EE2.eu - BLOG
28.10.2018 08:30 - Unofficial Patch 1.5.7 has been released!
After two years since the last major version update (1.5.6) - the new Unofficial Patch 1.5.7 has been released. Does it mean that during the last two years nothing has been done for EE2? Absolutely not! I (Dr.MonaLisa) have released 34 Minor Updates, sometimes "important", sometimes "optional". Many updates added NEW features to 1.5.6s series. Best example are "Cycle Time of Day", "Automatic Font Size", new campaigns (huge thanks to Loewenherz), bug and glitch fixes, etc. which initially weren't included in the major 1.5.6 version changes log. With time, Minor Update release process was very improved, fast and no-problematic. Players received monthly updates (usually with DirectX 9 support improvements) and Multiplayer users got pleased with Multiplayer Lobby changes. I am fully satisfied by the work done during last 2 years, even if some people complain about the "lack of new units" which have never been priority for me. But let's talk about the newest update!
Unofficial Patch 1.5.7 was initially supposed to be another Minor Update of 1.5.6s series. One day, inspired by player Laetitian request about possibility to host SinglePlayer games on the Multiplayer Lobby - I accidentally found audio volume control variables (responsible for limiting sounds at the camera zoom-out). I have been searching for it since Unofficial Patch 1.3 (back then didn't even know what assembly is). It created a possibility to release a new Camera Fix version with new zoom and angles settings. Camera Fix versions traditionally change in major updates. That's how "the Next Big Thing" came, as always - unexpectedly. Now we will describe initial Unofficial Patch 1.5.7 features, one by one. The full changes list can be read at: https://ee2.eu/patch/#1.5.7.
Camera FIX ver. 5.1: Zoom settings similar to UP1.4/UP1.5.1 (a huge zoom-out, and first-person view on the ground). Camera angles set to make the game look as close the official, vanilla version of EE2 as possible. Fixed the no sounds problem when maximally zoomed-out and it also makes the volume of sound effects (ambient, battles, etc.) more realistic, depending on camera zoom and units distance (even at the standard zoom). Fixes an issue where units heads were not visible in the preview window (under health bar). Increased the maximum zoom-out, added the "plane view" (activated very high).
Middle Mouse Button Actions: UP1.5 Launcher intercepts middle mouse button clicks and converts them to in-game actions. This feature is enabled by default, but can be disabled by UP1.5 Settings. When it's enabled - the Maximization Helper window displays new Middle Mouse Button Actions switches: "Rotate" - simulates the CTRL key press to rotate buildings. After 0.5 second the action follows mouse cursor to rotate camera in selected direction (simulates CTRL+ARROW keys press). "Move" - scrolls the camera (left, right, top, bottom) instead of rotating. You can manually press and hold the CTRL key to rotate. "Invert" - uses the opposite scrolling directions (feels like scrolling on your smartphone screen). "FSM Hotkey" - simulates the Full Screen Mode CTRL+ALT+H hotkey press (hides User Interface). To execute this hotkey keep the Middle Mouse Button pressed for ~2 seconds and don't move mouse during this time. Additional custom configuration commands (which can be inserted to UnofficialVersionConfig.txt or by UP1.5 Settings) exist: MiddleMouseButtonSleepBeforeCameraRotationMs=500 | Time (in milliseconds) after which camera starts rotating when MMB is pressed. Prevents accidentional camera rotation when rotating buildings by a short click. MiddleMouseButtonRotationCheckIntervalMs=0 | Delay (in milliseconds) after which Launcher checks for another mouse position change. Default 0 is 1 ms. Low value is recommended. MiddleMouseButtonFullScreenModeActivationDelayMs=2000 | Delay (in milliseconds) after which the Full Screen Mode hotkey can be activated. Option "Invert" is activated by default (I like how it is in Anno 2205).
Maximization Problems: Unofficial Patch 1.5.7 added new improvements to fix maximization problems (directly in the game process). In many cases using Maximization Helper Solutions and disabling fullscreen optimizations will no longer be needed.
