Missing original graphics in Eagles Strike update?

[Wolfgang]

An aside here:

I noticed a new Entry in the Updated AotR Vehicle.DAT file that may cause an issue in the game:

Vehicle in question:

Name              Weapons
41M Turan II    75mm 41M L/31, (8mm MG),(8mm MG/I)

Each individual Weapon entry in this DAT file are braced by Parenthesis () and separated by commas "," (as displayed in my prior post). However this entry's first listed weapon is missing the parenthesis, which in my experience might cause an issue...??

Curious to know if that's a game breaker - it is an exception to how the rest of the record set is formed.

[Wolfgang]

I have to say I am still a fan of the side view for Vehicles (and Troops) and thus I was spurred on to look deeper into the issue and I've come to this conclusion:

In order to get back Side Views one of several routes exist:

1.) Use the original Vehicle side-view graphics file, then point all the newly added DAT file entries for Vehicles to one of the pre-existing, older graphics... However there may not be a good visual representation in the old files for some of the new vehicle entries and people may not agree on what the best substitute should be. Not a satisfactory solution. (And if the game does a checksum on DAT files to insure a level playing field in PBM play, it would not match the new official dat file and thus perhaps your opponent's top-down dat file) 

2.) Create a new Vehicles graphics file with all-side views - thus the Picture#'s wouldn't have to change in the .DAT file, we'd just drop in a new graphic file to replace the top-down view. <--- probably the best option.

3.) A combination of Side View for the older vehicle entries, combined with Top-down for the new vehicles, and some .DAT file modifications would probably still be needed. Again, not a satisfactory solution.

Unfortunately, I think #2 is the only viable option of the solutions I can identify. Unfortunate in that it's a big undertaking (unless someone can point me to a repository of side-view graphics I can use to create a mod).

If a side-view image gallery exists that is like the original, and there are no copyright issues, I'll mod the game and create that file.

[Wolfgang]

There is a psychological reason why Side-View in these games is so popular and important:

99% of the historical imagery we have seen throughout our lives of the various conflicts of the last 100+ years is from images captured at ground level... i.e. side views, side angles.

I believe our minds have become attuned to those images over time and they have immediate associations for us... so when we see a silhouette of an armored unit, it is instantly recognizable as to what it is because we've seen it so many times in so many forms.

When we use top-down imagery, we break that mental association and with that comes a loss of comfort and familiarity. With top-down, there will be many moments of looking at something on the virtual battlefield and our minds not yet connecting that image with all the information we have gathered about it - thus a disconnect occurs and the normal chain reaction of recognition, comfort, & ease is lost... and the chain reaction never quite reaches that emotional center that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy about a game.

If our visual history of these wars were mainly from a pilot's perspective, then I think the reverse would be true.

So I really do think something is lost when top-down is used in very historically rooted genres such as Squad Battles.

Just my .02!

[Warhorse]

An aside here:

I noticed a new Entry in the Updated AotR Vehicle.DAT file that may cause an issue in the game:

Vehicle in question:

Name              Weapons
41M Turan II    75mm 41M L/31, (8mm MG),(8mm MG/I)

Each individual Weapon entry in this DAT file are braced by Parenthesis () and separated by commas "," (as displayed in my prior post). However this entry's first listed weapon is missing the parenthesis, which in my experience might cause an issue...??

Curious to know if that's a game breaker - it is an exception to how the rest of the record set is formed.

My bad, sorry about that!! I forgot the Parenthesis!