Falcon 4.0 part 2: The official patched version

A guide to patching Falcon 4.0 with the last official patch. Many of the releases discussed in later articles start with Falcon 4.0 patched to the latest US patch, v1.08. This guide covers taking a freshly installed copy of Falcon 4.0 and applying the patch.

This guide will be a little more prescriptive than others. During the installation and patching process, files will need to be copied, and the folders used in the process below are examples I have used. You should feel free to use any suitable folders you wish, but the process will explicitly make use of the examples.

History

Timeline from release until the final official patch

In the Falcon 4.0 timeline, applying this patch takes us from the retail release in December 1998 up to the final official patch release in December 1999.

Media

It is recommended to rip the retail cd to an iso data only format as there is no cd music on the disc. It is also recommended to save wear and tear on disc and the cd drive.

Prerequisites

It is recommended to create the following folders prior to installation and patching. These folders will store: files moved or removed, downloaded patches/patch documents and any backups.

C:\Falcon4-setup
C:\Falcon4-setup\files\f4
C:\Falcon4-setup\patches\official
C:\Falcon4-setup\backup\f4-108us (optional)

Installing

The Falcon 4.0 installer app (setup.exe) is a 32-bit app and can be run successfully in Win10. The cd or cd image image should be mounted and the installer app run. There may be a short delay before the app starts. During the install process:

• Choose a simple installation folder, e.g. C:\Falcon4.

  
  

• Choose a Full install.

  
  

• Ensure the DirectX 6 checkbox is unchecked.

  
  

Post install actions

Once installation has complete there are some further actions to take to prepare for patching:

• Copy the C:\Falcon4\Zips\Tacrdata.ZIP file into the C:\Falcon4-setup\files\f4 folder. The patch has a bug that will remove this file without replacing it.

• Delete the C:\Falcon4\msvcrt.dll file. It was an old version, even when the official patch was released and may cause issues with the patch install. This file is replaced with a later version by the patch.

This completes the installation.

Patching

The last official patch (f4108us.zip) and readme (f4108-readme.txt) is available from the Internet Archive, Falcon 4.0 Official patch collection.

• The patch should be downloaded and placed in the C:\Falcon4-setup\patches\official folder. The zip contents can be extracted to this folder.

• The extracted patch can be run from this folder. It is a 32-bit executable and will run successfully in Win10. The patch runs in two parts, with the second part updating art and object data.

  
  

• Once complete click Finish.

Post patching actions

Once patching has complete there are some further actions to take to correct issues introduced with the patch:

• Copy the C:\Falcon4-setup\files\f4\Tacrdata.ZIP file back into the C:\Falcon4\Zips folder.

  
  

• Delete the C:\Falcon4\msvcrt.dll file as it remains an older version. The current version in the Windows system will be far more recent.

  
  

• Delete the duplicate C:\Falcon4\Simdata.ZIP file, the copy already in the C:\Falcon4\Zips folder is sufficient.

This completes the patching.

Optional actions

Once patching is complete you may wish to create a zip archive of the C:\Falcon4 folder as a backup, as many of the later articles start from this point. It is recommended to place the backup in C:\Falcon4-setup\backup\f4-108us.

Good hunting!