BLITZKRIEG START TOOLS v1.

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Terminology For the purposes of the application and this document mod usually refers to a modification that is installed and run directly from the Data folder and not a modification that is activated using the Load Mod option in the game. These mods, stored in the separate mods folder, are hereby referred to as full mods. Introduction The Blitzkrieg Start Tools application is an alternative to starting Blitzkrieg using the standard shortcuts created when the game is installed. Feature List Enable and disable profiles containing favourite mod files (and maps) in Blitzkrieg, Burning Horizon, Rolling Thunder, Stalingrad, The Day After or World War One and start the game directly from the application. Build new profiles using mod files already present in the game data folder. Start the game with any available full mod pre-loaded. Start the game using the windowed or ShowScriptErrors options. Create desktop shortcuts to Blitzkrieg games with a full mod pre-loaded. Start the game with an available saved game activated and ready to play. Enable or disable the DTF Stalingrad ailogic.dll file prior to playing. Warnings when texture levels are not set to High. Switch between Mission Kursk multiplayer (with patch 1.5) or single player. The installer will install a sample set of mod profiles in a folder that can be chosen at the time of installation. The sample mod profiles folder (the default name of which is Blitzkrieg Mod Profiles) contains CCM Realism mod 1.28, the Hagelsturm Summer Terrain mod and Tasty Poohs' Ambient Effects. The folder also contains three special folders that should not be deleted. These are: !DTF ailogic.dll !Original ailogic.dll !Mission Kursk MP Patch The first folder contains a copy of the Stalingrad ailogic.dll file. The second contains a copy of the original ailogic.dll file and the third is used to swap out the Mission Kursk MP Patch 1.5 file. These special folders are not displayed in the list of available profiles as they are not designed to be activated in the normal way. For effective use it is recommended that your Blitzkrieg data folder is cleared of mod files (texture, sound, gameplay PAK files for example) prior to using the application.

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Using the Profile Tools Blitzkrieg Start Tools can be launched from the shortcut that is created on your Windows desktop or from the Blitzkrieg Start Tools program group on the Start menu. The first time the application is run you will be prompted to select your Blitzkrieg root folder. This is the folder that contains the game.exe file and. For CDV distributions this is typically the Run folder. After this folder has been selected the main application window will be displayed:

The Profiles list contains the profile folders and represents the profiles that are available for activation in Blitzkrieg. These folders are stored under the path you chose to install the sample profiles to.

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Using the Profile Tools (continued) The Active Profiles list shows which profiles have been activated in Blitzkrieg. If a profile is selected in the list (by a single mouse click or use of the arrow keys on the keyboard) then its contents will be listed in the Selected Profile Contents list below. Finally, the Blitzkrieg Data Folder box lists the entire contents of your Blitzkrieg data folder. You can merge files listed here into new or existing profiles (see below for more information). The Blitzkrieg root path and the mod profiles path can be viewed by hovering the mouse over the relevant window and waiting for the tooltip to appear. The status bar at the bottom of the application screen displays the current Blitzkrieg game folder that is being worked with. The mod profile path can be changed using the Set Profiles Folder option on the Profiles menu. This folder can be opened in Windows Explorer using the Open Profiles Folder option on the Profiles menu. The Blitzkrieg root path can be changed using the Set Blitzkrieg Installation option on the Tools menu. If you switch between one Blitzkrieg folder and another (for example between Blitzkrieg and Rolling Thunder) then the active profiles are remembered for each installation. When a new path is selected it is added to the installations drop-down list. With this list you can maintain several Blitzkrieg installations and easily select each one simply be selecting it in the list. Installations can be removed from this list using the Delete button next to the drop-down. Working with Profiles To enable a profile simply select it in the profiles list and click the closed angled bracket (>) button in the centre. The selected profile will then be listed in the Active Profiles list. This process copies the files from your mod profiles folder into your Blitzkrieg data folder. It is important to know that if a file with the same name already exists in the data folder then it will be overwritten with the version in the profile. Multiple profiles can be enabled at the same time by highlighting the required profiles using the mouse or keyboard. To deactivate a profile select it in the Active Profiles list and then click the open angled bracket (<) button in the centre. The profile will then be removed from the Active Profiles list. Multiple profiles can be disabled by selecting several entries with the mouse or keyboard. NOTE: When a profile is activated the files are copied from the profile folder to the Blitzkrieg data folder. When the profile is deactivated the files are deleted from the data folder. They will still be stored in the profiles folder.

