NATO Icons

[rhinobones]

Been a long time since I fired up ATG, but this new beta looks interesting and ATG has always been a good way to spend a casual evening. Thought I would give it a try.
However, I much prefer standard NATO icons over the pictorial icons and it isn’t intuitive how the switch is made. Need a bit of help. What is the magic that switches a random scenario from picture icons to NATO icons?

Regards, RhinoBones

[ernieschwitz]

Hi!

Well, to answer the question, as posed, there is no magic switch, if you want to have the AI show Nato Icons.

If you however want to have your troops show Nato Icons the method is to make TO&E templates for them, choosing which Icons are to represent what (inside the game that is), and then applying said templates to the units you want to have them.

If you want to do more than that, you need to mod. Either modding the install itself, or the scenario file.

I can detail the options you want, in the above, and perhaps tell you about the pitfalls of each, if you want to do it.

[rhinobones]

Hi!

Well, to answer the question, as posed, there is no magic switch, if you want to have the AI show Nato Icons.

I wasn’t clear with my question.

In the Pheonix random game, after the map/scenario has been generated, there is a button with the option to use NATO counters. Works real good, I like it.
The New Dawn and Standard random games do not offer the NATO choice even though there appears to be NATO icons within their respective folders. The question is, how are NATO icons loaded into the New Dawn and Standard random games? To me, that is the magic.

I would like both the AI and player display NATO icons.

Regards

[ernieschwitz]

Lets take it one thing at a time then.

When creating a ANewDawn random game, this is how it should look, after pressing the button on the main menu.

ANewDawn3.jpg (155.53 KiB) Viewed 1319 times

Note the option I made the Yellow Rectange around. It should read like that. anewdawn3.at2

This is the file that is being used to generate the random game. It should automatically include the TO&E options. If it isn't pointing towards this file, then there is a good chance you are running an older version of the game, and I'd recommend upgrading to the newest one.

[Ormand]

The New Dawn and Standard random games do not offer the NATO choice even though there appears to be NATO icons within their respective folders. The question is, how are NATO icons loaded into the New Dawn and Standard random games? To me, that is the magic.

The NATO counters in PhoenixGame are done with an event that replaces the graphics that are used for the subformations that make up units (aka SFTypes). If you don't select this "option", it will use the same graphics as ANewDawn.

Now, if you want to use NATO counters with ANewDawn, you will need to use the editor to do it. In PhoenixGame this is done with an event, #105 "Replace SFT Symbols". It is sloghtly tricky because the name of the graphics files are stored in a stringlist, which are loaded by reading the stringlist columns. I did it this way because some people my prefer the old way without NATO symbols, and I needed to keep that option available.

This is part of the "magic" of the editor. For the most part PhoenixGame and ANewDawn are very similar, with only a few new things, so it would probably be better to use PhoenixGame. If you really want to know how to do it with the editor, I can describe it in more detail. I don't how familiar you are with the editor.

Now, there is also the TOE system, which are active in PhoenixGame and ANewDawn3. However, most unfortunately, the AI doesn't use the TOE system, so if you don't use the NATO symbols option, the AI units will use the silhouettes.

[ernieschwitz]

Ah, THOSE Nato Icons.

[rhinobones]

"Replace SFT Symbols"

Thanks to you both for the input. Think I’ll go with your recommendation to stick to the Phoenix version since it has the built-in silhouette to NATO graphics switch.

Your reply also triggered memories that many years ago I would go into the STF folder and physically replace the silhouettes with NATO unit counter graphics. Gave me exactly what I wanted.

Regards, RhinoBones

[ernieschwitz]

Your reply also triggered memories that many years ago I would go into the STF folder and physically replace the silhouettes with NATO unit counter graphics. Gave me exactly what I wanted.

That is still possible, though not on Steam installs. Steam sees the files as being replaced/corrupted, and downloads the real ones...

[Ormand]

Also, it is possible that some time in the future, for example, when the beta goes official, a Matrix install might overwrite the files you copied in. I like the NATO icons myself and use them exclusively in my mods. I was asked if it was possible to have NATO symbols in ANewDawn, and I couldn't just replace them, so I came up with the option where I replace the silhouettes using an event, and some graphics files that I added to the patch.

You can do a lot with the editor.

[rhinobones]

I like the NATO icons myself and use them exclusively in my mods.

Glad to hear that I’m not the only one with a preference for NATO icons. A preference that is, except for NATO aircraft icons. At the scale I play hard for me to tell the icons apart and even more difficult to remember what they represent. So, for aircraft I stick with the silhouettes.

Regards

[ernieschwitz]

I do the same thing when playing. Just NATO Icons for land stuff.
Of course in scenarios I just let people use TO&E to determine what they like.