Which download?

[Grey Roger]

B14 is certainly playable because, since I haven't got B15 working on my own PC yet, B14 is what I'm playing. So the use of the past tense in describing B14 is incorrect, and if you are hoping to see a final version of B14, you're going to be waiting for some time! Indeed, next time an update for B14 is released, it's going to include a whole new quest added to "Tales of a Sea Hawk", which will hopefully be copied into B15 as well.

The main snag with B14 is that first you need the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" game because B14 is a mod for that. By contrast, B15 is standalone.

What that means, though, is that my instructions are actually for B14 and I'm assuming they can also be used for B15.

Back to one of your original questions:

why such a huge file?

By far the biggest parts are "RESOURCE\Models" and "RESOURCE\Textures", about 5GB and 9GB respectively. They're needed regardless of which storylines you keep or discard. The whole of "PROGRAM\Storyline" is about 26MB and the whole of "RESOURCE\INI\TEXTS" is about 5.8MB. So there's little point in separating out the storylines - the common files used by all of them take up so much space, and the individual storylines take so little space. And if your SSD/HDD is so full that deleting the unwanted storylines makes a significant difference then you won't be able to fit both B14 and B15 on there!

 

[CoastGuard71]

Went online to download update directed to ITCH, downloaded then found a thread comment "B14 is no longer the latest version of the mod, visit our forum to download the latest and greatest Beyond New Horizons standalone modification! And if you have any trouble installing the game or want to ask a question,"
So Which b14 download is the revision? Which is the correct download for the game? How do I tell them apart? Is the Dx 9 version update mandatory?

Another functional ? why such a huge file? Has anyone considered separating the various game scenarios into smaller programs? I like playing Free Play and Hawk, but all the other historical games are excess burden in drive space taken which I will not use. Can anyone just separate the modules so we users can pick the scenarios we want to play and leave the excess baggage out of our drive space?

Thanks

Downloaded B14 tried to install in a folder "Games" as directed, didn't work. I was using folder of orig. Akella that I used in past installs. This time I had to unpack the folder into the B14 folder which caused sea.dll conflict with the B14 sea.dll. Deleted the Akella and the game installed. As an added obstacle MicroShit has so buggered up the Windows OS by W10+ "updates" the original Akella disk doesn't run regardless of which Windows compatibility I tried all the way back to XP!

Drastic change from the older version! Spent hours trying to trial/error my way to working game. Finally but now the Bosun is stuck on "haven't taken all of your possessions" glitch. Lack of instructions for all the significant changes has made this "VERY FRUSTRATING" and for me unplayable. What gives with this Bosun glitch? Opened everything in the cabin, activated all possible yet still can't get past this block! Has anyone, Pieter for instance, thought of explaining all these significant details? Has anyone Beta-tested this mess or is it just my Win7Pro T61 Lenovo unable to handle code? Why remove the init_items? That was such a good feature, taking it out just makes game more difficult to start.
Would appreciate some guidance from anyone who has actually gotten B14 "Final" to run. Seems to still have major "bugs" if my experience is typical. Good Beta testing would have shown such blatant issues, unless something in my OS is unusual. Win7Pro should run this always has on prior versions?(

Thanks Mates
Coastie71

 

[Grey Roger]

Downloaded B14 tried to install in a folder "Games" as directed, didn't work. I was using folder of orig. Akella that I used in past installs. This time I had to unpack the folder into the B14 folder which caused sea.dll conflict with the B14 sea.dll.

You should not unpack anything except "Post 1st January 2022 Update". The installer itself will unpack the "Contents Archive" and move everything into its proper place. If you unpack "Contents Archive" yourself, you are liable to get all sorts of errors due to files being in the wrong places.

Reinstall the stock game. Make sure parts 1 and 2 of Build 14 are in the same place as each other - they don't need to be in your game installation folder or even on the same drive, they just need to be together. For example, my installation folder is "C:\Games\Pirates of the Caribbean" while "Installation Wizard" and "Contents Archive" are in "D:\PoTC\Build 14". Do not unpack anything, just run "Installation Wizard".

