Graphics file recognition anomalies

[Hoplite1963]

I am currently putting the finishing touches to version 3 of my Campaign Series Middle East Unit Picture mod, (CSME UPM”) which I hope to make available online during the festive season, and which adds the Egyptians. While doing so I have come across a number of anomalies with the way that platoon unit numbers i.e. the P numbers that have to be given to any images saved in the “Pictures” folder in the game along with a couple of minor corrections that should perhaps be made to the text for a number of platoon entries that appear for Egyptian units in the “Unit Handbook” and Unit viewer for Egyptian Army units.

Helicopter anomalies (affecting Syrian and Egyptian units)
Quite correctly both nations have access to ATGW armed versions of the French SA342 Gazelle helicopter. For the Egyptian “Gazelle (ATGM)” its P number is P236518 while for the Syrians it is P266515. I have been able to source separate images for each nation and made up the relevant picture file and drop them into the “Pictures” folder of the game. However both in the unit viewer and in the unit handbook the entry for the Egyptian Gazelle ignores the available Egyptian image (P236518) and defaults to show that of the Syrian one P266515.

Car Bombs, Cars & Militia cars (affecting Egyptian units)
Platoon units for the Egyptians and Syrians in the game both have “Car Bomb”, (which function as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED)) “Civilian Car” and “Militia Car” units. When setting up the relevant unit picture tiles to show in the “Unit Handbook” and “Unit Viewer” my preference had been to use a unique image (of a car on fire) for “Car Bomb” units and another (of a car parked in a middle eastern street) for “Civilian Car” and “Militia Car” units. For the Syrian unit pictures this worked fine and all 3 types are correctly set up in versions 1 and 2 of the mod available for download in this forum.

However when I tried the same approach for the Egyptian units even though I had saved correctly numbered image files of the same car parked in a street image for the 2 “Civilian Car”( P238802 and P238803) and 1 “Militia Car” (P238806) units into the “Pictures” file in the game, both in the unit viewer and in the unit handbook selecting the units in question brings up the image of the tile for the “Car Bomb” unit. (P238801)

For reasons of consistency I have therefore standardised all 4 units (including the car bomb one) with images of a car parked in a street,

SMG related text description – What about the “Port Said” SMG (Egyptians only)
In the early 1950’s the Egyptian Army adopted the Swedish “Carl Gustaf SMG manufacturing a slightly modified version under licence as the “Port Said” later simplifying the design to produce the follow on “Akaba” version.

To reflect this I have provided a unit tile showing the Port Said” SMG for P23203 “Submachinegun Platoon 61” in the Egyptian inventory. Accordingly for this unit the reference in the unit descriptive text to “Russian SMG’s” should be amended to “Port Said” SMG’s”

Engineer Platoons (Egyptians only)
Here the image for P232031 (Engineer Platoon 48) which I had set up as that of a Sten SMG overrides the different images files I had created for P232030, (Engineer Platoon 51) P232036, (Bridge Engineer Platoon) P232037 (Construction Platoon) and P232038. (Mine Engineer)

To get round this for the moment I have changed the image linked to P232031 (Engineer Platoon 48) to that of a roll of barbed wire which I think is a better if not a ideal fit for the range of units in question.

Irregular irregularities (Egyptians only)
Here the image for P232046 (Palestinian Rifle 51) which I had set up as that of a M1944 Carbine overrode that of a SMLE Rifle I had set up for P232077 (Palestinian Rifle 48) I have therefore standardised both units with an image of an SMLE Rifle.

Also the image for P232047 (Palestinian Rifle 62) which I had set up as that of a SKS Carbine overrides that of a AK47 with folding stock that I had set up for P232048 (Palestinian Rifle 71) and P232049 (Palestinian Rifle 82). I have therefore standardised all 3 units with an image of an AK47 with folding stock.

Perhaps at the time that CSME is updated to bring it up to date with the enhancements introduced with CSVN, the relevant files could be tweaked to that each units entry in the unit viewer and unit handbook responds to a graphics file with its own unique P number and not that of another unit ?

Kind regards
Ian

[Jason Petho]

This is excellent, thank you! These issues will be updated for the UPDATE.

[Hoplite1963]

Thanks Jason