USAFEDIT v1.0 by Nicholas Bell An Editor Utility for SSI's USAAF ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This editor enables the user to easily edit existing scenarios, air units, aircraft, etc or create new scenarios for SSI's USAAF (by Gary Grisby) released in the 1980's for Apple IIs. USAFEDIT.ZIP should contain the following files: USAFEDIT.TXT (this file) USAFEDIT.EXE ACKNOWLEGEMENTS: Thanks to Randy Spurlock and David Ellsworth for creating ApplePC, Michael O'Brien for AppleWin, and that unnamed person who kindly dealt with the hassle of converting USAAF so we could enjoy it once again! Be sure to check out the following sites: Craig Deaton's U.S.A.A.F. for DOS, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 http://www.jacksonville.net/~deaton/Index.htm Apple Emulator's Wargame Pages http://www.concentric.net/~Evin/a2war/ Die Hauptkampflinie http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/NicholasBell DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Users of this program must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "This software is supplied on an AS IS basis. The author specifically disclaims ANY warranty, expressed or implied, as to the fitness for any particular purpose of the software. Under no circumstances will the author be liable for any direct, consequential, special, indirect, or other damages including, but not limited to, loss of data, profit, or the use of the software arising from the distribution, use, misuse, or inability to use the software. YOU USE THIS SOFTWARE AT YOUR OWN RISK. BY USING THE SOFTWARE, YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS OF USAGE SET FORTH IN THIS DISCLAIMER." NOTICE ~~~~~~ This program is not in any way connected with or endorsed or supported by Strategic Simulations, Inc. TRADEMARKS ~~~~~~~~~~ USAAF is a trademark of Strategic Simulations, Inc. DISTRIBUTION NOTICE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This program is being released by the author as freeware. You may copy and use the program freely. You may distribute it to whomever you like but: 1. Do NOT distribute modified versions. 2. ALWAYS distribute with the documentation. No other limitations are placed on the usage of the software. No monetary fee is charged for the use of the software. *** WARNING *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This program can make permanent modifications to *.IMG files created by APPLEPC. Be sure to backup the original *.IMG files. INSTALLATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copy the USAFEDIT.EXE file into your main directory where you maintain your USAAF game and type "USAFEDIT" to start the editor (if in DOS or a DOS Window). USAFEDIT also works fine under Win 3.1 and Win95. Either run USAFEDIT or double click on USAFEDIT.EXE while in your favorite file manager. You can also change the name of USAFEDIT.EXE to whatever doesn't conflict with other programs, if you don't like typing out USAFEDIT. Just be sure to keep it an EXE program. Example: HACK.EXE INSTRUCTIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~ This editor only works with SAVE STATE Image files (*.IMG) created by ApplePC. (you can still play using AppleWin - see below) 1. Start USAAF as a 2 player game. At the first USAAF Morning Briefing before doing anything, use the [S] Save State function of ApplePC. You can use any allowable file name. ApplePC will automatically add the *.IMG extension. 2. Quit ApplePC. 3. Start USAFEDIT and load the Save State Image you just made. Edit away! 4. The edited IMG is saved when you quit USAFEDIT. 5. Fire up ApplePC and [L] Load State your Image file. 6. Continue the scenario. 7. To play using AppleWin, save the game at the earliest point from within the game to a *.DSK. Then restart the saved game using AppleWin. Sorry. it's the best I can do at this point. Hex editing the savegame disk images is very difficult because of the small Apple disk sector size. Data is not in complete strings (no arrays here!) with one type of data cutting right through the middle of another. SUGGESTION: When you're editing make the new day one day earlier than the current day. If you're editing the Full Campaign Game, make the date July 31, 1943. When you restart the Save State, continue playing the game, but doing nothing for either side (you did start the game as a 2 player game like I said, right ?). Save the game normally (not save state!) at the end of the Luftwaffe Deployment Phase. Exit the game. Start USAAF over, as a one or two player game as you choose, loading the just saved game and continue through the Luftwaffe Situation Room. Since no raids were planned, the game will continue throught the production and repair phase to the Luftwaffe or USAAF Morning Briefing (dependent on who you're playing). Now you're at August 1st and ready to start the game. Plus you'll have cloud cover on the first turn! I always thought it was pretty silly having zero cloud cover in all zones on the first turn. DETAILS ~~~~~~~ Use of the editor is fairly self-explanatory given familarity with the game program and the manual (which explains most of the stuff you can edit). There are a few items which require further explaination. Specific notes by Editing Module: 1. AIRCRAFT I use the raw data values throughout the editor. You'll note the halfing and multiplying from the listed values in the game documentation. Don't know why Gary programmed it this way. Cannon-Weapon ratings are as follows: 1/2 .30 cal/7.62mm MG 1 .50 cal/13mm MG 2 15mm Cannon 4 20mm Cannon 5 30mm Cannon LOAD is either rocket or bomb load, dependent on which side is using the plane. (Consider adding 2 rockets to the Me-163. The Germans actually experimented with upward firing rockets which required the Komet pilot to fly under the US bomber so that the bomber's shadow would activate the photocell trigger!) What CLASS does is not known to me at the moment of writing, but I hope it specifies which aircraft benefit from the reduced loss rate of jets, or it's going to be tough to add P-80s and Meteors. This would also make it the determinant on which combat (fighter vs fighter or fighter vs bomber) the program should use. FW-190Fs were never used in the Reichsverteidigung. Sorry, you cannot ADD planes, so if you want to make a new plane type you'll have to give up an existing type. LUFTWAFFE UNITS Pretty self-explanatory. Note that the value for which month the unit appears IS different from the month aircraft are available - this is not an error. Adding pilots will prevent the dilution of German unit experience levels if you make sure the number of pilots is always greater than the number of planes. Note than the Geschwader number is stored as one byte. Thus the highest number is 256. This precludes including JG 400 (the Komet unit). If you want to be realistic you should eliminate (set the arrival month into 1946) all SG's, SKG's, KG(j), and EJG's. They never participated in the Reichsverteidigung. They were added for play balance. The various elements of JG 300, JG 301, and JG 302 which did participate are missing. Please check my web site for accurate Orders of Battle. USAAF UNITS Instead of tracking the number of pilots (the Allies never ran short!) Gary tracks the unit's base location. (The German unit base location is kept in a seperate group of data strings which I decided I wasn't going to bother with). These values are explained well in the documentation and don't require any further explanation: TARGETS FACTORY DEFENSE VALUES FACTORY OPTIMUM LEVELS FACTORY REBUILD LEVELS DATES An important note! The various scenarios in USAAF all use the SAME DATA with the program editing the locations, strengths, experience and morale levels. I cannot control this. So when you edit the 1943, you are also editing the raw data for the two 1944 scenarios. FUEL RESERVE Great way to work around the fuel shortage. Unfortunately it is a single byte of data, so the max value can only be 256. WEATHER Be sure to enter a Cloud Cover value in 5% increments. Please direct any questions or comments to me at: NicholasBell@compuserve.com Please post modifications or new scenarios for others to enjoy. Check out my homepage at: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/NicholasBell for other wargame utilities and scenarios. I'll be posting information on how to make USAAF more historical and any alternate OB's I make or receive from others. Enjoy! Nick 12-6-97 end of file