starting from scratch

[Hawkwind]

Hi there, it's me again

First let me say my laptop is running win7

OK so I managed to install BZ2 from my disc and got it running as a basic game by running it in xp.

So I had a clean install from a BZ2 disc

I would really like to play the forgotten enemies version, so I downloaded the FE patch 'Forgotten Enemies by the BZ2CP for 1.3.6.2' using the FE 1.3 installer.

I have got it to install on my laptop but from what I remember from years ago, it used to install a short-cut from the desk-top to play the FE version of BZ2, this is not there. If I go into start>all programs>battlezone2(file) there is a file named FE13 click this> there is 'battlezone II (editor) with forgotten enemies' and 'battlezone II with forgotten enemies1.3 If I click on either of these it just searches and then brings me back to the FE installation?

Can you guys help me to install FE properly, or get it playing from what I have downloaded already? Or point me to any patches I need?

I know I'm a complete idiot and computer Neanderthal, but please help a fellow fan of the game!!

If you hold my hand though it, I'll be forever grateful!

[General BlackDragon]

RD probably forgot to make a shortcut in the installer because he assumes everyone knows how.

Since some people don't, here's what YOU do:

1: Copy your Battlezone II shortcut, and name the copy Forgotten Enemies, or dingledonglebinglespangle, whatever you want to call it.

2: Right click it, go to Properties.

3: In the "Target" line, at the end after the ", add a space and then: /config FE13.cfg

Default install path should be like this:

"C:\Program Files\Battlezone II\bzone.exe" /config FE13.cfg

Point the shortcut from bzone.exe to bz2edit.exe to make an Editor version of FE.

4: Hit apply.

5: Enjoy.

[GSH]

RD's latest installers for FE (not .zips) properly create shortcuts. I made a mod installer template so that people didn't have to make shortcuts or anything else. My template does *not* leave a shortcut on the desktop, because I believe in clean, simple desktops. In real life and on computers. The shortcuts go under the start menu.

If you're using Win7, the start menu is quite searchable - just press and release the windows key and start typing, e.g. "battlezone" without quotes. If XP/Vista, look in Start -> Program Files -> Battlezone II. You can always copy a shortcut out of the start menu and onto your desktop if you really must do that.

-- GSH

[MrsGSH]

I believe in clean, simple desktops. In real life and on computers.
-- GSH

Folks, this is so true. True love is him putting up with my side of the office.

[Zax]

Is it like this http://www.gagful.com/uploads/2012_4/13 ... om_gag.jpg

[Red Spot]

In a way I can actually apreciate 'seeing' that

Folks, this is so true. True love is him putting up with my side of the office.

Just put icons on the [x] side of your desktop and than increase the size so the icons fall outside the visible range of your screen.
([x] being on the opposite side of where you keep your taskbar so you dont lose the startbutton or time)
How you would do that on a real desktop I havent yet figured out

[Hawkwind]

Hi there, Thanks for the replies, however I think I may not have made myself clear.

I don't want to create a short cut on my desktop, I just want to be able to play FE.

I have downloaded the FE file from here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6 and opened it and follower the steps given. But it has made no difference to the game itself.

If I open the game from the BZ2 short-cut that the disc installed all I get is the basic game.

If I click start>all programs>battlezone2 there is the file FE13 if I click on this there are 2 options but each one just opens the install program
not the game itself??

Is there a special way to install the program that I'm not doing? On windows xp it was automatic and it did it all by itself, but Windows7
seems to be more complicated

[Ded10c]

You need to create the shortcut in order to play FE. It can be anywhere, doesn't have to be your desktop.

[General BlackDragon]

The instructions I gave tell you how to create a shortcut to launch BZ2 using FE.

Most mods do not directly modify the game by default, or you wouldn't be able to play normal BZ2 online. You have to choose which mod to tell the game to launch with.

[Red Spot]

On windows xp it was automatic and it did it all by itself, but Windows7
seems to be more complicated

Mind if I giggle like a little girl for a while

[Hawkwind]

Thanks for you help, I think I'm almost there, but not quite.

OK General BlackDragon, thank you for your instructions, sorry I misunderstood them.

Managed to copy the BZ2 desktop icon and renamed it have added the /config FE13.cfg to the target line. However I noticed
my target line reads

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Battlezone II\bzone.exe" /config FE13.cfg

rather than

"C:\Program Files\Battlezone II\bzone.exe" /config FE13.cfg

There is a spare (x86) that was already there? If I remove the (x86) my computer tells me the name in the target box is not valid and if I launch it with the (x86) still there it just launches the normal game.

Also sorry but I don't understand the last part of instruction 3

'Point the shortcut from bzone.exe to bz2edit.exe to make an Editor version of FE'.

Is this needed to play the game and if so, how do I do it?

Thank you for taking the time out to help.

[General BlackDragon]

The path is different on your PC. You could have BZ2 installed anywhere, that is the location of where YOURS is. (This is editable when you are installing the game, and the window that mentions directory comes up, you can "browse' to choose a different install location.) I simply cited the default location for example purposes.

