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Tribes Ascend Closed Beta - Play before November 4th !
http://cs.rin.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=60499		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  St:Oned1 [ Sunday, 16 Oct 2011, 17:38 ]
Post subject:  Tribes Ascend Closed Beta - Play before November 4th !
Hi guys,

Here is a way to get the Tribes Ascend Closed Beta running offline without "Hi-Command" before November 4th.

Image

After the update from Beta version 0.1.361.0 to version 0.1.371.0 Hi-Rez removed the original "TribesAscend.exe"
and replaced it with a 8kb non working version. This has the reason, that a pretty smart guy found out how to
launch a specific map including the console and made us able to play around. This worked because the first version
was already runable, it loaded a map where you could look around and already get a taste how the game looks
and thats what has been abused to run a specific map / get around the login screen.

If you now try to start the newest game version, you will get an error message telling you,
that "Tribes: Ascend Closed Beta Begins On November 4!". Sad, because we want to play !
The good thing is, the prior 0.1.361.0 can be launched an thats where we want to apply.

So, the questions are:

How do I download and install the first version 0.1.361.0 ?
How do I generate the files in "My Games" folder ?
How do I make that Hi-Command thinks I´m running 0.1.371.0 although I´m using 0.1.361.0 ?
How do I make the Beta running offline without Hi-Command ?
How do I get the game menu working ?

In the beginning of this "How-To" I said that it works without Hi-Command,
this is little bit hard to explain... because there are different ways you can
get the Beta. So there are several ways to make it work, which don´t requires
Hi-Command, requires Hi-Command or particially requires Hi-Command.
Thats sounds confusing but will become understandable if you keep reading :P

NOTE: I WROTE 3 DIFFERENT INSTRUCTION MANUALS, SO PLEASE FIRST
READ THEM ALL, THEN CHOOSE THE METHOD THAT FITS TO YOU !

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Method 1: FULLY REQUIRES HI-Command (+ VIP Starter Pack)
Spoiler
Step.1:
- Create Account (Necessary to buy the starter pack...)
- Buy VIP Starter Pack @ http://www.tribesascend.com/buypage.html

Step.2:
- Download Hi-Command @ http://www.tribesascend.com [In the lower right corner.]
- Install Hi-Command
---> Then start Hi-Command and login with your account !

Step.3:
- Start the "preload" (download) of the of Tribes Acend Beta

Step.4:
- Now Hi-Command should show the download and say "Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.361.0 is downloading..."
If this step is ready Hi-Command should switch the message to "Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.361.0 is checking download..."
And after that it should switch to "Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.361.0 is installing files...".

At these steps you don´t need to do anything. When this is done, Hi-Command should start to download the "0.1.371.0" update.
This is the first point where you have to start doing your work :) The good thing is, Hi-Command first downloads all files
as compressed (and I gues it´s encrypted) ".Temp" files into the Temp folder inside of the Hi-Command folder.
Also Hi-Command varifies the update before installing, which gives us some extra time to do something.

So now it becomes important, as soon as Hi-Command switches the message to
"Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.371.0 downloading" (which means it wants to download the update)
you have to simply copy the whole "tribes alpha" folder (.../Hi-Command/Games/tribes alpha) to somewhere else.
Now you have a copy of the "tribes alpha" folder version 0.1.361.0 !

Step.5:
NOTE: Do not delete the tribes alpha folder and or stop Hi-Command from doing its job !
- Let Hi-Command finish the download and install of the 0.1.371.0 update so it should go through theese steps
"Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.371.0 downloading..." ---> "Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.371.0 is checking download..."
---> "Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.371.0 is installing files..." --> "Evaluating Progress...", ready :)

Step.6:
- DO NOT close Hi-Command !
The reason why we wanted Hi-Command to fninish everything, is because we want to use it as launcher.
The point is, the "Install/Busy" button only switches to the "Play" button if you have reached the newest
version of tribes Ascend, which is version 0.1.371.0 :)
- Now Hi-Command thinks it´s ready to start the game, if you press "Play" you get the mentioned 4th November message.
So, the simple clue is to replace the updated "tribes alpha" (0.1.371.0) with the older "tribes alpha" (0.1.361.0),
delete the "tribes alpha" (0.1.371.0) and then copy your "tribes alpha" (0.1.361.0) into the same place while
Hi-Command is still running.

Step.7:
- Press the "Play" button and Tribes Ascend will start and show you a broken "Login-Screen/Menu".
You may ask then why did we start the game ? This is because when the game is launched it generates
a few necessary files we want to modifie to get the game running as we want ;P
- Press the "Exit" button and close the game.

