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Problem while trying to install Pasture Flora,SFBT Random Seasonal Birch Trees

Started by Serosg4, January 31, 2022, 06:35:18 PM

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Serosg4

Hello guys,

i am struggling with the installation of these two mods, i got the following messages, but i don't think that this is the problem since i installed other mods and even if i received this error message they were fully installed,but with those 2 mods(probably with more than 2, still dont know) after i close the install wizard the files that were supposed to be installed are missing.I tried reinstalling the game, restarting my PC, nothing changed.any help ?

Thanks in advance.

Andreas

It might be possible that your folder inside the "OneDrive" folder has unsupported characters (hence it displays a number of question marks). The installers have been made in the Windows XP era, so they might be not fully compatible with a modern system. For what it's worth, the error message only talks about the readme files, so maybe the mods themselves are properly installed after all. You could also try to run the installer(s) as administrator, the early versions that I published might lack the ability to write into folders that are protected by the User Account Control.
Andreas

mgb204

It might be worth installing to a location other than OneDrive, then move the installed files into your Plugins on OneDrive afterwards. If the issues were because the installers are doing something in a manner OneDrive doesn't like, this should work around it. But it's odd how in both cases the problems seem to relate to the Readme files, it could well be a simple permissions issue too.

Serosg4

Hello guys,

Thank you for your suggestions,the funny part is that i am not even trying to install them in my Documents/Sim City 4 Plugin folder,i am trying to install them in my steam folder.Any mod i tried installing in my Documents Sim City 4 folder were not appearing in Game.But installing them in my steamapps Folder seems to do the job.

So yeah,the problem persists even though i am not installing it in the path that the wizard is mentioning.This problem is appearing when i was installing other mods,but they installed just fine at the end.This one though is like there are no files inside.

Maybe you try yourself downloading them and seeing if it works fine for you ? Cause if the problem was the folder(which i repeat,is not the path i chose to install them), then i would have a problem with the other mods too,something that doesnt happen.

Thanks in advance.

Andreas

I cannot tell if the Steam version of the game uses a different path for the plugins, but the Origin version that I am using still uses the regular "\Users\[user name]\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins" path that the installer suggests. Try installing in this folder by default and then move the files manually to that folder that your installation seems to use. It might be possible that OneDrive immediately "grabs" the files and uploads them to the cloud, which might lock them for the installer, so it cannot display the readme file at the end of the installation process.
Andreas

mgb204

The thing is, without trying these files directly, a moot point since I have previously installed both without issue, but moreover use the same type of installers a lot without trouble, the problem is quite clear. For one thing, I actually create installers myself for my various modding activities so am very familiar with how they work. The installer's Access Rights, i.e. what they can/can't do, which folders/files they can/can't access and all related permissions, are not controlled by the installer. When you run an Application on your computer, the specific security setup of your PC/User Account dictate what is allowed. So this error tells me the installer doesn't have permission to write files needed, for at least the Readme files.

If you temporarily disable UAC in Windows and right click the installer and then click Run as Admin, that should give the installer fully elevated permissions (unrestricted access). If you still get errors, then that suggests either these folders/files have odd permissions or perhaps some third party security software is involved. As Andreas points out, the installers are quite old, Windows especially around security, has changed dramatically. These extra steps are sometimes necessary to allow an app to access certain protected folders, something which wouldn't have been the default in the XP era when most were created.

I use similar (ClickTeam) installers all the time, since they are prevalent in the SC4 world, I've never encountered the issue you are having personally. Then again I'm using an unrestricted user account on Win7, not exactly the safest setup or one I'd recommend either. You might also find the information here useful, you can just extract everything from the installer like you would a .zip file, using a small utility.

Every version of SC4 uses the exact same path for the 'User Dir' unless you manually override it with a command line switch (Launch Option in Steam). There are actually two Plugins folders, one inside the USER\Documents\SimCity 4\ folder, which is also where your Regions (save files) are kept. The second is inside the INSTALL Dir, which in your case is within the Steam install folder. Whilst your Mods can be placed here, it's generally not considered the best method. The biggest issue being if you uninstall the game, anything here gets wiped out in the process. On the whole I would say, if you don't really understand how these folders work, it's safest to use the correct User Dir Plugins folder. One caveat, .dll mods should always be placed in the root Plugins folder inside the INSTALL Dir, to ensure they load as intended during startup.

It's worth asking the question, why are Plugins you place into the correct folder, not being loaded by the game? Again, unless you've configured things manually, the game should load everything placed there. If it isn't, again that would appear to be a permissions issue. Once more see if giving the game Admin rights and temporarily disabling UAC helps. Again 3rd party security software could be interfering too, if you have such you should Whitelist SC4. Every time an issue like this comes up, it usually turns out to be the unknown consequence of a particular setting or simply just the use of some Anti-Virus/Internet Security software.

Tyberius06

I just Project ZIPped this upload last night, so now it's available in ZIP format instead of the *.exe. More to come in the following months.

- Tyberius
You may find updates about my ongoing projects into my development thread here at SimCity 4 Devotion: Tyberius Lotting Experiments
or over there on Simtropolis into the Tyberius (Heretic Projects) Lotting and Modding Experiments.
I'm also member of the STEX Custodian and working on different restoration projects on behalf of non-anymore-active custom content creators.
Current projects: WMP Restoration and SimCity Polska Restoration.
Member of the NAM Team and RTMT Team.

Serosg4

Hello guys,

sorry for late response, thank you all for your amazing support. Thanks for reuploading it as zip i will try to extract the other mod with the utility you mentioned.

Will keep you informed.