RCP installation and use guide.

CONTENT OBSOLETE

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How to install and use Replay Compatibility Pack

0. New download and installation method

RCP Manager

1. Downloading

1.1 Where to download?

Follow to download page of current RCP release, there is big link on top of blog.

For now it is RCP 8.8

1.2 What to download?

Download from top to bottom until you reach desired version.

For example, if you want to watch 8.4 replays on WoT 8.7 you need to download (and install)

-RCS 8.6@8.7

-RCS 8.5@8.7

-RCS 8.4@8.7

If all you want to watch is contained in 8.4-8.7 era then you can stop here.

1.3 Why you need full line of RCS packages?

RCS 8.6@8.7 covers all (important for replays) changes between 8.6 and 8.7, basically it is reverse patch, treating 8.7 as old and 8.6 as new version, so 8.7 -> 8.6

By loading data from RCS 8.6 before native data of 8.7 game will revert changes of update.

But why do you need RCS 8.6 and 8.5 to use RCS 8.4?

It is quite simple.

RCS 8.5 do not cover changes from 8.5 to 8.7, but only from 8.5 to 8.6, a patch of 8.7->8.5

By stacking RCS 8.5 and RCS 8.6 (or to be precise, their RCC packages) we gain patch 8.7 -> 8.5

Game loads RCC 8.6-8.7, which downgrades game from 8.7 to 8.6

Next step is to load RCC 8.5-8.6, which downgrades it further to 8.5, so 8.7->8.6->8.5 and so on.

1.4 Why not a single package?

To limit size of RCP as whole.

RCC 8.4-8.7 would contain almost same files, which results in almost same size, as combined RCC's of 8.4-8.5, 8.5-8.6 and 8.6-8.7.

There is no reason to add redundant data, and idea of RCP is to keep it at smallest possible size while providing fullest possible compatibility.

Also modular and cascade architecture allows easy patching and porting for future WoT versions.

In order to port current release for incoming 8.8 update all that will be required is to add RCS 8.7@8.8 to list and patch "paths.xml" files of previous packages. (occasional re-packing may occur, but if you followed forum threads then you should notice that mini patches were released, and they worked fine).

2. Installing 

2.1 Why installation files are executable?

Those are SFX (Self Extracting Archive) files.

Why SFX and not just ZIP?

Because:

-RAR offers better compression than ZIP. (But I could use ZIP in SFX as well, if you want 20% fatter downloads)

-WinRAR SFX module offers nice "installer" which I use to make installing easier.

-It have default path included, which proved to be good idea as amount of question "how to install" significantly dropped.

2.2 Is it dangerous?

Potentially, as every file from Internet.

But I am IT pro (if you have not yet figured it out) so you may consider me as a trusted source.

2.3 How to install?

Just open downloaded file and enjoy neat WinRAR SFX module.

If required replace "c:\games\worldoftanks" part to wherever you have WoT installed.

For example: Right click on desktop shortcut -> properties -> copy&paste path.

If you haven't guessed yet: do not touch "\RCpack" part, it is here to stay.

Last step is to click Extract.

Wait for extracting to finish and done.

3. Watch replays!

3.1 Where RCpack is located?

It should be here:

If it is not here, then you screwed something.

Navigate to RCpack directory, you should see something like this:

(ignore differences, this is screenshot of my workbench, hence pre-released packages and other stuff)

3.2 How to pick RCS to use?

Hint: you can make shortcuts to "run X.Y replay" wherever you wish to, for example on desktop.

Drag&Drop replay file on "run X.Y replay", either original file or its shortcut, where X.Y states the version you wish to use.

3.3 Enjoy the replay.

3.4 Recover screenshots

Navigate to:

RCpack -> RCV -> X.Y -> core -> screenshots

3.5 Install mods.

Each RCV comes with its own separated res_mods directory.

For certain reasons I ignored 0.X.Y directory. So just throw mods straight into it.

Warning: I never tested RCP with mods, so weird things may happen.

On later date I plan to release mods package, tested and approved by me (scope, XVM and camera stuff) but priority for now is to reach full 8.X compatibility before 8.8 update.

3.6 Report errors.

If you have meet an error, for example:

-battle not loading.

-weird names.

-graphical bugs.

check:

-do you use correct RCV for this replay? (yeah, I need to make automatic version selector, I am lazy)

-do you installed RCP correctly?

-do you have newest version of RCP?

-do you applied all patches listed in download page? (if you do not see any, its good as apparently no bug was found so far).

If error still occurs report it by:

-making and sharing a screenshot of bug.

-sharing replay you tried to watch (preferably on replay hosting sites)

-short description.

There are two possible outcomes:

a) bug is real and patch will be created soon.

b) everything works fine on me so you screwed something.