Error loading Mediterranean2021 theater

[Anromar]

My name is Andrés and, first of all, thank you for the work of those who have improved this old but great simulator. I played it many years ago and now I'm interested in it again.

I have installed version 1.6, but when I run UAW160 File-manager (DSP27Feb2023.exe) and select the Mediterranean2021 theater (one of my favourites), after starting the Pilot Career (1940 or 1943), cannot fly the mission and the program exits with the message "Pic not Found GYTOWN. tpc! -1".

I have tried different EAW versions and aircraft sets but always with the same result.

Thanks in advance.

[Moggy]

Hello Anromar, and welcome to the board.

I am having a look at the Mediterraean setup to see what is causing this problem. Essentially GYTown.tpc is a skinfile for an aircraft carrier.

We have been having some problems with career mode.

Get back to you soonest.

[Jel]

This theatre is not meant for careers. The career files are the ones from the original Desert Air War release. However, there are additional aircraft carriers, In Mediterranean2021 theater and a different front-line so the career files no longer match.

I have a "Gytown.tpc" file in the folder I use online. It is used in a number of theatres so you might be able to borrow one from another theatre and paste it in your "Mediterranean2021" folder. If you cannot find one I will make a download available.

There is also a railway system in Crete which allows train interdictions by allied aircraft from the nearby carrier in online games.



Jel

[Jel]

The multiplayer script maker map screens with the default and multiplayer front-lines:

The original DAW frontline:


The multiplayer friendly version:

[Moggy]

I'm reworking the original career setup for both DAW and Malta with some success. I hope shortly to have a 1.6 download for Anromar.

In this I have essentially used the original 1.2 theatre target layout and associated campaign files with updated 1024 screens and eaw32 tile map, with new 1.6 planesets to match the original 1.2 planelists for both North Africa and Malta.

[Jel]

I just tried the 1.28c conversion of DAW.
The Marauder seems to be a German bomber when you select it as the secondary plane in an allied intercept or an axis escort.
I was also surprised that a couple of Italian fighters are allied planes.

[Moggy]

Yes, the original 1.2 planelists for DAW and Malta are mixed in a way which offends our usual convention of keeping allied/axis planes in traditional slots. I have simply made 1.6 planesets which follow those original lists and "slotless" 1.6 doesn't seem to care. I have the right planes turning up in right slots on the right side, and matching the career squsd and plane descriptions.

Essentially the 1 2 target setup (targets/tardata/airfield/griddata/frontline) transfers straight into 1.6. Therefore the career files from 1.2 which are dovetailed into that setup also transfer straight into 1.6. Most of the 1024 screens had already been made either for 128E ir 1.4/1.5, though I have made a new career selection/start screen. The eaw32.tm and ttd.dat had already been made as had the tmod setup - probably by you All that was then required were new 1.6 plansets matching the original lists. Thankfully most of the required DAW/Malta planes are avalable in the inventory. Just a couple of more obscure subtypes needed moving in from work I've been doing for Italy.

So these setups have new "DAWCareer" and "MaltaCareer" theatre folders, and new "DAWCareer" and "MaltaCareer" planesets. I've been using an early 1.6 exe, and will be trying out the new 1.6 careers exe.

But thus far all good. The DAW career in the "1940" slot abd the two Malta careers in the "1940" and "1943" slots seem to be working okay.

[Jel]

What bothers me is not the slots, but things like the Marauder which must be assigned as German in the DAW planes.dat, and two Italian fighters flagged as allied in the DAW planes.dat. Building a plane-set would certainly correct these faultss, but would the career files still be OK?

Further checking the original DAW planes.dat using "Airgrid" for the full "planes.dat" file:

CR.42 Falco in the P47d slot is American
MC.200 Saetta in the P51d slot is American
Marauder I in the m410 slot is German

[Moggy]

The career files appear to accept the nationality designation in the individual aircraft's 1.6 plane.dat. I hoped this would be the case, and so it seems to be.

Whatever the coding mechanism which Ralf put in to
replace the old fixed slot process, getting rid of the old combined planes.dat, and making nationality depend on the new individual plane.dat files, seems to work across the board where a nationality designation is required.

So although it seems odd that i.e. slots 1, 3, and 5 are allied, slots 2, 4, and 6 may be axis, 1.6 doesn't particularly care. All slots are independent.

[Jel]

I understand the slot free system perfectly. What I find strange is that in what I believe to be the original DAW release two Italian fighters were set as allied and the marauder was set as axis in the "planes.dat" file in the data.cdf.
This certainly causes problems in single missions when any of the three planes is selected. The question then arises as to whether or not the original DAW career files were written which involved these aircraft.

[Moggy]

I have examined the original planes.dat I have for the original DAW 1.2 release. It is dated 26-3-2002. Examining slot 03, P47D, which had the DAW CR42, the nationality is German.

I suspect the planes.dat file you have is not the original.

Emil's original readme dated 5th March 2002 clearly states that the CR42, MC200, and Marauder are in the unusual slots. The first two have their own pilot careers. It would seem odd to me that the original DAW team, and in particular Emil (who built god knows how many campaigns in that period), would have made the mistake of having three planes in the DAW setup with the wrong nationality.

All I can say is that I do not get any nationality problems in my 1.6 setup, with the CR42, the MC200, and the Marauder, using the original 1.2 campaign files.

[Moggy]

Incidently, I show the same results as you for the original package 128C DAW planes.dat. The wrong file has somehow crept in there; it isn't the same file as the 1.2 version.

See here: https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2892536/3 {Knegel's post foot of page 3)

The 128C Malta planes.dat on the hand, is correct and shows slots 2, 4, and 5 as axis.

The 128E DAW/Malta planes.dats are also correct.

See here: https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4604693/1 - Your 2022 "128C Careers" package had the right planes.dat file.

[Jel]

Thanks Moggy

[Moggy]

Getting there: