Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Battle of Britain "Wings of Victory"
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33lima3
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by 33lima3 »

'Nothing heard' so far...used the contact (DON'T SAY THAT UNLESS YOU MEAN IT!) form on the site so should have worked. Will follow up if no change in a couple of days.

Without this, how can 'the Few' - 'we few, we happy few, we band of brothers' - possibly be expected to continue to hold off the might of the Luftwaffe? If we can get Windows 10 compatibility for BoB2, all Europe may be free and the world may move forward into broad sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age, made more sinister and perhaps more protracted by the lights of perverted science. In the form of unsupported Operating Systems ridden with vulnerabilities.

What more could be at stake here?!!!

Sorry for trivialising 1940 but I couldn't resist using a bit of Churchillian rhetoric!
SimHQ Battle of Britain II screenshots thread: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4481941/1
CombatAce Mission Reports: https://combatace.com/forums/forum/307-mission-reports/

filtonboy
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by filtonboy »

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. :D

f.b.

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33lima3
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by 33lima3 »

Still no word so not sure which it is, the end of the beginning, the beginning of the end, or just a dead end :)

Anyway, I've just sent a reminder, again via the 'Contact us' form at A2A.

Meanwhile after a PC crash killed by Convoys RAF commander campaign, my Adler Tag restart has advanced all of three days, but I'm still in business in Windows 7. Just recently found from someone on SimHQ who tried, that getting Win 7 installed on very new hardware is tricky and apparently possible only after serious techie stuff, so as well as the support curtain finally coming down soon on the Win 7 show, even those of us who still chance it (eg disconnected from the net) are joined by those with newer kit for whom the only practical BoB2 option is already Windows 10.
SimHQ Battle of Britain II screenshots thread: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4481941/1
CombatAce Mission Reports: https://combatace.com/forums/forum/307-mission-reports/

Scotters
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by Scotters »

Lima,
Thanks for trying!

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Lofty Anstruther
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by Lofty Anstruther »

Thanks Lima. I too absolutely support this initiative to enable BoB2 to run on windows 10. With Win 7 due to be history from January 2020 the thought that a similar fate would befall the time machine is the stuff of nightmares!

I did some testing of 2.14 and whilst Randy was generally happy with the results of the test he did want to do more tweaking but unfortunately his health issues have prevented further development. Still as other folks have commented 2.13 is still the finest ww2 flight sim - period (not just the Battle of Britain). No other flight sim comes close in so many aspects.

I am likely to purchase a new pc in early 2020 having resisted windows 10 as long as I dare. If it comes to it I will keep my current pc base for BoB even if it will be a pain unplugging/plugging in the peripherals! So the GOG idea would be fantastic and I wouldn’t waste a moment in purchasing an updated version.
"Home and tea. For once you deserve it, well done everybody"

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Felizpe
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by Felizpe »

Since Simcopter that was a very old Windows 95/98 game was fixed recently by a lone amateur guy to run on Windows 10 calling it now "SimCopterX" I have faith that A2A or another company interested in this great game will fix it one day. As BOB2 is the best ww2 dogfight game of the world from all times it would be impossible to be forgotten by devs or talented amateur coders around the world :)
"Just wanna live enough to tell my grandson I was a BOB2 Ace"

Fred901
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by Fred901 »

It would be really great that BOBII could be Windows 10 compatible. Anyway, thanks to Lima for the approach! cross your fingers !!! :wink:

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33lima3
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by 33lima3 »

Well a dead end it was.

Final A2A reply was 'not a plan or an option at this time', including to letting GoG have a go.

Unless and until a Win 10 update magically restores compatibility, or somebody tries something new and finds it works repeatably, or Win 7 gets a reprieve, or A2A change their minds (none of which is looking likely), it seems we're stuck for the foreseeable future with what we've got. Which is either the Win 7 option (had no probs with Win 7 on my i3 4130+Ausus H81M mobo, reportedly problematic for new H/W but some say do-able with tweaking) or Win 10 and put up with regular Alt+X CTDs and the campaign only really playable in 2D.

I'm not interested in migrating to newer sims - both the current offerings - one of which I bought but only because it was cheap - have their plus points, but for me, neither is (or looks like ever being) a satisfactory simulation of the BoB, or comes even close to BoB2.
SimHQ Battle of Britain II screenshots thread: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4481941/1
CombatAce Mission Reports: https://combatace.com/forums/forum/307-mission-reports/

Mickvet
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by Mickvet »

That's discouraging.

For myself, I will try and keep my old pc going as long as I can. I see no motivation to upgrade. All the best games seem to be the oldies. BoBII, EAW, FE2, SF2 Grand Prix Legends and my current favourite, Richard Burns Rally, are all old-school and most probably perform best on older operating systems. I haven't even updated my Windows 7 for years in case I import some incompatibility and keep my pc disconnected from the internet except when I'm actually on it. I think there's minimal risk of importing malware from the kind of nerdy fuddy-duddy sites I frequent (no offense intended!).

