Slitherine

OoB v9.2.5 - Fixes & Tweaks

This is not a regular modification of the game but a original file replacement.
For that reason, I rather post this here in this subforum for more experienced users to try out.
I've modified the original code in the Assembly-CSharp.dll file and fixed as much as possible within my ability.
No fancy mod screens, no new units, no new skins, no new sounds, no new scenarios and campaigns, just a simple bug-fix modification with a couple of tweaks.
Some bugs were old as the game itself but sadly still ignored this day.
Some changes/tweaks of mine are possibly not anyone's likening, but we can work something out later that includes this or that separately or do this differently if there is interest.
A few changes are required for my still unpublished gameplay mod, that's why I still keep it simple with one version at first.
As I'm using the GOG version of the game, I'm still not sure if the file is compatible to Steam and Slitherine/Matrix versions, but I've seen some support in this *.dll file for all platforms, so let's see.
I'm going to update this sooner or later should there still more official patches and own changes coming.
As I have only tested this with my own installation, please treat this as experimental, so be warned and tell me about any issues!
Ask if something is unclear before downloading and installing anything!

fixed: Port_Supply_Factor gives correctly x2 supply instead of x1.5, like shown and described
fixed: Explosives-ability removes all supply on a hex, like described, what still costs 10 RP
fixed: "Metal Detector" spec doesn't allow chain-clearing mines anymore
fixed: constructing units won't let building units escape to impassable terrain, but entering impassable territories still remains an issue
fixed: enemy faction mines won't prevent flanking anymore
fixed: enemy faction mines won't prevent upgrading anymore
fixed: typo in "type5_ho-ri" that prevented being affected by "Tank Production Program" spec
fixed: vanilla-unused but playable "British Pacific Fleet" spec spawns "seafire_mkiii" instead of obsolete "supermarine_seafire" air-unit
fixed: Up-Armour ability: dead units with this ability in the graveyard-screen won't show it anymore
fixed: Up-Armour ability: using this ability won't make undeployed units become undeployable for a turn anymore

changed: AA/AT-Interception/Support has no number-restriction anymore, thus won't automatically select the weakest 2-3 supporters anymore
changed: submarine batteries recharge fully after being surfaced in the last own turn
changed: naval AA-Fire ability can only be used if not moved yet, that actually helps the AI ships to focus mainly on enemy non-air targets
changed: "unreliable" trait only half as severe: 1 instead of 2 eff-loss on 50% chance when moving, 0.5 instead of 1 eff-loss during combat
changed: units damage mines by only 3.4 instead of 10 dmg, and deal & receive 3.4 instead of 3 & 1 dmg on ambush
changed: "Special Ops" ability costs 5 instead of 10 RP, like the Bombard-ability
changed: vanilla-unused but playable "British Pacific Fleet" spec nets 400 instead of 50 RP on each scenario start
changed: "Goliath Mine" & "Shock Army" bonus added to intended engineer units with "minesweeper" instead of "minelayer" besides "explosives" trait, to allow giving "minelayer" to other unit types with "explosives"
changed: Heal-ability (Medical Jeep & Support Ship) performs with the same XP-loss like a non-elite self-repair now, instead of robbing twice the XP-amount. Additionally, the healer gets 50 XP per restored strength point
changed: moved submarine's surfaced/submerge switch-button before Torpedo and mod-potential minelaying-ability, so you can switch between surfaced/submerged during deployment phase
changed: AITasks: AA/AT/ART-switching respects Fog-of-War more and won't switch to AA if a detected enemy land-unit is adjacent

Installation
1. Make a backup of Order of Battle World War II\Order of Battle - WW2_Data\Managed folder by zipping it with whatever utility.
As there is also a language file added, you could also do a backup of the \Order of Battle - WW2_Data\Content\Languages folder.
I think it's the safest way to restore later instead of only single files.
You should move this backup archive somewhere else on your drives, so it won't fool around in the installation anymore.

