Basic+procedures+and+suggestions


 * Snakum asks:** **Is there an EAW Idiots Guide to Add-Ons? Is there one sole place to get everything I might need in one big clump?**

Answer by RAF_Roy. Quite a few people have created "packages" of add-ons.

Some of the larger and more complete are at: The EAW Frontlines Site http://www.sandbagger.uk.com/home2.html ..examples from this site: (Added by Wudpecker---My personal favorites are: --- BATTLE OF BRITAIN (BoB) (The air war over England that may have decided WWII at the start) --- DESERT AIR WAR ............(very different in ground appearance from standard game. The air war in Africa.) --- FLYING TIGERS.................(Ade Kelley's newest game scenario for the P-40 squadrons in China) --- FADING SUN ....................(Flying Tigers in China. Earlier version) --- KOREAN AIR WAR........... (Ade Kelley's newest. Fly jets and a helicopter!) --- MALTA .............................(very close to Desert Air War and a Mediterranean Sea war in feel) --- SIGHTED MAIN BODY /BATTLE OF MIDWAY (an all-Pacific Ocean game scenario for the battle that stopped Japan in its tracks) http://www.btinternet.com/~pdfm/release.htm --- EAW SWOTL.................... (a re-make of the old **Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe game**, where you can fly weird aircraft. Oldie, but goodie) ---RUSSIAN AIR WAR............ (The Winter One is most interesting for comparison with IL-2 Sturmovik series. But RAW has given me problems running it. You may have better luck) ---MANY OTHERS to choose from, like DUNKIRK. I haven't tried them all, so I hesitate to talk about them.
 * Black Adder's "Self-Installing Downloads" for many theaters.
 * Great Shot! considered the must-have basic EAW game.

--- 1. Stock EAW out-of-the-box has its own list of Compressed Data Files (CDF) and standard files to run the game. 2. Any new **ADD-ON** files will be used instead of the CDF files. This means the standard files can be replaced with special ones of your choice. The ADD-ON files will usually have the same names as the stock files. This is what "fools" the EAW exe into using your files. 3. If there is a problem __of any kind__ with the ADD-ON files, the game **will revert to its standard back-up files so you can play anyway.** This can have odd results: Standard aircraft will suddenly replace your special add-ons. For instance, German planes may replace Japanese ones. Your joystick may quit working. EAW has replaced your own game settings with its back-up EAW.ini file. Other odd effects may happen to bombs, rockets, etc. if they are part of your new add-ons and there is a problem reading them. But this process allows you an almost infinite choice of new, higher-resolution airplanes, new sounds, new terrains, new skies, and so on.
 * Basics of how add-ons work and the way EAW works:**



So --To return to the standard game, just remove ADD-ON files. If there is a problem, try removing one add-on at a time. If there is a joystick lock-up, click on the EAW.ini file and it opens as a text file so you can read it. Check for any recent "mistakes" you made in setting your preferences, like a joystick. It should read "Joystick=1" Change it if it reads "Joystick=0" because zero means "off", for instance.


 * GAME and Aircraft Managers**

OAWunified Final V1.01 package at my site.

www.raf-roy.com

by Wudpecker posted September 13, 2005 02:52 PM RAF_Roy has given you a good start, Snakum.

So as not to get confused with the vast possibilites, stick with downloading the packages of add-ons, "scenarios", they are called-- as mentioned above. They are almost a new game in each case. Choose what looks interesting.

The huge number of "mods" of everything else can wait until you get used to the way things are done.

Probably best to make a new folder with a complete copy of the 1.2 version or the new 1.26E upgrade you just installed and got working inside of it. Just copy everything over to the empty folder. Then the add-on scenario is copied into that.

It takes up hard drive space to have a separate copy for each scenario, but it avoids wondering what the hell went wrong with any particular one. When you get one right, it stays right.
 * Note: the new 1.26e patch may require you use the install folder. As a new patch, all tests on using it in another folder have not been made.**

A little further down, OAW is explained as a way to manage all these scenarios and add-ons and save hard drive space.

As Roy explained, anything added into your main game folder is used first by the game. If anything is missing, the game defaults to its basic files. We are not perfect game makers, so odd results can be expected.

Once you are comfortable with this idea of adding things in, the OAW game manager is worth experimenting with. It does the switching in and out with just mouseclicks. And you only need one copy of the basic 1.2 or 1.26e game, saving hard drive space.

The trick is to get a copy of OAW already set up with different add-ons. RAF_Dumoulin is very helpful here.

For all kinds of information and research, use the "search" button at the top right of the main EAW page at SimHQ.com. And don't forget there are four EAW archives you can search through (and become thoroughly mixed up).

OAW Unified has several "scenarios" built in already. The problem is that it is designed for online flying and can be confusing. No insult to its makers, who tried mightily to do all things for all EAW'ers online. But it will leave a NewB gasping for breath until used to it. NOTA (By RAF_Dumoulin) The scenarios available in OAWunified are playiable offline or online with no restrictions.