/#northern_european_ballista_range.tga (from: packs/data_2.pack)
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/greek/buildings/#greek_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing data/ui/greek/buildings/#greek_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: found data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range.tga (from: packs/data_2.pack)
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/greek/buildings/#greek_ballista_range_constructed.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing data/ui/greek/buildings/#greek_ballista_range_constructed.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range_constructed.tga

etc etc, i am missing portraits, buildings etc etc
They DON"T affect gameplay


I have made a full installation of your files here. I own steam version and the kingdoms expansion

[isa0005]

Thanks for your amazing work Gig!

[Gigantus]

It appears that I have many files missing.... For example in system log I can see these type of lines

Have a closer look at the log - it does the usual look up sequence: first in the mod's present UI\culture directory, then in the main game, then in the mod's default ui culture directory (SE) and finally in the pack.

19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/ss6.3/data/ui/greek/buildings/#greek_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing data/ui/greek/buildings/#greek_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists: missing  mods/ss6.3/data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range.tga
19:08:53.390 [system.io] [info] exists:   found  data/ui/southern_european/buildings/#southern_european_ballista_range.tga  (from: packs/data_2.pack)

Thanks for your amazing work Gig!

One is glad to be of service

[chriskley]

Okay, so I have tried and tested every method that I could find to make Stainless Steel more stable, yet this time I am unable to proceed to the next turn ( turn 365 )

So far I

- used the 4gb Patch
- disabled AutoSave
- renamed the steam folder to M2TW
- put the graphics as low as possible
- reinstalled the latest version of SS
- used 5 different save slots
- ran SS in Windows 7 compatibility mode

Still it crashes on the turn... I've attached the log, but so far I have not been able to find a solution. I would be very gratefull if somebody could give me a clue on how to fix this.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vgM...ew?usp=sharing

Thanks in advance

[Gigantus]

Absolutely nothing in the log that could help.

"renamed the steam folder to M2TW" - I am assuming you moved the library for the game to shorten the path length?
"reinstalled the latest version of SS " - are you using this version (see opening post)? If so, have you applied the fix in the post underneath it?

[chriskley]

"renamed the steam folder to M2TW" - I am assuming you moved the library for the game to shorten the path length?

Yes, I did that. I also disabled the Virtual Store for Stainless Steel

"reinstalled the latest version of SS " - are you using this version (see opening post)? If so, have you applied the fix in the post underneath it?

Yes, I did install this version and I also installed the fix.

Just to be sure I checked both and everything as it is supposed to be.

[DanJaaL44]

Hi everybody. I did a mistake of altering the export_descr_unit file in the data folder of stainless steel 6.4 (6.3) without backing up the original version first. I wanted to make a bunch of units available in custom battles for various factions -

problem is now in the custom battle set up the game crashes so evidently I did something incorrect and there might be more to it than just changing the export_descr_unit file in order to make certain units such as longbowmen, free company men at arms and swiss pikemen available for all western and italian factions factions.

Can anybody please send me the unaltered stainless steel file export_descr_unit so I can replace it?

Also if possible - give me a hint on what is necessary to make these units properly available to other factions. For example currently you can not use free company men at arms in custom battles and swiss pikemen are only available in the french roster.

Thank you.

[Gigantus]

Simply install the mod into a different directory, eg C:\install, and copy the file from there.