Wargame toolbox from PzC engine?

[10-3 SquadLeader]

After 10 years and 18 PzC titles does the time come for HPS and J. Tiller to offer the excellent PzC engine as a complete wargame toolbox with map editor?
Last 3 years there is just 1 title (and based on purely hypothetical campaign). We covered the majority of WW II intersting, decisive battles. We hear that there are some more, interesting, titles in the pipeline.
I don't think that there will be a significant loss of profit for HPS and J. Tiller if a wargame toolbox be offered.
Say that I (and anyone else) own the wargame toolbox and HPS offers a new title (Tunisia, Balkans, WW I subjects). The onlly sure case is that I (and anyone else) will hurry to obtain the new title.
There is a huge wealth of info (and work) in every one PzC title published. Personally, I learned much more about, say, Kursk, Stalingrad or Bulge campaign playing PzC than reading decades of books.
I hope this is a subject for discussion in TillerCon III.

Regards
Panagiotis

[Mike Bowen]

Many years ago I saw an interview in which JT said they would need to charge $100 to do that. Since then I have spent much more than that. Do I mind? Not really there are enough to play the quality is always good or better. I never have time to do the changes or additions I would like to anyway. This would come under the heading of it would be nice but not essential in my view

[P.Ako]

Many years ago I saw an interview in which JT said they would need to charge $100 to do that. Since then I have spent much more than that. Do I mind? Not really there are enough to play the quality is always good or better. I never have time to do the changes or additions I would like to anyway. This would come under the heading of it would be nice but not essential in my view

Yeah, i agree with you, i also wanted a map editor for PzC and MC to create enormous maps to represent even bigger battles, but after thinking a bit about it i thought that i would not be doing nothing due to my lazyness, and with this way we have asured good quality titles poping from time to time.

[Dog Soldier]

FWIW, such an addition would only come after they fold the tents and close the camp on PzC / MC. With such a toolbox there would be no need to create new titles as anyone could then do it.

As a practical matter, I can not see that happening. BTW, who wants to sell their company for a mere $100? Maybe Aurthur Anderson or Lehman Brothers would....

Dog Soldier

[Glenn Saunders]

FWIW, such an addition would only come after they fold the tents and close the camp on PzC / MC. With such a toolbox there would be no need to create new titles as anyone could then do it.

As a practical matter, I can not see that happening. BTW, who wants to sell their company for a mere $100? Maybe Aurthur Anderson or Lehman Brothers would....

Dog Soldier

Let me just add that it would not just be fold the tent on PzC and MC - I would suggest JT uses a simliar editor for the Nappy and ACW Series. And how different do you think the map editor is for Squad battle. We've also done some work on a new series which people haven't seen yet and this too involves a map editor which is a variation on the PzC Map editor.

The fact is - this series is NOT one that was designed to allow someone to buy a title and then use that to build whatever battle they wanted too.

If players are after something like that than I would recommend something like TOAW which was designed to allow players to buy the game and then use it to "roll their own".

Glenn

[DaveK]

I think the more relevant question-- after 10 years (or 15, if you reach back into the Talonsoft origins of the Tiller games), aren't we all overdue for a new game engine?

This was never a great engine to begin with, and the AI has always been atrocious. After 15 years and over a thousand of my dollars donated to Mr. Tiller and Co., I'd vote for a grand game editor to close out the series, and a new game engine that uses code written in the 21st century.

BTW, the argument that "If we put it out there, amateurs will make the scenarios and we'll never sell anything again" strikes me as preposterous. How many amateur scenarios and campaigns have even a fraction of the research that HPS puts into a game? Even something like Bolt Out of the Blue has taken years of collaborative work, and most of that built on what HPS put in there already. All the gamers on this board-- HPS's customers-- would buy new games with an HPS "seal of quality" even if they owned the engine. Those who wouldn't pirate the games already, you're not losing their business.

I vote for open source. What's the fear at this point? HPS will never be a major publisher, they'll always cater to an insanely loyal niche market who spends money on every game, no matter how ill-thought out.

It's like the DRM arguments-- does HPS trust their customers, or do they fear them? (Fear them, I'd say, given that HPS still insists on the copy protection scheme that stops absolutely no one from playing without the CD).

Anyway... old story, sour grapes, I admit I'm grumpy. I want more HPS games, I want to *give them more of my money*, but they won't release them on a normal schedule anymore, grrr.

[wildb]

If you have not noticed, HPS is moving away from the CD lock. I know Austerlitz does not have it. Several of the recent upgrades have removed the CD lock.

[Mr Grumpy]

If you have not noticed, HPS is moving away from the CD lock. I know Austerlitz does not have it. Several of the recent upgrades have removed the CD lock.

I believe that every HPS title will not need the CD in the future and the old titles will include this feature when next updated.

[Marquo]

"I believe that every HPS title will not need the CD in the future and the old titles will include this feature when next updated."

I would like nothing more than to fire up the games directly from my hard drive, and to stop constantly fiddling around when I want to switch games. Also, I fear losing the CDs on trips, etc. However, there are 17 PzC titles and the last update posted on the HPS site was 16-Jan-2009, that is one and a half years ago. Any idea when such an update may occur? It would be much appreciated.

Marquo

[Tide1]

I think the more relevant question-- after 10 years (or 15, if you reach back into the Talonsoft origins of the Tiller games), aren't we all overdue for a new game engine?

This was never a great engine to begin with, and the AI has always been atrocious. After 15 years and over a thousand of my dollars donated to Mr. Tiller and Co., I'd vote for a grand game editor to close out the series, and a new game engine that uses code written in the 21st century.

BTW, the argument that "If we put it out there, amateurs will make the scenarios and we'll never sell anything again" strikes me as preposterous. How many amateur scenarios and campaigns have even a fraction of the research that HPS puts into a game? Even something like Bolt Out of the Blue has taken years of collaborative work, and most of that built on what HPS put in there already. All the gamers on this board-- HPS's customers-- would buy new games with an HPS "seal of quality" even if they owned the engine. Those who wouldn't pirate the games already, you're not losing their business.

I vote for open source. What's the fear at this point? HPS will never be a major publisher, they'll always cater to an insanely loyal niche market who spends money on every game, no matter how ill-thought out.

It's like the DRM arguments-- does HPS trust their customers, or do they fear them? (Fear them, I'd say, given that HPS still insists on the copy protection scheme that stops absolutely no one from playing without the CD).

Anyway... old story, sour grapes, I admit I'm grumpy. I want more HPS games, I want to *give them more of my money*, but they won't release them on a normal schedule anymore, grrr.

Insanely Loyal?......Insanely Loyal?.... Insanely Loy......Insane Yup I guess so maybe I'm not sure where did I leave my Korson cd?..........they are supposed to be in order of date......:)