ESOCommunity

This update is the culmination of eight months of work since the initial EP5 release. Although devoid of balance changes, we are coming in with a humongous number of quality-of-life improvements / bugfixes and a much tighter security. Behold!



EP 5.1.0.0
changelog since EP 5.0.0.2

General
- Request player's machine to utilize high-performance NVIDIA/AMD GPU when running the game.
- ESOC Patch environment has been updated to utilize Visual Studio 2017 XP Platform Toolset (up from 2013). This means we now depend on the 2017 Visual C++ Redistributable Packages being installed on your computer, otherwise ESOC Patch may not work properly. If you have trouble updating, please either attempt to install the required dependency from here or reinstall ESOC Patch using latest exe installer, which will handle it automatically.
- Improved update compression, almost halving the download size of auto-update packages.
- XS Debugger polish for easier usage by developers when debugging map scripts; swap heap/AI panels, remove unused scrollbars to make scrolling the relevant panels less painful.

ESOC Patch changes
- Redesigned the game's initial launching window (provided by @musketeer925).
- King of the Hill game mode will now display an error and immediately end the game when King's Hill fort fails to spawn on the map.
- Renamed Difficulty to "Difficulty / UIx OBS".
- Added unit speed to unit selection panel in minimized UI mode.
- Added unit healthbar to unit selection panel in minimized UI mode.



ESOC Patch bug fixes
- Fixed rate-of-fire exploit on Monitor through charged actions, see more explanation below.
- Fixed reload animation of gunpowder units, mainly an issue with attack move mode. Units will no longer appear as standing idle while reloading.
- Besteiro unique model/art now activates upon sending the church Besteiros upgrade.
- Carabineer unique model/art now activates upon researching the Carabineers upgrade.
- Spahis will now scale stats correctly even for non-Ottoman players, according to the Spahi owner's Age.
- Fixed Tomahawks sometimes playing the running animation while idle.
- Recalculated Flail Elephant kill bounty to the correct value (30 -> 25). Recalculated Mansabdar Flail Elephant build/kill bounty (60 -> 50).
- Recalculated bounties of Missionary to the correct values (20 -> 10).
- Flaming Arrow; added missing 0.5 damage multiplier against Arrow Knight.
- Added missing Tracked flag to Bank Wagon, making it potentially usable by AI.
- Fixed Lancer textures being overly shiny in certain lightsets (fixed textures by @mandosrex).
- Fixed Gurkha hotkey name (previously labeled as Urumi Swordsman).
- Fixed shipment arrival message of Indian Distributivism misleadingly referring to the card as Agrarianism.
- Samurai: removed nonstandard multipliers vs Villager and Elephant (previously 0.5 and 1.15, respectively).
- Removed nonstandard Villager multipliers from all AbstractElephant units (previously 0.5 for Siege Elephant's attack and in hand attack of the rest).
- Flamethrower "Disciplined", "Honored" and "Exalted" improvements decreased from 30%, 35% & 60% to standard values 20%, 30% & 50%, respectively.
- Exalted Tekkousen upgrade cost increased to standard 1500w/1500c (up from 1000w/1000c), to be in line with Frigates.
- Fixed a bug that prevented Cherokee Basket Weaving upgrade from removing the wood cost of Amalgamation.



ESOC Patch & ESOC Treaty Patch bug fixes
- Obstruction radius will now take proper effect on native settlements under fog.
- Fixed a bug causing Comanche native village (type 3) to always spawn without obstruction objects and therefore being passable by units.
- Fixed an issue that could cause building foundations placed near native settlements to not be actually buildable.
- Prevent Barn from becoming invisible under fog (problem on map ESOC Bonnie Springs).

ESOC Treaty Patch changes
- Replaced Large Maps mapset with UI 2.2 TR Blitz mapset.
- Added TR suffix to ESOC Treaty maps, making it clearer they are primarily intended for Treaty gameplay.

General map changes
- Added custom loading screens for all our maps, removed remaining old art from all custom minimap thumbnails (work done by @mandosrex , huge thanks to him!).



ESOC Patch map changes
- Introducing "ESOC Team Maps" mapset: Adirondacks, Alaska, Arkansas, Baja California, Bengal, Cascade Range, Colorado, Florida, Fertile Crescent, Gran Chaco, High Plains, Hudson Bay, Kamchatka, Manchuria, Mendocino, Pampas Sierras, Thar Desert. A map-set featuring the ESOC maps most popular with team-game players.
- "Standard Maps" (also the Quicksearch mapset) replaced by "ESOC Standard Maps" – Adirondacks, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Baja California, Bengal, Cascade Range, Colorado, Fertile Crescent, Florida, Gran Chaco, Great Basin, High plains, Hudson Bay, Kamchatka, Klondike, Malaysia, Manchuria, Mendocino, Pampas Sierras, Tassili, Thar Desert – "A map-set featuring relatively standard ESOC maps, striking a compromise between balance and variety."
- "Classic Maps" mapset renamed to "RE Standard Maps".
- "K&B Maps" mapset and all K&B maps removed for being largely unused. A dedicated thread with the latest K&B maps available to download separately is available here.
- "Team Maps" mapset: Himalayas and New England added; Arizona, Iowa, Jebel Musa, Malaysia and Tassili removed.
- All mapsets updated to feature contents in description. Weighted mapsets have the map weights denoted.
- Added UIx version of Deccan, removed old version.



