[Kevin92]

Hi,


Im trying to edit the forcepools in Wacht am Rhein.Ive manged to edit the workbook to my likeing but am unable to save it because it is a read-only file.How do I save it?And once saved does that mean that next time I play Wacht am Rhein the changes I made will be in place?Or are there more steps that need to be taken?If so,what are they?

Thanks for the help.

[yuma]

Thats a good question, beacuse I ran into the same problem with the workbook....couldn't save anything.  I ended up making changes using basic notepad and didn't have any trouble with it.  I just had to use notepad in conjunction with the workbook especially for the headers.

[Kevin92]

[quote="yuma";p="43715"]Thats a good question, beacuse I ran into the same problem with the workbook....couldn't save anything.  I ended up making changes using basic notepad and didn't have any trouble with it.  I just had to use notepad in conjunction with the workbook especially for the headers.[/quote]

But does that actually change anything in the game?If so,do you have to copy and paste the whole workbook to notepad or just the page that contains the changes you have made?Could you try and explain how to actually make effective changes...What are headers?

[platoon_michael]

Please make sure you back up the original files FIRST

I dont know how to save the files from Excel yet.When I do it saves all the headers (Not good)
But if you open the Bgroups .txt and lets say for Peiper you want a Tiger.
Scroll over to the Team Type and change the number to 113 (113=Tiger)
Save the file,load the game (Single Battle)and a Tiger will be in your Battle Group already.

I do not know how to change the total # of Tigers on just the Single Battles yet.
If you open the Fools.txt and scroll over to where 113 is listed change the #'s to the right of it for each day and each setting (If you desire) try 20 when your GC loads Peiper will have 12 in the Force Pool and 3 already selected to use.

I'm learning this as I go too so dont hold me to a lot but it works.
Note:
I did both changed One BG Team Type to 113 and added 20 to the Force Pools for this result.
Oh yea,youll have to edit every day of the GC if you want them for every day

[Senior_Drill]

The workbooks should not be Read-Only.  If you downloaded the workbook as a ZIP file you need to extract the xls file from it rather than working on the file compressed in the ZIP.  After that, if the attributes are still Read-Only, right click the xls file and select Properties.  Uncheck the Read-Only box and click Ok.  That should revert the attributes to open, which will allow you to save changes.

The workbook is just a collection of the game's txt files and do not interact with the game's files.  You have to transfer your data changes to the game files.

1.  First and always make a backup of any game file you are going to edit.
2.  With the workbook open to the page, tab or worksheet (some use those words interchangably) open the copy of the cooresponding game file with your spreadsheet application.
3.  If you have added or deleted lines in the workbook by creating units or weapons or deleting them, change the line count number in cell A5 to be the correct number of data lines.   The Index or Class number starts with 0, so add one to the last index number and put that in cell A5.  Or whichever cell is the line count number if you have added rows between the headers and the data.
4.  Highlight the range of cells to be copied.  This could be one row of cells or the entire data area with the line count number or without it if there was no change to it.  Ensure that only game data rows and columns are selected.  Do not include the headers, blank rows or the formula columns.  Game data only!
5.  Paste the copied range of data to the game file copy ensuring that the target cell in the game file copy coorespondes with the workbook's worksheet data range origin cell.  Like for like - the copied Class 0 cell gets pasted to the game file Class 0 cell.
6.  Before clicking off the highlighted range of data, scroll the game data file copy to ensure that the paste orperation was properly aligned.  Delete any remaining rows of game data if needed - if you deleted teams or weapons remove the old data below your new data.  You could skip this step, but it is always a good idea to double check that everything lines up and is all correct.
7.  Save the game file as a Tab Delimited Text file, accepting or OK'ing all warning prompts.
8.  Test.

If there is a problem with your changes that the game just cannot parse on loading, the game will give you an Error window.  It will cite a file and the line number that it is up-chucking on.  Most commonly these errors are in the text columns from a name that is x number of characters too long for one or more of the columns.  Blank, or empty cells will also cause an error.  Numbers outside the range of a data column will also throw an embolism, such as a 2 in a Boolean 0 - 1 type column or an 8 in a short integer 0 - 7 range.  The Index or Class numbers may also cause an error if they are duplicated or skip a number.  Also, if you added a line to the Vehicles, Weapons, Soldiers or *Teams files and did not update the line count number corrrectly, your add may not appear in the game and CTD when selecting that type of unit in game.  Only the number of lines of the line count number will be read into memory on load.  Anything after that number will be ignored and could crash the game, so make doubly sure the line counts are correct.

