Moving off main drive

RANGER11JP · 11-18-2017, 06:44 AM

I want to move my game data that presently is ultimately in my DOCUMENTS folder to my second drive. I am leary of doing this because I tried moving things around one time and messed up everything. I am runnimg v18 and v17.
Does anyone know what the proper proceedure should be?
Thank.

jmknpk2 · 11-18-2017, 05:11 PM

I had similar problems in older versions, and have come to be comfortable leaving the game files in the default location and moving external archives (and dormant save game files) off to a different drive.

The following thread includes a "how to" for Windows 10:
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=282926

RANGER11JP · 11-18-2017, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmknpk2

I had similar problems in older versions, and have come to be comfortable leaving the game files in the default location and moving external archives (and dormant save game files) off to a different drive.

The following thread includes a "how to" for Windows 10:
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=282926

That DATA folder is pretty much what RUNS the game program. All my files that it references and changes are in the (getting way too large) DOCUMENTS folder.

C:\Users\JP\Documents\Out of the Park Developments\OOTP Baseball 18

This is what I want to move to a secondary drive. I can not see how to redirect the program to find them elsewhere.

jmknpk2 · 11-18-2017, 10:22 PM

The GameSettings/Database screen has an option for:
"Path to game folder".
Changing that would change where all of the game universe files (e.g. MLB.lg folder) are located.

That might be what you are looking for.

I think I remember when installing OOTP Baseball, being asked for default folder customization. It might be the case that a change to the default directory while installing the game will also locate the OOTP Baseball files that pertain to more than just my individual save game files. I think that would mean nothing (or very little) would be stored in your "Documents" folder. For example, ./backgrounds, ./dataschedules, etc. would be relocated. You should be able to uninstall the game and reinstall to test that out.

jmknpk2 · 11-18-2017, 11:44 PM

I just noticed when I open the game and have not yet chosen a league, from the Settings button, "Expert" tab, I can define a custom data path.

This may be what you are looking for, without requiring re-installing the game.

NoOne · 11-19-2017, 12:30 PM

re-installing won't necessarily work either, so don't do that. you can specifiy a new game root, but not the data path during installation. that can only be done after installation completes.

use teh expert tab as people noted. type in new path for where you want the data folder kept.

you will have to manually delete the old data folder. Some things need to be left there... "Fonts" and "Skins" folder should remain where they are.

i leave all the loose files in the root Data directory because they are tiny in size and didn't want to go through the necessary trial and error for a few bytes of data. they aren't on my 2nd hdd, so they likely all need to remain too.

pro tip: each time you install a new patch, you need to re-do this. if you want to avoid the double installation of all that data, after the game installs BUT BEFORE you click "load ootp" at end of setup, go to the main OOTP directory. change Custom_Folders.ini -- when you open it, it will be obvious... data path=x:\blah\blah

don't change the app path.

by doing this, the first time you load the game it will install the data to the path you want, immediately. you won't have to wiat for it to install this data twice nor clean up after it.

i actualyl keep a 2nd copy of this custom_folders.ini in a safe place outside of ootp directory... whne i reach that point in the installation as explained above, i simply copy this file to the main ootp directory and save over teh freshly ruined one from installation.

otherwise it will install to default data directory, then you need to re-do the process and it re-installs the data directory to the spot you want, and you have to delete the old data directory again... quite the p.i.t.a.

i've asked for at least three years that they stop re-installing a default ini file... those are personalized settings that get revereted to default each time... makes no sense and only frustrates the end-user. especially when you know how frickin easy it is to avoid it entirely. when a data directory is moved it's common sense to clean up the old one too... any directory with non-matching files can be left unadultered if needed. perfectly safe... and avoids needless duplication and waste that most users will never notice if they do this.

not adhering teh the DRY principle! it's not jsut about the code. it applies well to most things.

RANGER11JP · 11-19-2017, 07:14 PM

After reading this, I think it will be easier to buy a new computer!!!!

I gues we need to ask the powers that be to simplify this mess. It should NOT be this difficult to manage where your ever expanding data files go to.

NoOne · 11-20-2017, 02:14 PM

nah.. simplified for your situation:

1) change setting in game as you have mentioned above in the "expert" tab.

2) close and re-load. this causes a "Installing ..." message that you can see occur opon the next load of the app.

3) find the old data directory. delete all but "Skins" and "Fonts" folders. leave the 'loose' files in teh Data directory. only a few kilobytes either way for the loose ones.

done.

in future:

copy the file "Custom_folders.ini" somewhere safe .. maybe to desktop or a random new folder. it's 2 lines of text in the .ini file. it's the results of your changes on the Expert tab for the data directory.

install ootp19 OR any patch... when the last portion finishes and asks to Load OoTP, do not click "OK" just yet! BUT do leave that window open... you'll click it soon.

copy your backup "custom_folders.ini" file back to the ootp directory. this is why you keep a copy outside the main ootp directory. simple copy/paste, no edits, no changing settings in game.

now, you can click "ok" to load up ootp. it will put things where you want the first time! no more double installation and cleanup of useless files taking up a couple gigs or more. if it's a patch, it also puts everything in its proper place, immediately.

