Minor Updates Changelog for EE2: Unofficial Patch 1.5 & 1.6

[160019 - 2024-10-20 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Fixed an issue where the "Don't center camera for 'Cycle Select' hotkeys" option was enabled by default in the last update, causing confusion for some players.
—  Added a new custom configuration command: SmartBuildingHotkeyMemoryDontCenterCamera=1 (enabled by default). This temporarily disables camera centering when the "Magic TILDE` Key and Smart Building Hotkey Memory" function is in use.
—  Fixed a Launcher crash that could occur for Windows 8.1 users after update 160014. Thanks to players "StimuL8" and "Kornel" for reporting this issue.
—  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.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability and stability.

[160018 - 2024-09-06 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  Minor fixes for the "Magic TILDE` Key and Smart Building Hotkey Memory" feature when using the Diplomacy Panel or Market.
—  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.
—  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.

[160017 - 2024-07-22 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed an issue where the installer and executables were not digitally signed in the previous update (released a few hours ago).
—  Fixed a problem where using the new Magic TILDE` in the Diplomacy Panel did not work correctly for other players than the first one on the list. Thanks for the report to player "RA blindmonk".

[160016 - 2024-07-22 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  Option "Smart Building Hotkey Memory" is now called: "Magic TILDE` Key and Smart Building Hotkey Memory":
*   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 the Right Mouse Button. This is useful, for example, when you want to quickly build Warehouses, Oil Derricks, or Uranium Mines with exactly 6 citizens. YouTube video: https://youtu.be/tzwrYrn0Fj0
*   MARKET: You can now 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 now 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.
*   Improvement: If you press the "SHIFT + CTRL + TILDE`" instead of "CTRL + SHIFT + TILDE`" the selected building won't longer rotate. This helps when you assign the new hotkeys to the extra buttons of your gaming mouse.
*   It's now possible to change the buildings using citizen's "Build Structures" menu during the Boost Mode (SHIFT + TILDE`). Thanks for the report to player "Calsch03".
—  The "Cycle Select" hotkeys timeout (changed in update 160006) is now always 15 seconds when the Missile Silo or Ballistic Missile Silo (1.6) is currently selected.
—  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".

[160015 - 2024-07-18 - Type: Monthly, Feature Update]:

—  In this update, 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: 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 or selecting idle/all buildings of the same type. 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.
*   SHIFT + CTRL + TILDE`: Clones the building under the mouse, and starts the Boost Mode (as SHIFT + TILDE`).
*   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.
*   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).
*   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/
—  The power saving feature: "PauseBinkVideoWhenGameWindowIsInactive" from update 159001 will now work after 5 seconds since the game was started, in order to prevent a visual issue where the game background could be black on game start.
—  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.

[160014 - 2024-06-24 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed a game crash (game closing on launch) that affected a small number of players. Some players experienced the "boost::interprocess_exception library_error" crash when the Launcher/GameHelper used the "managed_shared_memory" and/or "named_mutex" functions. It now falls back to an alternative Windows method for communication between the Launcher and the DLL. Additionally, you can set "DontUseBoostInterprocessLibraries=1" in the custom configuration command field in UP1.6 Settings if the fallback doesn't work automatically (though this should not happen).
—  Fixed remaining issues with the "Garrison on CTRL press" feature:
*   The right ALT key sometimes acted as CTRL+ALT on certain keyboard layouts, and the right CTRL key often froze (remained pressed). This was because UP1.6 first released any pressed CTRL keys to simulate the "G" key press (for Garrison), and then re-pressed the CTRL keys based on their previous state. Unfortunately, this was buggy and didn't always work correctly.
*   In the fixed version, I found the location of the IES function CallNamedEventHandler("UIUnitCommand_Garrison", "") in the game executables, so UP15_GameHelper.dll can now simulate events without pressing keyboard keys. This fixes all keyboard-related problems and allows this feature to work even if the "G" key for Garrison has been remapped.

[160013 - 2024-06-18 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed issues reported by some players after update 160011 where the CTRL key could stay pressed in the game (even if it wasn't physically pressed), or the left mouse button could be pressed automatically when clicking the right mouse button. This problem was due to a communication issue between UP15_GameHelper.dll and UP1.6 Launcher using "named_mutex". The new features from update 160011 (Spy Glitch fix, Garrison on CTRL press) were updated to use "managed_shared_memory" instead.
—  Improved the "Garrison on CTRL press" feature from update 160011. Moved most tasks (like hotkeys simulation) to a separate GameHelper Watchdog thread. This should fix occasional single-time game freezes and handle the CTRL key status better. For debugging, you might hear some of Greta's taunts (sound feedback) like "green economy" when a problem is detected and fixed automatically. If you still have mouse or keyboard issues after hearing these sounds, please report them in the Support Chat in the Launcher.

[160012 - 2024-06-16 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Fixed a crash (game close on launch problem) on Steam Deck and Wine after update 160011.
—  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").
—  Improved uPnP (Universal Plug and Play) changes from the previous updates: added an acceptable expected lease offset (so it won't fallback if the time difference is less than 60 seconds).
—  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.

[160011 - 2024-05-29 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
*   This feature only works correctly if you have not remapped your "Garrison" hotkey from "G" to something else. 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 uPnP (Universal Plug and Play) support:
*   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.
—  Improved Dark Theme support in the UP1.6 Launcher; added Dark Theme for tooltips & Tray Menu (requires Windows 10 version 1809 or newer).

[160010 - 2024-05-18 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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).
—  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.
—  Hidden "Smart Building Hotkey" feature improvements (for selected BETA testers only). Improved the hotkeys memory for buildings that use CTRL or SHIFT.

[160009 - 2024-03-24 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Fixed an issue where the Launcher stopped correctly detecting if EE2: AOS (expansion pack) is installed.
—  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.
—  Improved the multiplayer mode "Waiting for [Player] for X seconds..." melody. It's now using a different function that additionally allows pausing and resuming. It fixes an issue where the melody was restarting after ALT+TAB.
—  Hidden Smart Building Hotkey feature improvements and possibility to remap the activation hotkey (for selected BETA testers only).

[160008 - 2024-01-21 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  "Remember building rotation angle" fixes:
*   The function could unexpectedly fail and trigger Greta's feedback, when the game was paused and the user tried to build the Coastal Defense.
*   Hopefully fixed all remaining random / unexpected rotations in late-game, when there are many units and AI players in.
*   Even though it looks simple, this is a very advanced feature, with around 1000 lines of code, so thanks for understanding that problems could occur.
*   Thanks for bug hunting and providing useful game saves and information to player "HollyWood14181".
—  Changed the clock ticking sound effect (from update 160007) to the calm melody, when "Waiting for [Player] for X seconds..." messages are displayed in multiplayer mode.
—  Hidden Smart Building Hotkey feature improvements (for selected BETA testers only).

[160007 - 2024-01-07 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Fixed remaining issues in the "Remember angle" function. It was possible to determine thanks to the added Greta's "How dare you" feedback (for debugging purposes). Thanks for help to all players who reported hearing this sound, especially to player "HollyWood14181". Please report on the Support Chat if you still hear Greta's feedback in versions 160007+.
—  Fixed an issue where the status of option "WindowedModeDontPauseOrMute=1" from update 159001 (November 2022) was not used, and instead the status of option "Disable fullscreen optimizations" was used for this feature to work. So whenever option "Disable fullscreen optimizations" was unchecked in the Maximization Helper & Game Tweaker window, then this feature was not working:
*   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 full-screen again (e.g. ALT+ENTER hotkey press).
—  Added a clock ticking sound effect when "Waiting for [Player] for X seconds..." messages are displayed in multiplayer mode, so the waiting is less (or maybe more?) annoying now.
—  Added the checkmark icon badge (from update 159012) for multiplayer game observers, when the game finishes (the same one as for players who are playing).
—  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.

[160006 - 2023-12-03 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixes for "Rotating Buildings with the CTRL / Middle Mouse Button key":
*   Fixed an issue where the status of option "Remember angle timeout" had incorrect value in the configuration file, causing a different value to be used after game restart.
*   The buildings rotation information from the "Remember angle" option will now reset after starting a new game (or loading a game save). Thanks for the report to player "IndieRock00".
*   Potentially fixed an Unhandled Exception game crash on EE2: AOS. For some reason, the expansion pack calls the building rotation function multiple times when the game is loading. In summary, EE2: AOS is like a paranormal activity. It does things that (after so many years with Unofficial Patch) I still can't find any logic in.
*   Added multiple tweaks to minimize risk of issues when playing the "Cooperative Teams" mode on Multiplayer. Thanks for the problem report to players "Cepsia" and "Lukas".
*   Please note that for debugging purposes you might occasionally hear Greta's taunts, such as "How dare you" and "No matter how sad and angry I am". This is expected and was especially added, so I can ask players if they heard this sound when they report a game freeze or crash.
—  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".

[160005 - 2023-12-01 - Type: Monthly, Feature Update]:

—  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.

[160004 - 2023-11-19 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Enhanced version only:
*   NEW! Added AI-Enhanced and upscaled textures for roads, city plazas, and few other things. This now gives over 700 enhanced terrain textures.
*   Changed the system how enhanced terrain textures work: The main texture is now AI-Enhanced, while all mipmaps use the original game texture. Thanks to this, the terrain looks beautiful at zoom-in, while the better, grainy grass effect at higher distances is unchanged. This is a pure masterpiece now.
*   Added a new option to UP1.6 Settings: "AI-Enhanced Terrain" which allows you to only disable the enhanced terrain textures, which might have a moderate performance impact in Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, but no performance impact in the vanilla Empire Earth II.
*   Re-enabled the Enhanced terrain textures by default on Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, due that their upscale level has changed and the performance impact is no longer noticeable.
*   Fixed an issue where barracks in epochs 1-5 could not display the under building texture in the rural area. There was no simple fix for that, so the non-enhanced texture has been restored for this building.

