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Ack! Anyway to expand core?

Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2003 11:55 pm
by hyperstork
Is there any way to expand your core forces in SPWAW? I just started a fictional campaign, and wanted to add some paratroops to my tiny little force, and suddenly realized that unlike MBT there isn't an expand core option on the between-campaigns screen. Any ideas, or am I scrod?

Thanks for any help...

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2003 1:52 am
by tracer
While core units can be changed, they cannot be added to.

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2003 8:22 pm
by Bing
Au contraire, you can edit to your heart's content. Copy your save files - best to do this before you start a battle - rename the three files to "Scenxxx.dat /.cmt /.rec " - any empty scen slot will do. Then put these files in the Scen folder.

Bring up the newly created "scenario" file in editor. Do whatever you want. Save the scen file, copy the three files back to a different directory, rename the files to "save" same as what you started with. Put them back in the Save folder. Off you go.

Caution: Changes to Aux may become part of your core, at least they have when I edited them or added to them, a cheap way to get no-cost core enlargement. I do a lot of manual editing of existing units if I feel their Rally, Experience and Morale are too low and sometimes I replace what I believe are incorrect armored units and artillery. Everything works fine, of course once "replaced" a unit will have to be manually put back on the board, but that's easy enough.

I would backup everything 100%, you never know when an edit can make the game engine go crazy. I've had it happen, easy enough to fix if the files have been backed up.

Bing

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 4:41 am
by hyperstork
Thanks for that tip!

By the way, I recently started making custom changes to maps, etc in my campaigns, using the instructions from Mike Amos. Sounds similar to what you suggested. However I can't get this trick to work with the other versions- like SP:MBT. Any hint where I can find instructions for doing this kind of thing? I'd really like to use some custom maps in MBT as well... couldn't find any help on CAMO.

Thanks for any help...

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:13 pm
by tracer
Will this method affect the way your ongoing campaign is scored?

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 11:09 pm
by Sturmpionier
Originally posted by tracer
Will this method affect the way your ongoing campaign is scored?
Not in the short term, at least NIME. I have yet to see any long-term affects either, but I haven't experimented with it long enough to say for sure.

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 11:35 pm
by Warhorse
As long as you do all your editing in the deploy phase, your scoring will be retained, but if you try to do something while playing a scenario in the campaign, it will screw up the score, and/or quite possibly cause the dreaded no advance French flag problem!! Do so at your own risk, I edit my campaign, which I started over a year ago or more, and it's ok, just takes a long time to play on huge maps with a core force of a reinforced Panzer Battalion, with PG battalion!!!

The Warhorse!

Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2003 9:12 pm
by hyperstork
Hey, Mike Amos himself!

I've used your instructions for SP:WAW and it works great for me. How do I do it in SP:MBT? I tried the SPWAW way and it didn't seem to work. Any help appreciated, I want to add some water areas to my MBT campaign maps so my wittle gunboats can come play in the sandbox without being stuck on land as well, heh heh... :>

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2003 1:20 am
by Warhorse
Hmmm, I haven't really done much with MBT, but I've edited my saves in WW2, which is basically the same engine, and it has worked okay!!? You're saying you are unable to edit a map, or that you simply can't get any edit to stick? I'll have to try it out once with MBT, to see what the giggie is.:D

Tried SPWAW method

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2003 1:53 am
by hyperstork
I tried the SPWAW method, of copying the save .dat file to the scen folder, renaming it- but never could find it, tried loading in where it should be and the game said it wasn't a scenario there to load. I wondered what I was doing wrong... the file types are slightly different...

Worked in SPWW2

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2003 5:30 am
by hyperstork
Hmm, your method worked in SP:WW2 as well, as I just tried it. Strange, maybe something weird going on there in MBT...

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2003 7:25 am
by Bing
Chiming in a bit late here: I haven't ever seen scoring go different from an edited SpWAW campaign scenario - provided as pointed out the editing is done in the deployment stage and no later. Lots of possibilities for bad results if any scenario is edited after deployment, I wouldn't do it on GP (General Principles).

SPMBT throws in some kind of an "Aux" file when the scenario is saved. I don't know what this is. Never got that far with MBT - every time my Soviet AFV moved it lost its ability to fire TUR missiles, which seemed silly to me. Why have tube-launched AT missiles in the game if the player can't use them? We tweaked a few items in the OOB file, gained ability to fire when moving, then lost it if so much as a rifle shot was fired in the neighborhood. Bummer.

SPMBT graphics were just too plug ugly for me, am sure it doesn't bother others. I'll just sit back and wait for CL.

Bing