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Solved PotC Base game will not launch

F

Foxler

Landlubber
Hello there,

This is my first post on this community and I admit that I do so in complete exasperation. In a recent bout of nostalgia I thought I'd boot up my old copying of Pirates of the Caribbean, maybe even try this excellent looking mod I'd heard of.

Unfortunately my issue is that the game will not even launch. Upon running ENGINE.exe nothing happens, looking at the processes under Windows task manager shows the engine process appear and disappear again within seconds.

I have tried many of the solutions posted online, many from this very site, including; installing not in program files but under C/games/pirates, running in compatibility mode for Windows xp (service pack 2), disabling desktop composition and visual themes, running the executable as an administrator, changing my screen resolution and even trying the swiftshader Intel graphics fix even though I am on an nvidia card (I was getting desperate).

I have prodded and poked, uninstalled and reinstalled over a course of many hours in several days and I have conceded I should ask help of those who understand this game best, Could you please help me fix my game?



My PC specifications are:
Windows 7 home premium 64 nit
Intel i5 3.30ghz quad core CPU
8gb Ram
Nvidia gtx 780 gpu

As a side note I also tried running it on my laptop, also a windows 7, for the exact same result.

I hope you are able to help me out as I do miss my seafaring adventures, and I would like to give the mod a go, and maybe get involved in the modding scene at a later date.

Cheers~
 
Hi my friend !! welcome to the community !!!
i have almost the same PC spec exempte for the ram i have about 6 !!!
i have potc installed ( well all of my games) in the E(or D-or anything else outside of C) try that if it works for you great!!!
if not i will try to help you more !!!
maybe you can give a screenshot on what will happen when you lunch the game
(and i guess from what you said you don't have the mod pack installed do you ??)
 
Thank you for the welcome, I do not have the mod pack installed no, I thought it better to try and get the Base game working first. I don't have any other hard drives I'm afraid, do you think it would run off a flash drive?
 
no need for that
we can get it to work in C drive as all people have it working .
(i had this problem a long time ago i think but i don't remember how i fixed it XD so i'll try my best to help you)
so you have it installed in C:/games/Potc
so here what i'm thinking to seggest
did you take a look here
New Horizons FAQ | PiratesAhoy!
and did you try microsoft toolkit for fix ?
 
When you get the chance, use the Error Logging option mentioned in the FAQ.
 
I enabled logging as described on the faq page but no logs seem to generate.
I'm working with the compatibility administrator now but finding the program bloody confusing.
None of the standard fixes seem to work and I am yet to find the mentioned list of 'every game ever made'
 
Last edited:
If you get no log files, I'm afraid Windows Security Stupidity is still somehow messing you up.
 
Are you running the game with the disc inserted, or without? We've found that the base game doesn't run without the disc on Windows 10, and that may also apply to Windows 7.
The fix in this case is to install the Build Mod, which has a "no CD" patch.
 
I do have the disk, however it does not seem to run from the disk so perhaps this is the issue, I recall having issues running dvds on my cd drive so perhaps this is the issue. I shall try to download the build mod and see if that sorts it.

Although in retrospect, it didn't run on my laptop which certainly has a working cd drive either. Although again, the disk is old, it might just be knackered.

I have also managed to find the game list in compatibility manager and found the described fix, I am attempting to apply it but it is a strange program.
 
If things didn't work for you I would be happy to give you an old copy I have with a no cd patch / crack to try it might work for you
But I hope the fixes works
 
The build mod has worked, I have finally been able to play the game :)

Thank you all so much for your help. My only issue now is that there is a lot of changes to get used to, either my skill at the game has lessened a lot over the years or the mod has made the game much more difficult!

I have a few niggles with the mod here and there, but as opposed to not being able to play the game at all, it's a huge step up. I believe that my disk must just be too worn to run the game anymore (but not to install it oddly enough)
 
Foxler said:
The build mod has worked, I have finally been able to play the game :)

Thank you all so much for your help. My only issue now is that there is a lot of changes to get used to, either my skill at the game has lessened a lot over the years or the mod has made the game much more difficult!

I have a few niggles with the mod here and there, but as opposed to not being able to play the game at all, it's a huge step up. I believe that my disk must just be too worn to run the game anymore (but not to install it oddly enough)
Click to expand...
happy to hear that my friend and hope you enjoy the build more !!!
if you need help just ask and we will be happy to help you !!
 
Foxler said:
Thank you all so much for your help. My only issue now is that there is a lot of changes to get used to, either my skill at the game has lessened a lot over the years or the mod has made the game much more difficult!
Click to expand...
The Build Mod does add rather a lot of complexity. But if you find it a bit "too much", there are many toggles available to simplify things again.
One that definitely simplifies things a lot is to set the game to Arcade in the Realism Mode options menu.
New Game required for that to work as intended.
 
Hi there! :)

I had the same problem to get the base game running as well. The culprit is that Microsoft made an update (KB3086255) that prevents older games from functioning.

For more information please read this article: Windows Vista/7/8 update prevents some old CD-ROM games from running

There are a few simple solutions, I myself deinstalled the upgrade and everything works as it should. Well, I guess this info could be worth mentioning in the FAQ.


Anyway, I'd like to thank all this great people around here who made this awesome mod. I have alot of fun playing.

Hats off to you, Ladies and Gentlemen! :)
 
Is this the update that basically requires you to install the mod (with No-CD patch) so that the game DOES actually work?
 
Darby McGraw said:
Actually there's nothing else to do than to install the mod.
Click to expand...
Probably it would even work by replacing the ENGINE.exe with the one from the mod, installing nothing else.
Then you'd effectively have the base game anyway. Stupid Windows 10!
 
Didn't try that. But installing a simple "No CD"-Patch worked as well. However this is not only a Win 10 issue. That update concerns Windows Vista/7/8 too.
 
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