No Equipment Update? What did I pay $40 for?

[freeboy]

Yep, try editing an EASY decisive battles game.. then adding ai.. good luck.. ok it can be done but guides are nice.. and thnk you to ssg and Matrix.. and those others who allow us to mod and create to our hearts desires...

[ralphtricky]

ORIGINAL: ColinWright
So does OPART III let you do something similar -- or would those who wanted to play my scenarios as designed have to copy and paste, replace, and then restore every time they wanted to first play 'Seelowe' and then go back to 'Fire in the East'?

They need to copy the changed graphics files to TOAW\AltGraphics\Seelowe or TOAW\AltGraphics\Fire in the East. That's all there is to it. Both players in a PBEM game need to do this.With any luck, we'll be able to do equipment in a similar fashion. The plan is that TOAW will warn you if you're playing with different equipment files, but it won't warn you if you're playing with different graphics files.

Ralph

[sstevens06]

ORIGINAL: ralphtrick

ORIGINAL: ColinWright
So does OPART III let you do something similar -- or would those who wanted to play my scenarios as designed have to copy and paste, replace, and then restore every time they wanted to first play 'Seelowe' and then go back to 'Fire in the East'?

They need to copy the changed graphics files to TOAW\AltGraphics\Seelowe or TOAW\AltGraphics\Fire in the East. That's all there is to it. Both players in a PBEM game need to do this.With any luck, we'll be able to do equipment in a similar fashion. The plan is that TOAW will warn you if you're playing with different equipment files, but it won't warn you if you're playing with different graphics files.

Ralph

So you're going to 'externalize' the equipment database from the executable. Seems like a reasonable approach to me.

[ralphtricky]

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll
My more immeadiate concern is that it come with an "Idiots Guide to Unit MOdification". I know Matrix will not issue something that wont work. It may not please EVERY grognard, but they usually own COW anyway. It sounds like it (unit editor thingee) will work for me, if it comes with instructions.

What instructions are there for BioEd? That should be an excellent starting point.

[TOCarroll]

To figure out how to use Bio Ed, one merely begs the forum gurus at TDG. I would assume the same tactic works at Matrix (it has before) ASSUMING (in both forms) that one has read the realavent articles and posts. Postees with 4 or five stars take a dim view or repeat stupid questions [:-] (although they generally suffer the first one or two.[:D]

[ColinWright]

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll

To figure out how to use Bio Ed, one merely begs the forum gurus at TDG. I would assume the same tactic works at Matrix (it has before) ASSUMING (in both forms) that one has read the realavent articles and posts. Postees with 4 or five stars take a dim view or repeat stupid questions [:-] (although they generally suffer the first one or two.[:D]

Well, part of the problem is that we don't really how it works. That is to say, it's not a commercial-grade program, it doesn't come with instructions, and when we hit a bump, we figure out what we're supposed to do at that point -- then forget what we did until we hit the bump again.

[ColinWright]

ORIGINAL: ralphtrick

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll
My more immeadiate concern is that it come with an "Idiots Guide to Unit MOdification". I know Matrix will not issue something that wont work. It may not please EVERY grognard, but they usually own COW anyway. It sounds like it (unit editor thingee) will work for me, if it comes with instructions.

What instructions are there for BioEd? That should be an excellent starting point.

Lol. As noted above, there aren't any.

[Telumar]

@ Colin: You can even rename the tiles you are using in your scenario by using a modified .dll like Jean Luc did in the french version of 'Operation Lion de Mer 2004' that comes with the game. Just name it like the scenario and put it in the scenario's folder. You can rename almost everything in the game this way.
You just need the language Kit from Matrix, rename what you want to and make your own Seelöwe.dll. You can use the MS VC++ Express Edition (free download from Microsoft).

[TOCarroll]

OK.....serious question from me (for once)[X(]! I have all the Bio Ed files, and have read all the material on the forms (both TDG and Matrix). After I install this monster, make the required changes, and start up the beast. WHAT do I do next? Just jump into the (unit)editor?
 
OR would it make more sense to have a SECOND COPY of TAOW3 in ANOTHER DIRECTORY (WITH A REVISED NAME (something clever like TAOW3.1)[:D]?
 
There is a scenario that I want to modify....it is fine except the values on some of the units are too strong. I thought that might be a (fairly simple) test. OR should I wait 'till something official (elegant or ugly) comes out?
 
Another programming moron.
 
PS  Thanks for all the hard work.

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll

OK.....serious question from me (for once)[X(]! I have all the Bio Ed files, and have read all the material on the forms (both TDG and Matrix). After I install this monster, make the required changes, and start up the beast. WHAT do I do next? Just jump into the (unit)editor?

OR would it make more sense to have a SECOND COPY of TAOW3 in ANOTHER DIRECTORY (WITH A REVISED NAME (something clever like TAOW3.1)[:D]?

Okay. Stop here. Am i missing something here? The opart3.exe can't be loaded into bioed. Only the cracked opart cw.exes (A century of Warfare) that are included in the download can be loaded into bioed and can be modified.
You can however use the opart cw.exe and toaw3's graphics to have your own 'cheap' ACOW if you add a proper key to your registry..

[nemo69]

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll
There is a scenario that I want to modify....it is fine except the values on some of the units are too strong. I thought that might be a (fairly simple) test. OR should I wait 'till something official (elegant or ugly) comes out?

