Unable to find file graphics title

[CWells]

Well that solution was easy; start a new file. Don't use your old save file - NEVER use an old save file when you're testing your game!

It worked perfectly fine for me starting a new game.

Edit: though if I'm reading this right, you get this problem right upon launch of the game? Not after selecting continue? Then your RTP is messed up. Re-install the RTP.

Yes, it is right upon launch of the game. I can't get the menu to open. So I have to re-install the RTP... alright.

Is there anything I should keep in mind before re-installing this?

Okay, I get this error when trying to redo my RTP:

And this happens for ALL the graphics. Every last one.

 

[CWells]

Alright, I just did a test by starting a completely new project titled Test game. I just created new project and saved it into the folder containing my other games. (The main outer folder). Then I went to try to open it up and got the same error message as in the screenshot:

Unable to locate file

Graphics/titles1/plain.

A new project, same problem. So now with any new things, it just becomes unworkable. I'm going to post screenshots of all the folders in my vxace folder.

And to answer one question that I missed before, from Granny:

I have My Documents and in that are just all sorts of folders of programs, paint, photoshop, art files, etc. So to locate my games and things, I just created a folder called RPGVXAce. In that folder is all of my data, the application, the games, etc.

This is why it looks like I have two folders of RPGVXAce.

Anyway. I'll start making screenshots. I was just trying to keep things organized and in one neat place, set of folders, etc. Somehow things just seem to have fallen apart and I don't know why.

Here is the set up:

Spoiler

And just in case, here is the inner vx ace folder:

Spoiler

Note on user graphics folder: This is just the folder where I placed resources downloaded from this site. They are not part of anything other than themselves and nothing links to them in any way. I've since removed that folder from the vx ace folder because it was misplaced. It is just a document containing extra resources.

 

[Celianna]

There's nothing wrong with the files or your project, the problem here is your OS, which is not giving you full administrative rights to use and access files. Make sure you're running as admin on your computer.

 

[Andar]

Alright, I just did a test by starting a completely new project titled Test game. I just created new project and saved it into the folder containing my other games. (The main outer folder).

Cel's solution might have hit the head on the problem, but in case that wasn't the problem then please do the following:

1) Make a new project folder into C:\ and try to rename that folder and see if that happens there as well

2) Tell us the full path to your current Game/Ace/Project folder

There are several folders that have special functions under windows, and saving data into them can create a lot of different problems. If you saved your project folder into one of those special folders, that could be a reason for your problems - that's why you should test with a new project outside that folder chain you've been using so far.

 

[CWells]

Yes I am running as an administrator.

I tried saving the document in C:\ as instructed.

My panda cloud software notified me as usual about Game.exe requesting permission to access my data. I hit allow and it still shows me unable to locate file.

Oh and yes I did try to do all of this again with all firewalls and virus software turned off.

And I followed the path from the notification from my panda antivirus software. Just to check the folders and make sure the path was correct, users/adam/documents/rpgvxace/graphics/titles1/plain

Every single folder in that chain is available. Pics are there too.

Still no good. Even for a new project saved in C:\

 

[Andar]

Something really mixed up your windows access rights and restrictions.

If it wasn't the antivirus, then it has to be some other program.

What is your exact windows version (not only number, but also home/pro etc)?

Is or was that computer ever in a network with a server-based login?

 

[CWells]

Windows 7 Home Premium is my OS.

No server logins. I password my account name but that's about it as far as I know.

I am the only one who uses this computer daily. Anyone else who ever uses it are visitors but they go on a guest account I created. They do not touch files or anything.

 

[Shaz]

Right-click on your game.exe file and in properties, choose Run as Administrator. Do the same for your VX Ace exe as well.

 

[CWells]

Right-click on your game.exe file and in properties, choose Run as Administrator. Do the same for your VX Ace exe as well.

You mean the setup for VX Ace? as well as one of the game.exe's that are giving me issues?

For the game.exe, I continue to get Unable to locate Graphics message.

But the application(editor) itself runs just fine. I can open it up. It can open game files and I can save, load, update the data just fine. But that's all only in the editor. If I dare to playtest any of the games giving me issues, I can't.

My very first project works fine. It always has. My second project, the original file works fine. The copy will not. Any game that I once downloaded from this site has suddenly stopped as well. Or rather, they have stopped working along when I noticed the problem.

 

[Shaz]

I'm just looking at that error message again ...


You didn't try and reinstall something while you still had the game open in your editor, did you?


Actually, looking at your screenshot at the top of this thread, where you show your folder setup, that's one messed up folder you've got there. It LOOKS like you've got a number of game projects in My Documents/RPGVXAce, AND the RTP, AND the RPGVXAce folder looks like a project itself. The Audio, Data, Graphics folders and Game.exe should not be in that folder. And the RTP should not be inside your project.


Which one is the game you're trying to run - PuppetteerDimensions? Can you go into that folder and do a screenshot of the folder contents?

