Author Topic: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.  (Read 4281 times)

Offline SixOfSpades

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When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« on: January 04, 2010, 07:33:28 PM »
I just reinstalled BG1. Full install. BioWare patch, BaldurDash bugfix & text update. Added Cheats=1 to my Baldur.Ini. I go into the game, I press Ctrl-Tab.

Nothing.

I add the Debug Mode=1 and CheatKeys=1, to both Game Options and Program Options, just for good measure.

Still nothing.

Any thoughts on why I can't access the CLUAConsole?

Offline Miloch

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2010, 07:43:23 PM »
Though I doubt it, did you install it to Program Files under Win7 or Vista?

Offline SixOfSpades

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2010, 07:45:26 PM »
Nope, I'm running Windows XP.
Prior to the reinstall, all my BG1 cheats worked just fine.

Offline SixOfSpades

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2010, 11:13:09 PM »
Okay, weirdness remedied, but still not understood. I ran BG1's config program again, then took another look at the .INI file. There was now a second "Program Options" line, with the changes I'd made . . . I edited it out, made sure the only Program Options line had "Cheats=1" beneath it, and tried again . . . all is well. Flippin' weird.

Out of curiosity, Miloch, what might newer versions of Windows have done to cause problems?
« Last Edit: January 05, 2010, 12:08:55 PM by SixOfSpades »

Offline berelinde

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2010, 11:22:52 AM »
I'm not Miloch, but I can answer that question, at least for Vista.

Vista mirrors all INI files in the Program Files directory, so if you've installed your game in the default directory, i.e. Program Files, and then try to make changes of it, Vista will cause the INI file to revert to its unaltered state when you try to save it. So you won't be able to alter the INI. If you've installed the game in a directory that isn't Program Files, like c:\gaming, you can make whatever changes you want to your INI and you can save it just fine. I'm assuming, of course, that you've already disabled that pesky UAC.

Offline Jarno Mikkola

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2010, 02:11:51 PM »
Vista mirrors all INI files in the Program Files directory... that pesky UAC.
Same goes for Windows 7. Good thing I tried the Vista first, so now there is no problems knowing the same solutions as in Vista.

Offline cmorgan

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2010, 05:50:31 PM »
Just good ol' Microsoft, trying to protect us from ourselves :D

(This is true for all versions of Win7 and Vista. Basically, never install anything you want to mod where the computer wants to put it, and make sure UAC is off before installing. You can always reenable it.)

Offline berelinde

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2010, 12:16:27 AM »
... You can always reenable it.
Why would you want to? It's your computer; you should be able to do what you want to it... unless you've got irresponsible family members, of course.

Offline GeN1e

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2010, 07:39:21 AM »
@Six

DSimpson's FAQ, that lives it's 5th year on my hard drive, says you need  to put it under Game Options. Not Program Options, as in BG2. Nothing else comes to mind.

PS Duh, I an idiot, couldn't read what you wrote.
« Last Edit: January 07, 2010, 07:41:20 AM by GeN1e »

Offline SixOfSpades

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2010, 09:51:32 AM »
I'm assuming, of course, that you've already disabled that pesky UAC.
What's the UAC and how does one disable it? That would be a good note to add to Volothamp's, adding compatibility for newer Windows versions.
Or should I advise users not to install the game in the Program Files directory at all?

Not to worry, GeN1e, we all do it.

Offline berelinde

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2010, 12:47:42 PM »
Control Panel/User Accounts and Family Safety/User Accounts/Turn User Account Control on or off (it's the option at the bottom)

Offline Jarno Mikkola

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #11 on: January 07, 2010, 01:17:43 PM »
Quote from: My FAQ at SHS
Link.

2. Disabling your User Account Control, in Vista and W7.
Now, Windows Vista and Windows 7 has this annoying new feature called User Account Control, which even with Admin permissions stop everything mod related, as it prevent programs from altering other programs, at least without your permission, which in turn says that you have to re-enter the program code after the permission is given to the said program which doesn't suit with BiG Worlds programs cause the user didn't code program, and the .exe's need special features to actually do things they do. You disable this feature by going this path in;
Vista: Control Panel -> User Accounts -> User Account Control -> Change Your User Account Control settings... or very close... done, and then restarting the computer, in annoyance...
W7: Control Panel -> User Accounts and Family Safety -> User Accounts -> Change Your User Account Control settings... set to the bottom most option and done, and then restarting the computer, in annoyance...

And if you intent to alter an 'old games' files, you better just install them in Non-Program Files sub-folder directory. And an old game is one that doesn't come with their own mod management system in the users folder, some can be found in there in a hidden folder called "appdata".
« Last Edit: January 07, 2010, 01:37:12 PM by Jarno Mikkola »

Offline cmorgan

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2010, 05:31:31 PM »
The way I have heard it described (I think Berelinde covered this) is that if the UAC is active when a game is installed, it installs the game, and then creates a "virtual copy" or whatever. Then, when you try to make changes to the set of active files, Vista/Win7 helpfully blows away the changes, restoring the original .exe and files and such. This is great when you want to stop someone hacking your computer. It is bad when you want to mod (hack) a game.

Common game sites listing variants on this challenge include the Civ4 sites like civfanatics, the Rome:Total War folks, etc. for cross-reference. Jarno's advice is the one most commonly given - install it in its own directory, with UAC off, and with admin priviledges on the account (and then run it with admin priiledges). There are lots of fun (frustrated/angry/truly nasty) posts where folks have tried to get older games to run, then had instability problmes due to mismatched permissions on user accounts.

Offline Miloch

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Re: When SIX has a problem, you KNOW it's weird.
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2010, 05:00:41 PM »
Well, I haven't used any Windows beyond XP (for reasons like this) so I can't contribute much more than what others have said. But I seriously doubt UAC is going to keep any determined hacker out of your machine. It's just one of those MS retardo-features. So yes, the best solution is to install the games to any folder other than Program Files.

 

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