Secret Service 54a/SSERVCD_54A.bin/UTILS/CHEATS/ACTUA-ED.ZIP/ReadMe.txt

Text File | 1997-11-28 | 11KB | 252 lines

Actua Soccer Team Editor
Copyright 1997 Alan Harding

YOU USE THIS PROGRAM AT YOUR OWN RISK!  I WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR LOSS OF DATA RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM.

Here's a handy little program that's been hanging around on my hard disk
for a while, which I've decided, prompted by the budget re-release of
Actua Soccer, to release to the public.


What does it do?

It allows you to edit all the information relating to the teams in Actua
Soccer, such as names, positions and attributes of players, as well as
allowing you to fiddle with league positions and details.


What do I need to run it?

It should run on any PC running Windows 3.1 or later (I've no idea about
Windows 3.0, or OS/2 or any other 'Windows compatible' operating
systems/emulators).  I'm not sure about memory requirements, but it needs
a fair percentage of system resources to be free.  It will run on a 640x480
pixel display by not displaying the logo when a file is loaded.  However if
you start it in a larger screen mode and then switch to 640x480 this feature
will not be enabled unless you restart the editor.  You also need a saved
game file to edit, which in turn requires Actua Soccer (Well there's the
obvious pointed out).

Simply execute the ACTUA-ED.EXE file which accompanies this
document using the Run option from the Start Menu/Program Manager,
double click on it's icon in Explorer/File Manager, or create a icon for it in
the Start Menu/Program Manager.  (See Windows help if you can't do
any of these)


How does it work?

It works by loading in a saved game file, performing some voodoo magic
and saving the result to be loaded into Actua Soccer.  Actua gives you 8
save game slots to save, named SLOT_0.ACT to SLOT_7.ACT.  The
editor allows you to load and save .ACT files with different names, but if
you want Actua to notice them you must save them in the Actua Soccer
directory on your hard disk with a name in this range.  When you load a
file into the editor the name you gave it in Actua Soccer is displayed on the
title bar of the window along with the filename.

Although it is usually possible to reverse the effects of the editor
please back up any important save game files - I will not be held
responsible for damage to save game files.


What's on the menu?

The editor has a standard menu bar with three menus and an 'About'
option.

The File Menu

    Open - Reads a saved game file into the editor to be
    altered using the standard Windows file dialog.  (See above
    for info on filenames)

    Save - Saves the current file, once again with the Windows
    dialog (this always acts as a 'Save As'; that you are always
    asked for a filename to save to).

    Cheat Mode - Actua has a cheat mode that is activated by
    running it with the command-line
    'SOCCER -01142475549'.  This allows you to play as (or
    against) the Gremlin Showbix XI, a pretty good team.
    Unfortunately if you load a game which was saved
    without the cheat mode on, it will be turned off.  This menu
    option allows you to select whether the cheat mode should
    be activated when the file is loaded.

    Exit - I'm through pointing out the obvious.


The Team Menu

    Import - Loads in a team saved as an .ATE file by the editor.
    This allows you to save individual teams separate from a
    saved game file (team files can't be loaded by Actua Soccer).
    The currently selected team is overwritten by the saved data.

    Export - Saves the currently selected team as a separate file.
    (See above)  Note: league information is NOT saved in a
    team file.

    Copy & Paste - These work like the Windows clipboard
    and allow you to copy the currently selected team to a
    'clipboard' (an internal one, not the Windows one) and paste
    as many copies as you like.  Pasting overwrites the currently
    selected team.

The Player Menu

    All the options on the Player menu are the same as the Team
    menu (See above), except they deal with just the currently
    selected player, not the whole team.

    About - Displays a nice little 'About' dialog window, like any other boring
    Windows program.


What do all these buttons do?

Once you've loaded a file the window will expand to give you a wealth of
options.   The window is split into two sections; at the top is the team
section that allows you to pick which team to edit and contains all the team
info such as league information, and at the bottom is the player section that
allows you to pick players and change their details.


Selecting a team

Teams can be selected from the drop down text box.  Once a team is
selected the window shows the information relevant to that team.  You can
change the name of the current team by typing one into the drop down text
box; make sure you press TAB or click on another button or text box
when finished - if you Save the file, export the team, or choose another
team before doing this, the changed name won't be stored.  There is a
short name for the team as well (which is used most of the time), so
change that as well.  You can also change the name of the coach (you can
do it in Actua too), change the current and default formations for the team,
and change which flag is used to represent the team by picking from the
drop down selector. (Note: any name changes to (short) team names is
reflected in this selector).


How to play dirty!

