UV Campaign Editor Notes

[Rich Dionne]

I'm putting together some usage notes to help you guys trying to create alternative UV scenario files. I'm not finished yet, but I did want to get some of the more important issues out to you now. I will try to have the complete document out soon. The main issue I wanted to cover here was saving files, and the limitations you will encounter. Here are the main points:

The first 20 scenario files are reserved. You cannot save over these files. In order to create a new scenario file, you must first save one of the first 20 scenario files as a new scenario file with a number greater than 20.

To create a new scenario from one of the reserved scenario files, click on the File menu item and select “Save As”. Select a scenario file number greater than 20, add a comment / name in the box provided, and click “Save Data Base in the Slot”. You can now edit your new scenario.

All reserved scenario files are not created equally, and their usefulness as new scenario starters will vary. First of all, many of the reserved scenarios have AI coding built into the UV EXE file to make them behave. This is particularly true of the short scenarios, where some extra AI prodding was required to make them go after desired objectives early. This is not as prevalent in the longer scenarios, where the main AI has some time to kick in. When you create a new scenario file from one of the existing reserved scenarios, any specialized AI coding will not carry over to the new scenario. The bottom line for this note is that the long campaign starting in May 42 and ending Dec 43 will make the best new scenario starter. Of course you can still try to create alternative scenarios starting with some of the shorter reserved scenarios, but AI performance and behavior will be more unpredictable.

Another important note: delay settings for ships, airgroups, and land units in reserved scenario files starting 1 Aug 42 or 15 June 43 are not used in the same way as other reserved scenario files. In most scenario files, the unit delay settings refer back to the starting date of that particular scenario, but for scenarios starting 1 Aug 42 or 15 June 43, the delay values refer back to a 1 May 42 date. For example, a delay setting of 100 in a scenario starting 1 Aug 42 means the unit in question will become available on 9 Aug 42, and not 9 Nov 42. The problem with creating files from reserved scenarios starting 1 Aug 42 or 15 June 43 is that the new scenario delay dates will now refer to the scenario starting date, and not back to 1 May 42, meaning that all delay values in the scenario will be incorrect and must all be adjusted manually. Confusing? Unfortunately, this is a remnant of the way the scenarios were originally created. The bottom line here is that you probably do not want to create new scenarios from reserved scenarios starting 1 Aug 42 or 15 June 43. Again, the reserved 1 May 42 campaign (17) is probably your best bet for alternative scenarios.

Hope this helps; I'll have more later...

Rich Dionne

[Rob Roberson]

thanks I have been toying with it..

[Hartmann]

Thanks, Rich! This is really appreciated.

Now on with the lesson, professor!

Hartmann

[AlvinS]

Thanks Rich. These tips will no doubt save us from banging our heads against the wall trying to figure it out.

Will you be adding a UV section to your web site? Its been a great resource for me with Pac War.

[Capt Cliff]

Rich,

Much thanks!!! You guy's at Matrix provide GREAT support for your customers!

[tanjman]

Rich,

How do you make a pilot into a leader or vice versa? There are squadron commanders who are not pilots or who are pilots but not leaders (i.e. F. Hardison-93rd BS-not a pilot or M. Moore-40th FS-pilot but not a leader). And I have installed the patch.

BTW I've enjoyed using you're editors for PacWar and WiR. Wish the UV editor allowed me to do some of the data sorting those do.

Thanks for any info you can give.

[Rich Dionne]

Originally posted by tanjman
Rich,

How do you make a pilot into a leader or vice versa? There are squadron commanders who are not pilots or who are pilots but not leaders (i.e. F. Hardison-93rd BS-not a pilot or M. Moore-40th FS-pilot but not a leader). And I have installed the patch.

Hmmm...

It looks like there's a field missing in the Campaign Editor that links a pilot entry to a leader entry. I'll need to look into it.

Thanks,

Rich

[Sabre21]

One easy question...How do you remove unwanted scenarios that i previously created?

Andy

[Marc von Martial]

@Sabre21

Check your Private Message concerning your email adress please.

[Rich Dionne]

Originally posted by Sabre21
One easy question...How do you remove unwanted scenarios that i previously created?

Andy,

In order to delete scenario files you create, you need to go into the "scen" directory and delete all files that include the associated scenario number in the filename. For example, if you want to delete scenario 25, you must delete the following files:

cam025.txt
spg025.dat
sph025.dat
spl025.dat
spp025.dat
sps025.dat

Don't delete any filenames including a number less than 021 in the filename, as these are required files for the scenarios provided with the game.

Hope this helps,

Rich

[Sabre21]

Thanks Rich

I kinda thought as much, but I wanted to be sure before I started removing the files.

Andy

[tanjman]

Rich,

I've run across a couple of problems assigning leaders I created to various units.
1) Relieved of Command: The leader (I have only noticed this with LCU so far) gets replaced after the unit arrives as a reinforcement or if it starts the game on the map. The weird thing is that if you look at the unit in the reinforcement screen it shows the correct leader. Are there certain slots that need to be used for certain types of units?
2) Promotions: Some of the ship leaders and most of the junior pilots I've created get promoted. IE from PO2 to LT or LT to CDR. Any ideas why?

