Ray
A simple read me would be somewhat useful to some users not complicated but would just have

1}Whats In the mod
2}Hoe to install it in case a dummy like me can't figure it out installation of FXEXE is a case in point I had to ask here on how to install it.A simple install read me would have solved it
3}A tip of the hat to contributors

Sorry if this seems to have stirred your ire but mostly we don't need the nuts and bolts of the creation just some insight as to how to use the bugger if a modder chooses not to include one sweet.If he does some of us appreciate them and DO READ THEM and saves us some headaches

This is a tough way to communicate. No voice inflection, no reading facial expressions.

To be clear, this hasn't raised my ire. Well, the sideshots about credit did but I chalk that up to SSDD.

I'm just trying to have a substantive discussion about EAW documentation.

Let me ask, did you read the SPAW readme file?

It doesn't go into details on the building of SPAW. It goes into great detail on how to play SPAW, specifically.....oh hell....here's the whole thing:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SOUTH PACIFIC AIR WAR (SPAW) README

South Pacific Air War is a stand alone mod for European Air War. It includes the newest eaw.exe, 1.28c, which is required for this mod to function. Using the new directory and subfolder system developed by the coders, the included SPAW CDF files and other files found in the SPAW folder are default for this mod, as developed by the ModSquad.

Included in this package are the Readme documents for all 1.28 versions.
Be sure to read the include 1.28c readme for information concerning this latest EAW.exe .

Once you have installed SPAW into its own directory/folder YOU WILL NEED TO COPY ALL OF THE DEFAULT CDF FILES from the Micropose CD, InfogamesCD, or a previous installation of EAW, into the newly created SPAW directory/folder, or the mod will not function.


SCOPE:

These two campaigns cover the Guadalcanal period and the air war in the South Pacific during 1943 and 1944.


GAME PLAY:

Nationality: It is suggested that if flying Japanase, subtitles in the sound configuration should be activated.

Weapons activation:

The weapons loadouts are set up differently than in the default EAW world. SPAW combines the 1.28a ability to fire each loadout twice rather than once with the MODSquad modification that performed the same function. The result is that SPAW has the ability to drop up to five separate weaons.

There are 3 loadout labels, LO-1, LO-2 and LO-3.

LO-1 is released by the drop tank key which requires no avtivation.
LO-2 is activated by the bomb key and then released by the "FIRE SELECTED WEAPONS" key.
LO-3 is activated by the rocket key and then released by the "FIRE SELECTED WEAPONS" key.

It is imperative that the pilot read the armament screen carefully because there is no in-game indication for what weapons are assigned to which loadout.

If a plane is carrying any weapon or drop tank defined as LO-1 then that weapon must be released first no matter what it is.

If a plane carrying two bombs and they are both defined as LO-2 then in-game the pilot will activate the bomb key, drop the bomb and then activiate the bomb key again to drop the second bomb.

The same procedure is used for launching rockets defined as LO-3.

If a plane is carrying three or four bombs, two defined as LO-2 and two defined as LO-3 then the pilot activates the bomb key, drops the bomb, activates the bomb key again, drops that bomb, acvtivates the rocket key, drops that bomb and then activates the rocket key again to drop the final bomb when carring a fourth bomb.


Mission selection:

Fighter sweep has been replaced by Combat Air Patrol but they are essentially the same.

Interdiction has been replaced by Strike but they are essentially the same.


Career selections:

Be sure that either the text "Guadalcanal" or "South Pacific 1943-'44" is highlighted in red before slecting the nation or the career setup will be incorrect.


Dive brake function:
On any plane designated a dive bomber the pilot will have functioning dive brakes. The three planes in SPAW so designated are the A-36, TB0-2 and D3a.

Here is the procedure.

1 - As you approach the target at 10 to 12 thousand feet slow down to 180 to 200 mph.
2 - Activate the "bomb arm" key.
3 - Use the "lower flaps" key to activate the dive brakes.
4 - Depress the nose to about 80 degrees verticle and line up the target.
5 - The plane will accelerate to about 320 MPH. It wll remain steady throughout the dive sequence.
6 - Drop the bomb at 2500 feet and pull out.
7 - Use the "raise flaps" key to retract the dive brakes.
8 - The procedure can be used again if the plane is carrying more than one bomb.


Plane chracteristics:

The P-38F flies like the standard P-38H from the default EAW except it is somewhat slower. Keep your speed up against Zeros and Oscars. Do not attempt a slow speed dogfight with either plane. You can dogfight all of the other Japanese planes.

The A-20 is fairly quick for a bomber and packs decent punch. Get in and get out. Do not hang around the target area. If you successfully exit the target area you can find plenty of targets of opportunity on the flight howe.

The P-40 is very capable against all the Japanese planes as long as you follow the same advice as for the P-38.

