Back to WOV/WOE 06 patch

[Stwa 18]

Well people,

 

I tried the 2008 patch for WOV/WOE, and I know I tried it back in 2008 too.

 

The problem is, at least for me, it just doesn't do much for my installation, except produce a small task list of things I gotta go fix.

 

So, I ditched it (again), and went back to the 06 patch, and I am calling it done this time, until I go to SF2 or maybe SF3 when it comes out.

 

I am a person, that likes to simplify when I mod. For example, when I modified the menu system to support 1360 x 768, I got rid of the "Instant Action", and "Multiplayer" sections, but substracting the options from the menu system.

 

The main problems, I saw with the 2008 patch, apart from the water animation, blending, etc, changing yet again, was ...

 

1. Seasonal tile support at the terrain level: Not as neat as you would think. For instance, you have the wait for the mission thingy, to randomize a date for the terrain (season), you might want to fly. I found this to be a hassle.

 

2. Random weather support at the terrain level. OK, its usefull, kinda, you can already randomize this, just not as accurately.

 

3. Static aircraft objects: For the most part, just makes the planning map more confusing, because I suppose static aircrat are showing up on the map, obscuring the operational squadrons that might fly against your mission. Maybe I am wrong?

 

There is probably a lot more, but I didn't want to spend anymore time after I resolved the first 3 issues. It was basically a time waster, just messing with it.

 

Anyway, you can still implement seasonal tiles with the 06 game (with seperate terrain folders), but the date that shows on the hangar screen and roster screen, might not match your season. So what I did was just fix the menu system, so the full date doesn't show on the hangar and roster screen and voila, problem gone.

 

So now, the only place a full date shows, is on the campaign screen. So keep your campaign dates to a single season, and you are good.

 

 

[+RAVEN 414]

I use the 06 patch level for my Prop installes (PTO-CBI) and the only thing that I miss is the "SpecificStationCode=" So I just use a "Attachment Type" of a nation that is not in that theater for things I want to Specific Station. Works good. How did you git rid of the "Instant Action", and "Multiplayer" sections? I tried ,best I could get is you click them and git CTD.

Edited February 26, 2012 by RAVEN

[Stwa 18]

Here is my mainscreen ini file.

 

If you can't get it to work, I had to mod most of the other files as well, so we can keep looking till we figure it out.

 

Notice, I still hade to reference Instant Action under the [Mission Control] heading below, but there is no option to select Instant Action in the main menu.

 

 

 

[MainScreen]

MenuType=NORMAL_MENU

BackgroundImage=1360\USAF_CE\MainScreen.bmp

MenuItem001=SystemMenuHotspot

MenuItem002=BlankNameplate

MenuItem003=SingleMissionHotspot

MenuItem004=CampaignHotspot

MenuItem005=BlankNameplate

MenuItem006=MainScreenTitle

MenuItem007=DestineerTM

HotSpotImage=

MenuCodeDLL=MainScreen.dll

RememberMenu=TRUE

DefaultSelection=-1

MouseAnimation=MouseAnimation

BackgroundMusic=MainScreen.wav

TextFilename=MainScreen.str

 

[singleMissionHotspot]

MenuItemType=HOTSPOT

UseHotSpotImage=FALSE

NormalAnimation=SingleMissionAnimation

MouseOverAnimation=SingleMissionSelectedAnimation

MouseDownAnimation=

DisabledAnimation=SingleMissionDisabledAnimation

DestinationMenu=SingleMissionScreen

HelpText=

InfoTextSetting=InfoTextSetting

InfoTextStringID=TXT_MENU_SINGLEMISSION_INFO

SelectionSound=click.wav

 

[singleMissionAnimation]

AnimationFilename=Icons\USAF\SystemMenuIcon.bmp

LoopingAnimation=TRUE

NumFrames=1

TicksPerFrame=0

Position=59,9

TransparentBackground=FALSE

 

[singleMissionSelectedAnimation]

AnimationFilename=Icons\USAF\SystemMenuIconHi.bmp

LoopingAnimation=TRUE

NumFrames=1

TicksPerFrame=0

Position=59,9

TransparentBackground=FALSE

 

