Hello Everyone,

 

I'm an old GDW Harpoon miniatures gamer who made the jump to HCE. I have cleanly upgraded to the .044 version and it's working with all default scenarios. My problem is that I've downloaded a couple of Westpac scenarios here (like Sprat in the Spratleys) but I can't get them to load properly. What I did is I created a subdirectory inside the \Matrix Games\HCE\ folder and unzipped all the files there. I immediately noticed that Load User Scenario is looking for files that match a .sc? filter. Overriding the filter and forcing the file load results in a GE crash. I searched the General Discussion and the Scenario Design forums but there wasn't a topic close to mine or an FAQ. Please help the hopeless. I'm sure it's something painfully simple.

 

Thanks,

 

-Armando

Understanding HC filenames topic may be of use:

http://harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.php?showtopic=2380

 

Also, just to be clear, you are unzipping the files into that subdirectory once you download them right? (i.e. when you Load User Scenario you are selecting a .SC... file and not a .zip file)

 

As for using the filenames chart, it helps you load the proper battleset for a given scenario so that the Load User Scenario option shows you the scenarios for that battleset.

Tony,

 

Many thanks. My addled brain kicked in after posting but before the moderated post made it up. I vaguely recalled exactly what the post described. It also helped explain why my primitive attempt at a self-authored MEDC scenario failed to load. Works fine now. A bit off topic, but is there any general guidance on the "upgraded" databases and their use? Do I need it to play new scenarios? Other benefits?

 

Understanding HC filenames topic may be of use:

http://harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.php?showtopic=2380

 

Also, just to be clear, you are unzipping the files into that subdirectory once you download them right? (i.e. when you Load User Scenario you are selecting a .SC... file and not a .zip file)

 

As for using the filenames chart, it helps you load the proper battleset for a given scenario so that the Load User Scenario option shows you the scenarios for that battleset.

A bit off topic, but is there any general guidance on the "upgraded" databases and their use? Do I need it to play new scenarios? Other benefits?

 

The version of the HCDB database that came with HCE is sufficient to run all the stock scenarios.

 

Regular updates of the HCDB are produced so that players can produce new user scenarios and custom battlesets. It will also continue to work with the stock scenarios that originally came with the sim.

 

A scenario author should always tell prospective players what database they need to run the scenario.

 

There are also other custom databases available, including the HCDA (which focuses on the Americas), and Rene's database trilogy.