JTS The Seven Years War Released

[-72-]

Xaver, mate, you have to pay attention who's material to read ;)  Plus -it is fairly easy to add in some beveling textures - I did that on some of the Squad Battles material I had been playing around with. I can't say that I felt all that welcome here from the community, when I was working on that SB stuff -so I mean fair enough... I will just put together something on my own when I feel like it. I doubt it will look like the below ... haven't thought about it, but if anyone has followed my material in the past 12-18 months (like on FB with screenshots) - I think each scale needs its own distinct look and feel.

The maps, themselves, were done by Nick Bell -and he did a great job. The art... hrm, that's a tough one.  I do have a mod put together, as there are some files that are only able to be used in Seven Years War. Since they can't be used in other titles, in order to come up with some sort of continuity, some files had to be changed. There are still some tweaks I want to make for the next title.



http://hist-sdc.com/spotlights/mp_syw.htm

And if interested you can spot some spoilers for the REN update in the user manual file ... the majority of which I had ample time to take on while recovering from a serious injury that I got playing hockey.

http://hist-sdc.com/images/spotlights/mp...mpuser.pdf

I did the towns more in the style of the 70's SPI titles, as I thought that they fit the scale better.

[Xaver]

Well i finally do my megabuy earlier and leave a 2nd one when PzB-NA41 be released... expect i can keep this hide to NKVD 

Ummm i see fast the update REN manual and the most clear changes are in unit backgrounds... suisse and french units (but now i remember use a mod maybe i am wrong here), i need take my time and try find if in text are new hidding diamonds.

I find SYW as a good title, if you come from nap series is easy adapt to the title, you need keep in mind things like take it "easy" with formations (here is similar to ACW with only 2 formations (until i read no square present i smash the block buttom all the time  ) if you dont have in consideration the deploy skirmish option in ACW) and if you play REN are old friends like see the unit value in victory points and the bonus to melee (i spot in rusian units the old +2 fanatical bonus).

One thing i notice is how small is the presence of high quality units, C-D are the core of your armies and i am curious about performance with this low levels of morale (remember me a little in Waterloo the carefull use for prussian landwehr units) and the use of musket VS improved musket, diference is small (compared with nap titles) but is an interesting thing to have in mind.

Force have units all the time in commander range to enter in melee is a great idea to prevent the use of "recon" commanders, i think this rule could be very usefull in EAW and Nap series, i find it an easy but elegant solution for an old problem.

One thing i miss is the 3D, a title based on this period is perfect to enter in 3D and see your brave pixels before you send them to his digital fate 

Music is MIA to but i play with no sound so is not a problem.

The art improvement is very good, maps now are better colored and is a joy open minimap, i know i see the village art in other title but i cant remember where... could be SB???.

The only thing in new art i think you need improve is the unitbox because is very hard know when an unit is selected or not, when unit is selected the nation flag in the background doesnt change (usually when you select an unit the full unitbox appear more shiny in other titles) and using for all nations a dark background made less noticiable when an unit is selected or not.

Other possible improvement could be try do like in a .... FIW mod (i think is FIW) where the soldier portrait has as background when is possible the regimental flag... here i find strange have german units using as background flag the Union Jack... i imagine when the soldier portrait lacks a background appear the unitboxbackground no???

Out of this the title is great and open an interesting option in the M&P serie to cover more XVII-XVIII century wars-battles i think many players think now in a war set in north Europe... and other set in south Europe 

Thanks for a great title for one of the "Ugly duckling" series in Tiller "small" selection of wargames 

[-72-]

I don't think there is anything in the text that is hiding like that.  The next title isn't to that stage yet (yes there are some draft art for it).

3D can be added - all one needs to do is drop in the files from any Napoleonics title, or REN.  The program will read those ... of course it would need to be changed to fit whatever you like to see as the period.

