Launcher Update - What to Expect

This week we will be releasing an update to the MBII Launcher. This version of launcher has some fairly major changes, so we would like to just give you a heads up of what you can expect. There are a few scenarios which will be different depending on what OS you are on and what type of MBII installation you currently have.

Once you start launcher you will be notified of an upgrade to the Launcher. You can either upgrade immediately or cancel the update until a later point in time. If you chose to cancel the update you will be reminded each time Launcher starts and will not get any future updates to MBII until you accept the update to launcher.

Once you accept the update, Launcher will close and the installer will pop up.

Windows Users: After a few seconds Launcher should complete the upgrade and the new Launcher will Load.
Linux/Mac Users: The application will prompt you to make sure any existing instances of MBII Launcher are closed.

Once the new launcher pops up a number of things may happen:

MBII Launcher is inside your GameData Folder: Skip to the next step.

MBII Launcher is not inside your GameData Folder and you are on Windows: Launcher may detect the installation location from the previous version of launcher and use that automatically. If so you can skip to the next step. If Launcher couldn't determine this location it will attempt to automatically scan for the installation path for Jedi Academy. If you have multiple versions of the game installed they will be detected in this order of precedence:

• Retail CD/GOG (If both are installed then whichever was installed last will be detected)
• Steam

If you decline this auto-detection you will be asked to manually select your GameData folder.

MBII Launcher is not inside your GameData Folder and you are on Linux/Mac: Launcher may detect the installation location from the previous version of launcher and use that automatically. If Launcher couldn't determine this location, you will be asked to manually select your GameData folder.

The updated Launcher will now scan your MBII Installation. Again one of three scenarios could occur:
You have a complete installation and have not modified any MBII files: Launcher will scan your installation and build its new database before allowing you to launch this game. Launcher may prompt you to download some extra files that wouldn't have been downloaded previously - such as the linux and Mac binaries. This process shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

You have a complete installation and have modified MBII files: Launcher will scan your installation and determine that you do not have the latest version of the game and ask you to update. Upon accepting the update the modified MBII files will be over written with the correct version from the latest patch. Once the update is complete you will be able to launch the game.

You have a partial installation and have not modified any MBII files: Launcher will upgrade you to a full installation. Once this process is complete you will be able to launch the game.

You have a partial installation with modified MBII files: Launcher will upgrade you to a full installation and update any modified files to the correct version from the latest patch.


These are all the possible scenarios that I am familiar with and we have done as much testing as possible, but obviously we don't have the kind of resources available to us to test it on every platform and hardware configuration that we'd like to. If there are any problems support will be available though the forums and discord as per usual. We are deliberately not pushing out a game update at the same time to ensure that in the worst case scenario people who have problems can continue to use the current version of launcher and simply reject the upgrade until any possible issues are fixed.

 

[Bob-Billy]

First + NIEN NUNB !!!!!!

 

[Eazy E]

aight

 

[Bare Jon]

Nothing new

 

[SeV]

Launcher has been updated. It now detects wallhacks more effectively.

...

I can dream, can't I?

 

[MuscBodypillow]

Launcher has been updated. It now detects wallhacks more effectively.

...

I can dream, can't I?

It's not called wallhack, it's called Force Sense.

 

[Deleted member 2572]

My body is ready

 

[Puppytine]

MBII Launcher is not inside your GameData Folder and you are on Linux/Mac

Sir are you aware you are a cat there is no "GameData" folder either on Mac and on Linux?

You have a partial installation and have not modified any MBII files: Launcher will upgrade you to a full installation. Once this process is complete you will be able to launch the game.

Wait what? Are you telling me there will be no option to choose basic installation anymore?
Could you not, please? I don't have a lot of free space on my HDD currently, keeping being able to select from basic and complete sets of maps would be nice.
"You don't pay for what you don't use."

We are deliberately not pushing out a game update at the same time to ensure that in the worst case scenario people who have problems can continue to use the current version of launcher and simply reject the upgrade until any possible issues are fixed.

This is a very good decision.

 

[Defiant]

Sir are you aware you are a cat there is no "GameData" folder either on Mac and on Linux?

Would "The parent directory of your Base folder" sound better?

 

[SeV]

Would "The parent directory of your Base folder" sound better?

All your base, are belong to us.

