RHS Thread: Minor Cleanup 8.14 Update

[el cid again]

Comprehensive update 4.21

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwhZAU7bdtWbbscE_oLg

This update mainly concerns the location file. However, there are new aircraft, device and leader files for the
Scenario folder. There also are new Spring season pwhexe.dat files. These fix a river navigation problem near
Kratie, Cambodia. The lower Mekong is separated from the Middle Mekong by Khone Falls, which are not navigable
in any season. There was inconsistency in the files - one did not permit enough navigation in the Middle section,
while another permitted complete access to the sea. Both are fixed. As well, one aircraft pointer for art was
changed, affecting 7 different documentation files. Updating them found and corrected a footnote which was
referenced in the wrong place.

A great deal of information was added to land combat units, correcting dates and starting locations in particular.
February 10, 1945 locations (and strengths) were added for every unit reviewed: I no longer look at a unit and fail
to make sure Scenario 126 data is not corrected. This effort led to changing map locations which Japan captured
during the war in China in particular. Some Allied units were moved to 1945 locations in the same area. A surprising
number of units start in the wrong place, at the wrong time, or at the wrong strength. For example, many divisions
were upgraded brigades - but start the game as divisions. A surprising number of Japanese unit code names have
become available - so it is now the normal case to see the code name displayed for a division. I used to think
only pre-war units had them. But they were being assigned right to the end - probably because they need a code
name for radio traffic.

I completed the implementation of the axis pioneer device - and found I had added one years ago but not used it
very much. This is implemented for many Japanese construction units. At the same time, I removed construction
companies from simplified RHS Scenarios (those with even numbers). In the process, I noticed and removed a number
of other companies from the same scenarios. Unless it is of great interest, simplified scenarios don't have
tiny companies. When these are Allied units in places not otherwise defended - they were left alone. Dutch
mobilization continued into 1942, with the last unit being a militia company on New Guinea. [This discussion ignores
new Dutch units formed in Ceylon or Australia that were not existing units mobilized for the war.] I also continue
to "prune" the Japan Enhanced Scenarios. Minor units are folded into larger ones, and do not exist as separate
units.

Overall, Japanese forces have lost power for several reasons, while some units gain it because of better efficiencies.
The pioneers are not suitable for use reducing fortifications. Construction units, and later infantry units, have
lost morale and preparation ratings. Units that were never outfitted with artillery, or were stripped of their
artillery, have lost their guns and associated support elements (mainly support squads, sometimes tractors, observers
and observation vehicles). I have added tiny numbers of obscure vehicles as chrome - notably a tankette modified
as an artillery observation platform - and the same tankette modified with seats to become a tow vehicle for
AT guns or light artillery, or a troop carrier (unarmored). These vehicles account for why books describe large
numbers of tracked vehicles in some units, but they don't have anything like that number of tanks, APCs, SP guns,
etc. Their main impact is logistical - increasing transport costs, loading costs, and unit feeding costs. But pure
vehicle count has a somewhat abstract impact on combat. This is likely appropriate. There are similarly many
obscure Allied vehicles and we have been adding them for years. As a player I have come to prefer pure infantry
units - they load and unload much faster than units with vehicles do - if there is no need for a lot of weight
in a landing situation. It can take days to unload vehicles, particularly over the beach. An amphib sailor myself,
I am not upset by that. Handling vehicles with cranes is a cumbersome process. PRC today has a much better system.
They use common-chassis tanks (with NATO standard ! 105 mm tank rifles), APCs and sometimes other functions - and
ALL of them can "gun and swim" - a variant of "gun and run" in the West. In fact, almost every vehicle in PLA can
be made to swim even if it does not normally do that. Main Battle Tanks have detachable collars with engines.
A Chinese LST often does not beach. This increases its load significantly, and avoids the 10% chance of damage
every time you beach. Instead, the vehicles "spit" out of the rear door while the LST moves at full speed in the
opposite direction. They turn 90 degrees and start shooting as they run inshore. These are ARMORED vehicles -
proof vs small arms, mortars and HE shell fragments - and they are able to stabilize the gun in spite of pitching
and yawing as they move. Nothing like my experience over half a century ago on the last APA ever built for the US.

[el cid again]

Comprehensive update 4.22

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwhZAU7bdtWbbscE_oLg

This update revises scenario and pwhexe.dat files.

The class, leader (H), location and ship files were certainly altered.