If all else fails, yell loudly at your monitor and slap your computer (softly!).  Then post here for help with the problem.

[platoon_michael]

Like I said I dont know how to get it to load only one Tiger Maybe if I added less I dont know.

[Senior_Drill]

Team Type 0 is Command Infantry.  To get a Command Tank, change that to 2.

[Senior_Drill]

Other Workbook tips and tricks:

Just like with game files, NEVER work directly in your only copy of the workbook!  Keep one copy of the workbook as an original to use as a reference for comparison of your changes and a backup for copy/paste goofs.  If your are making major modding changes, save your work as new versions of your work copy, i.e MyMod v1, MyMod v2, MyMod v3, ect.  Keep the good, throw away the old and bad.

Within your COPY of your workbook, NEVER edit directly in the pages, tabs, worksheets - whatever you call them.  I'm going to refer to them as worksheets from here on out.  Instead, create a new worksheet within the workbook and copy the Header rows to the new worksheet, then copy the game data to the new worksheet.  Forget the formulas for now.  Do your editing on the worksheet copy, then Copy and Paste that back to the original (copy!) and adjust the data if the formulas indicate errors.

NEVER, NEVER, EVER insert or delete a row within an original (your copy of your original, of course) worksheet that contains formulas. You will mess up every cell reference in the rows below the insertion or deletion.  Do all your inserting and deleting on your copy of the worksheet, then copy and paste the data back into the orginal worksheet.  For example:  I want to delete a team from the middle of the AxsTeams file and add two more.  The added teams are going to be modifications of two other teams farther up in the list.  The way to ensure that I do not break any formula cell reference, I make a new worksheet, rename the tab as AxsTeams Work 1 and put the headers and game data in that.  I can now delete the one team and copy the entire row of the two teams I am going to mod to the bottom of the game data range.  I make my changes, adjust the Class numbers as needed, then copy my range of new game data and paste that back over the original AxsTeam worksheet data, then check the formulas for inconsistacies.  No Hits, No Runs and Nobody Left On!  A good inning.

To repair broken and messed up formulas in my workbook copy:

From the perfect and unsullied copy of my workbook I go to the worksheet that has the formulas I need to use to repair my working copy and press CTRL+Tilde (the ~ symbol to the left of the 1 key on English ANSI keyboards.  It should work on other language keyboards - CTRL + the key to the left of 1).  This changes the formulas from results to the full formula as typed. (It also throws the column widths all to hell, but not to worry!)  I then highlight the formulas I need to copy to the broken worksheet and Copy.

I then open NotePad or other text editor and paste the results into it.  I then go the the worksheet that needs to have the formulas repaired.  I again press CTRL+Tiilde to change the view of the formulas.  Returning again to the NotePad, I ensure the entire file is highlighted and Copy.  Going back to my worksheet that is in need of repair, I select the cooresponding first cell and Paste.  Now I once again press CTRL+Tilde and bada boom, bada bing, I have copied the formulas while preserving all local and absolute cell references.  Done.

[Kevin92]

Ok so I tried to put you guys advice into practice but nothing actually changed in-game.I started by extracting the zip folder 'WaR Workbook' and saving it.Then I opened it again and saved it under a different name.Then I edited this second copy of the workbook by;

opening up a new worksheet,copying & pasteing the Forcepool I want to edit onto this blank worksheet,editing the Forcepool and copying & pasteing back over the original Forcepool worksheet and then saving it.

This did not work.I also tried just editing the Battlegroup by entering the Team Number of my desired unit over an original Team Number but this also did nothing.I feel stupid because I'm quite sure where I'm going wrong is that I'm only editing the excel workbook (which after all is just an excel spreadsheet and does not have any bearing on the game data,am I correct?) and not any of the game files.But I don't know what these 'game files' are or where to find them.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!!

