WinSPWW2 Battle Locations
While working with the WinSPWW2 Custom Map Editor, I got interested in the battle locations detailed in the Editor’s help file. The Editor allows a user to input a battle location number, or a BatLoc number, into the Editor which sets the various parameters in the Editor to generate a random map for the given location. While using these battle locations number, I noticed that some of the locations identified in the help file were not the same as reported as input into the Editor to generate a random map for that location. I then had an epiphany from looking at the locations that were different as they all seemed to be for more modern battle fields. I realized that I needed to look at what the WinSPMBT game Custom Map Editor reported using when a battle location number was input (I own WinSPMBT also). Aha! The battle locations that I found to be different in the WinSPWW2 Custom Map Editor were correct in the WinSPMBT version of the Editor. So, what has happened is the same Help File is used for both Custom Map Editors but the WinSPWW2 Editor itself has some different battle location numbers in its code.
After I found several different battle locations while working with the WinSPWW2 Editor, I decided to do a systematic study of the battle locations used in the WinSPWW2 Custom Map Editor to identify the differences between the help file and the Editor. First, I copied down the entire list of battle locations in the help file. Next, I input the battle location numbers, from 0-249, into the Custom Map Editor and noted any difference that the Editor reported from what the help file stated. The first worksheet (BatLoc) of the attached Excel workbook is a list of my findings. The first column is the battle location number, the second column is the help file battle location and, the third column is the location as identified in the Editor. In all, I found there to be 32 differences between the help file and the Editor’s battle locations. I made the changes to the battle location list and the corrected list for WinSPWW2 is presented on the second worksheet (BatLoc Corrected).
Great! I now had a correct battle location list for WinSPWW2 to use as I was working with the Editor. But that list was not really that helpful to me as I still had to search through the entire list to find a battle location number to input for a specify location random map. I started making a list to the numbers I needed but quickly realized that I could use the Excel program to sort the list and make my searching a whole lot more efficient.
The idea of sorting by global region was an easy one so I came up with the following broad areas and assigned each region a number:
1 – Pacific
2 – Asia
3 – Northwest Europe
4 – Eastern Europe
5 – Africa
6 – Mediterranean
Of course, when I realized that there were some battle locations that were general to the Earth itself, etcetera, I added:
0 – Generic
I copied the corrected battle location list over to the third worksheet (BatLoc Regions), assigned each battle location one of the of the above region numbers and then sorted the list. After the sort, I added the region location sub-headers to the list to allow easy identification of each region.
All well and good but the list still wasn’t quite what I wanted. I’ve been working on maps in the Ukraine lately so I’m interested in the southern part of the Eastern Europe region battle locations. I decided to do a sort of that region so I copied that region to the fourth worksheet (E. Europe Sort) of the workbook. I came up with five different sub-regions and assigned the battle locations one of the following numbers:
7 – Generic
8 – North
9 – Central
10 – South
11 – Southeast
Figuring out which sub-region each battle location belonged in (and that’s assuming I did my original region assignments correctly) was somewhat guess work for several of the locations as I couldn’t find them in my older atlas (it’s a 1981 edition so it still had the USSR in it). But I did my best and it’s ok for game purposes anyway. I now have a list of battle locations in the Eastern Region I can print out and have as a handy reference when I’m making maps for my campaigns. I could do the same thing for each of the other regions with a north-south, east-west or whatever sub-sort.
Anyway, here is the spreadsheet for your use. If you think I placed some locations in the wrong region or sub-region, well, change it! For example, I originally had the Finland locations in Northwest Europe but then I realized that during WW2 the war in that area was between the Finns/Germans and the Russians so it made sense to put those maps in the Eastern Region. Excel makes it pretty easy to sort in any manner you would like . . . so have at it! The one thing I might suggest is to save a copy of the workbook so that you have the original lists to fall back on if disaster strikes.
Also, please get back with me if you see any glaring mistakes in my assignment of regions or sub-regions to battle locations. As I noted, some of my assignments were guess work. Thanks. Also, I might do the same thing for WinSPMBT if I get ambitious.
Don
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