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Patching original SB Pro PE


oragus

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Hi everyone,

 

I installed this amazing game on my new laptop and its been years since I played last.  I am one of the originals.  My version is 2.251.  I finally got my dongle to work by going to Codemeter themselves.  I patched it to version 2.328 and now it does not open.  What version should I be running without having to spend another $100+ for another license.  NOT a fan of that by the way eSims.  Once you buy the game especially at that large price point you should get all patches from there out!

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Thank you for you quick response.  I really appreciate it.  But, I figured it out.

 

The game wouldn't do anything.  Wouldn't start up at all.  I did some "trial and error" and figured out that the most up to date patch I can run with my original license is v2.273.  My CD install (2.251) worked straight from the box, once I updated my dongle, and the patches (2.262 & 2.273) worked till I patched it to 2.304.  So apparently my license became null and void once v 2.3 came out?  That is terrible!  My $125 sure didn't last long.  So many versions I cannot play because of it.

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  1. Original licenses are valid up to version 2.4; however, to install the patch 2.483 the original installation DVD of version 2.4 is required (and that is no longer available). For all practical matters version 2.370 is the latest version available to anyone with an original license.
  2. I might point out that we said from the start (2006) that eventually we'd charge for updates, and we did provide free updates for almost two years initially.
  3. The upgrade fee for version 2.5 was $15.- at a time when we accepted early bird orders, $25.- regularly.
  4. The upgrade to version 4.0 requires a license for version 2.5; therefore, a cost-minimal upgrade path would have been $125.- for the original version in March 2006, $15.- for the version 2.5 update in April 2010, and $40.- for the version 4.0 upgrade in August 2016; that would be $55.- in ten years. I am absolutely unapologetic about that pricing scheme. Even with version 3.0, which came out in 2013, we offered a single upgrade for $40.- going back all the way to 2006.

The changes from the original version 2.251 to the current version 4.019 will probably fill well above 300 pages in 9 point, double column high density text. We're talking about approximately 60 man-years of development effort here - new features, and bug fixes.

 

Steel Beast Pro PE in its current form contains thousands of individual sound recordings, thousands of 3D model files with multiple textures, and each of these 3D models is based on a thorough documentation effort with hours of video recordings, and thousands of photos, application of measure tape in REALLY HARD to reach spots, studying hundreds of pages of each weapon system's user manuals, or other researchers' efforts in reading up patent papers and digging through obscure archives. Last but not least there are about 600,000 lines of code (which is the same order of magnitude as Windows 95, I once heard). Every single line was written by a human being. Every line, every word, even every single comma, semicolon, and bracket has a meaning and is absolutely essential to make the code work. We're not "just writing a game". Our team consists of highly specialized and talented individuals, many of them engineers with a university degree. You can't just grab them off the street at the next corner to hire them. They expect adequate pay. They have done this since 1995 to earn your first $125.- in 2006, and now we're asking for another $80.-, ten years later to contribute to this monumental effort. In return you'll get endless hours of entertainment, hundreds of scenarios that you can download from this website, many of which have a high replay factor.

 

All in all, I respectfully disagree that we're ripping the public off. Yes, Steel Beasts isn't cheap compared with other games, but it isn't like other games either. Steel Beasts is absolutely unique, and largely unprecendet in its tactical depth and width. Please do not focus on the price alone - try to appreciate the value that you're getting in return. There is no other ground combat simulation that offers a comparable experience at a lower price. Not only that - eSim Games has also demonstrated over two decades now to offer long-term support for a mature and stable piece of software with continuous feature updates. This is your opportunity to demonstrate that you like developers who are in direct contact with their customers, listening to their suggesrtions, taking care of each support inquiry in a speedy and personal fashion, and absolutely committed to long-term support of their product - all the things that you probably often miss with other game developers.

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I understand why, just not a fan.  I also know the value of this game.  It's a fantastic product.  It was just a statement.  Sorry if I ruffled your feathers.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Then I must have another problem.  I can't get it to even open with any version beyond 2.273 let alone 2.370.  Any suggestions?  I am running Windows 10.

Edited by oragus
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Don't worry about my mood. :)

Of course I understand that "free" is always better than having to pay something.

 

I am not offended by the suggestion - but aneither am I ashamed of asking for the money. There are very good reasons why we're doing this, and I'm happy to explain in public. You might not be the only reader of this thread. ;)

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