[160003 - 2023-11-17 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed a game crash on Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, when the Tundra (1.6) climate was loaded on version 160002.
—  Enhanced version only:
*   Disabled the enhanced terrain and under building textures on Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, due to detected significant performance penalty when playing on the Temperate climate. It seems that the expansion pack (AOS) is doing many useless things with textures (including rendering all 12-months seasonal textures, even when they're not displayed), which are overloading the game 10x more than in the normal EE2. We didn't detect any performance impact of the enhanced terrain textures in the normal EE2.
*   Added a new custom configuration command to UP1.6 Settings, which allows to enable/disable the enhanced terrain textures: //Option deprecated and removed from the changelog.
—  Included the new EE2 maps created by Bogdan: "Dominicana", "Koren Peninsula", "Late Byzantium", "North Africa", "The remnants of the Empire". Details: https://ee2.eu/t5754

[160002 - 2023-11-16 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  "Map Chooser 1.6" improvements: Added displaying of the map preview images directly in the game!
—  Enhanced Features Update:
*   Added over 600 enhanced terrain and under building textures. They now look much better when the camera is zoomed-in.
*   Improved some textures (e.g. a globe icon on the Multiplayer Lobby).
*   The Enhanced Features are described with screenshots at: https://ee2.eu/patch/enhanced/
—  Fixed some of UP1.5 features not working correctly in UP1.6 (mistakes during Launcher optimization):
*   Rotating camera using the "Middle Mouse Button Actions".
*   Opening links from the started multiplayer game chat using "CTRL+C Improvements" from update 159011.
—  Fixed a game crash when "Dronecopter (1.6)" in epoch 13 was produced. It's due to incorrect texture size which didn't work well in UP1.6 (new .texcache format). Thanks for the problem report to player "Mohamed".
—  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.

[160001 - 2023-10-29 - Type: Optional Hotfix Update]:

—  Enhanced version: Resolved an issue preventing the selection/deselection of units below 66% health by clicking the red triangle on their icon.
—  Non-Enhanced version: Resolved an issue preventing the selection/deselection of UP1.6 units below 66% health by clicking the red triangle on their icon.
—  Updated "Loew's Ambient Pack 2":
*   Some ambient sounds can now be placed via IES script. A bug with too long names was fixed.
*   Adjusted Ambient Pack sound values in the database, because some of them were set incorrectly.
—  Fixed duplicated icons on Desktop / Start menu. Auto-removed the ones from Unofficial Patch 1.5.

[160000 - 2023-10-27 - Type: Core Release]:

—  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.
*   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.

[159013 - 2023-09-26 - Type: Multiplayer Features Update]:

—  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).
—  Fixed an issue in Icon Badges (feature from the last update) where the cloud icon was not working (NAT / MonaNAT messages).
—  Optimized the Launcher thread (LowLevelKeyboardProc) which monitors hotkeys.

[159012 - 2023-09-17 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  Addressed an issue, where after update 159009 (June 2023), the game could crash with Unhandled Exception in Korean / Chinese America (1.5) campaigns, when UP1.5 units were disabled in game. It's because file "dbunitfile6.cfg" was incorrectly modified to load a non-existing "korean_campaign_units_15.ddf" file. Thanks for the problem report to players "Pandora", "ian120" and "Guinho".
—  Added updated version of Bogdan's "Korean War 1950" scenario.
—  Loewenherz's "Map Chooser 1.5" improvements ( https://ee2.eu/maps/ ):
*   Added descriptions & preview images to another 39 maps.
*   Removed 31 bad quality EE2 maps from Unofficial Patch 1.5. They will be available to download separately.
—  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.

[159011 - 2023-08-20 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  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".
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve performance.
—  Fixed a game crash when Dolphins (new sea animals from Loew's Ambient Pack 2) were killed. Thanks for the report to player "RA blindmonk".
—  Included updated version of "Europe by FatalForce.map". Details & screenshots: https://ee2.eu/t5719
—  "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.
—  Added a fix for Paratrooper Planes from update 159008 (a bug where Paratrooper Planes could be attacked by some infantry units) to also work when UP1.5 units are disabled in game. Thanks for the report to player "Bogdan".
—  Included the 2 new EE2 maps created by danidanidani: "Babylon Tower Fight" and "Bamboula".

[159010 - 2023-06-26 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed a bug where file city_center_15.ddf was accidentally removed in the previous update, and resulted in game crash in epoch 15. Thanks for the report to player "Mr.Blacksmith".

[159009 - 2023-06-25 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.
—  Updated the custom, open source version of D3D9On12 compiled by Dr.MonaLisa (used by the fix from update 159005).
—  Added a sound effect when switching between the fullscreen and windowed mode (ALT+ENTER).
—  Updated "Loew's Ambient Pack 2":
*   Added a missing .ddf file for the Loew Editor mode on EE2: AoS.
*   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.
—  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).

[159008 - 2023-04-08 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  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].
—  Fixed an issue existing since ver. 158015, where option "Reduce visual weather effects for Blizzard, Sandstorm" was always enabled after the game restart, even when the status of it was correctly updated in the configuration file. Thanks for the report to player "ALIEN".
—  Disabled the automatic activation of the "TwoFingerScroll.exe" (Synaptics Touchpad Fix) when the system with the supported touchpad is detected. This fix now requires to be manually enabled by UP1.5 Settings when needed (on some old laptops). This change fixes an issue where some users could get the "Class not registered, ClassID: {9C042297-D1CD-4F0D-B1AB-9F48AD6A6DFF}" error after the fresh UP1.5 installation.

[159007 - 2023-03-01 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Fixed an issue where some Multiplayer Lobby users could not connect to other players due to "Database files differ" error. It occurred when the game was installed on a filesystem different from NTFS. The fix from this update might make the game startup slower for these users, but at least they can now enjoy the updated "ambient & weather sounds" from update 158015. Thanks for the report to players "BreadGoneBad", "Brayder" and "kallekanin3".
—  Increased the volume of the alert sirens in epochs 10-12 after sound changes in the last update. It's based on user’s feedback.
—  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.

[159006 - 2023-01-26 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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 temporary fix for the missing text problem on Intel GPUs:
*   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.
*   It doesn't longer require "UseWorkingDirectoryWorkaround" to work.
*   We found out that this fix also fixes the Unhandled Exception crash on game start on Nvidia Optimus computers with Intel 12th Gen processors.
*   For more information and a detailed guide how to use this fix, please read: https://ee2.eu/t5672
—  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 more audio taunts. More information: https://www.ee2.eu/multiplayer/taunts/
—  Fixed a rare UP1.5 Launcher crash when opening the Support Chat right after start, when no Internet connection is available.

[159005 - 2022-12-21 - Type: Hotfix & Feature Update]:

—  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.
*   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 rare cases, after update 159004 users could notice frametime spikes (around 300ms), every 1 minute in game. It was caused by the "Direct3DCreate8" function call for the "WinSHIFTArrowFixReturnToOriginalMonitor" feature. Thanks for the report to player "RA blindmonk".

[159004 - 2022-12-15 - Type: Hotfix & Feature Update]:

—  Updated the "Zoom Speed Modifier Hotkeys" feature and added new options. Please read the previous update changes for details.
—  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).
—  Fixed an issue where some of the borderless windowed mode and power saving features in UP15_GameHelper.dll stopped working after update 159003. It was caused by storing the same time variable in the AutoFOV function by mistake.
—  Changed the default "Advance to Next Epoch" hotkey from "alt+UP" to "ctrl+alt+shift+UP" due to new hotkeys added in the previous update.

[159003 - 2022-12-12 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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.

[159002 - 2022-11-23 - Type: Compatibility Update, Optional]:

—  Fixed compatibility with Gog version 54517:
*   Due that option "Fix for graphics bugs (no fire/explosion) on Intel HD graphics cards" has been deprecated in UP1.5.9, a function that automatically removes existing "d3d8.dll" file (when the fix was disabled) stopped working. This allows users to try different DirectX enhancers without interference from the Launcher. Unfortunately, the "GOG.com DirectX 8 wrapper" (file named d3d8.dll) causes many problems when it exists in the game folder. A fix has been prepared which detects the GOG Wrapper and automatically removes it from the game folder.
*   This was a different problem than the one fixed in update 158023.

[159001 - 2022-11-22 - Type: Core Release]:

—  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.

[158026 - 2022-09-17 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed an issue where messages were not displaying in game chat on Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, after update 158025.
—  Improved the fix from update 158008 which removes the extra message color and formatting information from the copied text from the multiplayer lobby chats. It now works with the recent timestamp feature. Additionally disabled the sound notification when the fix is activated, because it was not very needed.

[158025 - 2022-09-17 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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.

[158024 - 2022-09-04 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
*   WARNING: This update will make game playbacks played in epochs 14+ incompatible (they will hang/stop) due to incorrect synchronization. Game saves should not be affected.
—  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.
—  Added updated version of Bogdan's scenarios on his request: "Cold War 1965", "Korean War 1950", "North African Campaign", "Save Byzantium".

