Note for JTS Version Game Owners

For those of you who purchased the JTS versions of any of the games I've been told that the various files used for the games are the same.

There may be a problem if a pbem game is played between one player with a JTS purchased version and another with the HPS purchased game if the most recent patch has not been applied to both. This is no different than what used to happen between two players who purchased HPS games that were not patched to the same version.

IF YOU HAVE THE HPS PURCHASED VERSION YOU CANNOT USE A PATCH FOR THE JTS PURCHASED VERSION. The JTS download versions require an activation code, the HPS purchased games do not. I know because I was asked to test a patch and I didn't realize it was a JTS version until I applied it and the game asked for an activation code. Without the code you will have to uninstall and reinstall your HPS purchased version.

With the halt to HPS updates you will need to switch to the JTS versions to get the latest versions. To do so you need to contact JTS support. Up until June 2020 this was offered free with proof of purchase, unfortunately that offer has now ended.

With the recent updates by the Wargame Design Studio the HPS/JTS games have more updated graphics and some other improvements.
You can find these updates at the John Tiller Software site Updates 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 .map files you will need

1. A map editor. The map editor from East Front can be used but the files need to be modified before they will work in the ACW game engine.
2. A text editor as noted above to modify the .map file
3. A checksum calculator, one is available for download on this site.

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 want to give a special thanks to Kennon Whitehead who has permitted the posting of his Checksum Generator program.
 
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.