Windowed Mode

[ypsylon]

Well I bought WWI ~month ago and I posting this even if last post here is 3 weeks old. I find ths game very good. 2 things which annoying me to hell are Map (it wont be changed so I not wasting time moaning about it) and windowed mode.

Is there any way to run WWI in a movable window? I have 23" LCD [2048*1152 - 16/9] and I dont know if it is normal behaviour but when I select 1024*768, window is always sticked to the left top corner. Also when game is running in a window you still need Windows button to open Start menu or Alt-tab, Alt-Enter to minimize window so you can work with something else. Surely whole point of windowed mode is to have real multitasking. Why screen is locked ("Lock" Full screen is NOT selected)?

Of course game running well in a full screen, but it is very slow at times (on a quite powerful PC). I thought that windowed mode will help (and I thought you can access other applications when running in window), but so it seems than running in window is more trouble than it is worth.[:(]

[06 Maestro]

WW1 will not run in Window mode. If you run it in 1024x768 without the window lock it will appear as windowed, but it is still not really windowed. If you are using only one monitor and want to use another program, I think you are dependent on keyboard hot keys or minimizing the game. This was the situation with the game about 6 months ago-I'm not aware of any changes regarding this. Actually, the second monitor does not help that much as the cursor will not leave the game while it is expanded.

Use of screen grabbers and other programs will still work-just need to open those before the game to have them ready for hot key use.

Regarding the speed of the game; try using the "square" symbols or square sprites-that should help. There might be some other settings that will help, but don't recall at the moment. The game should be running fairly smooth at this time.

I agree that this is a good game. After a rather hellish start it had been dramatically upgraded/repaired to a well running game. There are still some bugs, but not game breakers. The next very big item that is on the agenda to be fixed is the multi player synchronizing-it apparently does not work very well at this time. I suspect that after the next patch; activity in this forum will pick up again.

In the game configuration I have 4 items unchecked (there should have been a reason for that even if I cannot remember[;)]-those are; Lock full screen mode, load all sounds at start, play sounds in streaming mode, and AI logs. All the other options are checked including "disable vertical sync". With a late model CPU and 2 gigs or more of ram it should be running fine.
Hope that helps.

Addit-Of course, the Windows key will minimize the game.

[modrow]

I have been interested in the title for quite a while now, but took the silence in the forums as a hint that there may still be notable issues. You seem to say this is not the case.

So in case I would buy this now, what would I have to do to make it stable and playable - apply the latest patch evidently, but anything else in the configuration of the game ? Also, I think there were some problems with wego in this game - are those still on ?

Thanks for the update

Hartwig

[06 Maestro]

ORIGINAL: hartwig.modrow

I have been interested in the title for quite a while now, but took the silence in the forums as a hint that there may still be notable issues. You seem to say this is not the case.

So in case I would buy this now, what would I have to do to make it stable and playable - apply the latest patch evidently, but anything else in the configuration of the game ? Also, I think there were some problems with wego in this game - are those still on ?

Thanks for the update

Hartwig

The multi player features are not working right now-I'm under the impression that no one has been able to make it work. This really is too bad in my view as this is one of the prime reasons I bought it-4 player games. The developer is working on a fix, but apparently it is slow going.

As for the stability of the game; the CTD problems were fixed about 5 months ago. There are still some small bugs, but those are relatively minor-as far as I can recall. I just played a few hours tonight (for the 1st time in a couple of months) without any problems or bugs at all. I did notice at least one event pop up that was not entirely logical in its explanation-I think its just a language thing-I know what they meant.

As for ease in play, I would suggest turning off most of the event messages. The default has them all on at installation. There are far too many for my taste-you can always add them back in through the options window. Also, try my configuration I mentioned above. If you have a late model PC you should be able to use the sprites-I can, but prefer the counters or square sprites.

Be aware the map is something many refuse to accept as playable. It is something that I was able to get used to. It is slanted to the NE-takes a while to find your way around-especially on the Eastern Front. One tip I would offer for ease in seeing your fronts is to use the diplomatic map mode and switch to the terrain map only when you have too. Make regular use of the mini map too.

There no doubt are quite a few more minor bugs left in the game, but other than the multiplayer features, there are no game breakers. Also, the game turn is organized into phases-quite different from most other games. Its not that difficult, but will take a little more time to learn/understand what it is doing.

