GamersGate release still at 1.301

[Shardz]

First time poster and new recruit in AI War here. *Yay!*

I purchased AI War at GamersGate today after doing much research on the project and reading interviews, etc. When I went to launch the game after installing the GamersGate version, I got an Unhandled Exception error and was baffled. I then grabbed the Prerelease 2.001Z and copied it over the install (as read in the forums) and the game wouldn't start at all after that. I then re-installed the release and I then realized that the GamersGate version is still at 1.301! So, I went on to the main page here and grabbed the v2.0 demo and installed and registered with my key. I then grabbed the 2.001z update and unzipped it and all is updated and running fine.

I just thought I would mention that the GamersGate install needs to be updated cause it's pretty much a mess and very confusing for those who aren't aware of this site and don't know what's going on. AI War is definitely an amazing game and I look forward to the future of the game as well as battles waged until then.

[x4000]

Thanks for the update on that -- I had heard from my contact there that it was on 2.0, but I guess maybe not.  1.301 was the version immediately prior to 2.0 (from September), so it's not horrendously out of date by most standards.  Definitely no reason it should have been crashing, most likely some prerequisite didn't install right.  I'll definitely make sure that gets updated to the latest version asap, though.  Thanks!

[Shardz]

My pleasure on the heads up. I'm normally fairly good at getting things to work and figuring out what I need to do and where to go, but the average person might not have a clue. It would have been easier if it stated on the download page to grab the key and head to this site to install the base 2.0 package and then the unzip the update zip file on top of that. I had the DX 9.0c, NET 3.5 SP1, and DXSlim installed prior to the install at GamersGate, but I don't know why it wouldn't load up. I just wonder how many people are playing v1.301 from GamersGate thinking that is the current version. 

Also, when I hit the update button in the game (prior to grabbing the v2.001z update here), it told me I had the current version which was 2.0. Is this normal? Do I need to come to the forum every month and grab the zip update or is the program supposed to install that automatically? If it's the latter, then it didn't work. Not a big deal, though.

[x4000]

Most likely it was the wrong version of SlimDX, if you already had everything else.  I'm not sure.  Hopefully people at GamersGate and elsewhere think to hit "Check for Updates" -- otherwise, anywhere they get it other than Steam or Impulse is never going to be updated.  I think that's pretty common with RTS games, though, so should be good.  Updating the installer at GamersGate will just be for preventing people from having to update as soon as they get it (and hey, at least our patches are cumulative in the first place -- how many times have I bought a game a year or so after its release only to then have to wait through a dozen or more patches that individually, slowly, install?  But I digress).

Anyway, it's on my list to make a better updater that is a bit more automated and that can handle beta prereleases for those who want to try them, too.  The 2.0 version is the current official version of the game, so it didn't tell you wrong -- the 2.001 versions you're getting through the forums here are betas, and are not considered "officially released" yet, so no worries.  At the moment you have to come here and get the zip files for those, but when they go official then the updater works with them.  The future updater that I have planned will let people get either/or directly, or at least that's the plan!

[Shardz]

Thank you for the detailed and outstanding response, I really appreciate it. I did quite a bit of research before buying AI War and came to the conclusion that the extensive support and meticulous maintenance of the product were indeed key factors in my purchase decision and I'm glad I joined the team for the big win. I'm only interested in indie game operations these days as I feel the corporates have lost complete touch with what games are supposed to be about and it's just sad in general how the publishers rush the developers to release unfinished products that will lose appeal in a week ultimately.

AI War really seems like it's going to be a gaming system more than just a game, and that aspect of longevity is exactly what I look for when I am shopping for prospective products. Amazing price, low grade DRM, superb support, modular design, future expandability, and endless hours of fun make this a real winner in my book. I also like the idea of AI War being a Supergame over time instead of making sequels that stagger endlessly. I will be adding the expansion soon, but I'd like to get cozy with the core game first as there is a ton to learn and discover as it is. Kudos on a job well done thus far!

[x4000]

My pleasure, Shardz -- thanks again for your support, as well!

[Demonical67]

well.. if we are talking about updates here.. is there anyway to make the game downloaded from steam update itself in-game? otherwise most people who got it from there, dont have a clue about what to do.. (at least i think)

[Revenantus]

well.. if we are talking about updates here.. is there anyway to make the game downloaded from steam update itself in-game? otherwise most people who got it from there, dont have a clue about what to do.. (at least i think)

There is an in game update tool accessible from the main menu which can be used to update the game to the latest version. On the Steam and Impulse versions, this updater is disabled as those platforms handle updates to the game themselves.

[x4000]

Bear in mind that the updaters only pull official versions in any case. What you are seeing here are beta prereleases. The official updates will go out on steam, etc, as with any other game. But we want to make betas optional, of course.