2. Download my 7z archive and extract it somewhere else (free: https://www.7-zip.org/download.html)
OFT v9.2.5.10: https://www.mediafire.com/file/cxnpbe0z ... 10.7z/file

3. inside the extracted folder Installation you'll find the Order of Battle - WW2_Data folder with content, which is the one you need to copy in your Order of Battle World War II installation folder.
This will basically only overwrite the Assembly-CSharp.dll file and nothing else.
The Content\Language folder includes additional english_26.txt, french_25.txt, german_25.txt, russian_25.txt, spanish_25.txt files that adds a tooltip message, beside a mod-version number. These files originally don't exist (yet), so nothing is overwritten, except if you reinstall this pack.

4. That's all. Now you should be able to run the game more bug-free, but don't let Steam or any other client software verify your game files, otherwise the *.dll file will most likely be overwritten by the original one again.
The "verify files" option is also another alternative how to restore your original installation.

Please don't play with this changed file any multiplayer games!
No idea how well the game can check for file integrity to give a hint about different game versions.
If you know a buddy who has installed this "mod" also, go ahead and try it privately only!
I only play singleplayer, hence my fixes and tweaks are intended rather for this way of playing.

Uninstallation
1. the downloaded archive also contains an Uninstallation folder where the original Assembly-CSharp.dll file exists.
However, I highly recommend to replace this *.dll file with the one your game installation came with, hence the mentioned hint to make a backup of your Managed folder.
This way you know that's the Assembly-CSharp.dll file your installation came with, and not any one from a stranger's installation.

2. You can delete the english_26.txt, french_25.txt, german_25.txt, russian_25.txt, spanish_25.txt files, as it also contains the info that you have installed this "mod", if you want, but it's not necessary anymore, as the Uninstallation contains empty versions of these text-files since v3 that don't add and overwrite any game text anymore.

Mod-Compatibility
This mod should be compatible with any other user-mod you install in the MyDocs mod-folder.
Most fixes and changes are hardly noticeable, although more durable mines could hinder more.
It's possible that this or a user-mod overwrites the version info in the main menu.

Tools of Trade
https://github.com/dnSpyEx/dnSpy
Load Assembly-CSharp.dll, edit class by context menu, compile, save-all in main menu, check out in game.
No need to close the tool while running the game.
Making backups before changes is important, as are making notes what has been changed.

Disclaimer
I take no responsibility for damaging your hardware and software, so by downloading and installing this file, you do it at your own risk!
I gladly provide assistance should something be messed up.
I can only assure you that at least I haven't injected any crap code that sells your soul to hell, or do any other intended harmful things.
Feel free to run whatever virus scanner over it!
If someone official has complains, go ahead and tell me and this experiment here will vanish as quickly as it has appeared.
My intention is only to make this game more enjoyable. Maybe someone else feels the same.

Version History
January 4th, 2023, v1
initial release
January 5th, 2023, v2
added more language support that is switchable in the main menu. If you switch then restart the game for proper translation
January 6th, 2023, v3
missed some entries related to the "Goliath Mine" & "Shock Army" change. The download archive contains an Installation and Uninstallation folder now for easier switching between mod and vanilla mode.
January 9th, 2023, v4
changed: Heal-ability (Medical Jeep & Support Ship) performs with the same XP-loss like a non-elite self-repair now, instead of robbing twice the XP-amount. Additionally, the healer gets 50 XP per restored strength point
January 10th, 2023, v5
fixed: Up-Armour ability: dead units with this ability in the graveyard-screen won't show it anymore
fixed: Kamikaze- & Up-Armour ability: using these abilities won't make undeployed units become undeployable for a turn anymore. This also applies for aircraft in hangars
changed: moved submarine's surfaced/submerge switch-button before Torpedo and mod-potential minelaying-ability, so you can switch between surfaced/submerged during deployment phase
January 11th, 2023, v6
changed: AITasks: AA/AT/ART-switching respects Fog-of-War more and won't switch to AA if a detected enemy land-unit is adjacent
January 12th, 2023, v7
changed: units can switch freely between most modes after moving and even attack afterwards now, but not after attacking, getting ambushed, or if the current unit-mode has the "staticFire" trait
January 13th, 2023, v8
Reverted the last change until the AI is taught to make use of it
January 17th, 2023, v9
Reverted all changes related to switch-abilities except the Up-Armour one and the AI behaviors
February 5th, 2023, v10
Fixed the submarines' battery-recharge

Why use formats such as 7zip or rar for files to download while Windows 11 and macOS Ventura compresses and decompresses zip files automatically ?

