The main fix for release 6 is that the pasting was fritzed - units when pasted 
exchanged thier turret rear and side steel armour values, and I had forgotten 
survivability - theres an edit box for this now. (I read it in and wrote it
back out, but pasted units have this set to 0).

- You may have to comb any home made kobs to check armour reversal, and 0 survival.

general points
==============

BACK UP YOUR KOB FILES !!!

Installation:
unzip the files somewheres, and set up a shortcut to the .exe.
then manually edit the default directory in the .ini file to
your desired EDITING dir (not necessarily your SP3 dir...)

This help file is a basic outline for the beta. This is a beta, and not all 
functionality id either implemented,or fully working - use at your own risk.

Kobhack uses many Sp2 definitions - most should fit SP3, but others have
changed, but this will have to wait till a later editionwhen the subtelties
are all known.

This is a beta, and this editor is also deliberately not designed to be as
cuddly as the previous sp2 editor - almost all handholding and error checking
is gone - this is a real hacker, and deliberately lets you put what you want into
the fields. It allows experimentation, but naturally some combinations will blow
up in the game - its up to you to experiment. it wil likely stay as a light
editor.

If you need handholding, this is unlikely to be for you. Try reading the help
file that comes with mobhack for windows. Available at this site - if you got
this from some other site which copied the stuff, se the about box. 

if you need an editor with lots of functionality, that covers SP1, 2 and 3,
and has campaign management etc, try Jim Bello's SPobEdit, but you will have to
register (pay dosh, tosh) for the extra functionality (worth it though!).
(eg Jims editor can display lbms directly - no need for the disk wasting
 bmps I used in mobhack - and will not be bothering with inkobhack - if you are
 a cheapo, get a copy of eg paintshop pro, and use its 'browse' function).

find SPOBEDIT at:

http://206.205.247.215/seawolf/steelp/spobedit.html

BACK UP YOUR KOB FILES !!!

just to make this point clear

BACK UP YOUR KOB FILES !!!

(got it yet??).

Also - esp for newbies - dont launch into a massive reorg af even 1 kob file
- try a few small edits, one at a time, to see what happens.

extra kobs
----------
an extra green - kob 42? - appears unused. appears duplicate of other green
an extra France - one france is all the allied stuff (free France), other has
only French till late - Vichy France?. Only 1 is selectable - you will likely 
have to physically overwrite whicever is not used should you desire to use the
other.

The ww2 french have 2 kobs. 1 is used for the Free French from about 42/3 on, but this 
seems screwed up when you try a 1940 campaign, you get Free French, so its best to make
these 2 identical. Edit 1, delete the other and copy the edited kob over it. Make the
dual kob cover the early war and later war stuff. 

HOW TO USE KOBHACK
------------------

the tabbed dialogue is your main interface.

First, use the load page to load in files, and to save - the directory changer
is here too. You cannot do anything much until you have loaded a file!!.

Kobhack only allows 1 file at a time - future editions will allow the paste buffers
to be shared, and multiple copies of the prog open. This saved me all the multiple 
file tracking hassles of mobhack!.

This version now allows the saving off of paste buffers into .csv files. [VERY BETA - use with caution and report errors, please!!]
  - open the weapons, units or formations page
  - Open the paste dialogue, use 'export' to write, 'import' to get in the data
    (weapons if you are on the weapons tab etc)

NOTE - weapons, unit, or formations data saved off from the PASTE dialogue box are
copies of what is in the PASTE BUFFER currently. (so you can build up a custom
weapon list etc). ie NOT the kob data!!.

NOTE - the 'ALL' button copies all the weapons/unit/formation data into the paste buffer
from the kob being edited if you open the COPY dialogue. Obviously then, if you open
the PASTE dialogue and hit 'ALL', the kob is overwritten from whats currently in the
paste buffer.

Theres a new button on the load/save page to dump all the 3 sets of data from the
kob being edited int 3 sets of .csv files. The paster can read these as well.

The .csv files are .k3u, .k3w, and .k3f for units, weapons and formations data respectively.

You can read the files into exel or whatever - delimiter is COMMA, no text delimiter, and
you can drop the first line if desired - its just an info line.

The csv files are raw data only, eg bare unit type code, no nice text string added!.

