Install of WitPAE is nasty to my PC, and my brain HELP

[straggler13]

Since I could not get any of the switches to work, nor could I get any answers to how I might get them to work (so far), today I decided to uninstall subject game and reinstall it. But I cannot even do that. After using the provided uninstaller, plus the Windows/XP control panel software removal app, and, after digging around to try to remove every vestige and bit of icon, exe file, and anything that remotely looked like WitPAE related stuff, I just do not think it can be done... Unless, of course, someone out here has done it.

Paying over one hundred bucks for an old game, which is crying out for all kinds of ergonomic and other basic changes, was probably a mistake on my part. But intelligent operational type war games are my bag (thing, hobby, great interest), and I am too old to compete for skill points playing shooter games against fifteen year olds who were born with controllers in their hands. Plus, historically based ops games are more funner -as I have said.

And I really have a hard time trying to get the mouse pointer to point at the exact middle of the micro-buttons in WitPAE: an action which is required hundreds of times per move - if not thousands. But that skill is necessary to play this game....Thus: squinty, squinty, - pointy, pointy ,,,let the headache begin. It would be all worth it and perhaps even OK, if I could get the switches to work: providing a more readable font, and, if the run in windows ( switch -w ?) thing works as I hope, the ability to use the magnifying feature in Windows/XP ( less squinty, but same pointy).

I see that there are some 32,000 members of this forum and assume that many of them, if not all, are players of WitPAE. So it can't be for lack of interest in this game that more improvements to the more nagging aspects of its character are not addressed. So it must be either that I am one of the few who has problems with it, or the problems are being worked on and will soon be fixed, or these problems are known, but ignored by those good folks who designed and produced this otherwise great game....Is it the “Don't fix it if they'll buy it anyway” philosophy. Perhaps you know that concept: Made more popular lately by the folks at SEGA /Creative Ass/ Total War.... hiding out somewhere in Australia, I believe.

I had thought that the major problems I had with putting the switches into the command line might be related to the fact that the PC I built was too 'new' to handle the old protocols in the game's config's and systems file structure, but I had the same problem in trying to install the switches in a rather old lap top: a dreaded eMachine.

So, uninstalling it and starting over seems to be called for. But there in lies the rub. I can't even get it to do that. I have tried - as stated above - to find every spec of WitPAE residing in my PC and still I suspect fragments are lurking somewhere. Although I have read many, many posts on these forums, I cannot seem to find the particulars on: 1. How to get the switches installed, when they really, really don't want to be; and 2. Who to uninstall the game so completely that a re-install will be pristine. If I correctly recall, I have had the switches working properly in the past, with a very old copy of WitP.

So I throw this problem out there to the general membership, in the hopes that someone out there in this vast community might help me.

Thanks, in advance and in anticipation of the day when my complaints about WitPAE will be limited to the ergonomic issues I framed above.( squinty, squinty, - pointy, pointy ).

[Charbroiled]

I'm guessing that you tried to set the switches on the desktop icon that was created when you installed the game.  If so, that is your problem.  The icon that is created during installation is the launcher programn and not the executable.
 
You need to go th the "War in the Pacific Admiral's Edition" directory and find the file with the .exe extension.  Right click on that file and pick "copy".  Go to your desktop and right click and pick "paste shortcut.  Use this icon (shortcut) to start the game.  You can install the switches you like to that icon.
 
Don't know about your other problems.  I have uninstalled for various reasons in the past and only had to use the "Add and Remove Programs" provided by Windows.
 
I also don't have issues on hitting the buttons....I think I might have at first, but then I must have gotten use to it and don't think about it anymore.

