Open General Forums

Posted: **2024-11-25 16:56, Monday**

Howdy guys!

I have to start with a dummy alert, but maybe someone here might care to help me anyway.

I reinstalled the game when I came back with the latest installer.
So OG, Suite and everything else should be the same version and therefore compatible, right?

Well I edited a savegame ( I forgot to save more than one savegame when I decided to try another tactic.
So I simply wanted to clone (copy) one of my savegames - which I did in the Suite!
Then I tried to load this new savegame to try something different and got the following message:
"Can't use this executable to load this file, must be a newer one!"
After clicking the check it says:
"It is not an OpenGen saved file"
Could somebody with knowledge please care to elaborate?

Thanx in advance!

Panzerjaeger/Lovemate

Posted: **2024-11-25 17:47, Monday**

Was this save game from an older OG version?

Posted: **2024-11-25 17:55, Monday**

sympatyk wrote: ↑2024-11-25 17:47, Monday
Was this save game from an older OG version?

No, I play CC30 as of now.
All I did was to open the Suite and saved one savegame under a different name (I opened save01 in the suite and saved it as save02 in the Suite).
Then I tried to open save02 in the game and I got this message.
I just checked:

My OG version is 0.93.41 from Jan 2nd 24
My Suite version is 5.0.73.13 from July 23rd 24

Thats what I got with the recent installer. I did not change anything myself.

Posted: **2024-11-25 18:05, Monday**

Actually there is a newer version of the official complete installer of both the game and suite from 8th November 2024:
https://www.open-general.com/installer-full.php

Posted: **2024-11-25 18:17, Monday**

randowe wrote: ↑2024-11-25 18:05, Monday Actually there is a newer version of the official complete installer of both the game and suite from 8th November 2024:
https://www.open-general.com/installer-full.php

But once installed that would mean I can't continue my recent CC, right?
So finishing the CC first, then using the newer installer would be preferable, or is there any secret workaround I don't know of?
For me it would be important you be able to use both - game and suite - because I want to really get into my own DAK campaign after finish this one and the BWDC by Steve Brown...

Posted: **2024-11-25 18:32, Monday**

Panzerjaeger wrote: ↑2024-11-25 17:55, Monday
My OG version is 0.93.41 from Jan 2nd 24
My Suite version is 5.0.73.13 from July 23rd 24

These were incompatible applications
Download the latest game engine and try playing

Panzerjaeger wrote: ↑2024-11-25 18:17, Monday
But once installed that would mean I can't continue my recent CC, right?
So finishing the CC first, then using the newer installer would be preferable, or is there any secret workaround I don't know of?
For me it would be important you be able to use both - game and suite - because I want to really get into my own DAK campaign after finish this one and the BWDC by Steve Brown...

Install a new install in a new directory

Posted: **2024-11-25 18:42, Monday**

sympatyk wrote: ↑2024-11-25 18:32, Monday
These were incompatible applications
Download the latest game engine and try playing

Install a new install in a new directory

Well, then the installer has to be altered/updated because that's where I got "these incompatible applications"!

I don't want to risk my current savegames.
Starting all over @75% with this campaign is not in my best interest at all...

Posted: **2024-11-25 19:03, Monday**

Now it is like this

And you currently have a newer Suite, and a previous/old game engine

edit

to put the dot over the i ...

If someone happens to, as in this case, edit the game save in the suite (a newer version, not compatible with the game engine) and gets the message
"Can't use this executable to load this file, must be a newer one!"
--> then the only solution (if they care about this edited game save) is to download a new game engine --> then they will open the edited save and can continue playing

For safety, you can download a whole new game installation and install it in a new - different from the previous directory - with a new name
I currently have three such game installations

And another question, does the new game engine (new installation) change anything for old CCs?
It doesn't change anything --> there would be changes if the CC were edited and new (now available) functions and capabilities were assigned

Such a question was asked on the Polish forum - what does a new game installation change for old campaigns?
Answer --> generally nothing, although if new multimedia has been added - drawings, music, smack --> they will now be present in the game
However, the gameplay (if it has not been edited - new version of the campaign etc.) does not change

Posted: **2024-11-27 16:09, Wednesday**

First of all thank you sympatyk for elaborating in detail.

Always good to know things.

I decided to let the game save be game save and just restarted the scenario.
When I am done with this campaign, I will desintall this one and newly install the one you have refered to.

