Playing Old Demo Recordings Won't Work

[Sin_Stalker]

I am having some trouble. I used to use this one exe to play demos and take screen shots. It was made by someone in the old CoH community. I use this to make comic books with CoH. 

 

The demo launcher file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WXw6zQP1z2G6FRL1PckwpcXcb6gC8JBn/view?usp=sharing

 

Well I left one comic half made several years ago. I was hoping to finish it but the demo launcher isn't working anymore. I get the following error code:

 

Quote

See the end of this message for details on invoking 
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.IO.FileNotFoundException: File not found.
   at Microsoft.VisualBasic.Interaction.Shell(String PathName, AppWinStyle Style, Boolean Wait, Int32 Timeout)
   at COHDemoLauncher.fmrOnly.cmdGo_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.ButtonBase.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.9151 (WinRelRS6.050727-9100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework64/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
COH Demo Launcher
    Assembly Version: 4.0.0.20340
    Win32 Version: 4.0.0.20340
    CodeBase: file:///F:/Games/Homecoming/client_demos/COH_Demo_Launcher.exe
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.9149 (WinRelRS6.050727-9100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.9149 (WinRelRS6.050727-9100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.9149 (WinRelRS6.050727-9100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
Microsoft.VisualBasic
    Assembly Version: 8.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 8.0.50727.9149 (WinRelRS6.050727-9100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Microsoft.VisualBasic/8.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Xml
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.9149 (WinRelRS6.050727-9100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Xml/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Xml.dll
----------------------------------------
Accessibility
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.9149 (WinRelRS6.050727-9100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Accessibility/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Accessibility.dll
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:

<configuration>
    <system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.

 

 

 

Could someone help me fix what is wrong?

[Michiyo]

it sounds like you may be trying to use a Demo Player designed for the old live version of the game, but you are using HCLauncher to launch your game now.  The file layout has changed with the release of HCLauncher.  (If you are still using Tequila, or some other 3rd party launcher ignore me...)

I wrote a demo launcher that works with both old live/Tequila style folder layouts and the new HCLauncher file layouts because of this.  https://drive.pc-logix.com/index.php/s/z7Afpgpd9MzdWnm

 

On first run it's going to ask you for your City of Heroes install folder, for me that is "C:\Games\Homecoming" but yours may be elsewhere, if you are unsure open the HCLauncher click the settings gear top right and then use the "Install Location" path on that screen.

Then it will ask you to select your "CityOfHeroes.exe" if you are using HCLauncher that is very likely to be under "bin\win64\live".

 

You should then be presented with the DemoPlayer UI, again, if using HCLauncher, select that radio button, select your demo file in the file list, and hit "Play".

 

You'll also have settings you can customize in the toolbar, You'll also see a "Demo Fixer" button that will fix *VERY* old Demos (issue 3 and older) so will likely not be needed, but it is included because I horded all of my old demos.

[Troo]

Were you using Paragon Chat?

[Sin_Stalker]

5 hours ago, Michiyo said:

it sounds like you may be trying to use a Demo Player designed for the old live version of the game, but you are using HCLauncher to launch your game now.  The file layout has changed with the release of HCLauncher.  (If you are still using Tequila, or some other 3rd party launcher ignore me...)

I wrote a demo launcher that works with both old live/Tequila style folder layouts and the new HCLauncher file layouts because of this.  https://drive.pc-logix.com/index.php/s/z7Afpgpd9MzdWnm

 

On first run it's going to ask you for your City of Heroes install folder, for me that is "C:\Games\Homecoming" but yours may be elsewhere, if you are unsure open the HCLauncher click the settings gear top right and then use the "Install Location" path on that screen.

Then it will ask you to select your "CityOfHeroes.exe" if you are using HCLauncher that is very likely to be under "bin\win64\live".

 

You should then be presented with the DemoPlayer UI, again, if using HCLauncher, select that radio button, select your demo file in the file list, and hit "Play".

 

You'll also have settings you can customize in the toolbar, You'll also see a "Demo Fixer" button that will fix *VERY* old Demos (issue 3 and older) so will likely not be needed, but it is included because I horded all of my old demos.

 

I am using HClauncher. I may try installing Tequila. 

*Edited to add -- Where the heck do you download Tequila? The link through Titan Network doesn't work anymore and the wiki here links to a forum post that doesn't have a link to it.  -- **

 

I would use your demo launching but it is missing the features I need. Like the Disable Text, Full Screen, Loops, FPS Speed, and most importantly the screenshot Demo Dump for JPG and TGA.

 

Does anyone know what program I would need to "open" the demo launcher and change its code to work with HC?

Edited January 31, 2022 by Sin_Stalker

[Sin_Stalker]

4 hours ago, Troo said:

Were you using Paragon Chat?

Yessir. Part of it. I actually had alot of the indoor action shots done when CoH went offline. Was scrambling back then to get the demo recordings done. 

[AboveTheChemist]

I am an admitted demo novice and I am not sure if this will help but I play mine back (including doing screenshot dumps) via a shortcut using the directions on the HC wiki Demo Recording page. I used the instructions under Playing back a demo > Playback via a Windows shortcut > Method 1. Down at the bottom of that same page are some commands you can add to the shortcut to create loops, use fullscreen, etc.

[Michiyo]

6 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

 

I am using HClauncher. I may try installing Tequila. 

*Edited to add -- Where the heck do you download Tequila? The link through Titan Network doesn't work anymore and the wiki here links to a forum post that doesn't have a link to it.  -- **

 

I would use your demo launching but it is missing the features I need. Like the Disable Text, Full Screen, Loops, FPS Speed, and most importantly the screenshot Demo Dump for JPG and TGA.

 

Does anyone know what program I would need to "open" the demo launcher and change its code to work with HC?

Literally all of those are under settings

[Sin_Stalker]

6 hours ago, AboveTheChemist said:

I am an admitted demo novice and I am not sure if this will help but I play mine back (including doing screenshot dumps) via a shortcut using the directions on the HC wiki Demo Recording page. I used the instructions under Playing back a demo > Playback via a Windows shortcut > Method 1. Down at the bottom of that same page are some commands you can add to the shortcut to create loops, use fullscreen, etc.

 

That is a nice article. Thank you. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Michiyo said:

Literally all of those are under settings

 

Well I'll be damned. Thank you. Sorry, I had been up for 16+ hours, not moving from my computer. Had the mmocomicindex.com site, which myself and a few other machinima-comic makers use, go down. Working non-stop to figure out the mediawiki, php and database stuff to fix it. I even remember clicking on settings looking if it was there. By bad.

 

 

[dwightmie]

Does anyone have a different link? This one in the thread is broken.

[Darmian]

3 minutes ago, dwightmie said:

Does anyone have a different link? This one in the thread is broken.

Try this.

 

https://cityofheroes.dev/demoplayer/DemoLauncher.exe