Not quite fully baked yet

[bbosen]

I'm glad to see the Custom Arena option, and I have high hopes for it. But there isn't much activity there yet. I can't get it to work for me because I want to set up a historically based scenario, requiring a lot of customization, and all of my customization is always lost after each session, requiring a lot of new setup each time. I just can't invest that much. I've tried everything I can think of to get it to work with the Coral Sea and Guadalcanal terrains, and I get different symptoms on each map, but after exhaustive attempts I'm giving up on those two maps. Maybe I'll find time to try another.... Many thanks to ImaDot and others for painstakingly explaining what they have found to work on other maps. I think if we stick to this and document what works and what doesn't, we can be of assistance to HTC getting all of the little bugs out.

I would still like to be proven wrong on this: Has ANYBODY been able to save and re-use airfield and plane setups with Coral Sea or Guadalcanal maps?
 

[Skuzzy]

Unfortunately, there are many 'events' terrains which have been specifically designed for scenarios/events and may not be able to use custom setups due to conflicts with the setups trying to be used.

It really does not surprise me there are issues with events related terrains and the custom arenas.

The special events team, historically, has been allowed to deviate from the norm, in terrain design, in order to meet event criteria.  This has lead to those terrains not being able to be used in any normal arena configuration without previous knowledge of the differences in the terrain design.

[mrmidi]

I try to put as much info as I can for the Special Events terrain over at the AHWiki, such as custom objects, re skinned planes and vehicles and the likes.
I will try to get this type of info added to the ones that are not using the normal design specs, such as no resupply strat and such.

 
midi

[bbosen]

Thanks for the information. I will continue to explore available maps to see if I can find any to my liking that permit saving and recalling setups. I'm specifically looking for something with a geographically accurate representation of the Pacific air war. If I am successful I will definitely post detailed instructions for the benefit of this community, and I appreciate those that have already done so with other maps.
 

[mrmidi]

In the PTO area I can think of a couple right off hand that should work for you.
Luzon, Mindan09, New Britain I believe are all default.

 
midi

[bbosen]

Thanks. I'll give them a try. I just tried mndnao and had NO luck. Does that surprise you?

...incidentally, with mndnao, I couldn't even control aircraft availability offline. I deleted all of the bf109 series planes offline, and associated "mndnao" files were created as expected, but when I returned to that same mndnao offline map moments later, the bf109 series planes were still there. To me, this seems more serious than just a quirk of individual maps. But I will continue working this over....
 

[bbosen]

...One hour later....

Update: I just struggled for nearly an hour with mndan09. No go. I can't say I tried ALL of the permutations and combinations of options, file names, and file locations, but I certainly tried all of the obvious ones, and I NEVER saw any online option to load any of the arena tables files. I may be going crazy, but NONE* of the maps have worked for me. I've found I can make changes offline (on at least some maps) by storing copies of the changed files that are now generated in the chconfig folder with "standard" names (like the old method). But nothing I've tried has allowed me to load those files online, whether I try it from the initial, obvious-looking option when the arena is created, or later on, from the less-than-obvious method that's buried deep in the clipbook menu structure under "Arena Tables".
 


* Maps I've tried: Coral Sea, guadalc, mndnao, mndano9

[mrmidi]

Not sure the process your using.
I just did this for the mindan09 terrain and every thing worked properly.

First if you have a mindan09 sub folder in your chconfig folder delete it first.

Then start up AH and choose the mindan09 terrain and load it off line.

In the text buffer type .dplane 0 0 *this will dissable all planes at all fields"

Then go to optons-cmtools-arena tables and click on the "Create New"  that appears in the list.

Click on the fields/planes button and set all your planes you want for each field.
Then click on OK.

Then click on the arena variables button and set all your settings you want and click OK

Once those are done type in a name for your tables that's unique (not the same name as the terrain) something like mymin.


Then click OK or save can't remember what it is.

Now quit the off line and go to on line and create a custom arena and select the mindan09 terrain and leave the tables section at default.

Once your arena is up you can go to the hanger and notice that all the planes are enabled.

