Bridge Commander Central
BC Forums => BC Technical Support => Topic started by: dep88y on December 17, 2008, 07:48:12 PM
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I'm trying to learn as I fight this Nanofx problem. I download a ship, unzip it, open the folder and I see the Bcut blue circle as the file icon. I double click it, it unpacks. I don't find anything of the ship in the game or in the plug-in page( simple BCSMCS). I have stock ships and added ships and all that checked in the mutators; so where did it go?
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See my post in your other thread.
http://bc-central.net/forums/index.php/topic,4846.0.html
What I described there, also happens to ship mods that are in BCMI format (BCUT blue circle as the file icon).
Also, most ships don't come with plugins so when that happens, you need to make BCUT point to your Bridge Commander directory and make the plugin yourself. (Plugins are what makes ships avaliable in the ship menus in the game)
Also, I can't make the following any simpler to understand:
Uninstall BCMI from your computer
Uninstall BCMP from your computer
AND
Uninstall BCSMC from your computer
Those programs ARE NOT required to make BCUT work as BCUT is all of those programs rolled into one. They are obselete so for the love of God, get rid of them. If you mention them again, no cookies for you. 8)
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I uninstalled those already but I'm beginning to wonder if they would still work instead of Bcut. It seems Bcut is just an added step if you still have to copy and paste.
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I uninstalled those already but I'm beginning to wonder if they would still work instead of Bcut. It seems Bcut is just an added step if you still have to copy and paste.
BCMI had features that didn't need to be there. (Why the transparency slider NanoByte?)
BCMP was chocked full of bugs and inefficent plugin building (Making menus after custom ships were installed make the game stop working properly and saving ship descriptions outside of plugins -TGL files- was messy and uneeded
BCSMC was a great tool but lacked certain features which allowed for proper full customization.
BCUT FTW!!!
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Obviously I can't find these files in Bcut and I know its difficult without pictures but; is there any way you could tell me the title of the page in bcut I should looking at and what to do with it?
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Pictures and insctructions
When you find 'data' scripts' and 'sfx' in unpacked, highlight, copy and paste the 'data' 'scripts' and 'sfx' folders in 'unpacked' to your main Bridge Commander directory.
Overwrite the folders when it asks you to. This is okay.
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So what I was looking for was not in bcut itself. What do you do with the files in bcut unpacked after I copy and paste because I think they'll confuse me on the next ship? I tried installing a ship that I have installed before. I have the plug-in and all the files in bcut unpacked put into bridge commander but the game will not load when I select that ship; what did I do wrong?
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So what I was looking for was not in bcut itself. What do you do with the files in bcut unpacked after I copy and paste because I think they'll confuse me on the next ship?
Go back to the unpacked folder in BCUT and delete the data scripts and sfx folders in the unpacked folder. Do this after copy and pasting them to the Bridge Commander Directory.
I tried installing a ship that I have installed before. I have the plug-in and all the files in bcut unpacked put into bridge commander but the game will not load when I select that ship; what did I do wrong?
Its very hard to help with these problems when I don't even know which ship you are talking about. Please post a link to the ship.
Don't try and explain which ship it is. I just want the link to it so that this can finally get sorted.
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I found the problem with the ship. I needed to get some sleep first, this disease I have messes with mind when I'm tired. I try to live normally but I try too hard sometimes. Thanks for the pictures; I don't understand all the jargon and the pics help a lot. Those pics aren't in my copy of Bcut; I just looked. I would like to learn the words so I can understand better. Do you know of a resource I can use? Thanks again.
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To AUTOMATE BCUT you need to show it where is it its "working" space. Is it THAT hard pressing on the automatic button in the Options section, for the love of God. And then repeating the BCMod extraction/unpacking/installation (what ever) process so there is NO copy & paste involved.
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I've never used bcut before! I don't understand all the language in the instructions thats why I asked for help. If you can't extend a little curtesy then don't respond. I have asked if anyone knows a resource where I can learn the jargon but no one has answered yet. As for your suggestion, how does it automatically install when the path you show is bcut and not the game?
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You didn't even read my message or pay any attention at all to it.
In the screenshot I showed you the button which you need to press, NOT the path on the screenshot.
