Unit Viewer Suggestions.

[z1812]

I appreciate all the work that has been done on the Unit Viewer. There are improvements that could be made to facilitate scenario creation.

1. Major Point: The unit viewer should be accessible from the organization editor. It would be useful if it worked like a common database tool. That is you click on the unit you are considering and up comes the unit view display directly of that unit.

2. Major Point: Include the units hard and soft factors in the unit viewer. It is inconvenient to go back and forth between the unit viewer and the unit handbook to find information.

3. Minor Point: Change the descriptions of the French Units to English in the organization editor. I know there is a translationin the manual but it would just be clearer and more efficient to have the translation in the editor.

Right now if you wish to make a reasonable scenario you must go back and forth from the edit organization window, then open the game, then open the unit viewer, and then open the unit hand book. It is not convenient. Many years ago the method and amount of information would have been considered top notch. The information is still top notch but the method is really lagging behind commonly used methods for easily accessing information.

[76mm]

ORIGINAL: z1812
Right now if you wish to make a reasonable scenario you must go back and forth from the edit organization window, then open the game, then open the unit viewer, and then open the unit hand book. It is not convenient.

Couldn't you just open two windows and place them side by side? You don't have to open the unit view from the game, you can also open it directly from its .exe file in the tools folder.

Also, which hard and soft factors do you mean? I thought that the unit viewer included all of a unit's intrinsic factors--do you mean things like morale?

[z1812]

ORIGINAL: 76mm

ORIGINAL: z1812
Right now if you wish to make a reasonable scenario you must go back and forth from the edit organization window, then open the game, then open the unit viewer, and then open the unit hand book. It is not convenient.

Couldn't you just open two windows and place them side by side? You don't have to open the unit view from the game, you can also open it directly from its .exe file in the tools folder.

Also, which hard and soft factors do you mean? I thought that the unit viewer included all of a unit's intrinsic factors--do you mean things like morale?

The organization editor is one window. Then you would open the game to open the hand book which is two more windows. Within the game you cannot open the unit viewer and the unit handbook at the same time. I think you can open the unit viewer from the desktop by short cut yet another window. You suggest opening it from the tools folder which entails more navigation and........open windows.

As tools the handbook and unit viewer should be available from the edit organization menu.

The handbook shows the units hard and soft factors which is not shown in the unit viewer which is kind of odd.

The information needs to be organized so a person building a scenario spends the majority of their time constructing a scenario rather than chasing information.

The issue is central to the idea of giving the Campaign Series a makeover to bring it to current standards. My understanding is that that is what the developers intend.

[Jason Petho]

ORIGINAL: z1812

The handbook shows the units hard and soft factors which is not shown in the unit viewer which is kind of odd.

Pressing the "Weapons Range Chart" when in the Unit Viewer displays the hard and soft factors against hard and soft targets.

Unless I am missing what you mean?

Jason Petho

[z1812]

ORIGINAL: Jason Petho

ORIGINAL: z1812

The handbook shows the units hard and soft factors which is not shown in the unit viewer which is kind of odd.

Pressing the "Weapons Range Chart" when in the Unit Viewer displays the hard and soft factors against hard and soft targets.

Unless I am missing what you mean?

Jason Petho

That was what I meant and you have answered my point 2. Thank you. I missed that piece of information.

What do you think about my other suggestions?

[Crossroads]

Hello 1812,

There was already a suggestion to have the Unit Viewer open up portraying the selected unit within the game. This would require first Arkady coming up with a new version of his tool, supporting a launch option for this. Then us the Dev Team would need to add this to game menu, passing the launch parameter upon hitting F3 if a certain unit is selected. Let us see if and when this is possible.

Once the above is sorted, it makes sense to have the same feature available in Scenario Editor, and that would be less of an effort so a nice suggestion for sure.

[Crossroads]

As for the French unit naming, this is something you can actually change yourself if you want. I suggest you would copy the files to a folder under the /mods folder and activate them with JSGME, but having said that what you'd need to edit are the various PlatoonXX.OOB files, where XX refers to nation ID.

Unit Viewer reads the unencrypted OOB files, and OOB editor you can launch with -X option from a shortcut so it would then read unencrypted OOB files too.

[z1812]

Thanks Crossroads for your thoughts and information.

[Crossroads]

You're most welcome!

[Arkady]

ORIGINAL: Crossroads

Hello 1812,

There was already a suggestion to have the Unit Viewer open up portraying the selected unit within the game. This would require first Arkady coming up with a new version of his tool, supporting a launch option for this.
...

Well, actually it is already added to latest version,commandline parameter is -me:PXXXXXX
for example -me:P220001 should invoke Unit Viewer with Israel's Cromwell IV tank already selected

[Crossroads]

ORIGINAL: Arkady

ORIGINAL: Crossroads

Hello 1812,

There was already a suggestion to have the Unit Viewer open up portraying the selected unit within the game. This would require first Arkady coming up with a new version of his tool, supporting a launch option for this.
...

Well, actually it is already added to latest version,commandline parameter is -me:PXXXXXX
for example -me:P220001 should invoke Unit Viewer with Israel's Cromwell IV tank already selected

Thank you Arkady! I added this to my desktop shortcut, so not the tool opens with ME and an Israeli Shot Kal (Centurion) pre-selected. I will inform Berto he is good to go with this now.

[SIPRES]

Hello Arkady,

Would it be possible to add following features on Unitviewer future releases?
Mainly items for platoon 3D view in order to facilitate any graphics mod work.

- display option for 3D loaded unit version when it does exist eg (UPnnxxxx --> MPnnxxxx)
- display option for 3D bit file (OPnnxxxx.bit)
- Display 3Dbase graphic (0 to 11, up to platoon.oob file data)

Rgds

Christophe

[Arkady]

I add it to To DO list, low priority

My main task now is better search function