Latest patch - Beta build 7

[Don Maddox]

Here are the latest and greatest files. As before, if you have made changes to your weapons system database by either adding or modifying weapons, then you will probably get errors. Until HPS releases a patch for the dataview utility, it is probably best to just leave it alone.

http://www.warfarehq.com/poa2/poa2_patch.shtml

Make sure you copy over the old files.

[HPS]

This is the latest beta. It fixes all of the problems that have been reported so far, and it adds a bunch of improvements. It requires the use of the updated databases. BTW- the patch comes in several parts, each of which goes into a single folder. I figured it was easiest to manage that way.

Since the last build, here are the major fixes/improvements we've made:

* Fixed problem with airstrikes - no unit found to be available when there were (was a time to target issue).
* Fixed discrepancy between map display, scroll over text and Loc Info form for objects such as obstacles.
* Fixed crash for LOS's introduced in last build.
* Adjust set-up steps so that if flank width=0, the flank selection page doesn't appear.
* Flank width box minimum was 1: changed to 0.
* Adjusted cursor display calls.
* Added a "default symbol" for obstacles that have no counterpart in the symbol set (berms, craters).
* Fixed default ROF on Unit Info Form - didn't "stick".
* Added a "Max ROF=" statement on Call for IF form, and updated info when new ammo/gun selected.
* Fixed FSO text statement for area tgts vs. unit tgts.
* Updated S-2 message for known units in other sectors.
* Fixed crashes in S2 and S4 for games without defined start lines/sectors.
* Added auto-load and auto-unload for entire formations (and clear orders).
* Load, unload and join forms - streamlined to be more user friendly.
* Morale routines weren't being called (holdover from testing).
* Added strength/morale status dots to the force tree.
* Added "hard range limits" for each SOP tgt type, plus overall for the unit.
* Added "Set SOP for formation" options for HQ units.
* Updated Unit Detail Info screen help form.
* Can now edit unit names during the game from force tree & Unit Info form.
* Databases updated, and in-flight missiles linked to small "M" symbols (which will appear if you can see the missile).

I'm still hoping to make the patch "official" Monday, but I guess that depends on how much stuff surfaces before then. In the meantime, we're going to work on adding a "level 6" reporting level (which will show penetration amounts and all that sort of impact data). I also want to make the rest of the display settings "stick" like the Preferences.

-Scott

[HercMighty]

Scenerio 1 staff officer air missions screen says I have 2 units available but they still do not show in the main portion of the staff officer screen even with FOW turned off. Also unchecking the show multi part units causes a C+++ exception.

[HercMighty]

New scenerio 10: Right clicked on a red contact and selected target this location with a air strike. I got the attack helicopter that was up and I told it to hit the target. After hitting end turn the helicopter never moved and trying to assign further airstrikes was impossible. Also I never see the unit in the staff officer screen for air missions. Also by turn six I got a divide by zero after what looked like one of my units shooting at a friendly unit and the game seemed to hang. I finally closed it out.

[Don Maddox]

I suggest sending any bugs you find stright to Scott with the save files.

[MikeSinn]

New scenerio 10: Right clicked on a red contact and selected target this location with a air strike. I got the attack helicopter that was up and I told it to hit the target. After hitting end turn the helicopter never moved and trying to assign further airstrikes was impossible. Also I never see the unit in the staff officer screen for air missions. Also by turn six I got a divide by zero after what looked like one of my units shooting at a friendly unit and the game seemed to hang. I finally closed it out.
Herc,

In scenerio 10 were you able to unload any of your LAAVs? If so, how did you do it? No matter what I try, those #%@! marines will never leave their comfortable vehicles. :mad:

[MikeSinn]

Just FYI... I just sent the email below to Scott regarding potential problems with Beta 7.

Scott,

I have been experimenting with Beta 7 for the last few hours and have encountered what appears to be one possible bug and one C++ exception error.
The possible bug.
Unit loading/unloading - In Scenerio 10, none of the marine units will unload from the LAAVs. In Scenerio 6, MP units will not load into the Hummvs. I have tried every combination of commands that I can think of and have had zero success.

The C++ error.
I recieved a C++ error in Scenerio 6. This occured immediately after my Maser unit fired for the first time. It appears that the exception error occured during the DF resolution for that unit. I have attached three saved game files for this problem. Please let me know if you need any additional information.

