Solved A bit of strange: no bombs for sale, or any ships of any class.

[Blind Owl]

Since discovering this site & these mods I've been like a kid with a new toy, recklessly charging in & altering this, that & the other thing in various config. files. Having had my fun & paid the price (crashes, freezes, glitches, the usual), I know when it's time to surrender & ask for help.

After a fresh install and a bit of minor tinkering with the in-game configuration menu and the 'Internal Settings' file, I'm still unable to buy bombs anywhere; and when I visit a shipyard, no other vessels are on offer. I'm hoping someone can at least finger the likely suspects & point the way to a possible solution.

Any help would be, as always, greatly appreciated. (damn, I like these piratical smilies).

 

[Blind Owl]

Not-unrelated postscript: if anyone knows & can tell me which changes take effect only on starting a new game (it seems that bar brawls and crew envy are among them), and which can be implemented on the fly (like toggling immortality via the quest files that set or reset it), I'm sure it would be useful to everyone.

I'd also like to know how to install mods that aren't included in the main download, e.g. Armada's Steam Frigate. Does one simply dump the files in what appear to be the appropriate directories? Or append/merge them somehow?

Lastly, I'm wondering if changing a ship's values (speed, turning radius, max. cannons, number of bow & stern chasers etc.) is as easy as it looks. Or is there a controlling file somewhere that says 'Uh-uh, that doesn't compute?). God, the things I don't know...(*sob*)

[ edit/p.p.s.: I'd also like to know why (when I'm in island waters) messages flash up telling me that a certain ship ship type can't be found & the game engine is substituting some default/generic vessel. Um, OK...I guess...but it would be nice to know what's up with that. ]

[ further edit/p.p.p.s: Holy smoke, more weirdness! Now, when my char. is in a fight, she can only block and her firerarm won't fire. Curiouser and curiouser... ]

 

[DavyJack]

Check this out: http://www.piratesahoy.net/threads/cheats-build-14.20877/ - download the file and maybe there are some there you might like.

Oh and for the "Bombs Not For Sale" problem, they really aren't for sale and I don't know why.
But if you want it to be available in any stores, go to PROGRAMS\STORE\initGoods.c
Edit using Notepad, scroll down to the Bombs section, there, remove the entire line saying that its not available in any stores. I'm sorry but I forgot what the line says, I already removed it form my initGoods.c file. I'm sure you'll figure that out. But just in case, your initGoods.c file's bomb section should look like this:

    Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Name        = "Bombs";
    Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Cost      = 1 * GOODS_PRICE_SCALAR; // Sulan  (50)
    Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Weight    = 1;
    Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Units     = 20;
    if(USE_REAL_CANNONS) // fort-specific heated shot.
    {
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].SpeedV0   = 1.0;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].DamageHull  = 15.0; // NK, since 42's are nerfed. Was 10 for KNB.
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].DamageRig   = 4.0;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].DamageCrew  = 1.25;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Dispersion.X = 2.0;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Dispersion.Y = 6.0;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Dispersion.V = 0.03;
    }
    else
    {
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].SpeedV0        = 0.8;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].DamageHull    = 9.0;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].DamageRig    = 4.0;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].DamageCrew    = 1.5;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Dispersion.X = 1.0;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Dispersion.Y = 3.0;
        Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].Dispersion.V = 0.03;
    }
    Goods[GOOD_BOMBS].skip = true;

 

[Skyworm]

Cheers,

the Bombs are not for sale at shops because they should not be a very common weapon. I think this is for realisms sake.
Perhaps this can be altered at some realism settings, never tried, for I always considered them somewhat overpowered.

But they are in the game even at high realism settings. You can get them when dealing with smugglers. Right after the usual trade with them, there is an option about asking them for supllies. They then offer a surprise package which they just gathered at the beach. This mostly contains sail und planks and some food and rum, and, on rare occasion, a number of bombs.

This way they are available, but as a very rare and somewhat expensive weapon, that shall only be used in dire need.

 

[Blind Owl]

Thanks! I'll muck around some more & try to figure out what's up with my latest installation. At least I took the precaution of making several clean backups this time around...

 

[Hylie Pistof]

Uh ohh. That install is sick. You are having too many strange problems.

About the bombs. I did not know it is possible to buy them from the smugglers. I get them in 2 places. One is the random dismasted hulk sometimes has them, and in the forts, one can sometimes get lucky and "persuade" a civilian to supply them to your ship.

About the shipyard. Is this every shipyard? It is rare but I have seen shipyards with no ships. The next one does have ships tho.

The steam ship IS in the game in its appropriate time frame. If you want it in an earlier period, then you will have to use the console.

