Making the last Beta Official

[wtwelder]

Adding to my recent post, the ships with a 1 day ETA on Aug 6th using the last "old" beta version (1.8.11.26b) do come in the next day. You can see that the image I posted for Sept 24th using the new beta still have the same ships waiting to enter. Here are two new screen shots from the Ship Reinforcement Availability and Arrival Schedule for Aug 6 using the latest beta.

Enter1.jpg (53.09 KiB) Viewed 2478 times

Enter2.jpg (54.18 KiB) Viewed 2478 times

Any ship that has an associated Build Rate (e.g. Normal 40) on the screen does not appear to enter the Guadalcanal scenario for the Japanese. Any ship that shows a Build Rate as --- does enter the scenario. There may be a problem with the Guadalcanal scenario using the new beta.

[Andrew Brown]

An easy question, hopefully.

Will the official last patch break third party maps and scenarios? Will the patch simply be a new EXE which I can swap in?

Regarding the map - although I created a new "expanded" map for this game update (actually I created it a long time ago as my own personal map), for the next "beta" version we will most likely revert to a map much closer to the original one. One of the reasons for this is so that scenarios started with the current version of the game can be continued, and map mods still used, if you can tolerate the map data mismatches. There will still be differences between the updated "standard" map and the original one, but these differences are mainly a few added islands, as well as the depiction of the flooded areas in China.

Regardless of whether the final version of the update is released using the updated "standard" map or the new "expanded" map, I hope that both map versions will be available in the update, and if not I will make both versions available on my WitP-AE map website.

Lastly, I will continue making an updated version of the original map available on my website as well, which will be fully compatible with games started with the current or earlier version of the official scenarios, as well as all map mods created for the original map.

So there will be three map versions available either in the game or from my website:

• A version of the original map, with the various reported map data fixes added. This will be fully compatible with games in progress, and map mods for the original game map.
• A new "standard" map which includes some new islands, and shows the flooded areas in China resulting from the diversion of the Yellow River. This will be mostly compatible with games in progress.
• The new "expanded" map with Suez replacing Aden as the entry point in the Red Sea. Not compatible with games in progress, or map mods created for the original map.

By the way - much of the long delay in getting a new beta of the update released is due to how little time I have to work on the updates, but it is still progressing and should be ready soon.

[btd64]

Thanks Andrew. Do All three maps include the changes near Manila?....GP

[Zovs]

Do these three new maps mean we need three installs? Or are/will the 3 maps bin the main new beta (hopefully it won't be a beta any longer at that point) install?

I know some "crazy" folks have 16 installs of WITP-AE, but I only really need one or maybe two, I have 80+ installs of my WDS games that keep growing...lol

[btd64]

You would need multiple installs depending upon game mods and maps needed....GP

[LongLance93]

An easy question, hopefully.

Will the official last patch break third party maps and scenarios? Will the patch simply be a new EXE which I can swap in?

Regarding the map - although I created a new "expanded" map for this game update (actually I created it a long time ago as my own personal map), for the next "beta" version we will most likely revert to a map much closer to the original one. One of the reasons for this is so that scenarios started with the current version of the game can be continued, and map mods still used, if you can tolerate the map data mismatches. There will still be differences between the updated "standard" map and the original one, but these differences are mainly a few added islands, as well as the depiction of the flooded areas in China.

Regardless of whether the final version of the update is released using the updated "standard" map or the new "expanded" map, I hope that both map versions will be available in the update, and if not I will make both versions available on my WitP-AE map website.

Lastly, I will continue making an updated version of the original map available on my website as well, which will be fully compatible with games started with the current or earlier version of the official scenarios, as well as all map mods created for the original map.

So there will be three map versions available either in the game or from my website:

• A version of the original map, with the various reported map data fixes added. This will be fully compatible with games in progress, and map mods for the original game map.
• A new "standard" map which includes some new islands, and shows the flooded areas in China resulting from the diversion of the Yellow River. This will be mostly compatible with games in progress.
• The new "expanded" map with Suez replacing Aden as the entry point in the Red Sea. Not compatible with games in progress, or map mods created for the original map.