Impressive work.
Devs, please take note. Horst is serving you solutions on a platter here.

I plan to create a Horst mod. It should provide a 'safe' way to play multiplayer as the scenario will have to be in the Horst mod Scenarios folder.

So this also works with Steam and Slitherine/Matrix version, I assume?
Erik, if you know someone to play multiplayer regularily, I'm very curios if the game can actually recognize different game files and complain.
Although this isn't an online game where you get banned for "cheating" with modified game files, I'd hate to see the multiplayer-part go down under because of my simple bugfixes.
I've never played MP and never will here, but I guess Hotseat is maybe more secure than PBEM.
If the multiplayer part recognizes mods you normally install in the user-mod folder, then it's surely an idea to specifically mark playing with these fixes and tweaks.
OFT sounds maybe better than a silly Horst-Mod.

If someone is unhappy with a tweak, I can see if this gets removed then for something more of a fix than tweak pack.

The best thing that could happen is to provoke another official patch that will use some fixes at least, so I don't have so much work to redo all this again.

January 5th, 2023, v2: added more language support that is switchable in the main menu. If you switch then restart the game for proper translation

Download link is updated in the first post.
No changes to the *.dll file itself.
The tiny info-text about this "mod" version at the bottom is surely hard to notice, and can be misleading should someone only restore the *.dll file for public multiplayer.
Anyway, it's still important to know and recognizable with every language used, that the game doesn't currently in pure vanilla mode.
Theoretically, this text could be also added/changed with a user-mod but disabling this user-mod wouldn't restore the *.dll file again.
I guess there is no great solution other than a proper installer.

My translations are done by google, so if it sounds too shabby then I'll gladly change it.

If Erik or someone else wants to create a specific mod based on this, then why not also adding a couple of other vanilla fixes, what the GabeMod offers.
Would be a waste of a mod-launching routine if there is only a name change.
Other games with more or less mod support also offer something like an Unofficial Patch sometimes.
I'm personally not really interested in fixing only vanilla unit stats and such, as I rather prefer my own gameplay mod for that.
There are sadly still so many other bugs left....

This is a very, very interesting development. I wonder what the ramifications will be. Meaning, will further development of OOB be "crowd-sourced"?

Maybe I was a bit early with such "unofficial patch", but after almost eight years my patience went overboard.
There surely way more talented coders out there creating game mods, but sadly this game hasn't attracted any yet, so don't expect much more from me as greenhorn coming.
Fine by me if there will be further DLCs and especially bug-fix patches coming, as there are still a couple of faction left with enough campaign potential.
It's still winter season now where devs are usually not very productive, so let's see in the next couple of weeks and months what's happening.

In case there is somebody, now or in the future, in charge of development of OOB, I copied this thread to Tech Support / Bugs Submission with the subject DEVS, PLEASE CONSIDER: OoB v9.2.5 - Fixes & Tweaks and Erik's comment bolded and red fonted.

Horst, thanks for this effort. When you came out with "fixed: Port_Supply_Factor gives correctly x2 supply instead of x1.5, like shown and described" in another thread, I was thinking of asking you to post a copy of the file, but I held off for reasons of delicacy.

Well, the hell with delicacy! You have improved the game in the meantime and perhaps forever if it is now to be officially abandoned. If somebody does come along with sufficient interest and resources to take OOB further, may he or she profit from your work.

