EE2, EE2X - Empire Earth II - Unofficial Patch 1.6 (2024)

Download & File Details

   Click here to DOWNLOAD Unofficial Patch 1.6.0.019 (October 2024)   
Total unique downloads (since 03.08.2014): 308383 (8 today)
File: ee2_update_100-159_160.exe. Size: 1.38 GB. Click to show more details & checksums... (bytes: 1 483 642 968). CRC-32: ad1f526f MD4: 2aad7d15d5be628d2fa960bce65c703b. MD5: 41ce94c93da0e2311d40496e70fb3b7c. SHA-1: f1f2570cdfa9dcd361017faec5f05504c7119711.

Warning: Windows SmartScreen might block the installer from starting. To fix it, please click on "More info", and then the "Run anyway" button will appear.
SmartScreen blocks all unpopular applications from starting. Empire Earth 2 is a small community, and UP1.6 is frequently updated, so executables don't get the chance to start being recognizable. Read more...
Reading the entrie page might help you to make the right decision. If you still don't trust, please simply don't download / don't install the patch, or google for user reviews from neutral sources.

Features & Changes

Please note, that the patch doesn't change the original game balance nor strategy. All new units and buildings listed in the changes list below can be disabled by the Configuration Utility (UP1.6 Settings) after installation, so you don't need to worry about changes which you don't like. The patch was designed to fix compatibility problems, and the rest is not that significant. To learn how to disable UP1.6 content, click here...

Core Features

Unofficial Patch 1.6 is updated till this day. It has got a Minor Updates system, where usually at least 1 Minor Update is released per month. Compatibility, Critical and Hotfix updates are delivered to players as soon as possible, without unnecessary delays. Thanks to this, users can enjoy their favourite game, crash-free, on the newest Windows versions, even using their new computers. Minor Updates can be installed by the Game Launcher after the full UP1.6 Installation. Please read a separate page to view Minor Update changes.

The first version (Unofficial Patch 1.5) was released in August 2014. With time, Minor Updates started to be released faster, and some of them contain even more features & fixes than Major versions! And if there is any problem or a question, players are welcome to contact the UP1.6 developer using the built-in Support Chat in the Launcher.

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Due that the changes log is extremely long, some of the "core" (most significant) features are listed here:

1.  UP1.6 Launcher is an advanced, external C++ program, which (for stability reasons) is separated from the game process. It generates the actual game executables based on selected screen resolution & other options. Please take a look at the screenshots of the Launcher windows below. It will help you understand what options are configurable and how much effort was put in development of this project:


2.  Support for Windows 8, 8.1, 10, 11. All maximization problems are fixed, without dirty solutions like killing explorer.exe. There are many other compatibility fixes applied directly to the game process.

3.  Support for all possible screen resolutions (including 4k), with Automatic Font Sizes. Additionally tweaks for the high refresh rate monitors, G-Sync / FreeSync. Improved multi-display support. Drastically increased camera zoom options & changed the flying height of all air units.

4.  DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter), which improves performance, fixes graphics bugs and is supported by the newest graphics drivers. On Nvidia Optimus laptops it fixes an issue where only integrated GPU is available in game. Additionally contains fixes for no fire/explosion effects on Intel HD GPUs, Anti-Aliasing, an option to Disable V-Sync & and option to Remove 100 FPS Limit.

5.  New EE2.eu Multiplayer Lobby as a replacement for the GameSpy server, which was shut down in 2012. It's as simple as clicking Multiplayer -> Internet in the main menu. The new Lobby has many more features, especially MonaNAT® (relay servers around the World, which route traffic between players when a direct / NAT connection fails). More details about our Multiplayer Services.

6.  No CD/DVD is needed to start game. Players with all EE2 distributions are able to play together. The CD-KEY verification is disabled on Multiplayer due that some stores (like gog.com) are providing the same key to all customers.

7.  Fixed dozens of Unhandled Exception game crashes and game freezes. Fixed game glitches in Multiplayer (for example resources glitch, range glitch).

8.  New options are available in game, for example "Disable Crowns System and Leaders", "Cycle Time of Day", "Custom Map Size", "Random Seed". Additionally more variations for "Initial Cease Fire", "Max. Population", "City Population", "Starting Forces Citizens", possibility to start without the first Scout. Removed the max. 999 population per player limit, increased max. stored resources to 999 999.


9.  New game memory tweaks are available: "Reduce visual weather effects for Blizzard, Sandstorm", "Don't center camera for 'Cycle Select' hotkeys", "Disable audio taunts in multiplayer chats".

10.  Totally new climate: Tundra, with new terrain textures, ambient colors, Sun directions, animals, sounds, forests and more. Details... All other climates have the improved Night (time of day) visuals.

11.  Many new units & buildings, for example a Super ICBM Silo (with nuclear missiles much stronger than the normal ones), TBM Launchers, new Anti-Missile System (Radar, Static/Mobile/Naval Anti-Missile launchers), Windmill (and other economic structures), Bunker, Sniper, Ambulance, Firetruck, Police Car, Titanic and much more! For all new units, please make sure to check the full changes list. Want to disable them? Click here...

12.  Restored some of disabled animations (for example workshop's windmill), fixed the "no chimney smoke" from buildings bug.

13.  New maps & scenarios (available in the Campaign menu), created by users.

14.  Many new hotkeys, for example Full Screen Mode (hides User Interface), Free Camera Mode, Built-in Music Player control, Constrain Cursor, Select Crown Power, and more.

15.  Middle Mouse Button Actions, which allow you to rotate/move camera, rotate buildings. Details...

16.  Support for Tobii Eye Tracker devices. Details...

17.  Improved quality of vanilla EE2 music files, from MP3 128kbps to 320kbps. Thanks to Michael Gordon Shapiro (EE2 music composer) for providing uncompressed .wav files, specially for Unofficial Patch 1.6. Check out Michael's music at: https://mikemusic.com

18.  Updated ambient & weather sounds for all climates with ultra-high quality land, forest, rain, snow, wind, dust storm sounds, ensuring that they sound as similar to the original ones as possible.

19.  Optional Enhanced Features, for players who support the project with donations. You can view screenshots and learn about all of Enhanced Features on a separate web page.



... And it's just the beginning of everything that is available in Unofficial Patch 1.6.

Full Changelog of Unofficial Patch 1.5 & 1.6

WARNING: The first changes were written by a 14-year-old non-native English speaker, so they might contain misspellings and grammatical errors. The other changes are written in simple English, making it easy for players from around the world to understand without using a translator.

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5 (initial release):
—  Support for all possible screen resolutions, including 4K resolutions, for example:
4096x2304, 3840x2160, 3200x1800, 2560x1440, 2048x1152, 1920x1080, 1600x900, 1366x768, 1360x768, 1280x720, 3840x2400, 2880x1800, 2560x1600, 2304x1440, 2048x1280, 1920x1200, 1680x1050, 1440x900, 1280x800, 1152x720, 3200x2400, 2560x1920, 2048x1536, 1856x1392, 1600x1200, 1440x1080, 1400x1050, 1280x1024, 1280x960, 1152x864, 1024x768, 2560x1700, 2160x1440, 1440x960, 1280x854, 1152x768, 2560x2048, 1800x1440, 1600x1024, 1600x768, 1280x768, 800x600.
—  Includes all previous versions of EE2 (1.0-1.4), so it's not needed to install any older patch.
—  It's possible to select a different text language for EE2 during installation.
—  No CD/DVD is needed to start game. Players with all EE2 distributions are able to play together.
—  The patch supports: Empire Earth II, and it's expansion pack: Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy.
—  New launchers (EE2.exe, EE2X.exe), with features like:
*   Support for Windows 8 / 8.1 by setting the right screen resolution in game,
*   Auto-checking for Unofficial Version updates,
*   EXEGenerator (used for generating the right file to support your screen resolution),
*   Checksum in-RAM replacing system (so people with different executables are able to join each other in MP games),
*   News messages (from the community life) which appear hardly ever,
*   Statistics system, and many other features that help you solve game problems,
*   The configuration file ("UnofficialVersionConfig.txt"), so you can customize your UP1.5 settings.
—  Camera FIX ver. 3.0 (better zoom-out and zoom-in in game),
—  Free Camera Mode, hotkey: CTRL+ALT+G, then keep CTRL pressed to change the camera settings.
—  Full Screen Mode, hotkey: CTRL+ALT+H (right mouse click to show the cursor), hides User Interface.
—  Debug Menu, hotkey: CTRL+O and Atmosphere Panel, hotkey: CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+A - for modders.
—  Built-in Music Player (EE2Amp), hotkey: CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+F12 + 1 sample song.
—  Better Night (Time of Day) - much darker, with a realistic Moon effect.
—  Improved version of the "Flying Height Mod" (changed cruising height of all air units).
—  Enabled some animations, for example rotation of windmills in workshops.
—  Fixed the "non chimney smoke" graphics bug:
*   The first smoke will appear after you start producting a unit for the first time.
—  Many new sounds, some of them imported from the RGV1's EE4 Mod.
—  Modified game sounds volumes to be more ear-friendly.
—  Some new textures for epoch 15 buildings, imported from the Iwanicki's Realistic Mod.
—  Alert siren when enemy is bombarding your city (requires warehouse).
—  Much better nuclear explosion effects with camera shake.
—  New units and buildings (many of them imported from the Iwanicki's Realistic Mod):
#FOR CITY BUILDING GAMES (it's recommended to use them in CB/RP games only):
—  City Builder (can build ~47 buildings known from EE2/EE2X campaigns).
—  Gardener (can plant tress, and build some other world objects [~36]).
—  ZOO (can produce ~15 animals), new animals: Crocodile, Bear, Rhinoceros.
—  Some other CB buildings: Supermarket (including new trading units), International Airport, Windmills.
—  Some other CB units: Slave, Prisoner, Leaders (Dictator, President, Queen, Prince), Monacopter, etc.
#OTHER BUILDINGS AND UNITS:
—  A new Missile Defense System:
*   Radar - detects for incoming missiles and plays a loud alert siren when enemy's missile is launched,
*   Anti-Missile Defense - launches an anti-missile from range: 45,
*   Mobile Anti-Missiles Launcher,
—  New Missile Launchers:
*   Ballistic Missle Submarine,
*   V2 Launcher, TBM Launcher (with a new missile explosion effect).
*   Ballistic Missile Silo (bigger damage and explosion effects).
—  Two new transport planes.
—  Other buildings: Hospital, Ground Defense, Bomb Shelter, Windmill/Grain Elevator.
—  Other units: Autobus, Police Car, Ambulance, Fire Truck, News Van, Hot Air Balloon, Harvester, Wheel Loader.
—  Version 4.0 of "EE2 Windows 8 / 8.1 FIX by Dr.MonaLisa", however it's not longer needed.
—  Fixed Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library Error.
—  130 maps, created by players since 2005.
—  New Multiplayer Scenarios, created in 2013 by DomDom11/12 and Dr Mona Lisa.
—  New resources option: "Super Deathmatch", with ~65 000 resources of every type.
—  New maximum population options available in game: 2600, 3000, 3400, 3800, 4000, 6000, 8000, 10000:
*   NOTE: The maximum pop for each player will remain 999 no matter how many players there are in game.
*   You can build the "Tree of Life", or the "Tree of Death" to hack your population in game (very expensive).
*   Hack trees are forbidden in Multiplayer games, except City Building games.
—  More "Basic Starting Forces", citizen options available to select: 0, 1, 30, 50, 75, 100.
—  Version 1.5.1 (2015) identification on Empire Earth II and Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy.
—  "Pro Map Maker" by DomDom11/12 (modified tools sizes for easier map making).
—  Restored the "return to base" button for aircraft units in EE2: AOS.
—  Added 7 .fav files, with the most played multiplayer settings.
—  AI players use only 3 buildings from UP1.5 (to prevent random game crashes).

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.1 series:
—  New option: Custom map size (with the maximum map size: 500, before only: 300).
—  More configuration options in "UnofficialVersionConfig.txt", including a way to disable UP1.5 units/buildings - works in MP games.
—  Disabled CD-KEY checking in multiplayer games (because of many reported problems).
—  Restored camera settings from Unofficial Version 1.4 (better zoom-out in game).
—  Unofficial Patch 1.5 bugs fixes:
*   Building concertina wire crashes game;
*   Bombers/nuclear bombers are missing the target;
*   New wheeled units (police car, ambulance, fire truck, etc.) rotate in a circle when idle.
*   Some costs/balance fixes for the new units.
*   Fixes in UP1.5 launchers, even more smart-behaviour and new graphics.

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.2 series:
—  Added the Custom Screen Resolution Generator, so the patch is now supporting all possible screen resolutions.
—  Added the Configuration Utility (UnofficialVersionConfig.vbs), for easier patch configuration.
—  Unofficial Patch 1.5 bugs fixed:
*   Nuclear bombers are unable to damage: airports, city centers, universities;
*   Fixed Phalanx Machinegun Turret "UFO" graphics bug;
—  Unofficial Patch 1.5 units changes:
*   Missile launchers are now upgrading (epoch 12: V2 Launcher, epoch 13: TBM Launcher 1, epoch 14: TBM Launcher 2);
*   Added a new model for TBM Launcher in epoch 13;
*   Added three new models for radars (since epoch 12 to 14);
*   Radars are now revealing all airplanes in range 40;
*   Added a new unit: Sniper (epochs 11-15): long range, long reload time, expensive. Produced in Barracks;
*   Added Pseudo-Music Carriages, produced in the Spanish Blockhouse (City Center -> City Builder -> Spanish Blockhouse);
—  Tanks and HERCs are now 2x stronger (doubled attack damage and health).
—  Autosave filenames are now the same for every language version of game (useful in MP games).
—  Updated UP1.5 launchers:
*   Full support for Windows 10;
*   Even more intelligent behaviour;
*   Special splashes + music for special events (like Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc.).

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.3 series:
—  Updated UP1.5 launchers:
*   New "Checksum in-RAM replacing system", no more "Executable differs" problem in MP games.
—  Improved fonts in the Multiplayer Chat (nicknames have a new color with special effects),
—  Camera FIX ver. 4.0 (fixed sounds when maximum zoom-out in game),
—  Better ProjectileMissileMove type ICBM - 2x higher (30, before 15),
—  AI (Computer player) will now use UP1.5 units (if they're unlocked in the patch configuration),
—  Improved Missile Defense System and Missile Launchers:
*   New units: Naval Anti-Missiles Warship, Cruise Missile Submarine;
*   Anti-Missile Defense is relatively cheaper;
*   Smart Anti-Missiles: Close targets will be assigned to different Anti-Missiles (chance to intercept more);
*   Added a fix for game crashes when AI uses Missile Launchers (citizens near TBMs won't be able to move when a missile is being launched).
—  Improved sound volumes, new alert siren for epoch 10-12, fixed no-alert siren bug in EE2: AOS,
—  New UP1.5 units and buildings:
*   Water Weel / Water Tower (10% resources gaining bonus, +30% citizens health, 10% faster foot units);
*   Tractor (faster food from farms);
*   Adolf Hitler unit (produced in Castle, Versailles or White House);
*   Tradecopter (since epoch 13, produced in Supermarket);
*   'UFO' Flying Aircraft Carrier and 'UFO' Drones (since epoch 15, produced in Hangar);
*   Tactical Scanner (detects spies, produced in Hangar);
*   AWACS (produced in Airport, reveals a big part of the map);
*   RMS Titanic (produced in Dock, transports maximum 500 units, with a special audio-effect when sunk);
*   Big farms and Highways (built by Gardener).
—  The enemy won't attack the "Tree of Life", and "Tree of Death" automatically,
—  Fixed Sniper is missing the target bug,
—  New models for: Hangar (epoch 15), Outpost (epoch 14 and 15), Transport Aircraft (epochs 13, 14, 15),
—  Stronger Hero Tanks and HERCS on EE2: The Art of Supremacy (like normal tanks and HERCs in UP1.5 Update 2),
—  New hotkeys:
*   Select crown power: Military (SHIFT+F1), Economic (SHIFT+F2), Imperial (SHIFT+F3);
*   Return selected planes to the base (CTRL+R);
*   Toggle Music Player (ALT+SPACE), Next track (ALT+RIGHT), Previous track (ALT+LEFT), Pause (ALT+DOWN), Play (ALT+UP), Randomize (ALT+NumPAD1);
*   Switch to the Main Screen (CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+M), so you can go for example to Settings when you're in the MP room;
*   Dump Game Log to: Unofficial Patch Files/EmpireEarth2RecentGame.dump (CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+D), for modders who need to check something.
—  Added Large Address Aware support (disabled by default, enable in: UnofficialVersionConfig.txt).
—  Fixes two Unhandled Exception crashes.
—  Added the "Maximization Helper":
*   The Helper will start automatically if your OS is Windows 8 / 8.1 / 10+;
*   The Helper helps you to solve maximization problems with game;
*   It has a built-in Chat, so you can easly get help, when needed;
*   Fixes Windows 10 build 9926+ maximization problem (please use Solution 1).
—  Improved the "Configuration Utility" (UnofficialVersionConfig.vbs):
*   Added an option to run EE2 in Windowed Mode;
*   Added an option to enable / disable Large Address Aware.

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.4 series:
—  Included changes from all minor updates 153000-153006.
—  Fixes for another Unhandled Exception crashes (not related with the unofficial patch),
—  Updated textures for the night sky (visible when you zoom-in maximally),
—  Added St. Basil's Cathedral, can produce Leaders (just like the Castle, Versailles and White House),
—  Added Air Force One, transport plane (produced in Castle, Versailles, White House or St. Basil's Cathedral),
—  Fixed a bug where transport planes and AWACS models were changing sizes. AWACS can not be longer attacked by the non-anti-air units,
—  Changes/Fixes in Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy (expansion pack):
*   Fixed a graphics bug that makes whole game "alight" after a wheat farm is built;
*   Changed food gathering speed from farms from 1.0 to 4.37 (like in the vanilla version of EE2);
*   Changed the "maps" folder to: "mapx", so now EE2 maps are not mixed with the AOS maps:
#WARNING: If you've got your own AOS maps, you must move them from the "Documents\Empire Earth II The Art of Supremacy\maps" folder to the "mapx" folder.
—  Updated UP1.5 launchers, added the new launcher window with features like:
*   Detecting if EE2 / EE2X is properly installed;
*   Displaying EE2News tweets and warnings when the software/hardware installed on your computer is problematic (for example warning for Lenovo laptop users);
*   Displaying Windows 8/10 Toast Notifications (for example information about updates, how long you've played the last game, etc.);
*   Improved the UP1.5 Chat, added auto links detection, different fonts and the full-screen mode (click the small arrow icon on the button);
*   Quick Access buttons to the Configuration Utility, GameRanger, Official UP1.5 Website;
*   The new launcher window won't start if a Multiplayer game is starting. You can also disable it in the UP1.5 Settings.
—  Added fixes for scrolling problems on laptops with Synaptics Touchpads (can be enabled/disabled in the UP1.5 Settings),
—  Fixed screen resolution detecting on computers with different DPI-scaling settings;
—  Some UP1.5 units fixes (for example better balance for Sniper, improved anti-crash scripts for TBM Launchers).
—  Improved fixes for Maximization problems (Solution 1 in the Maximization Helper has a function to kill problematic programs).
—  Fixed a critical bug where slaves and prisoners were crashing the game after receiving an order to collect resources.
—  Added empireearth2:// and empireearth2aos:// protocols (needed for example for Windows 10 Toast Notifications).
—  Better UP1.5 Settings window. Clearier, with more options, for example:
*   "Skip Game Intro Videos".
*   "Clear Cache / Recompile" - it will clear game junk files, and help to solve common game / launcher problems.
—  Experimental Support of DirectX 9. Performances improvement in game, fixes a problem where only integrated graphics card is detected by game (NVIDIA Optimus problem for example on Windows 10). To enable DirectX 9 - please start "UP1.5 Settings" in the Launcher after installation.
—  Experimental FIX for graphics problems on Intel HD graphics cards (fixes no fire/explosion effects bug). Please use this fix only if you really need it.
—  Fixed Launcher crashes on systems with Chinese and Korean launguage selected.
—  Fixed Launcher problems when EE2 installation path had different than Latin's alphabet characters.
—  Improved the "Disable the new UP1.5 units and buildings" option, available in the UP1.5 Settings:
*   The option is now named: "Disable the new UP1.5 units, buildings, models and sounds",
*   All textures and models are used like in the official version of game,
*   Almost all new sounds are disabled, including city ambient sounds, units selection sounds and air raid sirens.
—  Added Maximization Helper tooltips and offline list of problematic programs for Solution 1 (for people who can't be connected to the Internet when EE2 starts).
—  Improved problems detection system: The launcher will now detect if you're unable to start EE2 / your game crashed, and show possible solutions the next time you start the Launcher (for example a missing .dll error). The problems database will be dynamically updated when needed, so no minor updates will be required to solve unknown for now problems.