Now go to options-cmtools-arena tables  you should see your mymin in the list box, highlight it and select upload.

You should see it uploading the fields, planes, and variables. Once this is done all your settings you made off line should be there.

 
midi

[jimson]

One other thing. In the past I've noticed that even after you have loaded your tables, they sometimes do not seem to have "set" correctly,

What I do as a matter of course is once I've loaded tables, I go to options-arena setup-environment-country reset. I will then rotate countries and hit reset and then go back to the original order and reset again.

This seems to make the settings "catch" so to speak.

[TwinBoom]

One other thing. In the past I've noticed that even after you have loaded your tables, they sometimes do not seem to have "set" correctly,

What I do as a matter of course is once I've loaded tables, I go to options-arena setup-environment-country reset. I will then rotate countries and hit reset and then go back to the original order and reset again.

This seems to make the settings "catch" so to speak.

yeah nothing seems to save pain setting arena up each time

[bbosen]

Not sure the process your using.
I just did this for the mindan09 terrain and every thing worked properly.

{snip}

 
midi

Thanks mrmidi and all others that have attempted to help me. It still won't work for me. I tried to follow your detailed instructions exactly [thank you very much] but it STILL refused to display the option to load my customization files. Fortunately, I had my video recorder running throughout my attempt, and I ended up with a narrated video history of EXACTLY what I did, leading to the failure. It's 7 minutes long, and I hope somebody that has been successful will watch it and tell me where I'm deviating. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHKhUEk831g
 

[mrmidi]

Thanks mrmidi and all others that have attempted to help me. It still won't work for me. I tried to follow your detailed instructions exactly [thank you very much] but it STILL refused to display the option to load my customization files. Fortunately, I had my video recorder running throughout my attempt, and I ended up with a narrated video history of EXACTLY what I did, leading to the failure. It's 7 minutes long, and I hope somebody that has been successful will watch it and tell me where I'm deviating. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHKhUEk831g
 

Watching your video right now.

Not sure you typed the dplane correctly the narration sounds as if you forgot a space and can't quite make the text in the buffer.

It is  " .dplane<space>0<space>0 "  without the quotes, brackets and word space of course.
continuing to watch now.

Edit: ok looks like I missed explaining a few steps in the fields and planes instructions  sorry I'll get more detailed instructions for you here shortly.

Now back to our scheduled movie
 
midi

[jimson]

Thanks mrmidi and all others that have attempted to help me. It still won't work for me. I tried to follow your detailed instructions exactly [thank you very much] but it STILL refused to display the option to load my customization files. Fortunately, I had my video recorder running throughout my attempt, and I ended up with a narrated video history of EXACTLY what I did, leading to the failure. It's 7 minutes long, and I hope somebody that has been successful will watch it and tell me where I'm deviating. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHKhUEk831g
 

Allright, first of all try it with standard characters, name your table something like bosen1, Once you save it it should immediately appear in the list to the left under <Add New>, If it doesn't immediately appear it won't appear later.

Once you have done that and can see the table listed offline then go ahead go online as you did before, and do the same process you did before.

If the first time you try to upload the table, if it doesn't work, try it again, you should see it start uploading like this screenshot:



It will take a while to upload.

Once it is finished uploading then you may need to do the country reset thing to make it "set" right

As far as enabling planes you need to do more than just highlite the selection.

Say you want the Spit 1 enabled for bishops at all airfields, you need to select Air at the top left, you need to un check Rook and Knight, select the plane and then select enable at all fields. The spit will then be enabled for bish only at all fields of the category listed at top left.

Let's say you wanted to enable the spit at only A1 for bishops, highlite A1, and the plane selection as shown in the image, uncheck knight and rook and select enable plane in the center section.



I know it's frustrating but don't worry, we will get it figured out.

[68ZooM]

i do have coral sea in my private room, it's been saved for awhile and always loads properly, just follow jimisons advice he's spot on.

[mrmidi]

Ok finally managed to create a video of the process.

First one I ever put on Youtube.

here ya go hope it helps some one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79tdqY2Mctc

 
midi