Can'r connect with Win8

[Suhami]

I got a new computer as a present that came with Window 8 and I've been trying to get all my stuff on it. I can log into DR with stormfront from the website, but lich can't connect. Everytime it just closes and creates a debug file that looks like this:


info: Fri Dec 13 15:18:22 -0500 2013
info: Lich 4.4.19
info: Ruby 1.8.7
info: i386-mingw32
info: $lich_dir: C:/Users/Andrew/Documents/lich/
info: $script_dir: C:/Users/Andrew/Documents/lich/scripts/
info: $data_dir: C:/Users/Andrew/Documents/lich/data/
info: $temp_dir: C:/Users/Andrew/Documents/lich/temp/
info: HAVE_GTK: true
info: no launch file given
info: no force-mode info given
info: gamehost: dr.simutronics.net
info: gameport: 11024
info: game: STORM
info: launcher_cmd: "C:\Program Files\Simutronics\DRAGONSOFELANTHIATEST\Launcher.e xe" C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\lich\temp\lich3416.sal
info: Windows version: 6.2info: waiting for client to connect...

info: using Win8 workaround
info: dir = C:\Program Files\Simutronics\DRAGONSOFELANTHIATEST\, file = Launcher.exe, parameters = C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\lich\temp\lich3416.sal


It looks very similar to the ones on my old computer, but the old one has "Windows version 5.1" and then it connects!

[Candor]

OK I'll ask a really dumb question. Is Launcher.exe where it is supposed to be on the disk? What about the .sal file?

[Suhami]

I appear to have 2 lauchers:
C:\Program Files\Simutronics\DRAGONSOFELANTHIATEST\Launcher.e xe
C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMU\Launcher.exe

I installed http://http://dragonsofelanthia.com/home.asp first and it appears to be using THAT laucher, which might explain why it wouldn't work for stormfront if they do different things for the different games. Any idea on how to change which one it chooses?

The .sal file appears in lich\temp and then deletes itself.

[Candor]

Dislcaimer: Although I have an IT background, I don't use Stormfront or Lich. I still use Wizard.

Suggestion: Force the software to use the launcher you want. Rename home.asp to something else (perhaps home.sav) and copy the launcher you want into the "home.asp" file filename.

This is a hack approach, but since I don't use these software programs, it's the best I can think of offhand. Perhaps someone who uses these programs knows how to change the parameter that specifies the location for the launch file to use. Make sure you can undo this change if you try it.

[Suhami]

I think I've got you confused, the .asp isn't a file on my computer, I was just posting it to introduce what I was talking about. Dragons of Elanthia is another simu product with its own laucher.exe, that's all that is. I think the problem is that lich is trying to use that program's laucher instead of the one in the stormfront folder.

I tried uninstalling DoE my debug files still list the Laucher that's no longer even in that folder anymore. How do you uninstall lich? Maybe a new install will be able to use the right laucher now that there is only one.

[Tillmen]

Lich uses the registry to find the launcher. Reinstalling the right launcher should fix the registry setting.

[Suhami]

Reinstalled the launcher, restarted, ran CCleaner; and still it's got the other launcher listed in the debug file.

[Suhami]

Lich uses the registry to find the launcher. Reinstalling the right launcher should fix the registry setting.

I opened up REGEDIT and found the part of the registry that lich calls out to: 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Classes\\Simutronic s.Autolaunch\\Shell\\Open\\command\\'

in the command key, there are two values:

one named (default) which has the value "C:|PROGRA~2\SIMU\STORM\Launcher.exe" %1
and the other named RealCommand which has the value "C:\Program Files\Simutronics\DRAGONSOFELANTHATEST\Launcher.ex e" %1

The first directory is where stormfront's launcher reinstalled, the second directory was uninstalled and doesn't exist. There aren't any folders in C:\Program Files that even begin with the letter S. I ran Lich again and still the debug files contain the path of the DoE launcher that's uninstalled and not even present.

I backed up the registry and manually changed the value of the RealCommand key. First to the path of the launcher: "C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMU\STORM\Launcher.exe" %1 and then just a match the first one; but still lich won't open.

So where to go from here? Ideas? I'm no longer sure that the launcher's still the problem at this point.

[Tillmen]

Apparently you had Lich installed to the registry, so the default key in the registry would have been pointing at Lich (this is what causes SGE and the website to open Lich instead of the launcher), and the RealCommand key would have pointed at the actual launcher. Reinstalling the launcher "fixed" the default key so that it points at the launcher, but now Lich still ignores that key because there's a RealCommand key and it assumes that the default key points at Lich.

Just delete the RealCommand key, and also look at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Simutronics\Launcher\D irectory and do something similar.

If you don't want to use the website or SGE to log in, Lich doesn't need to be installed to the registry.

[Wheelerm]

I seem to recall being told that play.net games are not Win 8 compatible. That was the main reason I didn't buy a new laptop when I had the opportunity earlier this year.

I don't remember who told me they weren't compatible.

Out of curiousity, are you able to connect with the Simutronics Game Entry executable, or do you have to go to the website and log in that way?