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.5 series:
—  Included changes from all minor updates 154000-154006.
—  New Multiplayer Server/Lobby, as a replacement for the old GameSpy Server, which has been shut down in 2012:
*   To use it, simply start the game, and go to: "Multiplayer" -> "Internet",
*   It's required to create a new profile, since I obviously don't have the old GameSpy database,
*   Empire Earth II and Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy use the same rooms. Version identification is different,
*   What works: private messages, chatting, adding buddies, inviting to games, hosting games, joining games,
*   Totally new rating system and Leaderboards, fully programmed by Dr.MonaLisa,
*   CD key checking is disabled (because some stores like gog.com are selling EE2 without giving the working key),
*   The NAT negotiation works, however it's good to forward port UDP 26000 to your local IP address, to fix problems with hosting/joining games,
*   The server is totally independent. We won't use any third-party services, so I will be able to improve it, fix things, databases at any time,
*   It's not longer the "GameSpy" lobby, but "EE2.eu" Lobby,
*   The server is still in the BETA stage, so all features will be improved with time. Installing additional updates won't be needed,
*   Bugs: sometimes you can't see / refresh games list (re-log is required), hardly ever server crashes, but is auto-restarted.
—  Fixed the African Regional Power in epochs 6-10: It will not longer kill all projectiles.
—  Fixed displaying of the default hotkey for Air Defense.
—  Changed the minimum and maximum custom game pace values (from min. 0.25 max. 3.0 to min. 0.1 max. 20.0).
—  Improved the Super ICBM explosion effects.
—  Added 8 new Empire Earth 2 maps and 14 new Empire Earth 2: The Art of Supremacy maps.
—  Limited "Generate New Map" sizes in the Map Editor to 500, due to crashes. Resizing maps to 1000 still works.
—  Changed the maximum territories brush size in the Map Editor in EE2: AOS to 90.
—  Improved performance and reduced lags in epochs 12+ by limiting Missile Defense System detection range to 1, without affecting the effectivity.
—  Changes in the "Disable the new UP1.5 units, buildings, models and sounds" option:
*   The option now restores the orginal camera settings from unpatched version of the game;
*   The option disables the "Flying Height Mod", so cruising height of all air units is unchanged;
—  Fixed a rare bug where game settings are lost after quitting map editor.
—  Fixed map generation of Pangea maps on Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy.
—  Fixes in the .IES scripts (used for custom scenarios):
*   Fixed: "AdvancePlayerEpoch: Invalid epoch 15" bug;
*   Added a Fix for unhandled exception crashes when loading a big .ies script:
#To enable it, in UP1.5 Settings add the custom configuration command: "FixForIESLoadingCrashes=1";
#To disable it, in UP1.5 Settings add the custom configuration command: "FixForIESLoadingCrashes=0";
#Warning: This fix causes a memory leak every time you load a script. Large Address Aware option should be enabled.
#The fix works only for the DirectX 9 executables, so you need to "Enable DirectX 9" in UP1.5 Settings before.
—  Added EE2: Planes (2016) scenario, created by Dr.MonaLisa.
—  Traditionally, UP1.5 Launcher fixes & improvements:
*   Auto-CD-KEY insertion feature;
*   Picture upload button on the support chat;
*   Ability to add Windows Firewall rules, to solve problems with Multiplayer;
*   Added UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) support to forward port 26000 automatically on routers with enabled UPnP;
*   Improved fixes for error "The procedure entry point _AIL_stream_volume_pan@12 could not be located";
*   Improved Experimental Support of DirectX 9 (new configuration);
*   Added "Backup & Restore" feature which automatically backups EE2 and EE2: AOS settings and mapped hotkeys to "Documents\Empire Earth II\UP15_ConfigurationBackups" folder. You can restore it later by UP1.5 Settings;
*   Fixed screen resolution detection from settings file if AOS was started from the EE2 Launcher and vice versa;
*   Fixed a bug where game executables weren't re-generated after minor update when a custom screen resolution was used.
*   Fixed a bug where custom screen resolution settings were lost after saving changes in UP1.5 Settings without making any screen resolution changes.
*   Fixed a bug which caused "Windows 8 FIX" being executed when not needed, when set to "Automatic" in UP1.5 Settings (problem: explorer.exe killed on Windows 8 / 8.1 every time you play EE2, even when your screen resolution was supported by UP1.5).
*   Added an option to UP1.5 Settings: "Unlock UP1.5 units..." -> "No (keep new camera)", so you can use the new camera with disabled UP1.5 features.
*   Compiled Unofficial Patch 1.5 Launchers using Visual Studio 2015 (WARNING: some Antivirus programs like Avira might cry with false positives! It's their problem, not mine).
—  Improved version of DirectX 9 support (DX8 to DX9 converter):
*   Based on d3d8to9: https://github.com/crosire/d3d8to9
*   Fixed dark textures bug in EE2: AOS, when lighting details were set to High or Medium.
*   Added an integrated fix for no fire/explosion effects bug (which is present usually on Intel HD GPUs), you can enable it by UP1.5 Settings.
*   Added an option to disable V-sync (removes the maximum 60 FPS limit and sometimes improves performance).
*   A custom configuration command to force selected Pixel Shader version: "DirectX9ForcePixelShaderVersion=X.x", changable by UP1.5 Settings.
—  Included "EE2-Linux-Install.bash" from https://ee2.eu/linux - an automatic EE2 on Linux installation script created by Rem_BlofBlufWuf.
—  New Unofficial Patch 1.5 and Minor Update installers with features like:
*   Possibility to keep the existing game and UP1.5 configuration;
*   Detection of the current minor version, so you don't need to worry that you install a wrong update;
*   Minor updates installer can now resume downloads and won't unnecessary re-download files with the same checksum;
*   Many other features which make the installation process smart & safe.

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.6 series:
—  Included changes from all minor updates 155000-155014.
—  New version identification due to core changes: "EE2 1.5.6 (2017)", "AOS 1.5.6 (2017)", "EE2 1.5.6-non1.5units", "AOS 1.5.5-non1.5units", "EE2 1.5.6 + Mod (2017)", "AOS 1.5.6 + Mod (2017)":
*   The version of Unofficial Patch 1.5 compatible with the other Empire Earth 2 mods can be downloaded at: https://ee2.eu/patch/developers
—  Fixed the range glitch which made units (usually heavy artillery) attacking from an unexpectedly long range. The fix removes the range bonuses depended on units formation.
—  Added a new option: "DISABLE Crowns System and Leaders":
*   The option replaces the old, useless checkbox called "1 territory per player (not recommended)";
*   It's available under the "Map" tab on the game setup screen;
*   It's fully compatible with the Multiplayer mode and was also added to Developers Version of UP1.5;
*   The option disables crowns and all crown-related bonuses, Leaders, etc. The technologies and epochs system still works in the unchanged form.
—  Added 6 new "Initial Cease Fire" options: "20 Minutes", "30 Minutes", "45 Minutes", "60 Minutes", "2 Hours", "24 Hours" for newbies:
*   Please note that picking cease fire longer than 15 minutes is illegal and banable in the public, rated multiplayer games (doesn't affect games with friends).
—  Added 10 new "City Population" options: 70, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 500, 1000.
—  Added a new "Time of Day" option: Cycle (1.5), changes between Dawn, Afternoon, Sunset and Night every: 2, 5, 10 or 15 minutes (you can select it under the Environment tab).
—  Added a new warning / confirmation message before entering the "LAN / Direct Connect" menu. Learn why at: https://ee2.eu/multiplayer/help/
—  Some of texts on the game setup screen will be displayed in English instead of the game language, because of the new text options which were incompatible with game files.
—  Fixed crashes when TBMs were launching missiles while standing on construction sites programmatically (assembly):
*   The old area effect fixes are not longer needed and were removed (citizens near TBMs will be able to move/build when a missile is being launched).
—  Removed some of the new UP1.5 sounds which didn't fit the other Empire Earth II sounds well.
—  Reduced the volume of some moving sounds (Autobus, Tractor, Wheel Loader, Harvester).
—  Changed the color of farms to gray on the mini-map (left-bottom corner). Unfortunately on the full-screen map it's still player's color.
—  Reduced costs of Snipers to be associated with their power (they got very underpowered in the previous updates due to Multiplayer community complaints).
—  Reduced the cost of SLBM (nuclear missile produced in the nuclear submarine) due to low effectivity.
—  New feature: Game icon flashing on the taskbar when the game process is minimized, you're on the Multiplayer Lobby and:
*   You receive a new private message, game room message, team message, lobby message;
*   You get invited to a game, you receive a buddy-add request, host changes settings, host is waiting for launch;
*   Thanks for help with adding this feature to Jodocus from neoEE patch.
—  Added support for playback files when option "DISABLE Crowns System and Leaders" is checked (fixed missing buildings bug, hangs). The fix is not backward compatible (it will work only for 156002+ playbacks).
—  Disabled playback loading limits (grayed out). It is now possible to load recorded games from all versions of the game:
*   Please note that not all versions are backward compatible, so the playback file might not work correctly, game process might crash or units might hang and not move.
—  Improved reliability and performance of the DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter).
—  Added the "Warning incoming ballistic missiles detected. Attempting intercept..." message:
*   The similar message was present in EE2 versions 1.0 to 1.4, but was disabled in UP1.5 due to messages spam caused by the new Missile Defense System.
*   The message is limited to be displayed maximum 1 time per 20 seconds.
—  Repaired displaying of the "Ping" column, on the servers list on the Multiplayer Lobby. This function always shown ping 0, even on ver. 1.2, before GameSpy Server shutdown.
—  Fixed a glitch which caused the resources used for the construction of a building, to be refunded, in accumulation, as many times as the player deletes the construction site of the building, in a short period of time, during which the game may be experiencing some lag:
*   The fix is active only in Multiplayer games and prevents deletion of units and buildings in too short period of time. An appropriate message is displayed when the action is blocked.
—  Added "Unofficial Patch Files\EE2InstallFix.by.DrMonaLisa.reg" which can be used in case you can't re-install the game or if you get "The setup has detected that version 1.20.000 of Empire Earth II is already installed..." error.
—  Blocked the "Quit" and "Quit to Desktop" buttons in Multiplayer Games, to minimize the risk of issues that may be caused by the Host Quit. The buttons will act like the "Resign" button as long as the player is not already an Observer. In case of problems (like Out of Sync) - buttons will be unlocked after 3 attempts.
—  Improved the Multiplayer Rating System by adding a new "session ID" variable. Players in the same game get the same session ID which is sent with the game statistics. It will help to prevent duplicate or incorrectly counted points issue.
—  Fixed uPnP effectivity on routers with only permanent leases allowed.
—  Partially fixed "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch"):
*   Scouts are now forced to move out of the construction site area. Unfortunately Scouts can still block or delay buildings construction if the opponent spams the move orders on the construction site area. This fix causes crowns powers affecting Spies to also affect Scouts. The "Scout Trick" was legal in Empire Earth 2 Multiplayer, since 1st of April 2011, legalized by: 'Gov. Act I: LoSG - Legalization of "Scout Glitch" - Scout trick': https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=1692
*   Scouts have no longer the Patrol ability. It's to prevent abuses in Multiplayer games.
*   Players who use the Scout Glitch will now be punished (building and repairing time for all constructions will be significantly slowed down).
—  Added 8 new Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy maps created by: Dreadtania. Maps list and descriptions can be read at: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=1857
—  Traditionally, UP1.5 Launcher bug fixes & improvements:
*   Added the "Keep Alive" thread to count the current number of players in game for the statistics website (real-time statistics);
*   The button for installing the minor update (near the version information) will now also display information about optional minor updates.
*   Added displaying of the problematic programs list in the Maximization Helper Solution 1 tooltip.
*   Added a "Hide Breast" checkbox to UP1.5 Settings allowing you to change Mona Lisa's Logo due to reported religious reasons.
*   Replaced some of message boxes with toast notifications on Windows 10+ (for example information about unused files).
*   Added the maximization problem detection and displaying of a Toast Notification with help links when the problem is detected.
*   Added the ability to generate MD5, CRC32 and SHA1 checksums of all game files by clicking on a hyperlink posted on the support chat (so we can check if your game files are correct).
*   Fixed a bug where hyperlinks posted in the news/chat window didn't work on Windows 7 and older.
*   Improved file upload function on the Support Chat (it's now possible to continue chatting when the file is being uploaded).
*   Improved the start of UP1.5 Launchers and loading of the News window for users with a slow Internet connection (< 1KB/s).
*   Compiled UP1.5 Launchers (and depended libraries) using the new Visual Studio 2017.
*   Replaced "Windows SSPI" with "OpenSSL" for SSL connections initialized by the UP1.5 Launcher. Reason: https connections sometimes didn't work on Windows XP and many other configurations.
*   Created the "UP1.5 HTTPS Everywhere" function which secures most of connections to EE2.eu in the new versions of UP1.5 Launcher (old versions will use http for compatibility reasons).
*   Added a progress bar for file uploads on the Support Chat.
*   Added displaying of the Minor Version to: "Configuration Utility", "Maximization Helper" and "Custom Screen Resolution Generator".
*   Added the modern "Dark Launcher Theme", enabled by default. It can be disabled by the UP1.5 Settings. Changes the style of UP1.5 Launcher windows.
*   Fixed many other layout problems of the Launcher windows.
*   Added a warning when "UnofficialVersionConfig.txt is modified by another program, when the Configuration Utility window is open.
*   Reduced the size of UP1.5 Launcher (more bitmaps loaded from external files).
*   Reduced RAM usage after the Launcher / Maximization Helper window is closed.
*   Increased limits before the "Show information about unused EE2 files in the Documents folder" warnings are shown (from 200 to 400 for playbacks and 800 for game saves).
*   The Launcher window is now taller on higher screen resolutions. It allows to display more messages in the News/Chat windows.
*   It's now possible to resize the Launcher / Maximization Helper windows vertically.
*   Maximization Helper Solutions buttons are now more visible when the "Dark Launcher Theme" is active. When Maximization Problem is detected - Solution 1 button is highlighted with a red frame.
*   Fixed a bug where UP1.5 Launcher was resetting the screen resolution settings on game restart, when user changed it to 800x600.
*   Added 5 new splash screen images to the UP1.5 Launcher.
*   It's now possible to skip the empireearth2:// and empireearth2aos:// protocols re-registration in the UP1.5 Launcher (when protocols are already registered but link to a different game location).
*   Improved the Launcher window scaling on Windows 10 1607 and newer (noticeable when using 4k screen resolution). The Launcher is now PER_MONITOR_DPI_AWARE only on Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 1511 and DPI_AWARE on Windows Vista/7. DPI Awareness is required for the correct screen resolution detection.
—  Added a support for Cycle Time of Day in Game Saves (.sav). NOTE: After loading the save, the Day-night cycle will start over (starting from the Dawn).
—  Updated Dr.MonaLisa's Multiplayer scenarios: "WorldSimulator2013", "EE2Pirates2013", "EE2Planes2016" to enable Cycle Time of Day feature.
—  Multiplayer Lobby improvements:
*   Players who change their Player Type to Observer will have their status changed to "Ready" (automatically). It will help prevent waiting for AFK observers.
*   Sending Players Type information to the Server, to recognize which players are Observers by the new Fair/Random Teams Generator: https://www.ee2.eu/multiplayer/teams/
*   Added fixes to reduce ping (delay) between the host and players by ~30 up to 60 milliseconds.
*   Added a message when any player joins/leaves the Multiplayer lobby.
*   Reduced updating/refreshing time of many lobby modules (for example Laderboards), because it doesn't affect the high-performance EE2.eu Server.
*   Added Lobby integration with the UP1.5 Launcher Keep Alive functions. The Keep Alive function now checks if Player is Observer and allows Observers to see messages and flares sent by players who are playing. It also allows Observers to send flares by clicking on the "Territories" icon under mini-map, or by pressing the ALT+SHIFT+T hotkey. This feature might be disabled or improved in the future.
—  Changed costs of Windmills/Grain Elevators/Botanic Modules and Water Wells/Water Towers to make them more expensive. They were a little bit underpriced for the bonuses they give.
—  Changed costs of Snipers to make them more expensive. Even though in my opinion they were well-balanced - Multiplayer community complained about their power, so we will make them less available.
—  Added 27 new EE2 maps, uploaded by xiaoyuer: "1v1 Trench Battle V 1.1.map", "2-8 Resource contention by xiaoyuer.map", "2v2 elephants by xiaoyuer.map", "3v3 Hostile Dawn.map", "3v3 middle bridge.map", "3v3 Middle Island.map", "3v3 Team First Instinct1.0.map", "4 ASpokes by xiaoyuer.map", "4 citya by xiaoyuer.map", "4 cityb by xiaoyuer.map", "4 Citys16 by xiaoyuer.map", "4 Citys72 by xiaoyuer.map", "4 KotH1.0.map", "4 Kurt-inge's citybuilder map finish.map", "4 Lack of resources by xiaoyuer.map", "4 routes throat by xiaoyuer.map", "4 simply by xiaoyuer.map", "4 tree lines.map", "4v4 twilight flame.map", "5v5.map", "6 bay of pigs.map", "6-10 Arena X.map", "8 haishen by xiaoyuer.map", "8 River Sun.map", "8 TS by xiaoyuer.map", "9 daoyv.map", "Inselkrieg1.3.map".
—  Added 5 new EE2: AOS maps, uploaded by xiaoyuer: "2-6 Coastal Assault.map", "3v3 HellsPass2.map", "3v3 Jungle Fever.map", "8 animals by xiaoyuer.map", "9 Economic_9_player_2.map".
—  Fixed Unhandled Exception game crashes that may occur in a Multiplayer game room, when host changes map size to Custom.
—  Added the "Exclusive", Borderless Windowed Mode support, activated and deactivated by the ALT+ENTER hotkey, only when the "Windowed Mode" option is DISABLED/unchecked in UP1.5 Settings:
*   "Run EE2 in Windowed Mode" tooltip: "Check this option to use the Windowed Mode, with window borders, since game start. Otherwise (when this option is unchecked) use the new "Exclusive", Borderless Windowed Mode, activated by the ALT+ENTER hotkey, when the game is already running".
*   The "Exclusive" Windowed Mode is only fully supported on Windows 10 (older Windows versions have different window borders size).
*   It can be useful, for example when you're observing a Multiplayer game, but you want to watch a movie/TV serie at the same time, using the video player with "Always on top" feature.
—  New UP1.5 game configuration files: "myconfig_sim.cfg" (for EE2), "myconfig_sim_EE2X.cfg" (for EE2: AOS). Please do not modify them, because they're always overwritten by Minor Updates.
—  Speeded game startup time by minimum 3 seconds (limited displaying of the Spalsh screen when not needed).
—  New BETA feature: "Automatic Font Size for Screen Resolutions" - for a Full 4K support:
*   The option is disabled by default, but can be enabled by UP1.5 Settings. It's recommended to enable this option.
*   It uses special algorithms created by Dr. Mona Lisa to adjusts font sizes in game to be suitable to the currently used screen resolution.
*   It fixes too small font size problem on 4K resolutions, and too big font size on lower resolutions. Visit: https://www.ee2.eu/blog/013-auto-font.php for before/after screenshots.
*   WARNING: After enabling this option, the first game launch might take a very long time (depending on CPU speed)! Please be patient and don't kill the game process!
*   This feature is in the BETA stage. For some screen resolutions game process might crash with Unhandled Exception. When it happens, please disable "Automatic Font Size" option.
—  Included and integrated 16 awesome Empire Earth 2 Scenarios, created by DrGrip and e24ever (thanks to Loewenherz for help collecting and testing files):
*   "DrGrip - Troy.scn", "e24ever - Hellhole1.scn", "e24ever - Roman Republic - Gallic Wars.scn", "e24ever - TheVikingsAge1 - King of the Vikings.scn", "e24ever - TheVikingsAge2 - Sword of the King.scn", "e24ever - TheVikingsAge3 - Need for land.scn", "e24ever - TheVikingsAge4 - Vinland Qest.scn", "e24ever - Zombie Land-Chapter one.scn", "DrGrip - A Conqueror is born.scn", "DrGrip - Battle For Middle-Earth.scn", "DrGrip - Chinese America1.scn", "DrGrip - Chinese America2.scn", "DrGrip - Chinese America3.scn", "DrGrip - Chinese America4.scn", "DrGrip - Chinese America5.scn", "DrGrip - Christmas Strike.scn".
*   To play new scenarios - start Empire Earth II (not the expansion pack), go to "Single Player" -> "Play Scenario".
—  Integrated Dr Grip's "Chinese America" campaign with the "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. It now uses the timeline created by Loewenherz.
—  Integrated e24ever's "The Viking Age" campaign with the "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. It now uses the timeline created by Loewenherz.
—  Integrated Dr.MonaLisa's "EE2 Pirates" and "EE2 Planes" Scenarios with the "Play Campaign" menu.
—  Integrated 7 other scenarios with the "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu: "Dr Grip - A Conqueror is born", "Dr Grip - Christmas Strike - American", "Dr Grip - Troy", "Dr Grip - Battle For Middle-Earth", "e24ever - Roman Republic - Gallic Wars", "e24ever - Hell Hole - Escape from Hell", "e24ever - The Zombieland".
—  Integrated calsch03's "Survival Egypt (survival game mode)" with the EE2 AOS "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. More information: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5052
—  DEFAULT UNOFFICIAL PATCH 1.5 CONFIGURATION CHANGES:
*   "Enable Large Address Aware (allows EE2 to use more than 2GB of RAM)" is no longer BETA and is now enabled by default.
*   "Enable DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 Converter)" is no longer BETA and is now enabled by default.
*   Those features have been rated as "stable", because we have never detected or received any reports about problems with game after enabling them. Many players, however preferred to not change the default settings and were losing performance improvements.
*   If you get the missing .dll file error on Windows Vista and older, please re-enable "DirectX 9" by UP1.5 Settings and install the required "End-User Runtime".
*   "Enable Automatic Font Size" is still BETA, but stable enough to be enabled by default. It will also help test this feature on larger group of players.
—  Fixed a bug where mouse cursor escapes game screen when multiple monitors are connected to the computer.
—  Changed the default hotkey to toggle the in-game Music Player from "alt+SPACE" to "alt+shift+SPACE". Reason: many players were missclicking it and playing EE2Amp music accidentally.
—  Changed the time after which players are disconnected from the Multiplayer game (from 60 seconds to 120 seconds). It will help to resume connection after player's IP change (if clients are connected by MonaNAT). We understand that the longer timeout might be annoying for the regularly-playing Multiplayer users, so we recommend to not invite known laggers to your games.
—  Repaired games list refreshing on the Multiplayer Lobby. New hosted games will appear on the list automatically, without the need to click on the Refresh button.
—  Removed the city ambient sounds (added in the first version of UP1.5), played by city centers (horses, car horns, etc.). They confused players and the overall effect wasn't that good.
—  Increased the maximum possible population per player from 999 to 9999.
—  Increased the maximum possible amount of stored resources and technology points from 99 999 to 999 999.
—  Changed the default user flare sound effect (it was confused with building selection / production cancellation sound).
—  Changed the default "Start/Execute Coordinated Attack" hotkey from "APOSTROPHE" to "ctrl+APOSTROPHE" on EE2. It was already ctrl+APOSTROPHE on the expansion pack. People often misclicked it and didn't know why units don't move.
—  Fixed a bug where "Presidential HMMWV" could not be transported by ships/transport aircraft units.
—  Increased the price of Tradecopters to be suitable to their effectivity and to prevent abuses in Multiplayer games.
—  Added buy/sell resources hotkeys to Supermarkets (the same as for Markets).
—  Fixed compatibility with Windows 10 Spring Creators Update (1803). Added an option to "Disable fullscreen optimizations" to Maximization Helper (checked by default, available only on Windows 10).
—  Fixed a game bug (present since ver. 1.0) which always resetted the "AI Map Type" settings to "Plains" when a scenario file (.scn) was loaded (by the Main Menu, Campaign Menu or Map Editor). It fixed a bug where AI players didn't build docks and ships in custom scenarios.
—  Fixed a bug causing option "DISABLE Crowns System and Leaders" to be enabled every time user entered the Map Editor (so it was impossible to get crowns during the "Test Mission").
—  Improved the partial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch"). New anti-glitch method, without "punishments": The normal Scout unit will be temporary replaced with a non-blocking "Temp Anti-Glitch Scout (1.5)" unit with aircraft move ability (an no attack ability). The normal Scout will be automatically recreated, after player produce a new citizen. It's to prevent abuses in Multiplayer games.
—  Added "Restore Default UP1.5 Config" button to Configuration Utility (UP1.5 Settings) window. It helps to restore the newest default configuration file (UnofficialVersionConfig.txt) directly from the EE2.eu Server. This button is disabled for Developers Version of UP1.5.
—  Fixed cyan or bad quality icons when "Texture Detail" were set to "Low/Medium" in Game Settings -> Video. Thanks to Loewenherz for converting icon files.

