IMPORTING AN ORBAT TO ANOTHER SCENARIO

[Camstick]

I have built an ORBAT (400 plus units) in one scenario and would like to move it to another. Is it possible to do this with TOAW. As everyone knows, it can be a huge amount of work to build ORBATS.

[cathar1244]

Try these hotkeys within the force editor.

F4 - If in OOB, saves OOB for both sides
F4 Shift Ctrl - saves OOB for current player
F5 - If in OOB, reads OOB for both sides

Cheers

[Camstick]

Cathar,

Again much appreciated. So most of the ORBATs did transfer over, I am making progress. However, equipment that I had defined/added beyond that in the normal TOAW scenarios did not. Is there an easy way to get that moved into the new scenario?

Camstick.

[cathar1244]

There may be more elegant ways to do this, but this should work.

First: make a backup copy of your scenario.

Load the scenario that has the desired equipment into the scenario editor.

Under the "file" menu, save the equipment file as an XML file.

Go to your "Graphics Override" folder under the TOAW folder (the one in your user area, not the main game installation).

Make a folder with the scenario name of the scenario you're working on. For this example, I'll call the scenario: Camstick

So, your folder structure under the "Graphics Override" folder should have a folder named Camstick.

Copy the saved equipment file into the Camstick folder and name the equipment file Camstick.eqp

Next time you load the Camstick scenario, it should have the modified equipment file.

Cheers

Cathar,

Again much appreciated. So most of the ORBATs did transfer over, I am making progress. However, equipment that I had defined/added beyond that in the normal TOAW scenarios did not. Is there an easy way to get that moved into the new scenario?

Camstick.

[LOK32MK]

Try these hotkeys within the force editor.

F4 - If in OOB, saves OOB for both sides
F4 Shift Ctrl - saves OOB for current player
F5 - If in OOB, reads OOB for both sides

Cheers

This works fairly well. However, on two occasions I have used the OOB from one scenario and the map from another scenario to make a new scenario and things got messy.
On one occasion the new scenario would crash in the editor if I tried to redeploy certain units or cut and paste new units in specific formations. I was able to find a way around it by creating new units/formations at the end of the OOB.
On another occasion the new scenario would crash in the editor if I tried to deploy a formation. Editing the OOB and removing the formation would just cause scenario to crash on another formation. I think it had to do more with the map import than the OOB import. I did not find a way around that issue and after spending many hours trying to fix it the new scenario I gave up

[Camstick]

Cathar,

Thanks as always for your help and patience. So I now have the eqp file in the Graphics Override folder and an OOB file in the Scenario folder. It all seems to have worked except that on the Ukrainian side in the Force Editor the Ukrainian units not only have the equipment and personnel that I want but there are also lots of 0/0 spare equipment and some random other equipment, also with 0 holdings. The Russian side worked perfectly. Thoughts?

Camstick

[sPzAbt653]

However, on two occasions I have used the OOB from one scenario and the map from another scenario to make a new scenario and things got messy. ... after spending many hours trying to fix it the new scenario I gave up.

Sounds like a challenge! So you - Saved the map. Saved the OOB. Opened the map in the Editor. Imported the OOB. And now its an Abby Normal.

So we are in trouble shoot mode, yippee! I love it, I used to be an auto mechanic and this stuff is fun, although not always definative

I think that when you Import the OOB, the program tries to bring in all of the prior Unit Locations and Objectives. This may cause Rude Editor Issues [RDI's].

Did you try Importing the Map onto a new blank map in the editor of the Same Size or larger as the Original OOB Map? Then importing the OOB, and starting from there?

That said, I am not a fan of throwing out blind ideas in order to make designers relive more aggravation with an established issue. Therefore, feel free to provide enough details so that I can try to produce a solution here at Lab653. I know you know what you are doing, but you never know when the blind squirrel might find a nut.

[cathar1244]

Cathar,

Thanks as always for your help and patience. So I now have the eqp file in the Graphics Override folder and an OOB file in the Scenario folder. It all seems to have worked except that on the Ukrainian side in the Force Editor the Ukrainian units not only have the equipment and personnel that I want but there are also lots of 0/0 spare equipment and some random other equipment, also with 0 holdings. The Russian side worked perfectly. Thoughts?

Camstick

No clear thoughts, sorry. Working through brain fog to recall some things ...

