Like many old PC games, the game comes with an activation-code on the back of the case. The installer asks me for the 25 digit code on the case. I look, and I can see that the code definitely contains 25 digits. But than when I try to input the 25 digit code into the 5 text boxes provided (5 digits per box) only 4 digits can be inputted into any of the text-boxes, meaning I can only input a max of 20 characters through all the boxes, and the installation fails. Does anyone know how to get around this? Thanks.
Update: With a suggestion from within the comments, I managed to solve the issue by installing Microsoft Core Fonts using the command winetricks corefonts. Once corefonts was installed, I can now input all 5 digits into each text box.
That fixes the text box issue. Now I can’t play the game because after inserting Disc 2 to begin the next part of the installation, I get the ‘feature transfer error’, as the window calls it: “Error: -1603 Fatal error during installation. Consult Windows Installer Help (Msi.chm) or MSDN for more information.”
Apparently the problem you describe is solved by installing Microsoft Core Fonts, which can be done by running
winetricks corefonts.Or if you’re comfortable running third party code, a crack might be a more convenient solution:
https://www.gamecopyworld.com/games/pc_age_of_empires_3.shtml
Alright, so I continued the installation and inserted Disc 2 when I needed to, to continue to the next part of the installation. Now I get a ‘feature transfer error’. The error says “Error: -1603 Fatal error during installation. Consult Windows Installer Help (Msi.chm) or MSDN for more information”.
Thanks so much! Yes, running
winetricks corefontsworked for me; sorry for the late reply. I can now put all 5 digits in each text box; let’s hope the game runs fine.
can you work around this by copy/pasting maybe all 25 characters at once or maybe each segment at a time?
- alternative: install somewhere else (windows pc or VM) and copy the install dir contents and registry
- alternative 2: get the steam version, I just tried it with proton experimental and it seems to work fine.
edit: steam lets me choose the base game, war chiefs or asian dynasties, AD and WC work without a problem but the base game asks for a key and I can also just input 4 characters instead of 5. but I’d always play with all expansions
can you work around this by copy/pasting maybe all 25 characters at once or maybe each segment at a time?
I tried that already and it didn’t work.
Thanks for helping; I still have at least one roadblock stopping me from installing but I managed to solve the text-box issue by installing Microsoft Core Fonts with the command
winetricks corefonts
Did you try to install it with Lutris? https://lutris.net/games/age-of-empires-iii/
No I didn’t try that thanks. I’ll give it a shot. I solved the text box issue by installing Microsoft Core Fonts with
winetricks corefonts
Does it not let you input the fifth digit? Can you see the digits you input or are they replaced with asterisks or something so it’s not obvious if the software accepted the input.
I’d just try to input the code and let the installer switch me to the next input field automatically. That’s how it usually works.Can you see the digits you input or are they replaced with asterisks or something so it’s not obvious if the software accepted the input.
Yeah, I can see them; they aren’t asterisks.
I’d just try to input the code and let the installer switch me to the next input field automatically. That’s how it usually works.
That’s the first thing I tried; it’s the usual way. But I solved the textbox issue by installing Microsoft Core Fonts with
winetricks corefontsBut I solved the textbox issue by installing Microsoft Core Fonts with
winetricks corefontsWhich would suggest that the limit is not given in number of characters, but text width, which would be such a strange decision, from a software development point of view.
Can you make it use a very narrow font and squeeze 6 characters in there? Just for the giggles.
The Definitive Edition is now free to play, and buying the full game is quite cheap. Unless you have a particular desire to play the original game, that might be a better option.
Oh, cool, I didn’t know the Definitive Edition was free now; nice. Still, I’d like to get the original version working if I can.
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