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.7 series:
—  Included changes from all minor updates 156000-156034.
—  New version identification due to core changes: "EE2 1.5.7", "AOS 1.5.7", "EE2 1.5.7-non1.5units", "AOS 1.5.7-non1.5units", "EE2 1.5.7 + Mod", "AOS 1.5.7 + Mod":
—  Camera FIX ver. 5.0 (restored the vanilla EE2 experience):
*   Camera zoom settings similar to UP1.4/UP1.5.1 (a huge zoom-out, and first-person view on the ground).
*   Camera angles set to make the game look as close the official, vanilla version of EE2 as possible.
*   Fixed the no sounds problem when maximally zoomed-out. This was possible thanks to tweaks of hardcoded sound control values.
*   It also makes the volume of sound effects (ambient, battles, etc.) more realistic, depending on camera zoom and units distance (even at the standard zoom).
*   Fixes an issue where units heads were not visible in the preview window (under health bar).
—  Camera FIX ver. 5.1:
*   Some players disliked the new camera angles at the low (but not maximum) zoom-in. It could also negatively affect performances. We have restored UP1.5.6 angles for it.
*   Increased the maximum zoom-out even more, so the "plane view" activates very high, leaving the vanilla version angles for ~70% zoom-out.
—  New feature - Middle Mouse Button actions (UP1.5 Launcher intercepts middle mouse button clicks and converts them to in-game actions):
*   Single middle mouse button click rotates the building (equivalent to CTRL key).
*   Keeping the middle mouse button pressed for 0.5 second and moving mouse right or left rotates the camera (equivalent to CTRL+ARROWS keys).
*   Keeping the middle mouse button pressed for 2 seconds, without moving the mouse enables or disables the Full Screen Mode (hides User Interface, equivalent to CTRL+ALT+H).
*   Middle Mouse Button actions can be disabled or re-enabled by UP1.5 Settings.
—  "Middle Mouse Button Actions" improvements:
*   The Maximization Helper window now allows you to control action settings:
#   "Rotate" - simulates the CTRL key press to rotate buildings. After 0.5 second the action follows mouse cursor to rotate camera in selected direction (simulates CTRL+ARROW keys press).
#   "Move" - scrolls the camera (left, right, top, bottom) instead of rotating. You can manually press and hold the CTRL key to rotate.
#   "Invert" - uses the opposite scrolling directions (feels like scrolling on your smartphone screen).
#   "FSM Hotkey" - simulates the Full Screen Mode CTRL+ALT+H hotkey press (hides User Interface). To execute this hotkey keep the Middle Mouse Button pressed for ~2 seconds and don't move mouse during this time.
*   Additional custom configurations commands (which can be inserted to UnofficialVersionConfig.txt or by UP1.5 Settings) exist:
#   MiddleMouseButtonSleepBeforeCameraRotationMs=500 | Time (in milliseconds) after which camera starts rotating when MMB is pressed. Prevents accidentional camera rotation when rotating buildings by a short click.
#   MiddleMouseButtonRotationCheckIntervalMs=0 | Delay (in milliseconds) after which Launcher checks for another mouse position change. Default 0 is 1 ms. Low value is recommended.
#   MiddleMouseButtonFullScreenModeActivationDelayMs=2000 | Delay (in milliseconds) after which the Full Screen Mode hotkey can be activated.
*   Option "Invert" is now activated by default (I like how it is in Anno 2205).
—  Added new improvements to fix maximization problems (directly in the game process). In many cases using Maximization Helper Solutions and disabling fullscreen optimizations will no longer be needed.
—  Added more AutoSave Settings Frequencies - up to 6 hours 30 mins (before only 30 mins). Autosaving is now possible every 2 mins 30 secs.
—  Increased the Maximum Air Mission waypoints from 5 to 20 (so you can efficiently plan air routes in CB/RP games).
—  Unlocked possibility to use the same color for multiple players in the Scenario Editor.
—  Restored the time after which players are disconnected from the Multiplayer game (from 120 seconds to default 60 seconds). While this change was helpful for players with problematic Internet connections, it could be annoying for active MP users.
—  Fixed an issue where the number of "Units Destroyed" could be incorrectly calculated and incorrectly shown after game (on "Stats" -> "Military 1" screen -> "Units Destroyed").
—  Multiplayer Lobby for SINGLEPLAYER users (thanks for the idea to player "Laetitian"):
*   It's now possible to host and start unrated SinglePlayer games (with AI players and 1 human player only) on the Multiplayer Lobby.
*   Those games are not counted (rating, total games played, total game time) to prevent statistics abuses.
*   It helps to stay online, receive private messages from friends and be ready to start a Multiplayer session when more players are online.
—  Removed the partial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch") and reverted scout-related changes from all previous updates (excluding 156011).
—  Added new "Starting Forces" -> "Basic" Citizens options: 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, 75, 100 with "no Scout" suffix.
*   It allows you to start a game without the first Scout which was used for the abusive "Scout Glitch" in Multiplayer games.
*   The player who hosts the Multiplayer game can now choose if "Scout Glitch" is legal or illegal in his game by selecting the "no Scout" option.
—  Added an information if the "Scout Glitch" is allowed/legal or forbidden/illegal to the "Welcome Message" in Multiplayer Games. It depends if "Starting Forces" -> "Basic" citizens option has "no Scout" suffix selected by the host.
—  The "session ID" variable (used by the Rating System) is now longer and contains the game process running time float. It's because the old "session ID" could be duplicated if two different game rooms were hosted at the exact time (1 second accuracy).
—  Fixed an issue where game settings could be reset when user checked the "Don't remind me again" checkbox on the Multiplayer log-in screen (for optional Minor Update notification), and the notification contained newline characters.
—  New UP1.5 Launcher feature/fix: "UseWorkingDirectoryWorkaround":
*   Activates itself automatically when the game is unable to start due to a "missing .dll" error, but the .dll file is present in the game directory.
*   "Working Directory" problems are usually caused by bad, invasive Antiviruses (greetings to Avast) or the other installed software which changes behavior of "lpDirectory" parameter.
*   The new feature also fixes a problem where (in rare cases) Nvidia GPU is not visible in Settings -> Video menu, even when DirectX 9 is enabled by UP1.5 Settings.
*   This workaround copies the game executable to the current game directory and presents itself as "EE3.exe". This file name is used especially to tell Nvidia Optimus to automatically use the high-performance GPU instead of the Integrated GPU on laptops. Using a different file name would require from users to manually select desired graphics card by the Nvidia Control panel. This fix might have some negative effects where not all of other fixes applied to the original executable locations are available. Therefore it's not recommended to force this option when not needed.
*   This fix can also be manually enabled by the UP1.5 Settings -> custom configuration command: "UseWorkingDirectoryWorkaround=1" or "UseWorkingDirectoryWorkaround=2" (no message). To disable (default option): "UseWorkingDirectoryWorkaround=0".
—  Increased the "Settings" -> "Game" -> "Mouse Settings" -> "Double-Click Time" limits, from the minimum "0.25" to minimum "0.01". Keeping "0.25" is recommended. Setting value lower than ~0.10 practically disables the Double-Click. It's to prevent "accidentally moved citizens" problem reported by Multiplayer users with too sensitive mouses.
—  "Cycle Selection of Idle Citizens" hotkey (COMMA) doesn't longer select Gardeners and City Builders.
—  "Cycle Selection of Idle Military Units" hotkey (PERIOD) now selects Scouts and doesn't select Prisoners and Slaves. Scouts are still not selectable for "Add to Selection" (shift+PERIOD) and "Select All" (alt+PERIOD) hotkeys.
—  Included "Loew's Ambient Pack" created by "Loewenherz" as the internal part of UP1.5. Available in the Map Editor:
*   Information, Screenshots & Discussion: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5193
*   Over 400 new abient items (like trees for tropical/arid/arctic/temperate climate, flowers, grass, rocks, mountains, water and sea objects, ancient ruins, pyramids, castles, and much more).
*   Known World objects: Ancient Mayan/Greek ruins, Stonehenge, Gothic Cathedral, Baroque Church, Lost Temple, Easter Island Statues, Ziggurat, Obelisk, Paifang, Minaret, Desert Palace and more.
*   New map assets (Space Ambient, Vulcan and Oilfield objects); unit/building blockers (for pathfinding).
*   Most of objects are available in 5 different size variations to perfectly fit your artistic needs.
*   Added 27 new Forest Brushes for easier usage of new trees.
—  Renamed option "Ask me before game start" to "Loew's Map Editor Mode" under "Unlock UP1.5 units, buildings..." in UP1.5 Settings.
—  Fixed the missing shadow of rotational Windmill wheels in epoch 6, when Shadow Detail were set to High (or better). Changed their color to be more realistic.
—  Fixed a bug where half of the "dbcombat_unittypeadjust" file was not read on EE2 (the expansion pack - AOS was not affected). It caused some minor balance problems, for example Chinese special unit in epochs 6-10 (Dragon Song) dealt full damage to units where it was supposed to originally deal reduced damage.
—  Fixed a bug where Rams could not attack Warehouses (due to alert siren feature added to Warehouses in UP1.5). Additionally fixed a bug where Rams could not attack Anti Aircraft buildings.
—  Bomb Shelters (Bunkers) reworked:
*   Increased the build time 3 times to minimize the risk of abuses in Multiplayer games, where players use Bunkers to distract enemy army.
*   Reduced the damage taken from Ballistic Missiles (including ICBMs) to improve their destination.
*   Significantly increased the damage taken from Tanks and HERCs to not distract the ground army for too long.
—  Snipers reworked:
*   Significantly reduced the default damage. It helps prevent issues where Snipers could destroy tanks and buildings unrealistically fast.
*   Increased the damage dealt to Infantry units to kill them (in fast pace) or seriously injure (medium pace).
*   Modified the damage dealt to Horses and Artillery in lower epochs, to make them take at least 2 shoots before death. It's because artillery models always have two people who move cannons.
—  New feature: Maximization Helper has an option named: "Don't center camera for 'Cycle Select' hotkeys":
*   It disables camera centering after CycleSelectAndCenterUnits hotkey is pressed (, comma or . dot).
*   It can be useful for fast-building in Multiplayer games on Plains map type, but might cause problems on the other map types.
*   It is a game memory hack (the Launcher modifies the specified address), so changing the state of this option has immediate effect (no game restart is required).
—  Repaired the Gamestats Server reconnect issues on the Multiplayer Lobby (affecting players with unstable Internet connection):
*   The bug caused players statistics, leaderboards to not be shown after longer activity on the Lobby.
*   The bug caused the Rating System to not work correctly when the host player lost the first connection to the GameStats module (missing game results data, game not counted).
*   The bug was already present on the old GameSpy Lobby. It's an error in game code where "gamename" string is not added to the gamestats domain name. It then tries to resolve a domain starting with the dot " . " character and fails. Screenshots and fix explanation: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=5202
—  Improved Security of UP1.5 Launchers, and:
*   Updated OpenSSL to ver. 1.1.1d.
*   Updated Libbzip2 to ver. 1.0.8.
*   Updated Libcurl to ver. 7.72.0. It fixes an inconsiderable memory leak when sending a message on the Support Chat.
*   Updated Boost libraries to ver. 1.74.0.
*   Updated upnpc-static to ver. 2.1.20190824 (Windows XP support abandoned).
*   Compiled the Launcher and the other UP1.5 modules/libraries using Visual Studio 2019.
—  "Middle Mouse Button Actions" improvements:
*   Improved performance (separate thread for the Launcher code and WH_MOUSE_LL Low-level Hook).
*   Fixed an issue where game could noticeably stutter/freeze after pressing the MMB and fast-moving the mouse. It affected gaming mouses with high polling rate settings (for example 1000Hz). Thanks to player "Chubzdoomer" for reporting this problem.
*   Fixed an issue where checking/unchecking the "FSM Hotkey" (Full Screen Mode Hotkey) option in Maximization Helper had no immediate effect (game restart was required).
*   Changed the simulated key press time from 0 ms to 10 ms. It can be controlled by the new custom configuration command (which can be inserted to UnofficialVersionConfig.txt or by UP1.5 Settings):
#   MiddleMouseButtonKeypressTimeMs=10 | Time (in milliseconds) for how long a simulated key is pressed (arrow keys).
—  Added new hotkeys for players who like to cheat or city-build (available in Singleplayer mode only):
*   CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + L = Toggles the Object Placement Tools, like in the Map Editor. You can place any building / unit / world object during the active game.
*   CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + (W, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0) = Switch the active player to player World or Slots 1-10.
—  Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "I suffer epileptic seizures (neurological disorder)":
*   Disables some of game effects to minimize the risk of epileptic seizures for players who suffer this disorder (currently removes the Camera Shaking effect for nuclear and other explosions).
*   The Anti-epileptic seizures requires option "Enable DirectX 9" to also be checked.
—  "Automatic Font Size for Screen Resolutions" improvements:
*   Fixed fonts generation for Chinese language (it originally uses different fonts than all other regions).
—  Added the EE2 "Bonus Maps" (Yucatan, Wasteland, Honeycombs, Spokes, Three Crowns, Ink Blot, Jungle Kings, Thunda Down Unda, Triumvirate Tussle, Golden Triad, Indonesia, Doughnut, Battle for the Nile) to be also available on the expansion pack - EE2: The Art of Supremacy.
—  Fixed a problem where players who installed EE2: The Art of Supremacy (expansion pack) from a Russian distribution could not be able to join other players on Multiplayer due to "Host has an incompatible installation: Models differ." error. It's because file "EE2X_graphics.zip" contained modified EE2X logos with Russian texts. The "EE2X_graphics.zip" file used in all other distributions has now been included to UP1.5 installer to fix this compatibility problem.
—  Integrated UP1.5 Settings with the new "EE2, EE2X - Language Changer, created by Dr.MonaLisa". More information: https://www.ee2.eu/download/languagechanger/
*   The Launguage Changer allows you to change game language for 3 separate components: Text, Audio, Video. A working Internet connection is required to use the Language Changer.
—  New feature: AntiAliasing in DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter):
*   It's disabled by default, but can be enabled by UP1.5 Settings.
*   It's possible to select the maximum anti-aliasing multiplier (from 2x to 16x), however the maximum on all configurations I tested was 8x (and this most likely will be used if you select 8x or greater).
*   It significantly increases the image quality (textures smoothness) in Empire Earth 2 and Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, however requires more GPU power. It's recommended to use this option only on computers with a good graphics card.
*   Definition: Anti-aliasing uses various techniques to get rid of jagged edges on your screen which appear as a result of square pixels forming non-rectangular shapes. A higher numerical multiplier such as "8x" or "16x" produces a more effective anti-aliasing effect while requiring more processing resources.
*   Special thanks to elishacloud for improving d3d8to9 to support AntiAliasing.
*   Details and the performance impact can be seen at: https://www.ee2.eu/blog/015-antialiasing-in-directx9.php
—  Added a workaround for a problem where "PrtScn" hotkey doesn't work when "AntiAliasing in DirectX 9" is enabled, so players can't take screenshots:
*   EE2 & EE2: AOS now use an additional hotkeys for screenshots - "Scroll Lock" hotkey. The old hotkey - "PrtScn" is still active.
*   UP1.5 Settings has a new option called: "PrtScn Fix". When it's active, the UP1.5 Launcher detects for "PrtScn" press, and simulates the "Scroll Lock" hotkey press, so the game takes a screenshot the same way as before.
*   This bug couldn't be fixed using any other method, because it's Windows disabling this key, probably thinking that taking a screenshot with antialiasing wouldn't work (but it works in EE2).
—  Added a totally new climate - Tundra, with:
*   New terrain textures, ambient colors and Sun directions.
*   New animals - domestic (Rabbits) and predator (Bears).
*   New Tundra ambient sounds, including: rain, snow, wind, sea, sea animals, forest, forest animals, etc.
*   New forests (using Arctic trees from Loew's Ambient Pack).
*   Special thanks for cooperative work on Tundra climate for: Dr.MonaLisa, Loewenherz and Gonzalo. Forum discussion link: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5256
—  Nights are not longer too-dark (in all climates). Restored Sun directions from the official version of the game, but kept the 1.5 ambient colors. It makes Nights playable again, with clear vision. Hopefully players won't be afraid to use the "Cycle Time of Day" feature anymore.
—  Restored wheat farms on EE2: AOS (disabled in version 1.5.4 due to a bug that made the whole game "alight"). Thanks to Loewenherz for detecting the root cause of this issue and for preparing fixed models/textures.
—  Integrated Loew's "Tint fix for Terrain" in UP1.5. Details: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5089
—  Changed the Rabbit (animal) model to the high-quality one with working animations. Thanks to Gonzalo for providing files.
—  Fixed game freezes/hangs:
*   Symptoms: The game was frozen, image didn't change, mouse pointer didn't work, but sounds still played. In case when Task Manager was not open in the "Always on top" mode - users were forced to restart computer in order to kill the game process.
*   Cause: Most likely by game sounds, which in case of long loading time caused the function to hang completely.
*   Fix: Unofficial Patch 1.5 detects the freeze, checks for the address changes during the 2 seconds timeout (based on the system time), then displays a debug message on the chat in game. This message will be removed in further releases of the patch, when reliability of the fix is fully tested.
*   This bug was not caused by any of the previous UP1.5 updates. It was also present on the official version of the game and occurred randomly. Due to increased population / resources / map size possibilities in UP1.5 it could be experienced more often.
—  New feature: "TranslateTextsSourceFile":
*   It allows UP1.5 Launcher to generate the texts database using language translation files.
