How do you recover a PBEM turn?

[MPHopcroft1]

I just finished my second turn in a Two Weeks in NOrmandy game (as the German -- I guess I'm being punished for past misdeeds....) and ran into a problem saving my file. My opponent had used a compound filename for his save that ended in "2a.pbm.pbl" IT worked for him -- the extension was correct and I was able to load the turn. When it came time for me to save my turn, however, the resulting file had a .pbm extension, and trying to add the .pbl extension hasn't worked.

I'm sure the data is all there -- the file is the right size -- but I can't get it to open. My Win7 computer thinks it's a graphic and I can't seem to convince it otherwise or change the functional extension.

I'm running Win7 Professional and TOAW 3.4.

Anyone know what I can do here?

[Oberst_Klink]

Kamerad,

the .PBM extension is from the PBEM Helper program. Send me the file *I gor the prg* and I'll save it as pure .PBL.

Klink, Oberst

[MPHopcroft1]

ORIGINAL: Oberst_Klink

Kamerad,

the .PBM extension is from the PBEM Helper program. Send me the file *I gor the prg* and I'll save it as pure .PBL.

Klink, Oberst

PBEM Helper Program? Is that an integral part of TOAW? I don't see the .pbm subextension when I save a turn.

Message me privately if you really want to see the file.

I've already replayed the turn and saved it with the scenario default turn name, but that could porove a problem in the unlikley event that I run two games with the same scenario. Which is presumably what a PBEM Helper app would help with.

[ogar]

I wonder if the problem is trying to 'save' a pbl as such ? If Klink has a resolution, terrific.

Here's another way -- a bit more fuss to set up, but works for.
In my saves folder, I build a folder for an active game, and if there are ongoing active PBEM and PO games, I have a folder labelled PO and one for PBEM.
And in each of them, there is a folder for each game, labelled by scenario,and player (or date if it's against the PO), and side.
So inside my Anzio 1KM folder, I'll have a Anzio_17Jul10_Axis folder for a PO game started last July where I am playing as the German, and in the PBEM folder there's a Anzio_Telumar_Allies folder.
Inside the PBEM folder, there's
Incoming
Outgoing
Sal
Sitrep
folders. Incoming and Outgoing only have the pbl's, and I label those in the manner
Scenario_Side_Turn --- Anzio_Allies_T17. If I were to have multiple PBEMs with the same scenario at the same time, I'd throw a start date or other identifier after the Anzio tag to differentiate things.

Inside Sal there are my sals after I open an Incoming pbl. And I usually have 3 or 4 sals per turn -- I get interrupted, and even when I am not interrupted, I get confused and need to walk away and start drinking. (coffee,usually)
So Sal has Anzio_Allies_T17A(B,C,...) and when I return, I start up a saved game (just like against the PO) using the A or B or whatever is the latest sal. (Note, saving to a sal will shut down TOAW just as efficiently as finishing a turn.)

When I do finish a turn, and TOAW prompts me to save the pbl, I just navigate to the Outgoing folder, and label the finished turn as above. Later I get to attach it, email, etc.

Here I insert a VERY LARGE THANK YOU to all the old-timers who shared thoughts on saving and labelling turns in threads here and over at GS. Thanks, gents -- it's saved me many headaches.

Back to the organizing,
I usually scoop the sitreps out of the main folder whenever - just as a clean-up. Usually, I'll review a text sitrep when I get a new pbl. Notes to myself, jpegs, other junk just gets dumped in the game folder (Anzio_Telumar_Allies). Oh, and the EOT save will get saved to Outgoing automatically -- I just clean those up whenever.

This has worked for me -- as I said, my headaches come from my mistakes playing the game. If you want some illustrations, email me. HTH.