Want to try but: "can't find background image materials/console/startup_loading.vtf"

Black Mesa Archive Help!
#1

Note: heres the install manual I used:
https://wiki.blackmesasource.com/Installation_Manual

So after “finishing” up with that (so I thought), then searching for 15 minutes about how to launch it without it’s own .exe, and since installer was kind enough to not make a shortcut, and was also kind enough to not place in steam library, I found a workaround with path template for a shortcut and now have this on desktop:

BMS.lnk
with target: “G:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Source SDK Base 2007\hl2.exe” -game -sourcetest -steam -game “G:\Steam\SteamApps\sourcemods\BMS”

And get only this when I try to launch:
https://www.imagebam.com/image/a4ccb8341005639

Here is the BMS zip I got:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/black-mesa/downloads/black-mesa-part-1zip
https://www.moddb.com/mods/black-mesa/downloads/black-mesa-part-2zip

Yes:
*the zip extracted with no errors.

*SDK 2007 files verified with 4 bad and those then updated

*Steam and BMS are on same drive and same steam path

*Ive been to all the best google results for this error (verbatim) and none of them do jack

Been on this case for about 90 minutes and blood pressure is rising.

goin nuts here.

#2

Did you try restarting Steam? That’s standard for Source mods. Restart Steam and it should appear.

Close. Try

G:\Steam\Steam.exe -applaunch 218 -game "G:\Steam\SteamApps\sourcemods\BMS"
#3

You cannot run the Source 2007 Base hl2.exe by itself. It must be done through Steam, or you will get that exact error that you posted.

Also, all you really need to do to get it to appear on Steam is restart Steam, like Crypt said.

#4

Yes restarted 10 or so times, trying little things here and there, and BMS has made no appearance.

#5

That’s a bit extreme.

Well, try using what Crypt posted as your shortcut link, and see if that works instead. :confused:

#6

Also ensure it’s actually installed to the correct directory!

#7

whats that? is that the sweet taste of success?
could it be? lets see here…

amazing.
it was entirely the shortcut that was at issue
NOW it appears in steam.
applause

append:
how could this correct manual shortcut not appear in any of google’s top 40 results (or anywhere in those threads or their peripheral links) searching for that exact error message with “black mesa source” for anyone needing to make the shortcut themselves?
I hope this thread can get up there in search rankings for others to access BMS that are having same issue and who might have given up with less effort than I invested in this solution, being that I only did because I know how great half life is and many youngsters/newcommers do not

#8

The reason is because “Black Mesa Source” narrows the issue too far. Black Mesa is a Source mod just like any other (even though it doesn’t seem like it at times), and follows the same rules. “Source mod shortcut” would likely have yielded the proper way to create a shortcut.

Anyway, glad the issue’s sorted out! :slight_smile:

#9

The reason us regulars know about the manual shortcut is because before steam was released, this was the most common way of running a mod for example Counter Strike had -game cstrike appended to the shortcut, then we found out that it doesn’t have to be a relative path, we could also use an absolute path like C:\Program Files\Steam… Etc.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.