Then download "Post 1st January 2022 Update" and unzip that. Unlike "Installation Wizard", the update is just a simple zip file, and "Installation Wizard" won't touch it because it contains files which were added or changed after "Installation Wizard" and "Contents Archive" were created. Either unzip it directly into the game installation folder, or unzip it somewhere else and copy it into the game installation.

Make sure to get the current versions of the Build 14 files from here:
Mod Release - Build 14 Gamma Version [Last update: 12th January 2024]

But none of this should be necessary if you're playing Build 15!

 

[CoastGuard71]

First attempt to use only the folder from Akella did not work. I thought directions said to have the Akella game installed first. A more detailed step-explanation of the term "installed" would probably help. When assembling all the elements to install it should be in one folder, right? When installer is activated it must be in the folder or not? You say no... so I can have one folder with all the elements the installer is a problem since Windows security is freaked by your site not having a security label and won't let me move a .exe file tagged as "suspicious" around as in putting it into a folder with the other install elements.

My first attempt I only put the Akella game folder in since the Akella game disk no longer runs on the updated security freaked MS Windows. Can the Bethesda CD be used instead of original Akella? Only when I took the folder items out did I get a good result. Then I found that Windows is putting the installer exe into Programs not the games folder, you have to be alert when installing because MS Windows updates have severely restricted using Edge to download. It blocks exe files you have to open a page that you select to keep the exe file even then I sometime get a CRDOWNLOAD not .exe file which cannot be used, and MS does not explain how to convert or remove the Chrome block that makes the file unusable. Even then, in my case the Akella sea.dll caused a crash until I located and deleted it. Runs now since I've removed that conflict. Would having all the elements in a folder, having the installer .exe outside the folder and using an empty "games" folder solve that glitch?

I miss the start setup step in former B14 installs which allowed me to set startup conditions I was comfortable using. Where did it go?

As far as bloatware, the Program file is so huge due to all the supporting files and settings for all the scenarios. Just removing the game links from the startup menu does resolve the time spent downloading huge files and the space taken when it is opened for installation. The "bloat" is all the support for those historical scenarios that many people will never play. Special interest items like those would be better and more efficiently done by using addon module and allowing each scenario to be a choice with like a Chinese menu select A then select B then select C to assemble a more compact program that would load a lot faster and take far less space on the drive. Those lines of code and modules that are common to all play would be the basic game load while individual scenarios would be addons. It would require a programmer with professional skills but is a common approach for complex varied application programs. The alternative of going into Program to delete those lines specific to individual games is not realistic.

This is my suggestion to make this popular game set more efficient. As a Fortran programmer my experience with using subprograms for specialized applications is the model I'm suggesting. I don't know if C++ can do the same thing, just an idea to make this program easier for the user to download and install successfully. The more code in a program the greater the statistical probability of corruption in download, the more wasted space on the drive. and the much greater time involved in downloading.

I'm inviting a dialog of experienced programmers to consider this idea; you've done a really impressive job of taking a very complex game program and making it very entertaining. I wish the team's next consideration is efficiency for the benefit of the user community,

Looking forward for your ideas on this concept,

Ron (Coastie71)

 

[Grey Roger]

I've moved these posts out of the forum section about Build 15 into the section about Build 14 as we are now discussing only Build 14.

My first attempt I only put the Akella game folder in since the Akella game disk no longer runs on the updated security freaked MS Windows. Can the Bethesda CD be used instead of original Akella?

I do not understand. The Bethseda "Pirates of the Caribbean" CD's are the original Akella game. Which other Akella game are you trying to use?

