Thanks Jelly I really don't know the differences between the exe's like you guys do..good enough for me to use the newest offering and knowing how it works I'm sure more will be added ..I like AOE and fly it a lot

Historically the last exe that used 640x480 selection screens and menus was 1.28c. We did a lot of work on it, and had many good online sessions using it.
However, Crashin' Jack had been working simultaneously on an earlier version of the exe, and got it to use 1024x768 screens, which were much better with the newer and larger monitors.
He produced 1.28D, but it lacked the new things we had put into 1.28c, such as raised deck carriers. Logically we needed an exe which was 1.28c but running 1024x768 screens, so we made 1.28e. This was a very important release, because it was also able to use plane-sets.

At that time it was impossible to have more than 64 different terrain tiles, but one of the original programmers found a way that we could literally have millions.
It needed a different tile system to what we had, which was incompatible with the previous versions. The upshot was that we made 1.28F as the first version to use this new system. Moggy's Dunirk has more than 64 tile types.

All versions up to that point were locked into a 640x320 tile grid, but I found a way that allowed the exe to use any size of grid. The upshot is that I produced 1.29, with the "New Map" and "Old Map" versions of the exe. As you know the "Old Map" version is still locked into 640x320 tile-map, and uses the "Europe1.pic" for single mission selections and the in-flight map.The "New Map" version handles different sized tile-maps, and uses different screens for single mission selections and the in-flight map. Having both gives users a choice.


To avoid having to convert 640x480 screens to 1024x768 a couple of years ago I went back to the 1.29 code and reversed Crashin' Jack's 1.28D changes. This is what we are using in this version of AoE. It has all of the features of the 1.29 "Old Map" exe, but uses 640x480 screens.

Whilst I was working on 1.29 Ralf produced 1.30 which had slot-free planes. This was brilliant, but 1.30 did not have a heap of things that were in 1.29. Once again we combined the two concepts and produced 1.40. However, 1.40 still had plane-sets in theatre folders, and Ray asked it they could be separated to enable a player to pick a planeset and a theatre of his choice. I found a way to do this, and 1.50 was created. As you know, if you want to, you can fly SPAW planes in the Mediterranean theatre for some "what if" fun

1.60 wad born out of necessity when Ray changed the weapons system files. It is basically 1.50, but uses weapons files from the "GameData" folder rather than the "SaveData" folder that 150 uses.

So here is a teaser










Eight planesets in all

Those eight planesets all work, but it took some modification.
1.28e was the first exe that had the "30 plane" files (in particular pnames.str, planes.dat, loadout.dat and the minipic file) split into 30 individual files.
It meant that in the same way we had skin folders for individual planes we could now have flight model folders for individual planes.
This made plane-sets possible

However, 1.28e used 1024x768 screens, so when I went back to the existing 1.29 planesets to add to this exercise the available hangar screens were all 1024x768, and the minipics were also too big.
This would have required a lot of work for a project that is just to show Modred how this version of AoE could use planesets. My solution was to make some generic hangar screens for planesets 2-8, and make an exe that does not display minipics.
As 1.29 can use both the old and new map systems I have made the two exes

The generic hangar:


A good spread on the New Map makes target and base selection easier


No minipics


The aircraft involved











The battle up close and dangerous


This shows what is possible

Looks pretty good Jelly..hope it can be expanded on,,I'd hate to go back to OAW

This is already available in 160

The AoE theatre files are identical to Modred's original.
However, a great range of planesets is available, including Modred's original.


I chose Med-1943 which has plenty of Italian planes



The opening screen preserves Modred's original 640x480 in the overall 1024x768


The allied plane selection


A good hangar screen


The mission set-up


The aircraft involved








The battle is on


In all honesty I believe that this is much better than the 1.29 640x480 version

As usual somethings amiss with my set up I have the standard 1.60 install which has close to the amount of theaters in your screen shot but no AOE..Then I have the 1.60 multiplayer which only has 10 theaters and no AOE and have the stand alone AOE you created,,That screenshot seems like a full install of everything..I must have missed something somewhere along the line,,thanks for any advice

I will check where the d/l is, and if it is lost I will upload a new one

Links from another thread:

As usual the files are 7-zip self installers. Run them in your 160 folder

This one adds two folders "ModredAoEFMs" and "ModredAoESkins" to the "Aircraft_Inventory".
It also puts a "81-ModredAoE" file in the "PlaneSets" folder for selection by the File-Manager
AoE Planes and planeset


This one puts the "AoE Theatre" folder in your 160 folder, and adds a "25-Aces over Europe" file to your "LongDirSets" folder for selection by the File-Manager
AoE Theatre

Jel

Thanks Jelly now my screens look like the ones you posted..I think part of my problem is I had a few 1.60 installs and backups..Took the good one I had uploaded for another member and used it added the two files and it's great,,Thanks for the quick reply..Now I have one install and zipping up an backup and putting a date on it