ESOC UHC Plugin
- Added UHC plugin support to ESOC Treaty Patch, this allows for the usage of custom cheats and syscalls provided by ESOC UHC plugin.
- Improved compatibility with other game versions which utilize UHC. ESOC Patch should now be compatible with any other patch/mod using UHC without plugin system.
- Introduced a large number of new syscalls, notably the Persistent Storage API intended for storing values that should persist in a session-like manner. Full documentation for developers can be found on the wiki.

ESOC Map Pack installer
- Include custom map thumbnail images to ensure proper display for users with no ESOC Patch installed.

ESOC Patch installer
- Automatically download VS2017 Redistributable Packages dependency only when needed, thus reducing installer size.

ESOC Patch Launcher
- Main launcher UI redesigned with fresh new graphics, thanks @musketeer925!
- Added button for launching the official RE patch from main launcher window.
- Implemented "About" window, accessible any time by clicking on the questionmark icon in top right. Displays currently installed EP version and current update channel.
- Added option for direct launch onto ESO login screen, bypassing main game menu screen. This option is off by default and can be enabled in the Options panel. Activating this option will affect all of ESOC Patch, ESOC Treaty Patch, ESOC XPMOD, RE official game patch and any other patch/mod which shares profile settings with the regular game.
- Recorded Games Recognition tool now launches the selected recorded game file directly, bypassing the main game menu and no longer requiring the user to select the proper file a second time within the game interface. This improvement is implemented both for the ESOC Patch as well as RE official patch.
- Fixed update install button sometimes acting as a Back button.
- Removed button for UI map installer from Tools, no longer useful since EP5+ installs and maintains custom maps automatically.
- Polish of certain texts across the launcher.
- Fixed a bug preventing the main launcher logo from opening ESOC website on click.
- Added button for switching onto EP Smackdown version from Tools (works like another Beta channel with its own changes, more info on its purpose here).
- Automatically create desktop shortcuts for launching Beta/Smackdown channel upon first use of the respective button from within EP Launcher.



ESOC Network Hook
- Implemented window notifications. A minimized game window will now notify a user of their hosted ESO room activity by flashing on the Windows taskbar. A minimized game window will now attempt to force itself into foreground when the player goes in-game on ESO (also works for non-host player and for Scenario games). Network Hook must be enabled in the EP Launcher Options panel in order for window notification system to work (enabled by default).
- QuickSearch requests are now properly forwarded. The EP Lobbies API as well as the ESOC Discord bot have already been updated to make use of it. QuickSearch game rooms are listed with the searching player's PR, instead of their name.



EP Anti-cheat
- Detect exploit involving explorer ransom.
- Detect chaining hotkeys allowing for blind selection of multiple unit types at will.
- Detect chaining hotkeys allowing for blind deletion of wall pillars.
- Detect Alend's advanced hack program (thanks Alend for cooperating with us).
- Fixed a security hole which could allow the user to open dev console.
- Expanded logging capabilities.



Monitor rate-of-fire fix
This fix is a crafty one; using "charged" actions, which used to be a feature of certain Age of Mythology units. These were typically used for a kind of special unit attack that happened every X seconds, but here we will use it for the regular attack, therefore adding a "recharge" timer that cannot be reset by an activated ability. Additionally, I had to add another "fake" ranged attack action to act as the reload state, since a unit "loses" charged actions while they're on cooldown, which would cause the unit to effectively become a melee unit during reload/recharge.

With the implementation of charged actions, the following changes in behavior of Monitors can be observed:
- Unit will continue properly reloading/recharging, even after cancellation of an activated ability.
- Unit will always first finish reloading/recharging, even before initiating an activated ability.
- While reloading/recharging, information about the unit's long-range ability attack (damage/modifiers..) temporarily disappears from the user interface, as the action is completely disabled. While idle, information about the regular attack is displayed twice in the UI.
- Unit is no longer able to shoot at units out of range, even if they were in range during reload ("target lock"). Once reloaded/recharged, unit will first move into proper max range before continuing to attack.

Big thanks to @mandosrex who came up with the idea and helped with implementation.


Native settlements & obstruction issues
Native settlements have unfortunately been plagued by obstruction bugs ever since the original game release, which makes me very excited for the fixes we are shipping with this patch. I still remember the frustration of placing walls (or rather, attempting to place walls and failing miserably) in vanilla no rush games on good old Great Plains. Last week I've witnessed yet another obstruction bug rearing its ugly head during a casted stream, which turned out to be so game-breaking that the match even had to be restarted. It was at that point that I've had enough and knew I must do everything in my power to put an end to this misery. So I dove deep into the crazy mess that's native settlement definitions, got together with @mandosrex and we pitched/tested ideas until finally taking care of all the bugs!

