About the 3D graphic of new JT Napoleonic Battles games

[phoenix]

>>>>So it is advisable to buy the games now as long as the unit graphics are not updated if one stongly prefers the old, bigger 3D units?<<<<

Well, sometimes what happens when the games are 'updated' to new graphics is that the size of the graphics files changes. The present plan to make the Napoleonic series look like the ACW series will probably do that, for example - because the size of the graphics files for the ACW series is different to the present Napoleonic size. Which means that you buy your game - as you suggest - with the graphics you think you prefer, then they change it and you have to NOT update your copy to keep the graphics you like (including any graphics mods you use), BUT that means that (a) you don't get the benefit of any programming changes/improvements to game play/rule changes etc that came with the update version, and (b) no files from new games will work with your old game, and hence you can't, for example, play PBEM games with someone who has an updated version. I think I'm right on that.

Actually, graphics aside, if there are coding changes between the updated and old version you won't be able to play PBEM against an opponent with a new version. And I think almost everyone goes for the new versions, usually. Because almost everyone will want, for example, the rule changes making all the Napoleonic titles have the same disorder rules as the new WPW title, so if they just happen to bundle that with a new graphics package then tough luck if you liked your old graphics.

I would put in a plea to JTS to keep graphics changes all with the same files sizes and keep graphics and program changes separate. But maybe this is easier said than done.

[-72-]

So it is advisable to buy the games now as long as the unit graphics are not updated if one stongly prefers the old, bigger 3D units?

Which napoleonic titles have the bigger 3D units and which don't? Looking at the shop images you can see both types and I'm only interested in the games featuring the 'old' look.

That's an interesting question -as there isn't an answer to it yet.  As Phoenix mentioned, it is going to depend on how much the work being done on the 3d side of things is --  -as if the size of those files are changed it would likely mean that new sets of images were being added - and since the OOB file directs the program to call rows of images - it could well mean that it would require redoing the graphics to what you want there, or basically living with it.

To be honest I don't know the answer -- it sort of depends what sort of info you can get from the posted screenshots as to how far down that path things might be going.

I imagine as part of this project they would all end up being done in a similar style from one title to the next -there wouldn't be much reason to change it around from one title to the next if redoing the graphics as a series project.

I'd go with the scale being shown as what is generally going to be made available as a result of this.

I don't know - I mean you should be able to play with some of the coding changes being done - although it would say- if you absolutely hate the idea of more types of units- to add in files that show whatever they were before -you can't just add in a blank area as that should then mean no unit symbol show up on your units. 

Those are all tied to unit class in the OOB files. 

Worst case scenario is if it is something pointing to a graphic that isn't where it is looking for something - it just doesn't draw it - you can see that sometimes with terrain (talking about mods of new updates that maybe had a different file size than what you'd been working on)...

Like Phoenix mentioned - you'll want the updates as those are going to essentially be where the series ends up at.  The graphics can be fixed up later -although it might be one of those things like when I got down to Australia and wanted some Mexican food - nothing like Chipotle or Taco Bell here - so I had to make my own.