Well, I took a break from research again , But for the past few week I been correcting errors on my site and rearranging information and files.

-I worked on separating and making a few new patch pages, explaining and correcting some info errors I had on them.
-Worked on the mediafire files, move them around a bit, and upload a few new stuff (once in awhile I do)
I usually combine some file archives that have same stuff together, such as are the same text etc...

I have a ton of half set researched notes to still go through and post the information on my web site. Then I'm back to active researching and updating.

As usual, if you have anything relevant as far as information to be used in some of my docs, such as corrections, please let me know.

EAWHS
eaw.neocities.org

Still having problems installing (rather adding EAW) to your hard drive?

I have yet again done some re writing of the Manually Install document, it has moved sections, and new details to help you get the most out of the game.
https://eaw.neocities.org/eaw-manually-install.html

I put alot more work into the documents/pages that need more errors fixed or better explanations added and expanded.
(However, Still on research break. Hope to start back up in weeks.)

Also the Main Page has been divided up into more sections.

I'm on the fence about separating the information on all the types of EAW there are.
For an example, I could remove all the v1.28+ information from the eaw.ini help document and build a new document with the 1.28+ changes only in it.
So there would effectively be two docs on the same subject (for most of the current docs), one for stock EAW and one for the coded EAW game.

Would it read / reference better if I do it that way? or should I just keep combining all the versions into one doc per topic?
Anyway, I'm still debating over that decision.

Great Work Mark I find something new every time I go there,,Bit by small bit I'm learning

Thanks.

I went ahead and separated the information and details, so the stock game has its own docs, while the source coded information is in another set of docs.
Should help someone trying to find that information faster.

For what it is worth, I agree with your decision. I have been repairing motorcycles for over 30 years and I constantly have to remind myself that what I think is obvious is not so obvious for someone who is new to the knowledge. It is a full time hobby to develop knowledge and a full time hobby to document said knowledge.

I really worked on the Full Review of EAW help doc last night and today.

https://eaw.neocities.org/eaw-full-review.html


I Added a Specifications and Feature Highlight section mainly, well I filled it in and moved a bunch of feature list information into it, so that section of the help doc is looking full.
I also re written a few other sections and paragraphs of the review, sometimes I add text , then I post it. When I read it again I realize I have to eventually go back rewrite some sentences or paragraphs in.

I got the 20 flyable planes seal cleaned up the best I can (I'm no expert) So I'll add that to the site eventually, along with some other box art awards and medals that EAW was chosen for outstanding flight sim in 98 and 99 etc...despite only truly being a 640x480 game, while the competition games took more advantage of the 3D accel cards out there, back in 1998.

I added a page for v1.2 Multiplayer. (Its really just reissued text from other help docs i wrote up, with a few latest corrections)

https://eaw.neocities.org/eaw-multiplayer.html

Some of the information applies to the 1.28+ versions. But those versions have more settings which are transferred to the player from the host, which I have not included.
Not sure if I'm going to write up a separate page yet for the source coded multiplayer settings, since I can't test too much out right now.

I've got rid of the dark red color for the links on my site for those who seen them as nearly Black in color.
and now all links highlight when you hover over them so there easier to see.

I've update the install doc a little to better express the different versions of EAW and the benefit of using older versions to compare with newer versions.
and I corrected some more errors across the site.

Enjoy.

Just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays!
and
Just minor updates to the EAWHS site here and there have been done since last posting.


I haven't been doing too much research into the game as I'm busy in real life and I will be for a few months.
I hope to continue and produce more EAW Help Docs and info when that time comes.

In the mean time:
Remember, if you need more information about a topic, please let me know (via PM or posting in the EAW forum here) and I'll see if I can write up a doc or expand a section of a doc for you.
I can't read minds so I don't know where the troubles are for each and everyone, so be vocal.
If you have info for me to help, its greatly appreciated, and I'll share with others the new helpful info.

Okay. That's all for today I think.

Merry Christmas to you Mark..And thank you for your site it has helped me more than once good work there

Your welcome!

