Intel Monkey 1.0 Pre-Beta

[witpqs]

Guys,

s131313 needs help sorting out whether he has the correct witploadAE.exe and maybe getting the right one if he doesn't have it already. I've given him a head start in PM but I am pretty tied up today and likely tomorrow. If some of you more technically knowledgeable guys could be on the lookout for any queries he posts here... [8D]

[Hanzberger]

Where are the install instructions?

[dr.hal]

I've tried to install Intel Monkey with adverse results. The instructions are easy and logical to follow. I get so far as step seven of the instructions where I've built the database, get scenario data and then I'm supposed to hit "Load Info" to finish up. However that tab is not "light" or usable. In fact after I hit "Get Scenario Data" it says "Reading in Scenario Data. Be patient" of which I have been, for HOURS. Yet nothing changes. The game I'm attempting to load is now in June 1942 so there are a number of turns to load, but I didn't think it would take THIS LONG!!!!! What did I do wrong or what should I do next to test what's been done or not done? I'm sorry that I'm not well versed in computers, but I thought this would be easy to follow. I guess I was wrong, any help??? Hal

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

I've tried to install Intel Monkey with adverse results. The instructions are easy and logical to follow. I get so far as step seven of the instructions where I've built the database, get scenario data and then I'm supposed to hit "Load Info" to finish up. However that tab is not "light" or usable. In fact after I hit "Get Scenario Data" it says "Reading in Scenario Data. Be patient" of which I have been, for HOURS. Yet nothing changes. The game I'm attempting to load is now in June 1942 so there are a number of turns to load, but I didn't think it would take THIS LONG!!!!! What did I do wrong or what should I do next to test what's been done or not done? I'm sorry that I'm not well versed in computers, but I thought this would be easy to follow. I guess I was wrong, any help??? Hal

I can make some guesses at this point, maybe you and I can go deeper via email.

To load the scenario files, Intel Monkey must know where the correct (latest at this point) version of witploadAE.exe is located. That utility is provided by the developers and it exports the scenario files to CSV format files. The CSV files are what Intel Monkey reads in to set up it's database.

This process might take a few minutes on an old computer but not terribly long. It sounds like you might not the configuration items set correctly (where to find things), or maybe you have an old version of witploadAE.exe.

After you get the scenario files loaded, you will be able to read the reports. Intel Monkey reads the reports from the archive sub-folder. As noted in the documentation, make sure you've been running the game with the -archive switch (or whatever is the exact spelling, I haven't looked in a while).

Reading in the turns is pretty quick, but if you have a lot of turns to read in that could take a while on an old computer, Just depends on the computer. The good news is that after doing that you only need to read in turns which have not been read in before.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Hanzberger

Where are the install instructions?

Sorry, I've been traveling.

The instructions are on the website. Intel Monkey uses a very standard installer and tries to do things as automatically as possible like most software does today.

[dr.hal]

Hi George,

I sent an email. Now to make a public confession (in front of all the readers of this forum), I don't understand what you mean by "an old version of witploadAE.exe" or "make sure you've been running the game with the -archive switch (or whatever is the exact spelling, I haven't looked in a while)". Sad I know, so could we take this off line before too many folk laugh at me and I can get this resolved quietly?????!!!!!! Cheers,

Hal

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

Hi George,

I sent an email. Now to make a public confession (in front of all the readers of this forum), I don't understand what you mean by "an old version of witploadAE.exe" or "make sure you've been running the game with the -archive switch (or whatever is the exact spelling, I haven't looked in a while)". Sad I know, so could we take this off line before too many folk laugh at me and I can get this resolved quietly?????!!!!!! Cheers,

Hal

Please define 'too many'. [:D]

[dr.hal]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

Please define 'too many'. [:D]

[/quote]
More than one....and I see I've already reached that threshold.... Oh well.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

ORIGINAL: Zorch

Please define 'too many'. [:D]

More than one....and I see I've already reached that threshold.... Oh well.
[/quote]

[witpqs]

[:D]

witploadAE.exe is second from the bottom in this pic. A good place for it is in the beta2 sub-folder in your WITP-AE installation.