Aircraft and device files were updated for safety in case I don't
remember some minor change.

The Spring pwhexe.dat files were updated to correct eratta in two
areas.

This update completes review of Japanese divisions. Numbers of brigades
were also included - particularly when these are subordinate to divisions.
Astonishing numbers of problems were found, mainly related to the original,
stock starting order of battle. Divisions start the game which do not form
until years later in time. Or perhaps one brigade which converts to the
division starts the game, but the game lets you have the whole division, or
sometimes the entire division plus one or both of its subordinate brigades.
This process involved a considerable simplification (if that word ever can
be used of anything Japanese) of the OB data. At the same time, new devices,
mainly support vehicles, were worked in where appropriate. As well, the
skill and morale ratings were reduced for numbers of units - particularly
later appearing units and/or newly forming units. Only late war militia
divisions (which don't need OB changes and don't often have known code names)
were usually skipped. A similar review of independent brigades is needed,
but many of these have very limited information available at this time. Those
for which information was immediately available were also worked in.

It was not my intention to weaken IJA units generally. However, the combination
of delaying units until they should enter the game, reducing skill and morale
levels, or having brigades appear instead of the division they eventually fold into,
probably weakens the overall power of IJA in 1941. Earlier parts of this review
generally reduced the power of tank groups, which now start at actual strength rather
than nominal TO&E (which they might reach if production and supply permit, but this
is unlikely due to limited industrial capacity). As well, we have changed the
way artillery groups work. While artillery groups generally are better supported than
artillery normally is (absent a HQ in the hex), this support is limited to the few
groups with artillery intelligence regiments (not all get them). Artillery groups are
also often smaller. Compromises were needed to deal with how they evolve over time,
and we cannot allow a unit to be in two different groups, even if it was at different times.
So we assign the unit to the "more important" group it was eventually a part of, eliminating
the need to "subtract" it when it transfers.

I should now begin the process of review of out year pwhexe.dat files.

[m10bob]

Sid...The Base force at Great Falls Montans has a "64" aviation support strength...(likely never needed at that location), and it has no "static" unit within holding it to that city.
The temptation is very real to move it to another location where it might be used.

Was this intentional?

I ask because early in the game another aviation ground support unit DOES arrive there, (an airline unit)...and it IS static, so Great Falls WILL have a permanent air support capability.

[el cid again]

Comprehensive update 4.23

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwhZAU7bdtWbbscE_oLg

This update revises scenario and pwhexe.dat files.

Aircraft, class, device, leader (H), location and ship files were updated.
The device review of Japanese warships (folding in RHS devices) was completed.
The device review of Allied warships has begun. Working in light AAA devices
decreases effective firepower - so it was done to Japan first. This is because
a single mounting has a single fire control solution (or pointer and aimer) for
all its guns. All the extra tubes give is greater volume of fire. Effect
for multiple guns goes up as the square root of the number of guns. Thus, a
quad mount has twice the effect as a single mount of the same type does. Review
of locations to consolidate industries has begun. There are problems if one
gets rid of a slot in existing games, so for years we would get rid - say - of
a manpower center that was wrongly present by substituting light industry. But
it is easier to do the logistical math for a location if all the light industry is
in a single field, and similar. We are cleaning up the database. One aircraft
(Ki-90 in JES scenarios only) changed its art pointer to use a better (and unused)
set of bitmaps.

The Spring pwhexe.dat files were updated to correct eratta in two
areas.

[m10bob]

My pitiful tale of woe.....Main HD crashed and I lost everything not on external drives...major bummer....Have re-installed all the stock WITP-AE files...Now need to get everything I need for RHS again...Am currently downloading from Sid's latest "upgrade" thread, hoping it will include all I need?

I know somebody will read this and holler if I am wrong about this, lol...Thank you guys.

[btd64]

Hey Bob, Sid's download is the full mod. Sorry to hear about your harddrive....GP

[m10bob]

ORIGINAL: btd64

Hey Bob, Sid's download is the full mod. Sorry to hear about your harddrive....GP

Thank you, Brian![:D]

[m10bob]

Looks like that server s down right now....

[btd64]

I'm surprised. I thought Sid said he was changing his IP for something more reliable....GP

[btd64]

Bob, It's working from Sid's last post....GP

[m10bob]

It was me, lol....Since having to reload the entire OS...Windows has been hogging up the bandwidth with a multitude of the "updates".....

