Annoying Save/Load failure

[Elok]

This should be a quick fix, I think. I downloaded SMAC from GOG.COM when I was in Peru, on a portable laptop (my wife's computer). I got home and after a couple of months I've got the itch. Unfortunately, our internet back here is atrocious, barely better than dialup; re-downloading the game would take three hours and hit us with a fat penalty for the next week because we exceeded our bandwidth restrictions.

So I tried to transfer it from my wife's laptop to my computer. I didn't have the installer still on, so I just copied the whole SMAC directory via thumb drive and prayed. Surprisingly, it worked...mostly. The problem is that it can't save games properly; the save system can't navigate my computer's files, with odd results. It can save files in the directory C/Program files/Gog.com/SMAC/whatever, but when I try to load those saves it can't get to them again. It actually treats the folder "gog.com," and everything else at its level, as a file and tries to load it when I click on it. Naturally, this doesn't work.

IIUC, all games have a file that tells the game where it's supposed to be in the computer and how to get there, and I'm guessing my file still says it's on my wife's computer. What's that file called, and how do I fix it? Thanks, all!

[rod87]

I think it's very likely a problem with the registry files, you would have to edit them. In Windows XP you can do that by typing "regedit.exe" in Start > Execute... . Then, in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/FIRAXIS there should be two folders, one for the vanilla game and another one for the expansion pack, each containing a string file (REG_SZ). Unfortunately I can't tell you much more, because when I try to open them I don't see much, but I hope that got you in the right direction. Hopefully someone else can help you further.

[Elok]

I actually found a weird work-around that seems to work; I just moved the whole folder up several levels to C/ itself and now I can save and load OK. But I'd still like to know what's going on. Thanks, Rod!

[Guynemer]

Heh.

Just so happened to start playing this again myself this week. Great minds, etc.

So, so satisfying to send a singularity planet buster down Yang's throat after he repealed the Charter...

[Elok]

You ever get squicked out by the Transcendence ending? I told my wife about it once and she remarked, "and that's the GOOD ending?" I had to admit, she had a point--yay, a maggot-mind-meld!

[Guynemer]

All things end badly. Such is the nature of endings.

[Elok]

I'm learning to appreciate the diplomatic ending. True, it's lame, but if you've already conquered half to three-quarters of the world and there's no challenge in spending another twenty turns or so smashing the last pockets of resistance, it functions as SMAC's equivalent of the domination victory, saving you the hassle.

Speaking of which, this game and Civ4 need to have a baby and unleash it on the world. I would so play the hell out of that game. I want a Medic III Missile Rover.

[Lord Avalon]

Speaking of which, this game and Civ4 need to have a baby and unleash it on the world. I would so play the hell out of that game. I want a Medic III Missile Rover.

I haven't played it, but there is the Planetfall mod by Maniac.

[Elok]

For some reason, my PC won't load Civ4 scenarios/mods properly. The scenario will load without error messages, but most of the interface is missing (no buttons, no city screens), so the scenario can't be played. This is true of every scenario I've tried.

EDIT: No, now that I try it again the problem seems restricted to that god-of-winter scenario. Others seem to work fine. Huh.

[Guynemer]

I tried Planetfall once, couldn't get into it for whatever reason; I may try again after I get over my real-McCoy SMAC kick.

[Elok]

Sadly, Planetfall is just too damn big to D/L on my rural connection. I'd have to run the PC overnight and get hit with massive bandwidth penalties the next day. Ick.