Only when I took the folder items out did I get a good result. Then I found that Windows is putting the installer exe into Programs not the games folder, you have to be alert when installing because MS Windows updates have severely restricted using Edge to download. It blocks exe files you have to open a page that you select to keep the exe file even then I sometime get a CRDOWNLOAD not .exe file which cannot be used, and MS does not explain how to convert or remove the Chrome block that makes the file unusable. Even then, in my case the Akella sea.dll caused a crash until I located and deleted it. Runs now since I've removed that conflict. Would having all the elements in a folder, having the installer .exe outside the folder and using an empty "games" folder solve that glitch?

Try using a different browser instead of Edge, perhaps Firefox.

You'll need a sub-folder inside the "Games" folder for "Pirates of the Caribbean". It can't be empty because the first thing you need to do is install the unmodded game from CD's into that folder.

The installer and contents archive need to be in the same folder as each other. They do not need to be in the same folder as the game itself; they don't even need to be on the same drive. As I said, my game installation is on C: and my mod installer plus contents archive are on my D:.

I miss the start setup step in former B14 installs which allowed me to set startup conditions I was comfortable using. Where did it go?

It should still be there. The 2022 B14 installer still asks you where to install the mod. Make sure to send it to the same folder where you installed the stock game from CD's.

 

[CoastGuard71]

Got it deciphered, simple misinterpretation. of the comparison with old and new POTC versions... New problem I was after a week of downloading for hours/days trying various files in and out of folders am able to get it to run, at least in Bridgeport... soon as I tried to sail off into the sunset the game crashed... windows cited the old sea.dll problem... sure 'nuf no sea.dll in the modules. Moved one from a B14 2021 that works and I was back on the high seas...BUT now I can't sail direct and ships not in sight are "ghosted" on the display. I recognized this as a game mode, but without a good description of how the game is structured to work I have no idea how to get it into the format I'm used to playing. Those out there who use this weird format please advise me how to get out of it and back to the normal game I've been playing!
Thanks Mateys,
Coastie71

 

[Grey Roger]

Please post articles about Build 14 in the section of the forum about Build 14, not in the section about Build 15.

The 2021 version of Build 14 is obsolete even by Build 14 standards. Another installer was released in 2022. Updates have been released since then. So the current version of Build 14 can be found here:
Mod Release - Build 14 Gamma Version [Last update: 12th January 2024]

Reinstall the original game, preferably from CD's if you have them. Then install this version of Build 14 onto it. I know this one definitely works because I'm using it.

 

[CoastGuard71]

Sorry didn't know the protocol... where is the B14 section? Guideposts needed?

 

[Grey Roger]

"Older Storm Engine Games" -> "Pirates of the Caribbean: New Horizons Mod"

 

[CoastGuard71]

You should not unpack anything except "Post 1st January 2022 Update". The installer itself will unpack the "Contents Archive" and move everything into its proper place. If you unpack "Contents Archive" yourself, you are liable to get all sorts of errors due to files being in the wrong places.

Reinstall the stock game. Make sure parts 1 and 2 of Build 14 are in the same place as each other - they don't need to be in your game installation folder or even on the same drive, they just need to be together. For example, my installation folder is "C:\Games\Pirates of the Caribbean" while "Installation Wizard" and "Contents Archive" are in "D:\PoTC\Build 14". Do not unpack anything, just run "Installation Wizard".

Then download "Post 1st January 2022 Update" and unzip that. Unlike "Installation Wizard", the update is just a simple zip file, and "Installation Wizard" won't touch it because it contains files which were added or changed after "Installation Wizard" and "Contents Archive" were created. Either unzip it directly into the game installation folder, or unzip it somewhere else and copy it into the game installation.

Make sure to get the current versions of the Build 14 files from here:
Mod Release - Build 14 Gamma Version [Last update: 12th January 2024]

But none of this should be necessary if you're playing Build 15!

You should not unpack anything except "Post 1st January 2022 Update". The installer itself will unpack the "Contents Archive" and move everything into its proper place. If you unpack "Contents Archive" yourself, you are liable to get all sorts of errors due to files being in the wrong places.

