A simple thank and some questions

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A simple thank and some questions

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Mark_Farlander
Rebel Alliance
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Post by Mark_Farlander » Sat Sep 16, 2023 2:28 pm

Hello,
first of all thank you for all the hard work for XWA Upgrade.
I wish to ask you 4 questions about hooks, constraints and tools in the work:
1) I've installed XWAU Mega patch and TFTC and I've noticed that the file Hooks_Readme in my X-Wing Alliance directory only has the instructions of the first 14 hooks (there are 40 in total). Do you know where I can find the instructions of the remaining ones?
2) I remember back in 2020 there was a guy who succeeded in placing about 1000 crafts in play at the same time.
Is there any patch in WIP to get past that 192 total object limit (I understand that installing XWAU the 96 objects/region limit is removed)?
3) Same question for the 64 weapons limit: where can I find the 255 weapon patch? And is there any WIP tool to also get past this new limit?
4) My last question: is the Mission 3D Viewer tool still available? And are there any moving ship simulator with it or is it still a static tool?

I am asking these things because I am returning to test things about missions and mission editing soon, and one thing I would like to do is trying some experiments with larger scale missions. I gained this idea when I saw many mods in work for Empire at War Gold edition, another super-edited by fans Star Wars game. Battles in Empire at War tend to be bigger than in X-Wing Alliance.
That's why I'm trying some experiments with bigger missions with more objects and weapons.
Another difference in Empire at War is that capital ships regenerate their shields much faster than in XWA, so a single fighter cannot destroy an ISD for example. I think this would be solvable through the hook_shield (which is missing instructions in the readme).

Thanks in advance for your future answers and thanks again for all the work you are doing.
I don't judge tactics. The Battle is the best and only Judge.

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Vince T
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Post by Vince T » Sat Sep 16, 2023 2:46 pm

Hey there and thanks for the appreciation!

I'll have to defer to someone else regarding questions 1-4 but for the shield recharge thing I can confirm this is definitely possible. From what I know @AngeI is doing this for one or more enemy "boss" ships for TFTC.
Your ship, Captain. I need a drink. - Vince Trageton
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Ace Antilles
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Post by Ace Antilles » Sat Sep 16, 2023 3:37 pm

1 - The most recent Hooks text is found in the
Readme\Hooks folder.
This is only to the last update installed.
Anything later can be read when the hooks are updated.

4 - The mission viewer tool is still the same.
The map view in yogeme is good also
Chief XWAU Team annoying nitpicker.
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m0rgg
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Post by m0rgg » Sat Sep 16, 2023 7:33 pm

1) You can find the source code for all the hooks from @JeremyaFr here:

https://github.com/JeremyAnsel/xwa_hooks

Inside each hook folder, there is a subfolder named zip. There is a readme for each hook inside.

You can also download all this with the XwaHooksSetup tool available in the Download section.

2) There are settings for the limits in hooks.ini I believe.

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Mark_Farlander
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Post by Mark_Farlander » Sat Sep 16, 2023 10:45 pm

Thank you for the answers.
I've checked the directory mentioned by Ace and there are the readme of all the hooks, except for the fact they are 38 instead of the 40 of the main X-Wing Alliance directory.
The 2 hooks missing from the readme of the Readme/Hooks directory are:
[6/40] xwa_hook_crafts_count
[14/40] xwa_hook_hyperspace

However, the readme of these 2 hooks is present in the Hooks_Readme file of the main X-Wing Alliance directory, so no problem.

In Hooks.ini it is written:
CraftsCount = 3072

ProjectilesCount = 1024

ExplosionsCount = 256

Radar2DItemsCount = 48

Are these the new limits or are these values simply multiplied by a factor?

In hook_crafts_count.cfg I find the same values for CraftsCount, ProjectilesCount and ExplosionsCount, but Radar2DItemsCount = 512

I also see "IsHookEnabled = 1"

In the readme of the main X-Wing Alliance directory is written that the hook (xwa_hook_crafts_count) is by default disabled.
I understand this choice since the original missions are not designed to be balanced with 1024 weapons at the same time.
Is it the Tie Fighter Total Conversion that enabled the hook when I installed it?
I don't judge tactics. The Battle is the best and only Judge.

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m0rgg
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Post by m0rgg » Sat Sep 16, 2023 11:59 pm

Mark_Farlander wrote:
Sat Sep 16, 2023 10:45 pm
In the readme of the main X-Wing Alliance directory is written that the hook (xwa_hook_crafts_count) is by default disabled.
I understand this choice since the original missions are not designed to be balanced with 1024 weapons at the same time.
Is it the Tie Fighter Total Conversion that enabled the hook when I installed it?
xwa_hook_crafts_count is enabled by TFTC, but not XWAU (there is no need for it, I guess).

hook_crafts_count.cfg is redundant with Hooks.ini. The individual .cfg files used to take precedence. I'm not sure if that has changed.

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Mark_Farlander
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Post by Mark_Farlander » Sun Sep 17, 2023 6:02 am

xwa_hook_crafts_count is enabled by TFTC, but not XWAU (there is no need for it, I guess).
It is not that there is no need for it in XWAU. The problem is that the increased ProjectilesCount simply breaks mission balance.
I remember a few years ago when 255 was a selectable option during installation: every mission with an Imperial Star Destroyer was nearly impossible to complete.
That's why I wrote that I'm willing to "try some experiments" with expanded missions and with the hook_shield, keeping in mind that a new mission balance with the new values (larger scale battles) would be something more Empire at War-like than X-Wing Alliance-like.

If hook_crafts_count.cfg is redundant with Hooks.in, I would like to know which one takes precedence only for the Radar2DItemsCount inconsistency (48 in Hooks.ini vs 512 in hook_crafts_count.cfg). The other values are the same in both the files.
I don't judge tactics. The Battle is the best and only Judge.

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m0rgg
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Post by m0rgg » Sun Sep 17, 2023 7:30 am

JeremyaFr wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:02 pm
UPDATE

Hello,
I've updated all the hooks.

Now the cfg files are read before the ini files.
https://www.xwaupgrade.com/phpBB3008/vi ... ni#p179180

Bman
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Post by Bman » Mon Sep 18, 2023 12:44 am

Yeah 192 FG per mission including backdrops etc. But you can allocate among different regions or keep all in one. Each FG can have multiple waves I believe. @Random Starfighter was the original architect for this projectile hook and Jeremy tweaked it. Random could probably answer your questions.
W-I-P: TFTC, MC Viscount Cr., ISD-II Avenger, NL-1 Platform, Ton-Falk Esc. Cr., & Misc.

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