Updated Multiplayer pages a bit, used some eaw user manual text to complete the doc. From the typed out/ocr manual that Sandbagger did long ago in Word format.
The user manual text completes the doc info. But I like to re write some of it to explain better, but I currently don't have a CD-ROM hooked up to my computer so i can't run EAW at all at the moment.
I'll be without EAW for a few more weeks I think, until I can get another cd-rom drive hooked up. (The NoCD exe's require a CD-Rom drive hooked up, even though its empty.)

I really could use some help on these Multiplayer docs if anyones got time to fill in there knowledge or technical experience with Multiplayer. Show me where i need to expand those docs please.....

If your looking for a increase in speed during flight, (I got steady 4 to 5 fps increase) with v1.60.
This of course is for flat out Direct3D.
I was able to tweak the Win10 Compatibility settings a bit and discovered through reading and testing that these values help the game run faster.

In the VALUE DATA, the first entry is the automated entry that win10 will add everytime. Since its a Compat Mode it slows the game down.
The 2nd value will speed up the game but removes the mouse pointer from the menu screens.
So I added a third setting thats a Mode/Fix setting to restore the arrow.
Just realize one setting fixes the game another speeds it up and another fixes what the previous setting broke. lol

You don't need to know all that, other than you'll get 5 maybe more frames per second added to the D3D flight screen.
Heres the registry entry you'll want to tweak, if you know what to do.


These are the Win8.1 and Win10 Registry Additional Compatibility Mode/Fix Entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

These are the Values (Note that the folder path to your game will be different):
Value Name: D:\MicroProse Software\EAW12\eaw.exe
Value Data: DWM8And16BitMitigation 8And16BitAggregateBlts 8And16BitTimedPriSync



Theres also a registry tweak to speed the game up almost double the speed, like from 38 to 64 fps, but the side effect is the text gets all squished. I haven't found another mode or fix to correct the text. I highly doubt there is one though.
Anyhow in this doc , it will explain what I was able to discover from research and testing. I used v1.26 and v1.60 (recent) versions for my tests.
https://eaw.neocities.org/eaw-manually-install.html

Sounds similar to modding. Well done

Found an old Japanese EAW web site in the wayback machine. It had tips that I never read before about mission selections and how to obtain certain parameters.

https://eaw.neocities.org/eaw-flight-testing-training.html

There at the end of the help document under TIPs. I yet to re write them so they make more sense, since some where in broken English and some where translated. But there is some interesting info there.



Regarding the registry tweak I've posted previously about; doubling frames per second. If you dont use HUDs I suppose it would be beneficial to anyone using it. But since the original Virtual cockpit gauges are hard to read still. I find it difficult not having the green hud in the left bottom of the screen. So I guess lower FPS is a sacrifice we must endure.......

Getting approximately 5 frames faster with better compatibility. (winvista-win10)
Here's some updated info from my help doc, it explains basically how the settings are effecting EAW. (rather than what they really do)


This is the Win8.1 and Win10 Registry Additional Compatibility Mode/Fix Entry Location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers


These are the Value Data you enter as a single line to give you compatibility and speed increase:

These are the Values (Note that the folder path to your game will be different):
Value Name: D:\MicroProse Software\EAW12\eaw.exe
Value Data: DWM8And16BitMitigation 8And16BitAggregateBlts 8And16BitTimedPriSync

The line above gained 5 Frames per second (from 38 to 43 on my machine): (Currently the best for perfect gaming)
1) Game Menus display correctly; remedies menu color corruption and tearing , Additional Compatibility Mode.
2) Increase speed a bit under 8/16 mitigation from #1 setting / HUD stops flashing (but removes pointer)
3) Fix mouse pointer so it shows up. (but slows down setting #2, still more FPS than without #2)


If anyone trys this entry or any others, please let me know your results. I'm still going to return to this type OS fixes testing at some point, but the above entries are ideal.
Its unclear to me if you really need the ACT tool kit to get the updated compatibility database, but I think you might.


