                                                                Wunstorf(Germany) 29.12.2000

Hello,

Realismpatch 3.0!(EAWrp3.0 and OAWrp3.0)


rp3.0 include new Flightmodels and a Damagemodel which base on rp2.0.

The flightmodels contain realistic seelevel and high alt speeds as far as 
i got reliable informations.
The initial climbratios are also more realistic than the defauolt EAW climbratios.
The E-bleed(drag) while turning got changed much.
The dive acceleration is much faster due to a higher weight all over, so the planes feel
much more heavy and miss the strange gliderbehaviour of the default EAW1.2 planes.
Most planes can get highspeedstalls, but the spin will come a bit later than in EAW1.2, 
specialy the 109s will have problems to get a spin, and even if there is a spin , its a very slow one.

Iam sure there are still many parts which could be better, if you have ideas or knowledge
about a special flightbehaviour please mail to me and i will try to include it.

kraeft-elektro@t-online.de

The best way to use rp3.0 is in combination with the OAWselector, the OAWrp3.0zip include the full F4 (OAWrp3.0) folder, the EAWrp3.0.zip include the full F5 (EAWrp3.0) folder, so 
if you already have OAW, you only need to extract the zip into the OAW directory.

If you wanna use the FMs without the OAWselector, you need to copy the *.flt and planes.dat files into the EAW folder (next to the EAW.exe). You also can use other tools, like Stab, Skins n More or the Thememanager to set and reset the FM/DM. 

If you be total new to EAW, read this to get an idea how all work:

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The OAWSelector and how it works.

To understand how it works you first need to understand how EAW itself works.

How EAW works:

If you did a clean full install of EAW then you would end up with a folder called European Air War.
Inside this folder there will be 21 "cdf" files like "Fonts.cdf"
There will also be the eaw.exe (the program file) and a handful of other files.
When you first run EAW it will generate the "eaw.ini" file which stores your preferred settings. 
It will probably generate the "Hof.dat" file and a "Savedata" folder. 
If you use the 1.2 patch (as most online gamers do) then there an "extra.spt" file is put 
into the folder, and this file is necessary for the 1.2 patch to run.

The EAW program operates by getting the data that it needs from those 21 "cdf" files.
If you choose a game where you fly a Spitfire 1a against some Me 109 Es then the program will 
use the "SP2A.FLT" file and "109E.FLT" files which are stored along with 28 others in the 
"Flt.cdf" file. 
It would also use the "planes.dat" file which is stored in  the "Data.cdf" file.

Now, if you make a copy of the "planes.dat" file, and edit it so that the Spit 1A has a top speed of 
500 mph, and eight 30mm cannon with 1000 rounds each, and leave this edited copy in the EAW 
folder then the next time EAW runs it will use this new version of "planes.dat" rather than 
the default one in the "Data.cdf" file. 

This is how all "mods" work, whether it is the flight models, aircrafts skins, terrains, maps, 
sounds  etc. Files are placed in the EAW folder and used by EAW in preference to the default 
ones in the "cdf" files.

Normally this does not cause any problems for offline gaming, but it is a very different story 
for online gaming. 
If  I were to host an  online game running the default EAW, and you try to join my game, but 
with the "planes.dat" file with the eight 30 mm cannon Spit 1a in your EAW folder, then as soon 
as you come into the game I would receive an error message. It would indicate that you have 
different data. Even if you chose a non-modified plane instead of your SuperSpit, it would make
 no difference. The game will not launch and we cannot fly together. The same would happen if 
one of us had the 1.2 patch and the other had the 1.2a patch. All players in agame must have 
compatible software. Just one rogue "flt" file left in the EAW folder will cause an error, 
unless every player in the game has exactly the same file. The game would not launch and the 
other players would wait in frustration.

