COMMON STEPS TO RESOLVE MOST OF THE PROBLEMS YOU ARE LIKELY HAVING:
1.) Make sure Zero Hour is Installed and patched to v1.04
2.) Make sure you do not have any other Mods installed that may conflict
with the game or with the mod.
3.) Make sure to install the Mod to the proper Zero Hour Game Directory.
4.) On any system newer than WinXP, you will need to right click on the mod shortcut and also make sure to run the generals.exe on WinXP SP3 compatibility mode in the properties compatibility menu. Not doing this can prevent the movies/mission briefings and the main menu music and other animations from working properly in the mod.
5.) You may have to run the installer(s) and the launcher as an Administrator.
WINDOWS 8.1/10/11 USERS MAY EXPERIENCE COMPATIBILITY ISSUES.
(again usually resolved by running as an admin and setting to WinXP SP3 Compatibility mode)
DOWNLOAD ISSUES:
Q1.) I am having trouble downloading the Mod!
A1.) Check your internet bandwidth and any firewall/blocker programs for issues. You may need to disable some programs that may be blocking file downloads. Some sites seem to not work well with downloading for some users. Multiple download mirrors should be available. Using search engines such as Google work well for locating other download mirrors if one does not work for you.
Q2.) I have downloaded the Mod but the file cannot be read or the installer does not work!
A2.) You may have had a bandwidth issue due to the large file size that corrupted the download or your Operating System is experiencing a compatibility issue with it. Sometimes an antivirus can flag stuff as a false positive.
Q3.) Why is the file so huge?
A3.) This is due to the fact that this is a total conversion mod of a game from 1996!
INSTALLATION ISSUES:
Q1.) I downloaded the Mod, but now I cannot use it. How do I use the file?
A1.) You may need WINZIP or WINRAR to extract the Mod files (if applicable) and run the .exe file. You can find the program for download on various sites.
Q2.) My system prevents me from running the installer or says it cannot find a file when it starts to install.
A2.) Again make sure to run as Administrator, and make sure you are installing to the proper installation directory. (see question 3 below for more information) Also you may need to disable User Account Control.
Q3.) I have now opened the installer and I cannot find my root Zero Hour game file directory.
Or I have a pop up box that asks me to replace existing files. What should I do?
A3.) If it asks you to replace files just click on "Yes to all". While looking for your directory click on the dotted box to the right and look for a directory layout similar to the following examples:
EXAMPLE 01: The default directory for regular Zero Hour is C:\Program Files(x86)\EA Games\Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour
EXAMPLE 02: The default directory for The First Decade version of Zero Hour is: C:\Program Files(x86)\EA Games\Command & Conquer The First Decade\Command & Conquer(tm) Generals Zero Hour
FOR EA ORIGIN INSTALLATION: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour
Just verify the install directory is correct before proceeding depending on your game files and Operating System file directory. Most notably on Win 8.1 and Win 10 systems as they also changed the file directory system.
While the installer is usually pretty good about sending the files to the right place, click to verify your install directory is correct when it gets to that screen. The usual issue I have seen when it says "file not found" usually means the launcher is searching for a file that is not in the same folder, in this case the generals.exe from the game folder that the mod should have been installed to is not present meaning the mod was installed wrong.
***DO NOT CLICK THRU WITHOUT SETTING AND VERIFYING THE INSTALL DIRECTORY***
GENERAL F.A.Q. & KNOWN ISSUES:
Q1.) The AI Builds In Weird Places
A1.) Many of these are just due to the way the game engine is and writing AI is a PITA as it winds up cheating anyways. The AI is known for building structures further away than the player due to the inherited "Dozer Logic" of Generals that it needs to build. It also cheats by stacking buildings in cramped spaces. The AI also gets bonus money cheats to function correctly. This is a known issue inherited from unmodded Generals.
Q2.) Iron Curtain Enhancements
A2.) The Iron Curtain reuses game logic granting an ability to be used on multiple units instead of one. This was kept to help make the gameplay more interesting. The effect lasts for 20 seconds. Air and Naval units may or may not benefit from its effects at times. Infantry will be killed if used on them.