By the way - much of the long delay in getting a new beta of the update released is due to how little time I have to work on the updates, but it is still progressing and should be ready soon.

I do hope the map modders will provide a version of the current map used in the latest beta, "the new "expanded" map", now they dont really have a reason.

[Tanaka]

An easy question, hopefully.

Will the official last patch break third party maps and scenarios? Will the patch simply be a new EXE which I can swap in?

Regarding the map - although I created a new "expanded" map for this game update (actually I created it a long time ago as my own personal map), for the next "beta" version we will most likely revert to a map much closer to the original one. One of the reasons for this is so that scenarios started with the current version of the game can be continued, and map mods still used, if you can tolerate the map data mismatches. There will still be differences between the updated "standard" map and the original one, but these differences are mainly a few added islands, as well as the depiction of the flooded areas in China.

Regardless of whether the final version of the update is released using the updated "standard" map or the new "expanded" map, I hope that both map versions will be available in the update, and if not I will make both versions available on my WitP-AE map website.

Lastly, I will continue making an updated version of the original map available on my website as well, which will be fully compatible with games started with the current or earlier version of the official scenarios, as well as all map mods created for the original map.

So there will be three map versions available either in the game or from my website:

• A version of the original map, with the various reported map data fixes added. This will be fully compatible with games in progress, and map mods for the original game map.
• A new "standard" map which includes some new islands, and shows the flooded areas in China resulting from the diversion of the Yellow River. This will be mostly compatible with games in progress.
• The new "expanded" map with Suez replacing Aden as the entry point in the Red Sea. Not compatible with games in progress, or map mods created for the original map.

By the way - much of the long delay in getting a new beta of the update released is due to how little time I have to work on the updates, but it is still progressing and should be ready soon.

Thanks for the update Andrew. It is hard to please everyone and this sounds like a good plan that will. My only question is on the expanded map will the AI be scripted to play it?

[MarkShot]

Andrew,

Thanks for the very detailed answer and considering all the possible use cases. Very thoughtful of you!

[Andrew Brown]

Thanks for the update Andrew. It is hard to please everyone and this sounds like a good plan that will. My only question is on the expanded map will the AI be scripted to play it?

Yes the AI should handle the expanded map.

[MarkShot]

Given the obvious diversity of the many ways people have evolved their play over the years, it would be a great aid if the the team wrote an extensive installation guide that covers many common combinations players have made as opposed to "just run the installer and point it at your WITP-AE" directory. I think this would do wonderful things (not for new player adoption but for veteran player adoption).

Thank you for your time and expertise both those here and those who have moved on.

[pnzrgnral]

Given the obvious diversity of the many ways people have evolved their play over the years, it would be a great aid if the the team wrote an extensive installation guide that covers many common combinations players have made as opposed to "just run the installer and point it at your WITP-AE" directory. I think this would do wonderful things (not for new player adoption but for veteran player adoption).

Thank you for your time and expertise both those here and those who have moved on.

I second this.

[rhohltjr]

Thanks for the update Andrew. It is hard to please everyone and this sounds like a good plan that will. My only question is on the expanded map will the AI be scripted to play it?

Yes the AI should handle the expanded map.

Andrew or anyone,
Which scenarios have been updated to the new expanded map?
Also has the scenario editor been updated to include the expanded map locations?
Thanks for the continuing improvement to this game.
rhohltjr

[RangerJoe]

The update has new scenarios that use the new map.

I presume that the scenario editor should work fine, if the operator knows what they are doing - I don't always know what I am doing using the editor.

[dontra85]

how can we get the new map info so we can update the game.

[Platoonist]

how can we get the new map info so we can update the game.

It's all in the Beta already.

