Unoffical Community Patch (UCP) mod for Might & Magic Heroes VII

Important Information: Read First

Updated for 1.3 version.

Check the dedicated Trello board to access newer versions sooner and help with development/report bugs!

The preferred communication channel is H7.5 Discord where you can discuss any questions, suggestions and issues.

Also, check the updated section Your help on the bottom of this page to see how you can report issues.

Previous official release: 1.2

Installation Instructions

Game version: 2.21 (the latest) including the add-on Trial by Fire
If you only have the main game (version 1.8) or only the add-on, the compatibility is not guaranteed.

Installation process:

• Before installation, make sure you have no other mods installed including the previous version of this mod (see FAQ below for more details) and that your game is up-to-date.
• Download the newest mod version (you should find it under files), unzip it and place it in:
  c:\Users\Username\Documents\My Games\Might & Magic Heroes VII\MMH7Game\
  
  If you use this path (later referred as path A), you shouldn't need to overwrite any files. This is the location where the game also saves any changes you make in the editor.
  
  OR, you can use the installation path instead (later referred as path B), usually:
  c:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\games\Might and Magic Heroes VII\
  
  If you decide from whichever reason for path B, don't forget to make a backup of the original files as you will overwrite them.
  
  Paths may be a little bit different for the Steam version!
• (Optional: English localization is already included in the mod file)
  Download the localization according to the language you prefer in the files section.
  Put the localization into the same folder as the mod but into the Localization subfolder (works for both paths mentioned above), create it if it doesn’t exist.
  
  Available languages (version 1.3, except for default English):
• Czech
• Polish
• Russian
  
  Previous version languages (version 1.2, except for default English):
• Chinese
• Czech
• German
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish
  
  Previous version 1.1
• French
• Polish

Other languages will be added as soon as anyone volunteers to make a translation for the newest mod version.
If your preferred language is not available, you can either choose the default English version or create the localization of the mod in your own language: It's simple and it won't take you much time (no special skills needed). Follow the guide here. Don't forget to send it to us afterwards, to share it with other players from your country.

4. Check if the mod works, the easiest way how to do that:

Launch the game, open: Menu>Extras>Heropedia
Go to the Necropolis Creatures section, find the Spectral Dragon
Check whether it displays the correct updated Soul Reaver ability description: Your hero receives 1 Mana for each adjacent living enemy creature at the beginning of this creature's each turn."

To check you have the newest version of the mod (currently 1.3), check also this creature's Soul Flaying Breath ability description: The creature blows a ray of Dark magic at enemy units during its attack (not retaliation), damaging all units in a certain angle. This damage doesn't apply flanking. Hit creatures also lose two positive effects.

If you still have doubts, check in the game (for example in a duel for a quick setup) that these abilities work according to the descriptions above. If the effects actually work according to these new descriptions in the game but only incorrect tooltips are displayed, it suggests you have an issue with localization.

If the localization you have downloaded doesn't seem to work, try to manually change the last change date of all mod & localization files to the current date (you can use any simple file manager app you have, for example Total Commander or Bulk File Changer), guide here: How to change the Last Modified Date
IMPORTANT: The mod doesn't include all localization files for the game, only those which have been changed by the mod.

Uninstallation: Delete the mod files and use the ones from backup if you used the path which included overwriting the files

What if I don't like some feature you have implemented, can I change it back?

We are convinced that the changes we make are only for the best purpose, to make the game better. However, we’re aware of some fans having different opinions and visions – so we’d like to give you as much freedom as we can:

Option 1: You can download the simplified mod version, involving only the bugfixes and necessary changes (more info here on this page). The simplified version doesn't involve all the fixes as currently only release 1.1 is supported.

Option 2: You can adjust the mod to suit your needs with several simple clicks. All the changes described below have no side effect on the game if made:

No forbidden magic school for Sylvan & Stronghold
Go to: mod path\MMH7Game\CookedPC\Editor\Templates/Factions
Delete (path A) the file Factions.upk or replace it with the original one (path B)

Note: no forbidden magic schools are set when random skilling is enabled

No new abilities for creatures (+original champion stats & costs)
Go to: mod path\MMH7Game\CookedPC\Editor\Templates/Creatures
If you want to get rid of all the new abilities, delete/replace all the folders you find there, including their content
If you dislike only some particular abilities, find the creatures which have them in the particular folders (sorted by faction) and delete/replace the particular files Creature_Creaturename.upk
(If you delete for example the file Creature_Banshee.upk, it will lose the Incorporeal ability)

Important: if you delete the champion files, they will lose their modified stats & costs as well, so they will be the same as originally (different in story mod & skirmish).

No new heroes for Duels & Skirmish (+original moral & luck caps)
Go to: mod path\MMH7Game\CookedPC\Data
Delete (path A) the file Config.upk or replace it with the original one (path B)

Important: This step may lead to the loss of some other minor changes as well.

FAQ

What is the Unofficial Community Patch (UCP)?
The Unofficial Community Patch (UCP) is a community mod focused especially on fixing the problems (bugs) persisting in the main game. However, it also brings some minor gameplay changes and improvements in the areas where we either felt it was needed or where we could not fix some bug, so we decided it's better to have a modified feature that is working than the original one which is broken. Additionally, it comes up with dozens of new abilities for creatures and hero specializations.

Does it mean the game is finally bugless?
Although we would love it to be, the answer is no. Every game has some bugs, and the more complex the game is, the more bugs can be found. Game developers can do their best to get rid of them but some of them will always persist. Also, take several factors into account: Ubisoft-Limbic developers were paid for their work and they had professional teams with dozens of people focused on making games. Compared to it, we are only several people (most of the work has been even done by one person) working on it in our free time without any financial compensation. Unlike the people from Ubi-Limbic, we don't have full access to all game mechanics. In conclusion, every single bugfix we manage to make is a small victory for us.

