Problems with CMMOS

[celtxian]

Hi

I have used CMBB for a while now and have just bought CMBO (it was going cheap!). The version is the one with 2 disks, including utilities and mods etc. I installed the included version of CMMOS (version 3) but it kept giving an error and wouldn't run. I then went to the CMMOS site and tried downloading the latest version. Every time it fails to download (it looks like it will but after several minutes it fails). I even tried downloading it on my Mac (I am using the pc version of the game) but the ftp link generates an error.

Any suggestions? I would really like to install some mods etc.

[Philippe]

The version of CMMOS that you get on the disk is very similar to the one on the CMHQ site but is slightly different from the one on the CMMODS site. I only mention this to make sure we're on the same page.

CMMOS is designed to run under the following conditions:

1) You have to be using a PC (we never managed to come up with a MAC version).

2) CMBO has to be installed in the expected place. A directory called games is not the expected place. The default path (which is what you need to use) is probably something like c/programs/CMBO.

3) GEM CMMOS also has to be installed in the expected place. Once again the default path there is something like C/programs/GEM CMMOS productions.

[These aren't exactly the right names, but should be close enough to give you the general idea.]

With CMBO and CMMOS in their expected places [yes, it's important, because if they aren't they won't be able to find each other], you then have to make sure that CMMOS is installed correctly.

It helps if you know a little bit about how CMMOS works. The CMMOS program reads a rule from a ruleset, and then goes looking for a bmp file described in the rule in the CMBO bmp folder. If it can't find it, the icon for that mod on the control panel will be x'ed out. You also have to remember to hit the apply button at the bottom of the page to install a particular mod.[My personal favorite...I still make this mistake from time to time].

So the trick is to take the mods that you want CMMOS to use, UNZIP them to a holding folder, then copy and paste the bmp files to the CMBO bmp folder. For the mod to work you have to have a corresponding ruleset installed to the GEM CMMOS ruleset folder.

In other words if you see a neat tank in the CMHQ CMMOS section, download and unzip it, you won't be able to use it if you didn't get the corresponding ruleset as well. These are quite small, and are listed separately from the bmp's (or were last time I looked). They tend to be listed in groups, so if you download and install rulesets for terrain, it should cover everything in the terrain section.

I don't really know what is on the CD's, but the CMMOS version on CMHQ is the last version that everyone in the cmmos group worked on together. MikeT has updated the program and rewritten all the rulesets so that you can install the mods without unzipping them [a nifty space-saving feature the can be found on the CMMODS website], but the rulesets were not tested by the original group.

I don't know why you are having problems downloading from CMHQ. I think your best bet would be to send Madmatt (who runs the site) an e-mail explaining your downloading problem. I've heard people mention this before, and tried downloading something a couple weeks ago to test it out, and had no problems (I don't have broadband and I don't have a fancy machine). Madmatt is extremely knowledgeable and should be able to steer you in the right direction if you're having a problem downloading something from his site.

[celtxian]

Thanks for the reply. I egt the following error when trying to download:

500 PASV: Permission denied.

This is when I try on the Mac... on the pc I get no feedback, just a failure to download.

In the meantime I downloaded the mod manager from www.cmmods.com and this seems to work fine. Is there any advantage to the the 'official' one? In the meantime I will stick with the one from cmmods.com.

Kind regards

Steve