Author |
Topic: About the ability to change the size of
formations (Moggy, Andy) |
DOM Member
From: Lille, France Registered: Jan 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 07:50 AM
Hello,
What's new ?
By chance, did you find time to study the bytes I mentioned in
another post ?
Well, I found myself time (and courage) to study those bytes last
night and it looks very promising IMHO. I will make some further
investigations on Sunday and I will send you my own report.
From what I know now : the bytes are organized into 15 series of
3 x 16 bytes. I precisely know what are the aircraft whose
formations are affected by those bytes. From memory (I am at work
now), I can say that some series (I remember series 2, 3, 4, 10 and
15) are unused. All the others affect the formations of one to 10
aircraft. For example, the series #1 code for both B17 and B24. As I
presumed in my first post, byte #3 of every chunk directly affects
the size of every section of a formation and the size of the
formation and its whole.
The way the program use those bytes #3 : - the number of
planes in a section (box) is byte #3 of the first chunk multiplied
by the byte #3 of the second chunk. - the max number of planes in
a formation is the factor of the bytes #3 of the three chunks.
For example (and from memory), the V1 bytes #3 (series #8) are
respectively 1, 1 and 3. That means a section size of 1 (1*1) and a
total number of V1 per formation of 3 (1*1*3). That's also true for
the other a/c.
The other bytes affect the position of every aircraft in a
section and the position of every section in a formation but I still
don't know how they work exactly. In the particular case of V1,
almost all bytes are set to zero that leads to a random formation.
This is very promising and, in the future, I could make some kind
of "formation randomizer" which will change those bytes in the exe.
This could be included in a new version of my skin randomizer.
Cheers.
Dominique
IP:
Logged |
Geo Member
From: Princeton, N.J. Registered: Dec 2000 |
posted
02-22-2002 08:17 AM
Wow, great discoveries Dom. Very
impressive work .
IP:
Logged |
oldgrognard Member
From: Baltimore, MD Registered: Nov 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 08:27 AM
I stand in awe of you fellows who
really know something. Keep up the good work so we useless
strap-hangers can reap the benefits.
IP:
Logged |
Alatriste Member
From: Madrid (Spain) Registered: Jan 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 08:31 AM
Executable: The last frontier.
Mission: to boldly go where no one has gone before...
Great work, DOM.
IP:
Logged |
gentofthesouth1861 Member
From: Irving, Texas U.S.A. Registered: Sep 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 08:35 AM
All I can say is: thank God you
code wizards are doing this, and posting the goodies, for free.
Otherwise I would go broke! Thanks again, and great work.
Mike.
IP:
Logged |
Andy Member
From: Jena, Germany Registered: Jun 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 08:52 AM
DOM, you're the man!!!
Great work.
I didn't work on them cause I first wanted to finish the skin I
released yesterday.
When I read your last post on the topic I had similar things in
mind. That means, that every chunk is used for one slot... So this
seems to be true. Please inform us about all knowledge you ware able
to get from these bytes. I'm especially proud of you because of
the random formation finding. This is exactly what we need for a
nightfighter campaign.
I can't tell it often enough: Great work.
Now the question is: should I still take care of them or do you
now know all we need to know?
Greetings, Andy.
IP:
Logged |
Pobs Member
From: North Wales, UK Registered: Jun 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 09:03 AM
Dom,
excellent, now we can have night bomber missions with small open
formations!!!
well done indeed!!
S!
cheers,
Pobs
IP:
Logged |
Emil Member
From: Belgium Registered: Dec 2000 |
posted
02-22-2002 09:18 AM
Great DOM! Please continue your
VERY valuable work for all EAW enthousiasts!
I didn't try your skin randomiser yet, because I'm so busy with
all these campaigns (right now Malta). But a combined
"Skin-Formation Randomiser" would be terrific and I'd certainly use
it if I'm ever going to PLAY a campaign in the future!
------------------ 'Alles zu retten muss alles gewagt werden'
- Schiller
Emil's EAW
Campaigns
IP:
Logged |
BFawlty Member
From: Flagstaff Arizona, USA Registered: May 2001
|
posted
02-22-2002 09:50 AM
Man you guys are awesome. This
game has come so far it's hard to remember where or what it started
as. Thanks
BF
IP:
Logged |
Nicholas Bell Member
From: Gwynedd Valley, PA Registered: Jul 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 09:58 AM
Has anyone determined how to
change the altitude of flights? The 8AF bomber missions are never at
the 22-27,000' altitude they usually flew at, but are usually below
20,000'
Wondering if this might be in the same region as the formation
size code Dom is exploring.
