Does the registry path below exist on your computer?
If yes, what is the content of SetupPath and RequiredVersion?

Does WoL have its own registry entries?
We require them in order to properly detection the game installation, e. g. "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\WOL\age3y.exe"

WoL does not have its own registry entry, no. Everything is exactly the same as Asian Dynasties.

I do think it's the WoL exe Voobly doesn't like. Because, if I put the WoL exe in the "aoe3x2" folder, once again Voobly won't use it to overwrite the exe in the game folder. Does it overwrite it for you? Could it be because, upon applying the UnHardcode Patch onto the WoL exe, it loses its digital signature from microsoft?

Voobly does not detect the game. The path above points to the game binary, which is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\WOL\age3y.exe"

It's the WOL folder with the binary inside which is not detected by Voobly.

Could you please duplicate the registry path and point it to the directory above + fill out the correct RequiredVersion string? (and then share the information with me please)

You could call it "Age of Empires 3 Wars of Liberty"

Then I could update the launch parameters and it should work!

I think there's been a misunderstanding here and I think I know why. These extra steps you're asking for are unnecessary, we don't need a new registry entry for this when it works fine from the game's original folder.

When you installed WoL with their installer, did you choose to duplicate the game's folder when it asked you? If you did, that's why you have it in a separate folder. But that step is optional, and it's done because WoL is rather messy so people prefer to have a clean version of the game along side the WoL version of the game, so that they can easily reinstall just the mod if necessary, or another different mod. And the UnHardcode Patch I mentioned before allows the game to be ran from a different folder than where the registry points to, to allow WoL to do this. This is why WoL can be ran from a different folder but the original game can't. It's not because the WoL installer adds new registry entries, it doesn't need to and it doesn't do it.

So, if you chose to NOT duplicate the game folder during install and just install it over the game, you'd have it like I do, in the same folder as the original game/Asian Dynasties.
Like I said, there is no issue running WoL from Voobly for me, from the game's original folder. In the Steam version's case, that's "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Age of Empires 3\bin\age3y.exe".

So move your "steamapps\common\WOL" folder so that it's "common\Age of Empires 3\bin" again. Or reinstall WoL but choose to not duplicate and move the game folder when asked.


Although, now that I think about it, people who do have it in a different folder won't be able to run it from Voobly. I guess we can just warn people about this.

We use the registry to detect the game path, so it won't matter anymore, whether someone is using the original game from the 2002 or whether someone got the game on Steam. If there's a conflict between Steam and the original game, because of the identical binary EXE name, then we should either rename it e. g. age3z.exe or move it to a dedicated folder e. g. \wol\.

tl;dr
We use the original Microsoft launcher from the Zone which must be a single path provided by DPlay. It's either a registry key, where it finds the game path or it's a static path e. g. C:\Program Files\whatever with the consequence, that the game won't be detected, if the game isn't present at this location.

As long as you have players with both, the original game as well as with copies from Steam, we recommend creating registry entries for Voobly.

My proposal:
Voobly reads SetupPath in SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Microsoft Games/Age of Empires 3 Expansion Pack/1.0

which should give back
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Age of Empires 3\ for Steam
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires 3\ for the original game


If this folder contains .\WOL\bin\age3y.exe we can get it working for everyone.

Well, the WoL installer hasn't been touched for years. The updated content has been released through the updater. So I don't think it will be possible to make WoL add a registry entry any time soon. I think the WoL installer also has an uninstaller though? Maybe... use the path for the uninstaller? Although, again, if players move the game folder after installation, it would break again.

But, again, this is not needed. We can just tell people "if you wanna play with Voobly, don't move the game, keep it in the original location". Just make Voobly look for Asian Dynasties and make it start it from there. There's no issue, trust me.
You have it in a different folder, I have it in the same place as Asian Dynasties. That's the only reason we're getting different results.

Actually that's not necessary, as long as WoL is inside the original game root directory. If we have a sub-folder there or an unique binary name, it should work out of the box for everyone. We just have to agree on the path and file name and we can use our dedicated lobbies for WoL.

Example:

I have configured it as following:
I updated the lobbies again and enabled the Anti Cheat -- and we are using the Asian Dynasties settings this time, instead of Warchiefs. Could you please test again, launching the game through the WOL lobbies?

<aoe 3 game folder>\wol\age3y.exe

Hm. I've put WoL in "Steam\steamapps\common\Age of Empires 3\bin\wol\age3y.exe" and Voobly crashes when I start a game. The whole app. I've seen the missing exe error it gives if it's not there, so it's not related to that, the message doesn't appear when it crashes.
It's not from the exe either because I can start WoL from the Asian Dynasties lobby (if it's placed in "Age of Empires 3\bin"). There might be a bug somewhere.

Okay. Try again please:

Now when I join the WoL Voobly room, it keeps downloading an update all the time. I can't enter it because it just loops this update. It seems it keeps installing the Fan Patch mod.



Please make sure the Fan Patch mod won't be in "aoe3wol" in "gamedata" btw.

Okay, let me try to fix that.

Okay, please try it again.

And please also test it in the Warchiefs lobby. Thanks.