Running AGS on W7 64-bit

[Phaenoh]

So, because this is a downloaded mod and Numenor is no longer active, I had no idea where to post it. Mootilda suggested Help. Duh, why didn't I think of that? >.<

I've just recently upgraded to a new computer and I can't seem to get AGS to work for me. I'm on an admin account, and I was doing everything how I usually did it on my old lappy, but now instead of paying attention to which EPs I've told it I want, it just loads them all. I'm concerned its because of an extra call to the registry right when its loading the neigbhoorhood (in addition to the one that happens before loading the game and after closing the game), but allowing or denying it seems to make no difference. :wtf:

I've included my AppFiles folder for both an AnyGame and a PermaGame, neither work correctly. My new computer is running W7 with an Intel i7-3770, 8G RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 w/ 4G RAM. Graduation present. :lovestruc

I'm really hoping I'm just doing something dumb, and I have no idea who to turn to about it since Numenor has retired. AGS has completely changed how I play and mod the game, I don't think I could live without this amazingtool (and my medieval neighborhood is at risk!) Halp plz? :cry:

[Mootilda]

Are you running 64-bit?

I believe that there should be an additional Wow6432Node folder within the registry which the AnyGameStarter doesn't seem to be using. As an example, your full game registry for your AnyGame (Sims2_Full.reg) contains the line:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EA GAMES]
which should be:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\EA GAMES]

Can you confirm for me that your registry has the Wow6432Node entry? If so, I'll make the appropriate changes to your AnyGame and we'll see what happens. My guess is that Windows is ignoring the non-wow registry entries.

Also, I'd like to suggest that you make a backup of that part of your registry ([HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\EA GAMES]), just in case.

[Phaenoh]

Yes - 64bit, and yes, you are right, it is in Wow6432Node. How do I make a backup of the registry?

[Mootilda]

I'm not familiar with Windows 7, but for Windows XP, you just run regedit, navigate to the folder that you want to backup [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\EA GAMES], and then choose "Export..." and specify your path. I expect that the instructions are similar for Windows 7.

Alternatively, you could create a system restore point. I just want to make sure that we don't muck anything up which will require you to reinstall everything.

I have added Wow6432Node to your registry files. Please backup your old AppFiles folder and try this one instead.

[Phaenoh]

That worked perfectly, how do I fix that myself? (I'm assuming I'll have this trouble with each install of AnyGame and PermaGame I have/create in the future)

[Mootilda]

I just edited each of the .REG files and added the additional node in the correct location. In Notepad, just change all:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EA GAMES
to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\EA GAMES

After making the changes, be sure to backup your AppFiles folder. That's because the AnyGameStarter will "fix" all of your files each time that a new AnyGame is generated. I find it easier to restore my changes than to make them all over again.

[Phaenoh]

Ok, I did the .reg files, but what is the other file I need to change? I tried just doing the .reg files and that doesn't seem to be enough in my other AnyGames and PermaGames.

Edit: My mistake, I found 1 more line I didn't change. It does work!

[Mootilda]

Great. Glad that I could help.

[Phaenoh]

Now I'm not entirely sure that its using my clean templates when it creates games. I change the reg files before loading, so its not that. It also seems to reset all the app files each time I use the program. Uncool. Any ideas?

[Mootilda]

Each time that you run the AnyGameStarter installation (to set up a new AnyGame), it will reset all of your AppFiles folders. I'm sure that Numenor intended this as a fix, but it's annoying when you actually want the changes that you've made. So, the best thing is to install all of your AnyGames, make the necessary changes, then backup your AppFiles folders in case you ever need to run the installation again.

However, your AppFiles folder shouldn't be reset when you run an AnyGame. If that's happening, you may be running into one of those UAC issues with Windows 7 ("What? You actually want to be allowed to modify files on your own computer? I'm sorry, Microsoft just can't let you do that!").

Oh, by the way, it might make sense to change your title to "Running the AnyGameStarter on Window 7 64-bit", or something like that, so that other people can find the solution.

[Phaenoh]

Its the installation thing that keeps resetting it, thank goodness not each time I run the games. Is this because I installed my games not into the Program Files (x86) folder that was suggested? I didn't know what (x86) was so I manual installed them all into the regular Program Files folder. Updated the title :)

[Mootilda]

No. Numenor specifically decided to "fix" any aberrations in AppFiles during setup. I assume that he did this to be helpful, because most changes to AppFiles are unintentional.

There is a way to fix this permanently. You just need to rename your AnyGame or PermaGame to another name, so that that AnyGameStarter can't find it. That's what I do. For example, I have PermaGames named:
AnyPermaGames\BaseGame
AnyPermaGames\EP1_University
AnyPermaGames\EP2_UpToNightlife
etc.

Unfortunately, you can't just modify the folder name, you actually have to fix all uses of that folder name in the .REG and .BAT files, as well as your shortcuts. For most people, this probably isn't worth it. However, I run the AnyGameStarter installation so often that it saves me a lot of work.

[Phaenoh]

Now that sounds like something that would work for me. I want to protect my PermaGames, because I usually run that setup a lot while I'm testing mods and lots for uploads.

[Mootilda]

Be sure to backup your save games first, including the AppFiles folders, just in case you miss something the first time through.

It's a bunch of work up front, but it saves you from having them changed unexpectedly.

[Phaenoh]

I haven't moved my save games over yet. They are still waiting on my old lappy for the dust to settle. I'm so not about to lose a save file I've had since day 1. Thanks for helping!