[zipzapp]

Well, it's more a tool then a mod. This programm installs and administrates an additional CRT2 (Check runtime 2) compatible mod installation. This allows you to join a CRT2 secured server. Only original UI Installer mods are permitted here, so there will be no cheating mods.

Download V1.11 here:

http://www.filefront.com/14119101/UI_CRT2_switcher.zip

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Requirements:

UI 1.1. installer (UI 1.1.1 patch optional but recommended)
Some GBs free disk space

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Features:

Installs an additional CRT2 compatible mod installation

Holds both the CRT2 compatible and your "private" mod installation with added planes etc. in a single games installation

Switches between "private" and "CRT2" mod installation.

Disables or enables mods (Does'nt work properly with air.ini etc. related aircrafts)

Checks CRT2 compatibility, shows added, changed or missing files and repairs a faulty CRT2 installation (Limited abilitys when CRT2 relevant files were changed)

Syncs the CRT2 installation with mods you added to your "private" mod installation so far as not CRT2 relevant mods are affected (Maps, repaints and effects)

Creates your own CRT2 checkfile if wished to check the CRT2 compatibility (Needed only if you renamed mods or when a new UI Installer version is published)

Shows a lot of warnings, when something is getting wrong (Which never will occur, of course)

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Changes to V1.1:
CRT2 installations CTD and CRT2 issue with installed ship pack in conjunction with the sync function fixed. Reason was that former sync function also copyed some added ini files like the ships.ini or the chief.ini to the CRT2 STD folder.


Changes to V1.01:
Sync procedures completly reworked and fixed.
Some minor changes
So this version is much more final ;-)

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Attention #1: This prog only supports the plane_ru.properties and weapons_ru.properties in the ..\MODS\STD\i18n\ folder. If you still use these files in the "files\i18n" folder, shift them to the ..\STD\i18n\ folder (reinstalling some mods, especially planes may be neccesary). For nearer explanation look here:

(The link is inoperative)

Nevertheless it seems the game still supports the files folder, so switching may fail, if there are still these files ind that "files" folder. So delete them and get a clean installation.

Attention #2: Switching fails, if a mod folder is selected or opened in the explorer. Windows locks the whole mod folder then, which prevents switching. The prog hints, close the explorer then.

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Disadvantages:

You may destroy your CRT2 compatibility when adding new mods to the CRT2 installation. The prog will repair this mostly but not always under "Reset/Repair". So be shure to add mods only when switched to your "private" mod installation and check with "sync" afterwards if they are CRT2 compatible.

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Installation:

Unzip to a folder of your choice.

Expand the UI installer (including patch 1.1.1 or not) files to any folder you wish, best a temp folder. No further game installation is needed here. (Expanding not necessary if you allready have a CRT2 compatible installation)

Run the prog and select the path of the main folder of the games installation you want to use further on (Your "full mods" game installation) first.

Select "Create/Create CRT2 compatibel installation" and the path to the expanded UI installation files (or your allready compatible installation). The prog will copy all needed mod files to a subfolders of your games installation. This will take some time and sometimes the prog will not react, but it will still work - be patient.

In case of a new UI installer version updating the files in the UI_CRT2_switcher_files folder may be nessecary.

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At the moment there are only a few CRT2 servers, so the whole thing is a little bit experimental and i also hope to find a more elegant way of switching.

Known CRT2 mod Servers via Hyperlobby:

Wings over Europe
Kampfverband13

[Messer]

Sorry if it has been explained before, but I'm seeing it all over the forums and.. whis IS CRT=2 ?! hock:

[String_Cheese]

This is a much needed add-on and I hope it will be ready in the next UI release. Servers are beginning to standardize in UI release with crt2 and having separate installs again would be a step backward again. Tip of the hat...

[Redcanuck]

What a great idea 8) :!:

Much needed

[certificate]

Wow. Very very very good job.

[Nicholaiovitch]

Great utility........
Simple, easy to use and much needed, especially if you are tight on disk space.

Thank you very much.

