By popular demand, we are releasing the latest version of PON to everybody! Please note that this version is a "1.02 beta version" meaning that some bugs may remain, and some improvements are still on the radar.
It is safe to say though, that this Public Beta version will provide you an even better gaming experience than the current 1.01 version you are playing with.
Once all issues are fixed, and after the QA department has validated it, this beta patch (internally called 101g) will be made official and will become version 1.02, the first official patch for PON.
INSTRUCTIONS
This installation procedure is STEAM compatible!
Installing this beta patch asks you a bit of file copying. There is nothing complicated, just follow these steps (they are very detailed but someone knowing how to move files in Windows will do that in a few seconds!):
1. Get the ZIP archive provided at the end of this post. Open it, you should see the game executable PON.EXE and a folder, named VGN. Move these 2 items in a temporary directory, say C:\Temp\PONBeta
2. Find where is located the game, Pride of Nations. A good way of doing that is moving your mouse cursor over the PON icon (you must not have selected an icon for this trick to work, click on an empty space of your desktop to deselect any icon). Wait a few seconds, the location of your game should appear in the tooltip.
If you are using Steam, you won't get all the informations though. You have to head to the main directory where is Steam, then go to \SteamApps\common ... Here you should find all your Steam games! (The default location for Steam is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam, but it can varies, if you don't like to clutter your system partition with games).
3. Open the Pride of Nations folder. There are some files and directories. Open the VGN directory. You should see several others directories. Select these ones:
Aliases
Events
FrontEnd
GameData
These ones are the first 4 listed normally, but double check to be sure. Once you have all the 4 selected, delete them. Yes, to the trash! Wait a bit, as there are a lot of files to send to the shredder...
You have to delete them, or you won't be able to play correctly.
4. Move one directory up. You should be back to Pride of Nations, seeing again the main game executable (PON.EXE) and the VGN directory (that we trimmed a bit... summer diet
). Things get easy now. Keep this window open, then go to the directory where you put the 2 items we spoke about in entry (1), so you should head to C:\Temp\PONBeta. 5. Select these 2 items (PON.EXE and VGN directory), then drag&drop them to the Pride of Nations directory. Windows will ask you if you want to overwrite what is there. Say yes to all. The former PON.EXE will be replaced by the new one, and the older VGN directory will receive quite a face lift, with new updated files.
6. Once done, close everything. Double click on the PON icon (on your desktop generally). The splash screen should show you 1.01e Public Beta patch. Should you get an error before seeing the main menu, it can mean you forget a step somewhere. Just restart from (1) in this case.
ATTACHMENT
http://ageoddl.telechargement.fr/temp/Patch_PON1.01hPB.zip
(too big to attach, but the link works nonetheless!)
You can continue your current game, but the diplomacy bias matrix won't be fixed, aside that the rest should work dynamically. While you install this fix, don't hesitate to delete entirely the Saves folder (you can do that more slowly in game also). We will do our best to stay save-compatible from now on, rest assured.
TROUBLESHOOTING
If after several tries, you don't manage to install the fix, then don't hesitate to post here, we will help you.
FIXES AND NOVELTIES 1.01h
*fixed: Warscore evaluation and cost of treaty proposals
*changed: 'NON' nation is always hostile.
*fixed: AI siege bug
*changed: Colonial Merchant can augments dev level up to 15%.
*fixed: Defensive treaty could be accepted while not being valid in the end.
*fixed: you can't build a depot upgrade over a depot in construction.
*changed: some silly cases of crisis.
*changed: you will get back military control and cities, from non hostile nations, in some cases, in regions you legitimally own.
*fixed: yet another memory leak (a significant one)
*added: AI will now explain why she refuses a treaty proposal.
*changed: Drain lands should now work only in swamps
*changed: AI has more chance to accept peace.
*added: Relations with a tribal will change, depending of your ownership of their capital. If you are in protectorate or better status, they become friendly, otherwise, they become hostile.
* Changed all events with diplomatic item FullWar to War (so peace talks and conditions should be easier for the initial stages). Note that the ACW, the 3rd Carlist War and the Taiping rebellion remain FullWar, i.e. peace is almost impossible except via total victory (or event ending)
* Fixed ACW events (US fleets go to NYC instead of upper Mississippi, fixed too much REB loyalty, especially in Washington)
* Fixed AI reaction in many events (German Unification, Crimean War)
* Added events about natives getting access to more modern weapons later on in game
* Fixed errors in Units & Models
* Added new Leaders portraits (from our Beta team)
* Changed many sprites positions in various regions to improve visibility
* Finally completed Dutch events
* Made TUR and BEL playable in this version (although the game was NOT designed for this initially) - These nations need your feedback to be as interesting as possible for the official patch!
* Added extra events for colonial crisis (Cuba, Philippines, Aceh, Morocco)
*New look for the Tech Tree Navigation interface
*Added new links from the Research Interface to the Tech Tree Navigation
*Solved the problem with Coaling Station Upgrade removing the Port if the CP on the region was not enough
*Solved reported bugs on Rulers (corrected refferences, removed extra spaces that prevented some images to be loaded, etc)
*Added new portraits for German Minors, Spain and China
*Plugged the new placeholder ruler portraits to some factions
*Fixed some Tech Startup problem with some techs that you had ahead of time (you had the second level instead of the prerequisite)
FIXES AND NOVELTIES 1.01g
Fixed: AI diplomacy bias was not working correctly
Fixed: Memory leak in hosting
Fixed: crash when browsing the 2D building cards
Fixed: Several events errors, including EvalColSPatus etc.
