I've only recently returned to playing Homecoming (had played a bit back in 2019), and I began this with just attempting to get vidiotmaps setup and working. This led to setting up City Mod Installer, where I picked up a few other things that looked fun or useful. Sadly, while those other things I found, worked fine, vidiotmaps refused. I tried multiple times installing, starting the game, get error. Close launcher, uninstall maps, close City Mod Installer. Restart City Mod Installer, install maps, start launcher, start game, get error. Rinse and repeat, at least 5 times. Perused this topic as well as the City Mod Installer topic for clues about what I could do to fix it, closest thing related was a post someone made on page 4 of this thread. They posted having the same error I was getting related to vidiotmaps. But not the solution, just that it magically began working for them.
This was the error I saw each time,
- Fileheader extends past end of .pigg, probably corrupt .pigg file! #135 (note: the hashtag number at the end of the error message would change each time, I suspect this is normal for the error reporting from the Homecoming Launcher)
I realized after the first attempt, that City Mod Installer indicated it was "attempting" to download the file for: hc_vidiotmaps.pigg
As I mentioned I tried Uninstalling and re Installing the vidiotmaps mod several times, at least 5. The message there about attempting to download, did change a few times, but I don't recall what other messages it gave. However it still never worked.
But, ya'know what they say, it's always the last thing you try is what works... heh.
On my last attempt, I tried the same thing as every time before that, but this time, viola!
The message finally changed to say "Installed"
With no small amount of trepidation I attempted to start the game. I very much believed that this would be the solution I was looking for, ie. that basically I just needed the install to go off without a hitch. Lo an behold! It did, no hitch and it works fine now. I can happily fly about collecting badges.
I don't know what the "trick" was, or if there even was one. That last attempt, I didn't give City Mod Installer very long before checking and seeing the "Installed" message. In my attempts coming up to the last one I gave it much, much, more time before attempts to start the game. Perhaps it was still downloading in pieces, each time I reattempted the install? I never did find a folder with V_Maps to remove, delete, etc. So perhaps that's in there somewhere and the installer was just building on it with each attempt, and so the last attempt just had to "finish up" right quick?
Note that I did attempt to use the Refresh option on the Installer, several times over the course of the process. The message "attempting to install" would go away, so I thought it was done. I did not realize I needed to wait for it to say "Installed" (thought it certainly makes a heaping pile of sense after the fact). I'm honestly not sure if it was still attempting install on all of those other attempts, or if it had hit an error of some sort and failed in process.
So for anyone else experiencing this, and possibly getting frustrated, I can just say that perseverance pays off. I would like to know if it was recurring problems with the download/install, or if it was just a matter of time accumulated across the attempts that caused it to finally finish as it were. That portion of the issue, might best be addressed in the City Mod Installer thread, I'm unsure, and saw nothing about this over there (there very well could be and I just missed it).
To be clear, a massive heart felt thank you to all of those who put in work on these mods (this includes the mod installer!) and share them with the rest of us. Modders in any game often receive a lot more grief than they do appreciation, just want to be clear that it's all appreciation on my side of the screen here.