So hopefully this problem might never occur again.
Since I will spend some time working on my campaign I need both game and suite to be compatible to one another.
I don't want to risk things so a new install shouldn't be too hard to do.

Greetings from Panzerjaeger

Posted: **2024-11-30 14:57, Saturday**

randowe wrote: ↑2024-11-25 18:05, Monday Actually there is a newer version of the official complete installer of both the game and suite from 8th November 2024:
https://www.open-general.com/installer-full.php

As suggested I have downloaded the most recent version.
Is there a chance to import the "best careers" I already accomplished with the old version to the new game installation?

Posted: **2024-11-30 16:33, Saturday**

So much for downloading the newest installer...

Panzerjaeger wrote: ↑2024-11-30 16:11, Saturday Well guys...
After downloading the most recent version of OG, there might be something wrong.
There are missing maps and they are nowhere found on the web...
Any suggestions?

Maybe it was smart to keep the old installation until the newer one is running clean!

Posted: **2024-12-03 14:16, Tuesday**

Maybe you want the previous version of the Suite? I forgot that I already shared it before
This Suite is from 01.01.2024 (it should be compatible with your game engine)
It is best to save it under a different name ... and copy it to the main game directory
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14-CkXT ... sp=sharing

Posted: **2024-12-03 17:10, Tuesday**

Panzerjaeger wrote: ↑2024-11-30 16:33, Saturday Well guys...
After downloading the most recent version of OG, there might be something wrong.
There are missing maps and they are nowhere found on the web...
Any suggestions?

Maybe it was smart to keep the old installation until the newer one is running clean!

Indeed it is strange

... this is what I see checking same campaign of same efile

The problem clearly is that you have not the .map files needed to convert from PG2 format to OG format

Edited:
If you download from initial MapFinder screen the file mapfiles.map into the root MAP folder most old campaigns should run smooth as they will be converted while loading.

Posted: **2024-12-03 18:26, Tuesday**

Yes, it works for "normal" PG2 campaigns
However, some campaigns (e.g. CC08) have ns_name.map prefixes and there are no such files --> with a "clean" installation, some scenarios will not start

Posted: **2024-12-03 19:44, Tuesday**

sympatyk wrote: ↑2024-12-03 18:26, Tuesday
Yes, it works for "normal" PG2 campaigns

Yes, you are right, but EFILE_OLGWW2 folder included in the installer includes most (if not all) the .map files used by this efile (DAK.cam and other PG2 campaigns), thus my surprise with the screenshot shown trying to download so many .map files

Posted: **2024-12-03 21:13, Tuesday**

The three .map files are missing the most.

And the campaign in Suite looks like this --> missing names of some scenarios
Each CC is a mini e-file

Suite set up like this

Posted: **2024-12-04 08:06, Wednesday**

And the campaign in Suite looks like this --> missing names of some scenarios

Yes CC8 can look like a bit strange design from Narayan, but is playable as all scenarios are linked to existing ones.

But those days it was not so strange designing campaigns leaving "holes" in the scenario list. These holes were left in order to expand later the campaign filling the holes with more scenarios, although only a few designers using that technic really added more scenarios later.

Posted: **2024-12-04 11:13, Wednesday**

Thank you very much Luis for such a comprehensive explanation
I've seen unfinished campaigns but the last scenarios were missing (not in the middle of the campaign)

Posted: **2024-12-04 12:21, Wednesday**

sympatyk wrote: ↑2024-12-04 11:13, Wednesday
Thank you very much Luis for such a comprehensive explanation
I've seen unfinished campaigns but the last scenarios were missing (not in the middle of the campaign)

Well, my friend Narayan was a very creative designer and actually he - along with Mark Kirby - were who suggested me to integrate my first tools (scenario editor, save-game editor, campaign editor and equipment editor) into a "Suite" of tools. They both raised a lot of suggestions & improvements to make that suite better and better quickly.

Both did move to Peoples General, creating mods to play PG2 campaigns with Peoples General. That raised the need of a tool similar to PG2-Suite and they convinced me to develop the equivalent Peg-Suite, which I couldn't had done without their help and support.

I see that I am getting older ...

Posted: **2024-12-05 10:20, Thursday**

Looking back, it can be said that it is not PEG, but OG as a continuation of PG2 that is alive ...

Luis, if you are already reminiscing about the old days - please - tell me --> How did it happen that you started making a new game engine, an alternative to PG2?