*   It can be controlled by UP1.5 Settings -> custom configuration command:
#   TranslateTextsSourceFile=1 | Enabled (default option), uses the language based on your installed game language.
#   TranslateTextsSourceFile=0 | Disabled, uses the old text database method from the previous versions of UP1.5 (English only).
#   TranslateTextsSourceFile=FILENAME | Allows you to use a custom translation file, like: "Unofficial Patch Files\EXEGeneratorData\TextsSourceTranslation_FILENAME.txt".
*   If you want to help translating UP1.5 texts database, please visit the forum topic: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5266
*   The full UP1.5 texts database translation is available for Polish (thanks to Dr.MonaLisa, Italian (thanks to IndieRock00), German (thanks to FoxTunez), Spanish (thanks to Genrox).
*   The partial texts database translation is now available for all languages available in EE2 distributions (except Bulgarian).
—  New feature: Maximization Helper has an option named: "Reduce visual weather effects for Blizzard, Sandstorm":
*   Optional option (disabled by default) which resolves the issue where during bad weather it's almost impossible to see and control anything.
*   It is only used when you "Enable Weather" on the game setup scren, under the "Environment" tab, before you start game.
*   Changing the status of this option has an immediate effect (no game restart is required), however if the bad weather is currently active, then the fix will work the next time the bad weather comes.
*   Some players rarely played with the Weather enabled due to bad vision - now they have a chance to play with it again. Forum discussion link: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5264
—  Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "Constrain Cursor":
*   Enabled in EE2 by default. When multiple monitors are connected, the mouse cursor is restricted to not leave the game window, even in Windowed Mode.
*   Unchecking this option removes this limitation, but might make on-borders scrolling harder.
*   In previous versions of UP1.5, the Launcher automatically decided when to enable/disable this option, but now it has to be configured manually, as preferred.
—  Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "Constrain Cursor Hotkey" (CTRL+F9):
*   Enabled by default. Allows UP1.5 Launcher to toggle on/off option "Constrain Cursor" after pressing the CTRL+F9 hotkey, when the game is already running.
*   It helps switching to another monitor only when needed, without affecting the on-borders scrolling experience. When the hotkey is correctly pressed, you will hear a short sound effect.
—  Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "Render on Secondary Monitor":
*   Disabled in EE2 by default. When multiple monitors are present, check this option to render EE2 on the secondary monitor instead of primary.
—  Added UP1.5 Launcher support for multiple monitors (BETA, currently only active with option "Render on Secondary Monitor"). The launcher determinates the active monitor by the mouse position, generates windows on this monitor, gets the correct screen resolution, DPI scaling and much more.
—  "Exclusive", Borderless Windowed Mode (activated and deactivated by the ALT+ENTER hotkey) improvements:
*   Fixed an issue, where borders were still visible on systems with DPI scaling different than 100% (usually 4k monitors). The fix requires Windows 1607 or newer to work.
—  Added displaying of hours to the Initial Ceasefire time widget, to fix an issue where ceasefire time longer than 1 hour couldn't be determined by players.
—  Added an in-game debug message when the UP1.5 prevents game from crashing at address: 008520D1 (EE2), 008C6CB1 (AOS) due to "AI Wall Plan wall-gate" crash, fixed since ver. 1.5.3 (2015).
—  Added an in-game debug message when the UP1.5 prevents game from crashing at address: 007F78AB (EE2), 0088E628 (AOS) due to a crash caused by "an ICBM being launched from a TBM Launcher vehicle which stays on a construction site, while a citizen starts building", fixed since ver. 1.5.6 (2016).
—  Added an in-game debug message when the watched Game Recording / Playback goes Out of Sync: "The game recording you're currently watching has lost synchronization and will not longer play correctly (e.g. units might not move). This could be caused by using a different game mod, or watching a file recorded on an older version of Unofficial Patch 1.5". Reference address: 005A50B1 (EE2), 005CE121 (AOS).
—  Fixed a frequent reason of the lost synchronization (Out of Sync) in Game Recordings / Playbacks:
*   The Autosave function is being temporarily disabled while watching playbacks, to prevent conflict with game saves pre-defined in the .e2s file.
*   It also fixes the double 'Autosaving' messages. Reference address: 0059E9E8 (EE2), 005C68F8 (AOS).
—  New "Start in Full Screen / Windowed Mode" option selection in UP1.5 Settings. It additionally allows to start EE2 in the "Exclusive Borderless Windowed Mode" (before only full screen or a window with borders could be used at game launch, and could be switched later with ALT+ENTER hotkey).
—  Added a new hotkey to display frame rate (FPS) information: CTRL+ALT+F. The old hotkey (CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+F) stopped working after Windows 10 1903 update, I don't know why.
—  Changed the diplomacy resources tribute sound to be more noticeable.
—  Added new sound effects for game win/lose (only availble if option "Unlock UP1.5 units, buildings, models, sounds and camera settings" is set to "Yes").
—  Tanks and HERCs reworked:
*   History: Tanks and HERCs (robots) in EE2 were always weak, and never used in Muliplayer, because other units (even infantry) could easily kill them. In Unofficial Patch 1.5.2 (released around 2014 or earlier) their health and attack points have been doubled (200% of the base). People finally started using them, and Multiplayer games were much more various when it wasn't just about the heavy artillery battles. Now, when the Multiplayer community learnt to use tanks and HERCs it's necessary to reduce their boost. They were the first units to produce in medium / slow game pace, designed to kill enemy's economy as fast as possible. It was very hard to defend from them when 1 shoot killed a citizen, that's why a rebalance was needed.
*   Tanks:
#   Base Health is now 200% of the original health. Base Damage is now 150% of the original attack points.
#   The Egyptian unique unit (EIFV) has a reduced health boost to 175% and damage boost to 125%, due to a very fast reload time, speed and high attack points increased by the civilization bonus.
#   The American unique unit (M18 Hellcat) has a reduced health boost to 175% and damage boost to 125% of their original values.
#   The Mayan unique unit (Sunray) has a reduced health boost to 150% and damage boost to 125% of their original values.
*   HERCs:
#   Base Health is now 125% of the original health (instead of 200%). Base Attack Points are now 125% of the original (instead of 200%).
—  Limited the maximum number of Hospitals from unlimited to 1 per territory (it's because they give extra population points, which could be abused).
—  New feature: Support for Tobii Eye Tracker devices:
*   The UP1.5 Launcher simulates arrow key presses to scroll the camera on borders/corners depending on the gaze point.
*   It's an unique method, programmed by Dr.MonaLisa especially for Empire Earth 2. It has been tested and configured to be helpful during game, and not annoying.
*   The default configuration for this feature is live-updated (downloaded from EE2.eu, every time the UP1.5 Launcher is started).
*   For information and the manual configuration instruction (in case you want to tweak values), please visit this website: https://www.ee2.eu/blog/018-eye-tracker
—  Fixed an annoying bug (present since ver. 1.0) where ICBMs (or other ballistic missiles) were killed by the area damage from allied units (even those without Anti-Missile ability). This fix doesn't change the behaviour of UP1.5 Anti-Missiles which are capable to shoot down serveral ICBMs at once. This is an expected behaviour, created especially to prevent abuses where players fire all ICBMs at one target.
—  The UP1.5 Launcher will now copy the Multiplayer Lobby login credentials between the EE2 and AOS settings files, in case when login data exists only in 1 of them. It will reduce the time needed for switching between the normal EE2 and the expansion pack for new users. The passwords stored in settings files are encoded. This feature can be disabled with a custom configuration command: "AllowMPLoginCredentialsCopyBetweenEE2AndAOS=0" in UP1.5 Settings.
—  Added a new nuclear explosion sound of Super ICBMs.
—  Added a new alert siren sound for Radar in epoch 15.
—  Slightly increased area damage radius of Super ICBMs, TBMs and SSBNs.
—  MULTIPLAYER: The game client will not longer send the "PING" commands to the Server every 5 minutes. Instead, it will send them only if didn't receive any PING requests from the Server for longer than 5 minutes. It's to minimize the risk of "Your connection to EE2.eu has been lost" errors in case of temporary Internet connection breakdown on an user end. The Multiplayer Chat Server is sending TCP retransmission packets for longer than 5 minutes. EE2 (or rather Windows) interrupts the connection if it's unable to deliver the packet for just 20 seconds. When it doesn't receive any data from the Server, it doesn't need to reply (and potentially disconnect). When PING commands are not being sent at the fixed period of time it gives more chance to restore the connection. Unfortunately, the game doesn't support TCP reconnections without re-logging. I have been trying to implement this feature, but it's very complicated and not worth spending more time (although spent over 2 weeks trying it).
—  Changed the received player message sound effect on game chat (Multiplayer only). It's because the original sound isn't noticeable enough, and players often missed messages (while communication is very important in Multiplayer). The old sound effect has been kept for Singleplayer games, because AI taunts aren't something that require any attention.
—  Improved the ugly HERC Hades "Anti-Missile System" and HERC Hera "Cast Shield" powers visual effects on EE2: AOS (expansion pack). Due to the lighting system present on AOS, they looked buggy (very cyan, almost non-transparent dome). The new, fixed effect doesn't look as good as the EE2 version (less visible electric waves), but the dome is much more transparent and doesn't longer negatively affect gameplay. Before/After screenshots are available in this forum topic: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5309
—  New feature: Audio playback (taunts) for certain messages sent on the Multiplayer chats (before game start):
*   33 sound effects, copied from Age of Empires III, executed by typing a1-a33 (for example a21 for "hahaha", a15 for "wololo").
*   42 sound efects, copied from Age of Empires II, executed by typing b1-b42 (for example b22 for "quit touching me!").
*   Over 262 sound effects from EE2 (and some new ones), for example "cough", "hospital", "citycenter", "neinneinnein", etc.
*   The list of taunts is available at: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=5314
*   The audio will only play if the game is maximized / active at the time message arrives.
*   Added a new option: "Disable audio taunts in multiplayer chats" to the Maximization Helper window.
—  Included a new map "Azeroth (Main World of World of Warcraft)" created by player "Quarior" (huge thanks to him):
*   The map is available for both - EE2 and EE2: AOS. It was possible thanks to Loewenherz's tool: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5265
*   Details about this map & Screenshots: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5316
—  Fixed a hardcoded bug where Ballistic Missile Silo (1.5) could stop production of Super ICBMs, after attacking with the right mouse button (useful for the coordinated nuclear attack). It happened even when Cycle Production Queue was enabled, and could cause resources loss when more ICBMs were in the production queue.
—  AI players will not longer produce Ambulances, even when UP1.5 units are enabled in game. It's because their moving sound (sirens) don't fit the other battlefield audio.
—  Changed the cost of Tradecopters (additional 2 technology points required) and increased their time to load in Markets / Supermarkets.
—  Added a function that helps to detect issues with folder permissions and displays a suitable message in the News window in the Launcher. For example the recent issue related to OneDrive Documents folder backup "The game closes on launch / FATAL PROBLEM: Can't open main game directory": https://www.ee2.eu/help/#closesonlaunch
—  New feature: Exclusive Content Downloader:
*   UP1.5 Launcher is now able to download files (maps, scenarios, playbacks, game saves, etc.) and automatically place them in correct folders (in Documents).
*   It uses registered empireearth2:// and empireearth2aos:// protocols, so it's as simple as clicking on a link on the EE2.eu website, forums.
*   It is safe to use. Every step must be confirmed in the message box with information about the download source, file name, size and the destination folder.
*   Only ee2.eu domain and subdomains are accepted. Only few (usually 1) file extensions are allowed (depending on the content type).
*   Full documentation & usage guide: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5332
—  New feature - Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "Remove 100 FPS limit (BETA)":
*   Reduces the antiHiccupMinFrameTime (whatever it means) from 0.01 to 0.001.
*   Fixes an issue, where the game could not use more than 100 FPS, even when V-Sync was disabled.
*   Fixes a bug present on Windows 10 ver. 2004 (build 19041) and newer, where it's impossible to use more than ~64 FPS on NVIDIA GPUs.
*   Improves the compatibility with the high refresh rate monitors and G-Sync / FreeSync.
*   Please note that in order to apply this fix, UP1.5 Launcher modifies the game process memory on start. Your anti-virus software might block the Launcher executable and trigger a false positive alert.
—  Fixed a bug (present since ver. 1.0) where on EE2: The Art of Supremacy, some units had no attack sound after Elite upgrade. Affected units: "Elite Objective Force Warrior" (epoch 15), "Elite Lancer" (epoch 8), "Elite Imperial Lancer" (epoch 10), "Elite Horse Archer" (epoch 6), "Elite Carabineer" (epoch 8), "Dragoon" (epoch 10), "Elite Mameluke" (epoch 6, Babylonian). Thanks for the report to player "kryso00".
—  Added a new stone throw sound for the missing attack audio of Bola Throwers (Inca's unique unit, epochs 1-5).
—  Fixed a game crash in the Map Editor "-->Terrain::CreateMap invalid parameters (Number1xNumber2 tiles).":
*   It was appearing when attempted to generate maps greater than 500x500. The new limit is 5000x5000.
*   For stability reasons and due to other existing bugs (for example with forest painting), it's still impossible to generate maps greater than 500x500, but we've posted a guide how to manually change this limit: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5346
—  Added spell checking function to messages sent on the Support Chat:
*   It uses the Windows spell checker feature, works on Windows 8 and newer. It requires English language to be installed.
*   The UP1.5 Launcher selects the preferred English language in the following order: en-GB, en-US, en-CA, en-AU, any other (if available).
*   If misspellings are detected it shows a message box with suggested autocorrection, when the "Send" button (or Enter key) is pressed.
*   Recently used nicknames will not be marked as misspellings.
—  Game Recordings / Playbacks: added a workaround for displaying correct nicknames of players who send messages in the game chat (their color will be still incorrect). Before this update, when watching recordings, messages appeared as sent from the active player, who was currently choosen from the "View As Player" droplist.
—  Starting Resources option changes:
*   Restored the "High" resources level which was replaced by the "Deathmatch" in the first version of UP1.5.
*   "Super Deathmatch (1.5)" is now present as a new option.
*   Added a new "Low + Tech Points (1.5)" option. It's the same as "Low", additionally with 8 technology points. It's useful e.g. in Multiplayer r-r games where in epoch 1, the 'Fluted Projectile Points' technology is required to grant the attack ability to outposts. Although the construction of an university is still required, it helps defend from the overpowered unique units (Spahi, Hwarang, Royal Elephants, etc.) when enemy rushes and every second counts. Thanks for the feature request to player "Tbez".
—  Players will not longer hear and see "You are under attack!" message triggered by the air raid siren from enemy's Warehouses and Radars.
—  Modified Military Leader's "Diversion" power (epochs 11+):
*   The phantom formation units are no longer invincibile (can't take any damage). Instead, they now have quadrupled maximum health.
*   It's to fix a glitch where phantom units could be converted by the "Proselytize" power from the "Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan" (Meso-American wonder available since epoch 6), which gives 50% chance that nearby units (close to an unit successfully converted by priests) will also be instantaneously converted. Although priests are unable to convert the phantom units directly, this glitch allowed players to take control over the invincibile units. Those converted units did not disappear when Leader's Diversion power expired, and allowed players to endlessly stay in game by having an unbeatable unit. This glitch was hard to reproduce, but could negatively affect rated Multiplayer games.
—  Fixed an issue where game could freeze for long minutes after clicking on the "View Recording" button (depending on how many .e2s files were present in the Documents folder). A function that loads and verifies all files one-by-one has been disabled. This fix was possible thanks to an older update 156002 (January 2017) with backward-compatible playback files (no grayed out items on the list problem).
—  New feature: Maximization Helper has an option named: "Playbacks Fast-Forward Speed":
*   Modifies the speed of the watched game recordings after clicking on the Fast-Forward button >>|.
*   Changing the status of this option has an immediate effect (no game restart is required), however it's required to re-click the Fast-Forward button if fast-forwarding is currently active.
*   Available speeds: 0.25 (slow), 0.5 (slow), 0.75 (slow), 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 (default), 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 12.5, 15.0, 20.0, 22.5, 25.0, 27.5, 30.0, 45.0, 60.0.
—  Added new hotkeys (they can be remapped in Settings -> Hotkeys):
*   CTRL+W = HERC Hades: Activate Anti-Missile System.
*   CTRL+Q = HERC Hera: Cast Shield.
—  Option "Show information about unused EE2 files in the Documents folder" can now additionally be configured with the custom configuration commands in UP1.5 Settings. The alerts trigger when the number of files is greater than specified: "CustomFilesNumberCheckingPlaybacks=399", "CustomFilesNumberCheckingSaveMP=399", "CustomFilesNumberCheckingSaveSP=399".