Reinstall the stock game. Make sure parts 1 and 2 of Build 14 are in the same place as each other - they don't need to be in your game installation folder or even on the same drive, they just need to be together. For example, my installation folder is "C:\Games\Pirates of the Caribbean" while "Installation Wizard" and "Contents Archive" are in "D:\PoTC\Build 14". Do not unpack anything, just run "Installation Wizard".

Then download "Post 1st January 2022 Update" and unzip that. Unlike "Installation Wizard", the update is just a simple zip file, and "Installation Wizard" won't touch it because it contains files which were added or changed after "Installation Wizard" and "Contents Archive" were created. Either unzip it directly into the game installation folder, or unzip it somewhere else and copy it into the game installation.

Make sure to get the current versions of the Build 14 files from here:
Mod Release - Build 14 Gamma Version [Last update: 12th January 2024]

But none of this should be necessary if you're playing Build 15!

Thanks for the info... I've got the 2003 Akella/Bethesda POTC 2 CD and the 2004 Bethesda/ Akella 1 CD by UK Sold Out Software. When I try to run either, windows W7 doesn't run saying it is incompatible(?) which is strange since I used the 2003 CD to setup the first time in 2016. When I tried just putting the Akella folder in the destination file or with the updates I got no Akella game found. Only when I copied the files from the folder to the destination did installer accept and download into that game file. I also found that since it's a ".exe" file Windows was trying to install in the "Program" sub-file on C. Windows security updates since last year have gotten paranoid about security to an extreme. Even though MS claims to no longer support W7 they still update with all kinds of "fixes" and "updates" which have made the system kinda odd in refusing to download from sites with no certification... such as PA. Using the Akella folder only has worked for every B14 update up to 2021 but didn't this time. I found the Internal Settings and spent an hour trying to duplicate what I've set in the past. However, I'm now in the flooded caldera of Antigua, having delivered cargo but can't get out because I no longer have the Direct Sail I used to get in? I've gone into Internal settings tried resetting and switching 0/1 for the settings with no change. I'm at a loss to understand why.

In addition, can you tell me where the "Cannot save while boarding" lockout is located so I can delete it... so annoying to spend 30-40 minutes fighting through 3 decks only to have it crash in a scene transition!

I may just have to give up on 2022 version and continue to use 2021... can you tell me how to stop the crash when the second ship is sunk? I try to avoid that trigger event but can only sail away as fast as I can, but when the captured ship fires on sinking the second ship causing the screen-freeze crash. Any fix for that bugg? With all the issues with 2022 version if I can get that fix I'll just go back to playing a game I enjoy (until that bugg!) give up on making 22 work.

BTW I only unpack Akella folder, nothing else, since it must be in the target folder and the closed file is not recognized by installer. I unzip the 1JAN24 update before installer activation. That should be good?). Also I've used Opera to download .exe file before, but it is such an intrusive constant POP=UP irritation I've had to delete it.

"Make sure parts 1 and 2 of Build 14 are in the same place as each other": That's what I do, but I'm still getting this bizarre instability where the game seems to involuntarily change settings.

Thanks Mate
Ron

 

[CoastGuard71]

Got it...thanks! Any chance the "Can't save boarding" or "Can't save while sailing". and second ship sunk freeze can be fixed in B14 2021? It's kind of an academic question but would salvage an otherwise fun game. I'd do it myself but I've no idea where to look for these two issues. With all the code to browse through I'd appreciate the help in module and line number, if anyone has that knowledge and is willing to share.

 

[Grey Roger]

That's odd. I also have the 2003 Akella/Bethesda version with 2 CD's and Windows 7, and have no problem installing and running the stock game. I didn't even need to use any compatiblity settings.

The reason you can't save during a boarding is that the save won't work and that will cause trouble.

You should unzip the January 2024 update after running the Build 14 installer. The update contains files which were changed or added after the 2022 installer was created. If you unzip the 2024 update and then run the installer, the installer will overwrite the 2024 files, leaving you with the 2022 version without any updates.