Charles Gunst's ECAPanel:

This excellent program allows EAW pilots to fly a whole range of planes in many different scenarios. 
A number of online squadrons use ECA and support it most strongly. 
However, one problem is that the ECA files are installed and run from the EAW folder. So if you 
choose "Western 43" then 30 "flt" files, a "planes.dat" plus some other "dat" fuiles are generated 
in your EAW folder. This is fine if the other online players both have, and only use, ECA. The problems 
occur when someone wants to fly only has EAW 1.2 and they cannot join a game.The ECA files are not 
compatible with the default EAW files, error messages appear, the games will not launch, players
 get frustrated, and some get to the point that they no longer fly online. This makes me very sad,
 because once you have developed sufficient  skill and confidence to fly against online opponents 
then offline play is second rate, unless you are practicing the skills that you need to become a 
better online player. It is most disappointing to lose players because of online compatability problems.

The OAWSolution:

If you install the OAW software it puts the OAWSelector.exe in your EAW folder, plus a few other 
files which OAW needs, but do not affect EAW in any way. It also creates an OAW folder within your
 EAW folder. The OAW folder is the key to the system.
Within it you can store downloaded folders from the OAW site, or make new ones of your own. 
These special folders must have names beginning with certan letters.
Flight model (FM) folder names must begin with "F-" like "F-Nightfighter".
Mission folders must start with "M-" like "M-Pacific"
Skin folders start with "S-", Terrain folders with "T-", other graphic or general folders begin with "G-"
 and you can also have "Version" folders which begin with "E-" such as "E-1.2a" or "E-nightpatch".

When the "OAWSelector.exe" runs it will read the names of these special folders, and list them as 
available for selection in a drop-down list. 
With all the folders other than the graphic "G-" folders, only one choice at a time can be made. At the end 
of each set of choices is the "Default EAW" option.
Now if I choose the "F-Nightfighter" as my flight model, then OAWSelector reads all of the 
files in the "F-Nightfighter" folder, and puts a copy of each in the EAW folder. 
The same happens with missions, skins and terrains. 
Later,  if I switch to a different flight model then the OAWSelector reads the names of all of the 
files in the "F-Nightfighter" folder, and then deletes any copies of them from the EAW folder. 
Then it reads the files in the newly chosen "F-" folder, and copies them into the EAW folder. 
Alternatively, if I choose "Default EAW" as the FM then it would delete all the files which were 
copied when the previous FM was chosen.

In this way, OAWSelector allows you to choose which folders you want to load, and allows you to 
switch from one to another, and to go back to default EAW. It is simply a management tool for your 
EAW folder. It is not a replacement system, or a mod, or anything else- it is simply a reliable
 management tool.

OAW and ECAP:

To set up ECAP to work with OAW is simple. 
1	Make a "F-ECA" folder and put it in the "OAW" folder.
2	Unzip the ECAPanel and ECA 1.4 zip files into this folder.
3	Make a shortcut to the ECAPanel.exe on your desktop. 
Thats it!

Running ECAP:

Click the shortcut and run it, making your choice of planes, or global settings. The ECAPanel utility 
will generate the files, but they remain in the "F-ECA" folder, not in the EAW folder. Then you load 
the OAWSelector and select "F-ECA" as your flight model. This copies all of the files that ECAP 
generated into your EAW folder, and unless you need to make more selections such as skins or terrains
 which match the chosen scenario you are ready to fly!
The great benefit of OAWSelector, is that if you need to switch to another flight model, or to default 
EAW, then it is a matter of one mouseclick, and the ECAP copies will be completely removed from the 
EAW folder. In this way a group of ECAP enthusiasts could accommodate a newbie online who does not 
yet have ECA, and only has EAW 1.2. They switch to 1.2 by selecting the EAW Default FM, the newbie
 gets a game, and maybe we have one more online player that we might have otherwise lost.