[158023 - 2022-04-10 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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 an issue where UP1.5 Launcher could continuously ask to change the screen resolution on Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy start. Thanks for the report to players: "sirphr" and "Hacker?pcs".
*   The latest game files update from Gog could remove UP1.5 Launcher files. In this case, please re-install UP1.5 from the official download page: https://ee2.eu/patch
*   Added an additional module which detects if the game / launcher files were overwritten. It shows an error with detailed information and helps to recover the UP1.5 installation.
—  Updated calsch03's "Survival Egypt (survival game mode)" scenario on his request. Renamed the "Easy" mode name to "Short" and updated an AI player for slot 2.
—  Updated some texts in Bogdan's "Cold War 1965" scenario on his request.

[158022 - 2022-02-12 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Fixed an issue where UP15_GameHelper.dll could determine a wrong window handle as the main game window, if a window with the same name (e.g. "Empire Earth II" Windows Explorer folder) was open at the game start time. It could prevent the taskbar icon flashing or audio playback (taunts) system to work correctly.
—  Improved reliability of the "Exclusive Content Downloader" feature.
—  Option "Enable Anti-Aliasing in DirectX 9" is no longer enabled by default (fresh UP1.5 installation only).
—  The status of option "AntiAliasing in DirectX 9" will be automatically changed after this update, in order to prevent this option from being enabled on Intel HD GPUs where I detected a huge performance degradation. The auto-status-change will persist until the next manual configuration change in UP1.5 Settings.
—  "TranslateTextsSourceFile" improvement: Added the full UP1.5 texts database translation for the Spanish language. Thanks to player "Genrox" (Yoshua).
—  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.
*   WARNING: This update will make previously recorded game playbacks incompatible. They will hang / stop due to incorrect synchronization. Game saves should not be affected.

[158021 - 2021-12-15 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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!
—  Improved detection of the inactive game window. When the windowed mode is used - it improves the taskbar icon flashing function, and prevents playing all audio messages (taunts), from "missed" messages after restoring the game window.
—  Fixed an issue where multiplayer users could hear multiple audio messages (taunts), if they received an invite to a game which contained a taunt text in the title. It has been replaced to the "saving slots" audio feedback which is only played 1 time per game session ID.
—  Fixed a bug, where on Multiplayer Lobby, it was impossible to decline game invites from Dr.MonaLisa due to the crown symbol in her nickname.
—  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.

[158020 - 2021-11-08 - Type: Optional]:

—  Option "Disable fullscreen optimizations" is now checked by default for all users after installing this update. It's available in the Maximization Helper window:
*   It fixes frequent game freezes after restoring the game window using ALT+TAB. This problem was usually occurring for players who are using NVIDIA graphics card.
—  Moved the folder icon from the Launcher resource to an external file in order to fix the recent Windows Defender false-positive detections.

[158019 - 2021-11-06 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  Added more error details to code 14J in UP15_GameHelper.dll. It helps to detect "Tune Up" programs that prevent the game from starting.
—  Minor Update installer won't longer open UP1.5 Settings if "Quick Update" was selected.
—  Removed an unnecessary sleep in the UP1.5 Launcher function which modifies game memory (performance improved).
—  Updated miniupnpc library to ver. 2.2.3.
—  If you're using Windows 11, check out Dr.MonaLisa's "Windows 11 Drag & Drop to the Taskbar (Fix)": https://github.com/HerMajestyDrMona/Windows11DragAndDropToTaskbarFix

[158018 - 2021-10-03 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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".
—  Updated calsch03's "The Roman Expedition" scenario to ver. 1.1:
*   Added the cooperative mode for 2 players (accessible by the "Create Game" -> "Game Type" -> "Load Saved Game" -> "The Roman Expedition Coop (Calsch03).sav" on Multiplayer Lobby).
*   Other bug fixes are listed in the scenario's topic: https://ee2.eu/t5483
—  Included the new EE2 / EE2: AOS maps created by Loewenherz: "Imperial Grounds" (for 8 players, inspired by the EE3 map of the same name), "Mars" (for 4 players). Details: https://ee2.eu/p26844
—  Updated Loewenherz's "Highland" map to add the missing stone in the top part of the map. Thanks for the file update to player calsch03.
—  On Multiplayer Lobby, disabled the game taskbar icon flashing function, when the game window is minimized (iconic), if the received message contains the translation languages code prefix. It's useful for players who quickly minimize game after sending a message, so their own message translation isn't signaled.
—  Reverted the experimental volume of "Audio playback (and taunts) for certain messages" change from the last minor update, with some little exception for selected audio files. Additionally, included new taunts from the recent Greta Thunberg's "bla bla bla" speech.

[158017 - 2021-08-09 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Addressed an issue occurring after update 158015 (with a fix for projectiles exploding way too high above ships):
*   In lower epochs ships that are moving could not take any damage, especially when the game speed was slow or medium.
*   It could be considered as a benefit (possible micromanagement during sea battles), however Unofficial Patch 1.5 was designed not to change the vanilla experience / gameplay. That's why it has been rated as a bug.
*   The new version of the "projectiles fix" detects if a projectile is a bomb, torpedo or guided missile, otherwise it's not activating (arrows, cannons). Torpedoes and guided missiles are following the target, so the bug doesn't occur, and bombs have never been following the target, but they deal area damage. This way the visual bug is fixed without a negative effect on the gameplay.
*   Thanks for the report and providing the game save file to player: "KOZZY7".
—  Experimentally increased the base volume of "Audio playback (and taunts) for certain messages" in order to prevent soundproofing in games with many explosions or other loud sounds. It doesn't mean that they will play louder than now. EE2 has its own Sounds Manager where the volume of different sounds is dynamically changed, and the ones with the highest volume are more noticeable.

[158016 - 2021-08-02 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed a game crash (EIP: 00609a50h) that could occur after update 158015. It was related to the new visual explosion effect of TBMs, so we're removing this change now. Thanks for the report to player: "Yakult".

[158015 - 2021-08-01 - Type: Monthly & Feature Update]:

—  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 (usually guided missiles 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 simulates the same behaviour as when attacking buildings. Following with the guided missiles is not negatively affected (works in the unchanged form).
*   It also improves explosion visuals in lower epochs, during sea battles. Projectiles (including torpedoes) now explode right next to the hull instead of somewhere far beside. Discussion and before/after screenshots are available in this forum topic: https://ee2.eu/p26690
*   WARNING: This update will make previously recorded game playbacks with naval units used - incompatible. They will hang / stop due to incorrect synchronization. Game saves should not be affected.
—  Increased the "Maximum Sound Memory" to 200MB (from 100MB in versions 157024+, originally 5MB).
—  Improved the visual explosion effect of TBMs (1.5).
—  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".
—  Included a new EE2 / EE2: AOS map created by Loewenherz: "Mirage" (for 8 players, reconstruction of EE3 map). Details: https://ee2.eu/t5304
—  Improved the "Host version %HOSTVERSION% differs from local version %LOCALVERSION%" message on the Multiplayer Lobby. It now displays additional information depending if a player is on EE2, AOS, EE2 / AOS with disabled UP1.5 units, or Developers Version of UP1.5. It helps new players understand the difference between versions and guides them how to switch between different versions. Thanks for help with translation to players "IndieRock00" (Italian), "FoxTunez" (German).
—  Fixed a game crash that could occur on the start of a multiplayer game. Reference addresses: 00568BF7 (EE2), 0057C5F8 (AOS). It occurred when some player (who was not present in a hosted game room) attempted to join a game after it was already launched.
*   Historical detail: Usually, this crash was connected with the 'empty slot' bug, but not caused by the recent UP1.5 updates with fixes for it (the first crash reports with these reference addresses were sent to EE2.eu already in 2016). Before the 158006 update, players were rejoining hosted game rooms in order not to leave empty slots in the middle. It was minimizing the risk of this crash. In update 158007 the slow games list refresh issue has been fixed. It allows players to attempt to join game rooms much faster (but the host might click the Launch button while they're joining). These useful improvements made the newly fixed crash more recognizable, but they were not a direct cause of it.

[158014 - 2021-06-22 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Delayed the debug message about the fixed game slowdown caused by the 'empty slot' bug by 2 in-game seconds in order to minimize the risk of game crash. Thanks for the report to player "KennetRP".
—  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
—  Fixed a bug where Hospital (1.5) could only set the rally point to the sea.
—  Fixed an issue where version information was missing in the "Installation Validation Checking Tool" reports, if they were generated using the empireearth2 protocols.
—  The "Backup & Restore" feature now stores an unique installation hash in filenames stored in the "Documents\Empire Earth II\UP15_ConfigurationBackups" folder. It helps identify backups in case when a user is synchronizing files between multiple computers.
—  The option "Show information about unused EE2 files in the Documents folder" now also counts the number of files in "Documents\Empire Earth II\UP15_ConfigurationBackups" folder. The alert triggers when the number of files is greater than specified: "CustomFilesNumberCheckingUP15ConfigBackup=4999" with the custom configuration command in UP1.5 Settings.
—  Added a few new audio taunts and changed the AOE3 taunts to be triggered on a1-a33 instead of 1-33. It's to prevent unnecessary discussion interruption.
—  Addressed an issue in "Empire Earth II Playback (.e2s) to ChatLog Converter", where a list of players in game could contain junk data.

[158013 - 2021-05-28 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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).
—  Added 43 EE2-specific audio taunts, like "uranium please", "move your army", etc.
—  Increased the volume of "yes_rules", "no_rules" and "host_waiting" audio taunts.
—  Added more audio taunts, including "Hilarious Ugandan Interview" ones. More information: https://www.ee2.eu/multiplayer/taunts/

[158012 - 2021-05-17 - Type: Hotfix Update, Optional]:

—  Improved changes for the citizen manager cursor (changed in Minor Update 158011):
*   Reverted the default font size, but kept the new alignment. Thanks for the problem report to player "Rando".
*   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 (as in version 158011).
—  Fixed an issue where "Flare Hotkey" in "Middle Mouse Button Actions" (added in Minor Update 158011) didn't work for players with German keyboard layout (QWERTZ).
—  Increased the volume of the newly added "witch" taunts.

