Warzone
Customizer Kit
Version
2.0RE
Programmer:
Ver.
1.0, 1.2: Troman of NEWST / TWZ
Ver.
2.0: Strata Drake of NEWST / TWZ
Beta
Testers:
WZW
/ RBL -4Nik8r (lead tester)
George
Norton a.k.a. "bek_storm" of Yahoo.com, a local beta tester and true
friend.
WZCK
2.0 System Requirements
A
short list of WZCK 2.0's dependencies is as follows, and these belong
in your
Windows\System directory:
·
Visual Basic 6.0 Runtime
DLL's,
which can be found for free at various Internet locations (try www.completelyfreesoftware.com).
·
mscomctl.ocx, comdlg32.ocx,
and picclp32.ocx .
Users of existing WZCK2.0 and/or Pie Slicer may skip this
step.
These three files are available in our Downloads section as a
package
called "Required System OCX Files".
Unpackage these files into your Windows/System directory to
install them.
(If you are asked whether to overwrite an existing OCX file,
play it safe
and say "no")
If
you have both Warzone Starter and Pie
Slicer installed and running
(yes, getting it to run is more important than installing it) on your
system,
you may ignore the system requirements, for WZS and Pie Slicer fulfill
all of
WZCK2.0's system requirements.
Installing
WZCK 2.0
Installing
WZCK 2.0 is like unwrapping a Christmas or birthday present -- you
have to do
it yourself. Fortunately, it is
fairly easy to do!
All
you need to "unwrap" WZCK 2.0 with is WinZip
(or some other Zip-handling program; NetZip
or WinRar can also be used).
Open WZCK 2.0 from your Zip program, then extract all files to a
directory of your choice; voila! Installed
and ready for use.
If
you have installed a previous version of WZCK, I strongly recommend
installing WZCK
2.0 into that same directory. Otherwise,
open up the Windows Explorer (Start Menu
> Programs)
and create a new folder for WZCK2.0 (I recommend creating a "WZ
Customizer
Kit" directory inside of your Warzone 2100
folder) .
WZCK2.0
places no automatic "hooks" (file/document associations, registration
information, credit card numbers, etc.) into your system registry
during its
installation, which means that if or when it comes time to "uninstall"
WZCK2.0, it's as simple as tossing WZCK2.0's program folder into your
PC's
Recycle Bin, and there will be no lingering remnants of WZCK2.0 on your
system
for any longer.
WZCK
2.0 Extras and Add-Ons
For
an extra ounce of visual jazz, you can download and install several
customized
WZCK2.0 Startup Screens from
the TWZ
Downloads - C section. It is
referred to as "Customizer Kit v20 Add-Ons 1".
An
official "WZCK User Manual" is in the works with screenshots,
tutorials, tips, and everything. However,
the completion of this step is a direct function of how much free time
I have
(which, until summer, is not much. School
- work - school - work, you know the drill)
About
Bugs
Despite
its history and improvements, WZCK is still
a
work-in-progress. I say this
with complete honesty that WZCK2.0 could at any moment crash
with no
apparent explanation or reason (and believe me, when I'm working on its
code, it
happens a lot!) .
Like
most programs (especially Microsoft programs), WZCK2.0 grows a bit
larger with
each new release, more bugs keep occuring, often within the source code
but
usually manifesting in the compiled .EXE.
All
problems in WZCK2.0 can be classified into three categories:
·
Abuse. Abuse
may be defined as any crash that was intentionally and/or maliciously
caused by
the user. Thankfully, I've yet to
hear of any abuse.
·
Bugs. These
account for virtually all problems in WZCK2.0 .
Bugs are caused by mistakes, oversights, shortcuts, (etc.) in
the
program's source code. Bugs are easy
to fix, provided that the programmer (that's me) can figure out
where the
bug is occuring and what exactly is going wrong (see the below section,
How To
Report Bugs). There is also a rare
strain of bug, accounting for perhaps 2% of all problems, that occur's
on the
end-user's system but never on the programmer's own system -- this type
of rare
bug can be extraordinarily difficult to eliminate, but even that can be
and
eventually is done.