The F6F is a very good dogfighter. Not a nimble as the Zero or Oscar but still able to mix it up at all speeds. Attempt to keep the speed up though because the Zero and Oscar manuverability decline rapidly over 300 mph. It also makes a very effective fighter bomber.

The A-36 can hold it's own as a fighter up to about 10,000 feet. Though designed as a dive bomber it has the heart of a fighter. It is fast down low and packs a good punch. As for the other Allied fighters do not attemp slow speed dogfights against the Zero and Oscar.

The F4u is the bully in SPAW. Fast and manuverable. 'nuff said.

The P-61, though originally designed as a night fighter, makes an extremely effective attack plane. It is heavily armed, has an exellent payload and is very nimble for it's size. Still, do not attempt to dogfight any of the Japanese planes unless in a superior tactical position.

The B25H is the low level ship killer in SPAW. Not very fast but heavily armed, and well protected. The 75mm cannon is manually loaded so you have to keep the trigger depressed for a couple of seconds before the weapon fires. You must release the trigger between rounds. Give the loader a break!

The Martin Baker MB-3 never reached production. It had outstanding performance, equal to the Spitfire and heavily armed with 6 20mm cannon. You can dogfight with any of the Japanese planes as long as the speed is over 200 mph.

The P-400 is an adequate performer but it's two strong points are it's superior speed and heavy firepower. It is not able to stand up to as much punishment as other Allied planes.

The Spit V can dogfight with any of the Japanese planes as long as the speed stays above 200 mph.

The TBO-2 was a proposed Naval attack plane for the US navy. It was based on the P-38 airframe but replaced the inline Allisons with the rugged Wright Cyclone radial. It can be used as either a torpedo bomber or a dive bomber. It is fast enough to stay out of trouble but be aware that it is not a fighter. As with the A-20, get in and get out. Note that you have only three 50 cal machine guns but you also have a lot of ammo.

The SBD-5 makes a very effective ship killer. It carries a 1000 lb bomb and is very accurate in the dive. It is also fairly nimble and is armed with two forward firing 50 cal machine guns. If a Zero pilot gets careless you can bring him down. But it also a very slow plane so don't stick around to admire you handiwork.

The F4F is a nimble fighter. The only planes that can out maneuver it are the Zero and Oscar. It is very rugged and packs a good punch. It is slower the the Zero but faster than the Oscar. If you get into trouble point the nose down and dive away.

The Beaufighter is very similar in performance to the A-20. The same advice applies.

The A6m2 Zero is an outstanding dogfighter at slow speeds. Once over 300 MPH the controls start to stiffen and over 360 MPH all the Allied pances can out maeuver it. It is also very fragile so don't allow an enemy plane on you six. One good burst and you could be out of action.

The A6m3 Zero is a slightly faster version of the A6m2.

The Ki-61 is very similar in flight characteristics to the Me109F. It is fast and maneuverable and can hold it's own against all the Allied fighters except the F4u.

The Ki-44 is a capable aircraft. It is fairly fast but not as maneuverable as other Japanese planes. It is able to hold it's own with the earlier Allied fighters but is overmatched against the F6F, F4u and MB-3.

The Ki-96 was designed as a replacement for the Ki-45. It has excellent speed and firepower. It's flight charactersitics are similar to the P-38 so the same advice applies.

The Ki-43 has almost identical flight chracteristics to the A6M2 so the same advice applies. It is somehat slower than the Zero and is only armed with 2 12.5mm machine guns. However, the guns are in the nose so they can be very effective on such a nimble plane if you aim for the cockpit of the enemy plane and attempt to kill the pilot.

The J2M2 was designed more like an Allied plane. It sacrifices maneuverability for speed and protection.

The Ki-88 was a Japanese design concept similar to the P-39 / P-400. The engine was placed behind the pilot and heavy armament was intalled in the nose. The flight characteristics are similar to the P-400 in SPAW but it is somehat faster. Use your speed to stay out of trouble and remember that the 3 nose mounted 20mm cannons make a very effective weapons system.

The Ki-64 was another Japanese design that abondoned maeuverability for speed and firepower. This plane can hold it's own against any Allied fighter, including the F4u.

The D3a is an effective dive bomber as long as there is adequate escort coverage. It is slow and fragile so don't attmempt anything other than attacking the assigned target.

The B5N is a very effective attack plane. It can carry bombs or a torpedo. It is somehat faster than the D3a but it remains very vunerable to any Allied fighter.

The Ki-45 is a heavy fighter / attack plane. It has very good speed and firepower but it not designed for dogfighting. Use the same strategy as for the A-20 and Beaufighter.