[158011 - 2021-05-15 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  "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).
—  Reduced the font size and changed the text alignment to the right for the number of idle citizens in the citizen manager cursor. It fixes a bug where a number greater than 99 was not fully displaying on Full HD (and greater) screen resolutions, and a number greater than 9 was not fully displaying on 4K screen resolution.
—  Unique units balance tweaks (changed values from Minor Updates 157025, 157028, 157035):
*   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.
—  Fixed a rarely occurring bug, where in UP1.5 Settings, after clicking on "OK - Save Changes" button, the Launcher could show a prompt asking to reload "UnofficialVersionConfig.txt" file, because it has been modified by another program.
—  Added more audio taunts. More information: https://www.ee2.eu/multiplayer/taunts/
—  Experimentally fixed a bug where sometimes the keyboard did not work in-game after the auto-maximization (until the next ALT+TAB). This issue was generally fixed in update 158003, however we detected that the same problem still occurs rarely. The experimental fix disables the "ShowWindow" function and only uses the "SetForegroundWindow" function which should have the same effect. We're still not sure if that's the root cause of the problem, but it will be easier to test based on the amount of the problem reports from players.
—  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).

[158010 - 2021-03-23 - Type: Hotfix Update, Optional]:

—  Fixed a game crash that could occur after changing game screens (e.g. after clicking on the "Done" button in the Stats screen). Thanks for the report to player "IndieRock00".
—  Updated the default UP1.5 Configuration file (UnofficialVersionConfig.txt).

[158009 - 2021-03-20 - Type: Reliability Update]:

—  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
—  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.

[158008 - 2021-03-01 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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!
—  The debug messages regarding the detected multiplayer game slowdown (fixes from the last updates) are now displayed to all players (not only the host), together with the current host player name.
—  Addressed an issue in "Empire Earth II Playback (.e2s) to ChatLog Converter" (AOS playbacks), where a list of players in game could contain junk data (incomprehensible information about player's Custom Civilization).
—  Fixed a problem where on multiplayer lobby, copying a text (CTRL+C) selected by the double left mouse button click, could leave message color and formatting information. The UP1.5 Launcher is now detecting for the CTRL+C press (only when the game window is currently foreground and an user is logged-in the Multiplayer Lobby) and is tweaking the copied text in the system clipboard in order to workaround this issue. A short sound effect is played, when the clipboard text is fixed.
—  Added more audio taunts (Greta Thunberg) and updated existing ones. More information: https://www.ee2.eu/multiplayer/taunts/
—  Updated Bogdan's "Save Byzantium" and "Korean War 1950" scenarios on his request.
—  UP1.5 executables (Launcher, DLL files, Installers) are now code-signed by the EE2.eu self-signed certificate.

[158007 - 2021-02-07 - Type: Reliability Update]:

—  Improved the fix from update 158006, which resolves the multiplayer game slowdown issues:
*   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
—  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 an issue where using the "Clear Cache" button in UP1.5 Settings was always returning an error after update 158000.
—  Once again, updated Bogdan's "Korean War 1950" scenario. Thanks for help to Loewenherz.
—  The Minor Update installer will no longer ask to remove the "hotkeys_remap.csv" file (if exists).

[158006 - 2021-02-02 - Type: Reliability & Feature Update]:

—  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.
—  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).
—  Updated Bogdan's "Korean War 1950" scenario to fix discussed issues. Thanks for help to Loewenherz.

[158005 - 2021-01-27 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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). These 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
—  Added 112 new audio taunts, for example "cry", "gg", "help", "unfair", "duck", "ferret", and many more.
—  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 an issue where UP1.5 Launcher Keep Alive thread was unable to display Toast Notifications after update 157041 (global variable redefinition in a local function).
—  Added a new style of the donation message after game.

[158004 - 2020-12-21 - Type: Hotfix Update, Optional]:

—  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.
—  Changed the "Free Camera Mode" hotkey from CTRL+F to CTRL+ALT+G. This hotkey was often accidentally pressed by players.
—  Added an additional CTRL+F hotkey for "View Recording -> Toggle Fast-Forward". It fixes an issue where the Launcher had to unpress (and press again when needed) the CTRL key for the new "Playbacks Fast-Forward Speed" feature in order to simulate the F key press (default "Toggle Fast-Forward" hotkey) and force game to reload speed settings.
—  Added more improvements to UP1.5 Launcher, related to the new "curl_mime" method, added in update 158001.

[158003 - 2020-12-05 - Type: Monthly Update, Optional]:

—  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".
—  Fixed the Launcher crash (related to the new "curl_mime" method, added in update 158001) that could result in error "14J-3: Unable to detect the UP1.5 Launcher's path." in UP15_GameHelper.dll. Thanks for the reports to players "IndieRock00" and "KennetRP".
—  Fixed the Launcher crash that could occur after fast opening and closing the Support Chat, while the News window pre-loading thread was still not finished. It mostly affected players using the slow Internet connection.

[158002 - 2020-11-23 - Type: Hotfix & Feature Update, Optional]:

—  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.
—  Fixed a bug where CTRL+F7 and CTRL+F8 hotkeys had an inverted behaviour (Faster/Slower instead of Slower/Faster Playback Fast-Forward Speed).
—  Fixed a bug where the Launcher could warn about the incorrect .exe location for the empireearth2:// and empireearth2aos:// protocols after update 158000. It was caused by the registration of .e2s file format for "Empire Earth II Playback (.e2s) to ChatLog Converter", and incorrectly working fallback function between EE2.exe and EE2X.exe. Thanks for the report to player "KennetRP".

[158001 - 2020-11-10 - Type: Hotfix Update, Optional]:

—  Addressed an issue where users could send requests to the KeepAlive server every 4 seconds. At some point, UP15_GameHelper.dll was unable to release a mutex, so UP1.5 Launcher was continuously re-sending all the updated data to the Server. It now has been replaced by the boost::interprocess::named_mutex functions which work without issues.
—  Addressed an issue where UP1.5 Launcher KeepAlive thread was not cleaning (freeing) the post form, and adding updated data (from the new DLL) endlessly. On the Server side it was giving an error "PHP Warning: Unknown: Input variables exceeded 1000", and players status could not be updated, so the last change: "Players who resign a multiplayer game and become observers will now have the same Observers Features" was not working for players who spent over 3 hours (maybe less) in game.
—  Replaced the deprecated CURL function "curl_httppost" with "curl_mime", everywhere in the Launcher. It improves reliability of all requests.
—  Addressed an issue in "Empire Earth II Playback (.e2s) to ChatLog Converter", where a list of players in game could have missing entries. Thanks for the report and providing a problematic .e2s file to player "IndieRock00".
—  Addressed an issue where the game icon could be flashing endlessly, even after restoring the game window. It was caused by a different flashing speed on the "Host is waiting to launch..." event. If a new message from the player was sent after this event while the game window was still minimized, the blinking effect of the previous event could not be cleared. To fix this issue, the same flashing effect has been restored for all events of this type.

[158000 - 2020-11-06 - Type: Core Release]:

—  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).
*   Increased the blinking speed on the "Host is waiting to launch..." event.
—  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.

[157041 - 2020-10-01 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  "Playbacks Fast-Forward Speed" improvements:
*   Added new hotkeys to control the speed: CTRL+F7 (slower) and CTRL+F8 (faster). They can be disabled by the custom configuration command: "AllowPlaybacksFastForwardHotkeys=0" in UP1.5 Settings.
*   Added new available speeds: 22.5, 25.0, 27.5, 30.0, 45.0, 60.0 (but they're not recommended to use, very crashy).
—  Added more Halloween and Christmas themed audio taunts for Multiplayer chats (88 in total).
—  Using the "Switch the active player to player" hotkey will not longer store the nickname of the different player in the chat messages history, in the playback file. There was a fix for this issue in update 157040, but only worked during the active game, now it should be fine when watching game recordings.
—  On the Multiplayer Lobby, the information tooltip (player's version, country, ratings, etc.) now supports the new line characters. It helped reduce requests size multiple times, because we don't longer need to use a workaround with many spaces at the end of each line.
—  Security improvements related to the muting system on Multiplayer.
—  Improved the "Support for Tobii Eye Tracker devices":
*   Added support for the new "Tobii Eye Tracker 5" device.
*   Updated Tobii Interaction Library to ver. 1.0.2.1.
—  Libraries updates in the UP1.5 Launcher:
*   Updated Libcurl to ver. 7.72.0.
*   Updated Boost libraries to ver. 1.74.0.

[157040 - 2020-09-18 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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).
—  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).
—  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).
—  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.
—  Fixed an issue where Multiplayer game Observers could use nicknames of different players (without their colors) when used the "Switch the active player to player" hotkeys: CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + (W, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0). It was caused by the new workaround for displaying correct nicknames in game playbacks, added in update 157038. Observers are able to "switch players" in unrated games, to view their amount of resources, fog of war, explored technologies, etc. This is a Server-controlled feature that might be disabled at any time for all or selected (abusive) players.
—  Fixed a bug where pressing the "Idle Citizen" button (left-bottom part of the screen) was also selecting Gardeners and City Builders. When no idle units were available it showed "There are no idle Gardeners (1.5) available" message (instead of "idle Citizens"). A similar fix was added to the (, COMMA) hotkey in Minor Update 157005 (February 2019). Thanks to my mom for detecting this bug, while playing the tutorial missions with me.
—  Added new hotkeys (they can be remapped in Settings -> Hotkeys):
*   CTRL+W = HERC Hades: Activate Anti-Missile System.
*   CTRL+Q = HERC Hera: Cast Shield.
—  Added 18 new Halloween themed audio taunts for Multiplayer chats.
—  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".