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.8 series:
—  Included changes from all minor updates 157000-157041.
—  New version identification due to structural changes: "EE2 1.5.8", "AOS 1.5.8", "EE2 1.5.8-non1.5units", "AOS 1.5.8-non1.5units", "EE2 1.5.8 + Mod", "AOS 1.5.8 + Mod".
—  Created a new DLL file: "UP15_GameHelper.dll":
*   In modern versions of Unofficial Patch 1.5 some of the assembled game fixes and features have been migrated to the DLL and the Launcher process in order to allow multithreading and general game process offload.
—  Added timestamp to filenames of screenshots taken in game (EE2: Documents\Empire Earth II\screenshots, AOS: Documents\Empire Earth II The Art of Supremacy\screenshots). It helps avoid filenames conflict during synchronization between multiple computers.
—  Reworked the "Audio playback (taunts) for certain messages":
*   Added the taunts system to in-game chat (even in Singleplayer).
*   Added two separate checkboxes to the Maximization Helper window, "Disable Audio Taunts in Chats": "Multiplayer", "Game".
*   Added an autoplay of the "Host is waiting to launch..." taunts (when applicable).
*   Added a sound effect, when settings change in the hosted game room (triggered by the red system message).
*   The list of censored words (a beep sound effect) is now updated on the Launcher start.
*   Added ignoring of the punctuation characters, e.g. taunt: "merrychristmas4" will also play when "Merry Christmas 4!" is typed.
*   Added taunts inside the "quotation marks", e.g. audio will be played on message: I wish you a "Merry Christmas", Jenna.
*   If the game window was minimized (iconic), the first missed taunt will still be played when the window becomes active again.
—  Reworked the Game Taskbar Icon Flashing functions, when the game window is minimized (iconic):
*   Added flashing on new messages in game chat (after game start, not only multiplayer chats).
*   Disabled flashing when settings change in the hosted game room (triggered by the red system message).
—  Game flares:
*   Fixed a bug where in Multiplayer, players could hear the sound of invisible flares (usually sent between allies in the opposite team).
*   Fixed an issue where the sound of an old / expired flare could play with a delay if the game window was minimized (iconic).
—  Players who resign from a multiplayer game and become observers will now have the same Observers Features (ability to see/send messages/flares, etc.) as the players who were observers since the game started. It takes around 5 seconds to update by the UP1.5 Launcher's KeepAlive thread.
—  Fixed a bug where the M18 Hellcat tank (American unique unit, epochs 11-15) was rotating the turret / cannon like crazy while shooting. Thanks for the report to player "Bogdan".
—  The volume of sounds played by the UP1.5 Launcher (for example on special hotkeys presses) is now the same as the sound volume set in game (Settings -> Audio -> Volume -> Sound). The minimum volume is 10%. It's dynamically updated when the game process is running.
—  Added new buttons to the UP1.5 Launcher / Maximization Helper windows, which allow you to quickly open folders used by game (Installation Directory, Documents, AppData).
—  Integrated a new version of "Empire Earth II Playback (.e2s) to ChatLog Converter" with the UP1.5 Launcher:
*   Registered the .e2s file format. To convert files, please simply double-click on the playback file in "Documents\Empire Earth II\playback" or "Empire Earth II The Art of Supremacy\playback" folder.
*   Based on the old version, updated for the last time on 29.06.2013: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=1652
*   Supports nicknames in playbacks recorded on version 157038 and newer.
*   After a successful conversion uploads the converted file to EE2.eu for easier sharing. If fails, opens the local .txt instead.
—  Included uPnP functions directly to the UP1.5 Launcher:
*   Removed the external program "upnpc-static.exe" from the "Unofficial Patch Files" directory.
*   Improved the uPnP effectivity when the Launcher process is behind VPN.
—  Improved the UP1.5 Checksums Generator methods (for the Installation Validation reports):
*   Included CRC32, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 hash functions to the Launcher.
*   Deleted external programs from "Unofficial Patch Files" directory: "crc32sum.exe", "md5sum.exe", "sha1sum.exe".
*   Administrative permissions are no longer needed to generate checksums.
—  DirectX 9 .DLL files are no longer present in the game installation folder. The installer and the launcher use the "DXSETUP.exe" to install them to "C:\Windows\SysWOW64" (64bit Windows) or "C:\Windows\System32" (32bit Windows) directories.
—  Option "Enable Anti-Aliasing in DirectX 9" is now enabled by default (fresh UP1.5 installation only).
—  Fixed an issue, where UP1.5 Launcher's hotkeys didn't work in new instances (for example when the user started EE2 and AOS at the same time). The Launcher doesn't longer register hotkeys, only listens to certain keypress events. It fixes many issues where the Launcher could block PrtSc, CTRL+F7, CTRL+F8, CTRL+F9 keys from being used in other programs.
—  Fixed over 200 warnings in UP1.5 Launcher's source code, and replaced deprecated or unsafe functions (as for C++20).
—  Fixed "MsSpellCheckingFacility.dll_unloaded" Launcher crash, caused by the termination of the Maximization Helper thread without releasing resources.
—  Improved the Full and Minor Update Installers: The status of option "Play background music during installation" is saved and respected the next time the installer is started.
—  Increased the maximum number of audio instances from 30 to 50. It helps resolve an issue, where during big battles some sounds could not be played.
—  Fixed an issue, where sounds of flares, audio taunts or chat messages could not be played, when the maximum number of audio instances was reached. For these sounds, we now use the 12 extra, reserved audio instances (using the similar method as Voice Over played in the Tutorial missions).
—  Fixed an issue where nicknames of messages senders stored in playback files (since ver. 157038) contained a team name instead of the player name, when "Cooperative Teams" were enabled. We now use a workaround which copies a player's nickname on Multiplayer Lobby login.
—  New feature: It's now possible to set the time of day in scenarios:
*   To use it, please simply add one of the following suffixes at the end of your scenario filename: "_ToD_Dawn.scn", "_ToD_Afternoon.scn", "_ToD_Sunset.scn", "_ToD_Night.scn", "_ToD_Cycle2.scn", "_ToD_Cycle5.scn", "_ToD_Cycle10.scn", "_ToD_Cycle15.scn".
*   This method does not work when you click "Test Mission" in the Map Editor. It's because it uses a file named "testMission.scn" and UP1.5 is unable to determine time settings from it. However, it works flawlessly when loading a scenario from the Menu.
*   Thanks to player "Sat42" for contribution in finishing this feature.
—  New feature: Discord Rich Presence (Game status in Discord user’s profile):
*   Works in both: "Empire Earth II" and "Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy".
*   Shows if the user is currently in Launcher, Support Chat, Game Menu, Multiplayer Lobby, or if is watching a playback, or if is playing/observing a Singleplayer or Multiplayer match.
*   Shows the Multiplayer nickname, what game the user is currently in, free slots, rating type, game type, epochs, map type and climate.
*   It's connected with the EE2.eu KeepAlive thread (so the Multiplayer status is updated based on the response from Server). It gives a possibility to improve it "live" (without installing extra updates).
*   It can be disabled by the custom configuration command: "DisallowDiscordRichPresence=1" in UP1.5 Settings.
*   To join the Official EE2.eu Discord Server, please visit: https://www.ee2.eu/discord/
—  Option "Remove 100 FPS limit" is no longer BETA. It has been renamed to: "Remove 100 (or 64) FPS limit", so users who experience this problem can find it faster.
—  Improved the Auto-Maximization:
*   It will no longer wait for the Launcher splash image to disappear before the first attempt.
*   After the first successful maximization, it will no longer try to maximize the window again.
*   Fixed a bug where sometimes the keyboard did not work in-game after the auto-maximization (until the next ALT+TAB). Thanks for the report to player "IndieRock00".
—  Improved the Christmas expansion: Tweaked the Christmas Tree colors and fixed a bug where colors of ornaments could become black after opening and closing the Full Screen Map (TAB key). This bug persisted until the game was restarted and didn't occur on all graphics cards.
—  Fixed an issue with hotkeys / keyboard after maximizing the game. It could occur after the game was launched while minimized (e.g. on Multiplayer, minimized on the loading screen, and maximized when the screen with a city center was already displayed). The game would then think that the AltGr key was all the time pressed and it could be manually fixed by pressing the CTRL+ALT keys (or using ALT+TAB twice). UP15_GameHelper.dll now uses a new workaround to detect if the game was just maximized, and simulates the CTRL+ALT keys press to fix this problem for you.
—  Included the new EE2 / EE2: AOS maps created by Loewenherz: "Loew World Map" (updated version, for 10 players), "Gulf Crisis" (for 6 players), "Congo" (for 4 players), "Highland" (for 2 players), "Mirage" (for 8 players), "Imperial Grounds" (for 8 players), "Mars" (for 4 players). Most of the new maps are a reconstruction of EE3 maps. Details: https://ee2.eu/t5304
—  Integrated 6 Bogdan's scenarios: "Save Byzantium", "Korean War 1950", "The Inhabited Island", "The Inhabited Island: Bad Guys", "Cold War 1965", "North African Campaign" with the EE2 "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. Thanks to Loewenherz for preparing and improving files. Details: https://ee2.eu/t5323
—  Updated the "under building" texture on Tundra climate for the snowy seasons in order to match a glitch present on all other climates, where it's possible to see enemy's buildings shape / size. Some of multiplayer users complained about this difference.
—  Reduced the base health points of Tundra Bear from 150 to 50 for a better balance and lower annoyance.
—  Fixed a bug (present since ver 1.0), where a multiplayer game could drastically slow down:
*   It usually occurred when a player (who was in a slot between other players) left the hosted game room before the game started. Multiplayer users bypassed this bug by asking players to re-join, but it wasn't always working due that the EE2ENet thread has its own slots, unrelated to the slots which we see in the game room.
*   It could occasionally occur when any player quit the active game.
*   The fix skips checking the number of remaining players, in a function which calculates the maximum ping (because it used to ignore the other active EE2ENet slots), and verifies if the slot is correct using a different method.
*   Additionally fixed the same problem, which could occur after the host migration.
*   Added debug messages on the game chat, when the problem is detected and fixes activated (only visible by the host player).
*   Detailed information about this issue and fix explanation: https://ee2.eu/t5441
—  New feature: Maximization Helper has an option named: "Unlock Game Speed Change hotkeys in scenarios":
*   Unlocks the game speed change hotkeys (by default - and +) in games where option "Lock Game Speed" was checked, or Campaign Missions / Custom Scenarios where game speed is locked by default, with no possibility to unlock.
*   To prevent abuses, this option is grayed out when you're in a Multiplayer game.
*   Changing the status of this option has an immediate effect (no game restart is required).
—  Updated the alert bell sound, in non-modern epochs to a less annoying, single beat bell (when enemy's air units are in the range of the warehouse).
—  Multiplayer Lobby improvements:
*   Changed the automatic list of hosted games refresh time from 10 seconds to 5 seconds.
*   Fixed an issue where clicking on the "Refresh List of Games" button was not changing the color of grayed-out games back to black when new slots became available.
—  Fixed a graphics bug where Net Fire Launchers (heavy artillery in epoch 15) was changing colors (blinking to the dark one). The bug was actually caused by a different unit: Paladin Point Defense (mobile anti aircraft in epoch 15) which used the same texture as Net Fire Launchers for the wheels. It was visible on Net Fire Launchers whenever Paladin trucks were moving (reference video: https://youtu.be/TaMkxtyMor8?t=1186 ). The .nif file has been updated to use a copy of the texture.
—  Fixed a bug in the "Supreme Effort" (Middle Eastern special power in epochs 1-5, "Your citizens' construction speed is increased by 100%"). The power bonus was given to ALL PLAYERS IN GAME, even those using civilizations from different regions. When multiple players clicked the same special power button, the construction speed was scaling even more!
—  Improved the "Support for Tobii Eye Tracker devices". Added a detection if the game UI is currently hidden (CTRL+ALT+H hotkey) in order to use new gaze zones. It gives an amazing experience, for example when observing Multiplayer games. Details: https://www.ee2.eu/blog/018-eye-tracker
—  UP1.5 executables (Launcher, DLL files, Installers) are now code-signed by the EE2.eu self-signed certificate.
—  Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "Install EE2.eu Certificate". It installs the self-signed certificate: "EE2.eu - Dr. Mona Lisa" from file "Unofficial Patch Files\EE2.eu_Certificate.crt". This helps verify the signature of executables provided by EE2.eu (e.g. Launcher, DLL files, Installer, Language Changer) and displays "EE2.eu - Dr. Mona Lisa" as the publisher name in UAC warnings. An EV Code Signing certificate from an official Certificate Authority would cost around $400 (USD) per year. Thanks to the self-signing method, the software provided by EE2.eu remains free, but secure! Unchecking this option will remove the certificate if it's already installed.
—  Added a few UP1.5 sounds to Game Settings -> Audio -> Test Sound Volume box.
—  "Middle Mouse Button Actions" improvements:
*   Added a new option: "Flare Hotkey" to the Maximization Helper window.
*   To activate, click the Middle Mouse Button and the Left or the Right Mouse Button at the same time.
*   It simulates the flare hotkey press (ALT+Y, or ALT+SHIFT+T if you're currently observing a Multiplayer game).
—  Improved displaying of the number of idle citizens in the citizen manager cursor:
*   Changed the text alignment to the right.
*   If option "Automatic Font Size for Screen Resolutions" is enabled in UP1.5 Settings, and the screen resolution height is 1440 or greater, the Launcher will apply a memory-fix to use the smaller font.
—  Added support for the new Windows 10 "Segoe UI Variable" fonts. UP1.5 Launcher will use the new fonts as a replacement of the current "Segoe UI", if they're available on the system (in the future releases of Windows 10, around year 2022).
—  Improved the "Random Seed" generation using UP15_GameHelper.dll:
*   Fixed a bug where sometimes, the default random seed value was "1".
*   Fixed a bug where the random seed value was set to "1" after using the "Load Settings" button (to load the .fav file).
*   When manually typing "0" or "1", a random number will be generated in memory, however the random seed box will still show the typed value.
*   Sometimes on multiplayer, the node players might see a different random seed value than the host player. This is not important as the correct seed is sent to all connected nodes on game start.
—  Fixed a bug where Ambulance (1.5) could heal itself and the other ambulances.
—  Increased the healing ratio of Sister (1.5), produced in the Hospital (1.5).
—  Added the missing Cycle Production button to Hospital (1.5).
—  Fixed a bug where Hospital (1.5) could only set the rally point to the sea.
—  Integrated calsch03's "The Roman Expedition" (Quest based scenario), with the EE2 AOS "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. Thanks for the map creation and scenario integration to Loewenherz. More information: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5483
—  Included the new EE2 World map: "Made by Victor - Earth.map", created by "VictorZas". Details: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5478
—  Improved quality of vanilla EE2 music files, from MP3 128kbps to 320kbps:
*   Thanks to Michael Gordon Shapiro (EE2 music composer) for providing uncompressed .wav files, specially for Unofficial Patch 1.5. Check out Michael's music at: https://mikemusic.com/
*   Significantly improved volume levels of the Ambient music in order to remove the "buzz" and align with tracks for all regions. Every track has been deeply checked for the best possible improvements, without affecting the composer's quality. Changes made by EE2 developers have also been applied.
*   Unfortunately, the improved Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy music is not available for the time being (different music producer).
*   After installing this update, the UP1.5 Launcher will automatically enable music in-game and adjust volumes for the best user experience. This will happen only 1 time (a cookie file is used).
—  Updated ambient & weather sounds for all climates:
*   Added the ultra-high quality land, forest and weather (rain, snow, wind, dust storm) sounds, ensuring that they sound as similar to the original ones as possible.
*   The new sounds have been purchased by Dr.MonaLisa for ~$100 USD. They're fully licensed for Empire Earth II Unofficial Patch 1.5 usage only. Please consider donating for more features of this type: https://ee2.eu/donate
*   Due to the license limitation, the new sounds are encrypted and it's impossible to mod them nor import to the other game mods (with the exception of Developers Version of UP1.5).
*   Updated the Uranium Mine, Oil Rig and Boat Move sounds with higher quality versions (88kbps vs 32kbps), which were available in EE2 Single Player Demo files.
*   The old ambient sounds were available in 32kbps .wav format, that's why quality was so poor.
*   Fixed a bug where the last "loopingSounds” and "sounds" entry in DbAmbientSoundSet (dbambientaudio.ddf / dbambientaudi5.ddf) was ignored.
*   The updated ambient sounds can be disabled by changing "Unlock UP1.5 units, buildings, models, sounds..." to "No" in UP1.5 Settings.
*   Thanks to user "Fortuking" from EE1 Reborn for the idea and generic help.
—  Fixed a bug (present since ver 1.0), where projectiles (guided missiles, torpedoes and bombs) were exploding way too high above ships. Reference addresses: 007F7B1C (EE2), 0088E8CC (AOS):
*   It was happening, because the game uses the unit size X (width) as their top impact border. It was not that noticeable for the smaller, rounded ground units as much as for the big, elliptical ships.
*   The fix detects if the target unit "moveType" is "kUnitMoveType_NavalShallow" or "kUnitMoveType_NavalDeep" and if the source projectile is a bomb, torpedo or a guided missile. It then simulates the same behaviour as when attacking buildings. Following with the guided missiles is not negatively affected (works in the unchanged form).
*   It improves explosion visuals during sea battles. Missiles, bombs and torpedoes now explode right next to the hull instead of somewhere far beside. It does not affect arrows and cannon balls in lower epochs. Discussion and before/after screenshots are available in this forum topic: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?p=26690#p26690
—  Increased the "Maximum Sound Memory" to 200MB (from 100MB in versions 157024+, originally 5MB).
—  Option "Reduce visual weather effects for Blizzard, Sandstorm" is now enabled by default for users who have never changed the status of this option. This doesn't affect Developers Version of UP1.5. It's to give the best experience to new players who have no time to check for all available UP1.5 options, and might get annoyed by the game after seeing these bad weather effects.
—  Included the official EE2 / EE2: AOS maps from the Empire Earth® II Pre-Order Bonus Disc: "Desert World_bonus.map", "Even Steven_bonus.map", "Iron Cross_bonus.map", "Oldie Island_bonus.map", "Bayside_Bonus.map".
—  INFORMATION: Unofficial Patch 1.5 is compatible with Windows 11, since version 1.5.7.0 (October 2018).
—  Added Seasonal Textures, created by Loewenherz:
*   Winter textures for Unofficial Patch 1.5 buildings.
*   All seasons textures for trees in "Loew's Ambient Pack".
—  Added a workaround for a bug that causes messages in game disappearing too quickly:
*   The workaround is performed by the (separate) watchdog thread in UP15_GameHelper.dll.
*   The bug is occurring when more than 5 messages are shown on chat, so the oldest message is sent to the history. However, a game function is still trying to hide these messages after their timeout, causing wrong messages to be removed from visible chat. The workaround is too advanced to explain in the changelog. In short, it copies further timeouts of messages to the first auto-disappearing slots, and then uses other fixes in order to prevent a bug where messages stay on screen endlessly.
—  Disabled access to the "LAN / Direct Connect" menu. Learn about the reasons and how to manually enable it here: https://ee2.eu/multiplayer/help/#landisabled
—  When option "Remove 100 FPS limit" is enabled, and the player is currently in the Menu or Multiplayer Lobby, the option will be dynamically disabled in order to reduce the GPU usage, temperature and save electricity!
—  New feature: Custom audio themes for special occasions, for example Christmas. UP15_GameHelper.dll can now dynamically remap the audio, depending on configuration on EE2.eu. For now, this feature can be disabled by the "DisallowChristmasExpansion=1" custom configuration command. Most likely new sounds will already be activated this year, and updated as the feedback from users come.
—  Fixed an issue where on some language versions (e.g. Spanish), the frame rate (FPS) information (hotkey CTRL+ALT+F) was not displaying the actual number of FPS, because of too long translation text.
—  Fixed an issue where game cheats did not work on the Spanish version of the game, because they were unnecessarily translated by people who worked on it back then in ~2005.
—  Experimentally improved the alert siren system. Warehouses will no longer have the Anti-Aircraft RPS and won't take reduced damage from some units (bug present since ver. 1.5.0). The non-military Building RPS have been modified to allow attacking aircraft units (it should not matter as hopefully all economic buildings have the attack ability disabled). There is a risk that this fix will cause some other problems in the game, that's why we will be observing how it works and in the worst case revert it in the next update.
*   This change does not fix a bug where Warehouses are treated as "Immobile Defense" buildings and are affected by the Custom Game Pace settings.
—  New BETA feature: "Advanced Cache Preloading", disabled by default, configurable by UP1.5 Settings:
*   When enabled, Unofficial Patch 1.5 uses the new advanced methods to preload certain game files to the game cache on launch. It increases the time needed for the game process to start and causes much higher RAM usage, but reduces the number of mini-freezes that could occur e.g. when a sound, texture or model was loaded in the game for the first time. This feature uses the original game caching functions, so memory is not wasted and might be released by the game process when needed.
—  Fixed compatibility with Gog version 54517.
—  Fixed a bug in EE2: AOS, where the laser color was dark red instead of yellow. It was visible for example in Gatling Laser (Anti-Air in epoch 15), HERCs and wall towers (epoch 14).
—  Balance Changes: Some of units and buildings with Laser / Plasma beams can now break through the Hades-class HERC's Anti-Missile shield:
*   Hera-class HERC.
*   Wall Tower in epoch 14+.
*   Plasma Turret (1.5). Unfortunately, the projectile graphics are a bit worse now.
*   All of the updated units use the new laser sounds which differ for each of them.
—  Hera-class HERC Repairing Effect: added the sound, changed the laser size and color to green, and improved the splash effect.
—  Minotaur Heavy HERC: updated the attack sound.
—  Improved option "Render on Secondary Monitor". It is now possible to select the Adapter Index in UP1.5 Settings. It is useful when there are more than 2 displays connected. Thanks for the report to player "Redleg".
—  Added the new custom configuration commands which can be inserted in UP1.5 Settings:
*   "AutomaticFontSizeDisableCitizenManagerCursorFixes=1" - disables the Citizen Manager Cursor font size fixes added in updates 158011 and 158012. Added on request from player "Rando".
*   "EnableNewAmbientSoundsOnDisabledUP15UnitsVersion=1" - allows you to use the new UP1.5 ambient sounds (from update 158015), even when option "Unlock UP1.5 units, buildings, models, sounds..." is switched to "No". Added on request from player "Rifes".
—  Added information to the in-game Chat window that it also decides which players receive your flares.
—  NEW FEATURE: Added new options to the Maximization Helper & Game Tweaker window:
*   "Detect keyboard layout changes": When checked, allows UP1.5_GameHelper.dll to detect the keyboard layout changes and to call required in-game functions which make the new input language fully functional. When unchecked (default EE2 behavior), a game restart is required to reload the keyboard layout settings. This option is now enabled by default.
*   "Input language fix": When checked, UP1.5_GameHelper.dll prioritizes the keyboard layout settings based on the actual keyboard input option selected. For example, originally in EE2, when a Windows display language is English, but the selected keyboard is German, the game still does not allow you to type characters like ä, ö, ü, and ß. Thanks to this option users will no longer notice issues like this. This option is disabled by default to prevent unknown issues, but it's recommended to try it.
*   "Enable EAX": Enables the Environmental Audio Extensions in Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy. This option was moved from the Game Settings -> Audio, because the checkbox was not working correctly, and the EAX option was always unchecked on the Settings menu revisit. Unfortunately, it could not be fixed in game using Unofficial Patch 1.5, that's why the option was moved to Maximization Helper, so UP1.5 Launcher and UP1.5_GameHelper.dll take care of it.
*   Changing the status of these new options has an immediate effect (no game restart is required).
—  Fixed a bug where the "EAX" option has NEVER worked in Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy.
—  NEW FEATURE: Added timestamps to all chat messages sent in lobby, hosted game rooms, private messages.