OK - you can now import (*IMPORT*) .csv data into kobhack - export from SP3, into spreadsheet.
NOW - import a dump of the SP3 kobhack data into another worksheet, and use this as a template
for your copy across macro that you will write, to port the SP2 data dump to 3. 

[Muggins is NOT going to do the macros - too many spreadsheets out there, and even Mickeysofts 
versions will not talk to each other]

THE FIRST 2 text lines should be unchanged - Kobhack uses the 'DUMP' and 'PASTE' keywords as its
sole sanity check on importing .csv data. 

Do not bother trying to inport SP2 formations - they are too vastly different!!. Just try weapons and units.

****************************************************************************************
FORMATIONS
****************************************************************************************
The main changing item between SP1 and SP2 once again changes....

Now only 2 formation types seem to be in use (ex BHQ, but thats the special the
purchase routin always buys). Basically Batallion (can hold companies or platoons),
companies (a collection of platoons), and platoons - the old single unit of SP1,
SP2, otherwise 1 'icon' or playing piece - was a tank or squad, now can have a
'multiplier' from 1 to N, where N is undetermined at the moment - I have made 8 gun
arty batteries, seems to work, however SP1/2 squads had a limit of 13 men before they
'went funny', so theres likely an upper limit....

Each formation slot has a multiplier number next to it - this only applies to platoons
- single pieces - and is the number mentioned above. EG if the number is NOT 1xxx -
there are some funny numbers applied to formations, but this appears to be random
garbage - but some of the 'funny numbers' might have some effect???????.

ALSO - six seems to be the max number for a platoon. IE 6 tanks, guns, squads. Also, large squads
may multiply to over 100 men, which might cause a problemo (not tried it yet, but I THINK the
max is 2 digits displayed - 99 men).

Platoons cannot be mixed - must all be of the exact same type.

SSI seem to handle mixed platoons by lumping all the constituents into platoon sized
lumps - eg the british infantry, which had 1 platoon hq squad (AT wpn) and 3 rifle
squads now get a 'heavy inf' 'platoon' and 3 'rifle only' 'platoons'.

In some orgs, ssi throw the single HQ squad in with the first platoon - saves tiddlers.
(And you might prefer this - eg you might prefer a WW2 GE tank co with an HQ of 2 and 
3 platoons of 5 as say, 6,6,5 rather than 2,5,5,5 - its easier to control, plus the
6ers make it easier to lift large grunt lumps).

Maximum units (icons) in an entire formation (Bn) is now upped to 60 from the old 40.
(in theory you could have 91 units - slot 1 must always be a unit, plus 9 companies
of a full 10).

Oh yes - slot 1 MUST BE A UNIT in __ALL__ formations. Amazing how many folk typed in
1xxx series codes in there and wondered why funnies happened... probably dont read
readmes or help files....

DO NOT LEAVE GAPS - funny things can happen.
12
13
(gap)
23

is a no-no.

ALSO - gaps can happen when you have a unit type not always available for the
formation - eg USA co with squad, squad, bazooka, 60mm mortar - the bazooka is
not available early on, so can get hiccups. The cure seems to be to put only
part-time available stuff at the end of the list - squad,squad, 60mm mor, BAZOOKA, 
in the sample given.

the special byte for a formation determines recce, fast artillery, and others.
it applies to a formation (bn, co, pl) only. It is therefore best to make bn
weapons cos with the mortars separate, or brought in from a 'mortar platoon' 
formation, rather than slapping in 'mortar times 4' if you want QRA.

special codes
-------------
1 = recce
2 = fast response artillery
... 
(nb many ww2 set to 6 - wonder why!)
10 - seems to be applied to para/commando bns. seems to make bn hq recce, others not.??
(which is a waste of time, as recce is to make vehicles spot as inf...)

Dates
-----
For WW2 kobs, the introduction has a month as well as a year - no out of service month,
all run to the December of the last year.

If the introduction of the unit has 100 added - eg 139 - then that formation is unavailable
(?-just to the AI?) as the AI was found to have hiccups with that formation type in
playtesting. So dont readjust, unless you are prepared to experiment with wierdness..

The unit in the slot is a PROTOTYPE - eg sherman is an MBT, other years other MBT can be bought,
but BE CAREFUL OF USING UNITS WITH AN X3 RADIO CODE AS PROTOTYPES - see units.

