So Then What Does One Do When........

[Mike Abberton]

If we are truly going to treat the Matrix version as a new game, and if we are going to recognize that the scenarios are affected (some for the better, some for the worse) with the new rules, then does it make sense to have two sets of scenarios in the database?

Stats such as balance, rating, win-loss ratios, etc. that can be used to pick a scenario to play (something I do almost every time I start something new) will be misleading depending on what version they were played under. It will also serve to identify to those who choose to return to the Talonsoft version what scenarios are Matrix only.

Any thoughts?

I think that would be a good way to go, but theblitz web programmers would have to do a little brainstorming to come up with an approach that wouldn't take hours and hours of programming.

It would be great if a giant copy/paste could be done in the database, and then a group edit to place one copy in the "talonsoft version" and the other in the "matrix version". It would look like two separate games in the pulldown (sort of like the old RS:Gold versus regular RS). Not sure if the Blitz database format supports that, but we can do similar things with Access here at my work, I think. We'd have to remove any 1.04 specific scenarios from the Talonsoft list.

As far as divvying up existing game results, you'd either have to pick a date and assume anything older than that date is Talonsft and anything newer is Matrix. That date could be the release date of 1.03 or 1.04 or some other date. Since the Matrix changes pre-1.03 were pretty minor from a game mechanics point of view, that seems like the natural break point. Not sure if that is possible, though. Otherwise, you'd have to just pick a date to implement the two "games" and assume all the old results are Talonsoft, I guess. That way the Matrix scenario listing could start from scratch to build up accurate win/loss ratios, ratings, etc.