Quick Update on Game Development

[Sgt_Rock]

LOL Xaver ;) We didn't think of that name or we would have asked your permission to use it! ROFL

Last of the artwork is trickling in. Mark Adams announces the sports games at his school so he has really been cramped for time lately. But its coming soon.

[Sgt_Rock]

Game should be out by next weekend or sooner if all goes well. I did a massive review over the last few days, found 60+ files that needed corrections and the last of the artwork will be ready by tomorrow.

Excited for you guys! This one is a lot of fun to play.

[Xaver]

Great, this means next week we are going to have game.

Maybe in weekend when all job is done we can have a preview of title.

Expect if be as good as it sounds.

[Sgt_Rock]

Just installed the "Pre-Release Review Build" yesterday. The team and I are looking over the game for the next few days. I already have made a few minor changes to a couple of maps. Nothing major - just the routing of the roads.

Others are checking the images for the leaders and units, the tutorial text, etc. Just a lot to look over in these games.

If I feel we need more time I will extend the review to next week.

Here are the main things that I like to catch:

1. Obvious text errors.

2. Missing supply wagons or no artillery ammo.

3. No release time for fixed formations.

4. Missing leaders for brigades or upper echelon.

5. Missing stream, road and other terrain sections where its obvious they should exist.

6. Incorrect number of turns (default is 1 turn ... I cant ever remember putting out a scenario with just 1 turn and I never hope it happens either).

7. We use SSRs in this game - Special Scenario Rules - the reference in the Scenario Description to any text file must use the correct file name.

8. Reinforcements: Artillery enters reinforcement unlimbered. Infantry is in Line .... Saw this happen in another game series. Called it out. Someone tried to tell me that the designer may have wanted it like that. Er, I dont think so ;) The nearest enemy unit was a long way off. Its not like there was an artillery target sitting near the board edge.

Etc ....

There is a lot to check. I think I could spend six months reviewing a game and never catch it all but this time I will say that I have done my best to ensure that the obvious mistakes have been taken care of.

I will be ensuring that the Scenario file names and titles match the text in the Scenario list. There are a lot of scenarios in this game. Its a laborious task but its worth the time and effort to do it. I already noted that one scenario was listing the battle as "Variant" when in fact the file name indicated that it was "Historical." The Scenario lists have already gone out to the club admin people in three online gaming clubs. As far as I am concerned the files need to match the list at this point and not the other way around.

[Xaver]

Yep, that kind of bugs are true killers... i remember when i try create scens and need delete reinforcement entry, put units in correct formation and aiming to correct area and again code reinforcements 

Expect last minute corrections and fixes go fine 

[-72-]

"8. Reinforcements: Artillery enters reinforcement unlimbered. Infantry is in Line .... Saw this happen in another game series. Called it out. Someone tried to tell me that the designer may have wanted it like that. Er, I dont think so ;) The nearest enemy unit was a long way off. Its not like there was an artillery target sitting near the board edge."

Don't be so sure, Bill, as I am pretty sure that I have seen and reported on stuff like this in a test before only to be told by the designer that it was supposed to be that way ...    it can happen exactly that way, and sometimes issues are called out in the test but get left in anyway.

[Sgt_Rock]

Well, Steve, in this case it was Smolensk '41, its a Germany artillery battery and no Russian in his right mind attacks in the campaign scenario ROFL

The unit came in unlimbered/Setup - it was out of range ... and nothing I could say would sway the folks to change it.

Not even sure that its been changed. All I can say is that it was the ONLY battery setup like that. They could say all they want .. its obviously an error ;)

When I get emails like that .. I just say "yup, you got that right, we will change it."

No supply wagon on the other hand can be by design. If supplies were low then a missing wagon is not out of the question.

[Xaver]

With supply wagons i prefer EAW solution, one wagon for arty only and other for infantry only and could be great they work only by the mother formation to prevent use wagons from a well supplied units in other... not all units have same level of supplies in a battle.

But apart all this "i cant believe i did it"  time is passing and expect bug hunt is close to the end... if you dont find a " Mayor Alan "Dutch" Schaeffer " hide in the mud, the mother of all bugs