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Schrullenhaft

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Everything posted by Schrullenhaft

  1. The games are published and managed on Steam by Matrix/Slitherine and NOT by Battlefront directly. Matrix/Slitherine would be the best entity to complain about Steam issues since they are responsible for it. Battlefront can also communicate Steam issues to Matrix/Slitherine, but they cannot directly make changes to the product and its representation on Steam.
  2. Usually a 'black void' indicates that there may be missing resource files (.brz files that have graphics and audio in them). I believe it could also be an issue with video drivers. It possible that Windows updated your video driver and that newer driver has issues with CM. If you're not too worried about the age of the driver, I believe the 22.6.1 drivers (for Windows 10/11 64-bit) should work (the link is buried within the text). The driver is from June 2022. Drivers after this version offered some significant performance improvements (mostly in loading scenarios), but ended up having bugs that appeared when running CM. One person has claimed that the 23.12.1 drivers have worked for them, but unfortunately the Radeon RX 590 is NOT supported with that driver. CMSF2 v. 2.06 (BFC) has the following .brz files in the 'Data' folder/directory: shock force v200a.brz ~ 1,637,494 KB shock force v200b.brz ~ 520,413 KB shock force v200c.brz ~ 1,921,589 KB shock force v201.brz ~ 17,227 KB shock force v202.brz ~ 32,567 KB shock force v203.brz ~ 34,589 KB shock force v205.brz ~ 736 KB
  3. Are you playing in 'real time' ? Did this happen the first time you attempted a save or have you been able to make previous successful saves in this campaign ? Does this happen if you also play a scenario in the same mode (real-time or turn-based) and attempt to make a mid-game save ? When playing CM try to minimize the number of background running processes by closing down programs and utilities that aren't necessary during play such as a browser with a significant number of tabs open, etc.
  4. As far as I'm aware, the Steam/Slitherine/Matrix installers will be version 4.x (latest patch). If you have gotten the Steam keys with the CMBN base game (v. 1.x) and the Commonwealth module, then you should be set to have CMBN 4.x with the Commonwealth module. The Upgrade license keys are not recognized since they aren't directly applicable to what Steam/Slitherine/Matrix have (no actual 'upgrade' installers - everything is 4.x). I'm not sure how all of the license keys worked in the backend between Battlefront and Slitherine/Matrix, but I believe you should be fine for CMBN + Commonwealth. For CMSF, what is on offer at Slitherine/Matrix is actually CMSF2. If you only have CMSF1 license keys, then you will need to purchase a CMSF1 -> CMSF2 Upgrade (each of these will require a CMSF1 license key to work) and then you can follow the instructions to get the Steam license keys.
  5. Are they all on the latest patch (CMBN, CMFI and CMFB) ? The PBEM+++ system that gets installed with the latest patches apparently requires some Visual C++ Redistributable libraries to be installed. If all of three of these games are on the latest patch, then they all should be requiring this software. So it is a bit mystifying if only CMBN is having a problem. Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022 C++ Redistributable - X86 & X64 installers I believe that the PBEM+++ feature requires the X86 version, but to be safe, I suggest installing both X86 and X64 versions ('Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022').
  6. I've seen this problem before with another CM title. Unfortunately I can't find any posts that discuss it. Is this the Steam version of the game ? Are you running any graphical mods ? What video card and driver version do you have ? What mode are you playing in, Turn Based/PBEM or Real-Time ? Do these lines appear from the very beginning of a scenario or do they appear at some point later on ? Have you turned on anything with lines, such as 'Show Movement Paths' (Alt + P) or 'Show Command Links' (Alt + Z) ? If you own any other CM games, do they show this issue too ?
