This guide will help you to downgrade to the older version, upgrade to the next version, and explain EZ2 versions.
 

About this guide

This guide will explain how to opt into a different Steam branch. It explains what the differences are and how to opt into a particular version.
 
 
If you have any questions, please let me know.
 
 
 

How to opt in for a different version or EZ2

1. Find Entropy – Zero 2 in your Steam Library. Right-click it and choose "Properties".
2. Select the "Betas” menu from the properties window.
3. You can select a beta branch by going to the betas menu.
    
    
    
   
4. All branches have a dropdown. The default value for all branches is "None". Click on the drop-down to view all possible branches.
    
    
    
   
5. You will probably want to choose the previous or next version. If you wish to choose the next version, select the highest number "releaseX.X" branch. This is "release-1" at the moment.
6. Select your desired version. You can exit the menu. Wait for Steam's Redownload of Entropy Zero 2 before you can play.
7. Entropy 2: Zero 2 must be started up.

What are the beta branches for EZ2

EZ2 publishes all new builds onto beta branches to test them before pushing them into the default Steam branch. As of the writing, all branches are public (save one obsolete branch)). We have not cleaned up any branches that were part of prior development.
 
 
This section will provide information about the various branches and the reasons they exist.
 
 

• None This is the default branch. This is what Steam will use if there is no beta version. It is the latest stable version EZ2.
• release-X.X – These are branches that represent each minor version EZ2. Patch versions (.X) will be pushed to the same branch that the last minor version. Release branches allow you to opt into an unpublished version OR downgrade to an earlier version.
• rc-X– RC branches or release candidate branches were used in two months before the release to designate versions which might have been the final release. They are only for historical purposes. If they are not listed in the dropdown at the time you read this guide, it is likely that they have been cleaned up.
• beta-X.X – These beta branches were used before EZ2. These branches are older and pre-release. These branches are only available for historical reasons. If they are not listed in the dropdown at the time you read this guide, it is likely that we have cleaned them up.
• alpha-X.X – Alpha versions can't be found on Steam. The Entropy : Zero 2 beta was what we called builds. It was published after the game was played fully but before Steam was released.

About semantic versioning

EZ2 versions can be seen from the main menu. They use a Major.Minor.Patch scheme similar to
semantic versioning – [wikipedia.org]
 
.
 
 

 
 
EZ2 versions are not strictly semantic versioning compatible as there could be unusual circumstances where a minor update could break a saved game.
 
 
These are the rules we want to follow internally in order to create our semantic versions.
 
 

• Only script changes (0.0.X and text changes can be included in patch versions) 0.0.X,). Not map or code binary updates
• Minor versions (0.00 – must be increased if any DLLs or BSPs change
• Major versions (X.0.0), are arbitrarily raised when the team decides that a particular content is "major."
• Every build must be pushed onto a release branch with the first two numbers (Major.Minor) Patch builds () overwrites the last build on that branch

Why would anyone want to choose a specific version of EZ2 over another?

There are two main reasons to choose EZ2's branch.
 
 

You can opt in to an unpublished version to see changes in preview

 
 
If you wish to test an update that the EZ2 staff has not published, please opt into the latest release.X.X beta branch.
 
 

• WARNING! Once you opt into a branch you will not automatically get any future updates beyond the Major.Minor version. You will need manually to update your branch. You can always switch to the "None branch" to always update to the most recent version.

 
 
Be aware that even if your version is 1.0.0, a patch version 1.0.1 will be in development. This will be published in the release-1.0 branch, before being published as default. Opting in to the release-1.0 Branch does not mean that you are going to 1.0.0. However, it does mean that you will get the most recent patch version of 1.0.X.
 
 
If you decide to test an unpublished branch, we appreciate it! Please report any bugs you find (missing a*sets, crashes or other issues) via the Steam forums and our Discord. If you report a bug in an upcoming version of Steam, please include it in your post! We will need to find out which version you were on at the time you encountered the issue.
 
 

Compatibility: Downgrading to an older version

 
 
Updates to EZ2 will eventually break saved games. This is very unfortunate and the EZ2 Team would like to avoid it. It is a fact of life with updates.
 
 
Do not panic if you load an old save from EZ2 and find that the game isn't working properly. You can save your saves by opting in to the version you were using before saving the game.
 
 
Broken saved games can often be seen in several predictable forms. Triggers that appear as visible brush marks when loading into a map are the worst. It is best to return to a previous version if you experience this symptom. You may also experience odd things, such as objects being clipped into geometry that was not there before. This could be a breaking or non-breaking issue depending on the circumstances. The "AI Disabled message" is the most common bug. You can fix it by running "ai_norebuildgraph 0.; restart" on the console and then loading your saved file again. If that fails, you can always try reverting the previous version.
 
 
Find out more in our troubleshooting section:
 
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2857173498 – [steamcommunity.com]
 
 
 
 

What does this all mean for Workshop add-ons

It is highly recommended to include in your addon description the version of EZ2 that you used when creating a workshop addition. This will let users know when the addon was created and if there are any compatibility issues with future versions, EZ2 can easily be reverted to a version compatible with the addon.
 
 
EZ2 developers may merge addons for fixes or improvements and add them as credits. If this happens, addons might become obsolete. It is helpful for users to have the version listed in their description.
 
 
 

Git Tags

Our
Source code repository – [github.com]
 
is tagged by EZ2 versions.
 
 
These tags are created manually and not automatically.
 
 
These are the general naming scheme for Git tags.
 
 

1. EZ1vX.Y: Entropy – Zero 1 versions. EZ1v3.0 & EZ1v4.0 tags are available. Our current source code repository on GitHub was not established prior to EZ1v3.0.
2. ez2_release X.Y.Z – The Entropy : Zero two releases. These commits corresponds to builds. Remember that patch versions are not code changes so many will be skipped.
3. ez2_alpha-X.Y.Z – Entropy : Zero 2 alpha versions. After the game was playable from all ends, we were able to begin testing the whole game using blind playtesters. EZ2 Alpha versions were source mods, and were not published on Steam.
4. ez2_beta X.Y.Z – Entropy 0 beta versions. The beta versions were published internally once we set up the Steam app.
5. ez2_rc-X– Entropy: Zero 2 release candidate. These were versions that were released in the months prior to the release. They were candidates for our final code commits.

 
 
Hope you enjoy the post for Entropy : Zero 2 New Beta Branches, If you think we should update the post or something is wrong please let us know via comment and we will fix it how fast as possible! Thank you and have a great day!