AGEOD Forums

After the dust settling on private-life issues I wanted to be sure that I had the latest patch installed. I have a file in my repository which I had cleverly renamed AACW_patch_v1.16a.zip containing:
patch_AACW_v1.16a.exe Size: 128,691,257 Date: 05-04-2012 08:04.

However the official thread in the forum is dated 24-Apr-2012, which is a couple of weeks after the 5th of April in my file above. So I downloaded that patch from the thread too -- named AACW_Patch.zip (very ambiguous as all patch downloads for AACW are named this) -- containing:
patch_AACW_v1.16a.exe Size: 128,694,871 Date: 24-04-2012 07:23.

So I unpacked both the new and old download and checked their properties. Neither of them have any version information . Then I installed both of them into different temporary directories and compared their contents.

Firstly, in both test-installations the ..\ACW\Settings\System.opt files have a line stating: "GameVersion = 1.16a"(!!)* -- not nice at all. Then I did a comparison of both test installations through the content of all files and came up with some difference.

Older patch
AACW.exe Size: 5,592,576 Date: 04-04-12 21:17:14

Newer patch
AACW.exe Size: 5,595,648 Date: 13-04-12 14:11:52

So they are definitely different patches.

Both "ACW Updates.pdf" files also have different dates and sizes, and in GameLogic.opt the newer patch includes some new parameters:

// ********************************************************
// Movement costs of roads and major roads
// ********************************************************

terNewRoadCalc = 1 // we blend formulas (or not)
terPercCostRealTrack = 050 // coeff to real terrain cost
terPercCostRealRoad = 033 // same, roads
terPercCostRealMajorRoad = 020 // same, major roads (always directional)
terPercCostClearTrack = 150 // coeff to Clear terrain cost
terPercCostClearRoad = 100 // same, roads
terPercCostClearMajorRoad = 066 // same, major roads (always directional)
terPercCostPercUseClear = 050 // We use 50% of the clear terrain cost formula and 50% of the real terrain cost formula (if terNewRoadCalc = 1)

What bugs me the most is that the downloads always have the same name. It would cost little effort to name the downloads according to their content like AACW_patch_v1.16a.zip. IIRC the newer patch included the above differences as a quick-fix, which I am happy to see, but I would request that even if there is a quick-n-dirty quick-fix issued that the download, install and System.opt files reflect this.

*the GameVersion entry in System.opt is what is actually displayed in the lower right-hand corner when starting the game. Had I not taken the time to do these comparisons I would never have know if I were on the same 1.16a version as anybody else .

My bad.


I think you encountered the "last beta" and the "final" with a last moment change.

In this case, I was being optimistic with the last beta version, thinking I could rename the zip to make it final.
AACW is a broadband pig [file size], so that's my feeble excuse....


Normally beta versions get shown as such in System.opt.


I don't want to get into a special name for the final, as there are many many links to the official patch, and I'm not sure I could find them all.


Pitiful excuse, eh?
Again, My Bad. Won't do it again...

Not to worry, I just seemed to remember having this issue once before many, many moons ago.

I didn't think about that there might be an issue with links to the download. Working for a rather large HW/SW house I'm used to having practically all versions of all patches available back to pretty far in the past. Different companies, different needs. Apology accepted wholeheartedly .