I have a few units that were being worked on a long time ago, but it was more of a decision, would the artist's time be better used in the Napoleonic Battles titles - and it was decided that it was - so you got more Napoleonics titles during this period than you might have otherwise.  Then after that decision was made, no one else who we got could or would do them. I, not entirely joking, have said I probably ought to learn those files at some point.  But then again doing the art was never supposed to be my role in there. It became my role when the project got left with incomplete material, but I wasn't paid for that part - frankly it was more about getting it to the point where it could be released. 

The village art was the other artist's in the credits - although I did have to change around those files too so that different building colours were used on different terrain types (in other words, make buildings one colour, town hexes another, and then I think chateaus another - plus try to make them look a bit differently - personally while the walls I put on those are usable for the purpose, none of those are what I would have used myself.  It isn't really a decision that needs to be made, because as it happens, there are some graphic files that are only able to be used in SYW (in terms of permission for stock graphics), so those are all a one off. 

Flags:  the original idea was to be to have the unit types colour coded (the NATO symbol on the unit picture) - however, that wasn't my idea at all, and it was decided (not by me) to go with different nation colours than what were originally being used in what was provided.  In truth, it was only ever, originally based upon the colours used in REN -the exact same colours per slot on the unitbox, leaderbox in the Info folder, and the files with counters in the Map folder.  I do hear what you are saying, and just consider the flag in the background what side that the unit is on within the context of the game. 

I see what you are saying though -and the problem with that (keep in mind that I agree with what you are saying) - is the background was added to the unit picture to blend in with the specific background file.  Again this one wasn't my idea, but I wasn't willing to re-work all of those images.

The only thing in new art i think you need improve is the unitbox because is very hard know when an unit is selected or not, when unit is selected the nation flag in the background doesnt change (usually when you select an unit the full unitbox appear more shiny in other titles) and using for all nations a dark background made less noticiable when an unit is selected or not.

 

I'll give it a try; it sounds easy enough to do, so I will see what I can do. It sounds like a fairly easy tweak. I appreciate the feedback.

[Alpha Zwo]

3D can be added - all one needs to do is drop in the files from any Napoleonics title, or REN.  The program will read those ... of course it would need to be changed to fit whatever you like to see as the period. 

Many years ago someone created a Mollwitz mod for Campaign 1776 with very nice unit graphics. I dropped the 3D files into the SYW map folder but when I try to switch from 2D to 3D the game crashes to desktop. It does so because C1776 is neither a Napoleonic nor REN title?

I have waited for a SYW game for so long and am really happy it has finally be released. First PBEM battle already underway. The graphics are nice but the units look, IMHO, a little bit sterile. Would it be possible to bring the units referring to the SYW period of the attached Mollwitz mod units.bmp into SYW?

[-72-]

3D can be added - all one needs to do is drop in the files from any Napoleonics title, or REN.  The program will read those ... of course it would need to be changed to fit whatever you like to see as the period. 

Many years ago someone created a Mollwitz mod for Campaign 1776 with very nice unit graphics. I dropped the 3D files into the SYW map folder but when I try to switch from 2D to 3D the game crashes to desktop. It does so because C1776 is neither a Napoleonic nor REN title?

I have waited for a SYW game for so long and am really happy it has finally be released. First PBEM battle already underway. The graphics are nice but the units look, IMHO, a little bit sterile. Would it be possible to bring the units referring to the SYW period of the attached Mollwitz mod units.bmp into SYW?

I got that same ctd when using EAW files -my best guess is that the files from EAW are different from Napoleonics Battles and Musket and Pike series.  There were some file name differences, just in skimming these,

I did promise (somewhere) an early resize test that I had done for SYW, but never had anywhere near enough art back to create a file.



Only those in grey were part of the test and I was using REN ...

I had a look at your file, and will get back with you on that with a more detailed post than what I have time for right at the moment.

[Xaver]

Thanks for the reply.

Great, now i understand the function for NATO counters in the unit portrait, they represent NATIONS, i think represented unit types (in summer i am not in my best moment, my spider sense is )... where i can see the list with the relation NATO counter colour-Nation??? i dont see it in the PDFs.

