[SOFBear]

I cannot get the patch part to install.  It fails all the time.  When I try to run the game I keep getting that I have 0 memory.  A few years back I played this game with the manual install and it worked fine now won't work at all.  I have all other components installed just fine.  When I tried to run the patch said it couldn't delete the Freespace EXE then it said it couldn't delete the FS2 Exe, then Fred and so on so I deleted them all and got that the game could not be found when I tried to patch.  I restored them and get the memory issue.  I have Windows 7 but plenty of other horses to run this game as I have played it through twice on this box.  I think the issue is the patch.  I tried if from a torrent that was linked but windows wouldn't recognize it without running some torrent program and I didn't trust it.  I'd really like to get back into this but for some reason cannot get this to run when previously, about 4 years ago, all was well.  Any help would be appreciated.

[General Battuta]

Uhhh hang on. Are you trying to run original FreeSpace 2, or FreeSpace Open?

[SOFBear]

Free Space open will not update all files--it hangs on the two patches neither of which will install. So I cannot run it, at all.  When I try to run FS2 base game it won't recognize that I have any RAM.  It's the weirdest thing because a couple years back I got this game to run just fine. At first, this week I had trouble getting other components to install but I updated Java and that seemed to do the trick.  But the patches just won't go.  I think the issue is that the patches just won't install.  Which is odd because they were designed first and foremost to be for the game.  Not a mod, a patch.  I was soooo excited to see the additional content still going on I was really hoping to game on but sadly no joy in Mudville.  Frankly, this is one of my favorite games and was hoping to see what the online community looked like as all folks here must be 1000% committed to this game. 

So to summarize, patches won't install, game won't recognize I have any RAM.  Says I need 8 to run it.  I have 64.  Previous iterations of the game worked fine on this same machine.

[niffiwan]

Can you take a screenshot of the patches that the FSO Installer won't install? Not all of them are required to play. And if it continues to fail each time you try, there's ways to download & install them manually.

[General Battuta]

Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard to install everything manually.

[Goober5000]

Free Space open will not update all files--it hangs on the two patches neither of which will install. So I cannot run it, at all.  When I try to run FS2 base game it won't recognize that I have any RAM.  It's the weirdest thing because a couple years back I got this game to run just fine. At first, this week I had trouble getting other components to install but I updated Java and that seemed to do the trick.  But the patches just won't go.  I think the issue is that the patches just won't install.  Which is odd because they were designed first and foremost to be for the game.  Not a mod, a patch.  I was soooo excited to see the additional content still going on I was really hoping to game on but sadly no joy in Mudville.  Frankly, this is one of my favorite games and was hoping to see what the online community looked like as all folks here must be 1000% committed to this game. 

So to summarize, patches won't install, game won't recognize I have any RAM.  Says I need 8 to run it.  I have 64.  Previous iterations of the game worked fine on this same machine.

This sounds distinctly like you're trying to do something with the original game.  Are you reinstalling FreeSpace 2 from CDs and/or trying to install the v1.20 patch?

It would really help if you posted screenshots of what you're doing.

[SOFBear]

I reinstalled the game again from the discs, grabbed the patch from the link on this website installed it and that worked.  Then tried to run the game (I left the previously downloaded mods and whatnot in the games/FS2 file folder.  Tried running the game and got the same error.  This has never happened.

I wonder if it is because I left the downloaded files in the folder which remained after I uninstalled it.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Goober5000]

FYI, you can attach screenshots directly, rather than pasting the screenshot into a docx and then compressing the docx into a rar.

Try editing the properties of FS2.exe and setting it to run in Windows 98 or Windows XP compatibility mode.

[SOFBear]

Thank you.  I had played this before with Windows 7; not sure why compatibility mode with XP is needed now but hey the game works.  I'd never seen that no RAM message before. Also, thanks for the tip on the screen shot.  Now I have to figure out why the modded campaigns aren't showing up, only the base game.  So I will try reinstalling the pack.  Thank you again for your help.

[Goober5000]

You're welcome.  In regards to the modded campaigns, most of them can only be played on FreeSpace Open.  So I would recommend installing and running wxLauncher.  You can use that to select a mod and a FSO build.

[SOFBear]

Sorry to seem so unconversant with this stuff.  I get files and folders.  So I got wxLauncher and it wants me to locate a "root" file to enable a mod.  I have literally highlighted every single mod and none will open to allow me to select an exe from inside it.  The root file is the executable, right?  If not perhaps I can be pointed in the direction I need to go.  I can't even get a file folder to highlight.  Any ideas as what I am doing wrong with wxLauncher would be appreciated.  I seem to recall there was a different mod enabler in days past that I had some trouble with but with the kind help of folks here eventually figured out.  I checked the help section that popped up and I didn't find anything on this issue so I tried not to annoy folks.  Perhaps this has been addressed so a cut and paste to a prior post would be appreciated.  I also tried searching this issue and must have missed it.  Also, I completely uninstalled and reinstalled everything and all files except for the Derelict sound files installed properly.  Got the error that:  Derelict_3_7_VA.7z could not be downloaded.

On an aside, isn't there any way just to drag and drop the mods into the game folder somewhere and have it recognize the mod when selecting in the ole war room?  If so a visual of what goes where would help.  Again I am not the most sophisticated guy with this stuff but I have some experience and simple mods work that way, but I am guessing this is not such a simple mod.

[X3N0-Life-Form]

The "root folder" means the main game folder, where all the .exe & mods are located.

For example : C:\Games\Freespace 2

[deathspeed]

Here is a partial screenshot of my root (installation) folder:

 

Once you navigate to the "Game root folder" in wxLauncher, the next box will have a drop-down list of "FS2 Open executables": 

   

Select one, such as "FS2 Open 3.7.4 (AVX)".

Now when you go to the mods tab of the launcher, you should see all the mods that are installed in that same "game root folder".  "Activate" a mod, and click "play" at the bottom right:

 

Depending on how the mod is set up, which I don't pretend to understand, the mod may open directly, or you may have to selected it as a new campaign.  Some releases area also only playable through the tech room mission simulator.  If you can find the mod's release thread that is probably already covered, either in the first post or from someone asking.  If you don't find it, don't be afraid to ask there!


Good luck, and I am glad you are staying patient!  I've been playing this game and using FSO for years, and I still struggle sometimes.  But this community is great about answering questions, and playing the game is well worth the effort to set it up.

[AdmiralRalwood]

Here is a partial screenshot of my root (installation) folder:

 

...Why do you have Cardinal Spear data files in your FS2 root?

[deathspeed]

Botched installation   I noticed those too, and deleted.  Thanks!

[Goober5000]

Deathspeed, that's a great guide.  Would you mind adding it to the wxLauncher wiki page?

[deathspeed]

Thanks!  I don't mind adding it, but I don't have access to edit the wiki, and I don't see an option for "create account" on the "login/create account" page. 

I also could not find a wxLauncher wiki page.  The closest I found was a section on setting up the launcher on the "getting started" wiki, but that whole page is pretty outdated.

[SOFBear]

mine looks nothing like this. 

[SOFBear]

I tried to figure out the copy past of a screen shot but failed miserably.  Here is what I get when I try to use the launcher.  It tells me I don't have any executables in the file folder.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[SOFBear]

So here is what my game folder looks like.  As you can see there are EXE files in the folder.

[attachment deleted by admin]