[157039 - 2020-08-29 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed a bug where game cheats didn't work after the last Minor Update (157038). The bug was caused by the new workaround for displaying correct nicknames in playbacks. Thanks for the report to player "Peter". You can watch the development process of this workaround on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpgnKHlsVOc

[157038 - 2020-08-29 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Game Recordings / Playbacks: added a workaround for displaying correct nicknames of players who send messages in the game chat (their color will still be 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".
—  "TranslateTextsSourceFile" improvement: Added the full UP1.5 texts database translation for the German language. Thanks to player "FoxTunez".
—  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.
—  Included the new EE2 / EE2: AOS map: "Loew World Map", created by "Loewenherz". Details: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?p=25661#p25661
—  "Dark Launcher Theme": Fixed an incorrect time text in the Windows 8/10 Toast Notification, which pop-ups on a new Support Chat message arrival.
—  Spell checking on the Support Chat: Recently used nicknames will not longer be marked as misspellings.

[157037 - 2020-07-26 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Fixed an EE2: AOS game crash when priests converted the "Tundra Bear" (predator animal, added for the new Tundra climate). Priests can not longer convert it (just as all other world animals). Thanks for the report to player "ndcasmera".
—  Improved the received player message sound effect on game chat (Multiplayer only), which was changed in Minor Update 157030.
—  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.
—  Added a new screen to UP1.5 Minor Update installer, where it's possible to select the "Quick" or "Advanced" Installtion mode. The new "Quick Installation" mode reduces the number of times needed to click on the "Next" button. It continues with the current version, game directory and other options that are automatically detected (or default).

[157036 - 2020-06-08 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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
—  By default, disabled the detection of "UseScrollCursor" registry key on laptops with Synaptics touchpad. The Launcher was asking users if the value should automatically be changed. The fix was mostly needed on old laptops (2013 and earlier) and the new Synaptics drivers don't show it anyway. It could make users confused. The detection can still be re-enabled by the custom configuration command: "AlwaysIgnoreSynapticsCursorWarnings=0" in UP1.5 Settings.

[157035 - 2020-04-26 - Type: Compatibility Update]:

—  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.
—  Tanks reworked (changed values from Minor Updates 157025, 157028):
#   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.
*   WARNING: This update will make game playbacks played in epochs 11+ incompatible (they will hang/stop) due to incorrect synchronization. Game saves should not be affected.
—  Fixed a bug, where a change from Minor Update 156021 (January 2018): "Disabled game icon flashing when any player joins/leaves the Multiplayer Lobby, when the game process is minimized" wasn't working for languages with supported "TranslateTextsSourceFile" (Polish, Italian), described in Minor Update 157019 (September 2019).
—  Minor tweaks / volume fixes in "Audio playback (taunts) for certain messages sent in the Multiplayer chats" feature.
—  Fixed a bug in the "Exclusive Content Downloader", where clicking "No" in the question about overwritting an existing file still displayed a successful / unsuccessful message. Thanks for the report to player "Bogdan".

[157034 - 2020-04-13 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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
—  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 50 new "Audio playback (taunts) for certain messages sent in the Multiplayer chats". The list is available at: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=5314
—  Improved the "Support for Tobii Eye Tracker devices". By default, keys presses will not be simulated when the game is currently in the Menu / Multiplayer Lobby, etc.
—  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
—  Fixed a bug where in UP1.5 Settings option "I suffer epileptic seizures (neurological disorder)" was invisible (instead of grayed out), when option "Enable DirectX 9" was disabled during the window loading.
—  In UP1.5 Settings, updated the tooltip of option "Fix for graphics bugs (no fire/explosion)" with information that also the High Water Details will not work on both: EE2 and AOS.
—  In UP1.5 Settings, changed a part of text in option "Disable V-Sync in DirectX 9", from "(not recommended)" to "(useful for G-Sync / FreeSync monitors)".

[157033 - 2020-03-21 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  "Audio playback (taunts) for certain messages sent in the Multiplayer chats" improvements:
*   Added a new option: "Disable audio taunts in multiplayer chats" to the Maximization Helper window.
*   Added 42 sound efects, copied from Age of Empires II, executed by typing b1-b42 (for example b22 for "quit touching me!").
*   Added many other sound effects from EE2 (and few new ones). It's over 212 now (not couting AOE).
*   The list of taunts is available at: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=5314
—  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
—  Linux (Wine): "Middle Mouse Button Actions" is now disabled by default (fresh UP1.5 installation only) due to reported issue with the mouse lags. It can still be manually enabled by UP1.5 Settings. Please note that it doesn't affect Windows users, as this is a non-blocking thread, perfectly optimized after Minor Update 157008.

[157032 - 2020-02-27 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed issues with the new 157031 feature (audio playback for certain messages). It didn't work for private message senders, and for all players in hosted-game room (except the host).

[157031 - 2020-02-26 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  New feature: Audio playback (taunts) for certain messages sent in the Multiplayer chats (before game start):
*   33 sound effects, copied from Age of Empires III, executed by typing numbers 1-33 (for example 21 for "hahaha", 15 for "wololo").
*   Over 120 sound effects from EE2 (and some new ones), for example "cough", "hospital", "citycenter", "neinneinnein", etc. A full list will be shared later on EE2.eu BLOG or Forum.
*   The audio will only play if the game is maximized / active at the time message arrives.
*   Those taunts can be disabled by using the "Ignore" button on a player who in your opinion abuses them.
—  UP1.5 Launcher features that simulate keyboard key presses (Middle Mouse Button Actions, FSM Hotkey, PrtScn Fix, Constrain Cursor Hotkey) will now execute only when EE2 window is currently active. It resolves issues with middle mouse clicks (or hotkeys presses) in third-party programs when EE2 is minimized. Thanks for the problem report to player "IndieRock00".
—  "Automatic Font Size for Screen Resolutions" improvements:
*   By default, disabled the fix for Chinese language, added in update 157009. It's because of crashes reported by Chinese players.
*   The different fonts can still be restored, by the custom configuration command: "AutomaticFontSizeForceRegionMode=0" in UP1.5 Settings (0 = Automatic detection, 1 = English file, 2 = Chinese file).
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.

[157030 - 2020-01-27 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.

[157029 - 2020-01-07 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed a bug after Minor Update 157028, where ICBMs, TBMs, etc. could be selected after they were launched. Players could for example delete them in air. An attempt to move them resulted in a "fixed" Unhandled Exception message on game chat.
—  Removed the missile launch sound effect from Missile Siloses and Nuclear Missile Submarines (added earlier in UP1.5) due to an unfixable bug where the sound loops in case when a cycle production is running, and there are not enough resources to start a production of the next missile.

[157028 - 2020-01-06 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  Fixed an issue on EE2: AOS (expansion pack) where Native Tribes were not placed when the new Tundra climate was choosen. Tundra now uses the same set of Native Tribes as Temperate climate.
—  Added a new nuclear explosion sound of Super ICBMs.
—  Added a new alert sound for Radar in epoch 15.
—  Slightly increased area damage radius of Super ICBMs, TBMs and SSBNs.
—  Tanks reworked (changed values from Minor Update 157025):
#   Base Health is now 200% of the original health. Base Attack Points were restored to original values (no boost).
#   The Egyptian unique unit (EIFV) has a reduced base health boost to 175%, due to a very fast reload time, speed and high base attack points.
*   WARNING: This update will make game playbacks played in epochs 11+ incompatible (they will hang/stop) due to incorrect synchronization. Game saves should not be affected.
—  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.
—  Fixed an issue where UP1.5 Launcher showed the "Tobii Eye Tracker" Toast Notification on Windows 10, even when the eye tracker device was not connected to the computer. It was not an intentional bug to "promote" it, just: https://ee2.eu/assets/img/TobiiBugNotIntentional.PNG
—  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).

[157027 - 2019-12-18 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed an issue, where on Multiplayer, few seconds after a successful host migration (caused by the Host Quit) a player could get disconnected for a reason: "CD Key is already in use". Some stores, like Gog.com provide the same CD Key to all users, and that's what caused this problem (which is now fixed).
—  Improved the change from Minor Update 156008 (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 when "Out of Sync" or "Host quit" message is detected, the required number of attempts in order to unlock the button is reduced to 1. It's because some players were killing the game process by the Task Manager, instead of trying 3-4 times as it was explained on the changes list.
—  Improved the "Support for Tobii Eye Tracker devices":
*   Added much more areas with individually selected sizes, timeouts & blocks when gaze is not intentional.
*   Removed most of previously added custom configuration settings and added a new configuration method. For details, please read: https://www.ee2.eu/blog/018-eye-tracker

[157026 - 2019-12-15 - Type: Feature Update, Optional]:

—  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
—  Improved the Christmas expansion: UP1.5 Launcher will select Tundra as the last used climate (instead of Temperate).

