editing OOB -- 'phantom' duplicates

[ogar]

I have been working on creating a scenario (my first attempt) and I have hit a snag with the Force editor (at least that's where I think the problem is).

Before I lengthily describe the problem - what I am looking for are answers to :

Does this problem sound familiar to anyone ? Is there a quick fix to it and if so, what's the quick fix ? (No, 2 qts of vodka does not work; I might try 1 vodka 1 tequila this weekend.)

After many attempts and corrections, I finally had the units and equipment for both forces complete and entered in the editor. I dumped OOB to xml to proof, and it looked complete and correct. But when I went to Deployment, I hit a snag trying to deploy the 3rd formation of Force 2 - the next formation button just hung. More fussing. Then I stopped and dumped the scenario and the OOB.

When I checked the scenario using Parmenio's viewer (Thank you, Andy wherever you've gone to) and checking the xml of the OOB, I found duplicate formations as well as units previously assigned were now in the Formation Unassigned section. So I cleaned up the xml, and reimported it, saved the sce, shut down the machine, and came back the next day.

Dumped the OOB out of caution, and checked it. My corrections had taken. BUT the duplication problem now hopped over to the other force, duplicating 50th Army (earlier, 18th Panzer was the 'problem').

Does this problem sound familiar to anyone ? Is there a quick fix to it ?
(My guess is that the OOB is corrupted. I am not very xml-savvy, but the xml does look properly nested and complete to me. Or maybe the sce itself is now corrupt.)

I'm not quite ready to start all over again with a new, clean scenario - and retype all that OOB, but that may be needed. Before I do that, I'll like to check for possible fixes.

Thanks.

[LLv34_Snefens]

I've had ghost units messing up my scenario before and from bad experience I never overwrite an .sce file I'm working on, but always give it a new name (adding date).
Now, before I started this practice I believe I once was able to recover a .sce file corrupted with a similar problem, but I can't remember if it was from within the editor or by use of .xml.

If you want, you can mail me the file and I can have a look to see if I can help.

[Oberst_Klink]

ORIGINAL: ogar

I have been working on creating a scenario (my first attempt) and I have hit a snag with the Force editor (at least that's where I think the problem is).

Before I lengthily describe the problem - what I am looking for are answers to :

Does this problem sound familiar to anyone ? Is there a quick fix to it and if so, what's the quick fix ? (No, 2 qts of vodka does not work; I might try 1 vodka 1 tequila this weekend.)

After many attempts and corrections, I finally had the units and equipment for both forces complete and entered in the editor. I dumped OOB to xml to proof, and it looked complete and correct. But when I went to Deployment, I hit a snag trying to deploy the 3rd formation of Force 2 - the next formation button just hung. More fussing. Then I stopped and dumped the scenario and the OOB.

When I checked the scenario using Parmenio's viewer (Thank you, Andy wherever you've gone to) and checking the xml of the OOB, I found duplicate formations as well as units previously assigned were now in the Formation Unassigned section. So I cleaned up the xml, and reimported it, saved the sce, shut down the machine, and came back the next day.

Dumped the OOB out of caution, and checked it. My corrections had taken. BUT the duplication problem now hopped over to the other force, duplicating 50th Army (earlier, 18th Panzer was the 'problem').

Does this problem sound familiar to anyone ? Is there a quick fix to it ?
(My guess is that the OOB is corrupted. I am not very xml-savvy, but the xml does look properly nested and complete to me. Or maybe the sce itself is now corrupt.)

I'm not quite ready to start all over again with a new, clean scenario - and retype all that OOB, but that may be needed. Before I do that, I'll like to check for possible fixes.

Thanks.

IMPORTANT Ogar! Dump and use ONLY the .OOB file for editing in Andy's editor and in Notepad++! The .XML does NOT save the objectives in the latest version of Andy's editor and you might recall the 0/0 equipment issue as well. The parsing and formatting of the .XML in Notepad++ creates issues, not the .OOB file IMHO. Send me the file and I have a look at it; though all my TOAW work is on ice.

Klink, Oberst

[ogar]

Thanks for the responses.  It is good to find out that this problem or a similar one has occurred to others.  My suspicion is that a) I corrupted the OOB in some manner and cannot see/repair the error(s) (a version of the old-time extra comma/hanging paren coding glitch; b) my brute force learning attempts at building the OOB within the editor corrupted the .sce or perhaps just the oob-block within it; c) both a and b; d) c with extra screw-ups !; e) something other snafu of mine.

Snefens, Oberst, I'll contact you guys off-forum.  Thanks.

@Any other .sce rookies looking in - There's a reason that all the .sce pros tell the rookies to start with a small scenario - 20 x 40 map; 30 or so units per side; 20 turns; not too much in the events.  We know the map editor is a major pain; we know EvEd has brought about a Special Action Section of Ghostbusters for protoplasmic environmental cleaning & aslvage; but I tell you, the OOB/TOE piece of Force editor has been a nightmare for me.   I strongly recommend finding a copy of Todd Klemme's old old Advice to Rookie Designers - a guide of how-to.

Nice to see you lurking around, Oberst.  I thought the Dark Side had taken you completely.