Changes/Fixes in UP1.5.9 series:
—  Included changes from all minor updates 158000-158026.
—  Added new icons for UP1.5 units and buildings, created by Loewenherz. They now use the same background style and frames as EE2 originals.
—  Added Loewenherz's Mars and space textures for scenarios and maps (available in the Map Editor).
—  TL;DR The borderless windowed mode and rendering on secondary monitors is now fully functional and bug-free.
—  "Exclusive Borderless Windowed Mode" (activated and deactivated by the ALT+ENTER hotkey) improvements:
*   UP15_GameHelper.dll is now removing the window title bar and borders fully, so the other workarounds from update 157021 are no longer used.
*   Fixed (minimally) incorrect window height and distorted aspect ratio on Windows 11.
*   It reduces the number of times the windows taskbar still remains on the screen.
*   REMINDER: You can use the CTRL+F9 hotkey (toggle on/off Constrain Cursor) to move the mouse cursor outside of the game window.
—  Improved option "Render on Secondary Monitor":
*   The Borderless Windowed Mode now starts with the correct screen coordinates, based on the selected Adapter Index in UP1.5 Settings.
*   Added a new Adapter Index option: "Auto", which automatically selects the monitor on game start, depending on where your mouse cursor (e.g. moved UP1.5 Launcher window) is on.
*   Fixed a bug where the game was calling the function "EnumDisplaySettings" only for the primary monitor, so bigger screen resolutions on secondary displays could be unavailable in game. It could also result in the error on game start: "FATAL PROBLEM: Failed to find any Direct3D display mode supported by your monitor". UP15_GameHelper.dll is now obtaining the correct monitor from the DirectX adapter index, getting its device name and pushing it as the function parameter. Thanks for the report to player "ReaLadge".
—  Added a new custom configuration option "WindowedModeDontPauseOrMute=1" (enabled by default):
*   When UP15_GameHelper.dll detects that the game is currently in the windowed mode - it applies fixes that prevent the game from pausing or audio from getting muted when the game window loses focus. It reverts these fixes when the game window becomes fullscreen again (e.g. ALT+ENTER hotkey press).
*   Additionally, this option fixes a problem where other games can not constrain the cursor (for camera scrolling on borders) on the side where a monitor with running EE2 is. It's because EE2 was intercepting the mouse cursor whenever it was getting close to the game window.
—  Improved the "Take Screen Shot" function using DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter):
*   Added new custom configuration commands which can be inserted in UP1.5 Settings:
#   UseNewScreenshotsMethodInDX9=1 | When enabled (default), use the new screenshots capturing method.
#   ScreenshotsInDX9UsePNGInsteadOfBMP=1 | When enabled (default), save screenshots to PNG format instead of BMP (CTRL+PrtScn hotkey).
#   ScreenshotsJPEGQuality=80 | Allows you to configure the quality of JPG screenshots (PrtScn hotkey). 0 = default compression. Available values from 1 to 100, where 1 is the strongest compression (lowest file size), and 100 is the lowest compression (biggest file size).
*   Fixed a game crash (0x00acad91, 0x00b80b91) when taking screenshots, when the game window doesn't fully fit the active monitor (windowed mode).
*   Fixed a bug where taking screenshots on secondary monitors could cause a game crash or result in cropped images.
—  Enabled V-Sync by default in the windowed mode. It now respects the status of option: "Disable V-Sync" from UP1.5 Settings.
—  "Advanced Cache Preloading" improvements: Added the caching progress status (percent finished, total number of files to cache, number and filename of the file currently being cached).
—  Added detection of an occasionally occurring bug where the game process is running in the background, while no game window exists. In the past users had to manually terminate the game process by the Task Manager in order to be able to start a new instance of the game. UP15_GameHelper.dll Watchdog Thread is now detecting this problem and displays a message box where it's possible to kill the game process with a single click.
—  Updated libraries used by UP1.5 Launcher and DLLs in order to improve security and reliability:
*   Libcurl to ver. 7.86.0 | Boost to ver. 1.80.0 | Openssl to ver. 3.0.5 | Zlib to ver. 1.2.13 | Discord GameSDK to ver. 3.2.1.
—  Multiplayer Lobby: Removed incorrect, duplicated timestamp of messages sent on the lobby while you were in an active multiplayer game.
—  NEW FEATURE: Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "AI-Enhanced Menu Video":
*   Allows the game to use the AI-Enhanced version of the looped background menu video (in 16:9 aspect ratio). It results in a much higher quality of the background video, but increases the CPU% usage in the menu, and might result in lower FPS in the menu on low-end computers.
*   This option is automatically enabled if you use a monitor with the aspect ratio greater than ~1.5 (width divided by height), e.g 16:10, 16:9, 21:9.
—  "Green economy, blah, blah, blah. Climate-neutral, blah, blah, blah" - Greta Thunberg.
*   Added a new custom configuration option: "PauseBinkVideoWhenGameWindowIsInactive=1" (enabled by default). It allows UP15_GameHelper.dll to decide when to pause the background video in order to save CPU load when the game window is currently minimized, inactive or the mouse pointer is on another monitor. It results in power saving and lower CO2 emission from players who often minimize the game e.g. when they're waiting for a game on multiplayer lobby.
—  UP1.5 Units Balance Changes:
*   Changed the healing speed of Ambulances from 15 to 5 health points per second.
*   Reduced Snipers reload time by 25% (from 12 to 9 in epoch 13).
*   Increased the maximum range of Super ICBMs in Ballistic Missile Silo from 256 to 1500. ICBM stands for "Intercontinental" for a reason.
—  DEPRECATED FEATURES:
*   Option "Fix for graphics bugs (no fire/explosion) on Intel HD graphics cards" has been removed. It's still available as "Fix for graphics bugs (no fire/explosion) in DirectX 9", but requires the option "Enable DirectX 9" to be checked.
—  KNOWN ISSUES:
*   Intel's 12th Gen processors integrated graphics have an issue where the text is not displaying in Empire Earth II. It's because their drivers use D3D9On12 to support old games. The issue was reported to Microsoft. Read more: https://github.com/microsoft/D3D9On12/issues/57
#   A new custom configuration command is available: "UseD3D9On12InDirectX9=1". It allows all users to try the DirectX 12 mode (D3D9On12) in Empire Earth II. Thanks to "elishacloud" for help in adding this option.
—  Camera FIX ver. 6.0:
*   Added Cam Fix AutoFOV (custom configuration option "CamFixAutoFOVEnabled=1"):
#   Automatically adjusts the Field Of View camera settings for the Main Camera and the Picture-in-Picture window, for all screen resolutions / aspect ratios (including custom ones). It's using the same formula as WSGF "Field Of View Calculator" (www.wsgf.org/fovcalc.php).
#   It fixes the "fisheye effect" noticeable in the previous versions of UP1.5.
*   With a huge help of player "N72", improved the basic Camera Fix values to match the vanilla-experience at the low to mid distances, and UP1.5 experience at the higher zoom-outs. Adjusted the basic FOV to work with the new "AutoFOV" feature and to fix the "fisheye effect" problem.
*   Removed the first-person view on the ground feature due to the huge performance penalty that was continuously reported by players. This view is still possible with the "Free Camera Mode" hotkey (CTRL+ALT+G), which additionally allows much more camera variations.
—  NEW FEATURE: "Zoom Speed Modifier Hotkeys":
*   Custom configuration options (setting "0" disables selected hotkeys):
#   EnableZoomSpeedModifierHotkeys=1 | When enabled (default) allows UP1.5 Launcher to dynamically modify certain speed values in game memory, depending on keys pressed.
#   CamWheelZoomRateDEFAULT=0 | Default mouse wheel zoom speed. When 0, it loads EE2 default which is 0.04.
#   CamWheelZoomRateCTRL=0.01 | The slower mouse wheel speed, when the CTRL key is pressed.
#   CamWheelZoomRateALT=0.005 | The slower mouse wheel speed, when the ALT key is pressed.
#   CamWheelZoomRateSHIFT=0.1 | The faster mouse wheel speed, when the SHIFT key is pressed.
#   CamScrollSpeedRateDEFAULT=0 | Default camera scrolling speed. When 0, it loads EE2 default which is 15.0.
#   CamScrollSpeedRateALT=2.0 | The slower camera scrolling speed, when the ALT key is pressed.
#   CamRotationSpeedRateDEFAULT=0 | Default camera rotation speed. When 0, it loads EE2 default which is 1.0.
#   CamRotationSpeedRateALT=0.2 | The slower camera rotation speed, when the ALT key is pressed.
#   CamMouseOnBordersScrollSpeedALT=3 | The camera on borders/corners scrolling speed, when the ALT key is pressed.
#   CamMouseOnBordersScrollSpeedCTRL=80 | The camera on borders/corners scrolling speed, when the CTRL key is pressed.
#   CamMouseOnBordersScrollSpeedSHIFT=0 | The camera on borders/corners scrolling speed, when the SHIFT key is pressed. It's intentionally disabled by default not to interrupt SHIFT units selection when drag-selecting units.
*   New hotkeys:
#   ALT+ARROWS (Right/Left/Up/Down): Move the camera at slow speed.
#   CTRL+ALT+ARROWS (Right/Left): Rotate the camera at slow speed.
#   ALT+NUMPAD+/NUMPAD-: Zoom in/out the camera at slow speed.
#   CTRL/ALT+MouseWheel: Zoom in/out the camera at slow speed.
#   SHIFT+MouseWheel: Zoom in/out the camera at fast speed.
—  NEW FEATURE: Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "Anisotropic Filtering", with the maximum multiplier dropdown menu. Anisotropic Filtering is a texture filtering method to improve image quality when polygons are at an angle to the camera. This option has been enabled by default due to low performance impact.
—  Added a new option to UP1.5 Settings: "Use D3D9On12". D3D9On12 is a mapping layer, which maps graphics commands from D3D9 to D3D12. Using this option is currently not recommended, and might result in bugs like text not being displayed in game.
—  Added a new custom configuration option "WinSHIFTArrowFixReturnToOriginalMonitor=1" (enabled by default):
*   This feature was already available in UP1.5.9, but didn't have a separate switch.
*   Allows UP15_GameHelper.dll to simulate the ALT+ENTER hotkey twice, in order to return the game window to the original monitor, for example if a player used the WIN+SHIFT+ARROW hotkey (move selected window to the right/left monitor) and the game window has bugged.
*   Fixed an issue where this function could loop-freeze and prevent users from switching between the fullscreen and windowed mode in case when a monitor was connected or disconnected when the game was already running. It's because whenever monitors change on Windows, their HMONITOR handles also change, so the cached monitor from DirectX adapter index was becoming incorrect.
—  Fixed an issue where the Compatibility Mode Auto Reset was not working for the "Compatibility for all users" settings (.exe properties -> Compatibility tab). Thanks for the report to player "N72".
—  Added a new custom configuration option "NvidiaProfileAutoSelectOptimusHighPerformanceGPU=1" (enabled by default):
*   This option uses NVAPI to automatically set the "Empire Earth II" and "Empire Earth II: Art of Supremacy" profiles to use the High Performance Nvidia GPU on Optimus computers. It might minimize risks of crashes on new computers with Intel Iris Xe Graphics.
—  NEW FEATURE: "Free Camera Mode - Mouse Scrolling On Borders & Corners":
*   Enables the camera scrolling on the screen borders/corners, when the Free Camera Mode is active (CTRL+ALT+G).
*   Custom configuration option "FreeCameraModeAllowMouseOnBordersMove=1" (enabled by default).
—  Changed the default "Advance to Next Epoch" hotkey from "alt+UP" to "ctrl+alt+shift+UP" due to new hotkeys added.
—  Added a temporary fix for Intel Iris Xe / Intel Arc graphics card users who experience the no text in game problem:
*   The fix needs to be enabled manually by the custom configuration command in UP1.5 Settings: FixMissingTextOnIntelIrisOrArcUseCustomD3D9On12WorsePerformanceVersion=1
*   The fix uses a custom, open source version of D3D9On12 compiled by Dr.MonaLisa, where the no text issue was fixed by Microsoft. Unfortunately this version has a very low performance (low FPS) in game. The fixed D3D9On12 version that comes with Windows will be released with Windows Updates at some point, but we don't know the ETA, and it might even take a few months / years.
*   We found out that this fix also fixes the Unhandled Exception crash on game start on Nvidia Optimus computers with Intel 12th Gen processors.
*   Disabled the ALT+ENTER hotkey in order to prevent the Unhandled Exception crash. This fix only works in the windowed / borderless windowed mode.
*   Disabled V-Sync when this fix is active in order to solve the low FPS problem. It's recommended to manually enable V-Sync, using your Graphics Control Panel.
*   For more information and a detailed guide how to use this fix, please read: https://ee2.eu/t5672
—  Added "Empire Earth II Debug Console":
*   This console existed in Singleplayer DEMO, but the part of the code allowing to enable it was removed later in Multiplayer DEMO and official releases of the game. Dr.MonaLisa has managed to re-create the part of the removed code, so now everyone can feel like an EE2 developer!
*   Enabling the Debug Console requires authorization (a command sent on the Support Chat every time the game is started). It's important in order to log players obtaining access to it and prevent potential abuses on multiplayer (although the access to Debug Console in UP1.5 is disabled on multiplayer anyway).
*   Please read this forum topic in order to learn how to enable the Debug Console: https://ee2.eu/t5671
—  New feature: Maximization Helper & Game Tweaker has a new option named: "Remove Black Carpet Terrain Border":
*   When checked, it changes the style of the terrain border. Originally, there is a black "carpet" that makes the area behind the map borders look flat (and generally better). However, when you're using the Free Camera Mode hotkey (CTRL+ALT+G) and you're setting the camera angles to the view from the ground - you can notice that there is an ugly black frame which interrupts the sky on the horizon. Generally, this option can be helpful for players who are taking screenshots or recording game videos from the ground. After changing the status of this option starting a new game or loading the saved game is required to see changes.
—  Included the new EE2: AOS maps created by Seven243: "Akavir", "Bering Strait", "Black Sea", "Desert River", "Inland Seas", "Italia", "Morrowind". Details: https://ee2.eu/t5664
—  Fixed an issue where in the windowed / borderless windowed mode the mouse cursor could not be moved to the bottom or the right part of the screen when the DPI scaling was different than 100%. The game process is now:
*   DPI_AWARENESS_CONTEXT_PER_MONITOR_AWARE_V2 (Windows 10 version 1703+)
*   PROCESS_PER_MONITOR_DPI_AWARE (Windows 8.1+)
*   DPI_AWARENESS_CONTEXT_SYSTEM_AWARE (Windows Vista+)
—  Improved the alert sirens system by replacing sounds for:
*   Radar in epoch 12 (ICBM warning, now matches the WW2 climate).
*   Warehouse in epochs 10-12 (air-raid warning, now matches the WW1, WW2 climate).
*   Warehouse in epoch 15 (air-raid warning, futuristic effect).
—  Added anti-spam for the air raid warning sounds. Warehouses near the first warehouse that started playing the alert siren are now blocked from attacking (and playing new instances of the sound). It has a limited anti-spam range (8) in order to avoid situations where users are not alerted at all when a warehouse outside of the screen has started attacking. It’s still better than nothing.
—  Included "Loew's Ambient Pack 2" created by "Loewenherz" as the internal part of UP1.5. Available in the Map Editor:
*   Information, Screenshots & Discussion: https://ee2.eu/t=5705
*   Among other things, includes: More surface textures for cities; New rocks for shaping mountains; New animals for a better representation of the fauna in the game; Sound ambients for maps and scenarios; Improved placeable grass layers; Better distinguishable blockers for buildings and units; New ambient objects; Categorisation of all new added 1.5 objects.
*   UP1.5 ambient units are no longer shown as small black dots on the full-screen map.
*   Added a new blocking unit, which is shown as a black area on the full-screen map. Map designers can use this to visually highlight certain areas if desired.
—  Increased the landing speed of parachutes (from Paratrooper Planes) to match the vanilla time, before the "Flying Height Mod" changed their cruising height in Unofficial Patch 1.4).
—  Fixed a bug where Paratrooper Planes could be attacked by some of infantry units. It's because their RPS was the same as for helicopters. They are now classified as Bombers.
—  Satellites reworked (in effect only when UP1.5 units are enabled):
*   Significantly increased their cruising height from 20 to 33.
*   Restored the original (vanilla) model scale, which was probably changed in Unofficial Patch 1.4.
*   Please note that it's now easier to select the land units at lower camera zooms without satellites, but satellites are now harder to select and might require drag-select / new hotkey.
—  Added new hotkeys:
*   ALT+SHIFT+S [Cycle Selection of Satellites/Observation Balloons].
*   CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+S [Cycle Selection of Satellites/Observation Balloons (Add to Selection)].
*   ALT+SHIFT+X [Cycle Selection of Idle Satellites/Observation Balloons].
*   CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+X [Cycle Selection of Idle Satellites/Observation Balloons (Add to Selection)].
*   CTRL+SHIFT+D [Cycle Selection of Fighters].
*   CTRL+SHIFT+T [Cycle Selection of Fighter-Bombers].
*   CTRL+SHIFT+B [Cycle Selection of Bombers].
—  Due to detected problems, option "AI-Enhanced Menu Video" is no longer enabled by default on systems running on Parallels Desktop, after the fresh UP1.5 installation.
—  Due to on-start Unhandled Exception crashes on Nvidia Optimus computers - option "Disable fullscreen optimizations" is no longer checked by default on computers with Intel(R) 12/13/14th Gen CPUs, after the fresh UP1.5 installation.
—  Added a sound effect when switching between the fullscreen and windowed mode (ALT+ENTER).
—  Included a new awesome map created by player "FatalForce" - "Europe by FatalForce.map". Details & screenshots: https://ee2.eu/t5719
*   Compatibility with both EE2 and EE2: AOS using Loewenherz's Map Editor: https://ee2.eu/t5265
*   Loading map geography based on a true Europe elevation map using a DEM.
*   True water and mountain elevations using a real-world topography map based on TessaDEM database: https://en-il.topographic-map.com/map/
*   Real terrain painting based on world climate regions: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/61a5d4e9494f46c2b520a984b2398f3b
*   Real territories based on an updated political map.
*   Accurate location and density of forests based on the European Space Agency using Jakub Marian's work: https://jakubmarian.com/forests-of-europe-map/
*   Real resource distribution based on European Geological Data Infrastructure data: https://www.europe-geology.eu/promine/
*   True animal distribution and use of Loew's Ambient Pack assets (including limited resources amounts).
—  New Feature: "Map Chooser 1.5", created by Loewenherz.
*   The "Load Map" window (Map -> Load Custom Map) is now bigger and contains many useful information, such as the maximum number of players, map size, climate, map description, a link to the preview image and the original forum topic (when available).
*   Please note that not all of the maps are described yet, only the best ones available in UP1.5.
*   Added information and link to ee2.eu/maps to the "Load Custom Map" popup window title.
*   Removed 31 bad quality EE2 maps from Unofficial Patch 1.5. They will be available to download separately.
—  CTRL+C Improvements:
*   The launcher will now automatically open links copied e.g. from the "Map Chooser 1.5" window or the multiplayer lobby chat messages.
*   The trusted domains such as ee2.eu or youtube.com will be automatically opened, and (for security reasons) other domains will show a popup message box first. The popup window will automatically disappear if no action was chosen in 15 seconds.
*   It's now possible to open links sent in the game chat (for example started multiplayer games). The last received link can be opened by pressing CTRL+C hotkey (anywhere in game, when no other text is selected) for 20 seconds after the message was received.
*   The new CTRL+C improvements can be disabled by the custom configuration command in UP1.5 Settings: "CheckForLinksInCopiedTextAndAutoOpenThem=0".
—  "Automatic Font Size for Screen Resolutions" improvements:
*   Fixed an on-launch crash occurring on the screen resolution 5120x2880. Thanks for the report and help in finding the right values to player "Bogdan".
*   Fixed a problem where on certain screen resoltuions the in-game chat messages text could contain heavy underlines.
—  Included the 2 new EE2 maps created by danidanidani: "Babylon Tower Fight" and "Bamboula".
—  Fixed a bug where the Thunder Gun (Inca unique unit, epochs 11-15) was missing the minimum attack range value, causing them to be able to attack very close targets and show an unrealistic bullet angle change. The minimum range has been changed to 3.0 which matches the Heavy Artillery value from epochs 12-13.
—  Maximization Helper & Game Tweaker window improvements:
*   The window can now be closed to the Tray Icon in the system tray (right-bottom area of the taskbar). By default, it shows in the hidden icons area, opened by clicking the arrow up icon. You can move it from there using a drag-and-drop gesture.
*   Clicking with the Left Mouse Button restores the Maximization Helper & Game Tweaker window.
*   Clicking with the Right Mouse Button opens a popup menu with some useful options, including one that allows you to forcefully terminate the game process in case it hanged.
—  NEW FEATURE: Icon Badges for the Launcher and the Game icon:
*   When the Launcher or the Game process is currently minimized (or inactive) the icon on the taskbar additionally shows the missed events, for example:
#   A number of unread Support Chat / Lobby Chat / In-game Chat messages.
#   An arrow down icon when UP1.5 update is available.
#   A play button icon, when a game was just launched.
#   A checkmark icon, when the game finished.
#   An hourglass icon, when the "Host is waiting to launch" message was missed.
#   An envelope icon, when someone invites you to join his game.
#   A heart icon, when someone wants to add you to his buddies (friends) list.
#   The two swords icon, when you're "Under Attack".
#   An explosion icon, when someone in game places a flare.
#   A cloud icon when a NAT / MONANAT message was received.
#   A "J" or "L" text icon, when any player joins/leaves the Multiplayer Lobby. This badge auto-disappears after 3 seconds and restores the previous one.
#   An exclamation icon, when you lost connection to the Multiplayer Lobby, or when an UP1.5 Debug Message displayed in game.
*   Please note that most of the icons might not work on the antic versions of Windows (before Windows 10) because they don't support emojis.
—  Improved the uPnP effectivity. When function UPNP_DeletePortMapping() fails, the Launcher will now additionally call function UPNP_DeletePortMappingRange() which seem to fix the issue on certain routers (such as Xiaomi MiWiFi ones), and allows function UPNP_AddPortMapping() to success. It's useful e.g. when you use more than 1 computer to play Multiplayer on EE2, and both of them have enabled uPnP in UP1.5 Settings.
—  The launcher is now waiting for the network adapter to become ready if you just turned on the computer, and immediately started the game. It helps solve many network-related functions.
—  The audio taunts available in UP1.5 can now be tested by clicking on a play button on the website: https://ee2.eu/multiplayer/taunts/ when the game with UP1.5 is currently running. It is using the empireearth2:// protocol to trigger.
—  Game Menu / Multiplayer Lobby / Loading Screens, etc.:
*   AI-Enhanced and upscaled many textures which were blurry on modern screen resolutions.
*   Replaced the ugly chat expand / collapse buttons with the new ones that match the original EE2 style.
—  Improved the hosted multiplayer game system messages:
*   Changed the color to the darker red shadow, to make messages easier to read.
*   Fixed an issue where the host player was not seeing system messages when other players changed their civilization, player type or other settings.
*   The host player can now see all system messages, just as the other players in the game.
*   All players are now seeing system messages about their own settings changes.
*   These fixes are currently tested and are enabled by the UP1.5 KeepAlive Live-Update system (they might be disabled at any time when Dr.MonaLisa detects problems).