So far the features covered are merely cosmetic; but you can use the
editor to cheat as well.  In the middle of the window is the league statistics
for the selected team (if no league game was in progress when the file was
saved it is meaningless).  Here you can edit the wins, draws and losses the
team has had, as well as the goals for and against.  The games played, goal
difference and points are automatically calculated and can't be edited
directly.  This allows you to boost your team to the top or sabotage a
competitor.

If this isn't enough for you, the Swap button allows you to swap positions
with any other team, allowing you instant promotion to a higher league
group.  Simply select a team from the drop down box (the group each
team is in is shown before the team name) and press the Swap button (the
Group X label above the league details will change to reflect the swap).
The swap feature will work even if there is no league game currently
started - the swap will affect the default groupings for the next started
league game, however it won't work if a cup competition is in progress.


Editing your players

This is the real reason I wrote this program - the changing of player
attributes.  This is because I tried to update the England team from within
Actua Soccer, and although I could change the names, I couldn't specify
that Robbie Fowler (who replaced Andy Cole) was white!

Players are selected in the same manner as teams, and there names
changed in the same way (you have to press TAB here too).  The
currently selected player's attributes are shown and can be changed either
by using the plus and minus buttons, or by clicking on the numbers and
using the keyboard.  Actua usually has a limit of 100 on these attributes,
although the editor allows you to go up to 255.  Warning: setting attributes
(especially Pace) above 100 can have some strange effects (try it and
see!).  You can also set which position the player plays in and his skin
colour - Robbie Fowler is white again!


Notes

Although it is possible to produce a team full of players with hyped up
attributes, it isn't recommended - Actua Soccer subtly changes the
effective attributes of computer teams by looking at your team to even the
teams up a little.  This can have a big boost on the computer team when
you field a line up of supermen!  To counter this I find it helpful to have 16
special players (for the starting 11 and the substitutes bench) and then fill
the rest of the team with crap players with low attributes (ideally all set to
1).  This seems to balance things out a little when playing a computer team
(it can sometimes penalise the computer even though you're playing as a
far superior team!).

Here's another little cheat for Actua Soccer - it works on my version (1.4)
but as it is a bug it may have been fixed in later versions.  When a player is
sent off, you can still substitute him!  Simply select the offender as the
player to go 'off' and make the substitution - the 'on' player simply strolls
on to the pitch, unnoticed by the referee!

This program has been tested with save game files from the English version
1.4 of Actua Soccer.  I doubt the save game format differs for any other
version (I'm not aware of what's available, although I know there have
been some special versions for 3D accelerators, but I don't have one!),
but if you have a different version, and you get an 'Invalid File Format'
error, this is what's happened.  Sorry there's nothing I can do about it.


Bugs

Unfortunately I can't fix any bugs in the program because I left college
(where I wrote the editor in Visual Basic).  There are no major ones that
I'm aware of (touch wood) but if you find any just live with them.  One bug
is that if you try to load an invalid save game file after editing a valid one,
the window won't resize properly.  This is purely cosmetic, so it's not too
bad.

The only other problem I've had with it is that sometimes the player names
are mucked up when loaded into Actua Soccer.  This doesn't affect the
attributes and such, and can be remedied by renaming the players again
using Actua's built in Customise option.  Files with this problem will still
load into the editor without any problems.


Is this wonderful program free?

Not exactly.  I intend it to be 'giftware' - that is I give the program to you
as a gift and although it's not necessary, kindness says that you should give
me a gift in return.  I would prefer a monetary gift of as much as you feel
the program is worth (in English pounds please) and can afford - a tenner
will do, but I won't stop you sending more!  Otherwise send me whatever
you think appropriate.  (See address below)

You are free to distribute this program in any way you want (as long as no
profit is made) - Internet, shareware CD-ROM, magazine cover disk etc.
- as long as ACTUA-ED.EXE and this document are kept together
(CMDIALOG.VBX and VBRUN300.DLL are generic system files and
do not have to be distributed with this program even though they are
required - if your copy of this program doesn't include these files, and they
aren't on your PC, try the Microsoft Internet page, or look around your
CD-ROMs and disks; they are common files, odds are you have them
somewhere).

Post:
    Alan Harding
    123 Reading Road South
    Fleet
    Hampshire
    GU13 9TD
    ENGLAND

e-mail:
    [e-mail]

WWW:
    www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Horizon/6364/

Actua Soccer is Copyright 1995 Gremlin Interactive Limited

REMEMBER: YOU USE THIS PROGRAM AT YOUR OWN RISK!  I WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR LOSS OF DATA RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM.