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User:ThatOneReaper/Sandbox

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
This page may be used for temporary storage and rough ideas that don't have their own section
Current project: Patches subsection writeup for the Editing guide

Patches

Patches are a critical component of any PC game. They allow the developers to support the game post-release with enhancements such as (but not limited to):

  • Bug fixes for common and obscure issues
    • These issues can range from visual glitches to crashing in very specific situations
  • Game balancing tweaks
  • Improved performance
    • Can be optimizations in rendering/game logic (improved FPS) and/or networking (improved LAN/Online multiplayer experience)
  • DRM subsystem replacement or removal
    • Very rare
  • New content
    • Can be considered anything that adds extra usable in-game content (ex. new maps, extra game modes, etc.) and/or significant modifications to an engine subsystem (ex. updated lighting engine, reworked netcode, etc.)

For the modern gamer, getting a game patched to the latest release is trivial. Game distribution clients like Steam and Origin have auto-patching built-in, automatically retrieving the latest patch from the store's servers. Even standalone games that do not rely on a store client have some form of auto-patching included.

However, older games with a retail release (i.e. any game before 2009/2010) normally do not have this functionality included or the functionality is not entirely reliable. Instead, it is up to the user to download the official patch files either from the developers themselves, or a 3rd party site that hosts these files.

For the wiki, the Patches subsection will handle all patch listings for the retail version of the game.