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How to download and install Panzer General II user-made campaigns

Generic instructions to install user-made campaigns, to be read in conjunction with the readme files included with PG2 downloads

Please note: An excellent set of PG2 modification installation instructions (PG2 MODS for DUMMIES, by Joel T. "The Whoopy-cat" Illian) is also available. If you are new to PG2 mods you should definitely read it in addition to the following instructions! (Particularly if you are a "Dummy").

Last updated: Monday, October 09, 2006 12:52:52 PM Eastern time, USA
Copyright ©: Steve Brown, 2000-2001
E-Mail: Steve Brown
WWW: http://go.to/panzergeneral2

Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Abbreviations, naming conventions and terms used
3. Downloading the files
4. What does a campaign consist of?
5. Installing the campaign
6. Equipment file
7. New maps
8. New video sequences and music
9. Special Instructions
10. Where to get more information

1. Introduction:

The reason for these instructions is that I get a lot of requests such as "how do I install and run the campaigns once I have downloaded them" - these instructions should help. This document will not tell you how to make a campaign, only how to install existing campaigns.

If these instructions do not answer your questions, are not clear, if you think I should add or change something or if there is anything extra I should add for German or French versions please contact me.

These instructions assume you know how to use Windows (95 or 98) and have basic knowledge of selecting, cutting, copying, pasting, unzipping and creating files and/or folders. You should also have basic knowledge of computer terms such as "download", "unzip", "folder", "file", you should know what a "readme" file is and should be familiar with the concept of a "zip file" and how to extract files from one. I have tried to keep the instructions simple for those of you who are not knowledgeable about computers and computer terminology.

Panzer General II user-made additions all have instructions somewhere in the download or on a web site (although, the instructions vary in quality and often assume the user has knowledge of Panzer General 2), the following is intended to be a supplement to information included with anything you download - so please read everything! 

Please remember the first rule of installing user-made additions, that I will repeat again and again; Always read the readme file first. 


2. Abbreviations, naming conventions and terms used:

*.xxx file refers to a files ending with the characters ‘ .xxx ’

CAPITALIZED words refer to a folder (directory) on your disk.

Program folder refers to the folder that contains your program file - this is often PANZER2.

PG2 refers to Panzer General 2 (or the German Panzer General 3D).

Backup refers to moving a copy of your files to a new folder you have created.

Readme file a file, usually with readme in the name, that you should definitely read!

I use a lot of US spellings for words (such as "disk" or "capitalize" or "customize") - I am not American but I live here, and these are the spellings I am used to. I am aware that English is not the native language of many readers so if you do not understand what I am saying please contact me - but, maybe you will have problems even if you do speak English


3. Downloading the files: 

This is simple, click the file you want to download and save it to your computer then open the zip file.


4. What does a campaign consist of? 

A campaign consists of many files (a 50 scenario campaign could have 300 or more files). 

The following is mainly for informational purposes - if you are not making your own campaigns you do not need to know much about these files except where to put them (see section 5, below)

All of these are referred to generically as "the campaign files". Most campaign designers try to have a logical naming scheme - for example; all files for my "British Western Desert & Italy" campaign start with "SB1" (except the *.cam file), this makes installation easier since it is unlikely someone else has a file with the same name. It also make it easier to delete the campaign. However, some campaigns do not have a simple naming scheme - which is not a good thing (but, it will not affect the campaign at all).

4a. Campaign file: There is one *.cam file for a campaign, which contains information about the campaign name, campaign path, prestige allocation between scenarios and file names for the scenarios.

4b. Scenario files: There are a number of *.scn files (up to 50 for a campaign). These are the files that contain all the information about each scenario and have a matching text file.

4c. Campaign text files: There are many *.txt files. These are simple text files (you can read them with Windows notepad), the quantity varies but there will often be 6 of these for every *.scn file, plus some extras. These files contain all the scenario intro and victory/loss texts, the campaign introduction and a matching file for every scenario (see previous paragraph).

4d. French and German version campaign text files: The German version of the game replaces the *.txt files with *.deu files and the French version with *.fra files. Some downloads do not have these files, so you have to create them yourself (change all the txt to either deu or fra). If you have a US or UK version of the game you can ignore these files

4e. Extra scenario text files: There may be some *.ply files. These are extra text files that are only necessary when playing the scenarios in a campaign as single scenarios (and even then you do not always need them). In most campaigns you cannot play the scenarios as single scenarios without modifying the scenario. In many cases the *.ply files should not be there, but they will not cause any problems.

4f. Map files: Some campaigns have extra *.map files. These are extra files which are used by the program to say which hex on a map is a city, clear, river etc. These *.map files are in addition to the extra ones you have to install for a campaign (see section 7 for more on maps). In some campaigns extra *.map files are included to customize an already existing map.


5. Installing the campaign:

5a. Read the readme file first. Always do this, in case the designer has special instructions.