[Suhami]

Just delete the RealCommand key, and also look at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Simutronics\Launcher\D irectory and do something similar.

I deleted the RealCommand key, but couldn't find any Simutronics directory under software.

I dug out an old debug file from a computer that has windows 7 and the bottom of file looks different than the ones I'm generating on this computer.

windows 8:

info: launcher_cmd: "C:\PROGRA~2\SIMU\STORM\Launcher.exe" C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\lich-4.4.19\lich\temp\lich3350.sal
info: Windows version: 6.2info: waiting for client to connect...

info: using Win8 workaround
info: dir = C:\PROGRA~2\SIMU\STORM\, file = Launcher.exe, parameters = C:\Users\Andrew\Documents\lich-4.4.19\lich\temp\lich3350.sal
error: timeout waiting for client to connect
info: exiting...


windows 7:

info: launcher_cmd: "C:\PROGRA~2\SIMU\Launcher.exe" C:\Users\John\Documents\Andy's stuff\lich-4.4.6\lich\temp\lich5232.sal
info: waiting for client to connect...
info: connected
info: connecting to game server (dr.simutronics.net:11024)
info: connected
info: stopping scripts...
info: saving script data...
info: closing connections...
info: exiting...


I think it has something to do with that extra 'info: Windows version: 6.2' bit jammed in there or whatever is in the win8 workaround maybe isn't working. The .sal generated when I log in through the website is C:\Users\Andrew\AppData\Local\Temp\anewcharacter.s al is that anything worth noting?

And I was able to log in with the SGE.

[Tillmen]

You could try skipping the launcher completely. In the Lich game entry, click on "Custom launch command", select Stormfront from the first combo box that shows up, and enter the location of Stormfront in the second one (assuming you want to use Stormfront). I think this worked for one other person that was having trouble with Win8.

I really don't understand why it's not working at this point. Your log file appears to show that everything is set up correctly now. The Win8 workaround is to use the Windows API function ShellExecuteEx to start the launcher, instead of the normal Ruby system method. When I tested it on Win8, the system method would silently fail, giving no indication why, but ShellExecuteEx would always work.

[Suhami]

Thank you, I'm getting so close! Using the custom launch command got SF to open, but it opened GS instead of DR. Now, how do we get it to go to DR?

It returned this error message:
connect failed: gethostbyname() returned 11001

[Whirlin]

I seem to recall being told that play.net games are not Win 8 compatible. That was the main reason I didn't buy a new laptop when I had the opportunity earlier this year.

I use Win 8 across all platforms, and have had no issues with Lich, Gemstone, etc. They're definitely compatible, just not 'supported'... but then again, I don't think Simu has continued support past windows 95.

Occasional disconnect while dead problems... but that doesn't seem to be isolated to just myself based on casual conversations.

[Tgo01]

Occasional disconnect while dead problems... but that doesn't seem to be isolated to just myself based on casual conversations.

Isn't that a setting in stormfront? Or are you referring to something else?

[Tillmen]

Thank you, I'm getting so close! Using the custom launch command got SF to open, but it opened GS instead of DR. Now, how do we get it to go to DR?

If you're doing DR stuff, change /GGS to /GDR in the custom launch command.


It returned this error message:
connect failed: gethostbyname() returned 11001

Was it Stormfront that gave that error message?

[Tillmen]

Occasional disconnect while dead problems... but that doesn't seem to be isolated to just myself based on casual conversations.

The problem with disconnecting while dead probably isn't related to Lich. If you have the game flag "death" on, you will be disconnected fairly quickly while dead. If it's off, you'll still might be disconnected after the normal five minutes or whatever since you're probably chatting on LNet and not entering any game commands. When you log in while dead, you will be logged off after something like 45 seconds to a minute of inactivity, regardless of what you have the death flag set to. Getting to this point leads most people to believe something has gone horribly wrong and needs to be fixed, but there is nothing that can be done at this point besides a keepalive type script that sends a command every thirty seconds.

[Suhami]

Was it Stormfront that gave that error message?

Yes. First it came up in its little popup box and then when SF opened all the way it was in the game window. Screenshot: http://i40.tinypic.com/10z2u82.png

Oddly, even after I changed the /GGS to /GDR, the GS logo still came up and it threw the same error.

[Tillmen]

Try replacing 127.0.0.1 with localhost in the custom launch command. Just a wild guess since it's complaining about the host name. Either one should work.

[Suhami]

LichNet welcomes you, Suhami

Finally! That did it, I'm in. The blue GS logo still came up, but I'm in DR anyway. I logged in a few times and it seems to be working consistantly too.

Since this is a new computer, updater just ran and now I realize that the images for narost that I sent you have their file names all messed up >.<

I'll get to fixing that and send you another update in a couple days. Fortunantly DRTest is open, so I should be able to add the rest of the updated maps without having to wait for transport.

[Wheelerm]

This is good news. My laptop is approaching its EOL, and I was wondering how long I would need to keep it hobbling along for. Sort of funny and a little bit sad that I base my laptop purchasing decisions on GSIV...