  7. Just to provide the links to the Demo pages for each game with a demo. CM Cold War (CMCW) does NOT have a demo unfortunately, but each of the other games does. The demos are NOT Engine 4, which is available for each game except CMA; so they don't show the latest improvements, though there is not a massive difference with earlier engines. CMSF2 and CMBN do have module content within the Demo. The other games do not have module content (such as CMFI). Browsing for the links you will find them on the Store page for each game's main engine, within the left hand 'Game Info' column: CM Shock Force 2 (v. 2.00, Engine 3): https://www.battlefront.com/shock-force-2/cmsf2-base-game/?tab=demo CM Battle for Normandy (v. 3.11, Engine 3): https://www.battlefront.com/battle-for-normandy/cmbn-base-game/?tab=demo CM Fortress Italy (v. 1.10, Engine 2): https://www.battlefront.com/fortress-italy/cmfi-base-game/?tab=demo CM Red Thunder (v. 1.00, Engine 3) https://www.battlefront.com/red-thunder/cmrt-base-game/?tab=demo CM Black Sea (v. 1.02, Engine 3): https://www.battlefront.com/black-sea/cmbs-base-game/?tab=demo CM Final Blitzkrieg (v. 1.00, Engine 3): https://www.battlefront.com/final-blitzkrieg/cmfb-base-game/?tab=demo CM Afghanistan (v. 1.01, pre-Engine 1): https://www.battlefront.com/soviet-afghan-war/cm-afghanistan/?tab=demo
  8. I'm not aware of Nvidia users having this particular problem. The 'white flash' problem is a bug in the AMD Radeon drivers that, I believe, has been fixed in some of the newer drivers. Is your computer a laptop ? If so, then there is a possibility that your Ryzen CPU also has a video core and THAT may be what you are running CMBS on. If this is the case, then I believe making a 'profile' within the Nvidia Control Panel for CMBS may make it run on the RTX 3070. If that doesn't work, then possibly following these instructions for Windows 10 may redirect the game to use the Nvidia GPU: https://www.alphr.com/force-program-to-use-gpu/
  9. I believe the Visual C Redistributables (x86) are necessary for any of the games that now have PBEM++ feature.
  10. The issue is solely AMD's. It is unrealistic to expect a developer of Battlefront's size to attempt workarounds for video driver bugs. In fact it is often NOT possible to workaround these bugs. In order to workaround a bug you have to know exactly which calls are affected and whether you can re-engineer your graphics pipeline with different calls. This had been done a few times in the past for CMSF (during its initial development and afterwards), but it is not always possible. The 'Out of Memory' bug that is primarily affecting AMD users MIGHT be a memory leak within the video driver that is directly affecting CM (crashing CM rather than the video driver). This one is harder to resolve since it hasn't been consistently reported by multiple users. The problem seems to pop-up randomly and not everyone experiences it.
  11. The 23.4.2 and later drivers fix the issue of the 'black screen' and the 'white flashes' occurring during explosions. However users have run into problems of 'Out of Memory' when running large battles and/or loading large maps. If your videocard is capable of running some slightly older drivers, the 22.5.1 and 22.6 drivers seem to be mostly problem free, BUT they load the game MUCH slower. The rest of the game performance is fine, but loading a scenario takes 3 times longer than with the newer drivers.
  12. Are you running on Windows or Mac ? If you're running on Windows, is this a laptop or a desktop computer ? Do you have anti-virus/security software running ? Did you install the game to the default location or to a custom location ? Is the game executable file still in the game's directory or did it possibly get quarantined by your security software (if you're running any) ? Usually if a file can't be found you'll get a message on launch (from Windows) saying so. This typically shouldn't be necessary, but you can attempt to launch the game by right-clicking on the shortcut and selecting "Run as administrator" from the popup menu.
  13. Just to be clear here... it's NOT the latest patches that you want to download. In your Battlefront Store account your order should be linked to a download. This download will be the "all-in-one" installer for that game. It's possible that the download may NOT have the very latest patch, but it WILL have all of the modules and battle-packs built-into that installer. You will NOT need to download any module or 'upgrade', they are 'slip-streamed' into that installer and will be installed when you install the game (i.e. - you do NOT have to run the installer again to install a module, etc.). You WILL need the 4.0 license key (upgrade or 'base game' license key depending on when you purchased it). If you purchased any of the CM games BEFORE the 4.0 Upgrade was released, then you will need the 3.0 Upgrade or 'base game' license key to activate the game too. So the base game may need both the 3.0 upgrade/base-game license key AND the 4.0 Upgrade license key to fully activate the base game. Then you will need license keys for any of the modules or battle-packs you have purchased. You will need to launch the 'Activate New Products -...' shortcut that will be in the game's main folder in order to make any activations beyond the initial one.
