Updating the game to 2.4 - error?

[DELETEACCOUNT]

I started playing X-COM files about 12 months ago, maybe more. At the time I installed the latest version of X-COM Files and OXCE, and have bene playing the same single campaign ever since. Obviously the version I played was a lot olde,r which perhaps explains why some story threads just seemed to disappear, and some missions repeated whatever I did.

I reached an impasse in the last few weeks (real time). I have bases that are defended enough with mass driver cannons and repulsors that a battleship can't land. My Tormentors and gauss cannons shoot down anything that flies, within a short space of time. I gain about $60,000,000 a month. I've even destroyed embassies and got countries I'd lost to start paying me again. Each month I knock out an alien base. There are about ten left, and maybe fifteen embassies. All I am doing is passing time shooting down craft and slowly researching each plasma gun and ammo, which are just bonuses realloy, I don't need them. And I have stocks of hundreds of them, and ammo clips, in a storage base.

As far as I can tell I need ot put a satellite into orbit. I did research, and bought the kit I needed. But I can't build the launching thing in my base (it isn't an option). I think it is because I have researched everything major, but not captured a live Ethereal Commander. Done Leaders, and all the other types, but not that.

I've been trying for weeks of real time but I get nowhere. I don't think they appear in the supply ships. That leaves Ethereal Battleships (rare) and Ethereal Bases. Whenever I attack a base I take my best troops, with highest sanity etc, best weapons and armour, but I still end up running away or dying, and losing troops I'd spent weeks of real time developing. Same happens with battleships - I think I captured an Ethereal one once but there was either no commander, or they were accidentally killed. I'm concerned that I am at a point where I might play on for months just trying to do this one thing, my enjoyment getting sapped.

I think I'd read that the requirement for an Ethereal Commander had been removed in more recent versions.

So, today, Imade a copy of my files. I installed the latest OXCE, then the latest X-Com Files. I transferred my saves. I opened the game. Wow! Still can't build the satellite launcher, but there are tons of new things to research. The manufacturing list has a lot of tweaks - Alien Electronics had been super hard to get, now there are greater payouts from disassembling stuff. Some tweaks may make things harder (I can't make AI Enforcer armour now without an Alenium shard, whereas before I could make it and just put it on any AI; this change means my plan to stop using a floating chassis and go all Enforcer for existing AIs isn't possible).

But that's an aside. It made me hopeful I could get past my obstacle and continue the game advances! Build a satellite or something. I have the plans for an Avenger Ultimate Craft, so it feels like there can't be far to go.

However, within a few minutes of playing, the game crashed with the error in the attached image. (I also attached a quicksave of just before the crash.)

I tried again, but same error at same time. Even if I could bypass this one, there may be orher errors?

Anyway, there seem to be two options.

1> Go back to my old save, old versions, but somehow hack it so I have an Ethereal Commander to research. I may miss out on things from the latest version of the mod, but at least I could finish the campaign. However, I do hate cheating.

2> Somehow fix this error, and hope I can still go on without capturing an Ethereal Commander, while having fun trying out new research. Maybe the error is because of how I installed the game - I copied my existing folder, then installed OXCE with that set as the place to install, then copied the latest version of XCF into the folde,r overwriting files where necessary.

Thanks!

[Solarius Scorch]

You say you have the latest OXCE, but I'm betting on it not actually being the case. The nature of this crash is a strong indication. Please check if your version is 7.4.3 or later.

The satellite building system is okay, but really convoluted and I can't bear to bring myself to simplify it... But most likely you don't have the right building. Please check your the manufacturing projects, could be under the "Facility required" filter.

[DELETEACCOUNT]

Mmm, the one I downloaded was "openxcom_extended_v7.5.3-win64.exe" from https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,5258.0.html - so maybe it's more to do with how I installed it. Maybe I should try again, put it in a blank folder.

In manufacturing I think I made the kit (certainly only a few things showed up under "Facility required" - all psi amp stuff). I vaguely remember buying something expensive for the satellite, then manufacturing some kind of kit. But I couldn't find any instructions for what to do with it next. It tried adding it to the equipment list of a craft but it didn't show up. I tried researching it but it's not doing anything. I didn't notice any new base things to build. Apologies if I have missed some obvious mechanism for using it, and been unnecessarily stuck for weeks! The save file have the item in the inventory for the Cuba base.

[Solarius Scorch]

OK, simplifying this goes to the top of the priority list.

Meanwhile, I can try reviewing your save, if you attach it.

[DELETEACCOUNT]

Hi Solarius, it is attached to my opening post, an F5 quicksave. If that doesn't work I'll boot into Windows, reload it, save as a normal save. Thanks! It may be I am just being dense, and if there are instructions on what I need to do (interface-wise - manufacturing, research, ship item, base facility) then I'll do it.

