PC Action 1996 April/PCA0496.ISO/gtarchiv/02960067/wceasy.doc

Text File | 1995-02-16 | 17KB | 346 lines

                     DOCUMENTATION FILE FOR WCEASY VER 1.0
                (Analysis and Programming by K&W Computer Works)

WCEASY for Wing Commander III edits both Terran and Kilrathi gun and missile
parameters.  The gun parameters edited include Penetration, Energy Used, Range,
and Firing Delay.  Missile parameters edited include Penetration, Speed,
Acceleration, Maneuverability, and Duration.

WCEASY works by altering your hard drive copy of OBJECTS.TRE.  This file MUST
be copied to your hard drive during game installation in order for WCEASY to
work.

WCEASY is distributed as SHAREWARE.  As such, you are allowed to VIEW and EDIT
gun and missile parameters only TEMPORARILY.  YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO SAVE
ANY CHANGES TO THE OBJECTS.TRE FILE IN THE SHAREWARE VERSION. Once you have
registered your copy of WCEASY (see below for registration information), you
will receive a small key file which will unlock the file saving features of
WCEASY. I apologize for any inconvenience you incur as a result of being forced
to register your copy of WCEASY.  This registration is required because all
too often shareware authors receive little or no compensation for their
efforts - and analyzing Wing Commander III and writing WCEASY did indeed take
some effort!

*****  PLEASE READ!!  PLEASE READ!!  PLEASE READ!!  *******
Wing Commander III game internals are VERY COMPLEX.  Please keep this fact in
mind as you use WCEASY.  The game code used in setting up and programming guns
and missiles is somewhat inflexible.  Make your changes gradually and test your
changes frequently by running them in the game and observing the results.  Don't
enter huge values for penetrations, speeds, etc.  Any values you enter that are
outside of the game engine operating parameters will definitely cause the game
to halt and possibly your PC to crash.  I tested numerous parameter values for
guns and missiles and they are listed later in this file in the "USING WCEASY"
section.  Please read them carefully.
*****  PLEASE READ!!  PLEASE READ!!  PLEASE READ!!  *******





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                                  INSTALLATION

Installation is easy.  Just copy WCEASY.EXE, and this text file (if desired)
to your Wing Commander III directory on your hard drive (\wc3, usually). Run
WCEASY by typing "wceasy" at the DOS command prompt.  For program information,
type "wceasy ?".

If you are running the shareware version of WCEASY (you haven't registered the
program and loaded the key file), you will see an initial screen notifying you
that the version of WCEASY you are running is not registered.  There is a
built-in time delay (about 5 seconds) that forces you to read the registration
information page.  After the time delay has elapsed you will be allowed to enter
the program.  Registration information appears at the top of the Main Menu page.

WCEASY will verify the presence of the OBJECTS.TRE file and will attempt to
open this file.  If all goes well, you will be presented with the Main Menu
page of the editor.  If WCEASY fails to open OBJECTS.TRE and you know this
file and WCEASY are located in the same directory, make sure the read-only bit
on OBJECTS.TRE is turned off.  Some CDROM systems fail to turn off this
attribute bit when copying files from the CDROM to the hard drive. Use the DOS
attrib command and enter "attrib -r objects.tre" to turn off the bit.

WCEASY is VERY SIMPLE to use and it was written with an easy-to-use interface
in mind.  Just select the menu item number you want and press <return>. All
selections in WCEASY are made using this method.  The menu item in the Main
Menu that ordinarily triggers SAVE/EXIT functionality is turned off in the
shareware version.

Both the gun and missile edit pages function the same. Enter the menu item
number of the weapon you wish to change, and then enter numerical values for
each parameter for the weapon (enter the numerical value and press <return>).
Just press <return> with no number entry to skip the entry and leave the value
unchanged. There are numerical limits to the range of values you can enter.
WCEASY will check each of your entries and will truncate the size of each entry
so that the data fits correctly into the game "slots". If you are experimenting
and enter large values (do NOT enter any negative values), make sure that the
gun/missile menu page displays the correct value you want.  For example, if
you enter a value of 1350 into a slot that only allows values ranging from
0-255, the final edit value will be truncated to less than or equal to 255.
Please read the following "USING WCEASY" section for example parameter values.

Once you are done with your changes, select the Main Menu SAVE/EXIT function
(assuming you are running the registered version of WCEASY) to exit the program
while saving any edits you've made.  Select the EXIT/NO CHANGES function to
exit both the shareware and registered versions with no changes being made to
the OBJECTS.TRE file.





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                                 USING WCEASY

THIS INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT.  PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY! (I myself am very
guilty of not reading the "readme" files that accompany software, but if you
don't read THIS information you might spend LOTS of time rebooting your PC
and restarting Wing Commmander III!!!  Enough said, ok?)