You should be able to sail out of Antigua, though you need to navigate a narrow channel on the east side of the crater. Edit "PROGRAM\InternalSettings.h" and change "DISCOVER_SAIL_TO" from 1 to 0, so that you can use sail-to to get to Muscetto Cove without needing a map. That's a beach on the outside of the crater and it's easier to sail away from there.

 

[Grey Roger]

I don't know anything about the bug with the second ship. You can't save while boarding because even if you did change the game to allow it, the saves wouldn't work properly. I'm not sure why you can't save while sailing, unless it's while there's a battle in progress, in which case again the save would probably not work properly.

 

[CoastGuard71]

That's odd. I also have the 2003 Akella/Bethesda version with 2 CD's and Windows 7, and have no problem installing and running the stock game. I didn't even need to use any compatiblity settings.

The reason you can't save during a boarding is that the save won't work and that will cause trouble.

You should unzip the January 2024 update after running the Build 14 installer. The update contains files which were changed or added after the 2022 installer was created. If you unzip the 2024 update and then run the installer, the installer will overwrite the 2024 files, leaving you with the 2022 version without any updates.

You should be able to sail out of Antigua, though you need to navigate a narrow channel on the east side of the crater. Edit "PROGRAM\InternalSettings.h" and change "DISCOVER_SAIL_TO" from 1 to 0, so that you can use sail-to to get to Muscetto Cove without needing a map. That's a beach on the outside of the crater and it's easier to sail away from there.

What browser are you using? MS Edge tells me the file is "incompatible"

 

[CoastGuard71]

I don't know anything about the bug with the second ship. You can't save while boarding because even if you did change the game to allow it, the saves wouldn't work properly. I'm not sure why you can't save while sailing, unless it's while there's a battle in progress, in which case again the save would probably not work properly.

So, what locks out the save feature during boarding... sounds like a restriction in the code to make game play more difficult not consistent with the factual instability in the code that causes frequent hangs or crashes during the boarding. So, has anyone at least found the subroutine that prohibits save during a boarding? Why only during boardings if no other time? Consistent with a designed logic lockout that should be removable. The code has a restriction... how can I remove it? Give me the module and line number and I'll take care of it.

 

[CoastGuard71]

I don't know anything about the bug with the second ship. You can't save while boarding because even if you did change the game to allow it, the saves wouldn't work properly. I'm not sure why you can't save while sailing, unless it's while there's a battle in progress, in which case again the save would probably not work properly.

Have you played v21? Give it a try... when I play 21 and the second ship in a surface action is sunk the screen freezes... this kind of "crash" gives no MS diagnostic so I have no idea what is at fault and can't resolve the code error.

 

[CoastGuard71]

That's odd. I also have the 2003 Akella/Bethesda version with 2 CD's and Windows 7, and have no problem installing and running the stock game. I didn't even need to use any compatiblity settings.

The reason you can't save during a boarding is that the save won't work and that will cause trouble.

You should unzip the January 2024 update after running the Build 14 installer. The update contains files which were changed or added after the 2022 installer was created. If you unzip the 2024 update and then run the installer, the installer will overwrite the 2024 files, leaving you with the 2022 version without any updates.

You should be able to sail out of Antigua, though you need to navigate a narrow channel on the east side of the crater. Edit "PROGRAM\InternalSettings.h" and change "DISCOVER_SAIL_TO" from 1 to 0, so that you can use sail-to to get to Muscetto Cove without needing a map. That's a beach on the outside of the crater and it's easier to sail away from there.

I've tried both your suggestions of installation order with the same result. I suspect MS security updates being pushed on my system is doing this. It also won't accept .exe files from sites without certification, requiring several actions to override the block. Why doesn't Pirates have a certification?
seems everyone is requiring that because of the criminal activity so common online.
Not being able to save during boarding is a program lockout since that and when "sailing" are the only times it happens... sounds like a logic Y/N step during that program. Just give me module and line number... someone must have found this during all the revisions conducted.