For reference, my O/S is Windows XP Professional SP1

Thanks,
Mike

[Don Maddox]

Let us know what he says.

[Jarhead]

Hi all, I am new to this forum and I have been following this forum fairly close. From reading this forum on POA2 I decided to purchase the game. POA2 arrived in the mail today and I am excited to install it and start jumping into it. :cool: In reference to the patches is the current beta 7 patch all that I will need? The reason I ask is the message posted by Scott, that the beta 7 patch would need the updated data-bases. I do not see a data base file or am I just missing something? :confused:

[HercMighty]

Unloading in scenerio 10 as far as I can tell is not working. I did get the air mission to work though in scenerio 10. I right clicked on a red unit that appeared at the start of the scenerio. I selected air strike and I got an availale unit. I then went to my staff officer screen and there it was. I was able to follow it's progress and the bombs were dropped.

[XRAY]

Jarhead,

Just download the four zipped files at the top of this thread following Don’s instructions of what goes where.

The data files are included and that’s all you need for now.

[Old&Slow]

Scott

When putting the CD in the caddy to play, the Game wants to install itself again, no big deal but it take 3 clicks to get past that.

When trying to access the manual while playing I get a dialogue box that wants to search for & install MS Office 2000 :crosseye: After getting rid of that the manual comes up OK.

P:S: So we don`t take up bandwith here with these kind of reports is there an EMail address we can use to get to you on stuff.

If Don has it maybe he can Sticky it somewhere up top if he thinks that a good idea ??

[Rocky]

I'm still getting error messages after trying the beta 7 updates. I've even uninstalled, reinstalled and copied them over the top. I seem to be a minority here (a minority of one with beta 7), so I have no idea what the problem is.

Getting just a wee bit frustrated at this point.

[XRAY]

Old&Slow,

Once you have carried out a full install you are not required to have to have the CD in a drive to play the simulation.

I’m not sure about the MS Office 2000 query, perhaps it will go away if no CD is present?

I'm using Win XP Home Edition, perhaps it's different for other platforms?

[tws71669]

Scott

When putting the CD in the caddy to play, the Game wants to install itself again, no big deal but it take 3 clicks to get past that.

When trying to access the manual while playing I get a dialogue box that wants to search for & install MS Office 2000 :crosseye: After getting rid of that the manual comes up OK.

P:S: So we don`t take up bandwith here with these kind of reports is there an EMail address we can use to get to you on stuff.

If Don has it maybe he can Sticky it somewhere up top if he thinks that a good idea ??
Well, here are some guesses, turn off autoplay for your CD-ROM...

It sounds like you might have a multiple login on your system where the other
login has office installed and when you want to view a certain file, it installs into your current logion, longshot but I've seen something like what you are describing.

Since the manual is HTML, you could just create a shortcut to it on your desktop and choose "Open With" by right clicking on it then selecting your default browser and checking "always open with this program" Failing that use the shortcut to just drag-n-drop it into an already open browser window, it should just load automatically then.

Hope some of this helps.
-Tiberius

[Rod]

Again I'm new to the forums but have been playing POA2 since it came out. I have focused on Scenario 1 at novice level so I can see what is happening.

With the latest beta 7 patch I got a C++ error at the end of game turn 10 and could not progress further as the combat phase froze on me.

Like others I cannot get the staff officer to assign air attacks and despite many enemy troops being sighted the target air strike seems to work sporadically. More often than not I cannot call up air strikes. Not sure if this is a game feature.

Another issue I have is that the armour seems to be blind. I have played scenario 1 a number of times where the tanks are surrounded by BMP's up close and being hit continually but it says it can see nothing. Again not sure if there is a problem or the LOS is penalizing the tank for being buttoned up but the BMP's have uber LOS.

Rod

[Don Maddox]

With the latest beta 7 patch I got a C++ error at the end of game turn 10 and could not progress further as the combat phase froze on me.

You need to report this to Scott Hamilton at HPS. The best thing to do is to send him an email with as much detail as possible about what is happening. Also, attach a copy of your lautosave.ops file with the email. If you were able to save the game when the error occurred, send that as well.

The email is support@hpssims.com.

[Don Maddox]

Scott

When putting the CD in the caddy to play, the Game wants to install itself again, no big deal but it take 3 clicks to get past that.You should not need to turn off autoplay or make any other adjustments. The only time the POA2 CD is required is when you initially install the game. After that, it is not needed for anything so don't put it back in or it will attempt to reinstall.