Yes you can mod a ship in the shipsinit.c. But there are already some crazy fast ships in the game if one knows where to look. Have you visited Vanderdecken yet?

You can only block? Try deleting the options file in your POTC folder. You will have to reset your options again, but it might help.

 

[Skyworm]

At least I thought it was at the smugglers. I know I've got bombs somewhere and that was my best guess. It can be from those wrecks too. Or maybe both ... I shall take a closer look after next smuggling.

 

[Blind Owl]

Yeah, this install seems to have turned pathological on me. No worries, though, plenty more where that came from.

The 'can't fight' problem was the result of rearranging the controls to my liking (I'm a lefty, so the W-A-S-D combination is a serious pain). They looked OK on screen, but obviously weren't. Some further rearranging cured that.

But none of the shipyards has any ships for sale, even though I de-ranked them all (-1) in InternalSettings.h by way of an experiment. I wonder if it's related to the 'Error Loading Ship, Substituting Default' messages I've been getting in coastal waters. Sometimes there's a whole stack of them, so I presume all the tiddlers sailing around might have been something more formidable. Beats the heck out of me since I haven't touched any ship files in this install.

In the version I deleted yesterday, I thought editing Amsterdam's values might have caused the 'Error loading' problem, but it turns out my changes weren't to blame. Oh, well. Guess I'll muddle through somehow.

Cheers, eh?

edit/p.s.: I'll also try downloading the mod files again. Maybe my 1st D/L dropped a few noughts along the way.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

None at all? That is bad. Yeah, a new download might be called for. Sorry to hear your problems.

 

[Green Jacket]

About the bombs. I did not know it is possible to buy them from the smugglers. I get them in 2 places. One is the random dismasted hulk sometimes has them, and in the forts, one can sometimes get lucky and "persuade" a civilian to supply them to your ship.

Random dismasted hulk? errrr you on about the well known person in the well known place? Or is this somewhere else? Think I need clarification

Also how do you not get attacked in a fort? lol
or get stuck.... I've known a couple of forts are impossible to get out off... Moral of the story... SAVE OFTEN!!

 

[DavyJack]

You can only block? Try deleting the options file in your POTC folder. You will have to reset your options again, but it might help.

Indeed. And it is best to always delete your "options" file located in your main game folder every time you update your game to a newer BUILD MOD.
..oh and try not to tweak the InternalSettings.h file a lot, that damn thing is sensitive, I had troubles back then because of my modifications in that file..

EDIT:

Also how do you not get attacked in a fort? lol

Not get attacked in a fort....hmmmnn...try raising a fake flag?
- but make sure you change flags where they can't see it or before making sail if you're already in the hostile nation's town and trying to escape a fight.
You can choose what flag to raise in the Relations Tab. (F2)

 

[Blind Owl]

So much for that idea: I re-downloaded the Build 14 files in case my first d/l was corrupt, then made a bright shiny new installation. No improvement, in fact now I'm losing officers on top of everything else (no ships for sale anywhere, "Can't load ship, substituting default" error messages when I enter coastal cells). I hire some bloke & he sticks around for a couple of voyages, then mysteriously disappears. I leave them parked on board, so I only notice when I go to check my passenger list. The first mate's bunk is still warm but nobody's in it.

Even the otherwise useless Artois Voisey gorched on me, turning up dead in the jungle when he was only supposed to be stunned. And not a mugger in sight. I still got the quest update, though that didn't cheer me up much. Seems to me I shouldn't have got it at all.

It might help if I had been around to see how these mods have grown in size, complexity, and--no doubt--interdependencies (I think that's a word. If not, it should be ). As it is, I'm floundering. Can't tell which file does what, never mind how. For instance, I notice this at the top of InternalSettings.h:

"NOTE! All actual int and float values are overridden in function InitOpenSeaMod() in PROGRAM\NK.c"

Okay, so I peek in NK.c and find the appropriate section, but I'm still not sure who's doing what to whom, or why. Does it mean there's no point in editing that portion of InternalSettings.h? Would I want to fiddle with NK.c instead? Hmm, something tells me it's probably a bad idea...

I realize this is starting to sound like an extended snivel, but I'm seriously beefaloed. For me at least, mucking around with mods is a big part of the fun, though experience has taught me to proceed with caution, save often, and back up everything, everything, everything.

Question : has the handy-dandy installer ever been known to drop a digit, or skip a file? Would running it more than once be a kind of insurance, or an invitation to disaster?

@ Davy Jack : shucks, I haven't been here long enough to worry about updates (only found out about this site a week or 2 ago). If and when Build 14 gets updated, I won't try to pour new wine in the old wineskin, I'll just toast the previous.