[btd64]

Ah. Yeah that would explain it. So all set then?....GP

[m10bob]

Getting it now...Takes a while...Sure hope it comes with the great editor I was using because I sure did not find it in the stock WITP AE folder?...I have installed all the proper upgrades, in order, and tested it is working...Just need RHS and that editor...I saved all my research mods to paper, so it will just take some time before I can get back to the game itself.

[el cid again]

Comprehensive update 4.24

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwhZAU7bdtWbbscE_oLg

This update revises most kinds of files.

Unusually, it includes a slightly revised map panel. WPEN30 is updated at hex
103,192 to show half a hex of trail vice secondary road at Milford Sound. This
because the tunnel through the mountain was not completed until 1954! It began
in 1938 and the road existed, as did a trail over the mountain. This change
required ALL pwhexe.dat files be updated, so they were. Monsoon files are now
in sync with Winter and Spring files re minor corrections made in the last few
months (Fall will be next).

There is continuing review of allied warships - British battleships and heavy
cruiser variants are now done. This is an ongoing review, after long work updating
the IJN. Mainly intended to fold in new multiple light AAA devices, it also catches
a lot of errors.

The review of locations - with a focus on smaller ones - is virtually completed
( a couple of cases in the Caroline Islands remain ). Numbers of small locations
were deleted - because we are short of slots to add locations - and whenever it is
"wrong" to have the location for any technical reason. If you really can't build
a port or an airfield, or it has no economic potential, it is removed. Detail review
revealed a couple of places where period names differ from modern ones - we use WW2
era names - and cases where there was nothing but subsistence going on - so there
should be no industry (or the industry should be "damaged"). A few airfields were
added (or expanded) - one Japanese and several Allied ones I was not aware of - all
on Pacific islands. Some command assignments were changed. Some land units were updated
to make them consistent with their formations. Some units were added (garrisons missing
for some reason) as were some leaders. These are actual leaders. If study of a place
revealed the garrison commander's name, I added that officer. If another officer was
previously assigned to that unit, I simply left that name in the pool for AI or a player
to use as they see fit.

[m10bob]

Issue...I have re-installed WITP AE to my HD and the entire newest RHS file set, but as I look at the map, Aden, Abadan and some of the other off map locations are not where they should be..I downloaded and installed verbatim from the current RHS site...Help?

I suspect when Sid offered the newest change in the pwhex file, it may have been corrupted?...This is the only thing I can think of since I am using ONLY the info contained in the newest RHS download.

[el cid again]

Comprehensive update 4.25

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwhZAU7bdtWbbscE_oLg

This update is mostly scenario files - class, device, leader, location,
aircraft and ship.

It also has revised documentation files. And revised pwhexe.dat files.

[m10bob]

Sid has been working on CHS and RHS for years. He has done a lot of research on the mods and has been very eager to check and verify info volunteered by anybody willing to either help him, or show an interest in the mods.
Glad to say he was the first to include some units or ships, planes which I suggested, which hitherto had not been included in any form of WITP till then.
Sid has also been very good about giving credit for ideas he has implemented.

My recent hard-drive problems forced a clean re-formatting and re installation of the OS to my main HD...and I had lost much of RHS, (even though I have external back up HD's for that purpose.

Help by Sid , Brian, and others has been very appreciated.

I use the editor about as much as anybody,(I use the version which includes the pwhex file editor as well)....
Still, I have never known exactly where the data I have typed into the editor is stored.(The aircraft and ship or location file changes I have made).
With all the ongoing data changes coming down the pike, I would like to make back-ups of the info I have typed in, so as not to lose those much researched and accurate files by accident.
I suspect they are dat files in the scenario folder, but I need verification.
Can someone please confirm this idea?

Thank you.

UPDATE...Sid helped me get my map sections to working perfectly again..(Thank you Sir!)

Since I do a lot of historical modding, I have learned to keep a folder for my mods on one of the external drives. Not being sure which files to save, I have transferred the data files from the scenario folder and labelledit MODS, where I am also keeping my sound and art mods...(Load screens, etc.)

