[Dr. Strangelove]

Yet another premature grey hair!
Just now downloaded Mat Manager v.2.36 Self-Installer today, and after a lengthy installation process, I thought I succeeded.

I'm sure all the smart people around here are sick and tired of helping morons out with Mat Manager, but... come on, mates, how about one last time?

Anyway, I've added "clearcache=0" to conf.ini, copied il2fb.exe and renamed it to il2.exe, put that in the root folder, etc...

I made another folder in Ubisoft branch called IL-2_Mat_Manager as suggested, and put everything in there. After each start-up of the manager, though, it dumps a bunch of files I've seen before (I suppose the most up-to-date settings) in the root folder, exactly where I don't want it. I suspect this is part of my problem.

Also, I haven't been able to figure out how this program works. I run both the game and program at once, and use ctrl+alt+delete to access the program to choose markings. Then I go back to the game and nothing has changed.

To sum it up, yes, I am a moron when it comes to Mat Manager, I really just need someone to take my hand and walk me through this.
... and explain how to make sense of the jumble of marking selections I get. :wink:

Thank you for your time!

Edit: The program refers to the root folder, but the actual files that makes it run I directed to IL-2_Mat_Manager
It's giving me trouble editing markings, says it can't locate them.
... Would be better for those smart people to just explain it from the beginning.

Thanks again!

[Dr. Strangelove]

Why is Mat Manager the mother of all cantankerous biotch programs? Seriously! For instructions that seem so simple only about 25% of people get it to work right away!
Someday... the computer will do it all for you...

Someday...... ....

[JudgeMingus]

I think that IL-2 loads all the markings at startup, so changes only take effect when you restart the game...

But yes, the interface drives me mad.
I played until I found settings I could live with, then I just left them at that and ignore the inaccuracies that occur.

[Hawkman]

My 2 cents worth:

MAT Manager is a separate program that should be installed in it's own directory, totally separate from your game root folder. On my PC, I have it installed on my windows default C/programs directory, while the game is installed on a different disk volume. Provided you have pointed MAT manager to your game root directory, during initial startup, it will always install the selected MAT markings folders to your game Paintschemes/Regiments folder. If, as you say, you are directing your markings to the MAT manager folder, instead of your game Paintschemes/Regiments folder, the markings will not show, because they are not in the game.

Because MAT is a separate program, you should not be running MAT and the game simultaneously - there's no need, as all MAT manager does is install the markings you have selected from the MAT interface, before you start the game. You have the option within MAT Manager to quit, or start the game from the MAT interface. When you hit either of these buttons, the MAT manager will automatically load any markings you have selected to your game Regiments folder, and then close down - if you've selected the start game button in the MAT interface, your game should then boot up, as normal. I prefer to make my selections in MAT and then hit the quit button. Once, I've quit MAT, I run the game from it's own shortcut, and my selected MAT markings are in the game.

Hope this helps.

Hawkers

[pursuivant]

I've had similar problems with Mat Manager. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I think that the magic solution is to load the files you want from Mat Manager first, before you start IL2, and make sure that you have the clearcache=0 line in your modded conf.ini. It's possible that when you load the modded version of IL2 the new conf.ini overwrites the default one. (I haven't tested this myself, though.)

It's a bummer that all the pretty markings from Mat Manager can't just be integrated directly into the modded version of the game allowing us to banish Oleg's butt-ugly U.S. stars and Japanese hinomarus forever.

For that matter, is there any good way to integrate all the cool 3rd party programs for IL2, such as IL2 Manager, IL2 Sturmovik Stab, IL2DCG, Virtual Cockpit, and Uberquick PF, directly into the modded IL2 user interface? I'd love to have the functionality of Uberquick PF replace the default QMB, and so forth, but my Coding Fu is feeble and pitiable.

[Dr. Strangelove]

... Still unbelievably confused.

Here's what I did:

-Fresh install of Mat Manager
-All Manager files installed in C/Programs/IL-2_Mat_Manager
-Directed Mat Manager to look in my root folder for IL-2

* The copy: il2.exe is in root folder
* clearcache=0 is in conf.ini

So, I have no idea whats going on. Every time I go and change markings, load them, and close it, it tells me "Error- can't find the files for the markings", or something to that effect.

Please help me a little bit longer...

[Guest]

I'm having exactly the same problem on a fresh IL2 install - no mods yet, stock version 4.08m
I know I've successfully installed it in the past, but haven't had to in over a year, so I'm a bit rusty...
Mine doesn't give any errors, though.... FMB list still shows stock markings...
Wasn't there something about the 'clearcache =0' line that might be caps-sensitive, or such??

[Flying H]

ClearCashe IS case sensitive! Try it again. If you already have I

[Guest]

Ok, I got it as : ClearCache=0
I hope your version of ClearCashe is a typo, H!! :?:

After reinstalling Mat Manager, all is well for me now. :lol: :lol: