T2X/Shadows of the Metal Age Technical Help

[bmge]

I'm running on Windows 7 64 bit trying to get this damn thing running. I've added the C: path as recommended elsewhere to darkinst.cfg and gotten VP3Codec to seemingly run fine. The game makes it to the intro cutscene when starting mission 1, finishes that cutscene, allows me to hit Start Mission, freezes, then crashes on me. I have no idea how to fix this because most discussions online are saturated with Windows XP or earlier version discussions and I'm not sure they're relevant.

This is how darkinst.cfg looks now:

cd_path C:\
install_path ..\
language english
resname_base +..\res
load_path
script_module_path +..
movie_path movies

T2X is indeed in the T2 folder as a subfolder, and that semicolon removal recommendation for safe_texture_manager in t2x's user.cfg is already done for me.

[margotbean]

Try making load_path the same as script_module_path. To me, it also seems like script_module_path is missing a backslash, but that's just a guess.

Why did you add c: to the cd_path? Do you have custom textures installed for thief 2?

[bmge]

Originally posted by margotbean:

Try making load_path the same as script_module_path. To me, it also seems like script_module_path is missing a backslash, but that's just a guess.

Why did you add c: to the cd_path? Do you have custom textures installed for thief 2?

I don't, but I was told to do that by the guide on the steam forum. I really don't know what I'm doing, tbh. I just do what I'm told...and what do you mean make it the same as? How should the script look?

[margotbean]

cd_path \
install_path ..\
language english
resname_base +..\res
load_path +..\
script_module_path +..\
movie_path movies+..\movies

If that doesn't work, then uninstall it, re-download it from the T2X site, install it, and run it. I didn't have to monkey with anything to get it to work on my Win7.

There is also an HD mod, but you need to use a program called FMSel to run it. (FMSel is the program that lets you run Fan Missions.)

[😎 𝓣𝓪𝓯𝓯𝒆𝓻𝔀𝓸𝓬𝓴𝔂 😎]

Install Tafferpatcher: http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131106

Then download this: http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144804

And run via FMSel like so: http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Thief_II:_The_Metal_Age#Fan_Missions

[bmge]

Originally posted by margotbean:

cd_path \
install_path ..\
language english
resname_base +..\res
load_path +..\
script_module_path +..\
movie_path movies+..\movies

If that doesn't work, then uninstall it, re-download it from the T2X site, install it, and run it. I didn't have to monkey with anything to get it to work on my Win7.

There is also an HD mod, but you need to use a program called FMSel to run it. (FMSel is the program that lets you run Fan Missions.)

I tried both things. Changing the code like you said in the T2X darkinst.cfg just led to the same circumstances of crashing.

I uninstalled and reinstalled as you said as well, changing the install path directly to my Steam Thief 2 Folder as before. It ran a patch updating to 1.1 this time, though I may just have not seen it the previous time since I used the same full 1.1 version. Without tweaking anything, I went into the game and instantly crashed. This was expected, since I didn't tweak darkinst.cfg. After I put in your version of darkinst.cfg, I got the same crash entering mission 1. I'm at a loss.

I'm not interested in HD mods, my computer is bad - it lags on playing Half Life 2 on the lowest settings. Don't need none of that.

If it makes a difference, this is how my regular Thief 2's darkinst.cfg looks:

cd_path \
install_path C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\thief_2
language english
resname_base C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\thief_2\RES
load_path C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\thief_2
script_module_path C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\thief_2
movie_path C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\thief_2\MOVIES

[bmge]

Originally posted by Tafferwocky:

Install Tafferpatcher: http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131106

Then download this: http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144804

And run via FMSel like so: http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Thief_II:_The_Metal_Age#Fan_Missions

Tafferpatcher is taking an ungodly amount of time to download, but the bigger concern is that the link from that forum is broken. it says d/l it here, but that leads to a server error...

[margotbean]

You don't actually have to download Ricebug's file (the 2nd link), you can zip up the contents of the t2x folder (using WinZip or WinRar) and use that as you would've used the downloaded file.
...At least it worked for me. (I tried it last night when I saw that Ricebug's link wasn't working.)