Changes/Fixes in UP1.6.0 series:
—  Includes changes from all previous Unofficial Patch updates.
—  UNOFFICIAL PATCH 1.6: The Enhanced Experience:
*   The Enhanced Features are described with screenshots at: https://ee2.eu/patch/enhanced/
*   They're only available for players who support the project (donators).
*   AI-Enhanced and upscaled UI textures:
#   This feature gives you a totally new, remastered experience in game. All User Interface textures (over 2300, including icons) have been upscaled, AI-Enhanced, and manually adjusted for the existing widgets in game. As a bonus, the nuclear explosion textures were also enhanced. Additionally, this feature is compatible with the Non-Enhanced version of the game and won't cause problems in Multiplayer. It has no impact on game performance.
*   AI-Enhanced and upscaled Terrain textures:
#   This feature gives you a totally new, remastered experience in game. All terrain, under building, road, and some other textures (over 700) have been upscaled, AI-Enhanced, and manually adjusted to give the best possible visuals in game. This option has no performance impact in Empire Earth II, but has a moderate performance impact in Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy in the Temperate and Tundra (1.6) climates.
*   Mouse Cursors Scale:
#   Allows you to select a scale (100%-400%) of the AI-Enhanced cursors in game. It includes over 88 textures and is extremely useful on modern screen resolutions. Option "No scale" uses the original mouse cursor textures, while option "100%" uses the same size textures which were additionally AI-Enhanced.
*   Regrettably, making these special features exclusive has become the only viable option to sustain the project. For over 10 years, Dr.MonaLisa was providing a wealth of features, which required an immense amount of work, free of charge. Despite these efforts, player support through donations has been minimal, eventually becoming insufficient to cover the costs of our multiplayer services' relay servers. While the servers incur a modest expense of approximately $40 per month, the donation amounts received have been disappointingly low and somewhat disheartening. Historically, only about 1 in 2000 players chose to donate. Presently, Dr.MonaLisa is gathering funds for a crucial eye surgery, prompting her to prioritize her well-being and reassess the distribution of the Enhanced Features.
—  Fixed a bug where the game was not using some of the models added by the official patches 1.1 and 1.2.
—  Optimization & Unofficial Patch files improvements:
*   The texture files (.dds, .tga) have been converted to the EE2-optimized .texcache format.
*   The model (.nifcache) and texture (.texcache) files have been packed to the uncompressed .zip archives.
*   These operations have drastically improved the loading speed of UP1.6 files and reduced mini-freezes.
*   Fixed minor problems related to incorrect or duplicated models and textures in the previous versions of Unofficial Patch.
—  "Large Address Aware" improvements: Fixed an issue, where sometimes the game was unable to load folders, because a handle returned by the MSVCRT_findfirst function was an address from range above 2GB. This could be noticed e.g. when option "Advanced Cache Preloading" was enabled, and a player tried to load a game save, map, favorite setting or other file which required folder listing. Fix explanation: https://ee2.eu/p28005
—  Loewenherz's "Map Chooser 1.6" improvements ( https://ee2.eu/maps/ ):
*   Added descriptions & preview images to another 53 maps.
*   Removed 14 bad quality EE2 & EE2: AOS maps from Unofficial Patch 1.6.
—  Added option "Missing Font/Text Fix" to UP1.6 Settings: https://ee2.eu/t5672
—  Added a lot of UP1.6 Launcher improvements: replaced outdated libraries with their modern alternatives. Improved security by using the newest available version of OpenSSL, LibCurl, Zlib, Boost. Fixed an occasionally occuring on-exit crash. Fixed a problem where the launcher window could be wrongly positioned on secondary monitors. It's now possible to vertically resize the UP1.6 Settings window.
—  Please note that in the game directory, you might still find some files or folders identified by "1.5" in name. This is expected, not to force recreation of some of the registry keys, firewall rules, and cleaning up old entries just because of the version name change.
—  "Map Chooser 1.6" improvements: Added displaying of the map preview images directly in the game!
—  Bomb Shelters (Bunkers) reworked:
*   Reduced health by 25% (epochs 10-13), 33.333% (epochs 14-15).
*   Increased building and repairing time by 33.333%.
*   Fixed an issue where the light infantry (and some other units) dealt reduced damage to Bunkers, caused by their non-combat RPS.
*   Due to abusive usage of bunkers in multiplayer games, the defensive buildings such as fortresses, outposts or wall towers can no longer attack units behind them. It might look less realistic in game, but it's for the greater good.
—  New options for Rotating Buildings with the CTRL / Middle Mouse Button key, added to the Maximization Helper & Game Tweaker window:
*   "Building Rotation Angle CTRL": Allows you to select a degree of the single CTRL / Middle Mouse Button key press, so the building direction is no longer limited to only 4 steps. Available options: 90° (EE2 default), 45° (UP1.6 default), 22.5°, 11.25°, 5.625°.
*   "Building Rotation Angle ALT": It works the same way as in the option explained above, but activates with ALT+CTRL or ALT+Middle Mouse Button key press. UP1.6 default is 11.25°, so you can do more precise rotations with ALT+CTRL, while keeping bigger angles for the CTRL option.
*   "Remember angle": When this option is checked, Unofficial Patch 1.6 saves the previous building angle and re-uses it when a new building is being placed. Thanks to this, buildings can be placed in aligned lines without spending time on clicking the CTRL / MMB key each time a new citizen is selected.
*   "Remember angle timeout": This option allows you to select a time after which the default angle for new buildings is restored. Thanks to this you can enjoy the new feature, without worrying about your old playing habits, which might be crucial in multiplayer games.
*   "Remember angle Separately": This option decides if each building type (e.g. barracks, factory, manufacturing plant) should use a separate rotation angle memory. With this, you can build multiple different building types, in different aligned lines at the same time.
*   Changing the status of these options have an immediate effect (no game restart is required), however UP1.6 Launcher might ask you for administrative permissions if it's unable to write to the "UnofficialVersionConfig.txt" file.
—  Added a missing smoke from chimneys to epochs 7-8 barracks, when a production of the first unit is started.
—  Added a missing smoke from the big chimney to epochs 9-11 factory, when production of the first unit is started.
—  Added the missing decorative bushes to City Centers in Tundra climate. We now use the ones from Loew's Ambient Pack.
—  Improved the "Cycle Select" hotkeys timeout:
*   In EE2 by default this timeout is 10 seconds, which is problematic when fast-building using the Idle Citizen hotkey (especially when using UP1.6 option "Don't center camera for 'Cycle Select' hotkeys"). It's because citizens in the other part of the map could be still in order, and selected instead of the closest ones.
*   From now on, this timeout is 2 seconds, but dynamically changes to 15 seconds when the "Toggle Coordinated Attack" button is active. Thanks to this fast building is less problematic, and for example using coordinated nuclear attack (by cycle selecting missile silos) is not interrupted.
*   You can control the new timeout values by the custom configuration command in UP1.6 Settings: "CycleSelectAndCenterTimeoutWithoutCoordinatedAttack=2.0" and "CycleSelectAndCenterTimeoutWithCoordinatedAttack=15.0".
—  Added a calm melody when "Waiting for [Player] for X seconds..." messages are displayed in multiplayer mode, so the waiting is less (or maybe more?) annoying now.
—  Updated "Loew's Ambient Pack 2":
*   Added new FX effects which can be placed in the Map Editor. These include fire and smoke effects, as well as river and even waterfall animations.
*   Fixed incorrect texture display for temp rocks.
—  Implemented the Unofficial Patch IES system that allows you to use or control some of UP1.6 features via the IES script in the Scenario Editor. Documentation: https://ee2.eu/t5779
*   Unofficial Patch IES functions implemented in this update:
#   TimeOfDay - Time of Day control (including the Cycle Time of Day).
#   CrownSystem - Changing the status of option "Disable Crowns System and Leaders".
#   SoundRemap - Remapping game sounds in your scenario.
*   It's possible to use the Unofficial Patch IES commands in Singleplayer games by typing them in the Chat window. Simply press the ENTER button and type one of the commands defined in the documentation.
—  Fixed an issue where the audio taunts were not working from the PrintMessage() and PrintMessageFromPlayer() IES functions in custom scenarios.
—  Changed the default Multiplayer Direct Connection port from 26000 to 16060 (the port is now controlled by the remote EE2.eu configuration):
*   We found that some ISP routers, like the Italian "iliadbox", only allow uPnP and port forwarding for ports up to 16383. This caused problems for some players where direct connection did not work, even if they had a public IPv4 address. This change might help with more ISPs and routers worldwide.
*   This is an experimental change controlled by the server and might be reverted if we detect issues.
—  Improved the uPnP (Universal Plug and Play) effectiveness:
*   The uPnP function will run again when your local IP address changes (e.g., switching between Ethernet and Wi-Fi), or 24 hours after the last function call. This will reduce the need to restart the game due to connectivity problems.
*   The uPnP will now forward the new Direct Connection port (if set in the remote EE2.eu configuration).
*   It is now possible to check the uPnP status, view the forwarding log, and refresh uPnP in the Maximization Helper & Game Tweaker window.
*   If the Launcher detects a mismatch between the expected uPnP lease time (24 hours by default) and the lease time set by the router (often a maximum of 120 seconds on FRITZ!Box routers), it will now re-attempt with a permanent lease (argument 0). If setting a permanent lease fails, the Launcher will refresh uPnP more frequently, according to the maximum time supported by the router.
—  Option "Remove 100 (or 64) FPS limit" is now enabled by default. This option removes some dirty sleep in the main game thread, which often reduces performance even when the FPS limit is not reached. It's pointless not to use this Unofficial Patch feature in 2024. Note that this option has no effect when the game is in the Main Menu or Multiplayer Lobby due to the power-saving features added in update 159001.
—  The "DonationMail" value is now preserved when clicking on "Restore Default UP1.6 Config" in UP1.6 Settings.
—  To simplify the Enhanced Features unlocking process, if a player types an email address in the "Insert a custom configuration command" field in UP1.6 Settings without the "DonationMail=" prefix, it will now be recognized as the "DonationMail" variable automatically.
—  Fixed the commonly named "Spy Glitch", which some players abused to cast special abilities multiple times without the power recharge by exploiting the SHIFT key (orders queue):
*   Examples of affected abilities: Spy's "Toxic Contamination", Spy's "Sabotage", Priest's "Bless", HERC Hades' "Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)", HERC Hera's "Cast Shield".
*   This glitch was a serious problem in Multiplayer, heavily abused by many cheaters on the old GameSpy Lobby and later on GameRanger from 2005 to 2015. However, when EE2.eu Multiplayer services were created, the glitch was not frequently used because our reporting and banning system discouraged cheaters. An example of how the glitch worked can be seen in videos in this thread: https://ee2.eu/t1721 and in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJl3J9nqHc4
*   For stability reasons, this glitch fix is only active in Multiplayer games, just to minimize the 0.001% risk of it working incorrectly. However, you can manually enable it to work in Singleplayer by setting "UseSpyGlitchFixInSingleplayerGames=1" in the custom configuration command field in UP1.6 Settings.
*   This was the last known glitch left unresolved in the game. With this Unofficial Patch update, we mark the end of an era for the old cheaters.
—  NEW FEATURE: Changing citizen's right mouse button click action from "Resources Drop Off" or "Repair" to "Garrison" when the CTRL key is pressed:
*   In EE2, when a citizen has gathered any resource, the default right mouse click action is "Drop Off" instead of "Garrison" when hovering over a Warehouse or a City Center. The similar thing happens when the building is damaged, then the default action is "Repair". With this update, the icon will automatically change to "Garrison" when you hold down the CTRL key. This allows you to hide your citizens more quickly, such as during an enemy bomber attack on your city (common in Multiplayer games), without searching for the "G" hotkey on the keyboard.
*   The "Middle Mouse Button Actions" option must be enabled in UP1.6 Settings for this feature to work. You can disable this feature by setting "ReplaceCitizensResourceDroppoffWithGarrisonWhenCTRLIsPressed=0" in the custom configuration command field in UP1.6 Settings.
—  Improved Dark Theme support in the UP1.6 Launcher; added Dark Theme for tooltips & Tray Menu (requires Windows 10 version 1809 or newer).
—  Added a new option in UP1.6 Settings: "Start on Multiplayer Lobby". When checked, the EE2.eu Multiplayer Lobby screen will be shown after the game launches, instead of the Main Menu.
—  Updated libraries used by UP1.6 Launcher and DLLs in order to improve security and reliability:
*   Libcurl to ver. 8.8.0 | Boost to ver. 1.85.0 | Openssl to ver. 3.3.0 | Zlib to ver. 1.3.1 | MiniUPnPc to ver. 2.2.7.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability and fix a memory leak.
—  Updated the custom, open source version of D3D9On12 compiled by Dr.MonaLisa (used by the "Missing Font/Text Fix").
—  Fixed a bug in the UP1.6 Checksums Generator (for the Installation Validation reports), where large files could fail to be scanned due to boost::iostreams::mapped_file_source address range limitation on 32bit Launcher process. From now on, files greater than 256MB will be loaded in 256MB chunks, while smaller files will still use the optimized mapped_file_source method.
—  Re-enabled the failsafe copy method in the Full UP1.6 installer (disabled in update 157006, March 2019). It significantly slows down the Full UP1.6 installation process, but might help in recently reported issues with Norton's "Data Protector" blocking files during installation. A system restart might be required after installation if some files get blocked by Norton, but at least the installation process shouldn't fail.
—  We focus on using the CallNamedEventHandler() IES function, which Dr.MonaLisa has now found a way to call from the GameHelper.dll. Thanks to that, we can execute in-game events without simulating keyboard keys. It improves reliability and speeds up hotkey-related functions from UP1.6.
—  NEW FEATURE: Added the new Mass Technologies Explore hotkeys (the research will start as long as you have Technology Points and meet the constructed buildings requirements):
*   SHIFT + F1 = Start research of all Military technologies.
*   SHIFT + F2 = Start research of all Economic technologies.
*   SHIFT + F3 = Start research of all Imperial technologies.
*   SHIFT + F4 = Start research of all Military, Economic, and Imperial technologies.
—  In the "Playbacks Fast-Forward Speed" feature, the "Toggle Fast-Forward" is now toggled without simulating the CTRL+F key press.
—  In the "Middle Mouse Button Actions" feature, the "Full Screen Mode Hotkey" and "Flare Hotkey" are now working without simulating keyboard keys.
—  NEW ENHANCED FEATURE: Magic TILDE` Key and Smart Building Hotkey Memory
*   This feature allows you to use the TILDE` key (or the other key that is under ESC) on your keyboard to execute advanced, smart in-game tasks executed by Unofficial Patch 1.6. The tasks include: fast buildings construction mode; cloning buildings under the mouse cursor; selecting idle/all buildings of the same type; faster resources trade in the Market; faster resources tribute in the Diplomacy Panel; automatic Missile Silos switching mode. You can assign these new hotkeys to the extra buttons of your gaming mouse to enjoy it even more.
*   TILDE`: A single TILDE` key press selects an idle citizen to construct the last remembered building (Barracks by default). Within the next 2.5 seconds, you can press any other building hotkey to change the selected building. Alternatively, within 10 seconds, you can select any building from the citizen's "Build Structures" menu to update the memorized building. When you press the TILDE` key again, the last used (memorized) building will be selected for construction. This feature works with the remapped buildings hotkeys, so it's not required to use the default ones.
*   SHIFT + TILDE`: Starts the Boost Mode. In the Boost Mode, the next citizen will be automatically selected after you click the Left (Primary) Mouse Button. To stop the Boost Mode, simply click the Right (Secondary) Mouse Button, or press TILDE` again. When there are no idle citizens available, the Boost Mode will automatically stop, and using TILDE` won't select a new building to construct. It's to minimize the risk of leaving unfinished construction sites when citizens were unavailable.
*   CTRL + TILDE`: Clones the building under the mouse and then executes the single TILDE` action. For example, if you however the mouse cursor over the outpost and press CTRL + TILDE`, the Smart Building Hotkey will select an idle citizen with Outpost construction.
*   CTRL + SHIFT + TILDE`: Clones the building under the mouse, and starts the Boost Mode (as SHIFT + TILDE`).
*   After using any TILDE hotkey for construction, you have 2.5 seconds to press a number from 1 to 9 on your keyboard to select that number of idle citizens. In Boost Mode, this number will be remembered until interrupted with a right mouse click. This is useful, for example, when you want to quickly build Warehouses, Oil Derricks, or Uranium Mines with exactly 6 citizens.
*   ALT + TILDE`: Selects all idle (not producing) buildings of the same type as the one under the mouse cursor.
*   CTRL + ALT + TILDE`: Selects all buildings of the same type as the one under the mouse cursor.
*   SHIFT + ALT + TILDE`: Selects all idle (not producing) buildings of the same type as the one under the mouse cursor and adds them to the previously selected ones. This feature uses the Control Group 0 to work, so this group will be cleared if you previously set it.
*   SHIFT + CTRL + ALT + TILDE`: Selects all buildings of the same type as the one under the mouse cursor and adds them to the previously selected ones.
*   MARKET: You can buy or sell resources faster in the Market / Supermarket (1.6). Simply hover the mouse over the expected buy / sell icon, then press the TILDE` key (as many times as you like) to buy / sell 10 x 500 resources of this type, or SHIFT + TILDE` to buy / sell 10 x 1000 resources of this type.
*   DIPLOMACY PANEL: You can tribute resources faster in the Diplomacy Panel -> Resources. Hover the mouse over the numeric field, then press TILDE` to offer 1000 resources, SHIFT + TILDE` to offer 5000 resources, CTRL + TILDE` to demand 1000 resources or CTRL + SHIFT + TILDE` to demand 5000 resources.
*   MISSILE SILO: When the Missile Silo or Ballistic Missile Silo (1.6) is currently selected, pressing TILDE` switches to the next Silo. When you use the Boost Mode (SHIT + TILDE`), the next Missile Silo will be automatically selected after you launch the ICBM using the Right Mouse Click, using the "L" hotkey, or after manually pressing and executing the "Launch ICBM" button. This should help you fire coordinated attacks without the advanced hotkeys knowledge.
*   You can enable or disable this feature in UP1.6 Settings under the "Special features for players who support the project" section.
*   You can control which buildings are memorized using the custom configuration command in UP1.6 Settings: SmartBuildingHotkeyAllowedBuildings=Barracks, Airport, Airport2, Airport3, CityCenter, Dock, Fortress, House, Hospital, Farm, AirDefense, Mill, CoastalDefense, Missile_Silo, Mgm, Outpost, OilRig, Stable, HercFacility, Well, Granary, Radar, Temple, Machinegunnest, University, UraniumMine, Warehouse, Market, AMissileDefense, Road, Palisade, Wall
*   You can modify the default hotkey change listening time (in milliseconds) using: SmartBuildingHotkeyMemoryListenTimeoutMs=2500
*   You can remap the default TILDE` key using: SmartBuildingHotkeyMemoryTildeRemapKeyCode=0xC0
#   The default "0xC0" is "~`". For Italian keyboards, you might need to use "0xDC", and for German: "0xA0". However, these different key codes should be automatically set by the Launcher, depending on your keyboard layout (so on 99% you don't need to change it, unless you want to remap it to some other keyboard key).
*   Added a new custom configuration command: SmartBuildingHotkeyMemoryCallIdleCitizenSelectionTwice=1 (enabled by default), which aims to fix the issue of citizens leaving construction site "holes" when using the "Smart Building Hotkey Memory" function. This option selects idle citizens twice to ensure the previous request is not ignored by the game.
*   This feature (as the other Enhanced Features) is only available for players who supported the project with donations.
*   You can watch how this feature works on this YouTube video: https://smart-building-hotkey-memory.ee2.eu/
—  Changed the sleep time (game pause) when taking a screenshot with PrtScn key from 2000ms to 50ms in the Game Menu and Multiplayer Game/Lobby. The sleep time remains the same in Singleplayer games, as the "Capturing screen to file..." message is displayed, which might be helpful for new players who are unaware of the Documents/Empire Earth 2/screenshots folder. In Multiplayer games, taking screenshots was causing a game lag ("Waiting for [Player]..." message) for all players, so this change is a significant improvement.
—  Fixed a rare game crash (present since ver. 1.0) that could occur at address EE2: 007BA605, AOS: 00822135 when using the drag-select while pressing other hotkeys or clicking the UI buttons.
—  Fixed an issue where Logitech G HUB would not automatically switch the active profile when the game was launched in Borderless Windowed Mode, unless manually switched with ALT+TAB. As a workaround, UP1.6 now quickly sends the "SW_FORCEMINIMIZE" and "SW_RESTORE" messages, which seem to resolve the issue.
—  If you have accidentally (or not) hidden the Game Calendar (CTRL + BACKSLASH\) or Game Clock (SHIFT + BACKSLASH\), Unofficial Patch 1.6 will automatically re-enable them upon game restart, so you don't need to search for a solution. Thanks for the idea to player "IndieRock00".
—  Multiplayer: Added a message about game rules at the start of the game. It shows if the host player types "yes rules" or "no rules" in chat before the game starts.
—  Fixed a rare crash that could occur for the host player when starting a Multiplayer game.
—  Improved a fix from update 159001 to let other games running on the same monitor as EE2 constrain the mouse cursor for border scrolling.
—  Added Launcher compatibility for the upcoming Loew's Pacific Campaign.
—  Improved compatibility with Windows 11 version 24H2.
—  Added a new option to UP1.6 Settings: "Allow Seasonal Sounds and Textures (e.g., Halloween, Christmas)":
*   When this option is checked, special occasions like Halloween, Christmas, New Year's Eve, or April 1st may bring festive changes to the game. You might notice altered in-game sounds to enhance the atmosphere or see special decorations, such as a Christmas tree near the City Center. If you disable this option, seasonal events and effects will no longer appear in the game.
*   This option was previously available through the custom configuration command 'DisallowChristmasExpansion=1,' but has now been added to the UP1.6 Settings window for simplicity.
—  Changed the population points cost of ICBMs from 4 to 1 (produced in Missile Silo). This is because, with the Unofficial Patch's Missile Defense System, ICBMs are not as powerful as they used to be.
—  Paratrooper Planes balance changes:
*   Adjusted their cost in epochs 12 and 13 to better match the cost of the units inside:
#   Old resource cost (epochs 12-13): Food: 325, Wood: 216, Gold: 50, Oil: 175, Population: 7.
#   New resource cost in epoch 12: Food: 353, Wood: 97, Gold: 186, Saltpeter: 167, Oil: 39, Population: 7.
#   New resource cost in epoch 13: Food: 365, Wood: 97, Gold: 237, Oil: 168, Population: 7.
#   Resource cost in epochs 14-15 stays the same: Food: 725, Wood: 532, Gold: 50, Oil: 425, Population: 15.
*   Updated the "Wide Body Aircraft" technology (3rd military technology in epoch 13), which adds +4 paratroopers to Paratrooper Planes. Researching this technology now also increases the price of Paratrooper Planes by 30% (in the current epoch only). Since this technology adds +66.67% more paratroopers (6 + 4), it remains cost-effective.
—  More improvements and features will be added with time by 160000s Minor Updates.