·
Glitches. Glitches
are the most exotic (and similarly, most rare) species of bug, which
reside
somewhere in the user's operating system, rather than in WZCK2.0 .
The ugliest and worst specimens of this type can result in
"Invalid
Page Fault" errors or even the so-called "Blue Screen of Death".
Unlike abuse (where the user is responsible), and bugs (where
the
programmer is responsible), no one can really be held responsible for
glitches
in the system. . . . Well, actually,
on second thought, if there is one party that can be held responsible
for
glitches, go blame Microsoft because it's one of their operating
systems that
you're using ;-)
To
date, only one type of WZCK2.0 crash was because of a glitch -- every
other
WZCK2.0 crash was due to a bug in the code.
How
to Report Bugs in WZCK2.0
1.
Log on to the TWZ forums (http://www.realtimestrategies.net/forums/)
and prepare to start a New Topic in the "Warzone 2100" section.
2.
Identify the version of WZCK2.0 you were using at the
time (I
cannot stress this enough) . The
last three digits of WZCK2.0's version number, for example
"v141 of
WZCK", will do just fine. I
guarantee, if you do not report the version number first thing, that'll
be the
first thing I ask for.
3.
Describe everything you can about what you were doing at
the time
of the WZCK crash. I.e., were you
editing weapons, structures, research, etc?
This is THE most important part of the debugging process -- if
all you
say is that WZCK2.0 crashed with "_____" error message, then at least
99% of the time I will ask you for more information before I can do
much about
it. On the other hand, if you can
identify that "____" option wasn't changing when you switched to
"_____" chassis in your current project, or that clicking on a certain
research topic caused a Stack Overflow, this gives me a clear picture
of where
to look, and the bug will be fixed in short order.
4.
Under normal circumstances, any questions about bugs will be
answered
within two or three days (that is how often I visit the TWZ forums).
I will keep you posted about when I fix the bug and when you can
expect
the next WZCK update to arrive.
5.
If you are experiencing a "corrupted WEW" error message in
WZCK2.0, don't panic. Note that WZCK
says that it merely "APPEARS"
to be corrupt: Chances are good that
your file is not in fact damaged, and that a bug simply occured while
WZCK was
trying to load it. This happens more
on my end when working on its source code than to you (trust me), but
there have
in the past been some times where a version of WZCK didn't save a WEW
file to
spec. To be safe, consider sending a
copy of the WEW file my way so I can check it out, determine what is at
fault,
and fix the problem.
WZCK
2.0 History and Improvements
Version
2.18.150 RE (2-10-2005) - Alpha
New
Features
·
Over the past month I've been making some very extensive
changes
to WZCK's underlying code to make maintenance easier.
You may notice that the EXE file for this version is roughly 10%
smaller
than the last EXE file! It's been a
very long and very involved process, but I hope I didn't leave too many
obvious
bugs lying out in the open.
·
Among the changes, I've combined the Repairs and Sensors
editor
into a single interface called the "Systems Editor".
·
WZCK now has a humble "Welcome" screen from which you
can select a Warzone standard for starting a new mod or load an
existing WEW
file.
Improvements
·
Too many to list!
The changes I've made to WZCK's internal code have resulted in
much more
efficient data management on WZCK's part, resulting in less lag and
faster WDG
compilation times.
Other
Changes
·
Current versions of the WZCK
standard
files (*.sdb) may not be fully compatible with older versions of WZCK.
·
The "Overview" tab on the
Research Editor is blank -- THIS IS NOT A BUG!
I haven't implemented it yet. It
will eventually show the Research Tree in diagram form (like the
official v1.10
Research Tree chart, only smaller) .
Bug
Alerts
·
Expect to run into a few of
the nasty
buggers... all this relentless coding and self-testing on my end has
really worn
me out.
Version
2.15.141 RE (8-9-2004) -- Update 5 for v128
New
Features
·
Working on an interactice Research Tree Viewer.
Improvements
·
Restructured the way WZCK
compiles WRF
files for the mod. Eliminates some
redundancy from WZCK's resource files.
·
Changing the internal ID of
an item in
your project to match one that has been disabled is not possible.
Previously, doing so would risk WZCK crashing.
·
Fixed a sucscript error (yes,
another subscript error!) occuring sometimes when
removing items
from the Units Editor.