You had better wait it out, trust me [;)]

[golden delicious]

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll

Just jump into the (unit)editor?

Let's be clear: the BioEd is an equipment editor. If you want to edit units, do it in TOAW.

[TOCarroll]

OK.......re-read my last post, and the question becomes: What do I do, just jump into the equipment editor? I would still like to know if it is wise to hook Bio-ed to a seperate copy of TAOW3 just so idiots like me font f*** up PBEM games.

[ralphtricky]

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll
OK.......re-read my last post, and the question becomes: What do I do, just jump into the equipment editor? I would still like to know if it is wise to hook Bio-ed to a seperate copy of TAOW3 just so idiots like me font f*** up PBEM games.

I'm causing too much confusion by trying to remain cryptic. Let me speak plainly. These are 'forward looking statements' and are still in development. We may run across something that makes this impossible, so take this with a grain of salt.

BioEd was written by a third party, nobody has heard from him in a while, and I haven't been able to reach him. It was designed to edit early versions of the TOAW executable. I'm not a VB6 person, and I haven't been able update BioEd. VB6 won't work correctly on my system, someone else can try if they want. BioEd also has the capability to store the edited data into a separate data file, instead of the executable.

SInce Jean-Luc's efforts at writing an editor have stalled, and I've made significant changes to the way that data is stored in TOAW, we've decided to store the equipment data in a separate file that can be loaded when that scenario starts in a manner similar to the way that scenario specific graphics are loaded..

WIth any luck you'll be able to use BioEd to edit the equipment data only, and store it in a separate file that will be automatically loaded when that scenario is loaded. If you have a currently modded TOAW-COW scenario, you've already done the hardest part.

There are some caveats. We're working on figuring out what those are. For example, the equipment slots are capped at what is currently in TOAW-COW. Scenario graphics are handled differently in TOAW III from TOAW-COW, so much of BioEd's editing aren't useful, etc.

Ralph

[TOCarroll]

Muchos Gratias [:)]

[ColinWright]

ORIGINAL: ralphtrick

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll
OK.......re-read my last post, and the question becomes: What do I do, just jump into the equipment editor? I would still like to know if it is wise to hook Bio-ed to a seperate copy of TAOW3 just so idiots like me font f*** up PBEM games.

I'm causing too much confusion by trying to remain cryptic. Let me speak plainly. These are 'forward looking statements' and are still in development. We may run across something that makes this impossible, so take this with a grain of salt.

BioEd was written by a third party, nobody has heard from him in a while, and I haven't been able to reach him. It was designed to edit early versions of the TOAW executable. I'm not a VB6 person, and I haven't been able update BioEd. VB6 won't work correctly on my system, someone else can try if they want. BioEd also has the capability to store the edited data into a separate data file, instead of the executable.

SInce Jean-Luc's efforts at writing an editor have stalled, and I've made significant changes to the way that data is stored in TOAW, we've decided to store the equipment data in a separate file that can be loaded when that scenario starts in a manner similar to the way that scenario specific graphics are loaded..

WIth any luck you'll be able to use BioEd to edit the equipment data only, and store it in a separate file that will be automatically loaded when that scenario is loaded. If you have a currently modded TOAW-COW scenario, you've already done the hardest part.

There are some caveats. We're working on figuring out what those are. For example, the equipment slots are capped at what is currently in TOAW-COW. Scenario graphics are handled differently in TOAW III from TOAW-COW, so much of BioEd's editing aren't useful, etc.

Ralph

Obviously, the solution is to hunt down Biohazard and kill...no wait, kidnap him. Then drag him back in chains to update his editor. If it'll help, I'll apologize for arguing France could have fought on from North Africa in 1940.

[ColinWright]

ORIGINAL: TOCarroll

OK.......re-read my last post, and the question becomes: What do I do, just jump into the equipment editor? I would still like to know if it is wise to hook Bio-ed to a seperate copy of TAOW3 just so idiots like me font f*** up PBEM games.

Primarily, the Bioeditor lets you alter the characteristics of equipment in ACOW. For example, in his Poland scenario, Ben makes use of it to give German tanks a recon ability, making Panzer units much more capable of deep penetration. In Seelowe I do a lot of things with it. I've taken some unit I don't use anyway and given it the characteristics of the ca 1930 Vickers Mark II (or something). I make it call up a different tile for 'rocky.' Various other things.

The point is that one loads the ACOW .exe into this thing and then saves the results as a new .exe file. Now what would happen if you tried to load the ACOW III executable into this instead I couldn't say. If I hear of an unexplained nuclear explosion and you stop posting, I'll have a better idea.

[vahauser]

I'm very confused by this thread.

Most unit editors I've used look sort of like spread sheets where you can simply change the unit data fields. And once you save your changes then the game remembers those changes for any future scenario.

Somebody please un-confuse me regarding the TOAWIII unit editor.

[ColinWright]

ORIGINAL: vahauser

I'm very confused by this thread.

Most unit editors I've used look sort of like spread sheets where you can simply change the unit data fields. And once you save your changes then the game remembers those changes for any future scenario.

Somebody please un-confuse me regarding the TOAWIII unit editor.

Well, note that one is not editing units. One is editing the characteristics of the weapons that make up the unit. Beyond that, the simplist thing to do would be to download the Bioeditor and open it. Things should be clearer at that point.

[ColinWright]

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