January 6th, 2023, v3: missed some entries related to the "Goliath Mine" & "Shock Army" change. The download archive contains an Installation and Uninstallation folder now for easier switching between mod and vanilla mode.

I've updated the installation and uninstallation instructions above.
For my gameplay mod, I'm using a similar method to quickly switch between mod and vanilla mode, where my original-backup folder consists only the original files which I have otherwise modified. It's a bit more time and SSD-friendlier than completely copy the whole original game installation over and over again.
As new files, like the additonal text files this mod comes with, don't exist in vanilla, replacements with empty files is still a safer way to deactivate any changed game-text than manually delete any files in whatever subfolder.
Trust no one and nothing, so always check out such replacement folders and files if it doesn't contain any harmful content!
Like mentioned in the Uninstallation section, better replace my original Assembly-CSharp.dll with the one your installation came with, to be absolutely sure it's pure vanilla condition then.
You can safely delete my old Backup-Original-9.2.5 folder in the Managed folder, as the Uninstallation folder does a better job now.

Horst wrote: Fri Jan 06, 2023 9:02 pmJanuary 6th, 2023, v3: missed some entries related to the "Goliath Mine" & "Shock Army" change. The download archive contains an Installation and Uninstallation folder now for easier switching between mod and vanilla mode.

I've updated the installation and uninstallation instructions above.
For my gameplay mod, I'm using a similar method to quickly switch between mod and vanilla mode, where my original-backup folder consists only the original files which I have otherwise modified. It's a bit more time and SSD-friendlier than completely copy the whole original game installation over and over again.
As new files, like the additonal text files this mod comes with, don't exist in vanilla, replacements with empty files is still a safer way to deactivate any changed game-text than manually delete any files in whatever subfolder.
Trust no one and nothing, so always check out such replacement folders and files if it doesn't contain any harmful content!
Like mentioned in the Uninstallation section, better replace my original Assembly-CSharp.dll with the one your installation came with, to be absolutely sure it's pure vanilla condition then.
You can safely delete my old Backup-Original-9.2.5 folder in the Managed folder, as the Uninstallation folder does a better job now.

Hi !Yesterday was the OoB v9 version.2.5 today OoB v9.2.3 up to the weight of OoB v9.2.5 is this normal ?

bondjamesbond wrote: Sat Jan 07, 2023 10:28 am [Hi !Yesterday was the OoB v9 version.2.5 today OoB v9.2.3 up to the weight of OoB v9.2.5 is this normal ?

I don't understand the question here.
It's Fixes & Tweaks v.9.2.5.3 now that you can download from the first post here.
It should look like this in your main menu: Let newer versions overwrite the old ones.
If you want to remove my mod then use the folders from Uninstallation of archive v3 but without the uninstallation-folder to overwrite every file.

Horst, good move to have this as your active thread, avoiding duplication and confusion. Reflecting your wishes, I updated my blurb in the first post of the copy of this thread that I placed in Tech Support, directing everybody except for developers to use your link and come here for replies. I would have closed it but I chose not to so that a developer could respond, hopefully. I will periodically bump that thread so it stays on top of the Bug Submissions board for a while.

January 9th, 2023, v4: Heal-ability (Medical Jeep & Support Ship) performs with the same XP-loss like a non-elite self-repair now, instead of robbing twice the XP-amount. Additionally, the healer gets 50 XP per restored strength point

Download in the first post, as usually.

January 10th, 2023, v5
fixed: Up-Armour ability: dead units with this ability in the graveyard-screen won't show it anymore
fixed: Kamikaze- & Up-Armour ability: using these abilities won't make undeployed units become undeployable for a turn anymore. This also applies for aircraft in hangars
changed: moved submarine's surfaced/submerge switch-button before Torpedo and mod-potential minelaying-ability, so you can switch between surfaced/submerged during deployment phase

Up-Armour is the field armour of Sherman tanks, so this fix could be useful while playing the latest Allied DLC.
I replaced the unreliable trait with HeavyTreaded for field armour in my gameplay mod, but even unreliable isn't so horrible like before anyway when playing with this mod.