By installing Unofficial Version 1.6 you agree on the Unofficial Patch 1.5 Act:
https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=1716
(including usage statistic system, multiplayer banning-system and fair play rules in the public MP games)

Creator:
Leader (Dr Mona Lisa)

Special thanks for help to:
Iwanicki, Loewenherz, TheGrouchDE, Vetinte, Laetitian, RGV1, Calsch03, Gonzalo (Michael34), Fireheart2, Townsendigital, FireKing, Jodocus, CompagniaDellaMorte, IndieRock00, FoxTunez, Maurits, N72.

If you like the patch and you would like to donate creator, please visit: http://www.ee2.eu/overview/donate

Team & Usage Terms

Created by:
Dr Mona Lisa.
Special thanks for help to:
Iwanicki, Loewenherz, TheGrouchDE, Vetinte, Laetitian, RGV1, Calsch03, Gonzalo (Michael34), Fireheart2, Townsendigital, FireKing, Jodocus, CompagniaDellaMorte, IndieRock00, FoxTunez, Maurits, N72.

By installing Unofficial Version 1.6 you agree on the Unofficial Patch 1.5 Act: http://forum.ee2.eu/t1716-up15-act
(including optional anonymous usage statistic system, multiplayer banning-system and fair play rules in the public MP games)

If you like the patch, please consider donating. The money are very important to keep everything up. I would very appreciate any help.

Software used during development & credits:

IndigoRose's Setup Factory has been choosen by me as the Installer Builder program for Unofficial Patch 1.5 & 1.6. I tested many free and paid installer builders, but none of them had the features we needed. Thanks to Setup Factory Unofficial Patch 1.6 and Minor Update installers have features like: EE2-a-like skin, automatic detection of current game version, checking if update of configuration files is required, automatic detection of the installation folder, downloading most recent files from EE2.eu Server, and much more! You can read a separate article about the new installer at EE2.eu BLOG (click).

d3d8to9 by Patrick Mours is a pseudo-driver module that intends to improve compatibility and stability in games using Direct3D 8 for rendering by converting all API calls and lowlevel shaders to equivalent Direct3D 9 ones. By that it also opens those games to the new possibilities from proven tools and wrappers written for Direct3D 9. The version of d3d8to9 available in Unofficial Patch 1.6 has been modified by Dr.MonaLisa to add additional fixes prepared for Empire Earth II and Empire Earth II the Art of Supremacy (for example a fix for missing fire/explosion effects) and is configurable by the "UP1.5 Settings". d3d8to9 license.

freesfx.co.uk is used for some of the new sound effects, for example air raid siren.

IMPORTANT copyrights notice:
The creator of Unofficial Patch 1.6 does not allow you to re-upload UP1.6 installation files to any other server / website. If you want to share UP1.6 with your friends - please send them the link to the Official Download Page: https://ee2.eu/patch
For breaking this rule, we will be forced to send DMCA Takedown Requests.