Other
Changes
·
Due to life circumstances,
WZCK's
development has been stunted of late, and for that I apologize.
Bugs
Reported
·
WZCK crashing when trying to
save a new
WEW file. This does not occur when
saving to an existing WEW file.
Version
2.15.140 RE (7-14-2004) -- Update 4 for v128
New
Features
·
On the research window, it is now possible to sort the
topics list
by ascending AI values. Again, only
advanced modders need worry about AI values.
(requested by Chojun)
·
Right-click on the "Add Topic" button to access a new
option -- the ability to add all research topics to your mod in one
fell swoop!
(Also requested by Chojun)
Improvements
·
Improved the WDG data
compilation
routines to be more efficient. Changing
the "Add to WDG" switch no longer requires a complete recompile of the
WDG data, which can result in much faster data compilation/verification
times
(depending on the size of your mod).
Other
Changes
·
Due to life circumstances,
WZCK's
development has been stunted of late, and for that I apologize.
Bug
Alerts
·
Various glitches regarding
the
"Other items using this component" list boxes.
They tend to fall out of synch when working across WZCK's
various
modules. Click on the current item
to force a refresh of this list box before using it.
Version
2.15.138 RE (10-24-2003) -- Update 3 for v128
New
Features
·
On the research window, it is now possible to influence
how the AI
does research (only advanced modders need apply).
·
An "Advanced" tab has been added to the Research editor,
allowing the user to view the research tree by either priority values,
or the
actual order in which the AI performs its research in-game.
·
It is now possible to specify which module window WZCK
opens upon
startup: none, a specific window, or
the last window used. This can be
set in the Configuration menu.
Improvements
·
Other
Changes
·
Bug
Alerts
·
One of the icons on the
Research
Editor's toolbar is out of place (visual glitch only) .
·
The list of topics shown on
the
Research Editor's Advanced tab will occasionally fall out of synch with
the
current data. To fix this, re-load
the list by hitting the appropriate button on the Advanced tab
(priority or AI
order).
Version
2.15.136 RE (8-25-2003) -- Update 2 for v128
New
Features
·
Busy working on the creation of a v1.12 (7-1 beta)
standard.
Improvements
·
Many, many, many bugfixes regarding the above.
I had to restructure a lot of WZCK internal routines to
accommodate
various aspects of rebuilding and saving the database files.
·
Fixed another error, occuring if you change the standard after
compiling the data for a WDG. (This
was generating errors when switching to/from the v1.12 standard)
·
Found and fixed a plethora of bugs in the new v1.12
database file.
·
Solved a bug regarding structure turrets not being
assigned.
·
The "Auto Research" category of compilation notes now
displays the total number of topics in each category.
Other
Changes
·
Bug
Alerts
·
Switching to/from the v1.12
standard
may cause the GFX listboxes on some modules to screw up.
I am still addressing this, but if it happens, close out the
particular
WZCK module then re-open it.
Version
2.15.130 RE (7-23-2003) -- Update 1 for v128
New
Features
·
Improvements
·
Found a few more bugs in the Research Editor, regarding
assigning
a research message to a topic. The
"Completion Message" option now shows the icons for each research
message.
Other
Changes
·
Bug
Alerts
·
Version
2.15.128 RE (6-27-2003)
New
Features
·
Separated the Functions editing from the Research Editor.
·
Added a speed/weight comparison chart to the Design
Editor
(Chassis section). Use this to
compare, visually, how chassis types perform under various amounts of
load
weight.
·
Learned more about the rules of Warzone components and
added new
error checks to match.
Improvements
·
Other
Changes
·
Reminder:
Our new site resides at http://www.pumpkin-2.co.uk/
·
Bug
Alerts
·
Version
2.15.123 RE (4-22-2003)
New
Features
·
Combined several editors in order to reduce the drain on
system
resources. Sensors and ECM's now
reside on the same editor. Repair
Turrets and Trucks have been combined into the "Maintenance Editor".
Commanders have been moved to the Weapons Editor (because they
are, well,
weapons), and chassis and propulsions have been combined into a "Design
Editor".
·
Fixed the system resources drain by unloading modules
that the
user is not currently using.