P:S: So we don`t take up bandwith here with these kind of reports is there an EMail address we can use to get to you on stuff.That's not a problem at the moment. I, for one, would like to see what problems people are having. By all means, send an email to Scott if you encounter a problem, but I would still encourage people to post here as well. It helps all of us to see what is going on and if others are having the same problems that we are.

If Don has it maybe he can Sticky it somewhere up top if he thinks that a good idea ??support@hpssims.com

[Don Maddox]

I'm still getting error messages after trying the beta 7 updates. I've even uninstalled, reinstalled and copied them over the top. I seem to be a minority here (a minority of one with beta 7), so I have no idea what the problem is.

Getting just a wee bit frustrated at this point.
What errors are you getting? When? Can you launch the game at all? Can you start a scenario or play at all? Are you sure you copied the data files into the correct folder?

[Jarhead]

Thanks XRAY for the response. What version and build do most players have? I have version 2 build 001. Was just curious, thought I saw that someone may of had a version 1 copy. I have not ran into any problems yet, but then I have not had much time to play lately. :( I have only played scenario 1 and have only gone 10 turns most of which the computer ran. I Was kinda holding off on installing the beta 7 patch in hopes of an official patch to be released soon.

I am new to playing this type of war game. The game seems fairly complicated, but I am sure I will understand the game play more as I play it more. It looks like it will be pretty interesting and fun to play. Again thanks for the response. :)

[Rocky]

What errors are you getting? When? Can you launch the game at all? Can you start a scenario or play at all? Are you sure you copied the data files into the correct folder?

I can launch the game and load a scenario. I then get "the weapons system data file appears to be corrupted. Error: LWD:0" message, followed by "The gun/ammo file appears to be corrupted. Error: LGAD:0"

The game then seems to load, but when I try to start the first turn I get both error messages again, followed by a C++ Exception.

I'm as sure as I can be that I've loaded the files in the right place. I did it three or four times, then uninstalled and reinstalled, and done it twice since then, and I get the same error each time.

The .wpn file is 47kb and dated 12/02/2004, and the .gun file is dated 27/01/2044 - presuming these are the files that are giving me grief.

[XRAY]

Jarhead

I think version 2.01 build 001 is what everybody got when they first purchased the game. We are now up to Build 007 (beta) so I strongly suggest you download the update from Don’s links on page 1 of this post Latest patch - Beta build 7 and follow the instructions for instillation.

I’m expecting another beta ? 008 at any time so keep you eyes peeled for Don’s post notifying the forum. There is also a possibility that Scott will publish his first official patch, if so you will find it on HPS’s site.

[Don Maddox]

Sounds like you have not copied over the data tables with the new files. Make sure you copy over both the main program exe and the data tables.

[Rocky]

Sounds like you have not copied over the data tables with the new files. Make sure you copy over both the main program exe and the data tables.
They're copied. Those are the same dates I have in the beta 7 data table zip files.

[Jarhead]

When I insatlled the new beta 8 files they did not have everything with them. When I copied them into the appropriate folders and started the game I got a missing file error ( tso.bmp cannot open file ). I corrected this with the beta 7 exe. zip file, it had the missing file. I had not installed any other beta patches. I see now that the older beta patches are no longer available. Could someone recheck the current beta files and make sure that it has everything needed included in it. I hope there is not anything else that was in one of the earlier patches that I have missed being I have not kept up with all the patches by installing each one as it came out. I also get the gun/ammo corrupted message but I see from earlier posts that that is being worked on. Does anyone know if that gun/ammo error inhibits game play any?

[Don Maddox]

When I insatlled the new beta 8 files they did not have everything with them. When I copied them into the appropriate folders and started the game I got a missing file error ( tso.bmp cannot open file ). I corrected this with the beta 7 exe. zip file, it had the missing file. I had not installed any other beta patches. I see now that the older beta patches are no longer available. Could someone recheck the current beta files and make sure that it has everything needed included in it. I hope there is not anything else that was in one of the earlier patches that I have missed being I have not kept up with all the patches by installing each one as it came out. I also get the gun/ammo corrupted message but I see from earlier posts that that is being worked on. Does anyone know if that gun/ammo error inhibits game play any? These files were included in the earlier zip along with the main program exe, but Scott didn't include them along with the latest beta. I have added them as a separate download.

