Homecoming Launcher Patch Notes for April 15, 2021

[Number Six]

Version 4212

 

Updating

• Extensive redesign of how the package install process works. No outwardly visible changes, just even more robust installs and updates.
• Better handling for version rollbacks in the rare event we would need to do one.
• Eliminated some unnecessary dependent package version checks, slightly reducing network traffic.
• Launch profiles are no longer uninstalled if they become inaccessible. They of course cannot be updated but don't disappear unless the user uninstalls them.

 

User Interface

• New system for displaying high-level "problems" that may need user attention, but do not prevent launching. These show up as a yellow warning icon next to the action button, which can be clicked to open a dialog with more detail. One common example is being unable to check for updates due to a network connectivity issue - this is now made obvious rather than being hidden in the log file.
• New "Advanced Settings" page in the settings dialog (gear icon). This contains a few settings that may be of interest for specific cases:
  • Disable Hardware Acceleration - This option may help to fix graphical issues related to certain drivers or operating systems. It is enabled by default on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Wine-based (Mac & Linux) systems.
  • Do not check for updates automatically - Prevents the launcher from automatically checking for game updates. Launch profiles will not go into the "Update Required" state unless you manually use the menu to check for updates. Note that with this option enabled, you are likely to encounter a version mismatch error if the server has been updated but you have not yet checked for updates.
  • Do not automatically update the launcher - Disables launcher self-updates. There is a "Check for Updates" button at the bottom of the page that can be used to manually check if a new launcher version is available and will prompt to install it.
    NOTE: If the launcher install is damaged enough to cause the self-repair process to be invoked, the launcher may still connect to the Internet to repair itself regardless of this setting. This is necessary to make the self-repair ability work even in the case of badly damaged installs or corrupted configuration. As always, the launcher.log file is extremely transparent and provides a high level of detail about what exactly the launcher is doing at all times.
  • Update branch - Provides an easier way to switch between the two update branches available for the launcher:
    • release - The stable branch which is suitable for general use.
    • test - The testing branch which receives updates more often and is used for testing new features.
• Login errors are now highlighted in red to make it more obvious.
• Adjusted the columns in launchercli to work better with the new descriptive version numbering.
• Added a Browse button to the install location under General Settings to make it easier to find the root of the installation.

 

Miscellaneous

• Always show the full file path in the log file instead of names relative to the package root, which may not always be obvious.
• Increase log file size before rotation from 100kb to 1mb.

 

Bug Fixes

• Fix a few bugs that could cause the self-repair process to fail in some circumstances.
• Fix vanishing progress bar if scrolled up behind the logo while a task is in progress.
• Fix a rare issue where the UI could fail to start under certain conditions on the first run after install.

 

Version 4220

 

Bug Fixes

• Fix minor issues with the manual launcher update process:
  • Fix incorrect text in progress bar window.
  • Force a restart after successful installation rather than leaving the old version running and the settings window open.
• Fix crash when clicking the button to check for launcher updates if a background update has already been installed and is pending restart.

[TemporalVileTerror]

Much appreciated!  Thanks so much.

[Ohsirus]

Auto-Login?

[WanderingAries]

7 hours ago, Ohsirus said:

Auto-Login?

 

I don't think that's launcher based, but beyond the file they disabled, I'm not 100% on how that works.

[PeregrineFalcon]

My launcher hasn't updated. Do I need to download it again, or can I force the current one to update?

[Number Six]

36 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

My launcher hasn't updated. Do I need to download it again, or can I force the current one to update?

 

The self-update runs quietly in the background so as to not get in the way of launching the game. When it updates you won't see the new version until you exit and start it up again.

 

From older versions that don't have the button to force an update check, this is the fastest method:

1. Start the launcher fresh (close it first if it's currently running)
2. Wait about 5-30 seconds for the update to install in the background, depending on Internet connection speed.
3. Close the launcher, the start it up again. You should be running the new version.

If it's not updating, you may need to check launcher.log to see if there's something blocking it. As last resort, you can go into the COH directory and delete settings/launcher/pacakges/launcher.json. That will force a self-repair cycle the next time you run it. You shouldn't have to do that, though, and if you do I'd appreciate the opportunity to look at the log file to see why the normal update wasn't working.

[starro]

thank you for posting these things.  I can't believe all the work this old game gets done.

[NiCad]

On 4/15/2021 at 11:19 PM, Number Six said:

 

If it's not updating, you may need to check launcher.log to see if there's something blocking it. As last resort, you can go into the COH directory and delete settings/launcher/pacakges/launcher.json. That will force a self-repair cycle the next time you run it. You shouldn't have to do that, though, and if you do I'd appreciate the opportunity to look at the log file to see why the normal update wasn't working.

 

I had to do this.  Sent in a log report (a few actually).  I haven't been on in about a week and the launcher kept crashing at random update times.  Sometimes it would try to update the pre release, other times main.  I didn't see a pattern to it.

Edited April 22, 2021 by NiCad
clarity

[Number Six]

27 minutes ago, NiCad said:

 

I had to do this.  Sent in a log report (a few actually).  I haven't been on in about a week and the launcher kept crashing at random update times.  Sometimes it would try to update the pre release, other times main.  I didn't see a pattern to it.

 

Pretty sure you were affected by the bug that was fixed in 4250:

 

Since live and prerelease had both been updated recently, and the crashhandler package that they all share also had a new build, if you had both set to update automatically and hadn't updated in a while it triggered a previously undetected bug that only happens under very specific conditions. I saw several crash reports on it that identified the issue, chances are some of them were yours.

 

If you weren't able to disable the automatic updates, deleting the package json is exactly what you needed to do to get up to a version where things were fixed.