INI settings:

The following EAW.inin settings are recommended for balanced game play. Setting can be adjusted according to personal preferences:


These two settings set the level of difficulty of heavy AA fire.
FlakAccuracy=1 ( range - 0 to 20)
FlakRof=1 ( range - 0 to 4 )


These three setting help ensure fighter escorts when flying bomber careers.
ExtraSquads=17
EnemyEncounter=256
FriendlyEncounter=256


FLAKDATA.dat settings

The level of difficulty of the light flak is not set by the ini file. Rather you must edit the flakdata.dat file in the following manner:

1 - Change the name of the file from flakdata.dat to flakdata.txt.
2 - Open the file in a text editor like Notepad.
3 - You will see six numbers in a column - for example:

02
140
10
04
190
20

The first three numbers define the lightest flak guns and the next three define the medium flak guns.

The first number is the gun caliber - 01= 30 cal machine guns
O2= 50 cal machine guns
04= 20mm cannons
08= 40mm cannons

The second number is the range - A relative number that EAW uses to calculate the range. Normally this would be between 100 and 200 but you can experiment with the settings.

The third number is the rate of fire - Usually set between 8 and 20.

So for expamle in you find the flak to accurate and intense you could reduce the medium flak to a 50 cal machine gun and the light flak to a 30 cal machine gun.

Or you could reduce the rate of fire and the range in any combination that suits you skill level.

4 - Change the numbers as you see fit
5 - Save the file
6 - Change the file name back to flakdata.dat

Alt-Screen Folder:
Included are alternate Squad Office screens for campaign mode.
The readme in the folder explains how to install the alternate
screens.

Aircraft Slot Reference:
Slot # SPAW EAW Slot # SPAW EAW

Slot00 - P38F= P38H Slot16 - A6M2 = 109E
Slot01 - A20 = P38J Slot17 - Ki61 = 109G
Slot02 - P40 = P47C Slot18 - Ki44 = 109K
Slot03 - F6F = P47D Slot19 - Ki96 = 110C
Slot04 - A36A= P51B Slot20 - Ki43 = 110G
Slot05 - F4U = P51D Slot21 - Ki64 = 410
Slot06 - P61 = B17 Slot22 - J2M2 = 190A
Slot07 - Pb4Y= B24 (Non-Flyable) Slot23 - Ki88 = 190D
Slot08 - PBJ = B26 Slot24 - B5N2 = 262
Slot09 - MB3 = Hurricane Slot25 - Ki21 = 88A (Non-Flyable)
Slot10 - P400= Spit1 Slot26 - Ki45 = 88C
Slot11 - MKV = Spit9 Slot27 - D3A = 87B
Slot12 - TBO = Spit14 Slot28 - G4M2 = 111 (Non-Flyable)
Slot13 - SBD = Typhoon Slot29 - A6M3 = V1
Slot14 - F4F = Tempest
Slot15 - Beaufighter = Mosquito


Credits:

Coders:
Ralf " Knegel" Kraeft
Tony " Mr. Jelly" West

Skinners:
Mike "Iron Mike" Pluhar
John "Col. Gibbons" Graham
David "Skylark" Phillips
Jeff "MadProf" Grandel

3dz Model Makers:
John "Col. Gibbons" Graham
Ray "Rotton50" Otton
Peter "Moggy" Fitzgerald
Brian "Pobs" Egan

Assistant 3dz Model Maker:
Jeff "MadProf" Grandel

Graphics Artist:
Jeff "MAdProf" Grandel

Theatre Map Enhancement:
David "Skylark" Phillips

Terrains:
"Dancho"

Poking Stuff With a Stick:
Brian "Crashin' Jack" Baker


Campaign, single mission, weapons, loadouts, text editing:
Ray "Rotton50" Otton

Intro Music excerpted from Richard Rodgers "Victory At Sea" from
the NBC-TV series of the same name.

The ModSquad would also like to recognize anyone who may
have contributed directly or indirectly to this project,
but was inadverntently not named.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The readme issue is an offshoot of what I posted previously.

The discussion is about the effort necessary for a producer to document the work and is it worth the time.

And again, I am not angry and I welcome opposing viewpoints. As long as they are related to the subject at hand.

Yeah, you're pretty much scr*wed if you don't read such ReadMe's. I really like the one action rule in the FXEXE:

Extract into a working full v1.2 install and hit fly!

VonBeerhofen

Yes, it's a much simpler exec so there's no need for the extensive readme.

More features offers more fun and more immersion but also more instructions.

Pretty much the same for automobiles, televisions and flight sims.

Seems that's turning a short story into a novel.Lighten up and just cover the basics enough to get a fledgling flyer in the air.

Other than the aircraft descriptions what could I have left out without affecting the players ability to take advantage of all the added functions?

And FWIW, you could skip the aircraft descriptions if you really wanted to.

The topic is the FXEXE by VBH.

