Swolte, the main author of the unofficial patch, worked at Triumph Studios when they were making AoWSM, so it partially comes from the authors of the game.

It adds new content like units and map objects, but they are only for the mapmakers to use, they don't affect existing maps or the campaign (with the exception of racial priests, which are buildable in cities).

We're working on version 1.5 of the unofficial patch now, but I have no idea when it will be released.

I find the opinion that just because a mod's additions is well-documented, it's not a mod, but a patch, to be a very peculiar one.

To call this a patch and not a mod is very strange, considering the things it does, and adds, and that it goes well beyond mere patching.

I made a custom mod, based on a combo of the UP 1.4 and the Wizards&Heroes mod, where I edited the composition of the possible encounter types in various defended locations, so that even in old AoW2-TwT maps I can face (and even recruit) the new units introduced by UP 1.4
It made the game more enjoyable for me.

I think it's 100%. I have one in my army, and whenever it hits someone, it paralyzes that unit as well.

hmm, is the Shadow Magic Installer already patched, or do i have to download the 1.4 Patch to get all the fixes?
I'm a little confused.

The 1.4 patch is a user created patch. To play the game, you do not need it. To play with better race balancing and lots of cool new units and stuff, you can install it. The choice is yours.

Simply compare the 1.3 patch notes to 1.4 and decide which sounds better for you based on how you are playing the game. As far as whether or not it can rightfully be called a "patch" , a lot of hard work was put into it by very dedicated fans and it received the approval of the original development team.

I personally think its pretty damn amazing that such a sleeper-hit of a series had such a dedicated following to help carry the torch when the money/light goes out for the developers.

My un-ending thanks goes out to those people and while we shouldnt worry about such a thing happening for AoW3 anytime soon, i know that years in the future when the game isnt supported anymore, if there are ways to improve it, those sly bastards will find them!

I just got a copy of AoW:SM today, and I have a couple questions about the UPatch.

1. Does the main campaign change in feel at all when this patch is applied due to the balancing?
2. Do the new units look completely fitting to the game compared with the "official" items?

I'm torn between playing a normal game and adding this patch after, or just adding it and playing.

Re: 1 - No change.
Re: 2 - Yes, the new units all fit into the game. Please remember that the 1.4 patch was co-authored by a lot of AoW fans including the original game designers. The studio was dead/defunct, but the designers were still fully invested. (I'd say the Dire Penguins are the only unit that do not fit in, but they seem to be a fan favorite, so... eh whatever.)

Does this patch work with the 2.0 GOG installer, or do we need the 1.0 version?

It works with all installers just fine, I patched it myself not long ago.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Following on from Patch 1.4, Patch 1.5 has been released a decade later. You can easily find it in the Age of Wonders 2; Shadow Magic 'Heaven' website; for some reason GoG won't let me post the link.

Edit: link, http://aow.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=29,5651,,60