Missing Directories from Install?

[ChapelHeel66]

I did a full install (non-Steam) on Windows 10. I started a league and played through the pre-season and two regular season games, made some transactions, etc. But every time I start the app again (whether via Continue Game or Load Game), I am sent back to square one (pre-season game 1). Every time I exit I am asked whether I want to save and I choose OK, but it doesn't seem to save.

It also won't load any custom .fg files (doesn't seem to know where to look for them).

I uninstalled everything and reinstalled and it made no difference.

In trying to figure this out, I noticed that FHM had not created any directories outside of Program Files (x86)...in other words, there's nothing in the Documents folder to hold my data like there is in OOTP Baseball. I also could not find anywhere in the game (or during the install) to create a customized data folder. It only asked where I wanted the app itself installed (which I did not change).

I have had this problem with every install of OOTP Baseball, and I think it is because my Documents folder is not on the same drive as the system.

When I ask the app to show me the Customized Data Folder, it opens C:\Program Files (x86)\Out of the Park Developments\Franchise Hockey Manager 8\data. That of course is the default folder, not the custom folder.

But look at the contents of custom_folders.ini:

[Folders]
FHMAppFolder=C:\Program Files (x86)\Out of the Park Developments\Franchise Hockey Manager 8
FHMCustFolder=F:\Users\ChapelHeel66\Documents\Out of the Park Developments\Franchise Hockey Manager 8

The .ini file has the custom folder on the F: drive, where it belongs because that's my Documents folder in Windows. But two problems:

(1) the app itself doesn't seem to know that's where the custom folder is (it's looking in the Program Files (86) directory); and

(2) That directory on the F drive does not actually exist for FHM (it does exist up to the OOTP part, because my Baseball stuff is there, but there is no hockey subfolder in that path.

I tried to upload the zipped subfolders from my saved_games/Learn 21-22.lg (omitting the graphics subfolder), plus the load_index.dat, but got an error message about a missing security token in the upload process (??). Probably doesn't matter, as these files would be the defaults from the Program Files (x86) directory. and all of them are dated the date of my original install a couple of days ago, not the date of my latest save (or attempted save).

Also, I turned on trace mode so I could send you that file, but when I click on "Open trace file," nothing happens. This has also happened to me with OOTP Baseball, maybe because it tries to save the Trace File to a custom folder the installer never created?

Finally, I tried manually creating the Franchise Hockey Manager 8 subfolder in my Documents folder on F, and then copying all the default data files from Program Files (86) to that subfolder. Didn't work.

Out of ideas. Help please.

[jumpSeat]

Originally Posted by ChapelHeel66

When I ask the app to show me the Customized Data Folder, it opens C:\Program Files (x86)\Out of the Park Developments\Franchise Hockey Manager 8\data. That of course is the default folder, not the custom folder.

Too bad it's non-Steam, otherwise you could run the 'check file integrity' function which should recreate any missing files. Just wondering if you've looked closely through the folder listed above to see if the app wrote the usual 'My Documents' files in there?

If they don't turn up, I think I'd be inclined to reinstall manually, only this time let it put the 'My Documents' files on the C:. Then after it's done, copy the file structure over to F:, and manually edit the path in the .ini file.

Just a thought, maybe I read your post wrong and this won't work either. Good luck getting it sorted.

[ChapelHeel66]

Thanks for the reply.

I would prefer not to install the data to the C system disk because it is an SSD and I try to limit read/writes. But anyway, I don't think I can tell it to install to the C: My Documents folder, because I never got an option to tell it where to put the custom files. The installer "knew" that the F drive is my designated My Documents folder in Windows (which is why it put that path in the .ini file). But the installer did not actually create the FHM subfolder there and the application itself does not seem to know that the F drive is designated as the custom folder, despite the .ini file.

I appreciate your response though.

[JeffR]

The game should be using your default Windows documents location, wherever it is; it doesn't necessarily have to be on the c: drive. I have a non-default documents folder location myself and it works fine. Since none of the directory structure was created, I'm wondering if the issue might be that Windows User Account Control isn't letting it write to the folder (or didn't during installation). Try uninstalling, then right-click on the installation .exe and choose Run as Administrator - does that give you an FHM folder in the documents folder, with the proper sub-folders and files?

[ChapelHeel66]

Yes, installing as administrator created the proper folders in my default Documents folder and the game seems to be saving properly now.

Thanks so much!

Now I just have to figure out why the .fg files I put in the fg_files subfolder of the Documents folder are not recognized (Facegen only seems to work if set it to use the global fg directory).