What ever you call it, I won't use it, or support it!

OK, do you need to create a set just to fly an off line intersept mission?

Say 2 aircraft types per side i bomber, 1 escort and possibly 2 interceptors?

Or,

Do you need to completely flesh out a folder?

It looks like the skins are in their own folders and selected from them. Do they all have an OAW type selection set with a 'Contents', jpg, and actual type description (Bf109 K, JG XX)?

Personally, for me the simpler the interface the better. That is why OAW was better for me than ECA. They did the same thing but OAW just seemed so much easier.

Oh well, just my bit here.

Mike, we WANT more input and questions like that so don't be shy.

There are the early days of a paradigm shift in the way EAW works. There will be stumbles and dead ends to be sure but that is no reason to abandon the concept.

We can make something unique in the flight sim world if we work together on this.

An entire community will be grateful if the naysayers will just STFU.

Hi Mike

This is how it works for me in the latest 140 folder which has a "Aircraft_Inventory" folder.

1. I make a folder named "IronMike" open it and make a folder in it named "Planeset1" in readiness.

2. I run the "Flexible PSMaker 2016V3.exe" which is today's version and navigate to the "Aircraft_Inventory" folder in both directory boxes:


3. To save time here I am only going to use the SPAW planes, but I could select any apart from the ETO which has new style FMs which cannot be mixed with old style:


Note that the skins are on the left and the FMs on the right

4. I single click on a skin and then a corresponding FM folder


5. I then click in the two blank columns in the grid. I will put this A20 in slot00 but it could go in any:


6. I fill all the slots by the same method:


Now it is time to save so I click the "Show read and save panel"

7. I navigate to the folders I created in readiness "IronMike\Planeset1" and click the "Save the PDir and FMDir.set files" button.



End of part 1

fait accompli as expected.

Part 2

In order to use it I need to create a "Dir.set" file so I run the "StrEdit2015.exe".
After clicking the "Make a Dir.Set" button I navigate to the "IronMike" folder:


Then I click "ADD"


Planesets are read automatically and do not need to be listed. So, I click on the "Planeset1" row to delete it:


Then I click on "Finalise" button.
It gives me a "Save" box so I save the "Dir.set" in the 140 folder and exit.
I then copy it and paste it in the "LongDirSets" folder, and re-name it as "IronMikeSpecial"

Sorry Mike but this little tutorial sequence for you has been disrupted for no other purpose than petty annoyance

Running the DSP I can select "IronMikeSpecial", planeset1 and "FLY!".









Because there is nothing else in the "IronMike" folder the default ETO tilemap and terrain are being used.

Ok, that's it. I'm referring this to the moderators.

Making this available:

The link in my signature gives you this:



The "140Multiplayer2016.exe" is a 7-zip self installer which generates the "140Multiplayer2016" folder we are already using online at GameRanger.
However, despite its name it is not just for online gaming, so I encourage offliners to install it too

It already contains the "Aircraft_Inventory" folder, so in order to follow the tutorial you need to download the "PSMakerKitLite" 7-zip and run it in the "140Multiplayer2016" folder.
It will add three programs to the folder, two of which I used in the tutorial, and the other being the new skin finder I made this morning.

As these are VB programs I have added the old OAWRT.exe for anyone getting a "runtime error". That program is another 7-zip, which creates a folder named "OAWRT" with a "setup.exe" in it. Running it does not install OAW, but it does install a number of Visual Basic runtime files and will hopefully fix any "runtime error" issues.
Hopefully it will not be needed but it is there just in case.

Jel

I don't see a link in your signature.

We've had this problem before. I think it may be one of my many blocker programs.

So, if I understanding this,

1) The planes sets stay in there appropriate folders (the mod folders) and just a text file is created to point the game to where they are in the folder structure?

OR

2) is the DSP actually copying/moving plane files to a new folder where the new planeset is used from?

OR

3) A new folder structure is used an all planes are in a central repository and the text file is created from that?


Just checking, I don't need a huge explanation, I been try to understand whats being posted but think I failed.

Mark,

There's not going to be any difficulty with guys asking for help or adding suggestions. This is not any easy thing to wrap you head around so I am encouraging you to continue to inquire about how and why it works a certain way.

The fact that you might not understand some function might actually help us clean up some of those functions to make a better program.

It happens all the time privately between Jel and I when he programs a new editor. Usually I don't get it the first, second or third time ( or fourth ) but my questions help him develop better versions.

OTOH, we will discourage or better yet, completely ignore the kind of antics exhibited by John.

So fire away.

Oh dear Ray, what have I done to upset you?

Mark

In principle this is nothing different to what has been around since 1.28e which was released with a "planes" folder containing skin folders and FM folders.
In 1.28e there was an "ETO_01" folder which contained four planesets. In each of these was a "PDir.set" and "FMDir.set" file, each with 30 lines with the pathnames to the skin and FM folders for each slot.

EAW does not read "txt" files to get the text it needs, hence the "set" files have the same structure as "str" files, but with the "set" extender, as they are sets in the true sense.