More AutoSave Settings Frequencies: Up to 6 hours 30 mins (before only 30 mins). Autosaving is now possible every 2 mins 30 secs.
Air Mission waypoints: Increased from 5 to 20 (so you can efficiently plan air routes in CB/RP games).
Scenario Editor Player Colors: Unlocked possibility to use the same color for multiple players.
Multiplayer Lobby for SINGLEPLAYER users: It's now possible to host and start unrated SinglePlayer games (with AI players and 1 human player only) on the Multiplayer Lobby. Those games are not counted (rating, total games played, total game time) to prevent statistics abuses. It helps to stay online, receive private messages from friends and be ready to start a Multiplayer session when more players are online.
Of course there are several small bug fixes, Laucher improvements not mentioned here. Please always check https://ee2.eu/patch/#1.5.7 for full changes list, which includes changes added by UP1.5.7 Minor Updates.
That's all. I hope I didn't disappoint players by "not many" changes this time. For me it always feels more, because I know how much time it costs, and how depressive testing procedure can be. I can tell in secret, that one feature (possibly reducing game mouse lagg) was removed right before release, because didn't pass stability tests. It was painful and will be hard to forget, but let's move on...
BONUS - That's what I get from one Pakistani player, the same day:
03.01.2018 19:00 - "Automatic Font Size" & 4K improvements!
Minor Update 156022 for Unofficial Patch 1.5 (released on 6th of January 2018) has a new BETA feature available: "Automatic Font Size for Screen Resolutions". For stability reasons, this option is disabled by default. Interested users should open "UP1.5 Settings" in the Launcher and check option: "Enable Automatic Font Size...".
What exactly "Automatic Font Size for Screen Resolutions" is?
The official version 1.2 of Empire Earth 2 supports only six 4:3 screen resolutions: 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1280x960, 1280x1024, 1600x1200. With Unofficial Patch 1.5 you can use all possible screen resolutions (including 4K) and you can even generate Custom Screen Resolutions by the Launcher. It gives an underestimated playing experience comparing to the official version. Unfortunately, using new screen resolutions caused font size problems. On 4K displays all text in game was way too small. With new, smaller resolutions sometimes font size was too big. That's why now, after almost 4 years since Unofficial Patch 1.5 release - I designed special algorithms which generate font sizes suitable to the currently used screen resolution. It wasn't an easy task. This feature had to be integrated with the Launcher, allow compatibility between Multiplayer users. I spent hours testing different screen resolutions (on a Virtual Machine, I don't have a 4K display), limiting maximum font sizes, fixing crashes, etc. But finally, there it is!
Better 4K, FullHD and other widescreen resolutions support:
4K resolutions are finally playable. The "Automatic Font Size" takes care of displaying text with much bigger font than before. Of course all fonts have been set to keep the original scale, so the visual experience is just awesome! Nothing explains better than pictures, so compare yourself!
BEFORE - screen resolution 3840x2160 with DISABLED "Automatic Font Size":
AFTER - screen resolution 3840x2160 with ENABLED "Automatic Font Size":
Additional information about the "Automatic Font Size" option:
* This is a BETA feature which might crash on your system / selected screen resolution. If this happens, please disable this option and report the problem on the Support Chat in the Launcher.
* After you enable "Automatic Font Size" - the first game launch might take a very long time (depending on your CPU speed, new fonts are being generated). Please be patient and do not kill the game process.
* This option doesn't cause performance loss. Game lags are not related to this feature. For help, click here
TL;DR:
With Unofficial Patch 1.5 Minor Update 156022 you can enable a new option that makes font sizes in game look good for every possible screen resolution. It's noticable especially on 4K screen resolutions.
18.10.2017 22:15 - Poll Result: Do you like the new "Dark Launcher Theme"?
Today (18.10.2017), we are closing the second EE2.eu Community Poll! The question in the Poll was: Do you like the new "Dark Launcher Theme"?
What is the Dark Launcher Theme?