 

[CoastGuard71]

That's odd. I also have the 2003 Akella/Bethesda version with 2 CD's and Windows 7, and have no problem installing and running the stock game. I didn't even need to use any compatiblity settings.

The reason you can't save during a boarding is that the save won't work and that will cause trouble.

You should unzip the January 2024 update after running the Build 14 installer. The update contains files which were changed or added after the 2022 installer was created. If you unzip the 2024 update and then run the installer, the installer will overwrite the 2024 files, leaving you with the 2022 version without any updates.

You should be able to sail out of Antigua, though you need to navigate a narrow channel on the east side of the crater. Edit "PROGRAM\InternalSettings.h" and change "DISCOVER_SAIL_TO" from 1 to 0, so that you can use sail-to to get to Muscetto Cove without needing a map. That's a beach on the outside of the crater and it's easier to sail away from there.

Never the less, the fact is my ship when direct sale to the cove outside the caldera is used shows inside the NW corner of the ring. When I change to sailing I'm outside in the cove area... inconsistency with previous versions and indicative of a positioning error in the logic caused by slippage of the grid system under the sailing map. No matter how far I sail in sailing mode on map my ship remains inside the caldera, any other explanation?

 

[CoastGuard71]

B14 is certainly playable because, since I haven't got B15 working on my own PC yet, B14 is what I'm playing. So the use of the past tense in describing B14 is incorrect, and if you are hoping to see a final version of B14, you're going to be waiting for some time! Indeed, next time an update for B14 is released, it's going to include a whole new quest added to "Tales of a Sea Hawk", which will hopefully be copied into B15 as well.

The main snag with B14 is that first you need the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" game because B14 is a mod for that. By contrast, B15 is standalone.

What that means, though, is that my instructions are actually for B14 and I'm assuming they can also be used for B15.

Back to one of your original questions:

By far the biggest parts are "RESOURCE\Models" and "RESOURCE\Textures", about 5GB and 9GB respectively. They're needed regardless of which storylines you keep or discard. The whole of "PROGRAM\Storyline" is about 26MB and the whole of "RESOURCE\INI\TEXTS" is about 5.8MB. So there's little point in separating out the storylines - the common files used by all of them take up so much space, and the individual storylines take so little space. And if your SSD/HDD is so full that deleting the unwanted storylines makes a significant difference then you won't be able to fit both B14 and B15 on there!

I have no intention of trying B15 since the B14 is such a disaster why should I waste more time and frustration on another until the issues corrupting B14 are identified and resolved... why take on more trouble when the present trouble is unresolved? B14 22 has issues found with 21 but not earlier versions, and 22 poses yet another critical failure of program logic or coding that makes the game unplayable as it is. Try sailing into Antigua and then leaving... let me know what happens.

 

[CoastGuard71]

B14 is certainly playable because, since I haven't got B15 working on my own PC yet, B14 is what I'm playing. So the use of the past tense in describing B14 is incorrect, and if you are hoping to see a final version of B14, you're going to be waiting for some time! Indeed, next time an update for B14 is released, it's going to include a whole new quest added to "Tales of a Sea Hawk", which will hopefully be copied into B15 as well.

The main snag with B14 is that first you need the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" game because B14 is a mod for that. By contrast, B15 is standalone.

What that means, though, is that my instructions are actually for B14 and I'm assuming they can also be used for B15.

Back to one of your original questions:

By far the biggest parts are "RESOURCE\Models" and "RESOURCE\Textures", about 5GB and 9GB respectively. They're needed regardless of which storylines you keep or discard. The whole of "PROGRAM\Storyline" is about 26MB and the whole of "RESOURCE\INI\TEXTS" is about 5.8MB. So there's little point in separating out the storylines - the common files used by all of them take up so much space, and the individual storylines take so little space. And if your SSD/HDD is so full that deleting the unwanted storylines makes a significant difference then you won't be able to fit both B14 and B15 on there!

Installed 22 takes 19GB ... is that what you are seeing?