Cheers, everyone, I'll muddle through this somehow. I did it with Morrowind, and I can damned well do it with POTC! Arr, indeed.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

So a new DL didn't help? Is your stock POTC disk scratched? This game has memory leaks and can frag a hard drive pretty quickly. Lotsa maintenance helps a bunch. Do you have Nero and/or Ffdshow installed?

In my experience Artois Voisey ends up dead in the jungle when you first complete his quest and then go back there with him as one of your land officers, because he will run off again and get his silly self killed.

The Open Sea mod overrides the standard values so they work for that mod. If you do not use the OS mod nothing changes. There is no need to go to the NK.c.

We tested the installer for months. I used it weekly for months as Pieter was putting up new versions weekly for months. It just works, and I am appalled and alarmed at all of the troubles others are having.

All of the POTC installs on my hard drives come straight from the MODDB just like everyone else. You can try the installer again. There is even an option that you can install only the part 1 so the main files do not have to be installed again unless you want them to be installed again.

 

[Blind Owl]

I doubt if the installer is to blame, I'm more or less grabbing at straws. As for a scratched original, I doubt if that's the case either: I've kept a pristine unmodded installation (2 in fact, one marked POTC BACKUP! DO NOT PLAY!) and it seems to work as usual...meaning badly, of course, like the seriously-flawed-but-promising original game. Still, I may be able to check out that possibility & cure it if necessary.

Memory leaks, yeah, Bethesda games are notorious for that. Even though POTC wasn't developed by them, they probably left their paw marks all over it . Can't do anything about that, obviously, but ever since I saw your warning about hard drive fragging I've been defragging religiously. Surprised I haven't worn out my C: drive yet...or maybe I have. I don't know what Nero and Ffdshow are, but will check them out as soon as I get off this soap box.

But did I miss something? On ModDB, only two files are shown as needed: "b14_beta3_installer.exe" (labelled Part 1: Installation Wizard) and "b14_beta3_full.7z" (labelled Part 2, Contents Archive). And when I run the installer, I haven't seen any option to do a partial. If I'm missing some essential files, that would certainly explain a lot!

As always:

 

[Hylie Pistof]

But there is an option to install all files or just the installer files. They are called update files. The main files are the Part 2 files and the update files are the Part 1 files with the latest updates added. Uncheck the main files and you will get just the EXE and its files.

 

[Green Jacket]

Not get attacked in a fort....hmmmnn...try raising a fake flag?
- but make sure you change flags where they can't see it or before making sail if you're already in the hostile nation's town and trying to escape a fight.
You can choose what flag to raise in the Relations Tab. View attachment 14650 (F2)

Does that really work? I swear I've done that or had a LOM and still been attacked when I've been asked what I'm doing in the fort by a soldier..... might give it another try.

 

[Blind Owl]

But there is an option to install all files or just the installer files. They are called update files. The main files are the Part 2 files and the update files are the Part 1 files with the latest updates added. Uncheck the main files and you will get just the EXE and its files.
View attachment 14660

Okay, now I see what you mean. Don't know whether I'm sorry or glad I didn't futz that up. It would have been nice--though embarrassing--if I had merely overlooked some essential component, but it seems I haven't. Next time for sure!

Anyhow, since this seems to be just one of them things, I should probably call it 'solved' until further notice. Haven't lost an officer in the last couple of voyages, so maybe it's healing itself hoho.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

When inside a fort is is a good idea to NOT talk to any soldiers. Now those civilians wandering around.................

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Not-unrelated postscript: if anyone knows & can tell me which changes take effect only on starting a new game (it seems that bar brawls and crew envy are among them), and which can be implemented on the fly (like toggling immortality via the quest files that set or reset it), I'm sure it would be useful to everyone.

It depends whether they are intialized on game start or not. Generally speaking, most changes DO require a new game to be started.
We do have the F11 button to Reinitialize various files, which is mainly effective for changing ship stats from ships_init.c on the fly.
Note that your own ship won't update, until you re-give it to yourself. You can use this line in PROGRAM\console.c for that:

GiveShip2Character(pchar,pchar.ship.type,pchar.ship.name,-1,PIRATE,true,true);

Remove the \\ in front, save the file and press F12 in the game to execute.
You can use this same file for doing basically anything you might want; the challenge is knowing what to type in there.

Remember you can use the Cheatmode for immortality as well. Much easier than changing code files.

I'd also like to know how to install mods that aren't included in the main download, e.g. Armada's Steam Frigate. Does one simply dump the files in what appear to be the appropriate directories? Or append/merge them somehow?