The UP1.5 1.5.6.013 Launcher (and newer), released on 12.09.2017 supports a new option "Dark Launcher Theme". This option was good enough to be enabled by default after the update. Users are still able to return to the old, light style by unchecking option: "Enable Dark Launcher theme" in UP1.5 Settings. Background colors, fonts, buttons, effects, everything have been improved in the most of the Launcher windows (excluding CD-KEY changer which is rarely used). You can view the screenshots below to see it.
Poll Result: Positive
Do you like the new "Dark Launcher Theme"?.
The users were able to select one of the following answers: "YES, I like it", "NO, I don't like it", "I don't know". The poll has been open on 12.09.2017, closed on 18.10.2017 ~22:00 CET, and exited with the following result:
(284 votes total): YES, I like it (91.55%), NO, I don't like it (4.23%), I don't know (4.23%).
Thanks to everyone who voted in our second Community Poll! The result of this poll is important to know if the community likes the new theme and if this option should still be enabled by default in further versions of Unofficial Patch 1.5.
Dark Launcher Theme screenshots:
04.06.2017 17:00 - Community Poll Result: Do you like when Minor Updates are released every month?
I'm happy to announce that today, the first EE2.eu Community Poll has been closed with the positive result.
What are Community Polls?
The UP1.5 1.5.6.009 Launcher (and newer), released on 05.05.2017 has integrated support for polls in the "news" area. Only users who installed Minor Update 156009+ are able to see the poll question. The users are able to cancel and change their vote for 24 hours and are also able to hide the poll result.
Community Poll: Do you like when Minor Updates are released every month?
"Do you prefer regular updates (every month), or bigger updates with more changes, but longer waiting time (6-12 months)? Please consider selecting a serious vote, because it might decide about the further UP1.5 development".
The users were able to select one of the following answers: "YES, I like them", "NO, I don't like them", "I don't know". The poll has been closed on 04.06.2017 ~17:00 CET, and exited with the following result:
(205 votes total): YES, I like them (79.02%), NO, I don't like them (7.8%), I don't know (13.17%).
Thanks to everyone who voted in our Community Poll. It confirmed that most of players like monthly updates, and those who complain about them should accept the majority's choice.
26.04.2017 11:00 - How to enable Windows 10 Game Mode in Empire Earth II?
On 11th of April 2017 - Microsoft released a new big update for Windows 10 called: "Creators Update". It's identified as build: 15063. The update rolls out slowly, so not all users already received it by Windows Update, however, if you're lucky and the Creators Update was already installed - you can enable the new "Game Mode" in Empire Earth II and Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy.
To learn more what the Game Mode actually does, please read: windowscentral.com/windows-10-game-mode
In some games (including Empire Earth II), the Game Mode state for the game can only be changed when the game is running in the Windowed Mode. Thanks to Unofficial Patch 1.5 you can eaisly set EE2 to run in the Windowed Mode to enable this function.
I've recorded a Youtube Tutorial which explains step-by-step how to enable Game Mode on Empire Earth 2:
1. Download and Install Unofficial Patch 1.5 from: https://ee2.eu/patch
2. Make sure that Windows 10 Creators Update is already installed on your PC.
3. In the UP1.5 Launcher click on the "Change UP1.5 Settings" button, and enable Windowed Mode, then save changes.
4. Start EE2 or EE2: AOS, click LogoWin + G using your keyboard, click on the settings icon and check "Use Game Mode for this game".
5. Quit the game, go to "UP1.5 Settings" again, and uncheck "Windowed Mode" checkbox. Save changes.
6. Play the game.
01.02.2017 15:00 - EE2.eu is now hosted on a new server!
In the past few days the old EE2.eu Server (placed in France) was experiencing unexpected high load, which was not caused by EE2.eu but provider problems. Unfortunately, the provider did not help to resolve the issue, instead recommended to check the "security of the server". After verification I knew exactly that the problem is not on our side. The Server load was jumping up to 36.0. It means that everything (EE2.eu website, Multiplayer Lobby, Launcher Scripts) worked 36 times slower or didn't work at all. Connections to the database were timing-out, so it was often impossible to log-in to the Multiplayer Lobby. Basically, I was very angry and decided to change the Server.
