ADD-ON COMPATIBILITY

[vtrelut 0]

Hello,

 

 

I have IL2+AEP+PF version 4.05m installed, plus BOE and OSTFRONT.

 

Can I also install other add-ons, such as FALL BLAU, BANZAI, THE LAST DAYS, REBIRTH OF HONOUR, OPERATION BARBAROSSA, OPERATION OVERLORD, WINGS OVER WAVES, on my current installed version?

 

Is there any conflict/compatibility issue?

 

What precautions should I take?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Vincent

[spook27 5]

Hello,

I have IL2+AEP+PF version 4.05m installed, plus BOE and OSTFRONT.

 

Can I also install other add-ons, such as FALL BLAU, BANZAI, THE LAST DAYS, REBIRTH OF HONOUR, OPERATION BARBAROSSA, OPERATION OVERLORD, WINGS OVER WAVES, on my current installed version?

 

Is there any conflict/compatibility issue?

 

What precautions should I take?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Vincent

 

I refer you to 'Patching with Confidence' earlier post in these forums:

 

I do this with SFP1/WoV and IL2FB/AEP/PF and LOMAC and FS9 - Make a Spare empty folder next to your Original Sim and name it accordingly eg: Wings Over Vietnam_Shunt and put into it a copy of your WoV.exe (or whatever else it is your are patching).

 

When you execute the patch direct the install to the spare empty folder. The patch will see the correct .exe and then create all subfolders and add the new files. You can then examine the files that are added and see where they all go. You are free to drag 'em individualy across to the the real sim folder and see what it is that the new files replace, giving you the choice of what to use.

 

It may be stating the obvious, but I would never let anything get directly at my highly modified Sims, all of which are many Gigs in size, too big to back up without another PC! As indicated this works for all of the above.

 

I should add that you can use this method to take a look at the contents of self-installing discs. Most new campaign addons in IL2/FB/AEP/PF add new files to DGen and may over-write stuff already there.

 

In the case of a new file replacing an existing, take a close look at it. Check the size, date etc, I have spent ages looking at the DGen campaign data files with a text editor. They can be modified in this way.

 

Take a look at the files named 'campaigns****', they give a quick indication of the available campaigns, compare with those in your new 'Shunt' Folder, you get the idea.....

 

.....and of course, before you modify or replace any file, back it up and then go test it!

[vtrelut 0]

I refer you to 'Patching with Confidence' earlier post in these forums:

 

I do this with SFP1/WoV and IL2FB/AEP/PF and LOMAC and FS9 - Make a Spare empty folder next to your Original Sim and name it accordingly eg: Wings Over Vietnam_Shunt and put into it a copy of your WoV.exe (or whatever else it is your are patching).

 

When you execute the patch direct the install to the spare empty folder. The patch will see the correct .exe and then create all subfolders and add the new files. You can then examine the files that are added and see where they all go. You are free to drag 'em individualy across to the the real sim folder and see what it is that the new files replace, giving you the choice of what to use.

 

It may be stating the obvious, but I would never let anything get directly at my highly modified Sims, all of which are many Gigs in size, too big to back up without another PC! As indicated this works for all of the above.

 

I should add that you can use this method to take a look at the contents of self-installing discs. Most new campaign addons in IL2/FB/AEP/PF add new files to DGen and may over-write stuff already there.

 

In the case of a new file replacing an existing, take a close look at it. Check the size, date etc, I have spent ages looking at the DGen campaign data files with a text editor. They can be modified in this way.

 

Take a look at the files named 'campaigns****', they give a quick indication of the available campaigns, compare with those in your new 'Shunt' Folder, you get the idea.....

 

.....and of course, before you modify or replace any file, back it up and then go test it!

 

OK, Thank you very much.

 

I made an extensive search on the SimHQ forum. What I understand now is that basically all add-ons are compatible, except OSTFRONT and TLD. So we can install a combination of all add-ons together, as long as TLD and OSTFRONT are not installed together.

 

In fact it is a little bit more subtle: one way is to install BOE and OSTFRONT together, use the patch available at Airwarfare.com from Skycat, patch again using the DGen update for 4.05m available at SimHQ, then:

1) Install TLD in a fake directory, such as TLD, on the desktop (basically what you suggest, in order to check what files are in the add-on).

2) Patch it with the 1.1 update available at X1 software, in the same TLD directory on the desktop.

3) Copy and paste all non-conflicting folders from that directory, in the IL2+AEP+PF 4.05m install root folder (I believe all except the DGen folder, at least the skins and single missions will not conflict).

4) Install the JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler (available to download after making a google search) in the IL2+AEP+PF 4.05m root folder.

5) Run the soft from there.

6) Create a TLD folder with the DGen folder of TLD in the MODS folder created by the MOD enabler.

7) Run the MOD enabler and switch from TLD to Ostfront or vice versa, when it suits you.

 

This is my assumption. I am going to experiment during the week-end and report back. Please let me know if you believe I missed something.

 

Thanks a lot,

 

Vince

[spook27 5]

Have a nice weekend Vince!