What I vaguely recall is that if one scenario was open in the editor and then another opened that used a modified equipment file, that there seemed to be conflicting data from previous equipment file. Again, not sure if that is correct.

I would try saving a known good copy of the equipment file you want for the scenario. Again, I'll call the scenario "Camstick" for purposes of example.

This equipment file should be named Camstick.eqp and it should be in the Camstick folder under the Graphics Override folder. See if the equipment loads correctly that way.

Cheers

[LOK32MK]

I think that when you Import the OOB, the program tries to bring in all of the prior Unit Locations and Objectives. This may cause Rude Editor Issues [RDI's].

Did you try Importing the Map onto a new blank map in the editor of the Same Size or larger as the Original OOB Map? Then importing the OOB, and starting from there?

I think you are 100% correct. The program tries to bring in all of the prior Unit Locations and Objectives. The units had locations and turns/events for deployment from the previous scenario.

I did not try importing the Map onto a new blank map in the editor of the Same Size or larger as the Original OOB Map. By the time I encountered the problem I was already many hours into the design, and I thought (stupidly?) I could fix it.
That is something worth trying though.

Now I am making a new map and just importing the OOB.

[Camstick]

Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions. I think they worked. So I started from a blank scenario and called it "Ukraine 2022 From Nothing" ... which was the approach.

I then went to the original Ukraine 2022 and saved the map and put it on my Desktop. It became an .mnl file. I then opened my Ukraine 2022 From Nothing scenario and did the Open Map (XML) and chose the .mnl on my Desktop. I now had a map and of course saved the scenario to My Games/TOAW/Scenarios/Modern Misc.

Next step was to do the ORBAT. I had previously saved my preferred ORBAT using the function F4 in the Scenario Editor. I renamed that .oob file to Ukraine 2022 From Nothing.oob. and put it in My Games/TOAW/Scenarios/Modern Misc. I then re-opened the Ukraine 2022 From Nothing.sce. Once the scenario was up, I opened the Force Editor pressed function F5 and chose that Ukraine 2022 From Nothing.oob file. Magic, it all came through, including all the right equipment which had all the "new equipment" I had made up. I did not need to create anything in the Graphics Overide folder.

Anyway, next all the other stuff which I will start by deploying the forces and coming up with the two sides campaign plans with object tracks. I will no doubt have more questions lol!

Camstick

[RedAss]

OK, waitaminute. The guy who always asks dumb questions is back (and really, you have no one but yourselves to blame because you are all such a benevolent mix of helpful and enabling).

I have an existing scenario with an OOB and whole slew of events that I (mostly) want to use in a NEW scenario with a different (and bigger) map.

My plan was to open the old scenario, import the new map, save it under a new name, and commence to editing it (badly) from there (including wiping out all existing objectives).

Will this not work?

[golden delicious]

OK, waitaminute. The guy who always asks dumb questions is back (and really, you have no one but yourselves to blame because you are all such a benevolent mix of helpful and enabling).

I have an existing scenario with an OOB and whole slew of events that I (mostly) want to use in a NEW scenario with a different (and bigger) map.

My plan was to open the old scenario, import the new map, save it under a new name, and commence to editing it (badly) from there (including wiping out all existing objectives).

Will this not work?

In principle, as your new map is bigger, this should work.

I'm coming off having just done something similar myself, going to a different map scale with an existing scenario, but I also trimmed to a fraction of the original playing area (since most of it was never used) and this caused some of the above problems- which I am only now learning is because of locations which are outside the map limits.

I ultimately solved (most of) these problems but what I'm finding is that a huge playing area, more turns and/or more units is a bummer and I'm thinking my next scenario will last about six turns and have a total of maybe forty units.

[RedAss]

In principle, as your new map is bigger, this should work.

I'm coming off having just done something similar myself, going to a different map scale with an existing scenario, but I also trimmed to a fraction of the original playing area (since most of it was never used) and this caused some of the above problems- which I am only now learning is because of locations which are outside the map limits.

I ultimately solved (most of) these problems but what I'm finding is that a huge playing area, more turns and/or more units is a bummer and I'm thinking my next scenario will last about six turns and have a total of maybe forty units.

Yep, it worked, but ultimately turned out to be just as much work as starting over.

Point taken about the smaller map/less units -- definitely something to be said about the quick and dirty.