On 31.01.2017 I decided to order a Server at the same provider, but at the different location (Germany). It took a few hours to import and set-up everything. At 21:00 CET the EE2.eu domains changed the address to redirect to a new Server. Unfortunately, the problems began even more serious. For some reasons most of players could not connect to the EE2.eu website or enter the Multiplayer Lobby. After a verification, I detected that the IP address we received for the server was... already in use by a different one. It caused a conflict where 30% of time the traffic was redirected to our new Server, and the rest of time - to an unknown for me Server.
Before 22:00 CET I decided to switch back to the old, problematic Server, and the EE2.eu domain was again redirecting to the old address (France). Unfortunately, the Multiplayer Lobby was constantly crashing for unknown for me reasons. I can only assume that after my reports the provider somehow limted software which can be launched on the Server. I literally didn't modify anything, so crashes could not be caused by my changes. It was too much for me, so we started searching for a new Server, from a totally different provider.
At ~1:00 to 2:00 we bought a new hosting placed in the UK, and at ~4:00 to 5:00 I imported and set-up everything, so the new Server has all files, programs and the EE2.eu database. The EE2.eu domain now redirects to this Server, and everything works fine. The Multiplayer Lobby should not crash anymore, and website / launcher scripts should load instantly.
The new Server has 6GB of RAM and 2 cores Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2640 v4 @ 2.40GHz. For comparing, the old Server had only 1GB of RAM and 1 core 1.6Ghz CPU.
We were able to change the Server thanks to the few donations we received in January. It was very helpful and the EE2.eu community very appreciates it. However, to keep the good server (or more like: to not make me pay for everything alone) we need more donations, so if you like the EE2.eu and/or Unoffficial Patch 1.5 - please consider making a donation. For information how to donate, please visit: this site (click).
Also, for those who didn't notice it - In January I have released a minor update for UP1.5 which has a new feature: Cycle Time of Day. You can select it in the game set-up screen under the "Environment" tab -> "Time of day". The presentation video is here:
27.11.2016 21:00 - Unofficial Patch 1.5.6 (2017) has been released!
Around two weeks ago I announced that no new "big" update of UP1.5 will be released in 2017... I was wrong, I changed my minds and prepared a new BIG update, before the new year! The version is identified as "2017", because all minor updates for 1.5.6 will be released in 2017. That's why version identification couldn't be "2016". The full changes list is available at: https://ee2.eu/patch/#1.5.6. The changes list isn't super long nor contains noticable changes during game - however the stability improvement is great. For newbies we have the new "Initial Cease Fire" options: "20 Minutes", "30 Minutes", "45 Minutes", "60 Minutes", "2 Hours", "24 Hours" and: the new "City Population" options: 70, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 500, 1000. The update was mostly focused on the Multiplayer balancing, that's why I added a new option which allows you to disable the crowns system before game start. I have also fixed the "range glitch" which made units (usually heavy artillery) attacking from an unexpectedly long range: Thanks to Jodocus from the neoEE patch we assembled an option which makes game icon flashing on the taskbar when the game process is minimized, you're on the Multiplayer Lobby and you receive a notification.
I hope you will like the new update. Please don't forget to check the full changes list at https://ee2.eu/patch/#1.5.6
15.11.2016 23:15 - The future of Unofficial Patch 1.5 and EE2.eu in 2017
Dear Empire Earth II fans! I'll post some details what will be done by EE2.eu in next year. Some players might be dissapointed, but I'll try to explain why the decisions I made are better for the community.
Unofficial Patch 1.5:
- The base version of Empire Earth 2 and Empire Earth 2: The Art of Supremacy will still be "1.5.5 (2016)".
- Most likely Minor updates for UP1.5.5 will be backward compatible.
- No new units/buildings or significant features will be applied to the game.
