Porting Babes data to non-Babes small scenarios

[henry1611]

Hi Symon (JWE),

I have followed Babes, from a distance, with great interest and respect for your team's dedication. I have greatly benefited from the Babes tweaks that have been ported over to the official scenarios.

As always, I am keen to port the latest and greatest Babes data to non-Babes small scenarios (e.g., Downfall).

However, I don't know what files make a scenario a scenario. I know that the wholesale changing of the Locations file will break the scenario, but I am not sure about the Device, Air and Ship data files.

Can I copy the entire Device, Air and Ship data files from Babes and paste them into the smaller scenario with the appropriate file names changes, thereby getting the Babes data but keeping the original scenario in every other respect (e.g., OOB, locations, AI, replacement dates)? Or, as I suspect, do changes have to be made within the small scenario data files themselves by incorporating the Babes data ID by ID.

I am willing to do the work either way. I just want to get it right. I will gladly share the updated scenario with whoever wants it.

[Symon]

The small map scenarios on the website have some major differences from babes Standard in their device files, as well as their locations files. Small map and small time allow for BIG expansions and lots of additional graininess in the base data files.

Generally, the Air and Ship files are the same for all scenarios: except there's a specific pairing of Class/Ship files for the reduced cargo caps of Babes-C, and some additional Ships (but not Classes) in the IronBabes scen030 series.

You caught us in the middle of a major data file unification project, where the intent is to have every Babes scenario (DaBig, Lite, and Iron) share Device and Air files, and as much of Classes/Ships as humanly possible. But that is for GC scenarios. Small map stuff will always be way outside the box. They are designed for a completely different style of play and only a few have been ported to the requirements of the commercial version of AE.

My friend Berto is pushing to have the small scenarios, on the website, made more standardized. This will be done, but there's a few things higher on the priority list at the moment.

Bottom line, the new Air files can drop right in. The new Device data can cut-and-paste in (between csv files), but with cautions.

Best approach is identify which scenario you are looking to modify, and how you wish to modify it. I can help, but there's no realisticly applicable general answer. It's scenario specific.

[ed] Be glad to help you out with whatever scenario you are working on. Understand that the above is a bit obscure, but there are things we do not say on a public forum. Righteous modders will always be helped.

Ciao. J