[witpqs]

Pics of Intel Monkey configuration screen.

[witpqs]

Notice on the Intel Monkey main screen you click the button in the lower right to open the configuration screen. Click on the button for each item to configure it. the location of witploadAE.exe is near the bottom.

(I won't mention all this is in the documentation. [:D])

[witpqs]

For anyone following this, it looks like Dr. Hal had the old version of witploadAE.exe.

[dr.hal]

Yes thanks George, the newer version did the trick for most of it. Now I have to try and figure out how to get it to read all the reports! Sigh.

[dasboot1960]

Despite my best efforts, I now leap into the bullpen. I'm hope that the latest version of the exe file was installed when I updated last...

I'm just starting as IJ, and had no intel monkey response on 12/8/41 turn. I'm hoping this may be because it is turn1/historical start, or some other reason I have not imagined?

[dr.hal]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

For anyone following this, it looks like Dr. Hal had the old version of witploadAE.exe.

I have to relay to all that George went above and beyond to help me get this started and running right. Thanks George, you are a superstar. For all who are interested, this is a really cool tool that George (witpqs) has developed and I fully endorse it's use.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: dasboot1960

Despite my best efforts, I now leap into the bullpen. I'm hope that the latest version of the exe file was installed when I updated last...

I'm just starting as IJ, and had no intel monkey response on 12/8/41 turn. I'm hoping this may be because it is turn1/historical start, or some other reason I have not imagined?

AE must be run using the -archive switch in your shortcut so that it stores copies of each turn's report files in the save\archive folder.

BTW, if you do not have the correct witploadAE.exe being referenced by Intel Monkey then Intel Monkey will not be able to read in the scenario data when you set up things.

I know there is a lot of text on that page where you download Intel Monkey, but it really has useful information there. It's the documentation!

[dasboot1960]

(trying to confront my issues) Currently I am running AE on one computer, trying to run tracker and intel monkey on the other. Do I need to have AE running on computer two to make the monkey run? I added the archive switch, and created on archive folder on computer two. I'm just confused. Perhaps the answer is run AE on computer two every time. Will the monkey run without AE running? Thank you for your patience.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: dasboot1960

(trying to confront my issues) Currently I am running AE on one computer, trying to run tracker and intel monkey on the other. Do I need to have AE running on computer two to make the monkey run? I added the archive switch, and created on archive folder on computer two. I'm just confused. Perhaps the answer is run AE on computer two every time. Will the monkey run without AE running? Thank you for your patience.

OK, your question is a first!

Intel Monkey does not rely on AE running on the same computer. However, IM must be able to find what it needs to find. When you set up a new game it needs to find the scenario files and it needs to find (the correct version of) witploadAE.exe. When you read in the report files from one or more turns it needs to find those files (in other words the ones in the archive folder). At the moment Intel Monkey does not interact with Tracker so it doesn't need to know where Tracker is (it's in there because I intend to add that functionality).

The purpose of the configuration menu is to make it easy for you to tell IM where to find those things (and other things). Technically you don't have to run AE on the same PC where you run Intel Monkey, but then how will you get the report files within reach of Intel Monkey every turn? Tech savvy people can come up with many ways of doing that, but from what you say it sounds like you are not that tech savvy (yet!), so maybe you can explain a bit why you are running things on different computers?

[dasboot1960]

I am pleased to report that I finally muddled though (mostly. I carefully went through the bottom-row buttons from right to left, green background returns started to pop up, and well, there it is. I am still not getting returns on the last three upper buttons (Group, LCU, and Ships info). Perhaps these take time to flesh out? I am playing IJ, one day turns, just finished my 12-11-41. I believe that there will be things here that will become more useful to me overtime. I kept archives from 12-8 on, but it is still a very small date range. Thank you for this, and I look forward to taking full advantage of it.

I have tracker on a separate laptop so I can view them while in game, with a maximized games screen. I bet I could multi-screen them, but due to complications with my flight sim on my PC, I need the laptop to do any flying. I guess its a carpenter's solution to a digital problem...

THANK YOU!