Faulty maps from The Terminal?

[proudcanadian]

Hello to all fellow RT3 players out there. I finally upgraded my old PC and I'm now playing RT3 and enjoying every minute of it. Anyway, I still have to use the old PC for internet because I haven't hooked the new one up yet. I've been downloading maps from The Terminal and using a zip drive to transfer them to the new computer. Yet for some reason quite a few of the maps I've downloaded are partially loading in the game, then the screen goes blank, and an error report comes up saying the game needs to close, sorry for the inconveniance, blah blah blah. Anyone else experience similar problems, or have a solution. Here's a list of the maps that don't work.
Across the Blue Mountains
Berlin City
GDR 1962
Roman Empire Map
5 Great Lakes- Tycooning III
Athabasca
Canada Bound!
Castro's Cuba
Denver & Western
Disasters in Alaska
Of Men and Seals
The North-East Corridor
Utah & James Hill
Warming Trend

Thanks everyone!

[Knave]

How is your jump drive system working with maps from this site? Other than the question I only have to say I like your signature. I'm in Alaska. Since you are so far east you maybe one of those foreigners that eat with your fork upside down. Either way welcome.

[proudcanadian]

I haven't actually downloaded any maps from this site yet! (Yeah, I know, I'm just kind of saving the best for last! :D ) But it's worth a shot. I'll give it a try.

[Knave]

Hawk has worked very hard to aquire and maintain the map choices we all have here. And it shows. There is quite a bunch here. Someone will come along much smarter than I to answer your tech questions. Sorta like Billy old goat gruff.

[proudcanadian]

Well, I tried downloading the files from this site. THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED!!! I don't understand why it is only those certain maps that don't work. It just doesn't make any sense. Any comments?

[Gwizz]

I wonder if the zip drive is causing a corruption in some of the maps.

Some maps are more sensitive than others and may react differently
in the zip drive.

1. Depending upon how many changes were made in production.
(It seems like a memory is left of something removed causing
a crash) OR
2. The map asks the computer to make many tests at a given point.
(This may overload the computer processing causing a crash)

These are just guesses.

If you networked the two computers you could move the maps without using the Zip drive to see if that cures the problem. Or just download directly to the bigger computer.

[milo]

Could also be the game itself - maybe RT3.exe is slightly bad. Is there one particular feature or event type that these maps share and others don't?

[proudcanadian]

I've sometimes thought that the zip drive could be part of the problem. For some reason, the old computer doesn't always eject the disk, and I have to pull it out. This might be what is causing the problem. I'm hoping I'll get enough time to hook the new coumputer up soon, so I could eliminate the problem altogether.

[Hawk]

Are you transferring the maps in zip format or unzipping before transferring to the zip drive?
The reason I ask is because if it's not zipped when you transfer it to the zip drive the attributes for the gmp file are automatically set to read only and that won't work.

[proudcanadian]

No, I always download the zip files directly to the drive, then unzip them, then take the drive out, put it in the other computer, move the .gmp files to the maps folder, and that's it.

[Hawk]

If you're unzipping them onto the zip drive then you're more than likely doing the same thing. You're setting the attributes to read only.
Try unzipping on the new computer instead of the zip drive.

[proudcanadian]

That's probably the solution, but there's only one small problem...

WINZIP ISN'T INSTALLED ON THE NEW COMPUTER!!

If I get some time, I'll install it, and try it out, and then report back with my findings.

[Hawk]

If the new computer runs XP, it has a zipping utility built into the OS. Not the best in the world but will suffice until you can get WinZip installed.

[proudcanadian]

Yep, I'm using XP, so I'll look for it. Thanks Hawk!

[proudcanadian]

Yet again, another failure...

I downloaded the 'Across the Blue Mountains' file from this site, I found the zip program, and everything went okay, then when I started the game, went to try the map, once again, it started to load, and got to 'loading track line database' then the error report came up.

I don't have the slightest clue of what's going on! One thing I'm starting to notice, however, is that the maps stop loading at either track line database, or player database. Could this have something to do with it?

[Hawk]

Do you have the Coast to Coast Expansion and the 1.05 patch installed?

If not, you can find them both here.
The Coast to Coast Expansion is about 119 mb download and should be installed before the 1.05 patch.

[proudcanadian]

Actually, I don't. Ironically, that's what I thought the problem might have been in the first place, but since none of them are listed as requiring Coast to Coast so I didn't bother. When I'm thinking about it, I'll download them and give it ANOTHER try!

[Hawk]

I tried to note which maps required the C to C expansion and/or the 1.05 patch but a lot of them don't mention their necessity in the read me's and that's pretty much all I had to go on. :?

[proudcanadian]

Yesterday, I got the time to download C to C, I put it on the new computer, and.....

SUCCESS!!!


A big goes out to everyone who helped me figure this out!

[Hawk]

Great!
Glad to hear you got the maps working.
I s'pose I should make a little more effort to note which maps require the C to C expansion and the 1.05 patch, but right now my time is a little less than abundant.
I'm attempting to venture out into new financial horizons creating web sites. Got my first customer and things are going good. I hope to have another customer soon. Sure beats doing electrical work but does limit my time behind this computer. After 'bout 8 hours of working on that web site I'm ready for the couch.
Don't worry folks. I'm not abandoning my site. Just trying to put some bread on the table to keep Badger happy.
Since my knees and back seem to be gettin' on in the years a lot faster than me I had to find some way to feed the little woman, and me too.