Wow, not really expected that and so fast! Just tested these out and they are perfect - in addition to seeing the general situation at a glance, now you see the condition of all units in stacks without clicking.
First of all, thanks so much, Jison for the fantastic work on WitE - your map was one of the reasons I finally decided to purchase WitE. Sometimes I simply fire up WitE to marvel at the map … I guess I’m not the only one who really hopes you’ll give War in the West the same (royal) treatment, that would be awsome!
I really like the colored soft factor corners so I actually modded Jison’s counters a while ago for myself (painful process, as this was my first tiny “modding project” and it took me quite a while but learned a lot. I was using GIMP for this). I kept the “original" corner layout so my soft factors are actually in the top left corner (and they are a bit smaller than Jison’s), like they are in stock WitE.
The other thing I did was to “reinstate” the movement indicator top right corner. With both corners (instead of the indicators that Jison chose) I’m able to see the status of each unit, even when it’s stacked with other units. For the movement corner indicator, I moved away from the original convention, though: my feeling was that the most important thing I want to see at a glance, if there are units that I have NOT moved at all and wanted that to stick out. This is why I chose an all-white corner for units that have not been moved (stock WItE uses a black corner with white frame.) For the “moved but MP left” category, I played around with different settings and ended up adding black stripes to the white corner and I really like how it looks. It’s quite visible within a stack. Of course, the whole corner goes away if no MPs are left.
Sorry, but I can't download the map from there, this link does not seem to work. Anybody else have this problem? Are there mirors?
Edit: Spelling
Hi,
The link on Jison's website http://www.hist-sdc.com/MapMod/index.htm still works but it's a bit hidden, you'll find in the September 9, 2013 posting titled "Here we go again ...", it's the first link, size is 278MB.
INCREDIBLE MAP, really awesome!!! NEED HELP PLEASE!!! Old time wargamer that actually rewrote the entire rules to the original War in the Pacific (SPI) game, but have been away from wargaming for about 10 years, and have jumped back in hugely the last month and my first new purchase is War in the East, so still in total newbie mode. Some questions please:
1) I went thru the entire thread and all the mod part of the forums. Could someone please tell me EXACTLY (in simple exact step by step terms) how to extract the files using JSGME (i have no idea how to use JSGME) in order to be able to pick and choose exactly what parts of the mod i want to use and not use. I love everything about the mod that i have seen, except for the unit counter. Really don't want to download the entire mod into my main game folder and then find that i have to use the updated unit counters also. Note that i have already downloaded JSGME and also WINRAR, just don't know how to actually use JSGME in order to install the map and interface.
2) Reading thru the email thread, i didn't see any bugs with using the new map and interface. Are there any? Being a new to the game, i might not even notice a bug if it happened! But, i really want to use this new map and interface!
3) So far, i have only installed patch v1.07.11. First of all, SHOULD i for sure be learning the game with the beta patch 1.08 and not even bother with 1.07.11? Secondly, if i download and install v1.08 later, will it mess up the map? Will future updates and patches make the map no longer work?
Thanks! Randy Flowers :)
< Message edited by rainman2015 -- 2/12/2015 5:15:24 AM >
Thanks Chemkid...not at home now, so can't try it just yet.
So, you don't have to run JSGME every time you start the game in order for it to see the mods you are using? Once you install the mods as above, you just start the game as normal each time?
Anyone out there know exactly how to disable only the counter changes? I want the map and interface changes only.
Also, i will be going ahead and installing version 1.08 tonight before i load this mod, so will already be upgraded, but what happens to this mod when each new patch comes out?
Do new patches (i.e. ones that haven't even come out yet) cause the mod to suddenly become buggy or unusable?
Question though on the counters. The 3rd screenshot above (the lowest one) that has the new maps and the old counters, still has the updated NON-BOLD font which is much harder for my older eyes to read. Look at the top screenshot for the unit counters. The text in the counters is very BOLD, whereas the text on the counters in the lower screenshot still looks like the new counters (non-bold) as in the 2nd screenshot. So, if the 3rd screenshot is the result of removing the 6 .tga files, how do you get the original bold lettering on the counters back?
Another question is, isn't there a backup made somehow of the original map and counters and interface data when you install the new map/interface mod? How does that happen? Is it automatically done when you do the mod install as you show above with JSGME?