I know you're working on a help doc and if the questions will be answered in it I can wait. Thanks for all the work your've put into UV (PacWar and WiR also).

[Capt Cliff]

Rich,

I've run into a problem with the scenario editor. If I load scenario 14 and save it as #25, without changing it, and when I run it I get a different scenario all together than if I just selected #14 from the scenario list! I get an aircombat TF at Rabaul with 2 CV's the Zui and Shok, plus the CVL. Also Lunga and Tulagi are vacant! Is the editor stripping something from the scenario? I want to with hold off the two CV's for ten days and not allow the Yamato and Musashi, but the editor screws up the orginal scenario settings. Also the camapign data sends the computer after Dobadura, both the Combine fleet and 8th army. Is the editor screwing that up too? I am confused!

Are there plans to fix this? The current scenario #14 is not historical. After invading Lunga and Tulagi I get the Tokyo express but no invasion fleet. The Jap carriers showup but no Ichi Battalion. No land units at all! I've played until October and bagged it when I started to plan to invade New Georgia with the 2nd Marines in December.

Sure would be nice to fix this.

[Rich Dionne]

Originally posted by tanjman
Rich,

I've run across a couple of problems assigning leaders I created to various units.
1) Relieved of Command: The leader (I have only noticed this with LCU so far) gets replaced after the unit arrives as a reinforcement or if it starts the game on the map. The weird thing is that if you look at the unit in the reinforcement screen it shows the correct leader. Are there certain slots that need to be used for certain types of units?
2) Promotions: Some of the ship leaders and most of the junior pilots I've created get promoted. IE from PO2 to LT or LT to CDR. Any ideas why?

I know you're working on a help doc and if the questions will be answered in it I can wait. Thanks for all the work your've put into UV (PacWar and WiR also).

Tanjman,

Did you notice the “relieved of command” problem with version 1.11? There were some leader bugs in the initial release, but these should have been corrected in 1.11. There are no specific leader slots assigned to particular types of units.

Promotions are handled in the program code, and unfortunately, I don’t know the details. Perhaps the quality levels of your new leaders were high enough to promote them?

Regards,

Rich

[Rich Dionne]

Originally posted by Capt Cliff
Rich,

I've run into a problem with the scenario editor. If I load scenario 14 and save it as #25, without changing it, and when I run it I get a different scenario all together than if I just selected #14 from the scenario list! I get an aircombat TF at Rabaul with 2 CV's the Zui and Shok, plus the CVL. Also Lunga and Tulagi are vacant! Is the editor stripping something from the scenario? I want to with hold off the two CV's for ten days and not allow the Yamato and Musashi, but the editor screws up the orginal scenario settings. Also the camapign data sends the computer after Dobadura, both the Combine fleet and 8th army. Is the editor screwing that up too? I am confused!

Are there plans to fix this? The current scenario #14 is not historical. After invading Lunga and Tulagi I get the Tokyo express but no invasion fleet. The Jap carriers showup but no Ichi Battalion. No land units at all! I've played until October and bagged it when I started to plan to invade New Georgia with the 2nd Marines in December.

Sure would be nice to fix this.

Capt. Cliff,

As I discuss in the UV Campaign Editor Notes post on this forum, there are definitely some hard coding issues with creating new scenarios. When you copied scenario 14 to scenario 25, you lost any special hard coding that Gary put in to make sure scenario started off with “appropriate” targets (Guadalcanal in this case). There are also some hard coded unit placements in scenarios starting 1 Aug 42 and 15 June 43 that are lost when you copy the scenario to a new number. As I indicate in the previously mentioned thread, your best bet for new scenarios is to use scenario 17 as your starting point. This should minimize effects from lost hard coding in your new scenario. At this point, I don’t know if Matrix is planning any changes to this limitation.

Regards,

Rich

[worr]

I've been toying with scenario #16 and noticed some ships start sunk? They have numbers in the sunk column. Is that a typo?

Worr, out

[Caltone]

Rich I see you recomend editing scen #17 due to AI concerns. Would scen #19 work as well?

I am trying to modify that one by eliminating some of the IJN carrier force but I wish to retain the other changes to the Japanese side.

[Rich Dionne]

Caltone,

Scenario 19 should work about as well as scenario 17.

Regards,

Rich

[bhdhtx]

Can anyone tell me how we can change the ship class characteristics? I.E. aircraft capacity for CV's.

Would appreciate any feedback.

[tanjman]

bhdhtx

Sorry, can't be done. IIRC there was a thread on this during development and it was decided by Matrix/2by3 not to allow this to prevent cheating (uber weapons, ships & aircraft) and other problems that would arise with incompatable OOBs. So the only things you can edit are the exsiting weapon data (also location, moral, experience etc...), you can modify what is (be carefull with this) there but can not add weapons to empty slots (no ammo after you refuel and weapon becomes disabled). Same with aircraft, though I haven't tried modifying aircraft weapon data so I don't know what would happen there. The ground units are a little more flexable.