A new version system is now put into place with KMST. This version system allows each WZ file to operate on a different version... so...
Character.wz can act like it's on version 265
Effect.wz can be on version 260
Item.wz can be on version 250
And everything still just works. This is great for me as it simplifies extracting, but this is also great for players of Maplestory.
In the encryption scheme of maplestory, the version of each WZ file is also used in the decryption procedure for the offsets. Because the version changed with every patch of the game, this means all of the offsets changed. Because offsets changed, that means that the patcher had to rebuild every single wz file so that all WZ files (1) used the current version and (2) used the correct decryption for the offsets. Now that every wz file does not have to be updated with every patch (because the offsets do not change anymore - same version), this is what it means for players of maplestory:
1. Faster patching times - you don't have to rebuild every file from scratch when patching your game
2. Less hard drive space consumed for patching - previously, to patch every file required a huge amount of disk space (2 GB or more, and growing)
3. Smaller patch files - Since the patch files do not have to contain instructions for how to rebuild every WZ file, this means a smaller patch file. A smaller patch file also means faster downloading speeds as there's less stress on the server on patch day.
So talk about a huge hooray for Maplestory players on patch day!
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