What are our other future intentions? Are we going to continue working on this mod?
Our future is tightly bound with H7.5 mod

Does this mod also work in multiplayer? What about AI & MP connectivity issues?
This mod is developed primarily for singleplayer and hotseat. However, if all players have the mod installed, it should work in multiplayer, too.

We don't have any experts who would be able to fix the AI behaviour and/or scripts. Anyone with programming skills would be really appreciated to join!

We cannot fix the technical issues either, problems such as crashes or connectivity issues are beyond our possibilities and must be solved with the help of Ubisoft support. In other words, we cannot make any direct Multiplayer fixes like sync or stability improvements!

What about the current and future compatibility with other mods? Can I use this mod for my own mod?
As usually, mods developed by different authors are not usually compatible with each other. This mod is a small exception as it already uses some of the small mods created by different authors worldwide (see below). As for other mods not mentioned here, the easiest way how to recognize if they can work together is if they have some common files they change. If not, they should probably work together without trouble.

In the distant future, if some massive modifications for this game appear, we would like them to include our bugfixes of course, as what's plenty of content good for it the game itself doesn't work properly. However, it might not be possible in some cases and it will always depend on a deal between us and the mod authors, if at least one side agrees to spend their time on putting the mods together.

There is a Polish mod with Alternative Creatures also integrating some older versions of UCP.

Also, a new ambitious project called Heroes 7.5, based on UCP and introducing new factions and redesigning many features, has started quite recently and already includes this mod.

Generally, anyone who wishes so can use this modification to include it in his own piece of work. Nevertheless, we recommend mentioning that this mod is included in it in such a case, in order not to confuse the players.

Why can't you make more releases (even if smaller ones) more often?

There is only one answer: time. At the moment, only one person does all the work, with occasional help of testers. Tests, release texts, uploading... all that takes time which is precious.

The mod is not working as it should, what can I do?
Try the following steps:
- check if your game is up to date (game menu>lower right corner>game version - should be 2.21)
- check if you have no other mods installed
- check if your game files are not corrupted (you can use the automatic verification of files in uplay)
- check if your game installation is newer than the mod release date. If so, then you have to either use path B or manually change the "last change" parameter of all the mod files to a newer date (the game automatically uses the newer files).

If the problems still persist, you can contact us and we will try to help you. It's possible that other players may suffer from the same problem.

If you have any question about the game (not the mod), its mechanics, modding or anything else, please, check this thread first: Important Tips and Tricks (H7)

Authors / Contributors

Main author, coordinator, designer & bugfixer: Antalyan
Beta testing team: Antonio des Santes, Cjlee, Cruiser, Fangovich, Jetfire, L0rdw00t, Normand, Putin, Starry Might, Thea Elyra, Wendy + the whole community :)
New icons: Antalyan & Blondwave & RonicTH & Wendy (based on M&M:H6 icons)
2.21 Bugfix: Kknd21q
Bugfix/Buglist Mod contributors: Antalyan, China-king, Uziel
Balance Mod (only a part from the mod has been used) & new combat maps: Romansen
New Duel Heroes for Duels: Libertad
New Creatures: Acid Dragon & Pointer & their teams
Technical Assistance & Modding Guides: Lord Graa
Czech & English Localization: Antalyan
Russian Localization: Elapso, Silent, Zuuffx, Tollifer
German Localization: Gabranth & Rhein-Fire-66
Polish Localization: Abbes & Andruids & Czaknorris
French Localization: Vildark
Spanish Localization: Mursilis, VniceDreams
Chinese Localization: Shu Xin
Portuguese Localization: Jack Jack

Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us. In the best case, use the Trello board or Discord mentioned above. You can discuss below the article, set us a PM (Antalyan) or write an email: antalyan@seznam.cz
You can also find us on different Heroes forums.

Localization Guide

How to translate the mod to your own language:

Follow the instructions in this separate article. It is a straightforward process with no special skills or software required.

Your Help

Mod development process has been redesigned to become more transparent. Everyone can now check what is going on and contribute in the real time. Your help is needed to keep the mod evolving!

To facilitate tracking of the individual bugs while keeping an easy-to-read structure, a brand new Trello board has been created. The idea is to share ideas and make the bugfixing process more effective.

The board should be publicly visible and any Trello members can comment on the individual bugs if they have any information about their occurrence, suggestions or even ideas on how to fix them. Bugs can be also moved on the Trello board according to their state (please read the README info in the particular columns to understand their meaning).

If you have installed the latest mod version and you have found any bug, please, let us know.

1. At first, check on the Trello board that the issue is not known yet.
2. Then, in the best case, create a new issue among Bugs to be confirmed on the board. Describe the bug occurrence in the best possible way, possibly also with screenshots or videos, to facilitate its reproducing.
   
   Also, feel free to comment there if you have any questions, ideas or even files to share regarding the development. Moreover, there are issues that need your attention as well: they have either unknown occurrences, cannot be reproduced or need confirmation that they are fixed. Comment on them if possible.
   
   If you don't have a Trello account (which is free btw.), after you check the bug is not known, you can use other forms of communication. We have a special channel on a recently created Discord, used for further community H7 development. You can also use other forms of communication (comments, pms) but as there are many forums, huge delays are unavoidable in some cases.

We have already spent many hundreds of hours working on the mod (considering most of the work has been done by one person, it truly is a lot of time) for free. Every single bug can take up to dozens of hours (identification, attempts to fix it, testing). Without access to many H7 functions, we still managed to do a lot of fixes developers should have done but didn't (being paid for that, unlike us).

If you want to support us and our effort in an additional way, you can use the account with IBAN CZ32 2250 0000 0001 0218 1893.