 

[CWells]

I'll give the screenshot but I must explain one thing about the folder you are currently observing with the name vx ace. That very folder is not the actual vx ace folder. You see the vx ace folder there under the puppetteer dimensions copy? That is where all of my main data is. The folder you are looking at now was a New Folder I created to put all of my rpg vx ace related materials inside. Then after I put all that stuff there, I just changed the new folder name to vx ace so I know where everything is contained. The folder you see now is meant to hold my games and any other data I may download including scripts or other resources, etc.

Spoiler

Above is my original game folder, the one you requested. This works fine.

Below is the copy which does not work. I wanted to use this to make a little demo.

Spoiler

 

[Shaz]

When you made the copy, how did you do it - did you just copy the entire folder?


Does the Game.ini file in that folder specify to use the default RTP?


What happens if you create a brand new project then copy the contents of the Data folder (from your demo, not-working project) across, along with any custom graphics and audio - does the new one run?


What happens if you do the same again, but instead of copying from the not-working demo project, you go from the original one?

 

[CWells]

When you made the copy, how did you do it - did you just copy the entire folder?

Yes. This was something that worked just fine for my first project when I was practicing demo making. So I couldn't have figured there would be anything off with trying this again. I just copied the entire folder.

Does the Game.ini file in that folder specify to use the default RTP?

I...don't know how to tell from reading the .ini whether or not it is using a certain RTP.

Here is what it looks like from the copy:

[Game]

RTP=RPGVXAce

Library=System\RGSS301.dll

Scripts=Data\Scripts.rvdata2

Title=Conjurers College

What happens if you create a brand new project then copy the contents of the Data folder (from your demo, not-working project) across, along with any custom graphics and audio - does the new one run?

I will get to that in just a moment...

EDIT:

Alright, copying the data folder does nothing. Same file location for graphics error persists.

Now copying from the original...

Nope. No good either.

Is it possible for me to just uninstall all of my RTP stuff and reinstall it? Could I just save what I have from my working projects, uninstall and clean everything else out then just reinstall it?

 

[Shaz]

I thought we already asked you to try that?


I would completely uninstall the entire RTP AND the VX Ace engine, and then reinstall them both - RTP first, engine second. Run the installer as admin. And when you install the RTP and the engine, don't install them to the same folders that hold your projects.

 

[CWells]

Done. The only place where my computer allows me to even re-install the RTP and the VXAce game is in my Programs 86x folder. If I were to try anywhere else, I get "Access denied". Even though my account is adinistrator and even if I right-clicked and hit run as administrator. So I have the program and things downloaded. Just in my 86x folder.

Anyway, regardless of this, I just checked something about the folders and the one folder where I store my projects, on my documents, it might be one of those special folders actually. When I went to the rpg editor to open up a new game the path went straight to that particular folder, to save the game. And after doing that, I tested the test game and it worked. i then made a copy of that test game and that worked as well. No unable to locate file errors.

So...I got something going so far. The paths are walking correctly for once. I'm going to see if I can copy the data from my original conjurers college game and see if it plays on a test project.

It works! The whole thing seems to be working. i can actually open up the main menu's now.(What the hell did I do to cause such chaos?)

 

[Andar]

Windows has a redirect for older software - and somehow you got yourself mixed in this. Your problem ist NOT solved (otherwise you wouldn't get that access denied on trying to install elsewhere) but unfortunately it looks like the error is so deep into Windows that you would have to reinstall Windows itself to remove the problem...


So if you have a halfway functional workaround then you should stick with that until your system needs to be formatted for other reasons.


Here is a bit more info on the redirect:


Older software (DOS and early Win9x) was programmed in a way that the data was saved into the program folder. There was no other choice, because at that time the general data folders didn't exist, and the path functions (especially on DOS) made the program directory the only sure place for storing data.


When later Windows versions introduced the "my documents" folder, there were also tries to implement an automatic function to redirect those saves into the document folder for those programs too old to know about that - and that was made to work with everything including games with autosaves where the player had no control about the save file.


To achieve that windows stored the old program into the program (x86) folder, but whenever that program tried to save data, that data was redirected to the document folder - while telling the program it would be in its own folder.


I think the rest is obvious: somehow you got your projects into that special staus, where the filepath told to the program for opening data was different from the one where it was really stored - but since the program is newer and was never intended to use that redirect, it's loading function didn't follow the redirect but looked for the data at the original place - were it was moved away from by the redirect.


You still have that redirect mixed up and might encounter similiar problems with other programs (as said, you wouldn't get the access denied if everything would be correct), but it's your decision when you want or need to repair windows by a 5-hour-format-and-reinstall.session...

 

[CWells]

That's...a frightening story o_o.

But so far, I'm able to copy my game files off and on the desktop and place them in other folders. They all seem to be working. But I'll keep in mind this Windows error.

 

[Shaz]

Since you seem pretty happy with the current situation, I think it's safe to close this now. If it crops up again, just report & we'll reopen.


This thread is being closed, due to being solved. If for some reason you would like this thread re-opened, please report this post and leave a message why. Thank you.