The editor shortcut is if you wanted to use BZ2's map editor with FE. (Ctr+E in game), it is optional.


Detailed explanation of C:\Program Files\ vs C:\Program Files(x86)\:

Computers operate at a certain bit transfer rate, 32 bit format. This has been the standard for years. However, with new technology, the standard has been upgraded. Windows XP had an seperate 64bit format version of it, but was rarely used. Windows Vista came in standard 64bit on most computers when it was released. Same with Windows 7. There are 32bit versions of these, however.

In a 64bit operating system, such as Windows 7, it creates two Program Files folders. The (x86) is the label of what a 32bit OS is, so you have (x86) and (x64) Os's? Not sure why it's called that, but anyway.

Programs written for computers are written in 16, 32 or 64 bit format. Most programs you use are still in 32bit format. Some have patches which add support and/or compatibility to make them work properly on 64bit Operating systems. However, Windows Vista/7 also has some of it's own backwards compatibility too. The \Program Files(x86)\ folder is where programs that are 32bit are installed, and this tells the computer to treat them as 32bit programs.

The normal \Program Files\ folder doesn't have anything special done to it, so it defaults to running those programs as 64bit.

The reason the autorun.exe in the Battlezone II CD doesn't work on a Windows 64bit install is because that particular launcher is a 16bit program, and simply cannot run on a 64bit computer. So, you have to manually navigate to and run setup.exe, which is 32bit. This is an example of one such compatibility problem. Other, especially older games, don't handle properly in Windows 64bit either. Battlezone 1 was lucky enough to have Ken come and make a patch that helps it handle on 64bit OS's, and several older games have some patches or community made patches that work around their compatibility issues.

Hope that explains that...If anything I said here is incorrect, somebody please let me know

[Nielk1]

Computers operate at a certain bit transfer rate

Bit Depth, not transfer rate. It is the size of the memory addresses in bits.
A 32 bit system has 32 bits, or 2^32 memory addresses, and a 64 bit system has 64 bits or 2^64 memory addresses. Older 32 programs can be run in a 64 bit OS, but they have to be run with some sort of compatibility, just as 16 bit programs can be run in a 32 bit OS.

IIRC, 32bit runs on processors of the x86 family and 64bit on processors of the x64 family. The processors in 64 bit machines are actually x64-86 processors, hence why 32 bit programs can be used. The processors in 32 bit computers tend to be x86-16. It seems that the number 86 (the x## format comes from AMD though was later adapted by Intel) might be related to Intel's i386, though on that matter I can't say for sure and I don't feel like looking it up.

[S.cavA.rmyG.en]

Computers operate at a certain bit transfer rate

Bit Depth, not transfer rate. It is the size of the memory addresses in bits.
A 32 bit system has 32 bits, or 2^32 memory addresses, and a 64 bit system has 64 bits or 2^64 memory addresses. Older 32 programs can be run in a 64 bit OS, but they have to be run with some sort of compatibility, just as 16 bit programs can be run in a 32 bit OS.

IIRC, 32bit runs on processors of the x86 family and 64bit on processors of the x64 family. The processors in 64 bit machines are actually x64-86 processors, hence why 32 bit programs can be used. The processors in 32 bit computers tend to be x86-16. It seems that the number 86 (the x## format comes from AMD though was later adapted by Intel) might be related to Intel's i386, though on that matter I can't say for sure and I don't feel like looking it up.

[GSH]

It seems that the number 86 (the x## format comes from AMD though was later adapted by Intel) might be related to Intel's i386, though on that matter I can't say for sure and I don't feel like looking it up.

No, it's the instruction set started with the 8086, which is close to the Z80 family of microprocessors. 8086 was a 16 bit chip (registers and external memory bus), while 8088 was the cheaper variant introduced soon afterwards that processed machine code the same, but had a 8-bit external memory bus. IBM PC (originals) were 4.77Mhz 8086 and some cheaper knockoffs were 8088s. The 80186 was rarely seen in PCs; the IBM PC AT was the first to use the 80206 -- still a 16-bit chip, but had some additional features. The Intel 80386 ran in either 16 bit or 32 bit registers with instruction set extensions, but PCs rarely used 32-bit mode at the time. The 80386 SX was a 386 with a 16-bit memory bus, and the 80386DX was the same with a 32-bit memory bus. Wider memory busses allow more data to be transferred per clock cycle, but had more pins and traces on the motherboard, so they cost more. The 386 could switch between 16 bit and 32 bit modes fairly easily.

AMD64 is an extension of the x86 ISA (Instruction Set Architecture), guaranteeing support for the SSE1 and SSE2 extensions, which were first introduced on the Pentium III and Pentium IV, respectively. AMD64 allows fairly easy switching between 32 and 64 bit registers; it does not allow dropping from 64 to 16 bit mode.

-- GSH