Posted: **2024-12-06 15:41, Friday**

sympatyk wrote: ↑2024-12-05 10:20, Thursday Luis, if you are already reminiscing about the old days - please - tell me --> How did it happen that you started making a new game engine, an alternative to PG2?

Wow, this is long story, starting after summer 2008.
Those days the PG2 community wanted more and more features and a better AI and only a great programmer was able to edit the executable to bring new options and improvements: he was 008. But that way was very difficult to do and very limited, demanding a huge effort for each improvement. Some guys even tried to buy the source code but that turn as impossible.

Then after summer 2008 another programmer named Tor posted that he could start coding a new PG2 if I was taking over the interface.
I am not sure why I accept the challenge yet.

Tor started thinking on the AI and a kind of task force was created to discuss a first spec for the new development.
Adler, Programmer, Steve, PzManiac and some more, all veteran designers, joined the team and the OpenPg2 project started.
From the early beginning Tor got too busy with real life and could only develop ideas but no code at all and a bit later he gave up, leaving me alone.
I had developed most of the interface and even a very basic engine, what I needed to show the interface, but the community was so happy with the idea of a new PG2 breaking the limits, that pushed me to go on developing the rest.

The main problem at that time was to understand the combat formula which was essential to keep compatible the existing stuff made along many years. Many people joined to test, trying to figure how PG2 was doing the combat but we only got a rough formula. Then, Rudankort showed up offering his collaboration, as he was developing a new PG1 (the existing PG Forever) and had successfully decoded PG1 combat formula. He worked out most of the formula decoding PG2 exe. That was a turning point in the OG project. Later on we got to work out the full combat formula.

Many people has collaborate and helped with the different aspects of the project, and without all that help, OG will not ever had been born.
I do not hesitate to tell whenever I have the opportunity.

Posted: **2024-12-06 16:55, Friday**

Thank you very much for this answer
At that time - not knowing English - I did not read any English pages about PG2/OG

I want to thank you very much for your effort and work --> bringing the project to the end
As you write - the community was a factor of encouragement and help - but it was your work and commitment that brought this project to the end

Posted: **2024-12-06 16:56, Friday**

My TOTAL respect Luis. OG is Luis and every time i play OG, is thanks to you. No more words

Posted: **2024-12-07 13:40, Saturday**

Thank you for sharing the story Luis. And for many many hours of designing and playing fun.

Posted: **2024-12-25 21:00, Wednesday**

LuisGuzman wrote: ↑2024-12-06 15:41, Friday
sympatyk wrote: ↑2024-12-05 10:20, Thursday Luis, if you are already reminiscing about the old days - please - tell me --> How did it happen that you started making a new game engine, an alternative to PG2?
Wow, this is long story, starting after summer 2008.
Those days the PG2 community wanted more and more features and a better AI and only a great programmer was able to edit the executable to bring new options and improvements: he was 008. But that way was very difficult to do and very limited, demanding a huge effort for each improvement. Some guys even tried to buy the source code but that turn as impossible.

Then after summer 2008 another programmer named Tor posted that he could start coding a new PG2 if I was taking over the interface.
I am not sure why I accept the challenge yet.

Tor started thinking on the AI and a kind of task force was created to discuss a first spec for the new development.
Adler, Programmer, Steve, PzManiac and some more, all veteran designers, joined the team and the OpenPg2 project started.
From the early beginning Tor got too busy with real life and could only develop ideas but no code at all and a bit later he gave up, leaving me alone.
I had developed most of the interface and even a very basic engine, what I needed to show the interface, but the community was so happy with the idea of a new PG2 breaking the limits, that pushed me to go on developing the rest.

The main problem at that time was to understand the combat formula which was essential to keep compatible the existing stuff made along many years. Many people joined to test, trying to figure how PG2 was doing the combat but we only got a rough formula. Then, Rudankort showed up offering his collaboration, as he was developing a new PG1 (the existing PG Forever) and had successfully decoded PG1 combat formula. He worked out most of the formula decoding PG2 exe. That was a turning point in the OG project. Later on we got to work out the full combat formula.

Many people has collaborate and helped with the different aspects of the project, and without all that help, OG will not ever had been born.
I do not hesitate to tell whenever I have the opportunity.

That is an amazing story Luis! It blows my mind how you managed to bring OG to life and keep it living for nearly 20 years! Thank to all of you and my best wishes on this Christmas time!

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