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Maybe I paid too close of attention. As I said before; pictures are important to me. I re-read the instructions and I found nothing to help a novice like me. I think I understand the path thing now. However, I tried it and the file wouldn't unpack because of a path error. That's what the little box said anyway. The instructions I have for bcut give detail on modding and almost nothing on installing. Am I missing an instruction file?
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Acutally BCUT is simplicity itself, just Unzp-or-unrar [I forgot what compression it isin] Into a Temp folder, you get an exe file, Click on it to run it.
then you can Install it into your BC [main folder] OR you can Install it in any other folder you chose.
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After unzipping can bcut install directly to the game? I think thats what I tried to do when I got the path error. When I set the path to default which is bcut's unpack folder evrything goes fine. So, If I understand correctly; I have to unpack to bcut first then copy and paste into bridge commander.
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no - programs do not get installed into the game, as in putting their folders into BC's folder... do not put BCUTs folders in BC's folder...
youve got try and read a little more slowly and carefully and make a little more effort on your end - all the answers and information youre asking has already been given to you and i think youre confusing yourself even more as you go...
in order to mod BC, you need to have basic generic computer knowledge and basic knowledge of how programs work, and the only way to do that is to go about teaching yourself and doing your own research and thru trial and error... you cant expect everyone to walk you step by step on how to do the basic things... we can only assist so much, but we cant do everything for you... forgive me if this seems rude, but if you have no basic generic computer knowledge, you may want to reconsider modding your install at all...
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If you want to extract individual files from a BCMod do the following steps:
1.
Press the See BCMod Contents button
2.
Select files from the BCMod Files Contents list view
3.
Click on the Unpack Selected button
This tab also supports drag & drop of BCMod files. So you can drag & drop a BCMod file and BCUT will unpack\install the specified file.
This is all the instruction I have. Drag and drop from where to where? I see the contents in the box on that bc mod pack page but I can't drag them off of there. It's obvious to an idiot like me that instructions are missing. Also, last night someone told I should have someone walk me through it. Could it hurt to try once?
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dep88y, it seems to me that people here are doing there best to help you.
However its also apparent that they are assuming a certainly level of ability when it comes to general PC usage and knowledge that I'm not certain you currently have.
Modding is not for the faint of heart and while BCUT makes life much simpler than normal there is, however, still a minimum understanding required to use the program.
If you are wanting a 'step-by-step' guide on how to do things, you are unlikely to find that here I'm afraid.
For example in your last post, you mention drag & drop, which is assumed knowledge when it comes to modding, so no more specific instructions should be required.
I would refer you to Jimmy's post above, and recommend that you refer to somewhere like google initially to familiarise yourself with these types of things and how they work.
Cheers
El
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GOOGLE WHAT? Please, I beg you, give me a direction to go, a phrase, something. By the way, I've been installing ships for years. I never had problems until I got this new computer. I know how to drag and drop. I don't know how to use bcut. That's why I included the extent of the instructions that I have in a previous response. All I want to know is where to drag and drop from. It's not in the instructions.
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Edit: Seeing as you edited your post....
The attitude will not help you. People have bent over backwards to be accommodating.
Also, if you know what drag and drop is, why do you need to ask the question?
If you never had problems until you got the new computer, then why is this BCUT's fault?
As to your last remark about it not being in the instructions; if you know about drag & drop, why does it need to be?
It seems to me that dragging and dropping your BCMod file onto it is what is implied here, so the answer is somewhat obvious, in that it depends where you've stored your BCMod files, no?
Please use a little common sense, and if you don't understand terminology, either google it or search for it on the forums.
El.
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You know, this all started this morning when USS Sovereign posted a reply in a rather insulting manner. Since I don't know how to use bcut,please understand my confusion. He said bcut can be automated to install like bcmi did. At least that was my understanding. If I made an error in my conclusion, please let me know. I plead with you to just answer that and that alone. I don't need more words on how stupid I am.
