This is where I have reached:



The reader can read all parts of the file. In this case the number of special missions is 10, so I have clicked on "9" in the list (actually the 10th mission counting from zero) and the data is displayed by the program reading this section of file directly.

The key thing will be editing and saving changes, so I will next look at changing values and saving the edited file.
Then I will work on making it user friendly, so that other data files are read such as "tarnames.str" and more meaningful information s displayed for selection.

Jel

Well Tony.

You seem to be steaming on with this.

Carry on like this and anyone will be able to write campaigns.

Ah crap just when I figured I'd put campaigning behind me!

One of the main problems with building a campaign was the truculent nature of the old editor. Some things worked and others didn't and you didn't always know unitl you tried it out in the game.

Drove me crazy.

Well, that's what I tell the therapist anyhow.





Tony, if you need help let me know.

Thanks guys!
I have just got it saving changes correctly- that is the most critical aspect, and it is working with values that are made from 1, 2 or 4 bytes. When the edited file is re-read the correct values appear. I now need to adapt the routine to wait until the user has made all of the changes to a grid and then saving them. Currently they are being automatically saved as soon as any change is made.

Jel

I have just uploaded beta1 for testing.
It is a 7-zip self installer, with the editor and essential folders .
It is not yet user friendly, it does not yet use string/data files (tarnames.str targets.dat etc ), but it will load campXXYY.dat files and edit them on the fly.

Click on this link: Beta 1 to try

I have released it to get feedback before starting on the more user friendly aspects.




Jel

It's amazing how far you have come Tony, in such a short time.

I'm sure this work will breath new life into EAW, and add to the challenge of the game.

Ooooh!..........bomber campaigns for the flyable bombers.....
Ooooh!..........more bomber cockpit work..............
Ooooh!..........more sound work for me................
Ooooh!..........more EAW heaven........lol!
AO

This is really good news...does it use the European map, can we add other maps?
And sidestepping a bit, is there a map editor, or preferred tool for creating maps?

Shadow the scenario makers are using a number of editors made by me which generate maps from the eaw.tm file, and place the targets and airfields on them. The campaign editor can be used in any scenario, but it would need to read some of the string and data files for that scenario.

Progress report:



I decided to tackle the easiest first, but the same technique will be used on the other tabs.
The Plane type editing panel displays the values in the grid for the selected plane type (currently 0 from the list underneath V1 Missions). It also displays more meaningful information, that the two chosen aircraft is a P-51B to be replaced by a P-38J.
This has already been edited. Originally the Slot Number value was "0" (a P-38H) but I have selected the P-51B from the aircraft list, and double clicked in the Slot Number box which now reads "4". I could change the replacement aircraft using a similar technique.
To change a numerical entry which needs no translation you enter it in the text box below the values, and double click in the box that needs to be changed. The 200 has been entered into the Start Points box in this way.
At this point I had not yet edited the file, but clicking the "Enter these changes" label will enter the changes in the grid, and then write the data in file. It does work

So, editing panels equivalent to this one need to be placed on other pages, with appropriate selection lists, and helpful information. This will take time, but essentially the programming routines are already in written, and will just need cutting, pasting and modifying. The job is basically hack work, typing the set text for lists which use it, and organising the graphics on the panels.

Jel

Progress report 15th Nov 20.40

Phases finished


Plane types finished


Forces 90% finished- needs tidying and a bit of user help advice added.


Special events- one of the harder ones with editing lists and boxes needing to be visible depending on selections.
I was working on this today, and it is probably 80% complete if not more.


Special missions:
Just the basic setup complete a lot more work to do, but a few tricks I have learned from the easier work should stand me on good stead. This is the biggest page.



V1 missions:
Just the basic set-up, but there is only one section with four values.
I need to investigate them a little more, but it should be simple


The reading and writing routines work perfecly
There's a bit more to do on the campaign set-up, but it is editable already, and just needs a few user friendly bits added.
At some stage I'll grab some stuff out of one of my other editors to display a target map so that places can be selected.



We are heading to Lyon tomorrow to stay for about a week. D has business to attend to with mum, so it should give me chance to do the trickiest bits and get the whole thing out for testing

Jel

Working both ends against the middle I have imported the target selector from the frontline maker.

Places (such as Ostend) can be selected and the value (220) automatically entered into the various appropriate places in the campaign editor tables


The program generates the map from the eaw16.hm file

Jel

Jel,

From a quick look this is a very nice improvement. Once I get this hi-res Mosquito out of the way I'll give it more attention.

One thing I had trouble with was working with dates higher than 1946. I don't know if it was the editor or the game that was being finicky.







Somewhat off topic and no reflection on the new editor.

Do you or anyone else know what some of those variable categories are?

Things like "suspend frontline" and the like.

If we could get a better grasp on them we could customize campaigns a lot better.

For instance, there weren't a lot of what we call interdiction missions in the Pacific Island campaigns other then the Beaufighters hammering the Japanese barges in the Solomons. Maybe it would be possible to edit out interdiction missions for things like Hellcat pilots in 1944.
(Hopefully this doesn't devolve into a discussion on exactly what an interdiction mission is.)


Another area we need more expertise is how the game decides to move from phase to phase in any given campaign. I played with a lot of parameters over the years in various campaigns and I really didn't see much of a difference in the game play. Even when setting the chance of a special event or mission to 100% on a certain date it didn't always happen.

BTW, one of the problems is simply that you have to set up the campaign and fly the whole damn thing to see if you've actually changed anything.

OTOH, I had a lot of success with setting up when a player would encounter different enemy planes, although I had to use hexediting to make it work. The old campaign editor would accept changes but not save them.





(If someone else has had better success with changing variables and knows what all these parameters actually mean then just ignore this as the ramblings of an old campaigner.)