OAW Hassles?
There are none, provided you download all the files necessary,  including the VB6 runtime files, and 
follow the guidelines. 
95% of the problems that we have had have occurred because a new user has tried to install OAW in 
an EAW folder which already has ECAP installed in it. Then when another FM is selected OAW
overwrites some ECAP files, and ECAP no longer works prpoerly, and because there are still some 
old ECAP files remaining in the EAW folder a "Different Data" error is generated for an online 
game, everyone gets frustrated, and the new OAW user blames OAW. All ECAP files need to be deleted
before OAW is installed, and ECAP set up in the "F-ECA" folder as documented above.

Other OAW matters:

When OAW first runs it will make a copy of your eaw.exe, and your eaw.ini in the OAW folder. 
After that it reads these copies every time you launch OAW, and makes a copy in the of both in 
the EAW folder. Some new users of OAW have used a clean install, and installed OAW before 
running EAW. This means that no eaw.ini file has been generated, and OAW cannot find one to 
make a backup copy. This generates a missing file error. So, do not install OAW in a newly
 installed eaw folder before you have run eaw.
If you modify your eaw.ini settings, and want to retain them then make a copy of the new eaw.ini, 
and put it in your OAW folder. If you do not do that, then next time OAW runs, then a copy of 
your old eaw.ini will be made, and it will overwrite the new eaw.ini that is in your EAW folder.

Why was it done this way?

One of the original concepts was to allow different levels of difficulty for an online game. 
The "Disable/enable keyboard control" options allow you to fly, for example, with cockpit only 
views, no icons, and so on, in an online game when all of the players have agreed to use the same 
settings. 
The cheatcheck feature will generate a "Different Data" error if a pilot claims to be using
 cockpit only view, but actually has the free cockpit view enabled, which gives this pilot an 
unfair advantage if the others do not have the cockpit free view. Obviously, thes modifications 
to the eaw.ini file are of a temporary nature, maybe for one game only.  Checking/unchecking the 
various boxes modifies the eaw.ini file in the eaw folder, and gives you the setup you want for 
that game, but next time you load OAW a copy of your normal eaw.ini file is placed in the EAW 
folder, based on the backup that it has stored in the OAW folder.

The eaw.exe is copied so that you can use different versions. I have an "E-12a" folder, an "E-Tanks" 
folder (with the newly modified eaw.exe which has more realistic damage models for ground objects), 
and an "E-Nightpatch" folder with Dom's nightpatched eaw.exe file which I use for the nightfighter missions. 
Each of these exe files has been renamed where necessary to "eaw.exe" and they can be selected from the 
Versions panel. However, whem I next run OAW the normal default eaw.ini is copied from the backup made 
and stored in the OAW folder, and placed in the EAW folder.

More realistic gaming- the OAW team:

Ralf "Knegel" is a key member of the OAW team. He has developed some much more realistic flight 
and damage models for the standard aircraft, and came up with the concept of changing the eaw.ini 
to set different levels of difficulty. The OAWSelector was written to enable players to easily 
load one of these new FMs, and to set cockpit only/no icon settings for a game. These new FMs are 
excellent, and we are close to releasing the OAW nightfighter package, with Lancasters, Halifaxes, 
Mosquitos, Uhus and Black Widows.

RAF_Roy is the third and another extremely valuable member of the OAW team. He developed the 
first OAW mission, which has only four bases available (Brussels, Grimbergen (Allied), St Trond 
and Le Culot(Axis)). These bases are all close together, and it has enabled players to have online 
games where all pilots can take off from their home base, and contact the enemy in a few minutes,
 and if they survive they can return to their home base and land. This adds a vital new dimension 
to online gaming. 
Roy is currently developing new missions, and a tutorial which will enable other eaw enthusiasts to 
develop their own missions.

Me- I just write the software, and help test the new FMs and missions.

MrJelly

I also play banjo in a 1920's style Jazzband, and My nickname honours the original "Mr Jelly"- 
JellyRoll Morton the great jazz pianist, bandleader and composer.
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Have fun!!

Greetings, Ralf 'Knegel' Kraeft