The reason that you are getting the gun/ammo errors is because you are attempting to use the old beta exe with the new data tables. It won't work. Put the beta 9 exe back in -- along with the TS .bmp files and everything should be up to date.

[Black Moria]

I am having the same problem as Rocky and Jarhead.

What should the database file zip contain? The one I downloaded this evening only had one file in it - Standard.wpn

I have a suspicion that there should be more files, which would explain the gun/ammo corrupt message.

[Black Moria]

Does anyone know if that gun/ammo error inhibits game play any?

Yep, it sure does. I get an gun/ammo corrupt error like you do. I played the tutorial scenario through. I noted two behaviors...

1. Despite advancing onto the enemy positions, neither side would engage each other.

2. A strange graphic anomaly occurred on my machine. The northern most blue forces advanced onto the high ground and seem to freeze in place at the point that they turn east (as the unit icons remained still). Amazingly, a now invisible northern blue force advanced as I could see the movement trails advancing to the east while the icons remained behind. Stealth now has a complete new meaning :cheeky:

[cbelva]

Yep, it sure does. I get an gun/ammo corrupt error like you do. I played the tutorial scenario through. I noted two behaviors...

1. Despite advancing onto the enemy positions, neither side would engage each other


2. A strange graphic anomaly occurred on my machine. The northern most blue forces advanced onto the high ground and seem to freeze in place at the point that they turn east (as the unit icons remained still). Amazingly, a now invisible northern blue force advanced as I could see the movement trails advancing to the east while the icons remained behind. Stealth now has a complete new meaning :cheeky:

Yes, as we all should know by now the close combat ability of the program is not working. Scott is going to be looking at that as soon as he has all the crash bugs fixed.

The reporting procedures in the program appear not to be working. I have reported this to Scott and have received the following reply back from him:

"I saw the same thing when fixing that other bug, and in fact this issue has moved to the top of our list. My guess is that the SITREP reporting system has broken down somehow in one of the latest builds, since with the minimal US command delays the TF HQ should be pretty well informed about where everyone is. Yet, as you say, it reports every unit in its starting location. So that means the SITREPs either aren’t being delivered when they should be, or they are being ignored for some reason." :hush:

As you can see he is working on this.

[Don Maddox]

I am having the same problem as Rocky and Jarhead.

What should the database file zip contain? The one I downloaded this evening only had one file in it - Standard.wpn

I have a suspicion that there should be more files, which would explain the gun/ammo corrupt message.Try downloading the data tables file again and installing it. I think the problem here is that when Scott sends out an update he is just sending out what has changed since the previous update, not a complete update package. For those that have been updating with every beta, this isn't a problem as they already have the files from the prior update.

I'm doing that patch page on my own and I guess I have missed a few things. Once HPS goes "official" with the patch I hope we won't need this page any more and we can rely on their website for all the updates.

I just updated the data tables zip and it should work for you now. Let me know if it doesn't.

[Combatengineer]

Snip

The reporting procedures in the program appear not to be working. I have reported this to Scott and have received the following reply back from him:

"I saw the same thing when fixing that other bug, and in fact this issue has moved to the top of our list. My guess is that the SITREP reporting system has broken down somehow in one of the latest builds, since with the minimal US command delays the TF HQ should be pretty well informed about where everyone is. Yet, as you say, it reports every unit in its starting location. So that means the SITREPs either aren’t being delivered when they should be, or they are being ignored for some reason." :hush:

As you can see he is working on this.

My email is messing up so I can't report this, however in home made scenario's, like I use for testing, I noticed that all of the links between units and HQ's are broken. If you go in a choose to try to assign a new HQ the list is empty and it will produce a C++ (non crashing) error. All the units on the map will show no HQ. This would seem to be related to the SITREP, a unit has no HQ to pass them to. Can someone else create a quick small scenario and pass any files to HPS if it proves out? I am on the latest Beta, using XP Pro.

John

[Jarhead]

Thanks Don for the response. I had also sent an e-mail to HPS Support and Rich responded very quickly with a copy of build 9, updated data files and some updated scenarios :cool: :D :thumup:. I did not realize that I was missing 2 scenarios ( 8 & 9 ) until he sent them to me :surprise:. So far I have not had any problems so far, but I will playtest more tomorrow when I will have more time. Fantastic support from HPS :cool: :D :thumup:.

[Black Moria]

How does one go about getting scenarios 8 & 9? I don't see them on HPS's site or in the Warfare HQ Scenario archive.