1.28e was released with a "DirSetPicker" and a "DirSets" folder which the DirSetPicker read to display the available "Dir.set" files.
These files are re-named "Dir.set" files and when one is selected it is copied from the "DirSets" folder and pasted into the root folder as "Dir.set".
If the loaded "Dir.set" file referenced the "ETO_01" folder then the material inside it would be used. The planeset number was stored in the "eaw.ini" file, and could be changed on the configuration screen.
If it was set at "2" then the "PDir.set" and "FMDir.set" files inside the "planeset2" folder would be read by the 1.28e exe to locate the skins and FM data when the exe was launched.
I wrote the software that Ralf used to create the original "PDir.set" and "FMDir.set" files.

What has happened since is that additional 'planes' folders have been assembled, such as "SPAW_Planes".
Folders in these 'planes' folders are referenced by "PDir.set" and "FMDir.set" in planesets folders located in theatre folders.
The "DirSetPicker" has been re-worked to do more things such as selecting an exe, and setting the planeset, but essentially the system introduced in 1.28e is still running.

This most recent development is a result of Ray's idea to have a central repository.
Those separate 'planes' folders are now all inside the "Planes_Inventory" folder, and the utility that Ralf originally used has been updated so that it can handle the different folder structures inside the "Planes_Inventory" folder.

It has been released so that people who want to try it can make their own planesets containing "PDir.set" and "FMDir.set" files which reference folders in the "Planes_Inventory" folder.

So when they have done the equivalent of what I did in the 'tutorial' posts in this thread, they can run the DSP, select their personally created theatre, select the planeset(s) that they made and fly their creations

It is slot free, but I usually stick to the original EAW pattern with allied planes in the first half and axis planes in the second half.

@Rotton50, I understand what your saying. I'm just surprised to see a project in awhile done so publicly, which is good.


@MrJelly, oh man long explanation about the old system that your still apparently using.
Looking at the Download now and the files and folder structure: So all the planes are 'physically' moved to the inventory folder now...then supporting files are still in the PlaneSet folders for each mod, including the instructions to load planes from the Inventory folder?

Do the planes get 'physically' copied back into the the addon/mod folder when in use or does the DSP just modify the instructions in the addons PlaneSet folder , pointing to the plane inventory, ...?

eh. I'm having a hard time asking these technical questions at the moment with the correct terms, so I may be injecting confusion, ha, yikes!


EDIT: Do you guys have Pacific Fighters/IL2? There is a quick mission setup allows you to select aircraft I think in the way you guys are putting this together. I can provide a screen shot of the menu system they used in PF. But I think the one your making for EAW make be more flexible. It may help you perfect your menu system out?

Ok, Jel I D/L'd the files but before I unpack them I need to know how they are going to affect my existing 1.4 set ups. Don't want to lose mega data to a misplaced set up.

Ray:
The installer creates a standalone "140Multiplayerl2016" folder with everything in it. It is not a replacement and does not overwrite anything.

Mark:
The original EAW had 30 aircraft. The exe was programmed to look for the files it needed in the CDF files. For example it was programmed to look for "flt" files in the "FLT.CDF" file. The pathnames to the CDF files were hard coded in the exe.
When it ran, the user was able to select a fighter, and then set up a mission with another friendly plane and two enemy planes.

In the new system only two files are ever moved by the DSP



1. If I were to click on "Default Test" then the "Default Test" file in the "LongDirSets" folder is read and copied into the root folder as "Dir.set".
2. If I were to click on "140V86OldMap.exe" then the "140V86OldMap.exe" file in the "EAW Versions" folder is read and copied into the root folder as "eaw.exe"

In the settings shown the exe would find a "Dir.set" file in the root folder and read the paths it.
This would direct it to look in the "IronMikeSpecial" folder for the material it needs.
Looking in that folder the exe would find a "planeset1" folder, and as the planeset number is set to 1 the exe looks in it. It will find the "PDir.set" and "FMDir.set" files, which it reads to get the pathnames to the folders containing the skin and FM data files for each of the 30 slots.

This is a text dump of the PDir.set file:

Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_A-20G
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_A-36A
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW45F7F-2
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_SBD-5
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_P-61B
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_P40E
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\RAAFB-25 Mitchell
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_PB4Y
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_P38F
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_Beaufighter
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_F4u-1
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_F6F-3
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_MB-3MkIIb
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_SpitVc
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\140SpitFloat
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_PBJ-1H
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_A6m2
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_Ki-43 III
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_A6m3
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_Ki-44 IIb
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_Ki-45 I
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_Ki-61 Ia
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_Ki-64 Ia
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_Ki-88 Ia
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_Ki-96 I
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_B5N2
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_D3a
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\SPAW_G4M2
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\NewFT-A6M2-N Rufe
Aircraft_Inventory\SPAWPlanes\Skins\NewFT-E13_A Jake

For any files that it needs and cannot find, it is programmed to look in the "savedata" folder for the default ones.


To compare the previous system with the new one this is a previous 140 folder:


It had several 'planes' folders in it. In the latest version all the planes folders have been moved into the "Aircraft_Inventory" folder.
The old "PDir.set" and "FMDir.set" files have been edited using the planeset making utility by loading them, hitting the Add "Aircraft_Inventory\" button and re-saving them. It took about 10 minutes to do them all.