Can't load any games

damnfishsticks · Mon 16/08/2004 12:59:51

Hello im new and this is probably an easy question and you will all yell at me but I couldn't find an answer to it so sorry.

I was having fun playing Apprentice 2 when I had to leave for awhile , when I came back to load it up an error apears which is :
"You must create and save a game first in the AGS Editor before you can use this engine.

If you just downloaded AGS, you are probably running the wrong executable. Run AGSEDIT.EXE to launch editor.

(Unable to find 'ac2game.dat' in D:\App2) "

So I tried running another game and the same thing happend with all of them. I looked through the help section and the only thing I thought might work is the help on running DOS games in WIN 2000 but that didn't work.
Could someone please help me and slap me up the side of the head if im being stupid? Thanks

Ishmael · Mon 16/08/2004 19:45:02

A first-aid you could try is to rename the game exe file to "ac2game.dat", making sure the extension changes, and copying the "acwin.exe" file from the AGS archive to the folder and running it.

Goot · Tue 17/08/2004 03:13:21

Did you actually save the game? You didn't say you did.

Gilbert · Tue 17/08/2004 03:35:43

Quote from: Goot on Tue 17/08/2004 03:13:21
Did you actually save the game? You didn't say you did.

You misread the post, he's not creating a game, he's playing off a downloaded game, so he shouldn't need to save a game to play it.

damnfishsticks · Tue 17/08/2004 04:47:18

Quote from: Ishmael on Mon 16/08/2004 19:45:02
A first-aid you could try is to rename the game exe file to "ac2game.dat", making sure the extension changes, and copying the "acwin.exe" file from the AGS archive to the folder and running it.

Yes that is what I tried with the DOS to WIN2000 help.

Gilbert · Tue 17/08/2004 07:26:39

Can you post a directory listing of the game here, showing the names of the files?

damnfishsticks · Tue 17/08/2004 09:35:58

hmm the files in the apprentice 2 folder are: acsetup.cfg, agssave.001, app2.exe, music.vox, readme.html, winsetup & a images folder.

Gilbert · Tue 17/08/2004 09:39:59

Hmmm are you using a shortcut to run the game or change to the game's directory first and then run it?

Did executing winsetup.exe give a similar error?

damnfishsticks · Tue 17/08/2004 15:21:15

No I run it straight from the Directory.

Also I ran Winsetup and it is fine, so I tried the save and load button but it came up with the same error message

Gilbert · Wed 18/08/2004 02:47:31

Load button? in winsetup?

Kinoko · Wed 18/08/2004 03:05:35

This may be wrong, but it seems to me the problem is that he's just trying to run acwin.exe from his AGS directory, to use it to play someone else's game.

Which exact file are you trying to open? I'm sorry if this isn't it, it's just a guess. What happened when you just click on app2.exe? Again, just a longshot, but you do realise you have to load a saved game from within the game itself, don't you?

damnfishsticks · Wed 18/08/2004 04:32:32

Im not a ****head I do know a little bit about computers and I thought someone might know why when I click on App2.exe from its own directory the error screen comes up.
I don't even have AGS installed on my system (although planning to but thats a another story).
All the games I download from here all work fine for an hour or so then they all have the same error screen .

damnfishsticks · Wed 18/08/2004 04:33:51

Quote from: Gilbot V7000a on Wed 18/08/2004 02:47:31
Load button? in winsetup?

I meant the "Save and Run" button sorry you couldnt figure that one out

davep · Wed 18/08/2004 07:10:11

Is it possible you have a virus which is infecting the executable and corrupting it, which could be why it works to begin with.

Ishmael · Wed 18/08/2004 18:59:24

Ah, I'm sorry, I'm not sure of all the help content out there...

Anyway, have you tried re-unzipping the App2.exe to the folder, overwriting the existing one? The virus theory seems most appealing to me right now.

Scorpiorus · Wed 01/09/2004 18:40:25

Yeah, it is most likely a virus corrupting the exe file. AGS builder combines the engine (acwin.exe/acdos.exe) and a game data (ac2game.dat) into a single executable to run. Seems like the data part of the target executable gets corrupted so the engine is unable to recognize it. Be sure to check your system for viruses.

Edwin Xie · Sun 05/09/2004 00:20:43

Quote from: Ishmael on Mon 16/08/2004 19:45:02
A first-aid you could try is to rename the game exe file to "ac2game.dat", making sure the extension changes, and copying the "acwin.exe" file from the AGS archive to the folder and running it.

Hmm, how do you rename App2.exe to ac2game.dat?

Scorpiorus · Sun 05/09/2004 07:50:07

Well, just as you would rename any other file:

righ click over the file icon, choose rename

Edwin Xie · Mon 06/09/2004 01:45:56

*sigh* let me explain, I believe on my computer I can't rename exe files because they are assigned as application therefor there is no file extension behind the file name.

dreammaster · Mon 06/09/2004 02:26:17

Quote from: Edwinxie on Mon 06/09/2004 01:45:56
*sigh* let me explain, I believe on my computer I can't rename exe files because they are assigned as application therefor there is no file extension behind the file name.

Presuming you're using Windows XP, you can re-enable filename extensions by doing the following sequence:
* In the File Explorer, select Tools | Folder Options
* Select the View tab, and make sure the checkbox for "Hide extensions for known file types" is *not* tickmarked. Then click Ok.

You should now see filename extensions, allowing you to rename the executable to a .dat file.

Can't load any games

damnfishsticks

damnfishsticks

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damnfishsticks

davep