[rhohltjr]

I presume that the scenario editor should work fine, if the operator knows what they are doing
- I don't always know what I am doing using the editor.

Fair enough Ranger Joe. I tried copying my old edited scenario files into corresponding folders with this new beta, but the scenario editor doesn't see them. They are just aircraft and pilot changes I made for myself. I notice the scenario editor is not in the Start menu(on my machine). Anyone else have any luck editing any of the new AE beta scenario files ?

Thanks
rhohltjr

[Andrew Brown]

Andrew or anyone,
Which scenarios have been updated to the new expanded map?
Also has the scenario editor been updated to include the expanded map locations?
Thanks for the continuing improvement to this game.
rhohltjr

I am now generating two sets of new scenarios:
- One set that uses the 'expanded' map that was included in the first beta release of the new patch
- One set that uses the 'standard' (but updated) map that will be included in the second beta of the new patch (hopefully to be released fairly soon now)

What I intend to do is make sure that, if we do stick with the 'standard' (but updated) map when the patch is finally out of beta, is to make sure that the 'expanded' map, and the full set of scenarios made for it, are available for download.

It is possible that both maps and both sets of scenarios could be included in the final release, but unfortunately there isn't an elegant way of allowing players to switch between them.

Note that the updated 'standard' map still has some new islands, as well as some minor art and terrain updates, so the old map mods made for the original map will be mostly, but not 100%, compatible.

Also, the scenario editor can edit any scenario created for any map.

[MarkShot]

Let me suggest a way of doing this short of including a generic mod manager like JSGME. JSGME would be easy to use, but there might be issues, since you would be bundling it with something which is technically not open source, but a commercial product.

The variants which have such as new extended map and old stock map and associated scenarios are all atomic files. They are not in the ancient computing sense actual patches which would mean hex edits of various bytes of disk files. So, you are just replacing files.

A few images from my current setup.

The WITP-AE group:

SNAG-0001.jpg (268.22 KiB) Viewed 1460 times

The various groups of scenarios for the standard map as elaborated upon in one Kull's lengthy posts; a sub group of my main group.

SNAG-0002.jpg (113.37 KiB) Viewed 1460 times

Finally what is actually on the shortcut's command line (unzip relative and overwrite):

"C:\Program Files\WinZip\WZUNZIP.EXE" -e -o "E:\Games\WITPAE\SCEN\Scen2012L1USin20-Marianas.zip"

Here is what is going on:

(1) You create in your development environment, every option of the unique files you want to provide the player like a particular map + scenario(s).

(2) You provide an archive of the default install WITP-AE final.

(3) You then create archives of only those files pertaining to a required map and scenario set.

(4) You convert the archive into an executable which will resides in the right location in the WITP-AE directory tree. You will want to extract it relative its location with overwrite.

(5) So, to make the switch, the user just needs to run the sub-installer.

(6) With the main WITP-AE installer or update, you place these EXEs where they belong along with anything else you are installing. You create shortcuts to the executables as part of the WITP-AE start menu group.

(7) I believe Window's started to directly support ZIP files with WinXP. But if not, you could use something like 7zip.

(8) Finally, you put in each zip a VERSION.TXT which simply says what the user has like "Standard map + Stock Scenarios" or "Extended map + Modified Stock Scenarios + Third Party Scenarios". You also place a shortcut to VERSION.TXT in the WITP-AE start menu group. Thus, the file will always open with NOTEPAD.EXE and tell the user what he has.

---

I think this would be a workable to give the user maximum flexibility to have it however he want its. Let me know if anything is unclear here. Thanks.

[Zovs]

Along the same lines as using JSGME I have took a lot of the mods I downloaded and converted them to be JSGME compliant and I really think this is a better way to go.

[Moltrey]

Along the same lines as using JSGME I have took a lot of the mods I downloaded and converted them to be JSGME compliant and I really think this is a better way to go.

Zovs:
Would you be willing to share those details on how to "convert them to be JSGME compliant"?
M.