[bmge]

Originally posted by margotbean:

You don't actually have to download Ricebug's file (the 2nd link), you can zip up the contents of the t2x folder (using WinZip or WinRar) and use that as you would've used the downloaded file.
...At least it worked for me. (I tried it last night when I saw that Ricebug's link wasn't working.)

Do I need to adjust darkinst.cfg at all first before I zip up the t2x folder I have to reinstall?

Also, i'm confused on how to handle tafferpatcher. After I redirect the installation to Thief 2 in my steam folders, should I do a full installation, or just a patch? There's a lot of options. I'm looking at "select components" and im just unsure what to pick. (All I care about is getting t2x running properly and in full).

[😎 𝓣𝓪𝓯𝓯𝒆𝓻𝔀𝓸𝓬𝓴𝔂 😎]

Whoops, yeah, that link is broken now.

Ignore darkinst.cfg. It's no longer relevant if you use the Tafferpatcher method. As for installation, depends if you want the texture packs. I'd recommend a full installation. Definitely install the fixed missions part though.

[bmge]

Originally posted by Tafferwocky:

Whoops, yeah, that link is broken now.

Ignore darkinst.cfg. It's no longer relevant if you use the Tafferpatcher method. As for installation, depends if you want the texture packs. I'd recommend a full installation. Definitely install the fixed missions part though.

The only thing with that is what if I'm actively avoiding HD packs? What options would I select? The reason being that my computer is a piece of ♥♥♥♥ and I lag whenever anything halfway decent shows up on screen. Deadly Shadows lagged for me until I turned down the settings and it's not that advanced, for example. I don't want to be stuck with a laggy game I can't play, so which options would I tick?

[😎 𝓣𝓪𝓯𝓯𝒆𝓻𝔀𝓸𝓬𝓴𝔂 😎]

The basic HD packs for Thief included in Tafferpatcher really aren't demanding, being put together a decade or so ago for a less efficient version of the game engine than we currently have. But if you don't want them, just untick the t2skies and t2water, Enhancement Pack and NTEX options.

Deadly Shadows is horribly optimised and is guaranteed to run worse than Thief 1 or 2.

[bmge]

Originally posted by Tafferwocky:

The basic HD packs for Thief included in Tafferpatcher really aren't demanding, being put together a decade or so ago for a less efficient version of the game engine than we currently have. But if you don't want them, just untick the t2skies and t2water, Enhancement Pack and NTEX options.

Deadly Shadows is horribly optimised and is guaranteed to run worse than Thief 1 or 2.

Did fullinstall, I didn't elect to install registry things or anything. I then installed t2x to the thief 2 steam folder, then just turned it into a rar as is. I put that into a folder I made in the t2 folder, then ran it through Fm selector after selecting the archive. Then Deadly Shadows started up.

I'm totally lost.

As a note, I didn't bother creating the shortcut as it said in that guide, I just used the search feature to find fm selector because I didn't know how to do the command line thing or where i would actually do it.

The FM Selector is apparently for Thief 3...?

[margotbean]

Zip the contents of the t2x folder, not the whole folder (open it, select all, then add to archive). Name it with a .zip extension, not a .rar extension. Put that .zip into the FM zips folder you made.

Can't help with the Deadly Shadows thing...

[bmge]

Originally posted by margotbean:

Zip the contents of the t2x folder, not the whole folder (open it, select all, then add to archive). Name it with a .zip extension, not a .rar extension. Put that .zip into the FM zips folder you made.

Doing so, but also why is my FM Selector for Thief 3? I did install tafferpatcher from that link..

Edit: I see the can't help comment now. Weird.

[😎 𝓣𝓪𝓯𝓯𝒆𝓻𝔀𝓸𝓬𝓴𝔂 😎]

That's because the FM Selector you searched for is the one the Sneaky Upgrade installs for Thief 3. You need to create a shortcut to the Thief II FM Selector! :P