European Air War - The Gen

I've been having an email exchange with RedEyes about progress with EAW since we had the source code, and he was asking for a brief summary of what's available with 128C, and what might be on the way with 128E, and where's the place to go to download any of the new stuff.

What's the best thread to answer these questions?

Not sure about the best thread, but here's an attempt to highlight the major changes briefly, in no particular order.

1.28-1.28C/D (D is really C with 1024x768 screens)

1. The use of external "dat" files such as "TMod.dat".
2. The "CDF.set" and "Dir.set" system which allows the exe to use custom CDFs and find needed files in nominated folders rather than having to move files into the EAW folder.
3. The ability to use 24bit bmp files for skins and terrains (D3D only).
4. Multiskins- entire squadrons with individual aircraft markings.
5. Gun convergence.
6. The use of convoy files which can determine the make-up of trains and both land and sea convoys. "Convoys.dat" in particular associates sea convoys with up to 255 targets, and contains set waypoints.
7. More interdiction mission types which are selectable in single missions and multiplayer.
8. Massive changes to multiplayer which give the host the ability to choose settings similar to those available in single missions. They also allow a player to join an existing mayhem, or to communicate with players already in a game if it is not a mayhem.
9. Single engine starts for engines 1, 2, 3 and 4, with "wet starts".
10. New aircraft selection screens (Allied and Axis), but with the ability to use the old "picpln" screens and menus through an eaw.setting.
11. More cockpit gauges.
12. A maximum of 256 TMods
13. An improved cockpit view system using files containing data which offsets the pilots head to optimise the views.
14. Single mission "encounters" so that if you are flying over an enemy base on the way to a target there is the possibility that fighters may scramble from that base.
15. Several new eaw.ini settings
16. Individual "Savedata" folders.
17. Artillery activity on land close to frontlines.

1.28E

The biggest change is that individual aircraft data can be used.
Those "30 plane" files such as "planes.dat" have been broken up into single plane files, to enable packages to be made. There are two types which work together in combination, one containing flight data, and the other containing graphical data. It is done this way so that although a user might choose an ETO, desert, or a South East Asian Spitfire V skin, the flight data will be the same.

It also uses 1024x768 screens, and a more flexible mainscreen menu system.
No final decision has been made yet, but it is likely that 1.28E will support a 128 objects per tile eaw_ttd.dat file rather than the old 64 objects per tile.

In all versions as soon as fixable bugs were discovered they were fixed

Jel

Hi,

imho the most important, but initially not good visible feature of the EAW1.28 series is the subfolder system with all its features.

Here a little clarification to this:

By default all addon had to get loaded into the EAW root directory. As we know this often did lead to trouble, cause all possible files are in just one folder. As long as we load just one addon(one skin, one terrain etc) its ok, but its very difficult to make changings to a once running big setup(campaign, skin set etc).
So the user had two possibilitys:
1. Keep many static EAW setups on the HD.
2. Use a addon manager to keep a setup somewhat flexible.

Many static setups did lead often to 10 or more EAW setups, where often the same addons got stored several times and the plane sets was absolut static, cause it was very difficult to replace a plane with a new.
Addon managers like Stab, Skins´n More and OAW did allow to keep things more fexible, still it was very difficult to administrate things and often we got CTD´s cause many different reasons, or corrupted setups(mixed up terrains/skins etc).
To create usable setups was even more difficult.

Another ugly drawback of the addon manager system was the high rate of HD fragmentation and the possibility to dmage a running setup, by loading a bad or not fitting addon.

Now we can store addons in different CDF´s or folders and then we can point the EAW.exe to this places.

One advantage is that no files need to get copyed to the EAW root, as such there is no fragmentation(still the old way is possible and files loaded into the EAW root get used before all other files).

This folder system also made us able to include a the possibility to use seasonal setups.
By changings the date routines now the mission date for single missions and multiplayer missions get stored inside the EAW.ini.
After every mission the date shift forward by some days (In campaigns of course the campaign date from the career files get used).
Basing on this mission date different folders can get loaded fully automatically.
So if you fly in december, you will get a winter terrain, if you fly in may, you get spring etc.

This can get increased to 12 different automatically loading setups(1 per month).

And of course this also can get used to create single mission related campaigns, cause each setup can include its own frontline and target setup.

As such it would be possible to create for example a "DAW campaign" splitted in one year parts, with 12 frontline changings.

Another new most important feature basing on the folder system and the splitted multi-plane-files is the possibility to store planes in single folders.
(Note:multi-plane-files are files that contain the datas of all 30 available plane slots, like the Planes.dat, pnames.str etc. This files made it very difficult to use something else than static plane sets).

With EAW1.28e we will offer a "Planes" folder, containing around 90 different planes, where many planes are located in more than one plane slot, so all over we will have around 150 planes available.
This number can get increased by simple updates.
Each of this planes include a fitting hangar screen, mini pic, FM/DM and one or more skins.

This "planes" folder will be located in the EAW root and can be "read only", or even "hidden" to protect it.

Together with EAW1.28 and this "planes" folder we will offer a basic "ETO_01" setup.

This setup is stored in its own "ETO_01" folder, also in the EAW root.
It will contain a seasonal setup with 5 terrains(spring, summer, fall, winter, hard winter) and 5 plane sets.

The plane sets are another feature basing on the folder system.
The plane sets can get selected from within the game(configure game).
The EAW.exe is able to handle 10 different plane sets per loaded setup(ETO, RAW, FAW, DAW etc).
The plane sets dont include any skins and flight datas itself, they just include a list of files to be used and possibly fitting speach setups, main screen, plane selection screens etc.

The planes to be used are all stored in the "planes" folder and now the advantage should get clear. Each plane FM/DM and skin, just need to get stored one time on your HD, but can get used in as many different setups as you want.

To load a new setup, you just need to place one or two 1kb files into your EAW root(Dir.set and maybe a CDF.set file).
This files will point the EAW.exe to the wanted setup (ETO, DAW, RAW or what ever), where each setup have its own folder inside the EAW root directory.

Also each main folder contains its own "Savedata" folder and also each planeset folder contains a own "Savedata" folder. As such thelost of CTD´s, related to not fitting single mission and career files wont happen anymore, and stored career files wont need to get deleted anymore, when we load a new setup.

For the user all this mean:
Install EAW1.28e.
Install "ETO_01"
Install the "Planes" folder
Install the "Sounds" folder(this folder contains different engine sounds used by the planes).
Install OAW1.28

Now the user will be able to use the new EAW to its best.

Right away he can select choose between 5 different plane sets(default plane set, early west front, late west front, early east front, late east front) and with OAW he can create own plane sets.


Of course the addon maker still need to adjust their setups to use the full potential of this system. Its same new to the addon makers, like to the normal user.

And of course still many planes need to be done or adjusted(FM/DM´s but also skins).

btw, here some more minor improovements of the EAW.exe.
- Gunpods can be loaded/unloaded
- the v1 slot is fully usable.
- Planes can rearm, when landed on a active friendly base.
- Tail gunner positions can get eliminated by gunfire.
- Divebrakes and flaps action codes got added.
- Planes have more different damages and they can show up(new action codes).
- Also "smal" plane damages have a impact to the Flight behaviour(more drag/less lift, less good manouverability).
- Ai´s behave way better.
- Divebombers make a real dive attack(with dive brakes in a very steep angle).
- Torpedos got added and a fitting Ai torpedo attack routine.
- Way better bomb impacts got created(with longer lasting dust, additionally to the smoke).
- Planes cause a dust trail when rolling with high throttle setting, or even in a very low level flight.

Greetings,

Knegel

Thanks chaps!