Could a moderator please separate the off topic posts about 'readmes' into a separate thread?

I'm very interested in the FXEXE and the work thats gone into it.

Let's just say that the FXEXE as as simple as anything else in EAW can be. I mean how hard can it be to select a torpedo from the arming board or a certain plane in the mission parameterscreen, set weather and rarget and select a base.
Default EAW's interface is stunningly userfriendly, even online. It's like with the 3D clouds, why would I incorporate a 3D cloud button if the game can do that selection for me. I can give that button a much better use.
It's fully automated with the random settings. I think Russ has a good point there, keep it simple and let the computer do all the hard stuff.

VonBeerhofen

Which aircraft have torpedoes?

I don't know, it's all interrelated.

We could split off to discuss simpler vs complex but I don't see any reason not to go forward with the discussion here. I think we've already learned a few things just by sharing info that we might assume other folks already know but don't.

FWIW, it's not just selecting a weapon and taking off. That part's pretty easy. But in the 1.28 series you can select a 500 lb bomb on an F6F or an SBD. The attack function of the SBD dive bomber is quite different from the F6F and there's plenty of players who like the thrill of 90 degree dives on a capital ship using an aircraft equipped with functioning dive brakes.

Same for torpedoes. I'm not sure, does the FXEXE series have torpedoes?

Flying off a raised carrier deck is another fun feature, especially in a fully loaded bomber or better yet landing successfully on a carrier deck. There are special flight functions that only come into play when landing on a carrier. These functions simulate the short stop of a plane using a hook.

I could go on but the point is, if you want to get in the cockpit, take off and dogfight that's great and you can do that in either 1.28 or FXEXE. If you want to go for more immersion, you can do that too, especially in 1.28c or newer.

There's room for both types of player, EAW is very flexible.

Now if you all don't want to continue the discussion, that's fine, we can end it here.

Just to keep this thread on track for those who're searching for the FXEXE download, a compilation from earlier posts before the hijack happened:

FXEXE download URL full updated version:
https://rabartel.home.xs4all.nl/LPDLindexF.html

FXEXE description page:
https://eaw.neocities.org/fxexe-patches.html

FXEXE picture gallery:
http://rabartel.home.xs4all.nl/test/Gallery/image/

or read the entire story from page 1 of this thread,

This addon is NOT mirrored anywhere, these are the only official locations.
Beware of copies, you may not get what you've bargained for!

VonBeerhofen

Keeping this on track I was interested in your comment re- torpedoes. So I posted a question, but you have not answered it:



Which aircraft have torpedoes?

I wanted to try them, but there is no reference to them in your description.

@Jel, I think VBH said that the weapons where untouched in a previous post, but for some reason I don't see that post anymore.

In post #4267067 in this thread VBH mentions loading torpedoes. This suggests that at least one plane in the FXExe release has a torpedo, but I have not found any. Hence my still unanswered question

I thought he was talking about the 140. I didn't think he was suggesting that about the FXEXE based on post(s) before that he was replying too.

All you have to do is load the game up, to see what weapons are available in the FXEXE.

He seems active in the FXEXE Modding thread if you still need to know from him.
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4266982/Modding_the_FXEXE#Post4266982

Mark, you must have missed this what with all the twists and turns this discussion has taken.

Admittedly the comment is ambiguous and they may be mistaken but you can understand why other posters are wondering about torpedoes in FXEXE.

Again I'm not a programmer but I don't see how something as radical as torpedo functions could be added without having the source code. And legally that is only in the hands of the code group.

Mark I can see no reason why he would have been referring to 140.
I am running it and have been checking loadout options for the available planes.
None appear to have torpedoes.

The original 1.2 torpedo was fired at low level, and flew like a rocket, using the PAW Torpedo 3dz.

Might be like that in the FXEXE?

That option has always been available and it's there in the FXEXE to. It's however not hard to program ordnance to remain at sea level untill it hits a ship. The same goes for using the apropiate attck procedure for AI when the attack happens.
Like all else in the FXEXE you can rest assured that it will all work fine once Pacific Tide is finished. You seem to be in doubt wether I can pull it off, I just say keep wondering.

You'd probably want me to release the next version of my FXEXE already but I'm not finished with it yet and telling what's in it would kind of spoil the fun wouldn't it? Just keep an eye on the online flying thread and you may get a few glimpses,

VBH

Yes it's easy to get ordinance to stay low. An easy hexedit of an existing weapon is all you need to do. I know because I've done it.

However you also need to slow it down. The problem is that the slowest forward motion allowed in EAW is still too fast to represent a torpedo.

Slowing it down took a lot of doing and that's WITH the source code.

Then there's the need to show a wake that is moving at the same speed as the now invisible torpedo.

It's all talk until it's reality.