 

[Lessen]

I appreciate the detailed troubleshooting heads-up in anticipation of this new launcher, but I'm still curious what the actual advantages of the new launcher are. Is it more stable? Handles partial downloads (broken downloads) better? Different visual layout? Fixes the "Keep your launcher running" bug that often happens on fresh installations?

Was this information deliberately omitted from this post, cuz it'll be announced later? Or is this information just so boring (bugfixes) that you didn't even bother to mention it?

 

[Defiant]

I appreciate the detailed troubleshooting heads-up in anticipation of this new launcher, but I'm still curious what the actual advantages of the new launcher are. Is it more stable? Handles partial downloads (broken downloads) better? Different visual layout? Fixes the "Keep your launcher running" bug that often happens on fresh installations?

Was this information deliberately omitted from this post, cuz it'll be announced later? Or is this information just so boring (bugfixes) that you didn't even bother to mention it?

The update will basically address things announced in this thread: Launcher Updates and Fixes

The short of it is there's a totally re-written patcher which is a lot more error tolerant. I wouldn't stick my neck out to say it is infallible, but every scenario in which the current patcher lets you down, the new has demonstrated that it can recover from. There are a few other minor bug fixes and tweaks and it gives a good platform for future updates - like asset level patching so we don't DDOS ourselves every time theres an update.

 

[Puppytine]

Would "The parent directory of your Base folder" sound better?

Well... yes and no.
I just want to remind that while on Windows, Movie Battles comes into subfolder of Jedi Academy, "GameData", on Mac JA and MBII should be in different folders:
Jedi Academy usually goes here:
/Users/YOUR_NAME/Library/Application Support/Steam/
/Users/YOUR_NAME/Applications/Jedi Academy
And Movie Battles is supposed to be there:
/Users/YOUR_NAME/Library/Application Support/Jedi Academy
/Users/YOUR_NAME/Library/Application Support/Jedi Academy MP
Launcher should be where MBII is, not where Jedi Academy is.

Also, you did not respond for my concerns about basic/complete installation.

 

[Defiant]

Wait what? Are you telling me there will be no option to choose basic installation anymore?
Could you not, please? I don't have a lot of free space on my HDD currently, keeping being able to select from basic and complete sets of maps would be nice.
"You don't pay for what you don't use."

There will be only one type of installation. The prime driver for this is to reduce overhead from us as developers and reduce the chances of bugs appearing if you do (or do not) have a full installation. Additionally it means everyone will have the same base sets of maps and some of the better CMP maps for instance will be much more viable to be played. I don't know what the exact size difference is off the top of my head, but compared to a modern game that is in tens of gigabytes it is a relatively small amount.

 

[SneakDissing]

so what's actually different about the launcher

 

[Puppytine]

There will be only one type of installation. The prime driver for this is to reduce overhead from us as developers and reduce the chances of bugs appearing if you do (or do not) have a full installation. Additionally it means everyone will have the same base sets of maps and some of the better CMP maps for instance will be much more viable to be played.

This is very frustrating and not user friendly. There is absolutely no technical reason to ditch basic installation, it existed for a pretty long time without problems.
Why do you enforcing me to waste my HDD space with things I don't need? I'm disappointed.

I don't know what the exact size difference

It's about 1.5 gigabytes.

but compared to a modern game that is in tens of gigabytes it is a relatively small amount.

I don't have any of those games, and currently for me it isn't "a small amount."

 

[MaceMadunusus]

This is very frustrating and not user friendly. There is absolutely no technical reason to ditch basic installation, it existed for a pretty long time without problems.

It adds complexity to the patching, repairing, validation process because it needs to know the difference between the two installs. In 1.4.6 there was also a very clear problem with handling things this way with DOTF. We all tested with all the maps fully loaded in beta, and when we brought it over to test on live. As a result there were things missing from the map that were present in the full install but not the partial. I still fixed it later but it reduces complexity in not only the program itself but makes our lives a little tiny bit easier.

I don't have any of those games, and currently for me it isn't "a small amount."

HDD space is cheap and has been for years.

 

[Defiant]

This is very frustrating and not user friendly.

But less frustrating and more user friendly that a server changing maps and booting you out because 5 years ago you clicked No to a message box you didn't even bother to read the first time.