Anyway even using the NATO icon i find more inmersive and informative do like in the FIW mod and when is possible place in the unit portrait background the regimental flag+a small nation flag and if is not avaliable the regimental flag use the nation flag, the specific nation flag for the unit, not the army flag because to know the army we have the counter colour in the moment is not possible have in same army OOB structure diferent nations with diferent counters-unitboxes (i refer you need create a new army to use a different counter and unitbox for units).

Is not possible use the files from EAW in M&P, well, same if you try port a file from a different serie, i think in BMP every icon (for counter, unit portrait, 3D image...) has a number that represent the position into the BPM and this position is linked to the point it is used (i remember see mods for other Tiller games where in the unit portrait appear a number adn when you edit the OOB you use these numbers to link the portrait to the unit).

Apart this when REN receive the 3D art i think the .exe file was changed to allow the use of 3D because i think to use 3D you need the game support it, is not simple place the files with the correct links, engine needs support 3D.

Yea, i remember that 1776 mod, even i remember another one that in 2 days or less was removed because Tiller ask it.... he was working in a title covering the mod material... maybe this title???.

Thanks for take in consideration the modification for unitbox, is true that SYW uses a different unitbox, a lot darker, and the same for all nations... maybe in next titles (and retrofited to SYW) a good idea could be use different boxes for different armies like in nap serie, use the counter colour in the unitbox to.

In the unit 3D i allways like a lot the Nap art, the used now is perfect to represent infantry in line and give cavalry a good look, i never like a lot the big soldiers because 4-5 never give me the sensation of combat line.

EDIT: I find the mod!!!, yes, was for FIW title, this is what i want say about the unit portraits and the background.

I cant upload the file because is to big... well i can post the image at least.

[rahamy]

We had a couple of issues to resolve, and since its so close to release we went ahead and did a new build. I'm uploading that now, so anyone who purchased it will be getting an email from our system telling them a new version is available. Its legit, just uninstall your original copy and do a new install with your existing one. There will be a new button on the Optional Rules page labeled "default", clicking it will set all the default optional rules.

[19 Delta]

We had a couple of issues to resolve, and since its so close to release we went ahead and did a new build. I'm uploading that now, so anyone who purchased it will be getting an email from our system telling them a new version is available. Its legit, just uninstall your original copy and do a new install with your existing one. There will be a new button on the Optional Rules page labeled "default", clicking it will set all the default optional rules.

I was mighty suspicious with that, thank you for the heads up rahamy ...

[-72-]

Thanks for the reply.

Great, now i understand the function for NATO counters in the unit portrait, they represent NATIONS, i think represented unit types (in summer i am not in my best moment, my spider sense is )... where i can see the list with the relation NATO counter colour-Nation??? i dont see it in the PDFs.

*.* It isn't in the pdfs , as frankly, they need to be changed to match the game's use of colours for nations or ditched entirely.

Anyway even using the NATO icon i find more inmersive and informative do like in the FIW mod and when is possible place in the unit portrait background the regimental flag+a small nation flag and if is not avaliable the regimental flag use the nation flag, the specific nation flag for the unit, not the army flag because to know the army we have the counter colour in the moment is not possible have in same army OOB structure diferent nations with diferent counters-unitboxes (i refer you need create a new army to use a different counter and unitbox for units).

*.*: It wasn't my file - however based upon the structure of the engine there are up to 15 different 'national' army slots from which to function, however Seven Years War doesn't use all of those slots. The backgrounds are limited (in the programming) to the number of nation slots ( unitbox.bmp, leaderbox.bmp) - part of what you are addressing is touching on art-style, and those files were not something that I had come up with.  What I think you are saying is -- put the regimental flag (or whatever unit) on the image itself. Technically speaking it can be done -although if one does do this, they would then have to edit the OOB files so that they point to the images that they have provided.

Is not possible use the files from EAW in M&P, well, same if you try port a file from a different serie, i think in BMP every icon (for counter, unit portrait, 3D image...) has a number that represent the position into the BPM and this position is linked to the point it is used (i remember see mods for other Tiller games where in the unit portrait appear a number adn when you edit the OOB you use these numbers to link the portrait to the unit).

