How to use Mod Files

[sPzAbt653]

That is a much better way to go about it. It also makes my thought of having the files originally configured this way fairly unnecessary. I will redo this and re-post it. Thanks!

[BillRunacre]

Indeed, this is an excellent thread, thank you for making it! [:)]

[crispy131313]

[&o] Great Work!

[sPzAbt653]

Ok guys, its been redone from the top down. As before, please let me know if it needs anything.

[Hubert Cater]

Looks good to me!

[sPzAbt653]

Thanks Hubert ! I'll give it a couple days in case anyone else has any suggestions, then I will post it in the Mod section.

[TheBattlefield]

Great, even I understand it this way. [:)]

[Sugar]

ORIGINAL: TheBattlefield

Great, even I understand it this way. [:)]

Congratulations, I don`t.

For me more information than: 1. download mod, 2. copy download into cmpaign folder, 3. play mod

is more than I can handle. Is there any reason, why this shouldn`t be the case, if I may ask?

[sPzAbt653]

It's your #2 that causes the problems. I don't defend it, but somebody decided that they would change the way that we [the public] have executed these types of file installs our entire lives to something that is difficult to understand. The only official explanation that I've ever been given is that it helps prevent viruses.

If you understand 1, 2, 3, congratulations to you. However, over the past year plus it is obvious that some don't get it and need a little more explanation. And it's not only SC3, because I also work with TOAW and they have the same issue, and while SC3 does address it in their manual, TOAW has yet to do so [it is still a work in progress], which causes much frustration.

[Sugar]

Many thanks for your pleasant support, dear sPzAbt653,

so the question goes to the SC3-Team!

[Hubert Cater]

Hi Sugar,

The reason is that Microsoft has changed things on their end to work differently now, going back to about Windows Vista and because of their User Account Control settings (UAC) and their general security settings, applications can no longer save files to the Program Files folder. It just doesn't work anymore and if you try and do it, even with elevated permissions set, it can cause a lot of problems as files can become locked or be stored in a virtualization folder that is even harder to find.

The Microsoft breakdown goes something like this:

1) Applications should be installed to the Program Files folder and this is now a secure/protected folder. No changes to the files in that folder should occur after installation and this does apparently help protect against malware too.

2) User accounts should be setup on each computer and each user has their own 'My Documents' area on the computer to save any working files from an Application running from the Program Files folder. For example, you install Word, it installs in the Program Files folder, you create a document and try and save and it defaults to the User account 'My Documents' area to save that working file there.

This protects user files and settings from user to user as they can have their own files and settings area, per user and per application.


We follow this convention for our game now and if you don't, which is the case for many older games, you can run into a lot of problems as Windows will either not allow you to properly save settings/changes, or modified files in the Program Files folder, or it will save them but hide them away in a Virtualization folder of the Program Files folder. This can lead to a lot of technical support requests as well.

For reference, here are a couple of articles that explain things a bit more:

https://www.howtogeek.com/142434/htg-ex ... r-account/
http://www.terryscomputertips.com/compu ... -programs/
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/VistasSho ... ation.aspx

[Sugar]

Thank you very much for your comprehensive explanation!

I completely understand your decision to follow this convention, I´ll give those mods another chance after completing my current PbEMs.

[sPzAbt653]

Thanks Hubert, and I will say that since I have gotten used to this arrangement I like it because it helps me be better organized [sometimes [;)] ]