Setting initial slider values for campaign pak map?

[Sherlock]

I searched but didn't find anything on this. How are some of the pak area values set up initially for the campaign (when it is first launched)? i.e., what file(s) control these initial slider values until the player changes or moves the slider for them or other non-set pak areas?

Thanks.
Sherlock

[Sherlock]

Ok, I think I might have just found my answer based on this post by Bird-FF:

viewtopic.php?t=20291

Apparently, the PAK settings are set by the campaign trigger (.tri) file.

Is this correct?

[Peled]

If you meant to any file that control the PaKs , i dunno about , i remember that Bird's post , it gave me the first understanding on the trigger file idea , as far as i know that is the only way to control the PaKs....change some values and see the effect.

Do NOT forget to set a PaK value for both teams 6 & 2 as in the example .

[Sherlock]

If you meant to any file that control the PaKs , i dunno about , i remember that Bird's post , it gave me the first understanding on the trigger file idea , as far as i know that is the only way to control the PaKs....change some values and see the effect.

Do NOT forget to set a PaK value for both teams 6 & 2 as in the example .

Thanks Peled. Will do!

Hey, BTW, has there been any word from Dudi (Death_119)? Our theater group is still waiting on word from him to release Israel for AF. We would like to get his permission first since it was his theater....

[Peled]

One more word about triggers....there's no template file , though i'd suggest to use the one in the example or the one from koreaTheater .
but from my experience you should play with that 'til you'r
satisfied with a working one For your campaigns ,do some trial & errors , see if ground units are moving and advancing an objective etc.
see also if the team join at dayX is running fine...
IF you got any question just ask....

as for Dudi-----Sorry , but Dudi is signed as MIA at these days...i did'nt
heard from him for about a month or even 2...
i tried to call him by phone and his pelephone account is no longer active...
no way to get him ...my guess is he's just really busy with his RL (He's still in the IDF).

Look , i got an idea , we got an holiday here now , let me try to contact him tommorow morning and wish him a happy holiday , if i'll get him , i will ask him to your request , i believe that he'll give his permit , do not worry !
i will update you tommorow about that ....

[Sherlock]

One more word about triggers....there's no template file , though i'd suggest to use the one in the example or the one from koreaTheater .
but from my experience you should play with that 'til you'r
satisfied with a working one For your campaigns ,do some trial & errors , see if ground units are moving and advancing an objective etc.
see also if the team join at dayX is running fine...
IF you got any question just ask....

as for Dudi-----Sorry , but Dudi is signed as MIA at these days...i did'nt
heard from him for about a month or even 2...
i tried to call him by phone and his pelephone account is no longer active...
no way to get him ...my guess is he's just really busy with his RL (He's still in the IDF).

Look , i got an idea , we got an holiday here now , let me try to contact him tommorow morning and wish him a happy holiday , if i'll get him , i will ask him to your request , i believe that he'll give his permit , do not worry !
i will update you tommorow about that ....

Thank you!

[Sherlock]

Ok
Apparently I was wrong about the trigger file being the place that controlled the initial pak map priorities zone settings. It does set priorities for capturing certian objectives but I don't think now that it controls what is displayed on the priorities pak map. Still looking (anybody?).

Sherlock

[Snake Man]

Could it be the objective priority itself? The higher priority and the higher the slider setting? Dunno.

[Sherlock]

Could it be the objective priority itself? The higher priority and the higher the slider setting? Dunno.

I wouldn't think so because all priority objective cities must be rated 81 or higher. This would make all the different pak areas at least a little bit red on start of the campaign. But, for instance, in ODS only about 8 areas are "painted" even a little bit red (for the blue side/allies). But like you I just "dunno" !

[Snake Man]

I just wonder why I didn't include this on the PAK tutorial. Didn't I know it back then? Didn't I think its important detail?

Perhaps the answer is hidden somewhere on PMC TFW falcon4 forum archives.

But what ever happens, how ever we/you get it to work, lets make sure this time the information goes to the tutorial also

[Sherlock]

I just wonder why I didn't include this on the PAK tutorial. Didn't I know it back then? Didn't I think its important detail?

Perhaps the answer is hidden somewhere on PMC TFW falcon4 forum archives.

But what ever happens, how ever we/you get it to work, lets make sure this time the information goes to the tutorial also

roger that SM...
I make it a point to try my damnedest to document everything I ask in the threads I post and to go back and followup when / if I get the solution. Appreciate your attention to detail also!

[Peled]

Sherlock , as for Dudi & Permit , sorry , but he's marked as MIA.....
i can't get him in any way....

.....Check PM .