RANGER11JP · 11-25-2017, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoOne

nah.. simplified for your situation:

1) change setting in game as you have mentioned above in the "expert" tab.

2) close and re-load. this causes a "Installing ..." message that you can see occur opon the next load of the app.

3) find the old data directory. delete all but "Skins" and "Fonts" folders. leave the 'loose' files in teh Data directory. only a few kilobytes either way for the loose ones.

done.

in future:

copy the file "Custom_folders.ini" somewhere safe .. maybe to desktop or a random new folder. it's 2 lines of text in the .ini file. it's the results of your changes on the Expert tab for the data directory.

install ootp19 OR any patch... when the last portion finishes and asks to Load OoTP, do not click "OK" just yet! BUT do leave that window open... you'll click it soon.

copy your backup "custom_folders.ini" file back to the ootp directory. this is why you keep a copy outside the main ootp directory. simple copy/paste, no edits, no changing settings in game.

now, you can click "ok" to load up ootp. it will put things where you want the first time! no more double installation and cleanup of useless files taking up a couple gigs or more. if it's a patch, it also puts everything in its proper place, immediately.

Hello NoOne,

I thought I had followed the directions, however somehow I went astray. Game won't take the backups it is requesting. I can see the games I have, but OOTP will not recognize them. I think the trouble started when I could not find the "fontS" and "skins" files. I must have been looking in the wrong place. I don't blame you, but the convoluted system that we have to deal with. Not sure what my next move will be. I fear my game is now reading from the cloud channeling Casey Stengal.

On another note, did we one have an option for Historic Leagues to perform the transactions according to history? Where is that or what happeneded to it?

Regards,

JP

NoOne · 11-25-2017, 05:20 PM

if you have a mac, it may be different stuff too

skins and fonts folders are in teh main data directory along with schedules, saved games, backups etc etc. i think you misread some things, because they aren't files, and you shouldn't do anything with them except not delete them.

don't blame me for user error

the 1,2,3 part was all you needed.

just install as normal, then re-do the directory settings.

re-load and the game will install data directory to your new destination.

then, go delete the redundant directories from the OLD data directory -- Excluding Fonts and Skins and any loose files there. save a few gigs of space.

maybe you deleted more than the directories there? leave loose files, i never removed those.. too small to worry about if redundant.

if you do it this way, you have to clean up the old data directory (well, "need" is maybe too strong of a word) anytime you patch or re-install etc. you avoid it by placing the personalized custom folders.ini file in the ootp directory after installation but before it loads the 'first' time.

no idea on historical details.

you can see saved games but can't load? moving data directory shouldn't cause a problem like that... double check that you have the new data directory set properly.

you can load a game from anywhere, it doesn't have to be in teh saved games directory, i don't think... would be silly if it is that way, lol. (not our faults)

11-18-2017, 06:44 AM	#1
RANGER11JP All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,373	Moving off main drive I want to move my game data that presently is ultimately in my DOCUMENTS folder to my second drive. I am leary of doing this because I tried moving things around one time and messed up everything. I am runnimg v18 and v17. Does anyone know what the proper proceedure should be? Thank. __________________ BASEBALL, HOCKEY AND BOXING FAN

11-18-2017, 10:22 PM	#4
jmknpk2 All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 982	The GameSettings/Database screen has an option for: "Path to game folder". Changing that would change where all of the game universe files (e.g. MLB.lg folder) are located. That might be what you are looking for. I think I remember when installing OOTP Baseball, being asked for default folder customization. It might be the case that a change to the default directory while installing the game will also locate the OOTP Baseball files that pertain to more than just my individual save game files. I think that would mean nothing (or very little) would be stored in your "Documents" folder. For example, ./backgrounds, ./dataschedules, etc. would be relocated. You should be able to uninstall the game and reinstall to test that out. Last edited by jmknpk2; 11-18-2017 at 10:27 PM.

