Hi @everyone,
 
We wanted to make a preliminary announcement about Escape From Tarkov’s new 1.0 release, what’s changed, and what this means for SPT.
 
The keen-eyed amongst you may have noticed poking around your game folder that as of EFT 1.0, Battlestate Games has enabled IL2CPP.  
 
What is IL2CPP?,
This is a technique that converts the games MSIL (C#) code into C++. The short answer is, it makes modifications to the game assembly (something we rely on heavily in our Modules project) extremely difficult and very limited in what can be done.
 
This was not done by BSG to “kill” SPT - IL2CPP is the new standard for Unity games and offers significant advantages over the old MSIL builds. This was something that we have anticipated for a long while.
 
How does this impact SPT?,
Firstly, Our entire client patching system (Modules project) will need to be rebuilt from scratch. This is absolutely no small task, because as mentioned above, patching assemblies that have been compiled using IL2CPP is extremely challenging. It’s not a matter of translating our existing code to a new language, it’s far more obfuscated and low-level with limited tools available for patching.
 
If a theoretical SPT 5.0 (more on that later) were to ever release, client modding has been completely changed. Not only is it more difficult, but all of the patching methods we’ve had are either gone with no replacement or need to be redone in a far more tedious manner.
 
Simply put, client modding from that point on would be incredibly difficult and for many mods, porting them may very well be impossible.
 
Finally, our patching method for downgrading EFT versions is not going to work in this case. We’re working on coming up with a solution to allow downgrading for the installation of SPT 4.0.4 and any future SPT updates.
 
What do I do?,
Firstly, if you have not updated EFT to 1.0, you should probably back up your game folder first.
The quickest way to check if you have the right client version is to run the SPT Installer executable before you touch your BSG launcher. If it allows you to install 4.0.4, do it. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait.,
Obviously we want people to still enjoy what we have with SPT 4.0.4, to continue creating and enjoying mods, and enjoy the project that is SPT.
 
We understand that many of you have probably already updated to EFT 1.0 out of excitement, and that’s okay. Just please be patient while we come up with a solution to downgrade your game version for SPT. Please do not ask for ETAs for a downgrade patch, and as always, please do not redistribute game client files under any circumstances. There are an abundance of reasons why that rule is in place, but we really stress asking for your patience while we sort everything out
 
What’s going to happen to SPT?,
We know how important SPT is to you all (it’s everything to us) and we want to get it back in your hands.
 
For SPT 4:
There are still many good fixes we have in the pipeline for SPT 4.1.0 that we’d like to get those out to you.  
 
Getting a downgrade patch to allow people to reinstall SPT 4.0.4 and subsequently a 4.1.0 release is a priority. Again, creating a downgrade patch this time is not going to be as simple, so give us time to get a satisfactory solution.
 
Beyond a 4.1.0 update for SPT, it is too soon to tell what will follow. The SPT project will be locked to that client version of EFT for 4.1.0 (modders rejoice, finally you don’t have to worry about constant updates breaking your hard work?). Aside from bug fixes and improvements, SPT 4.1.X will be essentially in maintenance mode.
 
For SPT 5:
Finally, we know people are wondering what this means for SPT in the bottom line. Will SPT ever update to 1.0? SPT 5.0 when?
 
The answer is that we genuinely can’t say right now. This is an entirely different beast, as you can probably tell, and we’re all carefully weighing our options on how to proceed from here. We’ll be exploring possibilities, of course, but we simply can’t make any promises. As described above, client mods for this theoretical SPT 5.0 would be very limited.
 
We know that this sounds rather bleak, but we want to be transparent as we can to everyone in the community.
 
TL;DR?,
BSG’s switch to using IL2CPP has completely invalidated the way SPT patches the client. This breaks SPT fundamentally. We are weighing our options carefully to determine what the future of SPT will look like.
 
Installing SPT 4.0.4 is not possible right now, due to the changes in 1.0 breaking our patching and downgrading process, so we ask for patience before a downgrade patch can be made. It may take some time. We recommend backing up your files if you haven’t already updated. As always, please do not redistribute the game files.
 
We still would like to get SPT 4.1.0 in your hands. Give us time to work out a solution. We know people want it, and we want you to have it, too.
 
Expect more announcements in the coming days as the fog clears.
 
To The SPT Community:,
Finally, from the bottom of all of our hearts, thank you for sticking by our project, those who have been with us since the early days, those that have recently discovered us, and everything in-between. You all are the lifeblood of the SPT project, and we appreciate all of you.
 
While the future appears bleak, SPT, as it stands, is still here, and we look forward to continuing to foster this community of modders and gamers.
 
In the meantime, celebrate and enjoy Escape From Tarkov’s 1.0 release! Battlestate Games has put a lot of love and effort into this game we all enioy (and sometimes hate).  
 
With love,
-The SPT Team