initial install on new laptop

Howdy all, ( windows 8 laptop)

after downloading the 8.1 new content I unzipped with winzip,

when I went to open the download, I get the open with at the top of the listing after right clicking none of which will open the download.

am I missing an application or have missed a step?

game and download both loaded into documents if that is what is meant by program files in the instructions

please keep it simple, i'm one of the functionally illiterates oldsters w/ computers

thanks in advance

 

Seems strange that you had a zip file after you downloaded the mod. For me, it seems to have downloaded an application (which I'd guess also includes the content).

User\Downloads\Circle_of_Eight_Modpack_8.1.0_New_Content_Edition_Setup

The Type column says "Application" though it doesn't have .exe at the end of the title.

Where did you download it from? It may be that the download got corrupted or was incomplete for some reason and there fore Win 8 is only seeing it as a directory object not as an application. The contents may not be viewable after you unzipped it, or it might just be empty.

What version of the game, meaning, where did you buy the game from and when? If it is a relatively recent purchase from Good Old Games, based on my experience you should not have to do anything more than simply:

1. Create a unique directory for the game that is NOT in the UAC portion of your harddrive.

2. Good step to create a second subdirectory at the same level and call it "ToEE Vanilla copy." Copy your vanilla game directory and put paste a copy in there (or what I actually did is like this:

I have this where I installed the vanilla game:
C:\GOG Games\Temple of Elemental Evil

I copied the ToEE directory from there and created this:
C:\GOG Games Modded\Temple of Elemental Evil

I also have this, so if I fiddle with my mod folders and screw it up somehow, I an always just revert to the original copy of the mod:

C:\GOG Games Modded\Copy of ToEE Co8 Modded

3. Once you have your directories for the vanilla game set up and a place to put the modded copy of the game, something along the lines of what I describe above, it should be as simple as click to download Co8. Let it finish, then right-click the downloaded "Circle_of_Eight_Modpack_8.1.0_New_Content_Edition_Setup" Run it as Administrator and let it do its thing. You'll have to point it to the directory where it will find a copy of the game and where you want it to live.

4. Let it finish installing and at that point it should launch the TFE-X user-interface for managing mods and setting game options. You'll have to click an "Activate" button here, which takes a while.

I don't think there should be any "unzipping" to do. I'm no expert, but I'd guess that your downloaded got borked. If you think that might be it, probably best thing would be to delete whatever you have downloaded right now, and repeat the download process and pay attention to see if there are any signs that it gets broken during download.

 

My ToEE is the original two set disk purchased in '04.

So the winzip is no longer required with the newer download, that's cool.

Alright, deleting the download and retrying without the winzip decompress.

May need one of the younguns help with the file moving and such.

Thank you

 

If it is the old version of the game from disks, you'll need to install at least one, probably two patches, but I think there is one patch that you DO NOT want to install as it is already included in the mod.

Best thing would be to read the "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know" thread that Gaear has in those big headers in the middle of the page. Follow that guide (and to the extent that my directions don't conflict, the suggestions I've made) and you should be good to go.

If it is Win8 you may encounter issues with which I'd have no experience. But I seem to recall that the standard installation methods work on Win8 as well as on Win7.

Just make sure you install ToEE and the mod OUTSIDE the "UAC" section of your harddrive (see wiki link in my previous post). I presume that right-clicking executables in Win8 still gives the "Run as Administrator" option and I'd think that always doing that would also be apt.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. Great fun of a game for us elders

 

Installed the two patches after installing the game and before running the tutorial in order to make sure had a good initial install.

Downloaded the new content 8.1 mod and appeared to be installing properly,

however the front end did not activate and am not sure how to install it now.

When I right click the file it attempts to start, but an error message that it cannot find a compatible ToEE installed comes up.

Going back to Geaer's instructions to see what I can find.

 

May have located the problem.

Completely deleted all ToEE files

When I began to reinstall the basic game, It wanted to load in the program files.

Going back to reread Gaears instructions about where to load the game properly.

Thanks

Edit: So when the prompt for where to install the game comes up I would type in

C:\ToEE ?

When looking at the icons it appears to go

Program-Atari-Toee

it precisely says

C:\Program Files (x86) \Atari\Temple of Elemental Evil

 

When the prompt comes up, you want to point it to wherever your vanilla ToEE is installed. Co8 installs in the ToEE directory.

if you already have the vanilla game installed in a directory like that

C:\ToEE <-- then yes, tell the installer to install right there.

If you have installed vanilla ToEE in a directory with the file path:

C:\Computer Games\Oldies But Goodies\Good Old Games\ToEE <--then tell the CO8 installer to install itself right there.

Wherever ToEE is, THAT is where you want to install Co8 (except as discussed below).

Whoa, whoa! Waitaminute :no:

If that is where you have ToEE installed, back up and start over. You do NOT want to install ToEE in any of your UAC "protected" areas of your harddrive.

Just create a directory in your C:\ drive for ToEE. As I explained above, what I do is to create a 'Good Old Games' directory and then a ToEE directory inside of that.