·
Added icons to the Weapons, Design, and Research editor
tabs to
signify the major sections.
Improvements
·
Played "Whack-A-Bug" today.
Consolidated some code (thanks to the combined editors), updated
some of
the menu options, fixed a cosmetic glitch on the Research - Functions
Editor . .
. .
·
Other
Changes
·
Don't forget!
Our new site resides at http://www.pumpkin-2.co.uk/
Give Willis a big thanks for the new, improved layout!
(800x600 users be warned -- the new layout is a bit wide)
·
Bug
Alerts
·
Better back-up your valuable
WEW files,
because I had to revise the WEW file format again!
Version
2.15.120 RE (4-6-2003)
New
Features
·
Woo-hoo! WZCK will now
let you add PIE files to your WDG! Making
custom graphics just became two steps easier.
·
Improved a few aspects of the Research Editor.
Also busy organizing some of the editor GUI's to make options
easier to
find.
Improvements
·
More bugs found and fixed. Where
do they keep coming from?
·
Other
Changes
·
Farewell to NEWST and hello
to TWZ (aka
Pumpkin-2). Our new site is located
at http://www.pumpkin-2.co.uk/
·
Whenever I run WZCK on my
system it
sucks up about 65% of my system resources -- though it fortunately
gives them
back when it's done. This isn't
usually a problem, except that my system is a Win98SE with only 128MB
RAM, and
the free system resources are (on average) 70%.
Ugh. This means, plain and
simple, that WZCK is getting too big -- even to the point where I
cannot
actually run WZCK from within VB6 anymore without risk of crashing or
freezing
Windows.
What
does this mean? What can I do about
it? I don't know, but from here on
out I'll be looking right and left for ways to cut down on all the
memory that
WZCK requires. First idea:
combining the Sensors and ECM's editor.
·
As a bonus, I also included a
small
utility called Shell WDG in this zipfile.
Shell WDG is a user interface for MakeWDG!
Bug
Alerts
·
Now that the Research Editor
is
operational, keep an extra eye out for bugs, there's bound to be a
great many of
them!
Bugs
Found
·
As it turns out, WZCK is an
system-resources HOG. This has
caused an "out of memory" error on at least two systems so far
(including my own!) so it will be fixed by the next version.
Version
2.13.115 (1-20-2003)
New
Features
·
The Research Editor is now fully operational and ready
for use!
Improvements
·
Fixed a number of bugs found (and some not found) in the
new
Research Editor.
·
Other
Changes
·
Bug
Alerts
·
Version
2.12.112 (12-14-2002)
New
Features
·
Working on the Research Editor.
·
Compatibility with the Shell WDG utility (currently
available only
to NEWST members).
Improvements
·
Revised WZCK's handling of WRF files to make it smarter.
This will make things much easier when v1.12 rolls around.
·
Other
Changes
·
Bug
Alerts
·
This version is not available
to the
general public.
Version
2.10.108 (11-18-2002)
New
Features
·
Still working on the Research Editor (my it is a massive
beast all
right!) If all goes well, it
should be available publically in the next version.
·
"Add to WDG" switch for most editors.
This allows you to remove components from Warzone game
data,
should you need to do so. (You
probably won't, but it's there anyway)
Improvements
·
Structure types now display in the Structures Editor --
but I
would advise against editing them until the next version.
·
The Weapons Editor now displays upgraded
firepower/ROF/accuracy
values alongside the original (editable) values.
·
Found and fixed many more internal errors.
·
Heavy/Super heavy chassis were not being loaded from disk
correctly, this has now been fixed.
·
Other
Changes
·
The Turret Rotation weapons
option was
determined to be boolean (on/off), so it has been replaced by a check
box.
My apologies to everyone (including myself) who wish that it
were
otherwise.
Bug
Alerts
·
Made some more small
revisions to the
WEW format. It would be prudent to
back-up your important WEW files.
Version
2.10.106b (9-16-2002) - Update 3 for v101
New
Features
·
Improvements
·
Fixed a crash occuring on the
Repair Turrets editor after loading a WEW for editing.
·
Fixed a crash on the Commanders editor.
·
Various other bugfixes in the GUI.