Nicholaiovitch

[Gromic]

Hi Zipzapp

Great that someone's finally coming along with a GUI tool due to CRT2.

I've created something along the line that works in about the same way, although it also switches air.ini, weapons_ru.properties, plane_ru.properties and the buttons file to be CRT2 compliant (all within the AAA CRT2 guidlines).

The current revision works with Fairybattle, Spitfire MKXIV, BF109E1, AI Mod, QMBPlus, Typhoon MKlb, AC_Installer V3.3.

Mine is much more primitive than yours since it's basically nothing more than a batch file but, it works and that's what matters in the end.

I'd be happy to send you a copy to let you see what it does. Maybe we can brainstorm this thing together to create a much needed "monkey wrench" for those that love to mod but also like to fly on CRT2 servers.

Let me know via PM. I'll be happy to respond.

regards

Gromic

[zipzapp]

Great so let's work together. I missed the files you mention just because i tested the prog with an installation with some additional mods but no planes ;-(. Are these all additional files that must be switched? Should'nt be to difficult. Think i will create a hash value or somethink like that to check what version curruntly is used before switching.

But there is an other problem: I compared these 2f34...-files and noticed at least in one case that a newer mod changed also existing UICRT2 files. This is the ME410A, where i found 5 updated files (don't know what update this was), but there may be other mods with such updates. I wrote a CRT2 file integrity checker for fun, but such changes are hard to handle. For CRT2 one would need also the old version and there were additional and difficulty switches neccecary. I dont know if this is the right way.

An easier way would be to hold two complete mod folders, one CRT2 compatible and one with additional "private" mods. Just rename the folders and switch the button pp. as needed. Disadvantage would be that one will forget to switch to the "private" version before installing new mods of course, which would destroy the CRT2 installation. And there is no working read only attribution in windows xp for folders (just for files). Nevertheless (One could question the sense of such a swichter at all, but it is also fun ;-) this may be the better way and i'm thinking to rewrite the program this way (most parts can be recycled).

[Gromic]

Hi Zipzapp

Check PMs please.

[KC Jones]

Sorry if it has been explained before, but I'm seeing it all over the forums and.. whis IS CRT=2 ?! hock:

Messer, I've been following your many requests for an explanation.

I gave up asking a long time ago.

Must be a secret something for "insiders" only.

Good luck !

[zipzapp]

CRT2 is a server option. If enabled one can join only if the server checked and approved the games version which prevents unfair mods. So joining needs a defined mod installation which is CRT2 compatible. The wings over europe mod server uses CRT2 for example.

[Messer]

Oh, thanks! I'm mostly an offline player and I thought the CRT=2 was some vital component for the UI to work properly.

[KG64_Cnopicilin]

Oh now I know what it is! Is it on at AAA server?

[zipzapp]

No, the only CRT2 mod servers i know until now are the wings over europe and the kampfverband13 (May be there are more, of course). CRT2 is a nice and important option, but the problem is, that your game will be no longer CRT2 compatible if you added some mods to the UI 1.1 installation. So most players will not be able to join CRT2 servers. Thats what my tool is for.

Found a bug of course in the final, so we are at final 1.01 now ;-)

[WWSandMan]

This is a neat idea, but ... and I don't mean to be critical here ... I find it's just as easy to manually rename separate copies of my "Mods" folder.

I have three so far: the first is a clean, stock, UI 1.1.1; the second is a special CRT2 compatible MODS folder for the Forgotten Skies online war; the third is my fully loaded MODS folder.

To change my active MODS folder to be inactive, and activate a currently inactive folder, I simply rename the active MODS folder to "~xxx_MODS", then rename an inactive "~yyy_MODS" to "MODS". Works just fine. I use the "~" at the front of the folder name simply to keep the inactive MODS folders at the top of the folder list when viewed in Windows Explorer.

Perhaps I'm just not "getting it" as far as how this tool works. Can I configure a base mod set as default, then specify additional mods that may be required for a given server or online war and load (activate) those additional mods with a click on an "activate mods for xxx" button?