  14. I was able to do some testing with a Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2PV motherboard and an Intel i5-3470 (which has an Intel HD 2500 Graphics core). The video is listed simply as 'Intel HD Graphics' in the Device Manager. Windows 7 32-bit, both the 10.18.10.4276 (provided by Windows Update) and the 10.18.10.5161 (Intel download - linked above as the '15.33.53.5161' driver) worked for CMBN Demo (v. 3.12). I believe the driver should work fine with the 4.x versions of CMBN along with any of the other CM titles. Performance is not very good however (which is to be expected with most integrated video) and a PCIe videocard is highly suggested. Also, make sure to have a set of speakers or headphones hooked up when you launch CM, otherwise the game will crash before it loads. Another recommendation for a videocard is a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Again, you'll want one that doesn't require a PCIe power connection (since your power supply will lack them). One good candidate is the Gigabyte GV-N105TOC-4GD. Unfortunately purchasing such a card requires it come from China (Newegg) or paying a hefty markup on it from resellers on Amazon.
  15. You can possibly update your video driver, but it is a 'crap shoot' as to whether it would allow CMBN to run or if it would even install (the updated driver, that is). I assume your Dell Inspiron 620 is running Windows 7 32-bit. The latest driver from Dell actually calls it an H61 Graphic driver (which is incorrect; that is the chipset model). This Dell-provided driver should install, though I don't know if it is any newer than what you have currently: v. 8.15.10.2291 (06 Dec 2013) A newer driver is available directly from Intel, however it may refuse to install since it may recognize the video as an 'OEM' (Dell) and tell you to install the 'manufacturer's driver', but it may be worth trying out to see if it possibly works since it is significantly newer than what Dell offers: v. 15.33.53.5161 (23 Oct 2020) (2nd Download button for 'Windows 7 32-bit') If you desire to upgrade the videocard, then you'll need something that does NOT require a PCI-E power connector (something that basically runs at 75W or less). You may want to try something like this GeForce GT 1030 2GB for US$69.99: Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 2GB (GV-N1030D4-2GL), Newegg listing Amazon listing
  16. Correct, additional RAM will NOT solve this issue. The game is using 3-4GBs MAX (since it is a 32-bit executable). The CM series allows for very large battles that can over-extend it's memory management. Few 'hard caps' are in place when it comes to the scenarios and maps that can be made and Op Linnett II probably pushes it too far. Beyond graphical settings and the number of orders and the amount of ensuing action, I'm not sure how to play such scenarios when they reach a tipping point in memory/resource management.
  17. Sfortunatamente lo screenshot della Comunità di Steam non viene visualizzato per me. Che gioco specifico è questo? Per riformulare il tuo problema, vedi che tutto appare nero, inclusa l'interfaccia utente. Tuttavia, con uno scenario notturno riesci a vedere tutto correttamente? Questo errore è sempre esistito per te o è qualcosa che si è verificato di recente con una sorta di modifica (un nuovo driver video, una patch per il gioco, ecc.)? Molto spesso questo errore si verifica quando c'è un problema con l'installazione e i file di risorse (grafica e suoni) non vengono trovati dove dovrebbero essere. Potresti voler reinstallare il gioco, ma assicurati di aver disabilitato qualsiasi software di sicurezza durante l'installazione nel caso in cui interferisca con il processo di installazione. Per quanto ne so, questo problema esiste sia con scenari diurni che notturni se si tratta di file di risorse mancanti. Un'altra possibilità è che alcuni driver video abbiano un problema con i giochi CM. Questo può essere visto con alcuni driver AMD Radeon. I driver Adrenalin 22.7 e successivi hanno avuto problemi con gli schermi neri (sebbene si potessero vedere alcuni elementi sullo schermo). Alcuni driver successivi hanno risolto questo problema (23.4 e versioni successive, credo). Ancora una volta, il problema esisterebbe normalmente sia per gli scenari diurni che notturni se si tratta del driver video. Se utilizzi un laptop con video integrato (spesso video integrato con CPU Intel) e una GPU dedicata (di solito Nvidia in questo esempio), potresti voler assicurarti che il gioco sia in esecuzione su quel video dedicato (Nvidia). Questo viene spesso fatto creando un profilo per il gioco nel pannello di controllo di Nvidia o eventualmente utilizzando un'utilità per modificare un'impostazione per passare al video dedicato. Tali impostazioni potrebbero essere disponibili nel pannello "Proprietà" dell'eseguibile del gioco (facendo clic con il pulsante destro del mouse sul nome del file eseguibile del gioco in Esplora file e selezionando "Proprietà" dal menu a comparsa). In English: Unfortunately the Steam Community screenshot doesn't show up for