As I previously mentioned, Wing Commander III has a VERY COMPLEX game engine
and VERY TIGHT coding for guns and missiles used during game play.  The game
is sensitive to drastic changes, therefore, be careful of the values you enter
for gun/missile parameters.  Make gradual changes and CHECK THEM OFTEN.  In
other words, don't make 25 changes before running the game. If the game hangs
when the mission loads or a weapon is programmed to fire, you'll have a hard
time knowing which of your changes caused the crash! The following listing
summarizes my recommendations for altering game play.  Of course, do what you
want, but please at least use my recommendations as a starting point. You can
make the game as hard or as easy as you want.

1.  Keep a backup of your OBJECTS.TRE file at all times. You may decide to
scrap all changes and start over!

2.  WCEASY presents the gun/missile data in ordered listings. I like to use
the Print Screen key to do screen dumps of the gun/missile data to my printer.
WCEASY runs in DOS text mode so screen dumps are no problem. It is helpful
to have a record of your edits during game play.

3.  Select the Edit GUNS menu page.  Notice that some of the guns are listed
more than once.  As is typical of lots of Origin games, there is often more
than one data record for a weapon.  Notice there are several lasers.  Origin
does this so that game vehicles and computer pilots will have access to several
variations of one type of weapon.  If you want to alter a gun that has several
data records, you'll have to experiment and see which listing applies to the
vehicle you are currently flying.  For example, to find out which laser record
applies to your vehicle, alter the records in a way that will help you deduce
the correct one, i.e., drop the Firing Delay to a value of 0 or reduce or
increase the Energy Used parameter and then watch what happens during the game.

4. Before getting into the gun parameters, just one more thing.  The Terran
and Kilrathi can BOTH ACCESS THE SAME GUN RECORDS - there is sometimes only a
single record in the game for good/bad guys. In other words, if you create a
really powerful gun to use on the enemy, remember that an enemy ship equipped
with the same gun may have accessed the gun record you edited and it will then
use the same powerful gun on you!  My way of getting around this problem is
to fly a ship that has guns which are not used very much by the Kilrathi (the
LongBow Bomber and the Hellcat for example use the Neutron gun which isn't used
much by the Kilrathi).  I'll pick a single gun to use, make it real powerful,
and will then reduce the damage caused by all other guns (such as making all
other guns have very small Penetration values).

5.  GUN parameter summary (how to alter the guns):

    Penetration -- Increase this value for more penetration and decrease it
        for less. Generally, enter values in the range of 0 (for NO
        penetration) to about 50000 (for LOTS of damage).  The actual
        values correspond somewhat with game literature values.

    Energy Used  --  This is the amount of energy expended with each shot.
        Make it larger if you want to drain power quickly or decrease
        it for less drainage. Enter 0 for no power drainage.  This
        value is usually close to literature values.

    Range  --  The general range of the gun.  This value does NOT usually
        coincide with game literature values.  The value you see is
        the ACTUAL value used by the game engine.  It is very roughly
        one-half that shown in game literature.  I prefer a range of
        about 5000.

    Firing Delay -- The time delay inbetween gun shots. The value you see
        has NOT been converted to actual time (in seconds). Increase
        this value to increase the time delay, and decrease it for fast
        firing guns. A value of 0 will cause the gun to fire in a
        machine gun manner.

5. General GUN recommendations for good offensive action. Be careful with the
Range parameter. If you make it too big, you may do as I have done  - you might
shoot past an enemy and into your wingman who is off in the distance! Only a hit
or two at a Penetration of 50000 and your wingman is history.
    Penetration = 50000
    Range = 5000
    Firing Delay = 0
    Energy Used = 0

6. General GUN recommendations for good defensive action:
    Penetration = 10 or less
    Range = 500 or less
    Firing Delay = 100 or more
    Energy Used = 30 or more

7.  The missiles are MUCH more sensitive to change when compared to the guns.
In other words, it is REAL easy to crash the game with missile edits. Looking
at the missile alteration menu, notice that most missiles appear as two
game records. For example, notice that there is a "Dumb Fire MK2" and a "Dumb
Fire".  I speculate that the missiles having "MKx" names are the Kilrathi
missiles and those not having "MKx" names are Terran.  When testing the
missile programming, I definitely noticed that alteration of the "MKx" missiles
had NO effect on the missiles that I was shooting.  For example, my testing of
the Dumb Fire missiles showed that alteration of the "Dumb Fire MK2" had no
effects on MY LOADED MISSILES, while the "Dumb Fire" edits altered my onboard
Dumb Fire missiles exactly as I had programmed.  Of course, its not easy for
the player to fire Kilrathi missiles in order to test them.  They get "tested"
when the game engine programs a Kilrathi missile for firing - and that's when
the game will hang if you've programmed invalid parameters. Be real careful
when editing the "MKx", Skipper, or CapShip missiles.  One final note - if
you've programmed a Terran missile incorrectly, the game will most likely halt
when the mission is initially loaded. As I said previously, errors on Kilrathi
missiles will halt the game during the mission when the missile is actually
programmed for firing.

8. The following MISSILE parameters can be programmed:

    Penetration - Increasing this value increases penetration.  The values
        shown are similar to the literature values.

