Suggestion for making this patch more official

[TinyMage]

I don't know how to do this, but if there were some way to add a version number to the game, like maybe instead of seeing a version 26498 / 26499 in the game options screen, seeing 26498.05 / 26499.05

 

Also lets you know you installed it successfully

[SConrad]

This is not an official patch to the game.

[TinyMage]

You know what I mean.

 

It would make it look more "legitimate". And it would seperate it from all the other mods out there.

[discharger12]

Yes, but wouldn't that cause legal issues?

[TinyMage]

Yes, but wouldn't that cause legal issues?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I doubt it but, I am no lawyer.

[Andyr]

I don't see much of an advantage in a version number change - it could cause legal problems/confusion about being official, and like all other WeiDU mods it will show up in your .LOG file when installed...

[SimDing0]

And I raise the question: Who cares if there's confusion over whether the fixpack is official? The only potential disadvantage to us is confusion over who people should submit bug reports to, but I suspect we can take that risk since the majority of legitimate bug reports come from people who know their way around the community anyway. Now, sure, it could well be illegal to plaster the fixpack with "THIS IS AN OFFICIAL PATCH" messages, but I don't see why we're under any obligation to absolutely ensure everybody's aware that it isn't an official release. At the very most, a small print disclaimer should place your consciences at rest, and the more the public grow to consider us a valid successor to the official patch, the better, in practice.

 

So far as version numbers are concerned, it's common practice in various communities for unofficial patches to adopt version numbering succeeding official releases. However, in the case of BG2 I'm not convinced this would be terribly helpful: if our patch is named v23038, nobody knows whether the hell it's older or newer than the latest Bioware SoA patch, because nobody remembers what the version number of that was anyway.

[Andyr]

Well, is there a way to check at install for the version number? If so, we could make the official patch a requirement and if you really want change the version number displayed to "G3 Fixpack" or something.

[SimDing0]

I'm vetoing any attempt to splatter "Hey, you're using the unofficial fixpack from gibberlings3.net!" all over the menu, or anything which conveys the same basic message. At the very most I'd suggest changing from 2.0.23037 to 2.0.23037.1 on the displayed version number, but I stress once again that nobody's going to give a shit.

[CamDawg]

I don't think calling it official or unofficial or is going to make a whit of difference. I don't think we should try to call it official or make unnecessary changes, as it's not--exe version number falls under this, plus it adds difficulty to keep this truly cross-platform. If we have a lot of solid bugfixes, good documentation, and a clear methodology it's going to become a staple install regardless of its (un)official status.