Combat Mission engine 4 patches released

Started by WallysWorld, May 03, 2019, 04:41:10 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Elvis

There is a 3rd option, of course. Go to the Help Desk, get your game up and running and then publicly vent here or wherever. It's all good. As long as you're back up and running.

MOS:96B2P

I just patched my CMSF2 game to v2.02 with no problem.  FWIW, I've owned and played the CM games for about seven years now and have never had to use gsclean.  And since BFC came out with the new all in one installer I've not had any problems with downloading, installing or activating.  Prior to the new all in one installers I admittedly had minor problems from time to time.  But things are much easier now.  :)   

The new v2.02 Engine 4 is looking pretty good.  Some of the Combat Mission moders are working on a southeast Asian mod for the game.  Screenshots below.  Looks pretty cool.  I think (hope) some are also working on an African mod.  These mods open up new continents to design scenarios for. 







Redwolf

Quote from: Elvis on June 21, 2019, 08:55:48 PM
There is a 3rd option, of course. Go to the Help Desk, get your game up and running and then publicly vent here or wherever. It's all good. As long as you're back up and running.

My CMRT is in a help desk ticket since March. Doesn't run.

As far as CMMG is concerned, I thought you already did whatever the helpdesk can do to try to reset the license key I have?

Redwolf

Quote from: Elvis on June 21, 2019, 06:15:22 PM
Quote from: Redwolf on June 21, 2019, 06:58:54 AM
What you get with BFC instead is that you need to contact support, they privately send you some executable that does some random thing.That BFC executable has no output, regardless of whether it thinks it worked or not. Just silent, nothing. In my case I can then go through permutations of game installs to maybe make it work, something it won't help with or tell me whether it thought the game install looks like something it can repair.

What does the gsclean tool do? It resets the license state between the game and the computer that it is on. It happens in a blink of an eye. Why you would go through "permutations of game installs" I have no idea. And certainly don't understand why you blindly would take stabs in the dark trying different "permutations of game installs".

I was assuming you have access to my CMRT ticket?

Permutations of game installs is precisely what people (including you) have been telling me to do during this entire thread. My CMRT is ancient, so I replaced the original 1.0 through patches install with an install from a compound installer freshly downloaded. I think this kind of "permutations" is actually quite reasonable to demand of me, and you were among those who said I need to do that. I find that you are deceiving the audience here denying that.

My theory on why gsCleaner doesn't work for me is that there were too many OS upgrades. My install of CMRT might have originated on Windows 2000. It's on 10 now. Somehow the original install's key is buried somewhere where gsCleaner doesn't clean it. That's pure speculation of course. Since you don't document what gsCleaner does and how the DRM "works" there is much to do except send screenshots to the helpdesk.

Let me know whether you have access to my CMRT ticket. It is #22851943.

Jarhead0331

Not to pile it on, but one other little annoyance...when installing the CMSF2 2.02 patch, for some reason, when you select the game installation directory as the target location for the update, it automatically adds another "Combat Mission Shock Force 2" to the location address, so it ends up installing to "c:\Combat Mission Shock Force2\Combat Mission Shock Force 2," and then obviously does not work. It took me three attempts before I realized this is what it was doing.  :idiot2:
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


Tuna

We should have a poll, on who has had trouble with their BF DRM, not sure it's a small percentage, as I know I have experienced it. Really to the point, where I don't really want to spend the effort to play. Definitely deters future purchases.

DCS used to have trouble as well, but their 'newer' game launcher in recent years, seems to act more like Steam, you log in, they know you own it, end of story.


Jarhead0331

Quote from: Tuna on June 22, 2019, 08:40:45 AM
We should have a poll, on who has had trouble with their BF DRM, not sure it's a small percentage, as I know I have experienced it. Really to the point, where I don't really want to spend the effort to play. Definitely deters future purchases.

DCS used to have trouble as well, but their 'newer' game launcher in recent years, seems to act more like Steam, you log in, they know you own it, end of story.

Haven't had any DCS issues since I started using the updater GUI by Skate Zilla. If you don't already use this...GET IT!
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


Yskonyn

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on June 22, 2019, 09:04:19 AM
Quote from: Tuna on June 22, 2019, 08:40:45 AM
We should have a poll, on who has had trouble with their BF DRM, not sure it's a small percentage, as I know I have experienced it. Really to the point, where I don't really want to spend the effort to play. Definitely deters future purchases.

DCS used to have trouble as well, but their 'newer' game launcher in recent years, seems to act more like Steam, you log in, they know you own it, end of story.

Haven't had any DCS issues since I started using the updater GUI by Skate Zilla. If you don't already use this...GET IT!

I agree!  \m/
"Pilots do not get paid for what they do daily, but they get paid for what they are capable of doing.
However, if pilots would need to do daily what they are capable of doing, nobody would dare to fly anymore."

Elvis

Quote from: Redwolf on June 22, 2019, 06:55:35 AM
I was assuming you have access to my CMRT ticket?

I do. But unless the name on the ticket is Redwolf I have no idea which ticket it is  but.........

QuoteLet me know whether you have access to my CMRT ticket. It is #22851943.

This helps as much as a name or email address. I have just sent you what should get both games up and running.

I apologize that your ticket was misflagged and the ball was dropped. That should never happen. I didn't mention in what way in my reply just now but I have tried to compensate for the mistake. If you don't notice in what way let me know through the ticket and I'll tell you.

