Introducing Wargame Design Studios

[wiggum]

In few words, when they have a title 1 year in the catalog they release a discount of around 20% the problem is they do discounts only in november-december but last times they introduce titles under 1 year here with smaller discounts 10-15%, over 1 year is possible see bigger discounts and even over 50% discounts.

Yes, as i said thats true for Slitherine, but then again, whats your point ?

My point here is that Matrix-Slitherine ALLWAYS had discounts on their politic of prices maybe not common and arrive late for newer titles BUT have them, instad Tiller NEVER release a discount the only thing he do is remove the physical part and sell the games cheaper than HPS... but not cheaper compared with NWS if you have in consideration shipment (now Tiller games cost the same tham physical copies from NWS, a CD+CDbox).

Again, whats your point ?

Releasing PzB on Steam will NOT financially hurt Tiller or WDS !
Their usual customer base will buy the game anyway at release + instead of a few sales in later months they will sell vastly more because much more people will discover the game on Steam.
+ If they decide to do a -10% sale or something after a year this will get the game back to the frontpage of the worlds biggest gaming website...i mean, how much more advertisement can you possible imagine ?

And yes, now PzB have few competition in Steam but in future Matrix is going to release the reworked version of Campaigns (like they did with Middle east) and in 3-4 titles, ONLY 3-4 you can have all WWII covered and in a game with 3D tools to edit EVERTHING.

And whats your point again ?
How would this affect sales of PzB on in a negative way ?
People are as likely to buy the reworked version of Campaigns at Steam no matter if PzB is there or not.

@wiggum
Do you really think I waste my time an explain you the trouble that can come with steam when your ignoring even simple facts.
Your just totally ignorant about this platform and that is surely nothing that WDS will do just because you think steam is the solution to every problem that Tiller games ever had.
Get lost Bavarian!

We are all still waiting for those "facts"...

Seriously...
Steam is the worlds biggest platform for gaming and maybe already the biggest platform for pc wargames...so why would you not put your new game their too ?

Steam is ranked #178 in website popularity (calculated using number of daily visitors) worldwide !
Tillers shop site is #754373
So basically you show the game to 4000 times more people !

Put it up their too, never do a single discount and you will still generate many additional sales !
People like you who think Steam is the devil can still get it on Tillers site.
I have the feeling you just cant stand the thought that new, younger players, basically HoI or Total War guys (the guys you call "wannabes") would discover and play the game because that would in your mind degrade the experience of playing real hardcore sh*t thats only to be played by real "grognards".

[wiggum]

Hi,

I have 2560 x 1440 monitor to develop and play the games on and yes we need another zoom level. This comes with implications - you can either do it the way Tiller did it in PzC with a 'fake zoom' which just takes the graphic set and doubles the size with no change in detail resolution or you add another 'real zoom' level where all the graphics need to be replicated at this higher resolution. It is definitely on our wish list to discuss, but it is not currently on a list to action.

David

As you have access to the code, you should increase the resolution of basically every graphic to a more modern one, basically leaving the Win95 era resolutions behind.
Then even "fake" zoom would not look as bad as it does currently.

[Xaver]

Well, adapt counter size to new resolutions for me is good, specially using an extra zoom level... maybe here something to made ultrazoom more powerfull is do like in CS serie and show in the icon the unit stats (at least soldiers/guns-quality-fatigue-on command).

In engine is present... at least in PzC-MC series, when you enter in 3D you can see that info in the 3D counters.

Other improvement for me is made soldiers in HQ units be showed in OOB tree in a diferent counter... separate soldiers from HQ to know better whats the true combat strenght and maybe like in Nap titles somekind of info about disrupted-broken units.

I am curious about PzB3... french presence and at same time polish presence... i dont remember they be in same battle at same time... in Crusader no french but polish troops and in Gazala-El Alamein no polish troops 

[wiggum]

Also, remember the whole discussion about Disruption and broken results ?

Will you work on this mechanic ?
Currently we still see that units can be pushed in a unrealistic fashion.
40 men platoons who are down to 12 men, which would mean 75% casualties are still able to fight without being permanently disrupted or broken in PzB which is highly unrealistic.

I was told that these units are "ineffective" but the AI will still throw them at you which kills the immersion for me.

[Xaver]

With disrupted and broken units i allways feel they are hard to destroy... i refer that when you read about combats overun units is very common overwhelm them with an attack in the correct moment (like launch counterattacks very succesfully with the same unit removed from the position something i miss in Tiller games).