me. What specific game is this? To rephrase your problem, you're seeing everything appear black, including the UI. However with night scenery can you see everything correctly? Has this error always existed for you, or is it something that happened recently with some sort of change (a new video driver, a patch to the game, etc)? Most often this error occurs when there is a problem with the installation and the resource files (graphics and sounds) are not found where they should be. You may want to reinstall the game, but make sure you disabled any security software during installation in case it interferes with the installation process. To my knowledge this issue exists both with daytime and night time scenarios if it is a matter of missing resource files. Another possibility is that some video drivers have a problem with CM games. This can be seen with some AMD Radeon drivers. Adrenalin drivers 22.7 and later had problems with black screens (although you could see some elements on the screen). Some later drivers fixed this (23.4 and up, I believe). Again, the problem would normally exist for both daytime and night time scenarios if it is the video driver. If you're using a laptop with integrated video (often integrated video with Intel CPUs) and a dedicated GPU (usually Nvidia in this example), you may want to make sure the game is running on that dedicated video (Nvidia). This is often done by creating a profile for the game in the Nvidia Control Panel or possibly using an utility to change a setting to switch to dedicated video. Such settings might be available in the game executable's "Properties" panel (by right-clicking the game's executable file name in File Explorer and selecting "Properties" from the pop-up menu).
  18. Operation LINNET II is one of the largest scenarios created for CM. So there is a significant chance it can push the game to failure at some random points. I would assume that the 'Out of memory' error is likely the game executable itself running out of 'heap or stack memory' or something to that effect rather than the video driver having an out-of-memory problem. Since all of the CM executables are 32-bit code, there will be a limit to the amount of memory the game can access (3 - 4 GB of active RAM). If your opponent is willing to reissue their orders, you can experiment around to see if issuing a truncated set of orders (assuming that it is this phase in the email exchange) helps with avoiding the crash. If you do manage to continue the game you might still run into this problem again within a few turns. If you're really lucky it might simply be some sort of file corruption, but I can't remember if file corruption will generate a different sort of error on scenario load. Some other things to try, though they have a very low chance of helping to resolve the problem, within 'Options' (on the main menu page), lower the '3D Model Quality' and '3D Texture Quality' settings. Also reduce or turn off 'antialias/multisample' and turn it off in the Nvidia Control Panel if you have it set there for the game executable or as a 'global' setting. If these settings DO help in getting the scenario to load, then it would suggest that the video driver/settings have a part to play in running out of memory.
  19. I suggest extracting the patch into a directory other than the actual game directory. During the patch installation make sure that the patch installer is pointing at the correct installation location of the game (especially if you have installed the game to a directory other than the default location). If you've extracted the patch within the game's directory, when the patch installer is run it's possible that the patch will get installed into an inappropriate sub-directory.
  20. Which game is this and did you purchase it from Battlefront or elsewhere (Matrix, Steam, etc.) ? Unfortunately there's no 'auto-updater' for Battlefront purchased versions. The version number in the lower right hand corner of the initial splash screen should be the actual version of the game that you're playing. However this can get a bit confusing where there is an 'Engine Version' (the latest being the 4.0 engine) and the actual game version, which may look lower for newer games that released with later versions of the game engine (like CMFI, etc.). Typically if you've made a new purchase the download link should provide the latest version of the installer, but on occasion that does not happen (and you may have the second-to-latest version). For Battlefront versions you can find the latest patches by going to the 'Patches' menu option at the top of the main Battlefront page (https://www.battlefront.com): https://www.battlefront.com/patches Battle for Normandy (CMBN): 4.04 Fortress Italy (CMFI): 2.11 Red Thunder (CMRT): 2.13 Black Sea (CMBS): 2.18 Final Blitzkrieg (CMFB): 2.03 Cold War (CMCW): 1.06 If you have a Matrix version, then those typically have released with the latest patches (same with Steam). You DO NOT want to use the above patches with a Matrix or Steam release (due to different copy-protection systems, etc.).