Fixed: Extended options (SOIs) are now saved
Fixed: Siege where 2 countries or more are besieged now work as intended.
Changed: Non colonial crisis probabilities significantly upped.
Added: VSynch and MultiSampling settings can now be changed, to speed up display.
Added: Merchants Ships in MTBs can now get back hits (with replacements). Build Shipyards!
Added: Rails can now be repaired automatically either by civilian entrepreneurs, or if you have units of the Engineer family.
Changed: Regions in harsh climate can recover from pillage.
FIXES AND NOVELTIES 1.01f
new: legitimate owner of a region gets back MC from allies.
fixed: No more North pole crisis.
fixed: All capital icons are now working and send to Diplomacy Window
changed: Decisions Missions, Merchant, Tradepost. Missions will mostly create the Mission building. Merchants give 5£ a turn and enable the use of the Tradepost mission. Tradepost once completed creates the Tradepost building.
fixed: can now scrolls the structures in the 'built structures' panel.
fixed: hits lost by units now show correctly in the Military screen
changed (improved): ctrl-click replaced by right-click in Balance and Industrial screens.
new: tooltip on the population behaviors in Population screen
new: decisions cost and 'tech boosting' cost traced immediately in your balance, top of the screen.
new: (still underwork) - Mini tech browser Window, click on the tech category in the Tech screen to open it (in the making!)
Data oriented changes
¤ IA choices modified in multi-choices events.
¤ Japan events and Perry visit events fixed (txt added + balancing)
¤ all models and units file names changed to allow better performance with non-Western O/S
¤ Native American and GBR leaders pictures added
FIXES AND NOVELTIES 1.01e
FIXED and major: Memory leak removed!
new: You can now cancel Buy orders from the B interface.
fixed: Display bug that masked some structures.
new: Prices recover better and more logically
new: wastage of resource reduced in effect
new: naval resupply algorithm revised entirely, plus message giving details on it.
new: national regions now benefit from a 'minimum development level', if under 10%, you get +1% every 3 months.
new: tribal get replacements for free, slowly.
new: commerce ships in MTBs get back some cohesion over time
fixed: Depot extension and coaling upgrades problem.
new: Initiator of a colonial crisis can lose his CP in the contested colony.
new: minor can be the target of crisis.
fixed: Replacement leaders now appear (note there is perhaps a bug on duplicating leaders though)
fixed: structures in construction can not be activated with the 'activate all' button
fixed: a problem with supply rights that gave the benefit of a defensive treaty.
fixed: Inflation works reliably.
fixed: Map loading improved behavior should now work even if the checkbox is not on (hopefully!)
fixed: Can now use gunboat diplomacy
fixed: DOWing a country now abort all treaties
new: National morale limited to 250. More rubberband mechanisms around morale.
new: if you lack a specific resource for an industry, the message tells you which one.
fixed: you'll get every 3 months a message about your progress on the historical missions.
new: AI time usage in case of war reduced by 10% (not to 10%
)new: Hosting time reduced between 10 and 15%, depending of the turn.
new: the harbors close to your capital can always send sea supply to harbors close to any MTB where you have ships. (Basically if you have a ship as GBR in Southern Africa Trade box, then the harbors near London can send supply to the harbors in South Africa).
new: Can't play prospectors in region where there is no hidden resources.
new: You don't prevent merchant ships to commerce even if you have combat ships in their MTB.
new: When you form up a colony, relationships with the tribal will be at least 0.
new: The resources icons on map now show the number of resources in their tooltip.
new: Before building a structure, the tooltip tells you about the theoretical input and output.
new: Unit building panel code optimized, should not slow down the game anymore.
changed: Crisis about a colony asks for an average 15 CP, not 5.
changes and fixes focused on data:
* Fixed some budget and costs of the EIC army: GBR now receives 250£ every 6 months as 'contribution' to finance the Army in India (till 1860)
* fixed some upgrade costs on units - Also added missing pictures for some units
* Fixed EvalColStatusArea script error
* Fixed natural disasters events (wrong religion alias caused crash)
*Models DB fixes (costs, tech upgrades, new pictures, new values for some elements)
* Fixed a script error that prevented the Missions annual checks to be effected and displayed.
* In addition FP of economic structures is adjusted for some missions (e.g. more cereal farms for Russia)
* New 1850 GC OOB: lots of African and Asian nations forces added on map (still WIP if volunteers want to bring corrections)
* Changed Cotton resources on map outside USA: much lower until the ACW occurs, then Cotton 'spreads' to Egypt, India and Southern Brazil in greater quantities
* Diplomatic parameters for AI added (thanks to Ehrenbourg tremendous work!)
* New events for SPA, POR, BEL and TUR added
* More Colonial and Balkan crisis events
* Allowed German unification by peaceful means to occur earlier
* Fixed wrong states borders in the USA (thanks to Aragos)
* Cherokee are friendly to USA, other Indian tribes start at peace
* Fix of abilities (CinC appliance)
* Oil, gold, gems and rubber resources fix (add population during rushes)
* Some 1850 setup fix in regions (control, trade, resources) [/INDENT]
I know it's the jungle and all but...) Nonetheless have taken Rangoon and Mandalay, along the coast and inland to the latter.
) I'm already at 79% and gaining steadily, even with the moving goalpost 