 

You got a burner? - because when you get everything installed I would cut that S.O.B. up and burn each piece onto a numbered backup disc! I backed up my IL2/FB/AEP/PF a month ago. It took twenty discs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vtrelut 0]

After many experiments, here are my findings and my recommendations:

 

1) I installed first IL2 FB + AEP + PF with the latest patches, and got a 4.05m merged "clean" install. This one should be backed up, i.e. entirely copied on a separate hard drive, or on CDs. Especially the DGen, Missions folders should be backed up, because these are the ones modified the most by various add-ons.

 

2) I installed BOE (Battle Over Europe), and OSFRONT v1.1, and then the DGen update by Skycat. I also replaced my DGen.exe by the latest one, i.e. version 4.0.4.5. I then tried to paly campaigns: BOE campaigns seem to work OK, so do OSTFRONT ones. BUT standard DGen campaigns no longer work! I could not launch a German fighter campaign in the South front (Crimea), I could not launch a Soviet fighter campaign, and I could not even launch a Japanese fighter campaign!

 

3) I then installed TLD, and started a campaign: I got a CTD once, and then the other time the game hang.

 

These two experiences tell me that clearly TLD is not compatible with OSTFRONT, even if one overwrites the files in DGen with the TLD ones. It also tells me that OSTFRONT is not compatible with the standard DGen campaigns (stock game)! I assume here that BOE is compatible with standard DGen, but I am not sure. Also, TLD should be compatible with BOE if applying the latest patch (v1.1). I do not know about TLD's compatibility with standard DGen.

 

As a first conclusion, unless one modifies the files in DGen (?), it is clearly not possible to play dynamic campaigns with all the add-ons that add some of these installed simultaneously.

 

4) I also installed Fall Blau, Banzai, COE. These ones add skins (no problem), static (scripted) campaigns (no problems), but also change the various background screens (.tga files in the Missions sub folders), and rewards. Some free add-ons also do this, and sometimes also change sounds. For instance the RAF-Full pack (Battle Over Britain), adds radio sounds during flight. It is OK if you fly a British pilot campaign, but not appropriate when you fly over the Pacific as a Japanese fighter pilot...

 

As a second conclusion, even other add-ons, commercial or free ones, may create difficulties and generate problems with gameplay.

 

I then adopted the following solution after finding it in other forums (SimHQ), and recommend it, because it works very well and does not create conflicts:

 

1) Use a clean merged 4.04m or 4.05m install as a starting point. Back it up.

 

2) Replace the DGen.exe file by the latest version, i.e. 4.0.4.5.

 

3) Install the programme JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler, in your main IL2+AEP+PF folder. Run it once.

This will, among other things, add a MODS folder in your main install's root folder. It will not change your progam files.

 

4) Whenever you install an add-on, create first a sub-folder with the name of the add-on you want to use, such as TLD, Fall Blau, BOE, etc. Then install your add-on not in the main root folder of IL2+AEP+PF, but in the sub-folder you created within the MODS folder. Patch the add-on to the latest version in the same sub-folder.

 

5) Explore the files added by the add-on in the sub-folder where you installed it. You will find folders such as DGen, Missions, PaintSchemes, etc. Except the files of the DGen folder, which you should leave alone (not all add-ons install some, so this should be an exception), please move the files contained in those add-on folders to the corresponding sub-folders of the main IL2+AEP+PF root folder, such as the files from PaintSchemes, to the main install's PaintSchemes sub-folder. If Windows asks you to replace an existing file, be double careful, and normally click NO, unless you really know what you lose and/or you prefer to replace the standard game file by the add-on's one.

 

You should then have added new files to your game, mainly skins, single mission packs, static campaigns, no problem. Be careful not to add the sound files of the RAF-Full pack if you install it! (leave them in the MOD's folder where you installed this add-on, if applicable).

 

6) In order to avoid a mess, please have a look at the various sub-folders created within the MODS folder, and make sure that they contain only the files that you did not want to move to the main game install's folders. If you want, you can regroup those sub-folders into a combined one, when/if there is no overlapping or conflict between the various add-ons. BUT ALWAYS respect in any sub-folder of the MODS folder that you create, the basic folder and file structure of the main root install folder of IL2+AEP+PF.

I also recommend that instead of having separate sub-folders for BOE and OSTFRONT in the MODS folder, you should have a combined one within the MODS folder, with the DGen update by Skycat, so that you can enjoy this one.

 

7) THEN PLAY! If you do nothing more, the game will just run the standard DGen campaigns, the new static/scripted campaigns and single missions, the COOP missions, etc. that you added. It will also enable you to apply the new skins of all the add-ons that you install.

 

8) If you want to play a certain campaign with the special flavour (background screen, music, radio sounds, rewards, etc.) of a given add-on or a dynamic campaign from BOE, OSTFRONT or TLD, then launch JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler (create a shortcut on your desktop), and decide which Mod you want to use. Then you can launch the game and play. After you finish, disable the Mod by running again the JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler. Avoid to enable conflicting MODS simultaneously, such as TLD and BOE+OSTFRONT!

 

Baiscally it seems to work OK, it minimizes the incompatibility problems. Of course it adds to the complexity of operating your game, because you use a separate program (JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler) to enable certain specific add-on files, but if you bought BOE, OSTFRONT and THE LAST DAYS (TLD), you have no other choice in my opinion, other than running completely different installs (which at the end takes more drive space and results in a similar constraint of having to choose which one you want to play before starting the game).

 

Thanks in advance for your comments, corrections, questions.

 

Vincent