C++ Redistributables
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:49 pm
Why do we need them for the 1.3 patch? Do we need 2005 and 2008?
VS2008 redist is absolutely required if that redist has not yet been installed. BZ2 1.3ta5+ is compiled with MS Visual Studio 2008, and the compiler has a lot of shared helper code in DLLs. Using DLLs saves disk and memory space, but they must be installed for use. WinXP was released far before the VS2008 redists were written, so the installer needs to include them.
DirectX redists are needed because DirectX9 has had quarterly (now semi-annual) updates, about 42-45 so far. BZ2 is compiled with a particular quarterly update, which must be installed before BZ2 can run.
VS2005 was used for some BZ2 patches, 1.3p4a, 1.3pb4, and maybe 1.3pb3. I install the VS2005 redist not for pb6, but in case modders wrote mission DLLs for 1.3pb3-4a using the VS2005 express (free) edition that I recommended at the time for mission DLLs. I don't know if any such missions exist, but backward compat with VS2005 isn't hard here, so I'd prefer to just do it.
Steam installs the redists every time you run a game for the first time, too. Even though Steam could tell that you really don't need VS2008 for the 13th time.
-- GSH