QuotePermutations of game installs is precisely what people (including you) have been telling me to do during this entire thread. My CMRT is ancient, so I replaced the original 1.0 through patches install with an install from a compound installer freshly downloaded. I think this kind of "permutations" is actually quite reasonable to demand of me, and you were among those who said I need to do that. I find that you are deceiving the audience here denying that.

CMRT is the only title that for the original base game you need the 1.03 patch for the gsclean to work. The gsclean tools are specific to the Game Engine version.

QuoteMy theory on why gsCleaner doesn't work for me is that there were too many OS upgrades. My install of CMRT might have originated on Windows 2000. It's on 10 now. Somehow the original install's key is buried somewhere where gsCleaner doesn't clean it. That's pure speculation of course. Since you don't document what gsCleaner does and how the DRM "works" there is much to do except send screenshots to the helpdesk.

No, but multiple changes in the OS can be something that triggers the need for the gsclean tool. But it doesn't affect if the tool does it's job or not.

Redwolf

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on June 22, 2019, 07:58:20 AM
Not to pile it on, but one other little annoyance...when installing the CMSF2 2.02 patch, for some reason, when you select the game installation directory as the target location for the update, it automatically adds another "Combat Mission Shock Force 2" to the location address, so it ends up installing to "c:\Combat Mission Shock Force2\Combat Mission Shock Force 2," and then obviously does not work. It took me three attempts before I realized this is what it was doing.  :idiot2:

Exactly yhe problem isn't so much that things are so badly broken in one way.

The problem is that every move for patches or DRM in the CMx2 games looks like they hire a new 15 year old Intern on speed every time, and retain no memory. There is no consistency whatsoever in patch naming, how the patches are packaged, how the installer works, what kind of icons it leaves on the desktop for activation of modules etc. Not to mention what requires what installed previously. No consistency at all. Just dumping a pile of things on the user and it's the user's problem to try-and-error around.

Ubercat

Elvis, it's great that YOU personally do a great job. The point is that you shouldn't have to! There are a ton of PC game companies out there with products that aren't a fraction as onerous to use as BFC's. Most of them appear to be doing just fine. Why does your boss cling to such an awful DRM scheme? Is it just pride at this point?

Even when you guys make incremental improvements it's like you're letting us swim with 5 pound sinkers instead of 10 pounders. Dump the damn sinkers already.  :uglystupid2:

I haven't played the games I paid for in several years now (CMBN, CMRT, CMFI) because every time I dared to go without playing for a few months, I'd have to open a ticket and go through a 2 day process to get my product up and running again. That's utter BS. Anyone who wants to trash me for complaining about it can go jump in a lake.  >:(  and take some of those sinkers that they admire so much. :P
"If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labelled a radical 50 years ago, a liberal 25 years ago, and a racist today."

- Thomas Sowell

Sir Slash

I basically agree with you Ubercat. I've had the same experience with the same games. I feel like I need to hire someone from NASA to come over and keep my games running at every change, update, patch and all the other things the internet does to affect this game. I love the games but it's a real two-steps forward, one-step back to keep these games up to date. No other game I've ever played going back to 'Pong' has fought me this hard to play it. If you've got a working version of any of these games, keep them that way and enjoy them and don't mess with them or you'll regret it. Kudos to all the hard-working people at BF that make and keep these games running, you're not the enemy here. My 2 cents.
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

Yskonyn

Well as a counter (and not because I am a fanboi) to the above: I have been playing, updating and sometimes reinstalling the CMx2 games since the first release and CMSF is the only version that ever gave me a headache, honestly. So there are machines out there that don't have all these issues.

Having that said: I do appreciate all the negativity, because aparently there's a lot of people where things do go wrong and the point is easily made and reinforced to question why BFC insists on keeping this DRM scheme?
The fact that it mostly works isn't good enough; it should work 100% of the times.

At the same time people should also read what's on screen and not click mindlessly through:
The installer shows you where it is going to install, just slow down a little (re: the double game folder issue mentioned above). Still its not a very neat way of doing your patch installer.

Grey... grey everywhere!  :peace:
"Pilots do not get paid for what they do daily, but they get paid for what they are capable of doing.
However, if pilots would need to do daily what they are capable of doing, nobody would dare to fly anymore."

Grim.Reaper

First of all, certainly stinks when people can't get their games running for one reason or another.....second, I despise DRM especially the ones like BF that ties to physical hardware.  But with that said, I haven't experienced any major issues with installing, patching, and moving the software from computer to computer.  Using the all-in-one-installer, simply use the latest and fill in the various registration codes.  I have upgraded my computer many times since I started playing BF Games and have never run out of licenses or had to use any cleaning tool.

I just might be lucky but assume there is a good bunch of folks out there who also have a reasonable experience.....

But again, this is not an endorsement of the DRM, just a statement from one customer who doesn't have issues......wish others didn't have issues so actual BF threads talked about the game itself but that will never change, nor will BF ever change their methods.....

trek

Just curious about everyone that's had patching problems and what OS you're running. I'm still on Win7 Pro and have updated CMRT, CMBN and CMSF2 to Engine 4 patch with no problems. However, as I know I will have to transition to Win 10 Pro by January I'm not looking forward to it if the problems are related to Win10 for some of you or is this a non-issue?