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Merging Existing Files into Profiles Files already present in your data folder can be merged into any profile. This is useful if, when you first run Start Tools, your data folder contains existing mod files. To merge files first of all select the destination profile folder in the Profiles list. Then select one or more files in the Blitzkrieg Data Folder window, right click them and select the Move File to Selected Profile option from the pop-up menu. After confirmation the file(s) will be moved to the profile folder selected. Maintaining Profile Folders Your own custom profiles folders are maintained using Windows Explorer. To make a new profile create a new folder under the mods profile folder (which was chosen during the installation of the sample profiles) and then copy your required files into this new subfolder. These files are typically in PAK format but it is possible to store and activate modified consts.xml files as well. Profile folders can contain as many mod files as you like - you are only limited by free disk space. If you create a new profile or update an existing one outside of the application then use the Refresh Folders option on the Tools menu to rebuild the profiles list. Full Mods Section The section with the Full mods available from main Mods folder caption lists all the full mods installed under your Blitzkrieg Run\Mods folder. Selecting a mod from the drop-down list and then clicking the Create Shortcut on Desktop command button will create a shortcut to Blitzkrieg with the selected mod pre-loaded on your desktop. The shortcut will take into account options selected in the Other Options section (see below) except loading a saved game. If the Start Game button is clicked then the game will start with the selected mod pre-loaded. In version 1.5 the ability to launch saved games from mods saves folders was introduced. With this you can select a mod and a saved game for the mod and launch Blitzkrieg with the mod activated and the map loaded.

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Other Options The Other Options section allows you to start Blitzkrieg in windowed or full-screen mode and / or with the script error debugging option enabled. Click the check boxes next to each option to enable or disable as required. The Load Saved Game drop-down list contains a list of saved games from the Saves folder. Any selected saved game will be loaded automatically when the Start Game command button is clicked. NOTE: the switch used to load a saved game does not work with file names that contain spaces. This includes the automatic Mission End Auto, Chapter End Auto files. As a consequence only quick.sav or custom file names will be listed. ailogic.dll Switching This option allows you to run Blitzkrieg using the DTF ailogic.dll file (that corrects the firing through buildings bug, amongst others) or with the original Nival file. Both files are installed with the main application. If you already have the DTF ailogic.dll file in your root Blitzkrieg folder then this option will be checked automatically. Mission Kursk MP Patch 1.5 Support If Mission Kursk is selected in the Load Mod drop-down prior to clicking the Start Game button then the application will check for the presence of the Mission Kursk Patch 1.5 file in the Mods\Mission Kursk\Data folder. If this file is found then you will be asked whether you want to play Mission Kursk in single or multiplayer modes. If you choose the single player option then the Mission_Kursk_Multi_Player_1.5.pak file is moved out of the Mission Kursk data folder prior to the game being loaded with the Mission Kursk mod loaded. After Blitzkrieg exits you will be prompted to move the file back. If you do not move the file back then it can be restored manually using the Restore Mission Kursk Patch 1.5 option on the Multiplayer menu. Miscellaneous When the Blitzkrieg root folder is selected the config.cfg file is read. A warning will be displayed if your texture level is set to anything other than High. The map editor for the current install can be opened from the Start Tools application using the Start Map Editor open on the Tools menu. On the same menu is the Explore Data Folder option. This will open the Blitzkrieg data folder (for the current installation) in Windows Explorer.

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Example Usage Create a Profile for the Achtung Panzer! Campaign (This assumes the campaign is already installed in your Blitzkrieg data folder.) In Windows Explorer create a new subfolder under your profiles folder called Achtung Panzer (for example). If Start Tools is already running click the Refresh Folders option on the Tools menu to make the new folder visible. Select the profile folder in the Profiles list and then highlight all the Achtung_Panzer files in the Blitzkrieg Data Folder list. You can select a group of files by dragging the mouse over them or using SHIFT with the arrow keys. Right-click your selection and click Move File(s) to Selected Profile from the pop-up menu. After confirmation the selected files will be moved to your Achtung Panzer subfolder in the profiles folder. When you want to play Blitzkrieg with the Achtung Panzer! campaign just select the profile folder and use the > command button to enable it in the game. Credits Blitzkrieg Start Tools copyright [BKP] September 2006. Unashamedly built with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. Version 1.5 compiled January 2007 No responsibility will be accepted for loss of data caused by use of this application. For support please use the Blitzkrieg Portal forums