Well it’s really weird - I can’t reproduce the error on my copy of IE6 on my basement PC, but maybe it’s a different version?
In any event, it has actually sparked me to start thinking about a complete re-build of AACalc that would ditch the OOL fields entirely. It would also ditch the individual unit fields.
Instead, there would be one line for each side, and you would enter text like “6 Inf 1 Bom 3 Arm 2 Ftr” - OOL would simply be the order the units are listed in. It would also then allow you to split the units, eg: “1 TRN 1 AC 2 DD 2 Ftr 1 AC 1 BB” - so one AC is taken early as a casualty, but the other one is saved for later.
I might shorten the unit codes too, eg: I for Infantry, A for Art, T (Tank) for Armour (what they’re actually called in AAR) and so on. Spaces would be optional, so you could enter “6I2A3T2F1B” or “6I 2A 3T 2F 1B” or “6 I 2 A 3 T 2 F 1 B” or maybe I could even support “6 Inf 2 Art 3 Tanks 2 Ftrs 1 Bom” - it would just take the first letter, and/or work with a table of standard abbreviations - or is that too much work?
Because this would be a significant change to how combat is administered “under the hood” it will probably mean reworking the “engine” from pretty much the ground up. This could be a good thing because when I first started on this project, I had only played A&A once or twice, I really didn’t understand opening fire, how subs worked, and a lot of things. As I learned these things I patched them in but the result was extremely complicated code that just spun out of control and is now a nightmare to work with.
Now that I actually understand the combat sequence and some of the difficulties in coding it, I think I could create a leaner, meaner script that would also be easier to debug and revise, and also to add new units and rules to - eg., National Advantages etc. This will also simplify the form somewhat while increasing the power and flexibility of the utility I think.
But, it’s not going to happen over night. Just thought I’d post the idea here for feedback.