[Meridian]

Your save says that you are using OXCE v6.9.1

Code: [Select]

name: _quick_.asav
version: Extended 6.9.1    <---------------------------------
build: " (v2021-01-09)"
time:
  second: 55
  minute: 0
  hour: 17
  weekday: 2
  day: 16
  month: 2
  year: 2004
mods:
  - "x-com-files ver: 2.4"
---
difficulty: 0
end: 0
...


[DELETEACCOUNT]

Thanks Meridian! I had installed the latest, but some of the files from the older version must have remained.

So, I have just installed it afresh in a separate folder this time. Latest OXCE (7.something), latest X-Com files (2.4). Then I copied my save in. That is the only file from the prior installation.

This time it didn't crash with an error at that point! The game passed it and let me play.

However, it did have a separate crash. I could intercept ships as normal, apart from those in screenshot 1, where the race is shown as STR_ADVENT (which I thought looked strange). If I shoot it down, even over sea, the game crashed with the error in screenshot 2. If I let the ship land and try to do a ground assault, it crashes with the error in screenshot 3. If I let it fly around, land, take off, the game continues as normal. Same when another STR_ADVENT ship showed up. So maybe I can just ignore those if the issue doesn't affect anything else, and keep playing.

[DELETEACCOUNT]

Despite the STR_ADVENT crash issue, if the rest of the game is stable, then I still have the question about what I need to do to launch the satellite. The image shows I have a Lunar Satellite Launch, but I can't seem to take it in a ship to launch it, or to build anything in my base to launch it. What should I be trying to do here? Or do I still need an Ethereal Commander? Thanks!

[Solarius Scorch]

STR_ADVENT no longer exists; it must be a very old save.

I recommend removing it from the save.

[DELETEACCOUNT]

Aye, it is old - I started the game maybe 12 or 14 months ago, maybe longer. It's all I've played, pretty much! Obviously if ever I started a new game I'd use the latest version.

How do I remove STR_ADVENT ? That might be safest - even if I ignore their ships, if they somehow force an interaction (e.g. battleship attacking a base) I might be caught in an inescapable crash on each load. Do I just look for that line in the save (opened in Notepad) and delete it?

Also, do I have all I need in that screenshot to launch a satellite, or is something missing?

Thanks!

[unarmed drifter]

or is something missing?

have you built the lunar control room (which is a facility)?

[DELETEACCOUNT]

No, I haven't got an option to build that facility. That's why I wasn't sure if the kit had to be present in a base to build it, or if I needed to research something else - as I mentioned in my first post, I had a suspicion I needed an Ethereal Commander, but I have been trying for weeks now just to do that one thing - for every couple fo hours of play I might get a chance to try, but I generally lose good soldiers and get set back a month, having to build up another load of troops by getting them to do easier missions first, to go through the upgrades to stats etc to give them a chance. It's kind of wearing me down! I thought I'd seen that newer versions of the mod didn't have that requirement, which is why I went through the reinstall of OXCE and the mod, hoping there'd be some way to progress. I'm kind of lost as to what I need to do.

[DELETEACCOUNT]

Save attached (latest OXCE and X-Com files).

[DELETEACCOUNT]

I normally play X-COM Files every day (maybe a couple of times a day, a few missions each time). I've not played since my firts post since I don't know which of my two installs to carry on with. It's weird not being able to play!

So, to recap:
A - I have my original install (old OXCE and XCF, save is attached to my first post).
B - I have the latest OXCE and XCF, but with a save from my ongoing game.

The old one (A) works fine (but is obviously missing a lot of things to research, as shown by opening the save in the latest version of the game, but as long as it includes a complete way to end the game I don't mind. The issue with continuing with that one is I have no idea how to launch the satellite to continue with the game. I suspect I need to capture an Ethereal Commander, but I have spent weeks of real time trying just to do that, and not even getting close, so it's beginning to wear me down. If someone told me "Oh, you only need to do x and y" and it wasn't too difficult then I'd maybe just continue with that game before I lose momentum.

The new install (B - save is in my previous post) introduces loads of new things to research, which is exciting, but the game crashes if I interact with one of the races. A comment above suggested removign that race, but I have no idea how to do that. There is also the possibility that there may be other issues like this, due to using a save from a previous version of the game? Also, I still have no idea how to launch the satellite, so unless it is easier to achieve in the latest version of the game, maybe I should just go back to my old save and old install (A).

Any help is appreciated, it feels very strange not being able to play the game every day! It's swallowed all my gaming time for over a year! Wonderful fun (as was X-Pirates), though I also look forward to reachign the end now, so I can move on to other games (such as replaying HoMM3). :-)

[Solarius Scorch]

Judging from NEW.sav, you don't have the Moon Flight researched, and that's the prerequisite to start thinking about wrapping up the game. You have both its prerequisites (Space Flight and New Fighter Transporter), so why not start with this?