ETO confusion

[sp1t2]

I don't know if I've missed something, but I have trouble with the various eras. In the inital window you need to make the decision as to which are you want.

1. 1936 - Spring 40 and West 40
2. Sum 40 _ Year end 42 - BOB
3. Early 1943 - Spring 44 Yanks over Germany
4. Spring 44 - Late 44 Normandy to Rhine
5. Late 44 - Sum 45 Battle of the Bulge to VE Day

When you want to start a campaign the selection is:

• 1943
• 1944
• 1945
• Attack in the West 40
• Le Fortress Europe
• Phoney War

Wouldn't it be easier if the campaign headings and the initial selections corresponded. On a number of occasions I've tried to create a pilot for a campaign in the right era only to find that is incorrect.

Similarly the Mission folders, although they have a close relationship to the initial window may not end up showing the missions in them when that era is selected in the game.

Once I get the campaign running ETO is great but it is frustrating when you create a pilot for the wrong era.

Is it possible to have consistant naming of the eras throughout the program (initial window, Campaign and Missions). It also makes it confusing when mission writers use the terms Era 1, 2, 3 etc and the Mission Folders are labelled differently.

 

[grizzly50]

Sp1t2, here it is. The lowdown.

You have to keep the time periods in line.

Rule #1. Start ETO in Era 1 and then exit the game before installing anything. Place the necessary items into the proper folders.

Example: when in Era 1, the mission folders' names are missions (Era 1), bob_missions (Era 2), 1943_missions (Era 3), 1944_missions (Era 4), and 1945_missions (Era 5). Each of these folders has three folders and two separate files inside it. Three three folders' names are historical, training, and whatif.

You will also notice while looking into the ETO main folder (while in Era 1) that a number of folders and individual files look very similar. In addition to the missions folders described above, there are also five each of the following: uires folders (uires, bob_uires, 1943_uires, 1944_uires, and 1945_uires), qclocations.xml's (qclocations.xml, bob_qclocations.xml, 1943_qclocations.xml, 1944_qclocations.xml, and 1945_qclocations.xml), and five splash24b.bmp files (splash24b.bmp, bob_splash24b.bmp, 1943_splash24b.bmp, 1944_splash24b.bmp, and 1945_splash24b.bmp). In addition, there are also five complete global layer sets in the global_layer folder.

When you start ETO the Era Swapper comes up (the little black screen with the white letters). Each Era is numbered, of course. When you type in the chosen number and then press Enter and another key, the Eras will be "swapped". The folders and files noted above will have their names changed to reflect the Era to which ETO is currently set. Example: for Era 3, all of these folders and files which had previously been named "1943_XXXXX" will now be plain (missions, uires, qclocations, etc.). Those that had been plain in Era 1 will now be named "1936_XXXXX". Choosing Era 1 at start again will change them all back again. This is the way it works for all five Eras.

A little chart:

1. Era 1, 1936 to Spring 1940 - Spanish Civil War, West '40 and Phoney War -
2. Era 2, Summer '40 to year end '42 - Battle of Britain
3. Era 3, Early 1943 to Spring 1944 - Yanks over Germany
4. Era 4, Spring 1944 to Late 1944 - Normandy to the Rhine
5. Era 5, Late 1944 to Summer 1945 - Battle of the Bulge to V-E Day

Spawn Selector:

1. Stock Spawn Mode: Eras 3, 4 & 5.
2. Random Spawn Disable: Any Era, for missions and QC.
3. Allied Side ETO Campaign: When playing Allied side in Eras 3, 4 & 5.
4. Axis Side ETO Campaign: When playing Axis side in Eras 3, 4 & 5.
5. Allied Side Attack in the West Campaign (West '40): When playing Allied side in Attack in the West Campaign in Era 1.
6. Axis Side Attack in the West Campaign (West '40): When playing Axis side in Attack in the West Campaign in Era 1.
7. Allied Side Phoney War Campaign: When playing Allied side in Phoney War Campaign in Era 1.
8. Axis Side Phoney War Campaign: When playing Axis side in Phoney War Campaign in Era 1.

Similar care must also be taken while selecting pilots. You should be in the proper Era while selecting and/or creating pilots. Just check the info in the pilots section while doing so.

I will pass your comments on to the Development Team. Cheers, and thanks for your comments.:d