11-19-2017, 12:30 PM	#6
NoOne Banned Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 7,273 Infractions: 0/1 (3)	re-installing won't necessarily work either, so don't do that. you can specifiy a new game root, but not the data path during installation. that can only be done after installation completes. use teh expert tab as people noted. type in new path for where you want the data folder kept. you will have to manually delete the old data folder. Some things need to be left there... "Fonts" and "Skins" folder should remain where they are. i leave all the loose files in the root Data directory because they are tiny in size and didn't want to go through the necessary trial and error for a few bytes of data. they aren't on my 2nd hdd, so they likely all need to remain too. pro tip: each time you install a new patch, you need to re-do this. if you want to avoid the double installation of all that data, after the game installs BUT BEFORE you click "load ootp" at end of setup, go to the main OOTP directory. change Custom_Folders.ini -- when you open it, it will be obvious... data path=x:\blah\blah don't change the app path. by doing this, the first time you load the game it will install the data to the path you want, immediately. you won't have to wiat for it to install this data twice nor clean up after it. i actualyl keep a 2nd copy of this custom_folders.ini in a safe place outside of ootp directory... whne i reach that point in the installation as explained above, i simply copy this file to the main ootp directory and save over teh freshly ruined one from installation. otherwise it will install to default data directory, then you need to re-do the process and it re-installs the data directory to the spot you want, and you have to delete the old data directory again... quite the p.i.t.a. i've asked for at least three years that they stop re-installing a default ini file... those are personalized settings that get revereted to default each time... makes no sense and only frustrates the end-user. especially when you know how frickin easy it is to avoid it entirely. when a data directory is moved it's common sense to clean up the old one too... any directory with non-matching files can be left unadultered if needed. perfectly safe... and avoids needless duplication and waste that most users will never notice if they do this. not adhering teh the DRY principle! it's not jsut about the code. it applies well to most things. Last edited by NoOne; 11-19-2017 at 12:33 PM.

11-19-2017, 07:14 PM	#7
RANGER11JP All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,373	After reading this, I think it will be easier to buy a new computer!!!! I gues we need to ask the powers that be to simplify this mess. It should NOT be this difficult to manage where your ever expanding data files go to. __________________ BASEBALL, HOCKEY AND BOXING FAN

11-20-2017, 02:14 PM	#8
NoOne Banned Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 7,273 Infractions: 0/1 (3)	nah.. simplified for your situation: 1) change setting in game as you have mentioned above in the "expert" tab. 2) close and re-load. this causes a "Installing ..." message that you can see occur opon the next load of the app. 3) find the old data directory. delete all but "Skins" and "Fonts" folders. leave the 'loose' files in teh Data directory. only a few kilobytes either way for the loose ones. done. in future: copy the file "Custom_folders.ini" somewhere safe .. maybe to desktop or a random new folder. it's 2 lines of text in the .ini file. it's the results of your changes on the Expert tab for the data directory. install ootp19 OR any patch... when the last portion finishes and asks to Load OoTP, do not click "OK" just yet! BUT do leave that window open... you'll click it soon. copy your backup "custom_folders.ini" file back to the ootp directory. this is why you keep a copy outside the main ootp directory. simple copy/paste, no edits, no changing settings in game. now, you can click "ok" to load up ootp. it will put things where you want the first time! no more double installation and cleanup of useless files taking up a couple gigs or more. if it's a patch, it also puts everything in its proper place, immediately. Last edited by NoOne; 11-20-2017 at 02:16 PM.

11-18-2017, 05:11 PM	#2
jmknpk2 All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 982	I had similar problems in older versions, and have come to be comfortable leaving the game files in the default location and moving external archives (and dormant save game files) off to a different drive. The following thread includes a "how to" for Windows 10: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=282926

11-18-2017, 11:44 PM	#5
jmknpk2 All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 982	I just noticed when I open the game and have not yet chosen a league, from the Settings button, "Expert" tab, I can define a custom data path. This may be what you are looking for, without requiring re-installing the game.

11-25-2017, 05:20 PM	#10
NoOne Banned Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 7,273 Infractions: 0/1 (3)	if you have a mac, it may be different stuff too skins and fonts folders are in teh main data directory along with schedules, saved games, backups etc etc. i think you misread some things, because they aren't files, and you shouldn't do anything with them except not delete them. don't blame me for user error the 1,2,3 part was all you needed. just install as normal, then re-do the directory settings. re-load and the game will install data directory to your new destination. then, go delete the redundant directories from the OLD data directory -- Excluding Fonts and Skins and any loose files there. save a few gigs of space. maybe you deleted more than the directories there? leave loose files, i never removed those.. too small to worry about if redundant. if you do it this way, you have to clean up the old data directory (well, "need" is maybe too strong of a word) anytime you patch or re-install etc. you avoid it by placing the personalized custom folders.ini file in the ootp directory after installation but before it loads the 'first' time. no idea on historical details. you can see saved games but can't load? moving data directory shouldn't cause a problem like that... double check that you have the new data directory set properly. you can load a game from anywhere, it doesn't have to be in teh saved games directory, i don't think... would be silly if it is that way, lol. (not our faults) Last edited by NoOne; 11-25-2017 at 05:32 PM.