[khyberbill]

Delete the folder the game was in. I really wouldnt worry about it after that. As far as making the switches work, I know I tried to add them at the wrong place. I don't know what system you use but on my Vista machine I click the little ball in the lower left corner and there is the Quick start for AE. Right click that and go to properties and then follow the directions for the switches. If you try to add the switches to any command line other than quick start you are in the wrong place. Good Luck

[pompack]

Straggler:

I have installed and uninstalled many times without problems, other than the ones I created myself. Also I have never had any problems with the switches (other than trying to figure out just which ones I want to use). While there are not any particular tricks to it, here is what I have found works:

1) install: hit the install button and let it go. IF you try to install outside of root (the default) you can have some strange, OS dependent issues. Install in root and there are no issues even with Vista (which is really remarkable now that I think about it); I guess that's the reason Matrix always defaults the Matrix folder to root.

2) Uninstall: Use the uninstall utility that load into the game folder (also it pops up on my program menu under the AE folder). Manually delete the AE folder out of root. Save the Save folder first if you want to save your saved games

3) switches: DELETE THE DESKTOP SHORTCUT THAT THE GAME INSTALLS!!!!. Create a new shortcut to the exec file. Set the switches in the properties of that new shortcut

[michaelm75au]

All the actual game files are in the AE install directory.
In my case, it is D:\Matrix Games\War In The Pacific Admiral's Edition.

The only other AE files that could be left (outside the game directory) would be the icons on the Desktop.

So once un-installing, the game directory skeleton will probably still exist (it would have the save games and reports at least).
Just delete the game directory (with its sub ones).
The icons can be deleted from the desktop also.

[straggler13]

Thanks for all the help and advice...BUT

I am having much worse problems now. When running the update for the 2nd or 3rd time I began to lose lots of files: the uninstall exe file disappeared, I ended up with the original set of WitPAE file sets and a brand new set under WitPAE2. I did write the switches following the exact instructions from the readme file in the update file set...But the second time I attempted to write them, after the second install attempt, my PC would send me an error message that it needed to close the Internet Explorer app...but then it would freeze and I could only shut it down and reboot the PC ...Otherwise it would not respond.

After several attempts at trying this, I decided to uninstall...but there was no uninstall app in either the WitPAE1 nor the WitPAE 2 filesets. Nor were there any files in the Control Panel Add/Remove app ...the game name WitPAE was there but it showed 0 (zero) file sizes on the right hand side of the line item for the game...seemingly, there was no game program to be removed. So I deleted all files I could think of and tried to reinstall the game. At this point my PC had had enough of me and refused to even reinstall.

So, I ran the system restore app and am now back to WitPAE1 working, and WitPAE2 missing several chunks of files. So if I can get the game to boot, I will try to create the switches after I update the game. But, of course, I am now afraid to do this... freezes, you know. I think the fact that I had a copy of the original WitP ( not AE) , a copy of a full set of WitPAE1 files and a few chunks of WitPAE2 lurking around may have pissed off my PC.

Upon having what I thought was a successful update, it would not run...then when I thought I was back with the non-updated game file set, I read that there was no need to update the game, as, it said, the game had already been updated.

What a mess. I will try to solve some of these problems so I can reduce the number of questions I need answers to ...but I think I might just have to run the original program and forget the updates.

What a mess. If any of you have the patience to wade through all of this and can explain what I am doing wrong, I will be astounded at your expertise and as well your humanity.

[straggler13]

Now I boot WitPAE ( 1) game, load a file I saved when I had the 1.03 update installed - WitPAE (2) , and the game tells me I have a later version of a game file " Saved under 1.03.1102a" ...which I of course already know ..and so I exit and try to update the game from the 1.02.1095 Dec. 7 2009 .41.41 to the later version. But now I am told that I already have the later updated version.

So I look in the green arrow program file list in the start box ...and sure enough, it shows a WitPAE (2) and no WitPAE ( 1) is shown. So I scroll down to the uninstall all in the WitPAE (2) programm list in the green arrow start box...and guess what? It tells me I cannot uninstall this game because it is the wrong game to uninstall ...even though it is the one in the list!!!

Give me a break. Why can't we all just get along and kill some folks ...virtually, I mean.?

Now I am totally lost...but will not give in yet.

If you will help...please?