Whatever "Armada's Steam Frigate" is, I'm pretty sure it IS included in the main download. In fact, the whole point of the Build Mod is that pretty much everything already IS included.
Replacing files can always be done, but if you add new stuff, the code files have to be appended to include the code for them.

Lastly, I'm wondering if changing a ship's values (speed, turning radius, max. cannons, number of bow & stern chasers etc.) is as easy as it looks. Or is there a controlling file somewhere that says 'Uh-uh, that doesn't compute?). God, the things I don't know...(*sob*)

Changing the number of cannons is tricky because those cannons must match the number of cannons in the model files.

[ edit/p.p.s.: I'd also like to know why (when I'm in island waters) messages flash up telling me that a certain ship ship type can't be found & the game engine is substituting some default/generic vessel. Um, OK...I guess...but it would be nice to know what's up with that. ]

That is a message for testing purposes. If it happens, please post your compile.log file on the forum staight away so we can check it.

But none of the shipyards has any ships for sale, even though I de-ranked them all (-1) in InternalSettings.h by way of an experiment.

Those values only control whether you are allowed to BUY the ships, but are unrelated to them appearing or not.

I wonder if it's related to the 'Error Loading Ship, Substituting Default' messages I've been getting in coastal waters.

No, it's not. Whenever that message shows up, a ship WILL still be generated. Basically, for gameplay purposes, that message doesn't mean much.
However, it does indicate an issue with the ship appearance chance values and could indicate that you encounter less variety in ships than we would want.

I notice this at the top of InternalSettings.h:

"NOTE! All actual int and float values are overridden in function InitOpenSeaMod() in PROGRAM\NK.c"

Okay, so I peek in NK.c and find the appropriate section, but I'm still not sure who's doing what to whom, or why. Does it mean there's no point in editing that portion of InternalSettings.h? Would I want to fiddle with NK.c instead?

Exactly right. For those values, you have to edit NK.c . Do you really need to though? They're only related to the size of the worldmap for the DirectSail functionality.

Question : has the handy-dandy installer ever been known to drop a digit, or skip a file? Would running it more than once be a kind of insurance, or an invitation to disaster?

There are a couple of things that could mess up the installation:
1. Corrupted/incomplete .7z archive file
2. Windows Security Stupidity not allowing the installer to run properly

However, those are consistent faults that would usually result in your game not starting at all.
Running the installer several times 'just to be sure' should make no difference at all.

Okay, now I see what you mean. Don't know whether I'm sorry or glad I didn't futz that up. It would have been nice--though embarrassing--if I had merely overlooked some essential component, but it seems I haven't. Next time for sure!

The installer is set up so that it won't allow you to install it wrong.
If you, for example, try to install ONLY the Update files on a clean game install, it will give an error message.
Of course that still hasn't prevented things from going wrong (apparently nothing CAN prevent it), but it IS set up to do that.

Anyhow, since this seems to be just one of them things, I should probably call it 'solved' until further notice. Haven't lost an officer in the last couple of voyages, so maybe it's healing itself hoho.

I think someone reported 'disappearing officers' before, but we never could replicate it or figure out how, why and when it happened.

 

[Blind Owl]

Thank you for the detailed response, Pieter! Wow, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude, not only to you but to all our helpful fellow inmates.

Much of my head-scratching has been due to unfamiliarity with these mods, what's been done & what remains to be done, how they relate to each other (or don't necessarily), etc. etc., the usual 'huh? wha?' response of the relative newbie. Plus I tend to RTFM* only when all else fails.

[ * That's "Read The F******g Manual," in case anyone who sees this doesn't know what the acronym stands for. ]

As I said elsewhere, I'm reasonably familiar with e.g. the Morrowind Construction Kit & how Morrowind mods work (or don't necessarily), and how to install & even tweak them to suit my tastes. Too bad Akella and Bethesda didn't provide something like the CK for Pirates of the Caribbean. Wouldn't that have been lovely? But it seems POTC was something of an opportunistic money grab, at least for Bethesda.

Little by little, though, I'm puzzling out the rudiments as and when I have the time and the motivation. Warts and all, POTC is a hell of a lot more fun now than it was in its larval state.

As ever, !!!!

p.s./edit/afterthought (again as usual): I wonder if the epoch--1750s, 1660s, whatever--could be responsible for the nonappearance of certain types of ships and their substitution. For example, except for Sovereign of the Seas I haven't seen any ships of the line, English or French, since installing Build 14. And not one snazzy red corvette, which is kind of a sentimental favorite with me. Way back when, before I even knew how to cheat, I actually managed to snuff the ghost galleon with one of those babies and nothing else. Whew, that was a job and a half!