[157025 - 2019-12-01 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Tundra climate improvements:
*   Added summer textures for Tundra trees. Thanks for help to Loewenherz.
*   Improved some of ground textures (under forest, river coasts).
—  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 175% of the original health (instead of 200%). Base Attack Points were restored to original values (no boost).
#   The Egyptian unique unit (EIFV) has a reduced base health boost to 150%, due to a very fast reload time, speed and high base attack points.
*   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%).
*   WARNING: This update will make game playbacks played in epochs 11+ incompatible (they will hang/stop) due to incorrect synchronization. Game saves should not be affected.
—  Limited the maximum number of Hospitals from unlimited to 1 per territory (it's because they give extra population points, which could be abused).
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.
—  Fixed an issue where a special EE2 folder icon could not work correctly. It can be disabled with a custom configuration command: "DisallowFolderIconChange=1" in UP1.5 Settings.

[157024 - 2019-11-13 - Type: Critical & Feature Update]:

—  Increased the "Maximum Sound Memory" from 5MB to 100MB. It may reduce the lag caused by sounds re-loading from files. Extra 95MB in RAM shouldn't be a problem on modern computers.
—  Fixed a game crash on EE2: AOS that occurred after selecting a Bear produced in the ZOO. This crash started after the "Tundra" update, where Bears are additionally used as predator animals.
—  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").
—  "TranslateTextsSourceFile" improvement: Added the full UP1.5 texts database translation for the Italian language. Thanks to player "IndieRock00".
—  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.
—  Improved the primary network adapter detection in UP1.5 Launcher.

[157023 - 2019-11-01 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Improved security of UP1.5 Launcher, and:
*   Updated OpenSSL to ver. 1.1.1d.
*   Updated Libbzip2 to ver. 1.0.8.
*   Updated Libcurl to ver. 7.66.0. It fixes an inconsiderable memory leak when sending a message on the Support Chat.
*   Updated Boost libraries to ver. 1.71.0.
*   Updated upnpc-static to ver. 2.1.20190824.
—  Added a missing change to EE2: AOS, from the 157016 update: 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. Thanks for the report about the missing change to player: "Someone".
—  Fixed an EE2: AOS bug, present since ver. 156004 (January 2017), where time of day settings weren't correctly loaded from game saves (with the exception of Cycle Time of Day). The 156004 update fixed a bug (present since ver. 1.0) where time of day settings didn't work when a custom map was loaded. Unexpectedly it created another issues which are now fixed. Thanks for the bug report to player "Someone".
—  Added a parameter that allows UP1.5 Launcher to decode URL when it's launched from the registered empireearth2:// or empireearth2aos:// protocol. It's needed for example to support EE2.eu Lobby game joining by clicking on a link on a website (currently used by Discord invites).
—  INFORMATION: EE2.eu Lobby is now integrated with a Discord channel. It allows to send and read messages on both platforms, access the Lobby chat from the mobile devices, see the list of players currently online (in the Discord channel topic) and more. Join the EE2.eu Discord at: https://www.ee2.eu/discord/ More information: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=5288

[157022 - 2019-10-16 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Improved the fixes for game freezes/hangs:
*   Fixed "Out of Sync" in Multiplayer games, due to Anti-freeze unnecessary activated. It's because in rare cases 3-steps freeze verification was triggered (address, value, time) at a different loop, even after the problematic function passed. I added an extra variables reset function, when the loop passess, to make sure it never happens in the future. Thanks for the report and providing test files to players "skoot" and "lonewolf".
—  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.
—  Improved Minor Update installer to fallback to HTTP protocol, when modern version of TLS for HTTPS is unsupported on the Operating System (Windows XP, etc.). It resolves the issue where users could see "ERROR DETECTING" as the current minor version, and no available update versions were shown on the list.

[157021 - 2019-10-07 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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: "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 10 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).
—  Fixed an issue where players could see a warning that "The installer has detected, that your IP address haven't downloaded the installer from the Official Download Page", after using the "Reinstall" or "Change Game Language" options in UP1.5 Settings, when the installers were already downloaded and their checksum matched, so the Launcher wasn't re-downloading them.

[157020 - 2019-10-01 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Improved the fixes for game freezes/hangs:
*   Those freezes were most likely caused by game sounds, which in case of long loading time caused the function to hang completely.
*   The new fix doesn't use the float comparation, instead it checks for the address changes during the 2 seconds timeout (based on the system time). It helps to prevent execution of the fix when not needed.
—  Fixed an issue where users could see an error message regarding "TranslateTextsSourceFile" thrown by the UP1.5 Launcher during first game launch after update.

[157019 - 2019-09-29 - Type: Critical Update]:

—  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: Unknown function in game process loops forever when a float variable is greater than "5.5".
*   Fix: Unofficial Patch 1.5 detects the freeze, overwrites the float to "5.5" and 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 now available for the Polish language.
*   The partial texts database translation is now available for all languages available in EE2 distributions (except Bulgarian).
—  Improved security of UP1.5 Launcher related to the Support Chat authorization.
—  Fixed an issue in UP1.5 Minor Update installer, where file "MinorVersion-data" was not downloaded at the very end after 157006 update. In case of unsuccessful / terminated installation, the launcher could show already updated version, while installation was incomplete.

[157018 - 2019-09-11 - Type: Hotfix & Feature Update]:

—  Tundra climate improvements:
*   Fixed a bug where forests could be generated on mountains in the Tundra climate.
*   Changed the Rabbit (animal) model to the high-quality one with working animations. Thanks to Gonzalo for providing files.
*   Changed food from Rabbits from Low to Medium, due to balance differences between climates that could negatively affect multiplayer matches.
—  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

[157017 - 2019-09-08 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  Hotfix update for Tundra climate:
*   Fixed an Unhandled Exception game crash when "Settings" -> "Video" -> "Terrain Detail" was set to "Low" or "Medium" (Tundra required "High" to work).
*   Improved under-building textures during the long Tundra Winter, changed on-ground snow intensivity and improved few other things.
*   Increased the volume of Tundra ambient audio (war sounds, especially explosions were muffling the climate).

[157016 - 2019-09-07 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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). Currently they are winter-only textures, even during the short Tundra Summer season (it's still better than using old trees from Temperate climate). We're aware of it, and please don't report it as a "bug".
*   Special thanks for cooperative work on the Tundra climate to: 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.
—  Updated scenario: "e24ever - Zombie Land-Chapter one.scn" to prevent displaying "unable to find unit named..." script errors. Thanks for report to player "ByzantineEmpire".

[157015 - 2019-08-04 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  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).

[157014 - 2019-08-02 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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

[157013 - 2019-07-21 - Type: Optional Update]:

—  Improved UP1.5 Settings window:
*   Option "Force this screen resolution" now displays screen resolution groups in a combo box.
*   Repositioned some options and enlarged spacing.
—  Removed 3 incorrect EE2 maps. They were from EE3, couldn't be loaded in EE2 and most likely were accidentally added to UP1.5.
—  Changed the style of the "Donation" button (hopefully it will be clicked from time to time).

[157012 - 2019-06-20 - Type: Optional Update]:

—  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.

[157011 - 2019-06-08 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.
—  Restored the time after which players are disconnected from the Multiplayer game in case of connection loss (from 120 seconds to default 60 seconds). It was changed again by some previous 157XXX update, but we detected that players who lag out usually won't reconnect, so the increased waiting time is wasted.
—  Fixed a bug where option "I suffer epileptic seizures (neurological disorder)" had no effect when "UP1.5 units, buildings, models, sounds" were disabled in game.

[157010 - 2019-05-09 - Type: Critical Update]:

—  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.
—  Launcher Support Chat messages sending improvements to prevent displaying of the sent message in gray color, if another thread already received this message and updated the window.

[157009 - 2019-05-04 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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.

[157008 - 2019-04-07 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Improved Security of UP1.5 Launchers, and:
*   Updated OpenSSL to ver. 1.1.1b.
*   Updated Libcurl to ver. 7.64.1.
*   Updated Boost libraries to ver. 1.69.0.
*   Updated upnpc-static to ver. 2.1.20190403 (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).
*   Fixed default game settings on EE2: AOS (expansion pack) after UP1.5 installation. The "Cycle Time of Day" was unintentionally active by default and could confuse players who had to search for information how to switch it off. Thanks for report to player "duke".

[157007 - 2019-03-14 - Type: Criticial Update]:

—  Fixed a bug where Citizen Female took 700% of damage from all units after 157006 update (Snipers rework change). It's because of the missing "UpgradeSet" for female "UnitType" version in EE2 files. Sincere apologies to all feminists.
—  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
—  DEFAULT UNOFFICIAL PATCH 1.5 CONFIGURATION CHANGES:
*   "Disable fullscreen optimizations" is no longer enabled by default. It shouldn't be required after Minor Update 157000 and it could cause problems with 30FPS limit on certain AMD graphics cards, when DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) is enabled.

[157006 - 2019-03-04 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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 caused by Minor Update 155001 (November 2015) 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.
—  Significantly speeded-up the Full UP1.5 installer by disabling the failsafe copy method. It does not affect the compression level.

[157005 - 2019-02-08 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  Updated UP1.5 Installers to improve security and reliability.
—  Corrected some of UP1.5 units text entries.

[157004 - 2019-01-10 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Multiplayer improvements:
*   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).
*   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.
*   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.

[157003 - 2018-12-11 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  Removed the partial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch") and reverted scout-related changes from all previous updates (excluding 156011).
*   Old fix data is still present in game files for compatibility reasons (old game saves, playbacks), but not used in new matches.
*   Kept the change: "Scouts are now forced to move out of the construction site area".
*   Fixed a bug where "Scout" and "Temp Anti-Glitch Scout (1.5)" units could respawn multiple times (reason unknown, area effect fixes didn't work as expected).
*   Fixed a huge performance degradation (game mouse lag) when a group of citizens or scouts was selected.
—  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 allowed in his game by selecting the "no Scout" Basic Citizens option.

