Ubi's Spell Book Fix (HoMM4)

[Paladin]

If you visit CH regularly, you must have noticed that UbSoft has released a so-called Spell Book Fix for HoMM4. (It's here.) This post is meant as a WARNING. If you choose to install it (I have no clue of what it actually does), these screenshots show what happens, even if you bought the game from Ubi:



Compare that to how it's supposed to be:



It may not be a big problem, as the menu is still functional, but it's annoying nevertheless.

[Metathron]

Judging by its name, the fix must modify the spell book in some way?

[Angelspit]

Yes, what does that fix do exactly? That's the first time I hear about it...

[Heroes IV]

Its can uninstall? if yes i can to try...
I want edit something... sorry but its a long post :
Its warning:

If you have the most recent release of Heroes of Might & Magic IV (Jewel case) with the Ubisoft logo, then you have the most recent version and do not need to download any of the patches EXCEPT for the Heroes of Might & Magic IV Spell Book Fix.

And its from install:

LICENSE TO USE Heroes of Might and Magic IV

Please read this License carefully before installing the game (Heroes of Might and Magic IV).

This License is an agreement between you, the "User," and Ubisoft and/or its licensors and/or its beneficiaries ("Ubisoft"), which grants the User the non-exclusive and non-transferable right to use Heroes of Might and Magic IV. By installing Heroes of Might and Magic IV, the User undertakes to respect the terms and conditions of the License.

1. The License

Ubisoft grants the User a non-exclusive and non-transferable License to use Heroes of Might and Magic IV, but remains the owner of all the rights relating thereto. Any rights not specifically transferred by this License remain the property of Ubisoft. Heroes of Might and Magic IV is licensed and not sold to the User, for private use. The License does not confer any right or title to Heroes of Might and Magic IV and cannot be understood as a transfer of intellectual property rights to Heroes of Might and Magic IV.

2. Ownership of Heroes of Might and Magic IV

The User recognizes that all of the rights associated with Heroes of Might and Magic IV and its components (in particular the titles, computer codes, themes, characters, character names, plots, stories, dialogues, places, concepts, images, photographs, animation, videos, music, and text contained in Heroes of Might and Magic IV), as well as the rights relating to the trademark, royalties, and copyrights, are the property of Ubisoft and are protected by French regulations or other Laws, Treaties, and international agreements concerning intellectual property.

3. Use of Heroes of Might and Magic IV

The User is authorized to use Heroes of Might and Magic IV in accordance with the instructions provided in the manual or on the packaging of Heroes of Might and Magic IV. The License is granted solely for private use.

It is not permitted:
- To make copies of Heroes of Might and Magic IV,
- To operate Heroes of Might and Magic IV commercially,
- To use it contrary to morality or the laws in force,
- To modify Heroes of Might and Magic IV or create any derived work,
- To transmit Heroes of Might and Magic IV via a telephone network or any other electronic means, except during multiplayer games on authorized networks,
- To create or distribute unauthorized levels and/or scenarios,
- To decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble Heroes of Might and Magic IV.

The User cannot sell, sublicense or lease Heroes of Might and Magic IV to a third party.

The User can only transfer Heroes of Might and Magic IV if the recipient agrees to the terms and conditions of the License. In this event, the User undertakes to transfer all components and documentation relating to Heroes of Might and Magic IV. He also undertakes to delete any copy of Heroes of Might and Magic IV from his computer. In this event, this License is automatically and immediately terminated.

4. Termination of the License

The License is effective from the first time Heroes of Might and Magic IV is used.

It is terminated automatically by Ubisoft without notice if the User fails to adhere to the terms and conditions of the License.

5. Warranty Limitation
The User recognizes expressly that he uses Heroes of Might and Magic IV at his own risk.
Heroes of Might and Magic IV is provided as is. The User is responsible for any costs of repairing and/or correcting Heroes of Might and Magic IV. To the extent of what is laid down by the Law, Ubisoft rejects any warranty relating to the market value of Heroes of Might and Magic IV, the User’s satisfaction or its capacity to perform a specific use. The User is responsible for all risks connected with lost profit, lost data, errors, and lost business or other information as a result of owning or using Heroes of Might and Magic IV. As some legislation does not allow for the aforementioned warranty limitation, it is possible that it does not apply to the User.
6. Liability
In no event can Ubisoft be held liable for any direct, consequential, accidental, special, ancillary, or other damages arising out of the use or inability to use Heroes of Might and Magic IV, as well as out of the ownership or poor functioning thereof, even if Ubisoft has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In particular, Ubisoft accepts no liability regarding use of Heroes of Might and Magic IV contrary to the precautions for use set out in the manual and on the packaging. As some legislation does not allow exemption from liability in the event of direct or incidental damages, it is possible that the aforementioned exclusion does not apply to the User.
This License to use Heroes of Might and Magic IV grants specific rights to the User and he may have other rights depending on the laws in his State.

its say something to somebody?

[Heroes IV]

Sorry about this double... but its nothing good, and its not change anything... i install, and what only its install is: 'Text.h4r'. and campaing can't work... and i don't see something new!!!

[HodgePodge]

Heroes IV works just fine for me as is (3do version, with both expansions & Equilibris). I still don't trust UbiSoft enough to overwrite my current game or even install another UbiSoft version of Heroes IV on my computer. And that goes for Heroes II & III too! Everything works fine, thank you very much … this is one of the reasons I cancelled my Limited Edition & ordered the Standard Version of Heroes V.

[Mighty Imp]

Yes, what does that fix do exactly? That's the first time I hear about it...

I have the Ubi version and have run the fix. The spell book was missing the spell descriptions that appear below the spell, as well as the name of the spell itself and the fix added those. Also it replaced the vague slightly misleading and wholly unentertaining blurb that would appear when you right clicked on a spell.
For example, and this is not a direct quote because I can't remember the exact text.

Summon Wolf:
prepatch; "Well I just love the look on the enemies faces when they see my little furry friends running at them with thier tongues all flapping in the wind."

postpatch; "Summon Wolf will summon 10 Wolves into your army"

[Metathron]

Heh! Those are quite amusing, actually!

But the HoMM IV spell descriptions are one of the coolest aspects of the game - they're great fun to read.

[Mighty Imp]

LOL Maybe when I get better I'll learn to appreciate them more. At this point they are a pain to me. "Look you stupid game, I just want to know how much damage this here spell will do, not what color the guys face will turn while he is being zapped!"

[DaemianLucifer]

They forgot to include spell description in their version? Leave it to ubi to destroy something good