[el cid again]

Most of the data is stored in "Scenario" files (in the SCEN folder):

abc = scenario number


A file (WPAabc.dat) = Aircraft Data

C file (WPCabc.dat) = Class Data

D file (WPDabc.dat) = Device Data

G file (WPGabc.dat) = Group (Air Group) Data

H file (WPHabc.dat) = Leader (Headquarters) Data

L file (WPLabc.dat) = Location Data, Ground Unit Data, Task Group Data, some Scenario Data

P file (WPPabc.dat) = Pilot Data

S file (WPSabc.dat) = Ship Data

aei file (AEIabc.dat) = Some Scenario Data

cam file (CAMabc.dat) = Some Scenario Data

Note: Map data is stored in the pwhexe.dat, pwzlink.dat, and pwzone.dat files in the top level AE folder.
RHS has a separate folder for pw...dat files so these may be changed during the game. These have prefixes
explaining the date they apply, and the kind of scenario they apply to.

[m10bob]

ORIGINAL: el cid again

Most of the data is stored in "Scenario" files (in the SCEN folder):

abc = scenario number


A file (WPAabc.dat) = Aircraft Data

C file (WPCabc.dat) = Class Data

D file (WPDabc.dat) = Device Data

G file (WPGabc.dat) = Group (Air Group) Data

H file (WPHabc.dat) = Leader (Headquarters) Data

L file (WPLabc.dat) = Location Data, Ground Unit Data, Task Group Data, some Scenario Data

P file (WPPabc.dat) = Pilot Data

S file (WPSabc.dat) = Ship Data

aei file (AEIabc.dat) = Some Scenario Data

cam file (CAMabc.dat) = Some Scenario Data

Note: Map data is stored in the pwhexe.dat, pwzlink.dat, and pwzone.dat files in the top level AE folder.
RHS has a separate folder for pw...dat files so these may be changed during the game. These have prefixes
explaining the date they apply, and the kind of scenario they apply to.

I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Sid a couple of times over the last few years, most recently maybe 6 months ago,(?), and he is a genuine genius....The poor guy just lets insults roll off his back because to people like him, other peoples opinions of him are just small talk, (apparently), and he just has a level of self-control which I could never match.
His knowledge of things is extremely diverse, and organized.
All things RHS related are completely separate from other irons he has in the fire.
Somewhere in my youth, I worked with interesting folks like NSA, etc, and I have had opportunities to know first hand his knowledge and research capabilities are dead on.

Why he lives where he does is beyond me, lol.[&o]

Please see the separate thread I created concerning the EDITOR for info on personal mods...
I explain how to save your personal mods without messing up game info (unless you want to, lol)

[el cid again]

For those who don't know, I live in Alaska. Alaska is a place of spectacular beauty. As well,
Anchorage Alaska is the most diverse city in the world. [Between Saturday night and Sunday
night I sing four to six times in three languages - not only because I love to sing but to
exercise language proficiency. Every language delays the onset of mental debilitation with
age an average of 6.5 years. And reading music counts as an additional language.] We
have 110 primary languages in homes, but no majority population in any zip code. We live
together, work together, worship together, play together, like each other and even get
married to each other across all the normal lines. Nothing like living in Detroit (where
I grew up), Chicago (where I was trained), or LA County (where I did military police duty).
In Alaska, since before statehood, what you can do matters more than what you look like,
and we outlawed discrimination as a territory, decades before the so-called civil rights era.
My first ship was illegally segregated 17 years after it was outlawed in the armed forces,
and I got to witness first hand people willing to use terrible means to enforce "the way
things are" - including murder. My first "combat" experience was being sent to get soldiers
and sailors out of Georgia jails (when Jimmy Carter was governor), because they dared to
wear "Yankee" uniforms - something required (we were not permitted to have civilian clothes
on base or on ship). We were issued weapons (handguns) for our "prisoners" in anticipation
of running into trouble on the road. In Alaska, the 'enemy' is nature - it is the only state
to activate its state militia multiple times every year for real operations - mainly related
to storms, earthquakes, fires, floods or volcanic eruptions. Once a rare naval militia was
activated to provide communications support to clean up an oil spill in a remote area. Only two
states have naval forces - New York and Alaska.

Since 2017, when PRC reorganized its entire armed forces, I have left retirement to work
for a USAF think tank. In 2018, my first research "paper" was published as a book - on
the PLAAF - instead of being held "for official use only" for two years. Since that publication,
I get asked to help researchers in many agencies and think tanks, sometimes without being told
who they are - the questions relayed via my research director. Since I have one of the two
largest strategic studies collections in North America, I am allowed to work from home, where it
resides. It turns out to be useful to have studied PTO for over half a century. Surprisingly
often geography and what was built where are germane.