[157002 - 2018-12-02 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Added a missing text entry for "Asymmetrical" resources layout on EE2: AOS. Thanks for the report to player "Dreadtania".
—  Corrected some of UP1.5 units descriptions (text entries).
—  Repaired the position of Multiplayer Lobby "Back" and Multiplayer Game "Cancel" buttons on 4k screen resolutions (they were covered by other widgets).
—  Increased sounds volume at the maximum zoom-out a little bit more (required after Camera FIX ver. 5.1 release).
—  Disabled the doors animation at the Manufacturing Plant in epochs 11-12 when idle (not producing) and slowed down this animation when producing tanks.
—  Improved the Christmas expansion: removed oversized candles from Christmas Trees.
—  Fixed an issue where UP1.5 Launcher could hang for some seconds on the splash screen, when certain programs were running in the background. It was caused by SystemParametersInfo->SPI_SETFONTSMOOTHING, SystemParametersInfo->SPI_SETFONTSMOOTHINGTYPE function calls, which I forgot to disable after internal tests in ~2014. Sorry about that.

[157001 - 2018-10-28 - Type: Hotfix Update]:

—  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.
—  "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).
—  Fixed an issue, where UP1.5 Launcher was unnecessary asking to "run as Administrator" when already had writing permissions to UnofficialVersionConfig.txt file.

[157000 - 2018-10-26 - Type: Core Release]:

—  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).
—  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.
—  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").
—  Improved the partial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch"). Replaced the fix effect "EffectIncredibleDeath" with "EffectCauseDamageOverTime" due to detected issues with the previously used method.
—  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.
—  More improvements and features will be added with time by 157000s Minor Updates.

[156034 - 2018-10-14 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  Improved Launcher behaviour when child executables (for example "TwoFingerScroll.exe") are renamed to lowercase (for example after Antivirus quarantine). The Launcher was using case-sensitive filename comparation, was unable to detect if the process is already running and couldn't quit it after game shutdown.
—  Added new favourite game settings save: "1-15 Nomad (med pace all random)" on player "Coo1" request.
—  Improved UP1.5 Minor Update installer to display suitable messages when process looks unresponsive. Reduced preparation time by caching list of target files in memory instead of external file.

[156033 - 2018-09-09 - Type: Critical Update]:

—  Fixed a critical issue where Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy could automatically close / crash on start, without giving any error message. It was caused by the growing size of users.cfg file.

[156032 - 2018-09-04 - Type: Critical Hotfix Update]:

—  Fixed "AI players are not using scouts for exploration on unrevealed maps" bug, which occurred after minor update 156031. There is no logical explanation why this bug appears after adding abilities to scout unit, but it was work-arounded programmatically (assembly).
—  Updated calsch03's "Survival Egypt (survival game mode)" campaign to resolve issues with custom AI script files not being used.
—  Fixed "failed to load HTTP.lmd plugin" issues in new UP1.5 installers. Unfortunately, Minor Update Installer will not be longer able to resume downloads in case of connection problems (the file that failed will need to be re-downloaded from the begining).
—  Updated some texts in UP1.5 Launcher.

[156031 - 2018-09-01 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Improved the partial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch"). Reverted scout-related changes from updates: 156019, 156018, 156017. 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 (and no attack ability). The normal Scout will be automatically recreated, after player produce a new citizen. It's to prevent abuses in Multiplayer games.
—  Fixed missing launcher splash images on Developers Version of UP1.5 (for the other mods).
—  Fixed possible Mission Timer errors in "e24ever - Hellhole1.scn" scenario.
—  Integrated e24ever's "The Zombieland" scenario with the EE2 "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. Thanks to Loewenherz for preparing and improving files.
—  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.
—  Improved possibility to re-generate Auto-CD-KEYs from the empireearth2 protocol links.
—  Added possibility to use the "Installation Validation Checking Tool, created by Dr.MonaLisa", without Support Chat, so we can help directly from the forum.ee2.eu posts, thanks to registered empireearth2 protocols.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.
—  Updated UP1.5 Installers to improve security and reliability. Installers now use more soundtracks (randomly selected). Minor Update Installer now downloads files over HTTPs and shows the number of checked/updated files correctly, with no delay.

[156030 - 2018-07-02 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Addressed issue with changing the status of option "Disable fullscreen optimizations" in Maximization Helper, when the game was installed in "C:\Program Files (x86)\*" location.
—  Added an information about the "Crowns System and Leaders" option status in a new system message on game start. It should help prevent "I didn't know!!!" excuses on Multiplayer.

[156029 - 2018-06-08 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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.
—  Minor text fixes in the Launcher (for example Solution 1 tooltip).
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.

[156028 - 2018-05-31 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  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").
—  Fixed a bug where Ambulances rotated wheels and played engine sound during healing.
—  Integrated e24ever's "Hell Hole - Escape from Hell" campaign with the EE2 "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. Thanks to Loewenherz for preparing files.
—  Integrated calsch03's "Survival Egypt (survival game mode)" with the EE2 AOS "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. Thanks for help to Loewenherz. More information: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5052
—  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).
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.

[156027 - 2018-04-30 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Enabled screenshot hotkeys for the Map Editor. It will save a JPG (HOTKEY: Prt Scr) or BMP (HOTKEY: ctrl + Prt Scr) image file to "Documents\Empire Earth II\screenshots" or "Documents\Empire Earth II The Art of Supremacy\screenshots" directory.
—  Fixed desktop screen resolution detection on Windows 10, when display scaling is different than 100%. (The Launcher is now PER_MONITOR_DPI_AWARE).
—  Changed the location of some of temporary files (cookies) used by UP1.5 Launcher to prevent issues with missing settings after the Temp folder is cleared (for example Support Chat nickname save).
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve performance.

[156026 - 2018-03-30 - Type: Compatibility Update]:

—  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).
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.
—  Integrated e24ever's "The Viking Age" campaign with the "Single Player" -> "Play Campaign" menu. It now uses the timeline created by Loewenherz.
—  Integrated 5 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". Thanks for help to Loewenherz for creating all required files.

[156025 - 2018-03-01 - Type: Monthly Update]:

—  Added a new 800x1000 EE2 map: "Italy by DarnellP". More information: https://forum.ee2.eu/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=5039
—  Secured KeepAlive connections with HTTPs (in the Launcher), but only if HTTP and HTTPS IPs are the same. In rare cases users have different IPs for HTTP and HTTPS connections. We use IPs to identify user's Minor Version on the Multiplayer Lobby.
—  Added fixes to minimize the risk of "Out of Sync" errors in Multiplayer Games, when a Multiplayer Game Save is loaded and crowns in game were disabled. The fix only works on the Multiplayer Lobby (not LAN) and uses the "Keep Alive" Launcher function to work.
—  Fixed a bug where UP1.5 Launcher was resetting the screen resolution settings on game restart, when user changed it to 800x600.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.

[156024 - 2018-01-30 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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 incorrectly displayed hotkey categories in Settings -> Hotkeys menu. It mistakenly displayed Barracks as the parent unit/building.
—  Fixed incorrect mouse pointer icons in the child windows of UP1.5 Launcher (after update 156023).

[156023 - 2018-01-15 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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.
*   The "UnofficialVersionConfig.txt" file update is forced by this Minor Update. Please check your settings after installation.
—  Fixed a bug where mouse cursor escapes game screen when multiple monitors are connected to the computer. This bug was present since Minor Update 156019 with "Exclusive", Borderless Windowed Mode support.
—  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.
—  Integrated Dr Grip's "Chinese America" 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.
—  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.
—  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.
—  Improved Minor Update 156020 feature ("Keep Alive function allows Observers to see messages and flares sent by players who are playing") to always work correctly. A Player status is now identified by the Profile ID instead of nickname's position on the list.
—  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.

[156022 - 2018-01-06 - Type: Feature Update]:

—  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".
—  Updated the style and texts of message boxes before joining the Multiplayer Lobby (Updates / Detected Problems / Bans).
—  Recompiled all significant UP1.5 modules using the updated compiler version and libraries. It might improve security and code execution speed after installing the newest Operating System updates which fix Meltdown/Spectre CPU vulnerabilities.
—  Minor bug fixes and improvements of UP1.5 Launcher.

[156021 - 2018-01-01]:

—  Disabled game icon flashing when any player joins/leaves the Multiplayer Lobby, when the game process is minimized. It was annoying for most of players who only want to be informed about important events.
—  Added caching for the icon flashing functions (added in update 156000). It should insignificantly speed up those function calls.
—  Improved text pasting to the Support Chat input field. It's now possible to paste multi-line text, and new line characters will be replaced with " " automatically.
—  Reverted Minor Update 156020 changes for "increased messages history limits of in-game Chat and Multiplayer Lobby Chat", because we detected game freezing / crashes after pressing the "H" hotkey.
—  More improvements for updating/refreshing time of Multiplayer Lobby modules.
—  Added a secure Launcher integration with custom game memory modifications by the Keep Alive requests (more features like "Observers can send flares" can be added without Launcher updates in the future).

[156020 - 2017-12-28]:

—  Restored the Patrol ability for Scouts (disabled in minor update 156017). Reason: this "Scout Glitch" fix is not needed, because players are being punished for using it anyway (minor update 156018).
—  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.
—  Multiplayer Lobby / Multiplayer Games improvements:
*   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 Lederboards), 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.
—  UP1.5 Launcher improvements:
*   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).
—  Speeded game startup time by minimum 3 seconds (limited displaying of the Spalsh screen when not needed).
—  Increased messages history limits of in-game Chat and Multiplayer Lobby Chat.

