ACWGC Engineering Department

This site was designed to provide members of the ACWGC information on the various files used by the HPS/JTS/WDS Civil War Battles game engines to assist them in creating their own scenarios for these games.

Conditions of use

The information provided here is for private use only. Files in these pages cannot be modified or altered without the authors consent. They are not supported in any way by their authors, Talonsoft, HPS, JTS or WDS. The authors are not responsible for any damage to computers or software due to use of files downloaded from this site. You may not sell them in any way or include them in any commercial project. This site cannot be reproduced or modified in any way. Continuing beyond this point indicates your agreement to these conditions.

 

Note for JTS Version Game Owners

There are differences in some of the files from the HPS/JTS/WDS versions and I have attempted to note the differences where they apply. These are primarily differences in versions of the various files.

There will probably be a problem if a pbem game is attempted between players with different versions of the games. It is suggested players note which company and which version they are using to make sure they have the same game engine. This has been noticed since the first updates to the games due to changes in the program made between versions.

IF YOU HAVE THE HPS PURCHASED VERSION YOU CANNOT USE A PATCH FOR THE JTS PURCHASED VERSION. The JTS download versions required an activation code, the HPS purchased games do not. The more recent WDS versions also require a code and some updates may even require a complete new install.

With the passing of John Tiller the rights to the CWB series were passed to Wargame Design Studio
They have continued the excellent support and updates John Tiller provided for the series and you can find the results of their updates at their site's Support page.

 

To edit a .pdt file, or a .oob file.

1. You will need a text editor other than Microsoft Word.
2. It must be capable of saving the files as .txt files to prevent problems.
3. It is helpful in editing OOB's if it has a Find and Replace function.

 

To edit a .scn file

You must use the Scenario Editor contained in all the HPS/JTS ACW games. The instructions shown on this site will assist you in getting started using the editor.

 

Credits

I wish to give credit to the people who have provided a lot of the information I have collected here.
 
First off I'd like to give credit to Robert Leib who years ago provided a site containing a lot of information on the Battleground game files. That was where I first got interested in these files. downloading the Leib utilities and playing around with them, I learned a lot about the Battleground files, some of which is useful when working with the HPS/JTS files. Unfortunately that information is no longer available online, one of the reasons for putting this site together.
 
I also want to thank Rich Hamilton and Rich Walker both of whom have been helpful in verifying a lot of the information on the pdt files presented here.
 
I really want to thank the folks behind the COBEXLAW website. This was another site that helped me in putting together the ACW information. The information provided at their site, although principally for the Napoleonic Era games provided me with a map to develop my knowledge of the ACW files and I borrowed some of my presentations from their website. If you're interested in the HPS/JTS Napoleonic games and want to see what they have avalable check out the link below.

I want to thank anyone I have missed who may have provided any of the information used here. Very little of this came directly from me, I've just been around a long time and being a bit of a pack rat I have collected a lot of info over the years. It has been posted here so that it continues to be available for those who want it.