*.*  -Yes you can literally use any image that you like in there -although see my above answer -you also have to make sure that the OOB file points to the image that you want to use. I think too, if you play PBEM then your opponent probably also has to be using the same OOB as you (not 100% sure on that and don't have time to check it out - but it should be easy enough to find out if that works ... if you do this mod, play someone pbem and something doesn't work -it is likely they need your OOB file that you changed around.

Apart this when REN receive the 3D art i think the .exe file was changed to allow the use of 3D because i think to use 3D you need the game support it, is not simple place the files with the correct links, engine needs support 3D.

*.*  Ren had 3d in the play test -it was placeholder Napoleonic Battle series - the exe file was not changed to disallow this, am pretty sure (SYW wasn't - I know that -since I tested it out within the last couple of days). What happened was all of the 3d art files were simply not shipped with the title.  You don't need an engine change for this - it works now, which is why I posted a screenshot on the SDC FB group page of Kolin (on, naturally enough, the Kolin map) in 3d. I did that yesterday- so it isn't as big of an issue as you might think, but you do need the correctly named files to make it work.  The files that start '3D' in the Napoleonic Battles (or REN) Map folder are the names of the files that you need in order to make this show up.  Again though you would want to change the unit files to something appropriate for the period - and then change around the OOB file to have it point to the new material that you added ... incidentally that is why sometimes you might see a unit base but no unit ... there is nothing in the unit files so you basically get a 'blank'.

Yea, i remember that 1776 mod, even i remember another one that in 2 days or less was removed because Tiller ask it.... he was working in a title covering the mod material... maybe this title???.

*.* Maybe- I don't honestly remember- but it could well have been.

Thanks for take in consideration the modification for unitbox, is true that SYW uses a different unitbox, a lot darker, and the same for all nations... maybe in next titles (and retrofited to SYW) a good idea could be use different boxes for different armies like in nap serie, use the counter colour in the unitbox to.

*.* It can be done, but I am not sure that I will have the time to do it (as they got me doing more than just art and graphics now.).  However, that being said ... continuity is a thing - so not saying never... just don't know if or when I will. The next title won't use this style, that much I can say.

In the unit 3D i allways like a lot the Nap art, the used now is perfect to represent infantry in line and give cavalry a good look, i never like a lot the big soldiers because 4-5 never give me the sensation of combat line.

*.* The units in EAW (3d) are probably closer to uniform style ... it can be done. It might have to be from someone else other than me, though.

EDIT: I find the mod!!!, yes, was for FIW title, this is what i want say about the unit portraits and the background.

I cant upload the file because is to big... well i can post the image at least.

Added my responses with a *.* ... Love your work, as always, Xaver ... you always give me something to think about.

[Xaver]

No, thank you to read my ravings 

Ummm i cant enter in facebook to see the 3D image (i dont use it, i never was on this social "tools") but i notice somebody is doing 3D soldiers for game, if you are SDC in matrix forums you know what i want say.

In the UI improvements... if you are working in a new M&P title (another first day buy) is possible at same time work in improvements for SYW, until we see something official maybe we can see a mod.

I remember in REN see 3D released later but is true that i dont remember now if patch come or not with a new .exe.

Saddly i cant say more about that mod for 1776 because i learn about it after was removed.

Well, i have more time today and test it a little more, i really like the solution you find for the commanders, have units out od command detach them and limit their tactical use is a simple but elegant solution but a little question, in other Tiller titles when an unit is out of command range apart appear in detached status the unit name (the one that appear in the unit box, under the portrait) change to a gold-yellow colour to made players notice easy when the unit is out of command... is possible do this to in SYW??? now appear the word detached under the unit name box but is in the same white colour and unit name stay in white.

Thanks for the reply and good job done in SYW, expect we can see improvements and more M&P titles, with them and the new impulse to update other Tiller "forgoten series" next years are going to be fun.