IP:
Logged |
DOM Member
From: Lille, France Registered: Jan 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 10:03 AM
Andy,
Don't worry. As I said, last week-end I didn't see the
opportunity to do some EAW job untill a week or more and I thus
begged some valuable help. Many thanks to you and Moggy for your
proposal. I got unexpected spare time during the week : that's why
! The reason why I posted the present message is that I don't
want anyone having read my previous post and doing work which is
already done
. Well, I plan to do some extra job on this stuff on Sunday and I
hope to yield enough infos in order to build the tool (following
Sunday ?).
About the slots : probably, I made my explanations unclear. Among
the 15 bytes series, only 10 are used. Don't ask me why, I don't
know. That means that a single series may affect one, two or up to
(10?) slots. I remember (I have not my notes here)that the single
series #11 (12?) affect many german a/c slots like 109E, 109G, 109K,
190A, 190D, JU88A, Me410, 262 (german fighters or so). Series #5
only affects slot B26. Hence, the changes made for slot 109E will
also affect 109G, 109K, 190A ... Since the settings could be changed
everytime the patch program will be launched, this will not a big
prob IMO.
I will communicate my findings as soon as possible and your
advices will be welcome to build the randomizing tool.
Dominique
IP:
Logged |
DOM Member
From: Lille, France Registered: Jan 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 10:07 AM
Of course, and as said,
valuable changes could be made in the night missions patch. Here
too, your advices are welcome.
Dominique
IP:
Logged |
DOM Member
From: Lille, France Registered: Jan 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 10:09 AM
N Bell : there are not in the
immediate vicinity of those bytes but ... probably somewhere
IP:
Logged |
dancho Member
From: USA Registered: Oct 1999 |
posted
02-22-2002 10:57 AM
Dom has assured his place in the
EAW Hall of Fame.
------------------ dancho's EAW
Paint Barn
IP:
Logged |
Alatriste Member
From: Madrid (Spain) Registered: Jan 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 12:18 PM
Apart from night missions, we
have an use for this in the spanish campaign: now we can force
everyone save the germans to fly in vics and closed
formations.
IP:
Logged |
BP51 Member
From: USA Registered: Mar 2001 |
posted
02-22-2002 12:56 PM
Great !!This is just what i was
hoping for ,many thanks Dom
------------------ "If i lose all my money i don't care.If
i die i don't mind,just as long as i'm reincarnated as a girl's
bicycle seat"-Keith Moon
IP:
Logged |
Moggy Member
From: A slit trench near RAF Gravesend Registered: Aug
2000 |
posted
02-22-2002 01:40 PM
Sorry DOM,
I've been engaged in shadows and cockpits, and was going to have
a look at those bytes this weekend. At least we've gotsome good
pointers now as to how formations are controlled. Excellent work!
Moggy
IP:
Logged |
Steve T Member
From: The Heart of England Registered: Jan 2002 |
posted
02-22-2002 03:19 PM
S! DOM,
and Alatriste, I like your thinking with reference to the SCW
formations
Steve T
IP:
Logged |
Bingo47 Member
From: Toulouse,France Registered: Dec 2000 |
posted
02-23-2002 11:28 AM
DOM, Following your recherches
on EAW.EXE version 1.2a,I modified bytes 3 in serie 1 (B17 &
B24). I put "04" three times.(The maximum) (No extra
squads.Normal setting only). I got: -interception
mission: ex 1:12 Fw190D,72 (8 boxes of 9 planes) B17,32 (2
flights of 16 planes) P51D. ex 2:12 Bf109K,32 Fw190D,72 B24,32
P51D. -escort mission: ex 1:36 B17,12 P38J,8 Fw190A. ex
2:36 B24,12 P38J,12 Fw190A. Number of escort fighters seems in
rapport with the number of bomber (?) Never got 72 bombers in
escort.(No superposition of planes in bombers formation).
Interesting:in bombers formation all "nose art" are used (17 for
B17 & 15 for B24). Usualy only 12 for a formation of 36
planes are used.With extra squads when we got 72 bombers (2
flights of 36 planes)or more (about one hundred) the second and
evantually third flights use the same "nose art" than the first
flight.Nose art on plane 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22,25,28,31,34 and now
37,40,43,46,49 (17 nose art used),52 (same as plane 1),55 (same as
plane2),58,61,64,67,70.
Bingo47.
IP:
Logged |
Bingo47 Member
From: Toulouse,France Registered: Dec 2000 |
posted
02-23-2002 02:15 PM
Do the same for serie 5
(B26) Got: -interception:12 Bf11OG,32 Me410,32 P47C and 128
B26!!!!!! -escort:64 B26,12 P51B,12 109.
IP:
Logged |
Gramps Member
From: Munda Registered: Nov 2001 |
posted
02-23-2002 02:49 PM
I'd just like to add my thanks to
all you code-breakers! Who said you need an Enigma machine?
Well done!
Gramps VMF214
PS Yes, DOM does deserve to be in the EAW Hall of Fame!
IP:
Logged |