EDIT: I spent the night research into these fixes and modes more, and have after a few hours, come up with two more possible entry's to try in different combinations.
Unfortunately I can not seem to stop Win10 from assign this one flag/entry in the Registry Value Data. It appears v1.26 and v1.60 seem to still need it as its forcefully applied.
Has something to do with the 8 bit and 16 bit color modes being used in a single exe (eaw.exe).
For Win8 and above thats the intial slow down (*I Think*), but it maybe the way win8 and above handle 2D screens (yes 2d is used in the flight screen as well).
Okay I'll test the new flags soon.


EDIT2:
You need to get the ACT v6 tool installed through the Microsoft Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) package Download. Its a small DL thats called an online installer.
You run it then select only the ACT toolkit (or others if you want more kits) and then it will download just the tool kits you select.

Once you have it running, disable the built in database EAW entry aand either create a new 'mini' database for EAW and test the new Fixes with that on the fly run mode.

Or you can just disable it and attempt to run EAW v1.26 without database entryes and just use registry entries.


I doubt anyone here is willing to do all this as there is a learning curve and I dont have step by step instructions.
But basicly thats what I been doing. I have v1.26 and 1.60 working with 5fps increase for me with no video problems on the menu or map screens by just using 3 entries in the registry.
Note that v1.2 will require more entries as it still has the WindowsVersion checking routine in place, meaning it will detect NT windows and not allow it to run, unless you add a 4th registry entry to 'fool' eaw into thinks is on a win95 system.

Very confusing? it should be as I seem to only understand a portion of what I'm doing. I still don't quit understand how a new 'mini' EAW database will or will not orveride Windows built in database.
If you need to pick my brain, ask away, I'll let you know what I have learned. I have inclued text in my EAW Manually Install do at the end to what I have learned, but maybe I left something out or need to explain further.

In the end I hope I or someone will provide a simple min EAW database or reg file to distribute for those who need the speed increase.

Tried it on my 160 GameRanger exe with the setting you suggested.
No improvement in frame rate, and when I flew with Lolo earlier tonight we had numerous problems, which may or may not have been due to the registry change.
One problem was that I kept seeing double images, which I thiught might have been due to a conn problem.
Later this evening I tried a host only session, and noticed the HUD was flickering, plus double images.
I reset the registry to its original value, tried again and the game ran perfectly.

Jel

Well thanks for testing it out. Its disheartening to find it caused you temporary problems rather than speeding up the game.
I tested EAW in Direct3D mode and no wrapper programs with Win10 OS using those 3 settings.
I clearly need more testing.


Setting the registry to Value Data: DWM8And16BitMitigation or nothing in that entry will return it to run like it did before, like you had done.


I'll try fake hosting in v1.60 to see if I can reproduce the double image as part of my tests.



EDIT:
I'm thinking my mistake was I didn't give instructions on how to disable to built in compatibility database settings provided by Windows OS.
I normally disable the EAW database entry with the ACT toolkit from Microsoft, then run the new optimized reg entry's on there own.

So in effect you where using the database PLUS the new reg settings. The reg settings are similar to what the database offers but not quite, but they interfere with each other.

I really need to find an easy way on how to disable the database entry for EAW so the reg entries are the only settings being used.
If you wanted to do it yourself the only way is by downloading and installing the Microsoft tool kit. Which is is a small download.

Mark (or MrJelly),

Do you happen to have a list or DL of .exe's 1.2 - 1.28x patched by MrJelly for bugs?

I'm referring to bug patches such as 'AI no fly below 80 ft' , torpedo code, and any number of bugs fixed since development releases.

It would be nice to have for example 1.2 - 1.28x versions that have the patches. Also intergrated no CD fixes, etc (not hex edits).

(Frankly I could do the patches myself, but not being on Windows pretty much makes me running the compiler and testing a pain.)

I don't. I had a short list of what was posted, but it was so incomplete.

But of course MrJelly would know better.