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Felizpe
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by Felizpe »

Thanks for the report 33lima3 sad but since they said 'not a plan or an option at this time' maybe they still intend to try it in the future since the main coder or coders of Bob2 were not official crew of A2A (I think they hired them just for bob2 development). So if they intend to fix it they would have to hire a new coder with expericence in this game style (what can take time) or maybe rehire the original coders since the main incompatibility bug came with official patch 2.02 made by official hired crew ... Well, if it was possible to decompile bob.exe codes it would be easy to fix it by comparing the codes between bob.exe from patch 2.01 and 2.02 even for a non coder guy, but with the entire code would be very hard to identify the target since you would never know what is the incompatible code to new modern systems. So if A2A still has the source code (not compiled) of bob.exe file for patch 2.01 and 2.02 it would be a nice start for them identify the bug :)
"Just wanna live enough to tell my grandson I was a BOB2 Ace"

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PV
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by PV »

Well, I know that Scott (A2A head) has always wanted to be able to deliver a very top quality
combat flight sim, but as you will be aware if you're familiar with A2A's flight sim add-on products,
he has very high standards. And from discussions with him here over the years while modifying
BoB2, with the BDG, I know he found the experience of producing BoB2 under contract from GMX
Games, with insufficient time and resources, extremely frustrating, and something he would never
want to have to do again. So, if and when he undertakes a full combat flight sim, it will be because
he has the support and resources to do a spectacular job of it. As you know, it is a huge challenge
to do this well, and the financial returns are nothing compared to writing nonsense games with
immense market acceptance, so there aren't a lot of investors eager to throw money at it in
expectation of instant wealth.

As for BoB2, our best hope is that a person or persons with the skills to fix it and the passion for the
genre necessary to put in the time just for the joy and hell of it, might appear, as we (BDG, there being
still a little more than one of us around) are always happy to embrace such a prospect.

Eisenfaust
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by Eisenfaust »

Hm - but 33lima3 wasn't suggesting a completely new game but rather a way of getting money from an already existing one by making it run on modern systems...

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33lima3
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by 33lima3 »

Yeah I get why BoB2 mightn't have been a great experience or success for A2A (which may or may not have something to do with why the mooted B-17 II remake never followed). But as JJB17463rdBombGroup suggested, all they had to do was be open to an approach by GoG who, according to their Wikipedia entry, have expertise in adapting older games to run on modern PCs and O/S's, not just marketing them. A2A will have their reasons but it's still disappointing they don't see working with GoG as an easy, nearly effort-free way to generate a bit more revenue from BoB2 (or if that's not the way it works, a little additional brand exposure and some goodwill from players, for whatever that's worth).
SimHQ Battle of Britain II screenshots thread: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4481941/1
CombatAce Mission Reports: https://combatace.com/forums/forum/307-mission-reports/

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Felizpe
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by Felizpe »

I also agree with GOG idea as an option if A2A was not able to fix the compatibility bug, but since "European Air War" that is one of the best old ww2 air combat game like bob2, bob1, CFS3 has already a petition in GOG community wishlist since 2012 and the buddies like us are sending messages to them since 2012 till now and they don't even answer the messages so I don't know what to believe in the moment, I'm just asking tower to give us a vector over :D

Here is the link to "European Air War" Community Wishlist on GOG:
https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/european_air_war
"Just wanna live enough to tell my grandson I was a BOB2 Ace"

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33lima3
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Re: Petition to get A2A to fix the BOB II 2.13 patch to work on Win 10 and modern systems.

Post by 33lima3 »

That's interesting Felizpe. If there isn't one of those wishlists for BoB2 I'm going to start one soon. Bad manners maybe after asking A2A but IF GoG ever pick it up, they might be more persuasive that I was! Probably no chance I know but worth at least trying.

So far a lot of people have been trying every setting they can think of for Win 10 compatibility and BoB2's own settings and that has not produced a solution. As you say, if compatibility issues occurred between 2.01 and 2.13 then somebody needs to work out what 2.13 introduced that did the damage. And hope that it can be removed or changed without seriously compromising an important 2.13 feature. If that means decompiling bob.exe, presumably you need to know what it's written in and then find a free decompiler, but that's possibly against the vendor's licence agreement.

I see there's a new release of Win 10 , 1903, which still seems to be rolling out. Don't have it myself as I boot straight into Win 7. I wonder if any Win Tenners who do have 1903 can confirm it makes no difference to BoB2?

This strange fix was mentioned on the SimHQ WotR forum but it's for a rather different problem but it just goes to show what people can stumble on: http://ubeogesh-things.blogspot.com/201 ... r-aka.html
SimHQ Battle of Britain II screenshots thread: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4481941/1
CombatAce Mission Reports: https://combatace.com/forums/forum/307-mission-reports/

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