[singleMissionDisabledAnimation]

AnimationFilename=Icons\USAF\SystemMenuIconDisabled.bmp

LoopingAnimation=TRUE

NumFrames=1

TicksPerFrame=0

Position=59,9

TransparentBackground=FALSE

 

[CampaignHotspot]

MenuItemType=HOTSPOT

UseHotSpotImage=FALSE

NormalAnimation=CampaignAnimation

MouseOverAnimation=CampaignSelectedAnimation

MouseDownAnimation=

DisabledAnimation=CampaignDisabledAnimation

DestinationMenu=CampaignScreen

HelpText=

InfoTextSetting=InfoTextSetting

InfoTextStringID=TXT_MENU_Campaign_INFO

SelectionSound=click.wav

 

[CampaignAnimation]

AnimationFilename=Icons\USAF\SystemMenuIcon.bmp

LoopingAnimation=TRUE

NumFrames=1

TicksPerFrame=0

Position=109,9

TransparentBackground=FALSE

 

[CampaignSelectedAnimation]

AnimationFilename=Icons\USAF\SystemMenuIconHi.bmp

LoopingAnimation=TRUE

NumFrames=1

TicksPerFrame=0

Position=109,9

TransparentBackground=FALSE

 

[CampaignDisabledAnimation]

AnimationFilename=Icons\USAF\SystemMenuIconDisabled.bmp

LoopingAnimation=TRUE

NumFrames=1

TicksPerFrame=0

Position=109,9

TransparentBackground=FALSE

 

[blankNameplate]

MenuItemType=IMAGE

Position=1036,0

ImageFilename=1360\BlankNameplate.bmp

 

[MainScreenTitle]

MenuItemType=TEXT

TextSetting=ScreenTitleTextSetting

TextStringID=TXT_MENU_GAMETITLE

 

[DestineerTM]

MenuItemType=TEXT

TextSetting=TMNoticeTextSetting

TextStringID=TXT_MENU_DESTINEER_CR

TextPosition=10,766

 

[TMNoticeTextSetting]

TextFontName=Arial

TextSize=12

TextBold=FALSE

TextItalic=FALSE

TextUnderline=FALSE

TextStrikeOut=FALSE

TextShadow=FALSE

HorizontalAlignment=LEFT

VerticalAlignment=BOTTOM

ForegroundColor=128,128,128

TransparentBackground=TRUE

BackgroundColor=0,0,0

UseANSICharSet=TRUE

 

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

#include "SystemMenu.ini"

#include "MouseAnimation.ini"

#include "InfoTextSetting.ini"

#include "TitleTextSetting.ini"

#include "OverlayTextSetting.ini"

#include "ThemeChalkboard.ini"

 

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[MissionControl]

InstantAction=InstantAction

SingleMission=SingleMission

Campaign=Campaign

 

//=============================================================================

 

The three hot spots, on my system, all use the same icon, and are for the option, misson, campaign screens, in that order left to right.

 

Here is a pic for your reference, so you can locate the hot spots etc...

 

Edited February 26, 2012 by Stwa

[Wrench 9,850]

I guess extracting the InstantAction.ini, and editing the date, terrain and aircraft listed was too much work.

 

Ssoooooooooo much easier just rebuilding menus to remove them. Yeah, that works

[Stwa 18]

Oh, and in the first post, I wasn't that clear about the seasonal terrains.

 

Prior to 08 patch, you can implement them by using a seperate "terrain" folder, for each season.

 

This way you can select them, instead of waiting for the game to randomize a mission date that matches (falls within) your season dates.

 

I find this a much better arrangement.

 

Now, for each campaign, you have, you can simply mod them to use a specific seasonal terrain. In so doing, your campaign dates, should stay within what is acceptable for a given season.

 

For example:

 

I have now (thanks to Stary), four Germany CE terrains as follows:

 

GermanyCE = original that came with game.

GermanyCE.A = GermanyCE with Stary's Autumn tiles.

GermanyCE.S = GermanyCE with Stary's Spring tiles.

GermanyCE.W = GermanyCE with Stary's Winter tiles.