Basically, you should never install anything game related in the (x86) directory, unless the game simply will not allow you to install anywhere else. Files in that directory are restricted in what the user can do with them and it makes installing mods and so forth a nightmare . . . sometimes, but not all the time. It is just best to avoid it.

 

That ( C:\x86 etc..) is where the vanilla game itself (ToEE) wants to install, stopped the install at the prompt.

Have not reinstalled the vanilla game.

Have not gotten to the Co8 download.

My difficulty is I have no idea what the UAW on the computer is ( to me UAW are the united auto workers, haha)......... Ahh fiddle you said UAC.

So during vanilla game installation from disk, at the prompt of where to load the game, is when I would type something similar to;

C:\ Atari\Temple of Elemental Evil

That would install the game directly to the disk drive and outside of the program area?

Allow me to re-iterate, functionally illiterate computer wise at this end.

Thank you for your patience.

 

Before you put the CD in to the drive do this:

1. Go to your Start menu on lower left, left click go to "Computer." This should open a window on your desktop with your C:\ and any other drives you have networked to your machine.

2. Double click on the C:\ to open it. This should result in a window that looks something like this:



You'll notice there how I have created several directories in my C:\ drive that didn't exist by default. That "create directories" sounds real fancy but all it really means is: I created a folder.

3. Right-click on the C:\ drive and you should get a prompt that looks about like this:



4. Select "New" -> Folder and it will "create a new directory" Name it something like Temple of Elemental Evil or whatever you prefer. ToEE would be fine.

Now you are ready to install the vanilla game. Just (assuming it is possible) install it there, in that C:\ToEE directory.

If you want to keep a vanilla copy of the game, then when that install is done, you could instead create two sub-directories inside that are like this:

C:\ToEE\Vanilla ToEE

and
C:\ToEE\Modded ToEE

Or if you want to keep it a bit less cluttered on your C:\ level directory create something like this:

C:\Game Programs\ToEE\Vanilla ToEE

as well as

C:\Game Programs\ToEE\Modded ToEE

You need to decide what you prefer, but the simplest option is to just create one directory:

C:\ToEE

5. Now use your CD to install the game. After you put the CD in the drive, it will spin and eventually a series of windows should come up, one of which should prompt you to specify the location of the installation. Choose the directory which you created for that purpose.

Assuming that is possible . . . I myself had a Gamersgate Anthology collection that I bought (well still have but not installed) which included bunch of different isometric early noughties era games like ToEE (Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, etc.). No matter what I did, I could not follow the Co8 directions for how to install properly using that version of ToEE, because that Anthology package created its own directory structures INSIDE the accursed (x86) programs directory.

If you look around on here you'll find a thread called "Trouble with Gamersgate Anthology collection" version in which I elaborate on all this, and Gaear and these other kind gentlemen gave it the college try to help me get it sorted.

Eventually I just gave up on that Gamersgate copy of the game (the whole damn anthology only cost me about $10) and bought a second copy of ToEE from Gamersgate. With the Gamersgate downloader app, you can most certainly install a game anywhere you prefer, and thus, my use of that directory structure in the screen caps.

Once you get the vanilla game installed outside the User Account Controlled region of your machine, you should be good to go on modding. Just download the mod, and then run the installer and point it at the directory with ToEE. It will take care of the rest as long as it has downloaded properly.

 

Anthropoid,

Thank you for the detailed instructions.

Have created the C:\Temple etc... file, and am installing the game from disk on the laptop while responding on the wifes desktop.

Specified the new file at the prompt and everything appears to be loading properly.

Vanilla game has loaded properly.

Will download and install the two patches next and run the tutorial before downloading the 8.1 new content mod.

Wish me luck, and again my sincerest thanks.

Kilraven

 

My pleasure. I hope it was helpful and you are successful. It sounds like you gave Gaear's detailed "hot to install" guide a read and noticed that it told you NOT to install Atari patch 3

Good job.

 

I'm also having issues getting the game to start. I had the discs and loaded the game, with the first two patches. Everything installed but wouldn't run. I downloaded the CO8 expansion and installed it, activated it, and even changed the portrait pack. But it wouldn't start.
Read more on the internet...... broke down and bought a Windows 8 accessible version from GOG. Deleted everything (I think), and downloaded outside the program directories again, wouldn't open. Downloaded the CO8 pack again and installed. Activated, changed the portrait pack..... won't run. Added the APPS to the Firewall system again, NO JOY, Disabled the Firewall, NO JOY. I don't see any of Virus Protection on the system, and I'm not getting any pop ups to tell me why it won't run. The only thing I haven't tried yet was deleting the FireWall program itself, but I'm not tech savvy enough to go that extra step before asking if there's something else that worked for some.

Is anyone running this game on a Windows 8, and if so, how did you do it?

I requested advice from GOG and am still waiting, I'd hate to think I updated the computer only to find I can't play my favorite game on it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Type slow and use big words, my first computer was a rock.

 

What version of Java are you running?

 

Java 8 update 40.

When I installed it the disclaimer said it needed to be run from desktop.

I'm still not sure what that means but after I update Java the game was able to install, it just doesn't run.

 

You're running it as an administrator, right?