Huh, that's weird. Have you tried making a .prefs folder? And then maybe making the file (just leaving it blank should be fine)
OH MY GOD. I tried creating a new .prefs folder and it was telling me there was already a folder named that. Somehow it WAS hidden, and I managed to find it. Booted up ToA with zero issues. Awesome! This has been one of my favorite games to follow and I've been dying to check out the new builds. Thanks so much for all the help!