 

The GermanyCE campaigns have dates basically in Autumn (Red Hammer, Red Thunder, etc...

 

So change the terrain they use to GermanyCE.A, per the following,

 

[CampaignData]

CampaignName=1979 Red Lightning

DataFile=woeCamp2_data.ini

CampaignMap=GermanyCEA <--------------------------------

Service001=USAF

Service002=RAF

Service003=WGermany

 

As an example, I made a GermanyCEA folder, with just the TFD, HFD, and INI file, and Stary's bmp and tga files. (I resized the bmp's to 256x256).

 

The terrain ini is as follows,

 

[Terrain]

TerrainFullName=Germany CE.A

Catfile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE.CAT

DataFile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE_data.INI

TargetFile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE_targets.INI

TargetTypeFile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE_types.INI

MovementFile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE_movement.INI

NationsFile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE_nations.INI

BriefingText=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE_briefing.INI

DogfightFile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE_dogfight.INI

DogfightOnly=FALSE

Longitude=10.817

Latitude=51.111

 

[Map]

FilenameFormat=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE_Map%d.bmp

Width=1000000.0

Height=1000000.0

NumZoomLevels=3

[Stwa 18]

I guess extracting the InstantAction.ini, and editing the date, terrain and aircraft listed was too much work.

 

Ssoooooooooo much easier just rebuilding menus to remove them. Yeah, that works

 

Hi Wrench,

 

Maybe I am confusing you,

 

The work I did on the Menus, removing the instant action, multiplayer, was all back in 2006. I am just trying to help the poster out with that.

 

Removing the date thing took about 5 seconds. Actually, its not even removed, it just displays in never never land.

 

Here is how you do it. Just modify one line as so. Save the file and POOF, its gone.

 

From the hangar screen, and similar code in the roster screen.

 

[DateText]

MenuItemType=TEXT

TextSetting=OverlayTextSetting

TextStringID=TXT_MENU_NOTAVAILABLE

//TextPosition=50,100

TextPosition=1361,100 //displayed off screen to hide

 

So, you see, it took about 5 seconds tops.

[Stwa 18]

Also Wrench,

 

You have probably forgotton, but I was rebuilding the menu system back in 2006 ANYWAY, because I wanted it to be 1360 x 768. I modified to WOV screens for that purpose.

 

Just thought I would mention it.

 

BTW, thanks for posting.

 

RAVEN,

 

Here is how I am doing the seasonal terrains.

 

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Stwa I finally made the move to 2008, cos the AI is just so much more advanced over 2006.

 

I too am a menu hound, but my goal was to make it a fast snap from Windows desktop to running a test single mission. For modding development, the stock menu is a serious impedement to testing workflow -- every succeeding mouse click is on the far opposite side of the screen -- back and forth, hand waving. I made my menus so that the SingleMission, Accept, Fly buttons are the same location, and at center screen where the mouse cursor is at initial game start. Just a few clicks without moving the mouse and I'm in the pit. Also, a fast ESC and I uncerimoniously dump to desktop in a flash to continue modding.

 

After making all mouse buttons the same screen location, the big thing for me was to shorten the fade times. I hate waiting for artificial game menu fades.

[Stwa 18]

Hi Lexx_Luthor

 

I remember you from a long time ago.

 

No doubt, SF2 has probably got some real advantages over SF1.

 

My computer just won't die. Its got a lithium battery in it, and I don't want to give up XP.

 

I remember you used to dable in a lot of stuff. Did you ever finish the Indonesia Terrain, or are you still messin with it?

 

I might come over to SF2 down the road, but I got to ask you, can you kinda make a merged install with SF2:E and SF2:V.

 

I really think the WOV/WOE thing, is the best thing that ever happened to me with flight sims.

 

Plus, this game is the easiest to mod that I have ever seen. Everything on the outside if you want it.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

No no...I am running basic SF-1 Patch 2008

 

I finally caved in under pressure and got a few SF-2 titles, but never had the time to deal with them.

 

Still at 2008

[Stwa 18]

Hehe, my bad!

 

But wouldn't the AI be a whole lot better, on SF2 than SF1 patch 2008.

 

Just wondering ...