The obstruction is no longer bugged under fog of war, which means you cannot place building foundations in spots that are actually obstructed and would make the foundation auto-destruct when you get within line of sight. Furthermore, there were some tiny spots near settlements where you could place building foundations even when within line of sight, but they would never build and villagers would just stay idle there forever; these will now be properly buildable.



Credits

Thanks to everyone who helped with this patch release and gave feedback on the changes. In particular thanks to:
- @musketeer925 for his beautiful graphics work on the launcher, lots of feedback during early development stages and helping me implement the new UHC syscalls
- @mandosrex (Improvement Mod lead developer) for his many contributions to this patch release, including the new map loading screens and helping me figure out numerous game issues as noted above
- @Kao for feedback and work on the About window of EP Launcher
- @Aizamk for feedback and testing of new UHC syscalls
- @zoom for feedback and bug-hunting
- @pecelot for helping me test changes

Download

1. If you have a previous version installed, you can simply run the EP Launcher and auto-update should have you covered.
2. If you're installing for the first time or having issues with the auto-update, download the full exe installer.

next tournament's finals should be a BO9 all on Deccan

New UI looks awesome!

Excited the new launcher UI is finally in use!

Sweet, so how do the nat posts act now?

Yeah launcher update sounds super awesome

IAmSoldieR wrote:Sweet, so how do the nat posts act now?

The obstruction is no longer bugged under fog of war, which means you cannot place building foundations in spots that are actually obstructed and would make the foundation auto-destruct when you get within line of sight. Furthermore, there were some tiny spots near settlements where you could place building foundations even when within line of sight, but they would never build and villagers would just stay idle there forever; these will now be properly buildable. Added this to the main post as well.

Explain Alend's hack plz.

Cocaine wrote:Explain Alend's hack plz.

A program you could launch separately to hack the game at runtime without altering any game files. Its main feature is copy-pasting units, you might have seen it used on the "copypasters" twitch stream before we blocked that.

uhmmm game doesnt lauch here anymore. clicking Ep only refreshes the laucher and checks again for updates, no updates found, no game launched.

edit:
I'm stupid. installing the Visual C++ 2017 as instructed fixed my problem.

why remove k&b maps :( theydidnt hurt anyone..

sebnan12 wrote:why remove k&b maps :( theydidnt hurt anyone..

There was actually a strong push to remove them, arguments being that they aren't suitable for rated play and only serve to clutter the list of official maps.
They can still be used on any patch (including EP) as custom unrated maps, you can get them here: https://eso-community.net/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=15928

XP mod does not work, only refreshes the launcher. I also installed Visual C++ 2017

bilal1390 wrote:XP mod does not work, only refreshes the launcher. I also installed Visual C++ 2017

Indeed, I am aware of the issue and preparing a hotfix, sorry for the complication.

@EAGLEMUT but is that a real reason to remove them? it was so handy to just select one and play. like me and butifle had so much fun on these and its not like u have to play them rated.
i mean its no big deal i guess but still i think its kinda sad that they were removed without harming anyone :(

There is still a possibility that some of the maps will receive further balancing work and return as rated maps into the official list.

okey i guessim making a drama where theres no need to make one..

EP 5.1.0.1 HOTFIX
changelog since EP 5.1.0.0

ESOC XPMOD changes
- Fixed an issue preventing XPMOD to launch on most systems.
- Reworked XPMOD to share all game data files with ESOC Patch, except for the one file relevant for XP bonus. This reduces download size and keeps XPMOD up to date with latest EP releases, instead of falling behind (XPMOD was running on EP4 dataset previously). The map selection is now also no longer restricted to mapsets and offers all maps as present on ESOC Patch.

Aren't some of those bug fixes balance changes?

Yeah for example, who said the samurai having a 0.5 multiplier against vils wasn't intended? To me it feels like they did that because of the tori gates.

Cool changes otherwise

It was indeed intended but it's also shit. The multiplier vs elephants also intended but also very shit. I don't mind the two changes.

It's still not bug fixes.

Yeah, some of those standardization changes feel somewhat borderline, in the end it can be a bit tough to decide what is intended and what should be considered a bug. Samurai multipliers seemed rather out of order, both the one vs Elephants and the one vs vills as well, compared to other melee infantry units. I'm not quite sure Tori Gates could be a valid reason for it, seeing as for example India gets two Sowars on age up to raid with freely. In the end, they were considered to be bugs by the Patch Balance Team™. Of course, this may turn out to be a mistake, in which case we can revert them. I welcome anyone to give input on the changes, though it would've been ideal while they were still on Beta and could have been altered more easily.

Garja wrote:It was indeed intended but it's also shit. The multiplier vs elephants also intended but also very shit. I don't mind the two changes.

Wait, what could possibly be the reason for those elephant multipliers?

Maybe indian monks idk. Or simply they wanted samurai not to counter elephants as hard as cav idk.

Garja wrote:Maybe indian monks idk. Or simply they wanted samurai not to counter elephants as hard as cav idk.

Well, it wasn't even a negative multiplier, they had 15% bonus damage vs elephants. Furthermore, indian monks don't even have the elephant tag, which is another weirdness we haven't tackled yet.