[SOLVED] Serious Sam First Encounter beta 1 expired 3 years ago?!?

[pcman]

That's a really odd problem. Patch for Serious Sam Firest Encounter (ssam-tfe-lnx-beta1a.run available here: http://icculus.org/betas/ssam/) installs successfully this game, it only needs the cd of the game. But when I run the game, I get the message:

"************************************************** *******
************************************************** *******
************************************************** *******
************************************************** *******
************************************************** *******
Sorry, but this beta of the game has expired, and will no
longer run. This is to prevent tech support on out-of-date
and prerelease versions of the game. Please go to
http://www.croteam.com/ for information on getting a release
version that does not expire.
************************************************** *******
************************************************** *******
************************************************** *******
************************************************** *******
************************************************** *******"

?!?!?! :eek:

That's true! Release notes (README.linux file) report:

"This binary expires sometime after Christmas, 2002."

:eek: :eek: :eek:

When I changed the year of my system from 2005 to 2001 the game run perfectly for me! But I'm wondering: What kind of joke is this? "This is to prevent tech support on out-of-date and prerelease versions of the game."!!! Is this a SERIOUS reason? "Please go to http://www.croteam.com/ for information on getting a release version that does not expire." Come on guys! Have you visited http://www.croteam.com/ yourself? Well I did, and the result? http://www.croteam.com/ doesn't mention any word for linux at all! So where can I get a "release version that does not expire"??? Three years after beta 1 release of your patch no newer version is available, not from you, not from anybody (and I don't blame the guys who released the patch for this). So where can I get the "release version that does not expire"??? That's why I'm calling this "a joke". Was it necessary to prevent Serious Sam fans playing their favorite game in linux in such a way? Or do you really expect to change date every time I run Serious Sam?

Can anyone suggest something?

Notice: I don't know what's the situation with Serious Sam Second Encounter and if beta patch for this game has also expired.

And don't forget that Serious Sam 2 is already here for Windows, while Serious Sam 1 still can't run properly for linux.

[Hayl]

It's a beta. Buy the full version if you don't want to have to reset the date to run the beta. Although, perhaps there isn't a release version for Linux.

Regardless, it is their perogative to limit their software in any way they see fit. And obviously they want people to buy the full version, and not continue to use "free" betas.

[Icarus]

http://icculus.org/news/news.php?id=1028
If that helps at all, I don't know anything about the expiring beta date...

[pcman]

Buy the full version

There is no full version (linux version cd) of Serious Sam 1 as far as I know.

And obviously they want people to buy the full version, and not continue to use "free" betas.

There are already a lot of patches like ones of Quake III Arena Point Release or Unreal Tournament GOTY that install fully playable linux versions of the popular games using the Windows cds of the games and nothing more. They are free and almost all, non-beta. Unfortunately this doesn't happen to any linux commercial game I know. For example: There is a linux version of Descent 3, one of the games I would love to play in linux, but there is no patch for someone like me who owns the windows version. So, I have to buy also the linux version if I want to play this game in linux. That's a great problem of cource not just because I have to spend lot of money once more, but also, and most important, I can't find the linux versions in any shop in my country. One of the greatest companies that ported popular windows games to linux was Loki, which is now closed. Where can I buy these games? Only perhaps in some on-line shops, but don't consider that as a fact that everybody owns a credit card.

[BaVinic]

Actually, if you find and install the loki updater it will fix the expired beta installer, there is no linux version of the retail cd for either Serious Sam: TFE or TSE, but the updater allows you to install and play either one from the retail Windows CD with no problems, I have been running them both for months with no real issues, some minor graphic issues with the second encounter, but nothing major.

Also, there is no offical Linux installer either, loki was working on the installer, and someone is following up on it, but to the best of my knowlege there has never been an offical release for Linux. All Beta, which means they are still in testing. the date limitation on it is to make sure you don't hound them with problems and issues that have already been fixed, not to limit your use of the game. by making sure you keep up to date with the beta versions, a time limit is needed. and No, it is not a joke.

:)

BaVinic

[pcman]

I found beta 3 patch for Serious Sam First Encounter here:

http://files.seriouszone.com/download.php?fileid=617

but when I install it I get the error message:

"Performing update:
ERROR: No matching delta for /home/pcman/ssamtfe/Bin/ssam_lnxded.dynamic
The program returned an error code (3)"

Previously, I have installed Serious Sam First Encounter with beta 1 patch in directory

/home/pcman/ssamtfe

[BaVinic]

I will see if i can find the loki update progam that I used, it worked for me, should work for you as well. I will post link here for it when I find it.

BaVinic

[BaVinic]

ok, had a chance to look , and found this site http://www.liflg.org/?catid=4 they have the updater and an uninstaller for loki based games.

I hope this helps, please post your outcome in any event.

BaVinic

[pcman]

The Loki Updater downloaded first beta1b, then beta2 and finally beta3 and installed of them successfully, perhaps previous betas 1b and 2 (and of cource 1a) are necessary for beta 3 to be installed. That's why the beta3 I installed from http://files.seriouszone.com/download.php?fileid=617 failed. Now the game runs absolutely ok (allright, some bugs are still alive...). :)

The Loki Updater doesn't store any installer to disk so here are the links to download all of update betas without use of Loki Updater. I haven't yet downloaded and install them (without use of Loki Updater) but I'm going to. So the links are:

http://icculus.org/updates/ssam//ssamtfe-beta1b.sh.bin
http://icculus.org/updates/ssam//ssamtfe-beta2.sh.bin
http://icculus.org/updates/ssam//ssamtfe-beta3.sh.bin

And you can get also the text files:

http://icculus.org/updates/ssam//ssamtfe-beta1b.sh.bin.txt
http://icculus.org/updates/ssam//ssamtfe-beta2.sh.bin.txt
http://icculus.org/updates/ssam//ssamtfe-beta3.sh.bin.txt

I'm going to download and install them (as I said) in a fresh install of Serious Sam First Encounter (with beta1a) and tell you the results.

Thank you very much BaVinic for your valuable help ;)

[BaVinic]

You are very welcome, always happy to help.

You may also want to check out other installers at that location, some need wine/cedega but there are a bunch of native installers as well.


BaVinic

[pcman]

I downloaded the missing beta patches and I installed again successfully, without any expiration, Serioum Sam First Encounter, without use of loki update tool. All you have to do is to download all betas, that means you have to download

1. beta1a
2. beta1b
3. beta2
4. beta3

and install all of them in this order. I have already given the links to download all of them. It is not a joke anymore :D

Thanks again BaVinic :cool:

PROBLEM SOLVED