5b. Installing the new campaign: Open the *.zip file you downloaded. Some *.zip file archives are better organized than others but if you are not sure, look for the readme file which may explain where everything is. 

To install the new campaign copy all the campaign files (as detailed in section 4, above) to your SCENARIO folder. If you open PG2 and start a campaign the new campaign should be listed, although it may not have the correct flag next to the name. If it is not listed either you have made a mistake, a file is missing, or you have too many *.cam files (see 5d, below).

5c. Extra installation for French and German versions: If you have the German or French version you need to copy all the *.deu or *.fra files to your SCENARIO folder. If these files are not in the campaign download you need to change the name of all the *.txt files to either *.deu or *.fra before you copy them to your SCENARIO folder.

5d. The campaign list bug: There is an annoying bug in PG2; the game only lists the first 8 campaigns it finds on the campaign selection screen. Specifically, the program only lists the first 8 of the *.cam files it finds in your SCENARIO folder (in alphabetical order). 

If the campaign you just installed does not appear among the list of campaigns then you may have to backup one or more of the other *.cam files so the *.cam file for the new campaign is among the first 8 in the SCENARIO folder. You DO NOT need to backup any of the other files and you can copy the file back to the SCENARIO folder if you want to play that campaign. 

If you are using the 'unofficial' 1.02G patch (see the "Versions and Patches" section of Builders Paradise) then the up and down arrows work, so this bug is not an issue.

5e. Running the new campaign: After you have installed new campaigns your old campaigns may not show the original flag in the campaign selection screen (or even any flag at all). This is not a problem. Look for campaigns by name, rather than flag. After it is installed the new campaign will run just like one of the originals.

6. Equipment files:

One of the great things about user-made additions to PG2 is the new equipment files; which add more units, graphics and sound effects. Every campaign has a suggested equipment file, some will use the original file that came with your CD but most do not. 

Before you install any equipment file you should definitely find the home page for the equipment file and read all the installation instructions. A good starting point is http://www.strategyplanet.com/panzergeneral/PG2Main_news.html - look in the "Equipments" section. If you are looking for information about the Waffenkammer file it is now on my web site, http://go.to/panzergeneral2, but maybe not from the original site. Always backup your old files before you install any new equipment.

Some campaigns are supplied with their own equipment files, which are usually the files mentioned in 6a,below)

Equipment files all have 3 components; data, graphics and sound.

6a. Equipment files - data: The equipment file data are in your program folder and consist of the following files:

Equip97.eqp - the equipment data
Equip97.txt - the names of all the units
Gui.txt - not really equipment, but contains most of the text you see when playing the game.

All equipment files have the first two files and some have the third. To install a new equipment file copy the 2 (or 3) files, from the new equipment file download, with the above names to your program folder - but backup your old files first, so you can use the old equipment again.

6b. Equipment files - graphics: The equipment file graphics (the unit icons) and most of the graphics you see when you play the game are contained in one large file:

Panzer2.dat - this is usually at least 13MB or more, some modified files are almost 30MB.

Some equipment files use the standard panzer2.dat but most of them modify the file to add new unit icons and other graphics. If the panzer2.dat is not modified correctly some units may have no icon and, at worst, the program may not start at all.

Modification of your panzer2.dat varies from easy to hard - my best advice to carefully read the instructions included with the readme and (as always) make a backup copy of your original panzer2.dat. 

Builders Paradise has a graphics upgrade called "datup" (look in the "Equipments" section) that is faster and easier and comes in 2 parts, but it does not work for all files, because some use different countries to the standard ones and need new flags. There are a number of competing and similar upgrades for specific equipment files (WKup for Waffenkammer or Adlerup for Adler file which modify the "datup" to add different flags; or Pacpatch for the Pacific Theatre file which is a separate panzer2.dat upgrade) that all make the upgrade of the panzer2.dat much easier - all is explained with the equipment downloads.

6c. Equipment files - sound: Most equipment files use new sound effects, these are new sounds you hear when units move, fire at another unit or get killed. All sound files are *.mel files that are in your SFX folder.

To install new sounds download the new files included with an equipment file and copy them to your SFX folder, that is all you have to do. The worst that can happen if you do not include these sound effects is there will be silence for some actions of some units. 

To make adding sounds easier Builders Paradise has a new sound upgrade called "soundup" (look in the "Equipments" section) which makes adding all the new sounds easier and much faster.

Some equipment files use their own sounds that are different to the standard "soundup" sounds, which means you may get strange sounds for some actions.


7. New maps:

Another of the great enhancements to PG2 are all the new hand painted maps. Most campaigns use these user-made maps. In the readme for a campaign the designer should list all the new maps you need. There are well over 200 new maps, and more are being made all the time. Your program can handle up to 256 different maps (32 come with the original CD), but if it is patched with the 'unofficial' 1.02G patch you can handle over 30,000 maps.