  21. Since you've upgraded your video driver at some point in the past and you have now essentially 'down-graded' it with the System Restore (or whatever function Windows 11 allowed for you to go to an older driver), you may be experiencing some mild driver conflict where registry settings or DLL files don't get removed/replaced and cause some issues. Ryzen laptop CPUs will often have built-in Radeon graphics cores. These won't be as fast as a dedicated GPU (primarily due to shared memory, etc.), but they should do a decent job in CM. To find out which Radeon graphics core you have and/or if you have a dedicated graphics GPU go to the Device Manager (right-click on Start Menu and select 'Device Manager' from the popup menu) and open up the 'Display adapters' section. In here there should be one or possibly two display adapters. What display adapter (or adapters) do you have installed ? Double-clicking on the listed display adapter should open up a tabbed dialog box. Go to the 'Driver' tab and look for the 'Driver version'. For Radeon graphics it may be hard to tell what driver version corresponds with a specific 'Adrenaline' driver (which is the version number often quoted here in the forums regarding 'driver versions'). If you have just some sort of 'Radeon' display adapter, then an update (or maybe a 'down-grade') to the driver for that display adapter may help your situation. For these drivers you'll need to know the specific Ryzen CPU model that you have (i.e - 'Ryzen 7 7730U', etc.). This information will be necessary to select an appropriate driver from AMD's site. To my knowledge AMD-provided video drivers should work with most Ryzen-powered laptops with built-in graphics, but there is the possibility that you may be limited to using just what your laptop manufacturer provides. In that case you'll need to know the exact laptop model and go to your laptop manufacturer's site to download the appropriate driver. Laptop manufacturers rarely update their drivers, so there might only be one version of the video driver on their site. If you have TWO display adapters, then one of those is a 'dedicated GPU' (separate from a GPU built-into the CPU). This might be an Nvidia GeForce or it could be a dedicated Radeon GPU. If you do have TWO display adapters then you may want to pay attention to what is necessary to get CM to run on that dedicated GPU. Often this would be creating a profile for CM within the video adapter's control panel, though this may not always guarantee switching from the built-in CPU GPU to the dedicated GPU for a program/game. My guess is that you most likely only have the built-in Radeon graphics. Before doing any of the following, create a Restore Point that you can go back to if something doesn't work out right. 1. Download the appropriate driver for your display adapter (most likely the AMD Radeon graphics built-in GPU) and store it somewhere easy to find (in its own directory/sub-directory preferably). I believe the 25.3.2 Adrenaline driver should good for CM (there are some possible issues, but they should hopefully be minor). 2. Download the DDU Installer. DDu removes almost all traces of a video driver to allow the fresh install of another driver. 3. Install DDU. DDU requires .NET 4.8 and there is a possibility that you might need to download a specific .NET installer (I'm not sure if Windows 11 has all of the necessary .NET files for DDU or not). 4. Run DDU. Typically it is suggested to run DDU in Windows Safe Mode, but that isn't strictly necessary. There are some instructions on the DDU download page from Guru3D. You can also reference Youtube videos on running DDU (this one shows using Windows Safe Mode). You'll be making selections of 'AMD' for your driver removal and I highly suggest using the top-most button that involves rebooting after the uninstall. You may want to disconnect from the internet before rebooting so Windows doesn't try to install the same video driver (though this may still happen without an internet connection). 5. After rebooting install the driver that you downloaded earlier. This will likely require a reboot once that is finished installing. Hopefully the 23.5.2 driver can get you running without problems. AMD make significant changes to their OpenGL driver in the 22.7 driver. It increased the performance significantly (especially load times), but it caused problems resulting in CM players going back to 22.5.1 or 22.6.1. Recently it appears that the drivers have been fixed, but some users are experiencing errors of running out of memory with some CM scenarios. If you need/want to try out the older drivers (in case you suffer some issues), here are the Adrenaline 22.6.1 drivers (link mentions Windows 10, but they work for Windows 11 too).