Q3.) Chronosphere Use
A3.) Logic-wise the Chronosphere in the Mod is a glorified Sneak Attack Tunnel. Load your units into the structure (note the model having a loading ramp instead of a staircase), once the timer is ready and the structure starts glowing click on the "Chronoshift" button and select a target area to spawn the Chronosphere Orb. You then have 12 seconds to click on the Orb and deploy your forces from it. Alternatively, you can spawn it to do an emergency evac. of your forces on the battlefield by loading them into it. Infantry will be killed if used on them.
Q4.) Planes Landing At Helipads
A4.) Another quirk that is due to limitations with the game engine is a bug you will sometimes see that causes planes to land at Helipads instead of Airfields. In order to enable helicopters to land and reload like the classic games, I had to reproduce Generals Airfield code for the Helipads. Plane AI logic cannot distinguish between the two and will land at them as a result. Only solution would be to remove the Airfield code from the Helipad and Attack Helicopters and give the Attack Helicopters unlimited ammo like the Comanche in Generals.
Q5.) Why Are Engineers Allowed To Be Re-used?
A5.) This was another tough issue adapting them to this game engine. I had to use both the C&C Generals Capture Building system and the GLA Hijacker system, as I wanted to keep the Tech Buildings in the Mod, as Hijack apparently cannot be used on neutral or non-enemy buildings. In short, Engineers will be reusable when capturing Tech Buildings. Do note that when these buildings are captured, you will then be allowed to build your structures next to them.
Q6.) Why can I not build the Sub Pen and Naval Yard?
A6.) As of this writing naval warfare is for the most part present and you can build fleets of ships and/or submarines thru the Tech Naval Yard which will be available in both skirmish and in the campaigns. The AI makes use of it as well but in a limited capacity. This is due to limitations with the game engine as it was not possible to build normal structures over water, instead they work in a similar manner to regular Tech Buildings being pre-placed in the map and captureable. However if destroyed, they do automatically rebuild after a short time using recycled GLA Hole logic from Generals. The Sub Pen will be available in the campaign's only. Do note that AI pathfinding for naval units was not well developed in this engine, so you may encounter strange bugs at times.
Q7.) Why does the Ore Refinery and the Silos not hold and regulate Ore collected like they did in the classic games?
A7.) It was concluded that it is not possible in the ZH SAGE engine. So to make up for that, the buildings were made to act like the Black Markets and Oil Derricks in C&C Generals Zero Hour which periodically generate extra income. Also, the Silos will also give you a large financial bonus when captured by an Engineer or infiltrated by a Thief.
Q8.) The Spy cannot infiltrate all the structures that he could in the original game.
A8.) He technically could but it would crash the game instantly as there was difficulty adapting some of the infiltration tactics of the Spy due to code limitations. The feature has been disabled for the affected buildings until a fix is found. The Spy can still infiltrate Power Plants and any production structure to disable them temporarily. (Barracks, War Factory, etc.)
SPECIAL NOTE: The Thief who uses similar tactics, actually got an enhancement in this engine as he can now hijack Ore Trucks along with infiltrating the Refinery/Silo structures as he could in the original game.
Q9.) The in-game text and cursors are missing! The game is unplayable!
A9.) If the cursors and text are not present, set generals.exe to WinXP SP3 compatibility mode and restart your machine.
Q10.) The Main Menu displays a static image, no menu music plays, and the cutscene videos are not playing!
A10.) Again, make sure your generals.exe is set to run in WinXP SP3 Compatibility mode.
FOR THE ADVANCED SHADERS: While the Mod Launcher will allow you to choose between playing the Mod with or without the advanced shaders and effects. If you choose to start the Mod with them enabled, you can still toggle the use of the shaders in-game by using SHIFT+F12 or SHIFT+F9 on your keyboard. If the scenery still looks too bright, this can be corrected by going to the options menu and turning your brightness down. The best results are seen when you set the slider adjustment bar to around 4-8 notches. (the number of little blocks highlighted)
SPECIAL NOTE: Another strange bug that occurs is the screen going black upon constructing a structure such as a Power Plant, this is related to the "Heat Effects" system. Disabling it in the Options Menu usually fixes it.
I hope this information will help all of you out and answer many of your questions!
-sgtmyers88