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USS Sovereign wasnt being insulting... he has tried in at least a few posts very thoroughly to help you but for some reason, youre just not getting it... understandably, that gets aggravating... he explained how to set BCUT so it will automatically install ships and bcmp mods into your BC directory... the answers you need are there and everything you have asked and are stuck on has been in fact explained... if not in one of your threads, then elsewhere... and BCUT comes with as simplified instructions as it can get... if youre not understanding it, thats not really a fault with BCUT or with anyone in particular... it just seems like the effort on your end to help yourself just isnt very strong...
and no one is saying you are stupid... when i first came onto the BC scene some 6 years ago, i had barely any knowledge about how to operate computer-related things... hell, i even remember being confused about extracting files and simple things like adding in bridge retextures (with no scripts) in my install at first...
but i slowly taught myself by referring to many forums, using the SEARCH functions at different forums to see if anyone else in the past had asked what i am about to, doing alot of reading and researching, going thru the painful and annoying trial-and-error routines, and i also went to google many times to learn the "jargon"... nothing was ever "handed" to me personally, and i knew that if i wanted to work certain things, i had to teach myself...
you have to do some work on your end, to learn and teach yourself about certain things... all the information is out there, you just have to try and find and really take a strong effort to learn and really try to figure things out... you cant expect everyone to hand-hold you through every small and slight step, and then get impatient and aggravated with everyone when they dont or because you dont understand; thats not too fair... also, people just dont have alot of their own free time to teach you all the basics about programs, operating them, or computers in general... you have several threads here now and several people all trying to help you but for some reason, youre just not getting it... at this point, im not even sure anymore what exactly your issue is, all this has become so very confusing now...
people are trying to help you, but you also have to try and help yourself and try and figure things out on your own as well...
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Do you really think I have sat here and done nothing? I have read and read and read and experimented and tried. Now with that said. I asked about some very specific things and they were not answered. One exception would be Billz. He showed me the unpack file and where it was. As for sovereign; I wasn't dealing with him at the time and his frustrating reply sent me over the edge. I replied with a problem when I tried what he suggested. No one has answered that yet. This was not the first time I asked about it. So, I will ask you. When I set the path on automatic and tried to unpack a ship I recieved a path error. My thinking is that it might be on the unpack side; like I should have already done that before trying the auto setting for the path. Thats my trial and error. I have done that over and over now for 17 hours. The instructions I HAVE don't cover this. Please don't be offended at the capitol letters I wish to express that I may be missing instructions.
Now, for you. I appreciate and respect what you have accomplished; I really mean that. Obviously I'm not you. I would bet that you grew up in a different time than I did, so, if you can understand that the thinking process I developed is not up to modern standards as my college graduated children have made mention of many times. I'm at a sticking point; an old fart needs a hand. I'm not trying to write hardpoints and scripts, I just want to install ships effeciently. I can't do that with error messages. The instructions are not complete for my needs; I hope you can respect that. Obviously I'm missing a step between unpacking and auto installing into the game; I just can't figure it out. As I said before all I get are path errors. I can drag and drop from the unpack file to the game just fine, but, now I'm trying to make an improvement over what Billz showed me. You see I have learned, I have tried, I'm stuck.
I don't know where this blame bcut idea came from. I can see it has great advantages,some I will probably never use. I think some folks were offended when I wrote what it did when I tried to use it or maybe it's the repeated comments about what instructions I have. I was only trying to show that auto install wasn't in them. I have a great deal of instructions on the advanced modding. I accept the fault of tensions is probably all mine. Maybe I haven't communicated clear enough. I'm sorry for that.
So, to end your aggrivation with an idiot, I will ask one more time. Is there a way to install a ship without dragging and dropping?
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ok, forget the automatic, it's possible that the BC install you are using is not in the default directory. using Windows Explorer, navigate to your BC folder, that is the folder in which the BC game files are located, highlight the location in the bar near the top of the window, it should be something like: C:\Program Files\Activision\Bridge Commander or whatever, now right click and select copy, to copy the text open BCUT and click on the options button, in the text box on this screen paste the file location, now go to the BCMOD unpacker screen, you can select your BCMOD file by dragging it into the BCMOD file contents window, it should now automatically install
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that is exactly what USS Sovereign said, and included a picture which i will upload again...
under the Tools section, you can set the path directly to your BC install, and it also has an option to find it on its own incidentally... but you can manually set it also... the path error you were getting was probably telling you that the location you were setting wasnt a valid BC install or something to that effect?
once you have established where BCUT will put the ships (and bcmod files) then you can go about creating a plugin for them...
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The program doesn't use a predefind "C:\Program Files\Activision\Bridge Commander" location but reads the path from Windows Registry which the Bridge Commander installation process writes into the registry when you install the game.