Nothing major, yet.
Other
Changes
·
Bug
Alerts
·
Version
2.10.105b (9-8-2002) - Update 2 for v101
New
Features
·
Accuracy and ROF values on the Weapons Editor now show
their fully
upgraded values (in addition to their base values)
Improvements
·
The WEW problem was traced to the v099 and v096
versions of WZCK. Added a little
revision to correct it.
·
Fixed bugs in Stats.wrf and the auto enable script, which
were
causing mods to crash WZ.
Other
Changes
·
Bug
Alerts
·
Because the Research Editor
is now
underway, things could get a little unstable in some editors.
Keep an eye out and save often!
Version
2.10.103 / 104 (8-20-2002) - Update 1 for v101
New
Features
·
ECM types are available for editing.
Anybody feel like puzzling out what they do?
Improvements
·
Fixed several problems about sensors not being saved to
disk or
compiled properly.
·
Other
Changes
·
Bug
Alerts
·
Again, if there are any
problems with
WZCK loading a WEW, please send the WEW my way so I can fix it.
Version
2.09.101 (8-15-2002)
New
Features
·
Sensor types are available for editing!
Fully functional and most problems have already been worked out.
Of course, there are some remaining, but time will locate them
and then I
will fix them.
Improvements
·
See the Bug Alert for this version:
the previous update was not saving or loading WEW weapons data
correctly,
this has been fixed.
·
A small button on the Weapons Editor will identify
whatever
upgrades a weapon type is eligible for in WZ play.
Other
Changes
·
The "Load Rating" has been
removed from the Propulsions Editor.
Bug
Alerts
·
There was a bug in the WEW
routines
in v096 and v099 of WZCK. If you
receive any "corrupted WEW" error messages from files saved in the
previous update, please send the file(s) to me so that I can fix them.
Version
2.08.099 (7-8-2002) -- Update 2 for v096
New
Features
·
Revised the Propulsions editor to reflect a better
knowledge of
how WZ computes unit cost, weight, and durability.
Improvements
·
Fixed the shutdown issues plaguing v097.
·
Many internal revisions to get things running more
quickly and
efficiently.
·
Fixed an error that had corrupted one of Goth's WEW's.
The cause was due to faulty code when writing propulsion GFX to
disk,
where a few "bad" bits may be written to file causing WZCK2.0 to
generate a "corrupted WEW" error upon loading the data.
If anyone else has had this problem please send the WEW to me so
that I
can fix it.
·
Found and addressed a few hidden bugs in the Units editor
caused
by switching away and then back to it.
·
Other
Changes
·
I may remove the Propulsion
Editor's
"Load Rating" ... it is not so easy to calculate anymore.
Bug
Alerts
Version
2.08.097 (6-6-2002) -- Update 1 for v096
New
Features
·
Improvements
·
Fixed the makeWDG error occuring to several people in
(all)
previous versions of WZCK2.0 .
Other
Changes
·
Bugs
Found
·
WZCK2.0 was not shutting down
properly.
·
Data error on the Weapons
editor where
data would not appear to change.
Version
2.08.096 (6-2-2002)
New
Features
·
The current WZCK standard is displayed on the master
window at all
times.
·
WZCK asks what type of mod will be made (i.e: v1.10 or
v1.11) when
you create a new mod.
·
First Public Beta!
Improvements
·
Other
Changes
·
Bugs
Found
·
WEW's saved in previous
versions of
WZCK are not loading properly.
·
WZCK won't compile a mod if
its
resident dierctory contains spaces.
Version
2.08.095 (3-9-2002)
New
Features
·
Added C.K. Help routines to all remaining modules.
·
Improvements
·
Improved the Speed/Load Ratings on the Chassis and
Propulsions
Editor.
·
Fixed the "Type Mismatch" error in the Units Editor.
·
Fixed a corruption bug in the warheads section of WEW
data.
Other
Changes
·
New
Bugs
·
Version
2.08.094 (3-9-2002)
New
Features
·
Added GFX options to the Structures Editor.
Improvements
·
Worked on the Structures Editor to reduce glitches and
bugs.
·
Fixed the Build Power, Build Time, and Quantity Limit
options on
the Structures Editor.