Step.8:
- After the game was launched we got some new files,
go to the directory "C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Tribes Ascend\TribesGame\Config\..."
and open the "TribesEngine.ini" with the Text-Editor.
- Replace the line "LocalMap=TribesMainEntry.fmap"
with this "LocalMap=MainEntry.fmap" !!! (Enables the game menu instead of the login screen)
- Replace the line "ResX=..." and "ResY=..." with you prefered resulution !
- Save the .ini file ! ---> Press "Play" in Hi-Command and the game starts ;P
If you already closed Hi-Command, then go to you tribes alpha folder "...\tribes alpha\Binaries\Win32"
and start the TribesAscend.exe directly and it´s also going to start.

Step.9:
- The game is now running, go to "INSTAND ACTION", "Map" (Choose map), "START GAME" ---> Have fun :)

(Step.10: You can now put the "tribes alpha" folder where ever you want, you can also delete Hi-Command if you want !)
ImageImage


Method 2: PARTIALLY REQUIRES HI-Command (+ VIP Starter Pack)
Spoiler
Step.1:
- Create Account (Necessary to buy the starter pack...)
- Buy VIP Starter Pack @ http://www.tribesascend.com/buypage.html

Step.2:
- Download Hi-Command @ http://www.tribesascend.com [In the lower right corner.]
- Install Hi-Command
---> Then start Hi-Command and login with your account !

Step.3:
- Start the "preload" (download) of the of Tribes Acend Beta

Step.4:
- Now Hi-Command should show the download and say "Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.361.0 is downloading..."
If this step is ready Hi-Command should switch the message to "Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.361.0 is checking download..."
And after that it should switch to "Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.361.0 is installing files...".

At these steps you don´t need to do anything. When this is done, Hi-Command should start to download the "0.1.371.0" update.
This is the first point where you have to start doing your work :) The good thing is, Hi-Command first downloads all files
as compressed (and I gues it´s encrypted) ".Temp" files into the Temp folder inside of the Hi-Command folder.
Also Hi-Command varifies the update before installing, which gives us some extra time to do something.

So now it becomes important, as soon as Hi-Command switches the message to
"Tribes Ascend Alpha Test 0.1.371.0 downloading" (which means it wants to download the update)
you have to simply copy the whole "tribes alpha" folder (.../Hi-Command/Games/tribes alpha) to somewhere else.
Now you have a copy of the "tribes alpha" folder version 0.1.361.0 !

Step.5:
- After you have a copy of the "tribes alpha" folder version 0.1.361.0 you
can close/kill/stop Hi-Command, because we don´t need the update or Hi-Command anymore :P
- Delete the tribes alpha folder inside of Hi-Command and replace it with the tribes alpha folder we made a copy of !

Step.6:
- Go to your tribes alpha folder "...\Hi-Command\Games\tribes alpha" and open the TribesAscend.exe
which is in the "...\Binaries\Win32" folder. Tribes Ascend will start and show you a broken "Login-Screen/Menu".
You may ask then why did we start the game ? This is because when the game is launched it generates
a few necessary files we want to modify to get the game running as we want ;P
- Press the "Exit" button and close the game.

Step.8:
- After the game was launched we got some new files,
go to the directory "C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Tribes Ascend\TribesGame\Config\..."
and open the "TribesEngine.ini" with the Text-Editor.
- Replace the line "LocalMap=TribesMainEntry.fmap"
with this "LocalMap=MainEntry.fmap" !!! (Enables the game menu instead of the login screen)
- Replace the line "ResX=..." and "ResY=..." with you prefered resulution !
- Save the .ini file ! ---> Press "Play" in Hi-Command and the game starts ;P

Step.9:
- The game is now running, go to "INSTAND ACTION", "Map" (Choose map), "START GAME" ---> Have fun :)

(Step.10: You can now put the "tribes alpha" folder where ever you want, you can also delete Hi-Command if you want !)
ImageImage


Method 3: HI-Command NOT REQUIRED (and without VIP Starter Pack)
Spoiler
Step.1:
- Download the "tribes alpha" folder version 0.1.361.0
Thanks to Pyongftw http://www.multiupload.com/SD6AJPZTKK

Step.2:
- After you have a copy of the "tribes alpha" folder version 0.1.361.0,
go to your tribes alpha folder and open the TribesAscend.exe which is in the "...\Binaries\Win32" folder.
Tribes Ascend will start and show you a broken "Login-Screen/Menu".
You may ask then why did we start the game ? This is because when the game is launched it generates
a few necessary files we want to modify to get the game running as we want ;P
- Press the "Exit" button and close the game.