    Speed - Missile maximum velocity.  The values are similar to game
        literature values. Increase this value to increase the velocity.

    Acceleration - How fast the missile gets up to max operating speed.
        This value is generally similar to game literature values.
        Increase this value for faster acceleration.

    Maneuverability - The overall maneuverability of the missile or how
        well it tracks its target.  Increase this value for better
        tracking or decrease it for poor tracking. This value is
        usually similar to game literature values.

    Duration - This is a general measure of how long the missile will stay
        alive and is similar to game literature values.  Increase this
        value to get longer missile life.

9.  Each missile is somewhat unique in the way that it has been programmed into
the game.  The following listing summarizes MY findings for acceptable missile
parameters. These values program the missiles for offensive activity.  Please
read them!

    Dumb Fire -  Penetration = 50000
             Speed = 5000
             Acceleration = 2000
             Duration = 10
    This gives a good offensive point-and-shoot Dumb Fire missile. Durations
    longer than about 15 seconds may halt the game.

    Heat Seeker -  Penetration = 50000
               Speed = 5000
               Acceleration = 2000
               Maneuverability = 255
               Duration = 20
    Good offensive missile. Note that missile locking distance to the target
    is based on the speed, acceleration, and duration. Shorten any of these
    and the locking distance decreases.

    Image Recognition -  Penetration = 500
                     Speed = 5000
                     Acceleration = 2000
                     Maneuverability = 255
                     Duration = 18
    The Penetration and Duration are very sensitive to change. Penetrations
    over 500 or Durations over about 18-20 seconds may halt the game.

    Leech -  Speed = 5000
         Acceleration = 3000
         Maneuverability = 255
         Duration = 30
    Note that this missile has no Penetration value.

    Friend-or-Foe - Penetration = 255
                Speed = 5000
                Acceleration = 3000
                Maneuverability = 255
                Duration = 28
    This missile is sensitive to changes in Penetration and Duration. Do
    NOT set Penetration over 255 or Duration over 28 seconds.

    Torpedo - Penetration = 60000
          Speed = 5000
          Acceleration = 255
          Maneuverability = 30
          Duration = 16
    The Torpedo is sensitive to Acceleration, Maneuverability, and Duration
    changes. Do NOT set Acceleration over 255, Maneuverability over 30, or
    Duration over 16 seconds.

    Skipper - Kilrathi missile defensively programmed.
          Penetration = 0
          Speed = 400
          Acceleration = 100
          Maneuverability = 0
          Duration = 240
    This missile was hard to test - so start with these values and see what
    happens! Note that this programming makes the Skipper a dud. The
    original Skipper has a Penetration of about 60000.

    CapShip - Capital ship weapon.  The only testing here has been to set
    the Penetration value to 0 and that worked well.

10.  As a very general recommendation for making the game easier, set ALL
missiles and guns you're not using to a Penetration value of 0.  See how hard
the game is and then start making changes. Of course, the game will probably
be too easy at this setting, but its still a lot of fun!





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                             PLEASE REGISTER WCEASY!

As previously mentioned, the SHAREWARE version of WCEASY does NOT allow any
file saving for permanent game changes.  When you register WCEASY, you will
receive a small key file that will unlock the FILE SAVE features of the program.
Currently, the WCEASY registration fee is $13.00 (US dollars). You can register
WCEASY via CompuServe's registration database (GO SWREG), or via US mail. If
you register by mail, please send a check or money order (made payable to
Wayne Sikes) to:

        Wayne Sikes
        P.O. Box 945
        Peralta, New Mexico  87042-0945

Let me know how you want to receive the key file - CompuServe mail, Internet,
or US mail (floppy disk) and I'll get it to you quickly.  Note that you will
need a copy of UUDECODE in order for me to mail the key file to you via
Internet. Internet only allows text messages to be mailed and I will have to
run UUENCODE on the zipped key file before sending it to you. You can get
good shareware versions of UUDECODE at lots of Internet and BBS sites. (Just
run UUDECODE on the Internet text message, unzip it, and install the key.
Real easy!)






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                                  LEGAL STUFF

You may distribute copies of the Shareware version of WCEASY (provided you
include the WCEASY.DOC text file in your distribution). You MAY NOT distribute
copies of the WCEASY KEY FILE to any individual, bulletin-board, or network
services.  Distribution of the WCEASY key is considered the same as
distribution of Registered copies of WCEASY and that is strictly illegal.
Please don't attempt to reverse engineer or otherwise alter the key file.
It has built-in security protection and any alterations you make will most
likely cause WCEASY to malfunction and your Registration status would be
permanently turned off.

If you include this program in any retail or wholesale software packages,
compilations, libraries, archives, etc. please contact me.  As with all my
analysis and engineering software, this program is copywritten by K & W
Computer Works.

Thank you for using WCEASY and enjoy Wing Commander III!
*********************  END OF WCEASY.DOC FILE ***********************