[Sherlock]

Last week, as RL (and flying!) allowed, I was working on the PAKs Map for ODS. It's been a problem from the very start (for AF) when porting this theater over from SP4. The primary reason was that the PRIORITIES display window in the User Interface (UI) was much. much larger in SP4 then in AF (for ODS). This is due to the fact that the ODS theater is 4 times as large as the Korea or Balkans theaters. So, for this uninitiated UI developer I had three things that needed to be accomplished to solve this problem:

1. Figure out which file (or files) controlled the display of PAK (priorities) map in the UI in AF.

2. Figure out how to mod / change it without breaking something else in the process.

3. And, finally, make sure that the final result worked correctly and still performed the function intended.

To begin my latest odessey I started looking at the UI control files in the AF installation to familarize myself with them (these files end in a ".scf" file extension). I didn't know which .scf file controlled the PAK Map display in the AF UI so I had to go through each one until I found the one which had the names of the PAK map files. Fortunately, from the "Ultimate Theater Tutorial" at the PMC theater builders site I already knew the pak map files (yes, there are actually three graphics that make up the one PAK map display!) were contained in the intel.rsc packed file (contained in the \art\campaign\intel directory). PERL scripts are used to unpack these .rsc files (inconjunction with the ActivePerl program) and then to repack them for game use. The .rsc file is a type of compressed file storage archive file, much like a .zip or .rar file.

These PAK map files in the intel.rsc file are called , PAK_OUTLINE_OVERLAY.tga, KOREA_256.tga and PAK_REGION_OVERLAY.tga. This is all under the \art\campaign directory. Here is what the default AF Korea theater files look like when displayed side by side, respectively:



So that is what the three graphics should look like. But here is what the ODS graphics looked like when extracted from the intel.rsc file from ODS .512:



So you can see a potential problem right away. Here is the difference between the two when viewing in the game:



On the left is the stock, Korea Pak Map based on the graphics above. On the right, for comparison purposes, is the SP4.2 Falcon with ODS .512 Pak Map displayed.

So I found that the strategy.scf file controlled the size and display of the Pak Map within Allied Force and combined with the 3 graphics files in the Intel.rsc file that larger Pak maps can be brought into AF. Here's my proof:



Cheers!
Sherlock

P.S. I did started repainting a file like the Korea PAK_REGION_OVERLAY.tga above for ODS but decided to try the map in game just to see what it looked like. And, although not as good as the AF version IMHO, it is still servable and it works as it should for adjusting the PAK priorities.

[Sherlock]

And also on the topic of pak maps and pak priorities:
(got this from Scoob_SBM at Frugals...one of the few guys still around who knows this stuff):

My question to Scoob: How are the initial pak map area slider values stored/ what file(s) are they stored in? You know when you load up a new campaign for the first time some of the pak areas are already shaded at some level between high and low while others are set to low...how is this achieved?

Scoobs Answer: I believe the initial settings are based on the priority value given to the objective. In tacedit, if you click on Map View : View (show priority), and then click on one of the primary objectives, there is a "priority" field. The setting needs to be between 80 and 100, to be a primary objective. The closer it is to 100, the closer it is to "red" in the PAK screen in the game's UI.

And my summary to a question from MuraD on setting turning on HQ control of the PAKs:
To answer your question, the only other input that I am aware of is the pak priorities set in the Trigger file. So that would make sense for it to be run by the trigger file (under HQ control). And under player control run by the slider settings (or the default pak city priority settings as Scoob described above).

P.S. So in essence, Snake Man was correct in his post above about how the pak priority areas are "colorized" at the start of a new campaign...!

[Snake Man]

P.S. So in essence, Snake Man was correct in his post above about how the pak priority areas are "colorized" at the start of a new campaign...!

Whohuu! what did I win? Heh so my memory after all had small pieces of info stored in it. Great.

Anyways. I don't recall figuring out about the coloring of the PAK outlines when I did ODS images for PAK, or perhaps I just got lazy in there and when it worked sufficient enough, I just packed it up and said its ready. Also the blue shaded coloring was beyond me. That much I remember, could be wrong though.

[Sherlock]

P.S. So in essence, Snake Man was correct in his post above about how the pak priority areas are "colorized" at the start of a new campaign...!

Whohuu! what did I win?
****snip*****

You won my post! (Hey, it took me a while to create this post )

[Sherlock]

Ok, due to the size I am making this a separate post. This is a copy of the modified "strategy.scf" file from the \Lead Pursuit\Battlefield Operations\art\campaign directory. However, I have since found out that for each theater it can have its own, separate \art directory so that the size of the Priorities map in the 64x64 segment theaters is not affected. So it is recommended that this revision only be used with 128x128 theaters in their own, separate \art\campaign folder.
Sherlock

NOTE: THIS IS THE ALLIED FORCE VERSION OF THE STRATEGY.SCF file
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Code: Select all

[Ermes]

Great Sherlock!! I have to try it in our PAK Map.