The lead programmer of this game is apparently engulfed in his day job. The quick fixes that he provided to issues as those arose during the first few months of the game are not happening right now. He is reportedly working on another good patch-also, he recently provided a nice update for the manual at Ageod.

If you like in depth strategy games and are interested in WW1, then I think you will like this game. It still is not perfect, but other than the multiplayer problem, it is very close (or at) to par.

The ai has typical abilities-enough to keep you gussing until you have played the game a while. One drawback on the ai is that if you play the CP you will have to do A/H and Germany as the ai is not up to the task of making a good long term fight if you split the alliance. This is not a problem if you want to control the whole side.

[06 Maestro]

I should add that there is a demo available at Ageod. I hope it includes the 106 d patch.

[ypsylon]

OK, thx.

Slowdown only appearing during Military phase when AI moving whole load of units and banging with some Events after that. Game lack seriously option to move units fast without animation. The only option I have ticked in the Game Configuration is AI Memory. Everything else is off. Music is boring after 2 repeats and effects annoying. Minimizing application need some work (waiting for all units to move takes time and I usually switching to something else). Unless I have other stuff running in the background in full-screen mode game always bring map back again. Trying to click minimized to tray program is like using boxing gloves to remove light bulb.

However I must add. I dont know why so many people complained about bugs. I played this for ~10 days with 1.01 version and never had single error box, mixup, etc... Of course I running now with 1.06d (under W7 32b/C2D/8800/4GB RAM).

In relation to hartwigs post. I not lost my mind to buy this via Matrix store. Price is abolutely prohibitive (40 Euros is far outside my tolerance level). In particular with staggering ammount of negative feedback about stability and bugs. Bought brand new boxed version on eBay for 7 Pounds (8.3 Euro). Matrix pricing policy is really 8th wonder of the world. War Plan Orange 40 E, I bought it for equivalent of 5$ from my local store 2 years ago, and same with few other titles.

Im scared already about World in Flames after 10 years of development. [;)]

[06 Maestro]

ORIGINAL: ypsylon
Slowdown only appearing during Military phase when AI moving whole load of units and banging with some Events after that. Game lack seriously option to move units fast without animation.

There is a slider bar in the options list that allows for unit movement speed control. There is a rather large difference from fast to slow. For me, it is the difference of about 4 seconds per unit to 1 second per unit (not including rail moves which can be twice as long).

The only option I have ticked in the Game Configuration is AI Memory. Everything else is off. Music is boring after 2 repeats and effects annoying.

Having everything unchecked does not make the game run faster-or better. It all depends on what kind of system you have. You can always control the volume from the game control panel.

Minimizing application need some work (waiting for all units to move takes time and I usually switching to something else). Unless I have other stuff running in the background in full-screen mode game always bring map back again. Trying to click minimized to tray program is like using boxing gloves to remove light bulb.

You may be right about needing to wait until movement is done before pausing the game (I think it should be paused before minimizing). However, this should not be a long wait-again; check the movement speed slider. About minimizing-I don't recall there being a button for that-perhaps there is, but I always use the Windows key.

However I must add. I dont know why so many people complained about bugs. I played this for ~10 days with 1.01 version and never had single error box, mixup, etc... Of course I running now with 1.06d (under W7 32b/C2D/8800/4GB RAM).

The game did have serious stability problems when it was released-and during the first few patches. I recall laughing at it after I had more than 1 CTD on my first trying the game. It was a very interesting game right from the beginning-it just was not, shall we say, cooperative for many players.

In relation to hartwigs post. I not lost my mind to buy this via Matrix store. Price is abolutely prohibitive (40 Euros is far outside my tolerance level). In particular with staggering ammount of negative feedback about stability and bugs. Bought brand new boxed version on eBay for 7 Pounds (8.3 Euro). Matrix pricing policy is really 8th wonder of the world. War Plan Orange 40 E, I bought it for equivalent of 5$ from my local store 2 years ago, and same with few other titles.

We all do what we gotta do. However, you should realize that if everyone bought their games like that there would soon be no more Matrix Games (or others like it). This means that you would never even hear about many of the best military type games ever made-because they would not even be made.