von Marwitz
Forum Guru
NOTE:
With the release of VASL v6.6.7 in November 2023, an auto-update fuction has been implemented into VASL, which will handle most of the things to update a VASL file from an older version automatically, which needed manual attention before v6.6.7.
Cheers go out for Doug Rimmer taking up the idea of programming this.
A new thread on updating VASL files from older versions can be found here:
Click this Link.
von Marwitz
VASL - How to update old VASL files to the current version
(A word ahead: This thread describes the process in painstaking detail and is intended to serve as a knowledge base. In practice, the time required to update the scenario described in the example should cost you merely something in between 5 to 10 minutes depending on the detail into which you go.)
The below instructions refer to the combination of VASSAL v3.4.12 and VASL v6.6.1 as of 10. January 2021.
However, the method described should work in general with other versions, too. At least since roughly VASSAL v3.4.10 an issue seems to have been resolved that formerly made the updating process more difficult.
The method described works with VASL files as old as v5.9.2 (at least this is the oldes VASL file I have tested it with, dating back to 2010).
In the following, I will provide a documented walk-through by example of a pre v6.2 VASL file.
Please note, that by this method you can quite quickly update an old VASL file - or your old archives. If you do so and send your updated files to the contact email provided at vasl.info, you might become part of a larger effort to create a collection of up to date pre-made setup files which will save many players a lot of time to create these themselves.
Disclaimer:
For copyright reasons, I strongly propose never to make publicly available or upload pre-made VASL files anywhere that would make the ownership of the scenario card unneccessary to play the given scenario. You should leave out VC, SSR, and pictures, for example. This is not legal advice nor would I be qualified to provide such. Whatever you do, you act under your own responsibility and - of course - should act responsible.
Walk-Through Instruction Example
For the walk-through example, I will use a the Scenario T2 'The Puma Prowls', the scenario card (not the VASL file) is available for free download from the MMP website here.
The original VASL file I will use for the Walk-Through has originally been created in November 2014 using VASL v6.1.
Step 1:
Find your scenario and load it into VASL.
Your current VASL will most likely notify you of a 'Save Game Mismatch'. Press 'Yes' to open the file. Note that after the updating process, you will not be able to open the updated files with many old versions of VASL any more. If you want to retain your old original VASL file, you should save your new file under another file name.
The old VASL file should now open. Sometimes it seems to take a considerable while, which seems to be the case especially if you had included links to external picture sources as part of HTML code in Draggable overlays. Formerly, pictures sometimes were a big issue as older versions of VASSAL crashed which made your old VASL files practically inaccessible.
The VASL controls window informs you of the (old) board versions you had used in creating the original VASL file and tells you which board versions (likely newer) you are currently using. It also informs you about Extensions that were installed when the original VASL file had been created. Normally, this should not be an issue. But if you had used an Extension for some special counters for example which you have not installed any more, then - of course - these counters will not show. Also note, that the 'Refresh Counters' updating process will - as far as I know - only work for counters inherent to the current version of VASL.
Here is what the old VASL v6.1 file looks like:
Disclaimer:
As T2 'The Puma Prowls' is available for free download on the MMP website, in this particular case only I do show the VC, SSR, and picture. Normally, I strongly advise not to make such information available in publicly accessible VASL files for copyright reasons. See my Disclaimer above.
Where older VASSAL versions might have crashed opening this v6.1 file due to the picture included, the current VASSAL version v3.4.12 can handle it. So far, so good.
You will note two things (red numbers 1 & 2 in the screenshot):
To be continued in subsequent post...
von Marwitz
With the release of VASL v6.6.7 in November 2023, an auto-update fuction has been implemented into VASL, which will handle most of the things to update a VASL file from an older version automatically, which needed manual attention before v6.6.7.
Cheers go out for Doug Rimmer taking up the idea of programming this.
A new thread on updating VASL files from older versions can be found here:
Click this Link.
von Marwitz
VASL - How to update old VASL files to the current version
(A word ahead: This thread describes the process in painstaking detail and is intended to serve as a knowledge base. In practice, the time required to update the scenario described in the example should cost you merely something in between 5 to 10 minutes depending on the detail into which you go.)
The below instructions refer to the combination of VASSAL v3.4.12 and VASL v6.6.1 as of 10. January 2021.
However, the method described should work in general with other versions, too. At least since roughly VASSAL v3.4.10 an issue seems to have been resolved that formerly made the updating process more difficult.
The method described works with VASL files as old as v5.9.2 (at least this is the oldes VASL file I have tested it with, dating back to 2010).
In the following, I will provide a documented walk-through by example of a pre v6.2 VASL file.
Please note, that by this method you can quite quickly update an old VASL file - or your old archives. If you do so and send your updated files to the contact email provided at vasl.info, you might become part of a larger effort to create a collection of up to date pre-made setup files which will save many players a lot of time to create these themselves.
Disclaimer:
For copyright reasons, I strongly propose never to make publicly available or upload pre-made VASL files anywhere that would make the ownership of the scenario card unneccessary to play the given scenario. You should leave out VC, SSR, and pictures, for example. This is not legal advice nor would I be qualified to provide such. Whatever you do, you act under your own responsibility and - of course - should act responsible.
Walk-Through Instruction Example
For the walk-through example, I will use a the Scenario T2 'The Puma Prowls', the scenario card (not the VASL file) is available for free download from the MMP website here.
The original VASL file I will use for the Walk-Through has originally been created in November 2014 using VASL v6.1.
Step 1:
Find your scenario and load it into VASL.
Your current VASL will most likely notify you of a 'Save Game Mismatch'. Press 'Yes' to open the file. Note that after the updating process, you will not be able to open the updated files with many old versions of VASL any more. If you want to retain your old original VASL file, you should save your new file under another file name.
The old VASL file should now open. Sometimes it seems to take a considerable while, which seems to be the case especially if you had included links to external picture sources as part of HTML code in Draggable overlays. Formerly, pictures sometimes were a big issue as older versions of VASSAL crashed which made your old VASL files practically inaccessible.
The VASL controls window informs you of the (old) board versions you had used in creating the original VASL file and tells you which board versions (likely newer) you are currently using. It also informs you about Extensions that were installed when the original VASL file had been created. Normally, this should not be an issue. But if you had used an Extension for some special counters for example which you have not installed any more, then - of course - these counters will not show. Also note, that the 'Refresh Counters' updating process will - as far as I know - only work for counters inherent to the current version of VASL.
Here is what the old VASL v6.1 file looks like:
Disclaimer:
As T2 'The Puma Prowls' is available for free download on the MMP website, in this particular case only I do show the VC, SSR, and picture. Normally, I strongly advise not to make such information available in publicly accessible VASL files for copyright reasons. See my Disclaimer above.
Where older VASSAL versions might have crashed opening this v6.1 file due to the picture included, the current VASSAL version v3.4.12 can handle it. So far, so good.
You will note two things (red numbers 1 & 2 in the screenshot):
- In case you had opened this file with the old VASL v6.1, the offboard margin would have been half as wide and the boards would show closer to the Draggable overlay with the VC & SSR. Formerly, the margin used to be half as wide, since VASL v6.2.2. this has been doubled to allow more room for counter placement offboard.
- Any counters and Draggable Overlays are not moved, though, so they will be in scewed position in relation to the boards.
To be continued in subsequent post...
von Marwitz
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