prune1 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 I followed the procedure detailed here: http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Steam_and_mods Specifically just the EW portion of it and edited my host file and saved appropriately etc. I seem to have gotten the latest EW patch 2 regardless. Hard to be sure, but it seems that way, for example opening up toolboks 1.6.4 just now tells me I have Changelist 401776 when it expected Changelist 398180. Does that mean I've definitely been upgraded to the latest patch? In-game clues seem to be telling me so, for example my death animations being wonky again when I had the 'fix' for this via the remove death delay mod. I did notice my 'EU' was updated on steam when the patch came out, but I assumed at the time that EW was untouched due to the host file changes... My hosts file just has this added as per the article: # Prevent Steam from Phoning Home for XCOM127.0.0.1 prod.xcom-ew.firaxis.com127.0.0.1 65.118.245.139 Did I need to have the EU portion re-routing itself like this aswell? The article seemed to suggest otherwise with the line at the end: The XCOM-EW expansion is proof that other DNS and IP addresses can be utilized by the same or different games. Care should be taken to check the Launch.log file as outlined above for changes with each patch or major release. I'd like to know if I messed up and how to ensure patches occur at my direction in future. Also, any way to revert to patch 1, if indeed I've been updated?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubiousintent Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) You do indeed have EW patch 2. Read 'here' for how to determine your patch level. This appears to be Steam's strange idea as to the meaning of the word 'disabled': only if THEY want to honor it. You are not alone: everyone who was/is online with Steam got updated to patch 2, even if they don't have EW and the patch didn't change anything but the date/timestamp of the EU EXE. The only reliable method to avoid unwanted patches is to always run your game in OFFLINE mode. Failing that, keep backups of the XCOM game tree so you can revert after the next patch is forced upon you. There is (as yet) no process for reversion to EW patch 1. So far there is no demonstrated need to do so, so I would consider it unlikely. The mod makers are busy updating their mods to work with EW patch 2, and many have already done so. Almost forgot: Yes, you do need both sets of 'phone home' addresses blocked in the hosts file if you have EW. Some updates to EW also affect the EU files because they are shared. Remember that EW is a DLC of EU. The 'phone home' process occurs EVERYTIME you launch the game; not just when there is a patch. Edit: updated the 'Steam and mods' article to make this clearer. -Dubious- Edited March 3, 2014 by dubiousintent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prune1 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Ok thanks for that. I thought it was like that, but obviously too late. So, these hosts file changes, now that I will add in the EU portion, are also as surefire a way as OFFLINE mode is on steam right? Or is there still a chance of things being bypassed and steam/EU/EW forcing their updates on me? If so, at least I can avoid patch 3, if and when they get around to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubiousintent Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) No, the host file changes are necessary, but will not prevent patches. As best we can tell, they are primarily intended to keep MultiPlayer games 'honest', but the mechanism can interfere with some mods (or at least some elements of them) as a result. As regards the hosts file: XCom in particular has built-in a 'class' called 'IniLocPatcher' that does the phoning home. At least one person found it necessary to hack the EXE to disable that before they were able to completely prevent it from interfering with a mod. Instructions in the article, but so far most people have not found it necessary. Most do not realize that there are two different sorts of 'patches' that affect the 'do not update' situation: a Steam client patch, and a game patch. A Steam client patch does not (that we know of) touch any particular game code. However, it typically seems to reset all the individual Steam Library game settings back to 'default', which includes enabling automatic updates. The game patches (at least by recent behavior) can simply ignore the library's disabled 'automatic updates' setting. Whatever Steams original intent with this setting, it is no longer considered 'reliable' by the modding community. Staying Offline is the only reliable method to prevent future patches known at the moment. Again: backing up a stable game folder tree is highly recommended. If you don't have the disk space, consider putting it on a CD. Think of it as your 'failsafe'. -Dubious- Edited March 4, 2014 by dubiousintent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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