I think that with expansion of fronts covered and with the appear of special nations like Japan some kind of work could be done here.

I think in a change in engine to made assaults more powerfull VS damage units.

Example:

Disrupted unit + one level of fatigue at least (losing one quality level by fatigue i want say) + beind at E or inferior quality level means that when the unit is assaulted is destroyed by enemy IF is not a fanatical unit (here play with fanatic rule help increase historical performance of certain nations)

With this a normal unit, quality C, when lose 2 quality levels by disrupted status+one level of fatigue is at E quality and is possible when is assaulted destroy it... with this or you move back your disrupted units to avoid they be destroyed OR you need reinfoce the defense with non disrupted units... maybe here is necesary to somekind of stack value to avoid masive losses... something like more than 2 units in the hex are not overwhelmed by assaults or something similar.

With this counterattacks are very dangerous to and you need think more if burn units in a position is a good idea when enemy can counter you.

Other point to touch is armor VS infantry specially in early periods... here base defense in hard attack values and give a bonus in assault for tanks based in how big is the armor defense VS hard value.

[Al]

This is great news! I know you said that the initial focus will be on the Panzer Battles series but I am wondering what this change will mean for Panzer & First World War campaigns?

[BigDuke66]

They said they are full but I wonder if their improvements can be used by Tiller and added to other series. There should be so much similarity between all seres to allow that.

[PzKw43]

I stopped playing Tiller games when I got a higher resolution monitor and have been waiting for support for higher resolutions. The fake zoom should have been a short term fix. The games are well researched and the IGOUGO game has evolved but the map graphics have not. 4k monitors are coming down in price. It's overdue for an upgrade to the various zoom levels.

I hope WDS gets the code to FWW.

[-72-]

I stopped playing Tiller games when I got a higher resolution monitor and have been waiting for support for higher resolutions. The fake zoom should have been a short term fix. The games are well researched and the IGOUGO game has evolved but the map graphics have not. 4k monitors are coming down in price. It's overdue for an upgrade to the various zoom levels.

I hope WDS gets the code to FWW.

But is it the graphics or the style of the maps? What I mean by that is, there is a reason that the maps are assembled in the way they are - the hex-centric, layered approach, as opposed to one big map image - and that is directly due to file size.

I think that in the Civil War Battles, Antietam title, what with what Frank Mullins' group did with that shows that you can do it (ok I guess technically the Battleground series also had to work the same way) -but those maps are big file sizes, arguably too big, where the really large maps are impractical to do as a single image file.

The layered approach allows for far greater flexibility, or at least that is the technical, and non-aesthetic side of the decision.

Now that being said, yes I agree with the magnified zoom level being less than the ideal solution; yes I have to make that argument myself to the powers that be - that being, I can and will make it happen. It is not a problem. I don't know what the answer will be -but that being said- I am actually in the role there that I would be the guy who has to do it.

How do you show it? I guess the only way would be to take the graphics from one of the series other than PzB and plug it into PzB (since it is the only series that currently is using this approach), and then making the presentation that it is not an inordinate amount of artwork (adaptation basically ) to be done, so as to have additional native graphics levels and not rely on magnification. 

Short answer- yes it can be done, and it is something that I am going to make the pitch to do (and then dumbly on my part- probably get made to do it). :)

I guess the (rhetorical) question becomes- the point is that it is still using layers -is that really going to be enough?

I can't and won't pretend to answer for David as to where they want to go with things; I imagine though they still have to work with optimal file sizes.

[Xaver]

Something i am curious (another one hehehe) is the jungle terrain... is going to work like the bocage in PzC??? is going to be more than 1 jungle terrain type???

I understand to that at least are needed 2 diferent jungle types, one that can work as bocage, where assault is the best way to damage enemy and that prevent movement (i really want someday that terrain type affect stacking to) and a second type softer that works like forest in PzB.

The interesting point is going to be how engine balance movement in Pacific titles... specially in scens that are more than a head to head combat... to offer some movement options, another point is how balance AT weapons, if i dont remember bad were used 37mm AT guns with shrapnel VS japanese troops... how is going to affect this to soft attack value... specially to balance attack range.

In tech area... is obvious that someday in close-med future engine is going to receive a rework to adapt it to modern hardware and software, engine is very capable but as everything you need rework it.