BIG one - the AI uses a pick list of formations when purchasing. This is the formation
SLOT NUMBER. So if you move, alter, or otherwise change the ones it wants, wierdness in the AI 
forces happens. The pick list alters with year and battle type, and aircraft availability. It
IGNORES the availability date - eg the AI will sometimes use the same mech inf bn structure 
from 1950 to 1999, despite alternatives. (in SP1, if you added new platoons, the AI happily used
those - now it only picks from its 'chinese restauraunt menu' - 2 22s, a 3 and a 10 please.....
(it also means after a few battles you know prety much what to expect from the AI, at least
in SP1 the randomness was sometimes a real surprise to the human - it picked a WHAT!!?? -
eg as a pair of Elefants rolled out of the last victory zone as you had been sweeping up a
light infantry based force).

Pick list - the AI DISREGARDS the nationality, and often the date of its formations, so
you can change the nationality of these and make AI-only formations which the human will
not see. This is needed for some kobs which as defaulted are totally useless in the AI
hands - eg the USA, before about 43 will buy no guns, no infantry except some engineer
platoons.. the Ai also seems to ignore the nationality of subordinate formations in its
pick list bns, so it seems you can have AI only cos as well for AI only bns.


 - DO NOT MOVE THE SSI DEFAULT FORMATIONS
 - DONT CHANGE THIER TYPE (eg from tank platoon/bn to inf platoon/bn)
   - but, feel free to alter their composition...

ADD YOUR NEW FORMATIONS TO BLANK SLOTS!!.

- of course, if you are willing to play around with AI force structures, disregard. Have deep fun,
be prepared to try out ALL battle postures, for ALL years, and at max and medium and min points
(at min points the AI sometimes takes a light infantry force with some SP guns - eg so paras with 
ASU 85s).

And yes, I sometimes got calls from folk who had 'reorganised' the 'random' SSI SP2 formations
into a 'logical' order with, say all the infantry together etc., and wondered why the AI had 
turned into a pure artillery/tank/helicopter or whatever force structure...
(as did someone who reorged the tanks, infantry and artillery units so they all would list together
on the encyclopedia, but did not realise the interlink between unit slot numbers and the
formations - so almost nothing was purchaseable, or had MBT in inf cos, etc, etc!!).

****************************************************************************************
WEAPONS
****************************************************************************************

These have a sound byte (no pun intended) but not used yet.
Ranges are in 50 metre SP2 units, these get rounded down by the game.

(as usual, GE and USA HVAP (sabot) ranges are silly, and result in these 2 forces having
apds in ww2, effectively - the only APDS (full or almost full AP range sabot) guns in WW2 
are the 6pdr, 17pdr and 77mm.., and possibly the ge squeeze bore 28mm).
(and the USA 90mm sabot pen is better than the 88 L71 - er, no, me not think so...)

[more on ranges...
Ranges are expressed in SP2 50 metre hex units, the game then divides by 4 rounding down to 
give Sp3 ranges. However, if the range is 201 and up, this seems to be for artillery and possibly 
LR SAMs, then the range is 8 times the last 2 digits in SP3 hexes, so 205 gives 40,
207 give 56 hexes, 209 gives 72 hexes etc. (perhaps more in moders kobs, but have not checked).
(In other words, check the ranges out when using values over or around 200, to see if you get what
was intended!). Yes, a range of 200 gives 50 hexes in the game, and 201 gives a lowly 8. wierd! -
I would have used a system where 201 up was 50 + (8 times the last 2 digits), but I am just
a simple software engineer.. The SSI coders do not seem to understand signed/unsigned digits either,
as you will find if in a campaign you kil over 32K men, when the tally on the totals screen rolls over 
to show negative numbers of enemy killed! - basic newbie C coding error, using a signed int
when an unsigned was required.]

222 - this magic code is used for HEAT weapons which will appear other than in slot
1 of a unit, and simply tells the computer to use the HEAT value when it uses an AP
round - though it also seems to use this for HE rounds as well when fired vs armour, so
eg, inf rcl bazookoids could be given an all He load, as some of these rounds did have an
anti-personell ability. It therefore applies to inf AT wpns, ATGM etc.
(firing a volley of 66mm LAWs into the enemy just before the assault is an approved UK
('The Infantry platoon in battle 67(?8?)') tactic...).

