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Note to Battlefront Admins on Marines Upgrade Path


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Hi There,

I enjoyed the game so much on coming back to it after a six-month hiatus that I went and bought the Marines module.

I bought it as a direct download assuming that it would be the latest version.

When I installed it, I noticed that it was the 1.10 version (noted in both the readme and the title screen), which made me panic a little since I had patched it over my CM:SF 1.11 installation.

When I started up CM:SF the Marine scenarios and modules were working, but some of the scenarios that had been added/modified by 1.11 were gone. The version number on the title screen was, of course, 1.10.

I exited and ran what I thought was the correct CM:SF 1.11 patch (I hadn't seen any distinction on the readme or the download description on the download page) but that upgraded me to CM:SF 1.11 while disabling the Marines module.

So, I went to the BF site, downloaded and installed the CM:SF MARINES 1.11 patch and everything works fine, patched up to 1.11.

I'm not mad or confused or anything - I'm just posting to say that perhaps you should make the upgrade path clearer for people who may be coming to the game for the first time or after an absence - you must specifically use the CM:SF Marines 1.11 patch if you install the CM:SF Marines module, in order to benefit from 1.11 upgrades.

Another thing to consider would be to have the current CM:SF Marines download include the 1.11 patch in the installer, or something. If you don't, you should make clear in the download/purchase page that you are getting the 1.10 version, and if you install it over a 1.11 patched CM:SF installation, it will "downgrade" it.

Once again - this is intended as a friendly suggestion, not a "FIX it N0w u n00bz" type complaint.

I have to say I'm very impressed that the installations and installers dealt with my incorrect patching quite amicably - it just greyed out (or removed) incompatible scenarios and ran fine (albeit with 1.10 functionality) when I installed 1.10 Marines over vanilla 1.11 CM:SF.

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This is why we have a Knowledge Base at www.battlefront.com/helpdesk which, among other useful things, contains a special section called "CMSF Modules", where you will find explanations about patching, licensing and unlicensing CMSF Modules. The short explanation is very simple and goes like this:

when you have a module, then you do not need to do anything with the base game every again. Whatever you do with the module (patch, license, unlicense) happens to the base game automatically. Hence, you only need the Marines patch (and no base game patch), and you only need to license/unlicense Marines (and not the base game) etc.

In the future, when there will be multiple modules, you will have to patch/license/unlicense each module independently, but NEVER the base game.

Martin

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The knowledgebase looks great - in this case I figured out the problem without referring to it, but nothing on the page for the Marines module notes that it is release 1.10.

http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage_bfc&product_id=157&category_id=9&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26

If I had previously had vanilla CM:SF patched up to 1.11, I would have no way of knowing that the Marines module was an earlier release; indeed, one usually assumes that the latest purchasable download direct from the publisher includes all the lastest patches.

In fact, the warning on the download/buy page specifically says "Any version of CMSF is eligible, not only those purchased directly from Battlefront." - which could be interpreted to mean any patched version. Not necessarily correct, but I'm just saying that it can be misinterpreted.

A simple note on the page above which indicates that the module is 1.10 and MAY be patched up to 1.11 (linked) would help to avoid confusion.

Also, I should note that though you say I shouldn't have to do anything with the base game again, when I installed Marines it disabled the 1.11 scenarios and features, and I had to install Marines 1.11 to get them back again.

Thanks for the response, though - a wonderful product and I'm pleased that it was robust enough to survive a misunderstood upgrade process.

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Actually, I believe that the download version you get when you buy now is already up to 1.11. The hardgoods version *may* still be 1.10 though. I know that we produced more than the original run (in fact a few times) but I don't recall if it was before or after 1.11 any more.

Also, I should note that though you say I shouldn't have to do anything with the base game again, when I installed Marines it disabled the 1.11 scenarios and features, and I had to install Marines 1.11 to get them back again.

Yes, exactly, you need the MARINES 1.11 patch, not any base game 1.11 patch. Hence, you do not need to do anything with the base game (like, patch it), because this is taken care of automatically when you patch Marines.

Of course the Marines (and any other module) patch INFLUENCES your base game, but you do not need to e.g. download the base game patch AND the Marines patch. You only need one of them, the Marines patch if you have the Marines moudle, and the base game patch if you have the base game (and no other module at all).

I see (I think, I'm not sure :)) where things may get a little confusing regarding patched base game versions etc. especially since this whole module concept isn't something that you will find with other games, but it is logical and pretty straightforward once you grasp it, and if you use the "Check for Updates" link that comes with every module you should have no problem staying up to date.

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Actually, I believe that the download version you get when you buy now is already up to 1.11. The hardgoods version *may* still be 1.10 though. I know that we produced more than the original run (in fact a few times) but I don't recall if it was before or after 1.11 any more.

Well, I purchased the Marines last night at around ~8PM Eastern. I selected the download and mail option. When I followed the supplied download links, I got the Marines 1.10 version. *shrug*

I agree, it's fine, once you know what you have to do in what order, I'm just saying that if you're coming to the game for the first time, or if you haven't been on these forums since pre-order, it might not be completely clear.

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Just to confirm what Moon said, bought marines today and it was updated to 1.11

There was one problem though:

the file "background with arty and smallarms.wav" in the mod tools folder, was reported as corrupt by the installer but i just "ignored" it. The subsequent files installed without problem.

You better have a look at the image again :-)

(Marines mod installed on top of basic 1.11)

Cheers

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