Matrix Games Forums

Hello, I have d/l'd the three custom designs posted here (Otranto 2nd, Goeben, and Coronel). I then created a Custom files folder in the game and unzipped them there but they don't appear in the custom scenarios list to play. I can manually navigate in the editor to find the scenarios and load them from the folder, but the editor won't automatically find them. For some reason the game is not finding my custom files folder - what am I missing?

stevemk1a wrote: Tue Mar 24, 2026 2:38 am Hello, I have d/l'd the three custom designs posted here (Otranto 2nd, Goeben, and Coronel). I then created a Custom files folder in the game and unzipped them there but they don't appear in the custom scenarios list to play. I can manually navigate in the editor to find the scenarios and load them from the folder, but the editor won't automatically find them. For some reason the game is not finding my custom files folder - what am I missing?

Where is your custom files folder located, exactly? You shouldn't have needed to create one; the game should already come with one (documents/my games/rule the waves 3/custom files, most likely) and each individual scenario folder should be placed in the custom files folder.

The custom files folder is in an entirely different part of the file directory than the stock scenarios.

This is my directory. I didn't see any Custom files folder so I created one. Maybe I should delete and re-download the game ...?

Ahh ... I get it now! The Custom scenario list was not in the game directory, it was in documents directory. Thanks for the quick reply F11supertiger !!

Cheers,
Stephen

OK I am struggling a bit with this. I've just updated to Ver 1.01.38

Started creating my own scenario and it asked me to add a directory so I did - Custom Scenario

When I reload the game, I get a tab for Custom Scenario and my game is there --- so far so good.

BUT

I cannot find the 'Custom Scenario' folder anywhere in my Documents folder or in my RTW 3 folder (which is on a different drive). There isn't a 'Custom Files' folder anywhere either. When I download a user scenario, I tried putting it in a couple of places, including in a 'custom files' folder I created in my (C:\Users\bartg\OneDrive\Documents\My Games\Rule the Waves 3), and directly on my C drive because I thought it might be a OneDrive issue. But no luck seeing it.

Shouldn't this be a little more intuitive?

Thanks

I am running 1.01.38 with the DLC. I also keep my RTW3 folder on my D: drive.

When I open the Scenario editor, and press "Load scenario button", it should open
a mini-window asking for Stock or Custom.

If you press Stock, it will open the "Scenarios" folder in your RTW3 install folder.
(on whatever drive you installed RTW3 into)
Please note this folder is "Scenarios" and not "Custom Files".
My RTW3 install has the path:
D:\Fun\Naval\Rule the Waves 3\Scenarios

If you press Custom, it will open the "Custom Files" folder in your Documents tree:
C:\Users\...yourUserName...\Documents\My Games\Rule the Waves 3\Custom Files
This will be on your C: drive (I don't use OneDrive)
The Scenerio editor will be looking for *.nsc scenario files.

You can use the "Select scenario to load" window GUI to move around to any
folder you like. But Windows 11 (and earlier versions) will present the
Documents folder as residing on your Desktop, even though it literally resides
under the C:\Users\... path.
If you use the "Select scenario to load" window GUI to move around, you can go
to "Computer", then "C:", then "Users", and so on, thru "Documents", and so on.

You say when you reload the game you get a tab for Custom Scenario with the game
in it. If you can still do that, then in the "Select scenario to load" window';
The top part should say "Look in: " with you pointed to "Custom Files". The
second icon to the right is a file folder with a green up arrow. Press that
icon and it will "pop" you up a directory level, and show you the parent folder
holding "Custom Files". Repeat the process, and it will step-by-step show you
the directory path and drive that leads to your new scenario in Custom Files.

By the way, there is an unfixed bug in the "Custom" button in the Ship Designer.
But you are having an issue with the Scenario Editor....

Hope this will help some.

Thank you for the quick and detailed reply, very helpful. I've followed the steps you provided, drilled out to the 'desktop,' then went to the C: drive and drilled down to the user scenario. The scenario is Cape Matapan and here is the path to it. My game is on my 'E' drive
(I created the Custom Files folder here based on other comments, which was my first clue that things weren't as they should be.)


So by following your guide I found the scenario and loaded it into the scenario editor. Now since I don't want to edit it - I want to play it, how should I save it so the game knows where to go to find it? When I go to the Scenario screen, it looks like this: When I was playing around, trying to build a scenario, it asked me to create a folder, which I did (Custom Scenario) and I saved the file 'Battle of Vella Gulf - 1943' . The game points to that OK but I'm not sure if it will point to Cape Matapan for me if I save - and it seems that the file management is touchy so I don't want to do anything that I cannot reverse. I still have no idea where this folder or this file is - I've done searches with no luck. It should be in the same place that I drilled down to, but its not.

I do appreciate the help. This is a great game, but the file management stuff is seriously flawed in my opinion.

Thanks

B

You should be in good shape now. Your scenario was placed under the Documents tree into Custom files.
To play it, press the Play Scenario button on your Main Screen. You'll have a choice of 3 tabs:
Scenario, Custom Scenario, Saved Game.
Choose the Custom Scenario tab, this should point directly to your Custom files folder stored in the Directory tree.
It will just show the folders, but that's OK, since your scenario is in a folder 1941 Cape Matapan.

I have 16 folders in my Custom files folder -- these are the ones I downloaded off this forum.

I know what you are saying about the file interface. I would use the term: "bare bones"

You can use the Win 11 file explorer to browse to your folders if that feels more natural.

Hope this helps

OMG!!!!
My bad!!! I see what is going on.

Under your Documents > My Games > Rule the Waves 3 >
you have two (2) folders (!)
One folder is "Custom files"
The other folder is "Custom Files"

Only the ........\Documents\My Games\Rule the Waves 3\Custom Files\ is legit.
I recommend copying the scenario folders inside "Custom files" over to "Custom Files"
Then test everything.
At some stage you may wish to delete the "Custom files" folder. But only do that when you are
completely comfortable with how things are working.

Sorry, I should have caught this sooner....

OK that did it. Thank you!

I appreciate the help.

B