Grandiose. What do you use to modify the .dll files?

January 11th, 2023, v6
changed: AITasks: AA/AT/ART-switching respects Fog-of-War more and won't switch to AA if a detected enemy land-unit is adjacent

Don't expect any awesomeness with this AI change, as it's only a meager start.
It's still a very primitive check for land and air units only, as I'm still unable to properly identify nearby enemy units.
Most importantly, the AI won't react to sneaking camouflaged units or react to what's behind that forest tile, as long as there isn't any allied spotter for such units.
It surely will make the AI less "smart" by this, but a bit more human-like dumbness feels more plausible.
There is no perfect decision for AT- or AA-mode even for human players if you have enemy land- and air-units around, so the AI AA-units will at least fullfil their intended role until an enemy land-unit manages to get adjacent to it.
I can't do anything about a better threat-control yet if these land and air units are only harmless trucks and transport planes.
Let's test it for a while how it plays, as only short tests on a small map can't really tell much.

Check out the first post for the tools of trade.
May it be used for the good of all here!

This is a stunning array of updates! My head is spinning and my heart is leaping! Try typing in that condition. I'm lucky I am sitting down.

Nice. Thank you for this; especially the "fixes".
(Haven't tried it yet, though )

Horst wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:45 pm changed: AA/AT-Interception/Support has no number-restriction anymore, thus won't automatically select the weakest 2-3 supporters anymore

Not sure about this. There should be no problems with land maps, I guess, but could make some naval scens very hard, IMO. Heavy losses for any air unit trying to attack some carrier or BB, for example.

Even adding the "supportAA" trait to cruiser/battlehip classes may have been a bit too much (in my mod).

Horst wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:45 pm changed: "Goliath Mine" & "Shock Army" bonus added to intended engineer units with "minesweeper" instead of "minelayer" besides "explosives" trait, to allow giving "minelayer" to other unit types with "explosives"

I have no idea what this means... [ ]


And, if I may, an additional change request for land units (if possible):

Being able to use the "switch mode" button (AA/AT/ART) even after a unit has moved.
And being able to use the "switch mode" button repeatedly with units in my reinforcements/undeployed tab mid-game (like in deployment phase).

GabeKnight wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 5:31 am Being able to use the "switch mode" button (AA/AT/ART) even after a unit has moved.

Yeah, I agree it’s very boring especially since there is no "cancel move" function.

GabeKnight wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 5:31 am

Horst wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:45 pm changed: "Goliath Mine" & "Shock Army" bonus added to intended engineer units with "minesweeper" instead of "minelayer" besides "explosives" trait, to allow giving "minelayer" to other unit types with "explosives"

I have no idea what this means...

In other words, it's an overcomplicated definition of engineer units that these spec-bonuses should affect only.
Now, I could give minelaying to commando and partisan units without enjoying the same engineer-bonus from these specs.


January 12th, 2023, v7
changed: units can switch freely between most modes after moving and even attack afterwards now, but not after attacking, getting ambushed, or if the current unit-mode has the "staticFire" trait

We can be nitpicking game-lawful as most abilities button description read: unit cannot switch … after attacking.
No word about moving.
The switch code-class includes most ability switches with few exceptions, like field-armour (Up-Armour), but doesn't give a clue which one is actually meant later, so it was risky to remove most move- and action point related entries where it sets to 0 afterwards, but I think everything is still working fine as far as I have tested around.
Most important is that you still can't switch after combat, so either attacking or getting ambushed.
Getting switching to work together with staticFire trait, what most vanilla towed artillery units have, is still unresolved. You can switch freely after moving in AT-mode, but not the other way around.
I want to keep the field-armour ability taking a turn to tinker-up, as removing it was certainely much faster than the other way around. It takes some time to fill and build-up sandbags around units too every turn.
Other switches in the reserve list and hangars should also be free together with the kamikaze switch.
I haven't found any others yet that block for a turn.