....oh ye...senior drill, bashing my computer screen did nothing!!

[platoon_michael]

Looking at your post it does appear that you only edited the spreadsheet and didnt put it into the game.

I think it would be best for you to First find your Matrix Games folder
(the one with WAR in it)
And copy paste that folder somewhere else.
I also suggest putting it on disk if possible.

This way you have all the files backed up.
I edit into my 2nd copy and then insert that into the game when im ready.
I never touch the 3rd copy as thats the one I use to get my original files back when I either mess up or dont like what I've done.

The files your looking to edit are inside that Matrix Games folder.
Once inside you'll be looking for the Data/Base folder.
Cheesy screen shot provided,it's one I did with a copy paste method just to show you what your looking for as it almost sounds like your a little lost.
If not forgive me.

I removed the link,

[schrecken]

Nice work plt_michael

[Senior_Drill]

Kevin92,  first, raise your right hand up and parallel to your head with your fingers extended and joined and thumb along side your palm.  Next, sharply move your hand down and to the left in order to create a hand strike to your cheek.  In other words, slap yourself.

The workbooks for the CC games are NOT interactive with the game data!  Never where and never will be.  They are just modding aids;  They are not modding tools.  The key phrase here is "work".  Any of the Excel base modding aids (and yah, some mistakenly refer to them as "tools") do not change the game files directly.  You must transfer your modding work to the game files manually.  (Oh boy, I can hear Sapa stomping his feet and getting ready for another anti data file editing collection tirade!)  The workbooks are not QClone.  Never intended to be nor ever represented as such.  Ya's gots to do the copy and paste work to the actual game data files yer own self or yer just jerking off.

The default install for TLD, War and CoI is C:\Matrix Games.  Within that folder you will find a Data sub-folder with a Base sub-folder.  That is were the game files lie.  For TLD it is  C:\Matrix Games\The Longest Day\Data\Base\ .  Within that folder you will find the game data files.  The workbook has copies of the original files that you have been modding.  The workbook is for work.  It goes no where and does nothing.  You must manually transfer your work from the workbook to the game files to see any results.

Refer back to Steps 2 through 8 in my post above.

[Sapa]

And its real sad that the WaR/TlD txt files is so keen on giving you errors using to long Teamnames...never had that problem with QClone

Mats

[Doramas]

I normally use exel to change data files saving it as txt file, to insert in game i make a new install with the ccwarmodinstaller.
Never change Regular ccwar.

[schrecken]

Doramas... I think you're on the money...nice!!!

[Doramas]

good work Michael, with the files and aids you are making for WaR. Thanks

[platoon_michael]

Hmmmm,
I think you guys might not enjoy using the workbook.
Since it's created using the new/used BGUnit Icons it will probably cause ones game to crash.
so I removed the link.

If you did get it The Allied Teams page is the one thats going to give you problems.
I really dont know if I want to fix that just yet either.

While I still dont like the white-wash Icons I also cant stand how repetitious the Allied Icons are.
Let me mull this one over awhile,

sorry

Edit:
I also found that several SS BG's were using the files from the axsTeams page for just regular Half Tracks and not the SS Half Tracks.
I corrected this in my workbook I dont know if thats how they wanted it in game but I changed it for myself.

Kevin92:
I wouldnt use the workbook I created untill you have a further understanding of the game.
(If you downloaded it,if not thats even better) That probably applies to me too.
I dont want my changes to mess up anyones game

Again,
Sorry about that.

[Doramas]

Michael the icons are a good idea, when i modify i do it on the excel file with last war patch data, i paste that data in the work book and modify in, then i export just the data, not icons text aids etc to the txt game, saving excel data as txt file. And its work perfect.
The icons in the forcepool BG are a good idea because, allow you to win time. It will be good to add it in weapons vehicles etc.
dont delete the link.
thanks

[platoon_michael]

Re-read the post again as I edited it.........again

Im not having any luck adding the actual Vehicle image to the Vehicles Page.
The images are becomming very blurry when I save the file.

Weapons I was thinking about doing.

[Doramas]

Michael, take your time making changes in the workbook, and rename files with numbers to know wich is the last ver.
thanks