MINERVA - read-only archives

Please post your remarks in this topic. It is useful to include the name of the map and the exact issue which bugs you. Your hardware specs and OS version will come in handy, too.


Installation precautions

0. Get the latest patched Minerva: Metastasis version . The file should be named metastasis_patched.exe and its size should be 155,551,654 bytes.

0 bis. If you haven't done so yet, get , and create an account. Get (buy) a legal copy of Half Life 2 and of Half Life 2 Episode 1.

1. M:M 3 is an mod. Make sure you have EP 1 installed and up-to-date. Make sure that you have run HL2 and HL2: EP 1 at least once before running M:M 3.

2. M:M 3 doesn't play nice with the previous releases. Make sure to delete the existing metastasis folder in SourceMods before unzipping, copying or installing M:M 3.

3. Make sure to restart Steam after installing M:M 3

Troubleshooting

4. Verify the integrity of the HL2 and HL2: Episode 1 game files.

5. Defragment the HL2 and HL2: Episode 1 game files. .

6. Do not run the mod from the desktop icon created by the non-patched installer or by any previous installers.

7. Do not load old (pre-M:M 3) savegames.


[edit: new bits of advice]
[edit: pretty colours and bigger fonts]
[edit: patched installer]

So if I delete my old MINERVA folder, install the mod and restart steam... twice... all those nasty ERRORS and checkerboard textures will go away?

I have noticed a few small exploits:

Metastasis 2: The Razor Train. Jumping onto the tracks will allow the player to be pushed down the tracks, where about three quarters of the way down, if you sprint and go right, you can catch a handy ladder. It's a useful exploit but it kills the realism. (I mean, shouldn't you DIE when you get hit by a train?)

Metastasis 4(a)?: I managed to jump off a console on the big elevator part after the explosion where I was able to jump to a ledge and walk along a huge area. There are pipes here but they are nonsolid. Of course, I didn't get any real advantage, but I'd clip the ledge in question so the player gets that they need to shoot the support that's sparking (Minerva had to hint at me before I figured that one out)

Good that the cause has been identified. The original shortcut has applaunch 220, the recreated one has 380.

I did everything you said and I am still getting the purple/black, errors, and poly outlines.

Hey, I'm having some serious issues with MINERVA.

I installed using the patched installer and everything, but when I tried starting it up the screen displays the normal "fuzzy picture" loading screen, then turns black and flashes randomly colored squares and then the screen comes up as it should look before starting a new game...except the main menu is not visible.

After trying to start several times, I said "screw it" and uninstalled the mod, thinking all was well...except now I get the exact same problem I described above when trying to play Episode One. I uninstalled Steam and uninstalled all of my Steam games, then reinstalled all of my Steam games...and [the problem is still there]. MINERVA totally f***ed up Episode One for me. I even tried System Restore and that didn't work either.

All of my other Steam games work fine, even Half-Life 2. I'm at my wits end, guys. Seriously need some help here.

EDIT: Sometimes if I blindly click around I can start a new game, but once it loads it immediately shuts down and displays an "Engine Error" which says "failed to lock vertex buffer in CMeshDX8: LockVertexBuffer"

[edit: shouting replaced with something more adequate]