[Sherlock]

Great Sherlock!! I have to try it in our PAK Map.

Just to be sure...
This mod was for Allied Force!

[Ermes]

Yep, I guess that..., but also I have same problem with non-AF installation. I mean when in BMS/SP I try to see PAK Map it just show a part of our theatre, just a cuarter of it.

Is there any similar file where I can resize it?

Nowadays our project is based on BMS/SP but we are also making some tests over AF

PD: Sorry my english

[Sherlock]

Yep, I guess that..., but also I have same problem with non-AF installation. I mean when in BMS/SP I try to see PAK Map it just show a part of our theatre, just a cuarter of it.

Is there any similar file where I can resize it?

Nowadays our project is based on BMS/SP but we are also making some tests over AF

PD: Sorry my english

Actually, the file posted here and the SP4.2 version of the exact same file name are almost identical. I don't know anything about BMS but if BMS (if I recall correctly) uses the SP4.2 files for the UI and doesn't change them then it should work. I tell ya what. I have the SP4.2 version for ODS. Let me post it up and then you will have both and you can compare the differences. Give me a few minutes...

Sherlock

[Sherlock]

This is the Operation Desert Storm (ODS) SP4.2 version of the Strategy.scf file.

NOTE: It would go in its own file path just for ODS, e.g., if you installed Falcon 4.0 into its default path at C:\MicroProse\Falcon4, then the ODS installer will install this particular UI file in the following path:

C:\MicroProse\Falcon4\DesertStormTheaterAddon\art\desstorm1\art1024\campaign\intel

NOTE: THIS IS THE ODS SPECIFIC (128 Segment PAK MAP) STRATEGY.SCF FILE.
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Code: Select all

[WINDOW]

[Sherlock]

And, finally, just for comparison purposes...here is the default 1024x768 screen resolution SP4.2 strategy.scf file. It is located in the

C:\MicroProse\Falcon4\art1024\campaign\intel folder.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Code: Select all

[WINDOW]

[Ermes]

Ok, I've just tried it and it works!!! It's nice to see the whole map in PAKs selection...

Now I'm going to regen the maps and redefine the measures of the box to fit it a bit more

Thanks a lot

[Sherlock]

Ok, I've just tried it and it works!!! It's nice to see the whole map in PAKs selection...

Now I'm going to regen the maps and redefine the measures of the box to fit it a bit more

Thanks a lot

Great. Glad I could help. Good luck!

[Snake Man]

Sherlock, since you did all the ground work, how about pushing it a bit more and finalize by telling us what are the differences on those files, what pieces of config make the 128 theater PAK map actually look ok?

[Sherlock]

Sherlock, since you did all the ground work, how about pushing it a bit more and finalize by telling us what are the differences on those files, what pieces of config make the 128 theater PAK map actually look ok?

The best way for anyone to see what the differences are is to grab copies of the AF-modded and SP4.2 4.2 default strategy.scf files I posted above and go through section by section and look at the differences in the settings for size of the windows that are set. For example in the initial AF modded one:

[WINDOW]
[SETUP] STRAT_WIN C_TYPE_NORMAL 650 650
[XY] 250 50
[RANGES] 0 0 1024 768 650 650
[CLIENTAREA] 0 0 650 650 0
[CLIENTAREA] 2 2 418 22 1 "titlestrip"
[GROUP] 6210
[DRAGH] 25
[FLAGBITON] C_BIT_DRAGABLE

versus the default SP4.2 one:

[WINDOW]
[SETUP] STRAT_WIN C_TYPE_NORMAL 422 410
[XY] 300 80
[RANGES] 0 0 1024 768 422 410
[CLIENTAREA] 0 0 422 422 0
[CLIENTAREA] 2 2 418 22 1 "titlestrip"
[GROUP] 6210
[DRAGH] 25
[FLAGBITON] C_BIT_DRAGABLE


There are several more changes (too numerous to cover during the Holidays!) but the interested reader can print out copies of the default AF and the modified AF strategy.scf files and compare them side by side and the see the differences plainly.

Hope this helps.

Sherlock

[Snake Man]

Yeah okay, well my point was that the original pastes were so damned long that just a comparison would be enough. Original posts edited.

[Ermes]

At first I modify my strategy file in the way Sherlock says, just comparing files and modifying it... and it works fine. The differences I found were in the first part of the file until the [BUTTON][SETUP]CLOSE_WINDOW section that is where you define the dimensions of the bakground box, and in the [BITMAP] sections where is defined the dimensions of the pak image.

Obviusly an easy way is just to copy-paste the entire file and it also works fine to me.