Hello friends, just got H3 Complete off of GOG and I'm stoked to get back into it. I finally got the help files in the map editor enabled, and got the stupid thing to stop playing the opening cutscene without being skippable (although I have to click "Run as Administrator" to do it. Oh well), but now there's a much weirder problem I hope you guys can help me with.

I played for a bit on a map I made years ago, and saved my game, etc. When I got back into the game, the saved file was gone. It had all the other save files I had backed up from my game that last time I played it (a year or so ago... I transferred the actual save files), but no trace of the one I just made. Is the game resetting itself every time I open it, just like the title screen problem?

The weirdest thing though is this: I modified the level in the map editor and saved it, but when I opened a new game to play it the map was unchanged. I cannot figure this one out. How is it opening a map file that no longer exists? There's only one file of maps on my computer... I even made a new map just to see if it showed up and it's not.

Please help! And thank you.

Hi!

Something strange going on with your setup, I can skip all cutscenes at will, and I don't run the game as Admin, using Windows 8.1

Though the save thing is curious, it is probably not Windows 8 related, seems more like a permissions problem (which would happen in Windows 7 and Vista as well) with your save folder.

Did you install the game in the Program Files folder? If so, uninstall it and reinstall it anywhere but there. Never install games in the Program Files folder.

Do not install the game in the 'Program Files' folder unless You are using Windows XP. If You do so, the saved games and maps will be saved outside the game folder (for Vista+). These folders are different for adninistrator (if You ran the game as administrator) and other users. So if You save a map as administrator then it will be only available for administrator (game should be runed as administrator).

Uninstall the game. Clean corresponding registry entries. Create some folder with simple and short name (C:\GAMES\H3\ for example). Reinstall the game in this folder.

For the opening cinematic to be skippable, you have to view it once, so it sets the proper registry key. Running the game as administrator sets the key for a different user (the administrator), so your user doesn't have it set.

So, as Tarnum said, reinstall the game in another folder, and take a look at %localappdata%\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86) to see if your map and saves are there. I think %localappdata% translates as Users\{username}\AppData\Local in Windows 8 as well, but not really sure about it. Folder is hidden btw, so either enable showing of hidden folders, or type the address in the explorer bar.

I know that's supposed to happen, but every single time I open the game (not as administrator) it plays the unskippable first cutscene. But I'll try reinstalling it in a different folder and see if that works. Thanks a lot for your replies.
Just out of curiosity, why does it have problems while in Program Files? All of my other games work fine there. This is the first issue I've ever had with a game where it does this.

Program Files is a system folder, thus the permissions prevent normal users from writing there. Some older games try to write files (saves, maps, preferences etc) to their installation folder, but the folder's permissions do not allow it. So the files are saved in the VirtualStore folder instead. Depending on the game's code, it is possible that it can access the VirtualStore and use those files, or it may not be aware of it (or even worse, be able to see the files but not access them, like JA2 does).
You can circumvent most of the problems that arise from installing to Program Files by turning off UAC (not recommended, it's akin to driving without a seat belt), changing the folder's permissions to allow full control to yourself, or installing to another location.

As for skipping the intro movie, Thiev had a thread a few years ago. See if that helps :)

Darn no-good permissions. I'm the only one who uses this computer, and it's trying to usurp my authority! Oh well. It's good to know what's going on. Yeah, I tried that. It didn't do anything. But maybe the systems folder is just preventing that from happening too? Once it's moved maybe I'll just have to watch it once and be done with it.
Any recommendations on where I should reinstall it? Its own folder on the C: drive maybe?

Yes, it's own folder on the C drive is fine. Just not Program Files.

In fact, never install games into the Program Files folder, it's a rule that will save you countless headaches. Make a 'games' folder on your C drive, that really all that you need to do.