Use aircraft weapons for aircraft - these have higher than usual HE AP values, as a/c
only use HE ammo - the AP round count is used for the no. of cannon/mg.
Air - use Hull Side for the armour value, and the Top armour, if set to 1, seems to be the
code for a ground attack A/C - more likely to be around for multiple passes.

[All weapons in all WW2 kobs are the same - simply because all SP1 files used the same weapons
dataset, so all weapons data had to be cloned throughout - this is no longer the case, so
feel free to overwrite weapons if necessary and unused by the nationality in question]

Arty Points values - latest patch seems to add 50% (rounded) to guns, mortars, aircraft.
eg a howitzer you pointed at 12 points will cost 18 before any additions for increased
troop quality (either from TQ being set to over 70, or the formation being an 'elite' one
with a 10 or 20 etc code).

****************************************************************************************
UNITS
****************************************************************************************

Pix - the ex SP1 WW2 kobs use a different numbering system and file name for thier
LBMs. Modern use the pmxxx, and WW2 the Pxxx - the number of digits after the letters
varies. See the pic dir of SP2 (on the CD if you did not do a full install).

Vehicles and guns no longer have crews, so the crew type is obsolete, and this is likely
one reason the max size in formations can be 60. The HQ troops are also obsolete, as well
may be the sniper. You can still buy them as 'upgrades' in the campaign game if silly..

(NB, track hits now kill tanks etc, one reason arty is now the SP3 god of war..)

WW2 units have an introductory month.

Many new unit types over SP2 - eg cruiser tanks. These are usualy just differentiators,
so it is possible in post WW2 to use these eg as specifiers for certain tank types - eg
an armoured recce unit only ever uses MBT X, Y or Z deopending on year, so clone X Y and
Z as 'cruiser tanks' - now the formation can only have those tank types, not the whole gamut
of MBT, but line tank units still have the full choice. Same goes for 'light' 'heavy' 'scout'
or other inf types - these are just selection differntiators with no effect on gameplay.
(others of course are - eg engineer - but 'mine clearing and 'engineer' tanks are same-same
so its a handy differentiator (eg USSR - clone copies of all MBT as whichever MBT type is not used,
and make 1/3 of all tanks in a co/bn of this type as equipped with KMT ploughs or rollers))

Radio codes - lots of folk have had fun with these...
the first digit ONLY is the %ge chance of a radio.

Digit no 2 is the AI RARITY CODE 
0 - common as muck
1 - the ai will choose this less often 
2 - the AI will only choose this in a blue moon
3 - the one that causes problems....
   (IF a unit is the ACTUAL ONE USED in the formations slot prototype
   AND its radio code is x3
   AND its available that year)
   THEN ONLY that unit will be bought by the AI for that formation
   ELSE
     IF something else is available thats NOT an X3 itll buy that

Basically - only use x3 codes for things only th human is to buy, unless you know what you
are doing, and also MAKE DARN SURE THE PROTOTYPE UNITS YOU USE IN FORMATIONS ARE NOT REPEAT
NOT X3 CODES..

Have fun, and share your discoveries...

Bye
Andy

Other things
------------
AT Missiles in SP3 are pathetic - were poor in SP2 - until you get elite troops etc.
Suggestions: Add FC to ATGM teams, also increase thier accuracy ratings.

IMHO artillery is too cheap for its effectiveness in the game - up the points??.

AT guns fare badly in ww2 - in reality they were a pig for tanks to deal with even if equipped
with HE chucking guns - one reason a standard German tactic was to retreat the tanks through
a line of AT guns, so the pursuing enemy tanks were smacked hard. I would suggest giving them
a reasonable FC rating, as they were firing from a steady platform.

Some nations were renowned for agressive close quarters infantry - eg Aussies and Japanese.
My sugestion is to up the HE effect of thier hand grenades a couple of points to reflect this.

In conclusion
-------------

Basically, theres not much over SP2 if you had this already, other than mega battles.
Artillery has swung from pretty useless to a total annihalator - track hits kill outright,
instead of producing an irritating, but not (immediately) fatal mobility kill.

[HINT - when fighting mega tanks, eg challenger, M1, with a force which does not have mbt
in this class - buy lots of TOWED (_not_ SPA - track hits destroy AFV - and MLRs wipe light
armour...) artillery, spotter vehicles/light helos, BUCKETLOADS of infantry, plus a few
AFV/APC (to hide until endgame) as a mobile objective grabber - and stonk every M1 unit you 
see...]