Step.3:
- After the game was launched we got some new files,
go to the directory "C:\Users\XXX\Documents\My Games\Tribes Ascend\TribesGame\Config\..."
and open the "TribesEngine.ini" with the Text-Editor.
- Replace the line "LocalMap=TribesMainEntry.fmap"
with this "LocalMap=MainEntry.fmap" !!! (Enables the game menu instead of the login screen)
- Replace the line "ResX=..." and "ResY=..." with you prefered resulution !
- Save the .ini file ! and then START THE GAME AGAIN with the TribesAscend.exe !

Step.4:
- The game is now running, go to "INSTAND ACTION", "Map" (Choose map), "START GAME" ---> Have fun :)
ImageImage

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: NEARLY ALL OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE GAME MENU ARE BROKEN AND DON`T WORK !
NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY EXIT THE GAME WITH THE TASK-MANGER OR THE X BUTTON IN WINDOWED MODE OR "Quit/Exit" CONSOLE !
NOTE: BOTS/LAN/ONLINE DON`T WORK !
NOTE: IT`S ONLY AN ALPHA/BETA VERSION !

NOTE: YOU CAN TRY TO MODIFY MORE GRAPHIC OPTIONS / BUTTON BINDINGS AND WHATEVER
WITH THE .INI FILES IN THE "MY GAMES" FOLDER, YOU CAN ALSO OPEN THE CONSOLE (just try
the buttons and you´ll find it) FOR MORE FUNCTIONS LIKE CHANGING THE CLASS.

HOW TO CHANGE THE CLASS:
Open the Console and type "SetCharFamily XXX" without quotes.
THE XXX has to be replaced with one of the fallowing Classes:
Light_Pathfinder, Light_Infiltrator, Light_Sentinel, Light_Wraith, Light_Jumper, Light_Architect
Medium_Scrambler, Medium_Technician, Medium_Soldier, Medium_Warder, Medium_Ranger, Medium_Raider, Medium_Engineer
Heavy_Doombringer, Heavy_Juggernaught, Heavy_Brute, Heavy_Rook, Heavy_Marauder


At the end I still have to say a few things, I´m not the person that found the way to start the beta.
I´m the person that found the way to still get the old Beta files after the update, because the most
people are crying in the moment that Hi-Rez patched the game and now the trick won`t work anymore.
Thats not true, as you see, it is still simple to get the Beta running before November 4th if you fallow
my How-To correctly. I´m also sorry for the grammar and spelling mistakes which I surely made, English is not my native language !

Also a nice note to mention, Hi-Rez is no more able to keep the beta unplayed, because we already have the files we need,
it works offline and without Hi-Command.

If I find more usefull information and or how to tweak the game I´ll post them here.
Please notice that not all console commands and .ini settings are working or supported.

-|HAPPY PLAYING|-
Author:  .Rar [ Monday, 17 Oct 2011, 04:04 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tribes Ascend Closed Beta - Play before November 4th !
I'm not interested in the game, but I'd like to thank you for taking the time to write the post.
Author:  pyongftw [ Monday, 17 Oct 2011, 16:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tribes Ascend Closed Beta - Play before November 4th !
Im testing this method now :)

if it works I'll see about uploading a working copy ;)

-- Edit --

Game works, can't figure out bots but there should be a cmd somewhere.
I'm archiving now :)
Author:  St:Oned1 [ Monday, 17 Oct 2011, 17:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tribes Ascend Closed Beta - Play before November 4th !
.Rar wrote:
I'm not interested in the game, but I'd like to thank you for taking the time to write the post.

Took me 4-5 hours to write the How-To :)

pyongftw wrote:
Game works, can't figure out bots but there should be a cmd somewhere.
I'm archiving now :)


Open the console and write "add" and it automaticly shows you
all commands to add bots to the game. None of the cmd works :(

There is a small test map called "Example", on this map are 4 enemy bots you can kill.
The point is, they don´t have KI, so they don´t react...

You can also try several maps that have auto firing turrets to protect the base, destroy them ;)
Author:  pyongftw [ Monday, 17 Oct 2011, 18:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tribes Ascend Closed Beta - Play before November 4th !
Game's very smooth, I like it :)
Thanks for the tutorial.

-- Edit --

Here's the game files:
http://www.multiupload.com/SD6AJPZTKK

Have fun everyone!
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