Automatic option will fail:
1. On custom installs i.e. if you have multiple installations of BC on your HDD so it will read only the one which was installed via CD
2. On pirated versions of BC
3. On restored backups from a DVD backup when you didn't install the game from the CD first, you just copied the backup to some folder
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For Aces High. I tried the copy and paste; BCUT wouldn't accept the paste. No window opened to select paste.
For USS Sovereign. I only have the one install that uses the CD to play the game. The CD is not pirated or a backup, it's the original. I deleted all other installs of BC from info in another thread. Could this be a vista file protection problem?
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For Aces High. I tried the copy and paste; BCUT wouldn't accept the paste. No window opened to select paste.
What Aces High suggested would have been a great error on my part when I was writing the program you are using. The configuration textbox is read only it doesn't accept any user data apart from the 3 buttons you see.
Default - which reverts to bcut installation location I.E. c:\program files\bcs-tng\bcut
Manual - You navigate to your BC installation manually via folder browse dialog (you can try to do that). Since you don't seem to have much basic computer knowledge it might be problematic for you
Automatic - the one which will work always if the game is properly installed and is recommended to be used for novices
I deleted all other installs of BC from info in another thread. Could this be a vista file protection problem?
Nope. BCUT asks for elevated privileges on Vista and that way it overcomes Vista's virtualization or file protection if you will.
What is the exact message which BCUT spits out, the exact?
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Okay, I tried again after hittng the auto button in options. Abox popped up with a red circleand white X. It said, there has been a problem while extracting the BCMod file, details of the event have been dumped into the BCUTError.log. This was in BCUTError.log
#########################
Program Path: C:\Program Files\BCS-TNG\BCUT\BCUT.exe
Time of Event: 12/18/2008 8:42:57 AM
Mapping BCMod file...
#########################
I do know how to use the manuel setting, I've done that for other programs. If that will help.
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The following error message shows up during the extraction process of the BCMod file not during the configuration of the unpacking path in the Options. Which you are pointing out.
And it means that the file was probably in use by another program and BCUT couldn't access it. Easiest way to unlock it is to restart\reboot Windows.
Only one error can come up when you click on the Automatic button and that is: "Path couldn't be read from the registry..."
You're vague in your posts, so why not do us a favor and post here a step by step guide of what you are doing. So go like this i.e.
1. I download a mod
2. I extract it
3. I fire up BCUT
and so on
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my mistake, to be honest I hadn't done it that way, I was able to use said buttons, I was just trying to simplify it for him, and I thought that action was possible I apologize if my explanation was inaccurate
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1) I restarted the computer.
2) I started BCUT
3) I selected the automatic button in the options window.
4) I went to the BCMod Packager page in BCUT.
5) I selected See BMods Content
6) A window opened, I selected Desktop on the left side. The window was titled "Select a BCMod file"
7) I selected a ship from the list that came up in that window. The ship had a BCMod icon in a blue circle next to it.
8) At the bottom of the same window I selected "Open". The file name appeared in the little rectangular window up and to the left of "Open" before I selected " Open"
9) Error message appears same as before
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link to the mod?
and post your BCUTConfig.ini file here, it can be found in the C:\Program files\bcs-tng\bcut directory (if bcut is installed in its default location).
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# Bridge Commander Universal Tool Configuration File
# DO NOT MODIFY
SaveTo=C:\Program Files\Activision\Bridge Commander
WordWrap=True
BackScriptsFolder=True
Theme=2
Link to the ship:http://bridgecommander.filefront.com/file/C2X_Enterprise;31385
I've already installed the requirements and it fully functions in the game
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I just sped up one update which I planned to release in the coming days. You probably have temp file cleaners on your computer which deletes data which BCUT needs.
Either way, if this doesn't work then I give up.
1. Launch BCUT
2. Switch to "Help" section
3. Click on "Check for updates" button
4. When prompted select yes, that will launch your default web browser
5. On the BCUT homepage scroll down and click on the "Download Here" button
6. Download, unpack archive and Launch the installer
7. You will be offered with 2 options, to update an existing BCUT installation or create a new one
8. Select to update a current one & select the installation of BCUT which you want to update on the listbox
9. Continue the installation as usual
10. Launch 1.1 version and try using it
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Well, I can truely understand your frustration with me. I will work on learning how to communicate better. As for BCUT, it appears to be working fine. Wow, how easy it really is. Sincerely, I thank you for your time and effort. I guess if I knew what to say in the first place this could have been resolved quicker. You have made an awsome program. Thanks again