Information on "Official" patch from Microsoft

Sat Sep 09, 2006 12:27 pm by Inteck

This is old news, but there STILL seems to be some confusion as to what the Freelancer "Official 1.1" update from Microsoft actually does, as there seems to be no visual changes or otherwise after installing it. I myself was kind of curious, so I opened the flpatch.exe to find out. Here is what it contains:

setupenu.dll (in the root directory of the .exe)

dlls (folder in .exe)
bin (in dlls folder (sub-folder))

Content.dll (in the bin folder)

exe (folder in .exe)

CheatMessage.txt (This file and ALL following are in the .exe folder)
Common.dll
DALib.dll
FLServer.exe
ReadmePatch.htm
ReadmePatch_DE.htm
ReadmePatch_FR.htm
RemoteClient.dll
Server.dll

What confuses most people is that while Microsoft may have named their "official" patch 1.1, in reality no changes to the actual fl.exe were made. As you can see above, there is NO fl.exe file in the update executable at all. Since the fl.exe contains ALL version information, you will not see any change in the Version# in the game or anything else for that matter. I will not bother trying to explain in detail what the patch itself does, seeing as Microsoft has their own explanation over at their site and in the readme .HTM's. However, If you want to change the version # so that it correctly reflects the "official" statement over at Microsoft, then I would recommend using resourcehack (tool), available in the downloads section at this site. Also if you want a "true" update, I would STRONGLY suggest downloading one of the unofficial updates which fix more problems and errors and do far more than this thing does.

Sat Sep 09, 2006 12:36 pm by H.Q. Victor

Its been said Many times before, the "Patch" is ONLY for MP part of the game, not single player use. Folks never seem to pay attention to that fact.

Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:14 am by Inteck

I have to agree with you. The worst thing is that no official updates were ever made......this is the only "official" patch out there, which really doesn't fix a heck of a lot. The only updates that make a real difference (as far as error correction goes) are the ones that have been released by 3rd parties such as the Sdk 1.3-1.5 series.

I am not suprised that Microsoft decided to release something as buggy and incomplete as this game (imho) because of their own sloppy workmanship in their own Windows O.S. series (I include everything from Win 95/98 to their current releases). I am, however, dissappointed that Digital Anvil and its creators didn't go ahead and see things through and do a little better job than they did.

Edited by - inteck on 9/10/2006 6:19:33 AM

Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:22 am by H.Q. Victor

Actually, if informations serves, MS is responcible for us having the game at all. DA was dragging it out a long time, and were no closer to completeing it. It might have even died on the table. As to a patch, there is no reason for them to make one, as it isn't a fully completed game. Much was left out, so a "Patch" might have caused more problems than it would solve.

Edited by - Finalday on 9/10/2006 6:23:03 AM

Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:08 am by Inteck

Hmmm, I didn't know that DA was the one dragging their heels on this project, still my hat is off to those responsible for getting us the game (even with it being in as bad shape as it is). Just as a curiosity, was any factual information ever released as to what was left out of the game? I'm not sure about others here, but I myself am rather curious. Mod makers have made some incredible advances for a game that is not exactly at 100%, and I for one wonder just how much further things could have been taken. I have read a couple of Faqs and news articles that it was supposed to have been a game that included such things as planetary combat, a much better character advancement system etc., but this is all rumor and hearsay. I never got a really good view of what it could have (and probably should have) been or if nothing else, how far Freelancer modders can still take the game.

Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:43 am by H.Q. Victor

one of the more major things, at least to me, was a better HUD, like in the extra pics posted here. It would have been better having a radar on it.

Sun Sep 10, 2006 12:40 pm by Preacher0815

Since when didn't Chris Roberts games take their time? After he left DA, Freelancer was doomed to become the game it is today.

Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:18 pm by Inteck

To tell you the truth, I have never seen or heard of any interviews with the individuals who worked on this game. For that matter I don't know the viewpoints of those that were there "till the end" so to speak (so it would seem that no one knows the details of what happened). With this in mind, I have no idea what had to be left out of the game or the shorcuts that had to be taken to finish up. I am rather curious, because the mod makers have come so far with the game engine with practically no prior knowledge at all. Still, without knowing exactly what the engine is capable of, Freelancer may never reach its full potential.

Important Message

You are browsing the archived Lancers Reactor forums. You cannot register or login.
The content may be outdated and links may not be functional.

To get the latest in Freelancer news, mods, modding and downloads, go to
The-Starport