Also - preplanned arty objectives are vital...
  Orders are vital - hint, most strikes on preplanned targets have no delay, so use
  ANY OLD '0' UNIT WITH ORDERS (AND LOS TO THE GOLD CIRCLE, if you can get it) which can 
  talk to the gunners this move, to call in fires on preregistered targets.
  - save your A0s orders, and any spotters, for the impromptu targets....
  - also, if you order onto a gold circle, you can shift, and shift again, - the delay
    does mount up, but some immediate/soon shells are better than lots too late.
  - dont place the gold circles too close, and always put 1 on or near each OB cluster,
    except maybe yours deep in your pos if delaying/defending - he will never get to those
    - or will he??.
  - the AI will generally deploy right up to the line when coming at you, so use a pre game
    bombardment - also useful vs humans used to playing the AI, who often deploy large
    columns on the roads just inside thier line....
  - when playing a human, or an AI in the defence, dont place troops near the obs if you
    can avoid it.
  - when playing a human, dont deploy in massive road colums right up to the line, in fact
    keep a bit back from the line if you can, as he will do a pre game stonk - see above.
  - never ever leave things on bridges, as artillery can make these go SPLASH!.

Artillery will pound you if you stay fixed to a position - try not to fight in a position
too long, move off - no more than 2 turns in a place, then shift.

Counterbattery him - even if you ar not killing his guns, lots will be retreted or routed,
so unavailable - esp the '0' units, as if these are out of order, usually the rest of the
battery/bn will tend to be out of contact - not a 100% thing, though. Rule of thumb - 50%
of your tubes assigned to c/b.

Use ammo trucks - never park your arty on top of ammo dumps as these will eventually blow up
spectacularly, destroying the stuff in the same hex. Against the AI, you may get away with
parking guns right by the ammo dump all game, versus a human, fire from a position, then use 
transport to relocate by a remote ammo dump. Replenish, then move off to an alternate fire
position when topped up, do not fire from alongside the dump except in emergencies!.

Note - with the latest patch, MLRS systems parked next to ammo trucks, or an ammo dump, reload
INSTANTLY in the modern kobs, if MLRS (inc Soviet system), it apears from test battles (takes 2
or 3 moves parked by an ammo dump to reload a katyuska in the ww2 games, and BM-21s take a while
in modern as well).

Artillery cheat. Gives instant fires, so totally bypasses the arty delay rules:
 - select a batttery which can fire (shows the 'B' icon lit
 - Click 'B' to bombard, select a target 1 hex away from the intended impact point, you
   will usually see a delay of 0.2.
 - Adjust the fire to th target, delay is now 0.1
 - NB - adjust this battery ONLY. If you use a battery to plot indirect fire for other
   arty batteries than itself, then wierd things seem to hapen - all previosly plotted 
   targets seem to move to the current point, using the full delay (2.0 odds sometimes).

Kill the commanders first - those singleton inf squads, or tiddler tank units are bn or co hqs..

Spotted troops are slowed down now, and fired on (arty or direct) - slow down to half mp.
 - put a skirmish line of cheapos out front to spot his advance, slows him down
 - drop arty on him, ditto
 - main line of resistance goes behind the skirmish line
 - Keep a mobile reserve, either deep rear, or to a flank - try to do a slashing attack into
   his sides.
 - especially on large boards, sneak recce fast movers round the far edges into his derriere..
   (single icon armoured cars platoons - eg the UK humbers - are good as they only have to
    use thier orders on themselves, so are unlikely to run out of same - no subordinates to 
   boss about). Thes can wreak havoc on the opponents artillery park.

In WW2, avoid the 88mm Flak like the plague - run away, brave Sir Robin!. Drench its position
or the best guess (erring on the short side to smoke their LOS off) with arty. If you need
to kill them, move leg grunts trough the smoke and leave beside them or in the same hex.
(human players will be unsporting, and buy prime movers, and shift them - not fair <G!>)

The HQ tent thing is useful in the defence as it can provide orders - usually it has to touch
the recipient, but a few of these in key positions could prove useful. And they can be useful
to call in arty - but dont over do them, 1 or 3 is probably enough.