·
Found and fixed the Overflow error that was occuring when
saving a
WEW.
·
Tracked down and fixed the weapon-names glitch.
·
Function data for structures displays properly now (but
are still
read only).
·
Hopefully fixed the bug where WZCK2.0 ignores changes
made to the
current weapon or item.
·
Fixed the Recent File List.
·
Revised a few routines to speed up WZCK's operation.
Other
Changes
·
Had to remove the "View
Session
History" command because it wasn't working.
·
New
Bugs
·
A bug in the WEW routines
causing
problems if you save a WEW containing warhead data.
·
"Type mismatch" error
occuring in the Units Editor.
Version
2.08.093 (3-2-2002)
New
Features
·
Rebuilt the Import Data routines so that you can import anything
from one WEW to another.
·
Improvements
·
Found and fixed a bug in the structure data where Hard-
and
Medium- structure armor types were switched.
·
Fixed a bug regarding structure functions data, this was
probably
causing crashes in WZ.
·
Other
Changes
·
You may need to start over on
customized structures due to the missing function data.
·
New
Bugs
·
Possible crashes in the
Import Data
routines.
·
Occasional "Oveflow" errors
when saving a WEW.
·
Error 52 when trying to load
long
filenames in the Recent File List.
·
Bug occuring where WZCK2.0 is
not
acknowledging changes made to the current weapon or item
·
A naming glitch occuring when
you add a
weapon to your mod but another weapon's list entry gets overwritten
with that
name too. (visual glitch only, no
damage to weapon data)
·
Version
2.08.091 (2-21-2002)
New
Features
·
Added a row of "Enable" switches to the Terrain Tables
editor.
·
Improvements
·
Found many more bugs in the makeWDG routines and fixed
them --
WZCK now maintains its MakeWDG\Stats\ directory much better.
·
May have fixed the "Input past end of file" error
message...
·
Fixed the subscript error when saving propulsion data to
a WEW.
·
Other
Changes
·
Compensated for a visual
glitch that
occurs in VB6 (but strangely, not in the compiled .exe) where
the bottom
edge of the WZCK2.0 modules were being clipped.
·
New
Bugs
·
Possible "Cancel was
selected" error messages -- let me know if you find any.
·
Version
2.08.090 (2-19-2002)
New
Features
·
Added a row of "Enable" switches to the Warheads Editor.
These are used to identify which warhead types are included in
your
project file and which are not.
Improvements
·
The Recent File List now displays path names in addition
to file
names.
·
Fixed a glitch in the v1.11 Database file
(version111.sdb) that
was causing a WZ crash.
·
Found the subscript error occuring during WDG compilation
and
fixed it.
·
Found and fixed an error occuring when loading old WZCK
WEW files.
·
Added Goth to the list of Beta Testers displayed on the
Options /
Configuration screen.
Other
Changes
·
The Import Weapons
function has been
disabled for now.
New
Bugs
·
Various visual glitches on
the various
editors are bound to pop up.
·
"Input past end of file"
error occuring on Goth's system when trying to load WZCK2.0 .
·
Several WZ errors caused by
an omission
in WZCK's basic.dtb file.
·
A rare subscript error
occuring when
saving propulsion data to a WEW.
·
Pie Slicer's application file
may not
show up when you search for it from the Options/Configuration screen.
·
Pressing "Cancel" on the Save
As dialog box has no effect if a filename is displayed in the dialog
box.
Version
2.08.086 (1-14-2002)
New
Features
·
Revised the internal databases for a final(?) time to
provide
better support for adding custom WZCK standards.
In the future, adding a new WZCK standard will be as simple as
adding
another SDB file to WZCK's main directory.
·
The following old files can be safely deleted:
graphix.dtb, sModif.dtb, terrain.dtb
Improvements
·
Restored a number of old functions to fix glitches
occuring when
switching from one item to another.
·
WEW files are loading somewhat faster now....
·
Combined propulsion GFX data with the actual propulsion
data
inside of the DTB files, making them slightly smaller in size and
faster to
load.
Other
Changes
·
Replaced the "Show
Privileges" checkbox (Terrain Tables editor) with a menu option.
· Revised the WEW format slightly to support the new