With 5 major updates of Unofficial Patch 1.5 all game crashes were fixed. Additionally, some new units and buildings were added. Unfortunately, adding new units was very problematic. It caused more problems and new game crashes than I expected. At the moment all these problems are fixed, and the Unofficial Patch is very stable. That's why I don't want to ruin it by developing the "mod" part of UP1.5. On this site (click) I explained what Unofficial Patch 1.5 is focused on and that only 30% of all changes are visible for the ordinary users. Please remember that the other Empire Earth II mods (EE4 mod, Realistic Mod) are still developed, so if you like new units/buildings you can always download and play these mods using the Developers Version of Unofficial Patch 1.5.
One year ago - Unofficial Patch 1.5.5 with a working in-game Multiplayer Lobby has been released. It changed the style of minor updates, that they're now backward compatible. It means that no matter what minor version you have installed, you can still join other players on Multiplayer. It's good for people who still experience compatibility problems with game. Minor updates always improve the Launcher behaviour, fix compatibility with the newest Operating Systems and improve additional fixes (like the famous DirectX 8 to DirectX 9 converter). I understand that it seems like for the last year nothing was changed to the game. However - it's a very unfair vision. The last year was the hardest year of UP1.5 Developement. The Multiplayer Lobby programming and improvement, new Server, databases and the other things made me spent more time on EE2 than for the previous 2 years. Also, there were a lot of launcher fixes and new features which made Unofficial Patch 1.5 perfect. I'm not affraid to use this word, because in my opinion it's very close to perfection. Also, the number of reported problems shows it (we used to receive at least 2-3 reports per day, now it's like 1 report per 2 days, where the problem usually lays on the user's side).
Language Changer for Empire Earth II and Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy:
In 2017, the Language Changer will be finally released. The Changer will allow you to replace audio + text language in game. Unfortunately, not all languages will be supported. It's because I was unable to collect files for all languages. You can read more details in this topic at forum.ee2.eu (click)
Support chat and Multiplayer Lobby chat rules:
The Ministry of Game Affairs will write a new Act which will contain the clear chatting rules. These rules will affect the Support Chat and the Multiplayer Lobby chat. It's because we were accused of giving unfair bans. Racism, nazism propagation and the other forms of hate speech were never welcome in our community.
12.10.2016 19:30 - IndigoRose.com Setup Factory
12.10.2016 10:30 - Trainers and Cheats on Empire Earth 2 UP1.5
Game trainers are programs made to modify behaviour of a computer game, usually using addresses and values, in order to allow cheating.
All trainers made for EE2 in ver 1.2 and AOS in ver 1.0 should work fine with Unofficial Patch 1.5, however, you need to kill the Launcher process which works in the background in order to use them. Using trainers in Multiplayer games will result in Out of Sync error. If somebody abuses OOS, the Ministry of Game Affairs might ban the player by the unique ID from the Multiplayer services.
Using trainers, even in Single Player games is DANGEROUS and NOT RECOMMENDED! Those programs are usually virused! Please use the built-in game cheats instead (press the ENTER key to show the chat window):
icheat - Enable Cheatsidontcheat - Disables all Cheat Codes
loot - Add 10,000 of each resource
give tech - Add 50 technology points
epoch up - Advance an epoch without meeting any of the requirements
convert - Convert selected unit
play god - God Mode on\off (Your Units and Building should take no damage)
punish - Inflict 20 points of damage on selected unit
recharge me - Instant recharge power for selected unit
taxes - Subtract 100 of each resource
sea monkeys - Toggle instant build on\off
toggle fog - Toggle the fog of war on\off
win - Win current scenario (this cheat probably doesn't work)
To use cheats in Multiplayer games, the option "Enable Cheats" must be checked before game start. This option is available on the set-up screen under "Advanced" tab. Unfortunately and fortunately only two cheats work in Multiplayer games: toggle fog and play god.
With Unofficial Patch 1.5 you can use the built-in unlimited population hack called "the Tree of Death". To build the tree, produce the "Gardener" in the "City Center", then select the Gardener and under "UP1.5 Constructions" button select and place the "Tree of Death". To prevent abuses in Multiplayer games - this tree costs a lot of resources and technology points. To get enough resources and technology points simply spam "loot" and "give tech" cheats. Cheats and the Tree of Death is everything you need. Trainers with additional features don't exist, so it's simply pointless and dangerous to search for them.