Skinnydipping

[curtsibling]

One thing though, it needs to be shown where ToT is - Anyway for a user to encode the default path to his own ToT folder?

Also, users should be sure to make Dialog, Civwin_back, and City files - Otherwise the skin won't be recognised.

[fairline]

Originally posted by curtsibling
'Numpty' -

It's good to see the vile chittering speech of the Scots Ned being used here in poly!

Not!

'numpty' reached us south of the border long ago, but what on earth is a 'Ned'?

[curtsibling]

Neds are what our English cousins call 'Townies' - Those track-suited scum of the streets...

[Boco]

One thing though, it needs to be shown where ToT is - Anyway for a user to encode the default path to his own ToT folder?

There's code that should read your registry for the path to Civ2ToT.exe. Specifically, I'm searching for the string "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Civ2TOT.Exe" in your registry. So the cell with a path should update itself with the correct path when the program loads. Although you can enter a value manually in that cell, it shouldn't be necessary.

Is it displaying a wrong path on your machine, Curt?

Merc, I'll flail at it some in VB6. Don't be surprised to see some pm's though.

Btw, IIRC I changed the "MGE" entry to something that credits its creator.

[curtsibling]

Is it displaying a wrong path on your machine, Curt?

Yep - It is looking for an MPS folder, when I have a custom named one.

Btw, IIRC I changed the "MGE" entry to something that credits its creator.

I saw that one!

[Boco]

Curt, what happens if you select the cell containing the Test of Time path, press [Delete] to clear it, and then click the button below it labeled "Read Registry..."?

What actually is the path to ToT on your PC?

Hmmm. Maybe I'm searching for the wrong string in the registry.

[Mercator]

Originally posted by Boco
There's code that should read your registry for the path to Civ2ToT.exe. Specifically, I'm searching for the string "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Civ2TOT.Exe" in your registry.

My ToT is simply called civ2.exe (and the entry in the registry is too), so maybe that's the problem.

It doesn't by any chance default to the C:\MPS\Civ2 folder if it can't find the registry key? That would explain what Curt is getting... Maybe with ToT it should default to C:\Program Files\ ... um, whatever that default installation path is again, though that wouldn't solve Curt's problem either.

Merc, I'll flail at it some in VB6. Don't be surprised to see some pm's though.

Sure...

[Boco]

I just dl'd the cskin02.zip. Deleted the entry for Test of Time Path and saved it. When I opened it again, it started with a blank path, and then automatically entered the correct path.

In the Registry Editor my PC has an entry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> Microsoft -> Windows -> CurrentVersion -> App Paths -> Civ2TOT.Exe. It has a path entry there that points to my Civ2.exe (ToT version). That's the entry CSkin searches for.

Merc, do you have the same registry entry?

I also have MGE and FW loaded on my WinXP PC.

[techumseh]

Hey, all you Neds and numpteys! Could we please use the ENGLISH language around here?

Oh, wait....

[Mercator]

Nope, I don't have the Civ2TOT.Exe key. But there's a slight possibility that I actually edited that a long time ago, I don't remember.

[curtsibling]

Originally posted by Boco
Curt, what happens if you select the cell containing the Test of Time path, press [Delete] to clear it, and then click the button below it labeled "Read Registry..."?

What actually is the path to ToT on your PC?

Hmmm. Maybe I'm searching for the wrong string in the registry.

It still gives me the 'not found message'...



It works if I manually paste the folder location in the field though...

[Boco]

Looks like I need to search for a different registry entry. Stay tuned.

[Catfish]

@Boco:

I also deleted that entry a long time ago when Norton Utilities kept picking it up. It's probably a vestige of a beta version that they forgot to remove. My current entry is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> Microsoft -> Windows -> CurrentVersion -> App Paths -> civ2.exe -> Path -> C:\Program Files\Microprose\Test of Time. The problem is it might get overwritten by other Civ2 installations. Need to verify.

If you make it in VB6 it could become the standard for installing skins. It definitely beats clumsy batch files. Nice work.

You certainly get your jollies out of my various Internet handles, don't you?

[N35t0r]

Curt, did you actually perform an install of that ToT version? (rather than just copying the game from the cd) and that you didn't reinstall windows after that?

[Boco]

Merc, do you have a VB method to find the path to a Civ2.exe?

I've found two other registry keys:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Software -> Microsoft -> DirectPlay -> Applications -> The Test of Time -- CurrentDirectory or Path entries
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Software -> Microsoft -> Windows -> CurrentVersion -> Uninstall -> Test of Time -- UninstallString

Do you have either of these?

[Edit: just saw Catfish's reply]
On my PC, that handle is taken up with my MGE exe. Looks like I may need to nest some if/then's. Porting to VB6 is on the list (so is revamping EA ). One fantasy is to expand and include modified DLL's, though I'm clueless as to how to preview.

And yeah, Catbegong, I'm easily entertained.