To add new user-made maps you first have to move all the original maps from your CD to your computer and download and install the new maps - some maps are a large download (1.5MB or more in some cases). If you do not move the original maps from your CD you cannot add new user-made maps!

There are a number of procedures to add user-made maps to your computer. The following sections should be read in conjunction with Lasse Jensen's map installation instructions and use text directly copied from Lasse's instructions.

7a. Move all the original maps from your CD to your computer. You need 60MB of disk space to do this and you MUST perform the following procedure for user made maps to work!! This procedure is best answered by Lasse Jensen on Builders Paradise - my advice is to follow his instructions EXACTLY:

[One] Make a directory named "MAP" in your main PGII
directory. This is the directory were there is also sub-directories
named "SCENARIO", "SFX", "USERSCEN" and "SAVE". 

[Two] Copy ALL *.SHP files from the "MAP" directory on the
CD-ROM to this new MAP directory. It about 60Mb. 

[Three] De-select "read-only" on ALL *.SHP files in the new
MAP directory. This is the files you just copied from the
CD-ROM. It WILL NOT work if you don't do this. 
You do this by selecting ALL *.SHP files, right click on them,
choose "properties", and remove the check mark in "read-only". 

You can now play without the Panzer General II CD-ROM, cause
you Maps are now on the hard drive. If you want to hear music
(not sound) and see the smack videos you will still need the
CD-ROM. 
(slightly edited by me on 4/2/2001)

From my experience more problems are caused by not reading the instructions than anything else. To repeat, follow Lasse's instructions EXACTLY (and I do mean "exactly"). 

Once you have moved all the original maps to your hard drive you can play the game without the CD (but without music and scenario introductions and videos). For this to work properly you must switch the music off; start any scenario, press "Additional Options", "Audio Settings" then press the "Music On-Off" button - if you do not do this the program will continually try to access the CD which will slow the game down. If you wish to have the music and videos you either have to keep the CD in the drive or patch your program and move the videos and music from the CD.

7b. What does a map consist of? A map consists of a variable number of files:

*.shp files - there are a variable number of these for each map (usually 9 or 12) and they should be placed in your MAP folder. These files contain all the map graphics;
*.map file - there is 1 of these for every map and it should be placed in the SCENARIO folder. This file tells the program what each hex represents (which hex is city, river, clear etc.)

7c. Downloading new maps: On Builders Paradise the *.shp files and *.map files are available as separate downloads but on other sites the *.map files are included with the *.shp files. Whatever you do, make sure you have all the files, otherwise the map will not work. To get the new maps:

First, go to The Builders Paradise Map Center; find all the maps you want (they are listed by geographic location) - download the files, unzip and extract all the files into your MAP folder. These downloads will usually be anywhere from 500KB to 2MB in size.

Second, go to The Builders Paradise Map Center; there is a button marked "The *.MAP files," click the button and download the file, these are all of the current *.map files which you should unzip and extract to your SCENARIO folder.

Here are Lasse's instructions for this procedure;

[One] Download a Map. These comes normally packed in a Zip
file. 

[Two] Extract the *.SHP files in the Zip file into the "MAP"
folder, in you main Panzer General II folder. This is the
"MAP" folder you made in the First time installation 

[Three] Put the *.MAP file that followers the new *.SHP files, in
the "SCENARIO" folder. This is were all the other original
*.MAP files is. 

NOTE: the *.map files are NOT in the map download on this
site. They are all in a separate download under "The *.MAP
files". You WILL need to download this also for it to work. 
(slightly edited by me on 4/2/2001)


The Builders Paradise Map Center is not the only place to get the maps but does have all of the maps. If you have problems downloading from the Map Center a good site with many (but not all) of the maps is at http://www.oronzo.com/pz2info.htm and many map creators also have their own sites (see the links section of my site). Once you have downloaded the maps place the files in the correct folders (see 7b, above).

The above instructions may seem complicated, but it really is easy once you know what you are doing. If anything goes wrong, look at the map installation FAQ at the bottom of this page. Remember - MOST CAMPAIGN INSTALLATION PROBLEMS ARE DIRECT RELATED TO INCORRECT INSTALLATION OF MAPS!!


8. New video sequences and music:

Some campaigns have custom video or music/sound files. These are always optional (campaigns will always work without them). These files consists of:

*.smk files - the video sequences you see between scenarios, in the SMACK folder
*.mus files - music and spoken briefings you hear when you play the game, in the SOUND folder

To add these files you first have to follow these procedures:

Once all this is done and the patch is installed, and if all the original maps are on your computer, you do not need to play the game with the CD in the drive and you will get all the original sound and video.


9. Special Instructions:

Some campaign designers have special instructions (such as unit limits) which will be noted in the readme file.


10. Where to get more information:

You should familiarize yourself with the information on the sites on my links page - Builders Paradise is your best starting point and you should read everything there if you intend to create your own campaigns and scenarios. There are also a number of forums, also listed on my links page, where you will get plenty of help if you have a problem.


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