Batch and Delevent Files

[Patine]

Two questions. First, every time I'm making a batch file in MS-DOS and type a command line with echo in front, it immediately displays what's after the echo when I press Enter. Is this a problem, and if so, how do I fix it? Second, I know a delevent.exe file is something line the command line "delevent blank.scn," but how do I actually create the @#%$& thing; is it done like a batch file or is there another method?

[Harry Tuttle]

Delevant is actually a file contained in the Civ2 directory. Just cut and paste it into your scenario folder. The batch file should use delevant to wipe your events out of your save file when the batch file is run. The following is the batch file I used to run Atomic Eagle. Try using it as an example. I hope this helps.

@echo off
cls
echo.
echo Atomic Eagle Part 1 (V.1.0)
echo.
echo (Loads graphic, rules, and event files)
echo (load a chapter according to where you are in the game)
echo.
echo Which Chapter do you wish to load?
echo.
echo 1. Chapter 1
echo 2. Chapter 2
echo 3. Chapter 3
echo X. Exit without Loading
echo.
choice /c:123X Enter your selection

if errorlevel 10 goto done
if errorlevel 9 goto done
if errorlevel 8 goto done
if errorlevel 7 goto done
if errorlevel 6 goto done
if errorlevel 5 goto done
if errorlevel 4 goto done
if errorlevel 3 goto Three
if errorlevel 2 goto Two
if errorlevel 1 goto One

:One
echo.
echo Chapter 1
copy rules1.txt rules.txt
copy units1.bmp units.bmp
copy cities1.bmp cities.bmp
copy events1.txt events.txt
copy labels1.txt labels.txt
copy 1extra2.wav extra2.wav
copy 1extra3.wav extra3.wav
copy 1extra4.wav extra4.wav
copy 1extra5.wav extra5.wav
copy 1extra6.wav extra6.wav
copy 1extra7.wav extra7.wav
copy 1custom1.wav custom1.wav
copy 1custom2.wav custom2.wav
copy 1custom3.wav custom3.wav
DELEVENT Atomic.sav
goto done

:Two
echo.
echo Chapter 2
copy rules2.txt rules.txt
copy units2.bmp units.bmp
copy events2.txt events.txt
copy labels2.txt labels.txt
copy extra2x.wav extra2.wav
copy extra3x.wav extra3.wav
copy extra4x.wav extra4.wav
copy extra5x.wav extra5.wav
copy extra6x.wav extra6.wav
copy extra7x.wav extra7.wav
copy custom1x.wav custom1.wav
copy custom2x.wav custom2.wav
copy custom3x.wav custom3.wav
DELEVENT Atomic.sav
goto done

:Three
echo.
echo Chapter 3
copy rules3.txt rules.txt
copy units3.bmp units.bmp
copy cities3.bmp cities.bmp
goto done

:done
echo.
exit
quit




------ edit: and what do you mean in MS-DOS? A batch file is (to my knowledge) made by typing in the commands above into a .txt file and saving it with the extension of .bat

[Patine]

That is tremendous help. Thanks a lot! And, as for why I would use MS-DOS, a Internet site on batch files told me to use that format and didn't mention text files. I think Mercatore Uno gave me the link in another of my threads on the issue.

[Mercator]

You must've misunderstood... Batch files are, well, a batch of MS-DOS commands put together in one text file.

[Boco]

Long ago, I used "COPY CON X.BAT" to generate short bat files, ending with a control-Z. Since Civ2 bat files are anything but short, and since it's easier to modify an existing template, I just use Notepad now. Just make sure the extension is .bat not .txt.

Btw just in case you didn't test it, the 'echo.' in Merc's example simply displays a blank line. In addition, you must have at least one character of text after the /c:123X argument in the CHOICE line. W98 will work without it, but XP chokes severely.

[Mercator]

Hey, I didn't know about that "copy con" thing.