Wanting to install this tonight after i upgrade to 1.08! :)
Thanks! Randy :)
< Message edited by rainman2015 -- 2/12/2015 11:33:50 PM >
Thanks to your help Robert (Chemkid), i figured it out and have it just right now...:)
Using JSGME and your step by step instructions from above, i was able to recreate exactly the screenshots you show above...
Then loaded the original counters .tga files as you showed how to do above...
So, now i had the map/interface i like (love) and the counter colors i like, BUT still the text on the counters was not bold, really didn't like that at all.
But, referring to the 'WiteFontConfig.txt' file thread, i was able to figure out how to get the original text font AND change the text back to bold by editing the WiteFontConfig.txt file inside the MapMod.WitE.September file tree (just change the font to Verdana and the number from 0 to 1 for the counters in two places). I also changed several of the other text fields to now be BOLD, like the map popups and the unit details, leader details, etc, and it looks GREAT!!!
Thanks so much to Jison and Chemkid for transforming the game! It just looks stunning now.
I also think it is a tad too neon green as much as i like it compared to the standard map, i think i like yours a little better, would like to try...
AND, what files do i replace?
Also, i only replaced files that were in a separate directory. all under MODS. The original files are all still right there in the main game directory if you loaded everything thru JSGME, as JSGME loads a parallel directory under MODS...any files i replaced (like the counter .tga files) were all done under MODS, not under the main game directory.
This 'RainydayinRussia' tweak to the map mod is wonderful. I too thought the map was a bit too bright and a bit too neon green, despite it being so much better than the original. This Rainyday mod to the map mod fixes that and adds a lot of contrast to the map too, making it even more detailed looking (hill contours more visible, hex outlines more visible, individual woods more visible, just everything more clear and defined looking!). Combine this with the BOLD text on the counters, and you have the ultimate Russian Front game map!
Wow, that is brilliant and absolutely beautiful! Great work and it lends itself well to a much more "serious" feel. Thank you for your outstanding effort in making a great mod, even better!
Posts: 12
Joined: 6/28/2012 From: Von Manstein Status: offline
I agree this looks fantastic! The "RainydayinRussia" tweak to Jison's work really brings home an excellent map for us all to enjoy! Thank you.
I was able to install Jison's map with no problem.
I extracted chemkid's map and placed in my WITE folder but no luck with it taking effect in the game. FYI - that is exactly what I did for Jison's map.
I don't see a "mods" folder. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would LOVE to get chemkid's map to work.
I agree this looks fantastic! The "RainydayinRussia" tweak to Jison's work really brings home an excellent map for us all to enjoy! Thank you.
I was able to install Jison's map with no problem.
I extracted chemkid's map and placed in my WITE folder but no luck with it taking effect in the game. FYI - that is exactly what I did for Jison's map.
I don't see a "mods" folder. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would LOVE to get chemkid's map to work.
Thank you in advance for your time!
I think you have a aRainyDayInRussia folder now in your WITE folder. There you will find a Dat folder. You have to move this into the Wite folder and overwrite the files.
Posts: 801
Joined: 2/2/2008 From: Beaverton, OR Status: offline
I can see! These mods are an absolute godsend, thanks a ton guys! I can finally read the map and overlays properly with my colorblind old eyes.
Anyone know if I can use the soft factors from jison's counters in WitW (the non-color coded ones with -, =, etc)? I edited the font to have the default bold print on them, and found settings I'm happy with.
< Message edited by IronWarrior -- 3/3/2015 9:51:21 PM >
Posts: 4314
Joined: 11/16/2005 From: UK Status: offline
They are not immediately compatible as WitW has more counters (WitW works in WitE). They are not difficult to mod if you have a bit of graphics knowledge. All you need to do is add the additional symbols for Air & Amph HQs and the Allied Counters.
Posts: 801
Joined: 2/2/2008 From: Beaverton, OR Status: offline
Sounds good, I've actually went back to the default counters as I realized that you cannot see factors in stacks of counters. Was easier for me to read otherwise, but all in all I can manage well enough now. Of course, if I can change the colors of the soft factors on the default counters, that would be even better.. Cheers! :)
< Message edited by IronWarrior -- 3/5/2015 10:54:02 PM >
Chemkid brilliant add on to the MapMod. Thank you both.
It is my hope this work can one day be applied to WitW. That said, if someone is willing to teach me how to do it, I will gladly do the work although I suspect I will need some supervision.