[156019 - 2017-12-07]:

—  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.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.
—  Improved the last patrial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch") - punishment effect radius reduction.

[156018 - 2017-11-07]:

—  Improved the partial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch"). Players who use the Scout Glitch will now be punished (building and repairing time for all constructions will be significantly slowed down). It's to prevent abuses in Multiplayer games.
—  The last two updates (156018 and 156017) are only important for the Multiplayer community. They had to be quickly released to prevent further illegal gameplay in MP.

[156017 - 2017-11-07]:

—  Improved the partial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch"). Scouts have no longer the Patrol ability. It's to prevent abuses in Multiplayer games. The similar fix was added to Minor Update 156013, but was reverted in 156014 because of AI players hang problems.
—  Updated the EE2.eu Multiplayer Lobby logo.

[156016 - 2017-10-26]:

—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.
—  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/
—  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".

[156015 - 2017-09-25]:

—  Fixed a critical minor update 156014 bug that caused a large amount of junk data being sent to the EE2.eu Server by Multiplayer Lobby clients.

[156014 - 2017-09-25]:

—  Reverted the last partial fix for the "Scout Trick", because it sometimes caused AI players to hang when scouts were unable to Patrol.
—  "Dark Launcher Theme" improvements:
*   Some color changes (for example buttons);
*   Fixed graphics bugs in the "Configuration Utility" window (some checkboxes had cut text), added new color for titles.
—  Removed a year information from the version identification in the UP1.5 Launcher and Game for better versions compatibility in the future.
—  Added several improvements to the Multiplayer Lobby.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve performance.

[156013 - 2017-09-12]:

—  Improved the partial fix for the "Scout Trick" (aka. "Scout Glitch"). Scouts have no longer the Patrol ability. It's to prevent abuses in Multiplayer games (issue claim by the Department of Control).
—  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).
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to improve reliability.

[156012 - 2017-08-18]:

—  Fixed a bug in UP1.5 Installer causing the Uninstall entries in "Control Panel" -> "Add or remove programs" being multipled every time user installed a new version of the patch.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) to increase reliability on every Operating System.
—  Added a gzip compression of the data sent by EE2.eu Server (for example: news window, patch configuration, chat messages history, etc.). In some cases it reduces the download size 5 or more times. Users with a slow Internet connection should notice faster launcher/game start.
—  Updated upnpc-static.exe (for the UPnP support).
—  Some other Launcher improvements.

[156011 - 2017-07-13]:

—  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
—  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
—  Improved DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) with the new caching functions, Pixel/Vertex Shader bug fixes.
—  Added displaying of the Minor Version to: "Configuration Utility", "Maximization Helper" and "Custom Screen Resolution Generator".
—  Improved UP1.5 Minor Update Installer: added files compression which reduces the download size 3 or more times.

[156010 - 2017-06-10]:

—  Updated DX8 to DX9 converter and added an error message when D3DX9_43.dll is missing. In Minor Update 156009 textures in game were deformed/missing when "Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime" was not installed.
—  Updated the offline list of problematic programs for Maximization Helper Solution 1 (the list is automatically updated without minor updates when the Internet connection is available, however when it's not - the Launcher uses an offline list).

[156009 - 2017-05-05]:

—  Fixed game crash on the Multiplayer Lobby after failing to join a hosted game room, caused by missing null pointer check in the Session ID function created in minor update 156008.
—  Updated DX8 to DX9 converter. It doesn't longer require additonal SDKs to be installed (D3DX9_43.dll problems), but it's still recommended.
—  Fixed uPnP effectivity on routers with only permanent leases allowed.
—  Added a progress bar for file uploads on the Support Chat in UP1.5 Launcher.

[156008 - 2017-04-14]:

—  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.
—  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).

[156007 - 2017-04-01]:

—  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).
—  Fixed a bug where the new camera settings couldn't be disabled on Developers Version of UP1.5 (for the other mods).
—  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.

[156006 - 2017-03-06]:

—  Fixed a bug present on EE2: AOS, where option "DISABLE Crowns System and Leaders" was enabled by default after game restart, even when the option checkbox was unchecked.
—  Updated DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter).

[156005 - 2017-02-08]:

—  Fixed a bug where "DISABLE Crowns System and Leaders" option caused the game loaded from a Multiplayer Save to Out of Sync.
—  Fixed the EE2: AOS on-launch crash after minor update 156004 which appeared on some systems, caused by the missing executable permissions in the newly added .exe area.
—  Renamed the Time of Day option "Dynamic" to "Cycle".
—  Some other minor fixes and UP1.5 Launcher improvements.

[156004 - 2017-01-21]:

—  Cycle Time of Day bug fixes:
*   Fixed a bug where last chosen cycle time of day was always set to 5 min.
*   Added a workaround fix for the bug: "large, dark shadows are visible during the day time" ( https://ee2.eu/help/#dynamictimeofday ).
*   Fixed a bug where Cycle Time of Day didn't work when a custom map was loaded on EE2: AOS.
*   Fixed the day-synchronization in Multiplayer Games, it will now always change for all players at the same time.
*   The Cycle Time of Day now fixes the no smoke from chimneys bug (fixes after the time of day change).
—  Fixed UP1.5 Launcher crashes experienced by users with Vietnamese system language.
—  Fixed a bug where all new/edited maps caused option "DISABLE Crowns System and Leaders" to be always enabled.

[156003 - 2017-01-19]:

—  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/
—  Addressed issue which sometimes caused the "DISABLE Crowns System and Leaders" option being auto-activated when playing on custom maps.
—  Some other bug fixes in UP1.5 Launcher (I don't remember what exactly was changed, probably something related to the support chat and UP1.5 Settings buttons layout).

[156002 - 2017-01-03]:

—  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.
—  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 displaying of the problematic programs list in the Maximization Helper Solution 1 tooltip.
—  Replaced some of UP1.5 Launcher message boxes with toast notifications on Windows 10+ (for example information about unused files).
—  Improved reliability and performance of the DirectX 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter).
—  Added a "Hide Breast" checkbox to UP1.5 Settings allowing you to change Mona Lisa's Logo due to reported religious reasons.
—  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.

[156001 - 2016-12-13]:

—  Fixed a critical Unhandled Exception 0x00907894 crash on EE2: AOS caused by missing flags texts in update 156000.
—  Fixed a critical problem that forced usage of DirectX 8 to DirectX 9 converter, even when it was disabled by UP1.5 Settings.

[156000 - 2016-12-13]:

—  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.
—  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.
—  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.

[155013 - 2016-10-13]:

(no changes in game in this update)
—  Fixed possible memory leak when Directx 9 (DX8 to DX9 converter) is enabled.
—  Stability and security updates in the UP1.5 Launchers, for example:
*   Detecting if the game process is already running, then asking to terminate it;
*   Options "Always use solution..." in the Maximization Helper activated only after a Solution button is clicked;
*   A new custom configuration command: "DonationMail=your@paypal.mail" to identify people who donated (special support chat color, information about BETA updates);
—  Improvements in UP1.5 and Minor Update Installers:
*   Handling errors that may occur due to anti-virus scanning;
*   Detecting if the Installer crashed and asking to run in the safe mode;
*   New installer arguments available: "safemode=true" and "ignoremissingfiles=true".

[155012 - 2016-09-07]:

(no changes in game in this update)
—  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.
—  Fixed a launcher 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).
—  Improved screen resolution detection if a screen resolution was forced by UP1.5 Settings but is not supported by your monitor (removed not needed warnings).
—  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).
—  Optimized DX8 to DX9 converter to be even faster than before.

[155011 - 2016-08-22]:

—  Improved version of DirectX 9 support (DX8 to DX9 converter):
*   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.
—  Fixed a bug where custom screen resolution settings were lost after saving changes in UP1.5 Settings without making any screen resolution changes.

[155010 (2016-17-19) and older]:

—  Game texts fixes (for example a new NAT negotiating message).
—  Hosting games containing " ` " character are now allowed.
—  UTF-8 support on the Support Chat.
—  Improved upnpc-static.exe (for the UPnP support), recompiled by Dr.MonaLisa.
—  Fixed rare problems with maximum camera zoom present in minor version 155007.
—  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.
—  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;
—  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.
—  Improved performance and reduced lags in epochs 12+ by limiting Missile Defense System detection range to 1, without affecting the effectivity.
—  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.
—  Changed the maximum territories brush size in the Map Editor in EE2: AOS to 90;
—  Beautifiered some of UP1.5 units description texts;
—  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;
—  Added 8 new Empire Earth 2 maps;
—  Added 14 new Empire Earth 2: The Art of Supremacy maps;
—  Fixed CRC errors and lost configuration after user uploaded a picture on the support chat;
—  Improved fixes for error "The procedure entry point _AIL_stream_volume_pan@12 could not be located";
—  Fixed shadow effects under nicknames on the new Multiplayer lobby;
—  Improved Experimental Support of DirectX 9 (new configuration);
—  Added an additional uPnP port forwarding in case it fails for the first time;
—  Limited "Generate New Map" sizes in the Map Editor to 500, due to crashes. Resizing maps to 1000 still works;
—  Traditionally, UP1.5 Launcher fixes & improvements:
*   Auto-CD-KEY insertion feature;
*   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.
*   Picture upload button on the support chat.
—  Fixed rare launcher crashes.
—  Fixed a critical UP1.5 balance bug, where outposts in epoch 14-15 were overpowered against spies.
—  Improved the Super ICBM explosion effects.
—  Fixed minimum and maximum custom game pace values from ver. 1.5.5 accidentally removed by minor update 155001.
—  Improved displaying of Leaderboards on the new multiplayer lobby.
—  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;