  22. As Redwolf pointed out, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is running an Intel UHD Graphics 620 (built into the CPU). Intel drivers have a notorious history with OpenGL when it comes to Combat Mission. Some drivers work and many do not. I don't think anyone has kept track of the ones that do work (they can come from laptop/motherboard manufacturers or Intel itself). When it comes to Intel integrated graphics you may be stuck with whatever Microsoft provides (which is true with many other laptop manufacturers). You can try the Intel provided drivers, but there is a chance that they will refuse to install on the Surface since it may be considered an 'OEM product' that will have its own drivers (again, what Microsoft provides). Here's the latest (and likely last) set of drivers from Intel for the UHD Graphics 620 that supports Windows 11 (the .exe version may be simpler to install): Intel UHD Graphics 620 (Windows 10 & 11) v. 31.0.101.2115 Again, there's a significant chance that this driver will refuse to install, not recognizing the graphics. If that ends up being the case you'll be stuck with what Microsoft provides, which includes 'Windows Update'-provided drivers. The latest 'driver package' from Microsoft may or may not update what you have currently. It may be geared simply towards Windows 10 and may not provide anything for Windows 11: Surface Pro 6 Driver Pack Update (last) Even if either of these drivers work, there is no guarantee that they will support OpenGL at the level that Combat Mission may need. If they do work, then you will likely notice some graphical "smudging"/corruption of text wherever it appears in the game. It will also likely result in slow load times and mediocre performance. This is simply true of Intel integrated video across the board and not something unique to the Surface Pro.
  23. I'm not fully certain if it is required, but the problem your friend is running into MAY be a requirement for a C++ runtime library. This thread on Problems with CMBN 4.04 Patch indicates that installing several files got the games running again. I don't know if Steam installs any of these C++ runtime libraries (just to get the Steam client running) or not. I don't think that there would be any specific issues to sharing the game via Steam. Download for X86 and X64 C++ Runtimes (at the top, for Visual 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022). It is possible that only the X86 version may be necessary, but I would suggest downloading and installing both. With these installed, have your friend try to run CMBN or CMBS and see if the problem continues.
  24. There are no C++ or .Net dependencies with the CM games to my knowledge. What security software is your friend using ? They may want to set an 'exception'/'white list' for the game executables. However I would assume that if he was able to successfully activate the game and now it won't run, then it might not be security software that is blocking its execution. If he does have security software installed, he may want to uninstall CMBN (he shouldn't have to reactivate it), add an exception within his security software for both the installer and the game executables (after they've been installed) and also TEMPORARILY DISABLE his security software during the installation. In the past I have seen a number of security programs try to quarantine the Commonwealth module executable when it was installed (though other CM games were NOT affected). Even the built-in Windows Defender can have some strange interactions with CM. With Windows Defender there is another thing to check for... In this thread (that is originally about an AMD driver problem) nathangun's posts show an issue with 'Controlled Folder Access' (Start Menu > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security >...) that affected saved game files and scenarios getting installed. This potentially might affect the installation of CMBN. Disable it and run the installation again and see if that somehow makes a difference. I'm not specifically aware of any issues in running the games that could be unique to CMBN (beyond the possible issue with the 4.04 version of CMBN).
  25. I suspect that it may take awhile for AMD to resolve this issue. In the AMD Bug Report thread (on AMD's site, linked earlier in this thread), one user mentions that there are a significant number of missing OpenGL extensions after the 22.6.1 driver (22.7.x and on). CM may be using an OpenGL call that requires one of these missing extensions. The question then becomes on whether AMD intends to re-add these missing extensions or if they consider them 'deprecated' and not worth supporting anymore. That decision (on AMD's behalf) may depend on how many other games have issues due to this missing support in the driver. If AMD firmly signals that they do not intend on supporting these OpenGL extensions anymore, then Battlefront either needs to find a way to replicate the missing behavior with newer OpenGL calls (not an easy task) or somehow engineer a switch in the code to turn off 'screen shake for explosions' for AMD drivers (via an option checkbox) - also not necessarily an easy task. If the issue comes down to Battlefront needing to make the changes, then it is possible (depending on the complexity of the possible fixes) that a long term fix may not come about until the Engine 5 release. That is just a guess on my part.
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