Slightly confused about the graphics.

[Tomus]

I love Matrix Games and own all the wargames they have made and I am not a graphics man by trade.

However are the screenshots of the game located on this page the actual ones used in the Matrix version or from some older Harpoon?

I mean look at this one:

What is going with the font in that? It looks like something running on a Commodore 64. Please tell me those aren't the available graphics.

No offence but I don't mind COTA graphics or BiI graphics but these look truly shocking like from 1993 or something. I know its all about gameplay but is there no chance that these would ever be updated? Or are they updated?

[HercMighty]

Actually comapred to the commanders edition I like these. And yes, this is how the game still looks.

[Tomus]

Thanks Herc, thats cool.

[Adam Parker]

Yep it's the original Harpoon 2 Multimedia addition in total looks down to the little videos. Very retro but its a long unseen relative come home to me [:D]
 
One BIG tip guys. When I fired the game up I couldn't get it to fill my screen and I thought "what the... that's too retro!"
 
But here's the way to get the game running properly from the support forum:
 
******
If you are running the game from the Harpoon3: ANW launcher program, try looking at the different tabs at the top.

Select the ".opt-File" tab.

Check to see if the "RunInWindow.Opt" is enabled or disabled.

If it is enabled, select it and then hit the Disable button.
******
 
BTW I do agree, I think the UI can use a 2006 sprucing up.

[Dimitris]

The game's graphics were deliberately designed to emulate those found on a real-life CIC's tactical console. In that respect, they succeeded near-perfectly. Not the designers' fault that RL CIC screens are positively spartan [:D]

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Sunburn

The game's graphics were deliberately designed to emulate those found on a real-life CIC's tactical console. In that respect, they succeeded near-perfectly. Not the designers' fault that RL CIC screens are positively spartan [:D]

100% agree. That is why the game graphics are what they are...BUT...changing font and some elements of the layout could be a welcome addition in the future

[BlackVoid]

In the demo full-screen only means that you run in 640x480 full screen. Can you actually get the game to run at higher resolution? I am a big fan of Harpoon, but this is way too retro for my tastes. It looks like an upgrade to the original Harpoon 2 and still RUNS in DOS!!! Shocking really....

[Temple]

ORIGINAL: BlackVoid

In the demo full-screen only means that you run in 640x480 full screen. Can you actually get the game to run at higher resolution? I am a big fan of Harpoon, but this is way too retro for my tastes. It looks like an upgrade to the original Harpoon 2 and still RUNS in DOS!!! Shocking really....

It runs up to 1280x1024

[wodin]

This game will dfinately NOT plaese anyone who is into any form of eyecandy.

However the gameplay is superb.

[Dimitris]

Try and run it in DOS. Pure DOS, that is (6.22 was the last MS version IIRC). It won't run. It's a Windows-based app, through and through.

Time to put that myth to rest for good.

[Awac835]

I would really like ANW, but TOAW3 and COTA just came out and i just found out that SBproPE exists [X(] and thats 125$ alone so im broke.

I dont really mind the graphics havent been updated. What i do mind,if it have not been changed, is the functionality of the interface.

Ive tried the demo, you can cleary feel that your playing a VERY old game. Here we talk like if you compare starcraft with dune2.
Update the GUI functionality with some right click drop down menus etc etc. and i think this game would really shine.
Graphics in the self is fine imo. Im not a die hard "BAN ALL EYE CANDY" but in a game like this graphics play less of a role, while GUI functionality plays a big role but those are two very different things, and the die hard grog people will be happy to burn people on the stake when they complain about such issues.
harpoon dont need DirectX9 shaders and lightining, but it need to be easy and accesible. in its current state at least the demo, isnt so. Still a very nice game

[hermanhum]

ORIGINAL: Awac835

I dont really mind the graphics havent been updated. What i do mind,if it have not been changed, is the functionality of the interface.

Ive tried the demo, you can cleary feel that your playing a VERY old game. Here we talk like if you compare starcraft with dune2.
Update the GUI functionality with some right click drop down menus etc etc. and i think this game would really shine.

Couldn't agree with you more. [:)]

Pretty frustrating re-arming a 36-plane strike one plane at a time....

However, to be fair, they did fix many of the window button controls. Instead of always needing to move your mouse around to click the various window buttons, you can now activate them with the Alt+... hotkeys.

[Awac835]

YES hermanhum its stuff like that im talking about.
Ease the burden on the player. SPWaW also suffers so bad from this. I mean everybody can agree that the SP engine is superb but dammit you can feel the GUI is 10 years old.
And that is not aceptable.

Well ive read they will update the interface at some point. When that time comes ill be ready with my wallet. This is like Dangerous Water just that you get to plan it out instead of playing it out [8D]

edit:
and to guy above somewhere. The graphics of the classic version looks ugly and gamey. ANW or old harpoon is much better.

[erict]

Looks exactly the same as it did in 1995?  Switch your units to NTDS icons!
 
I wish they would give it a serious GUI overhaul...someday.  Ya sure a Tico CIC is 80s technology but common...[8|]
 
Anyway, I've been 'pooning since the 1989 when the very first Harpoon title came out for C64.  I'm glad the Harpoon franchise lives on with Matrix.[;)]

[Dimitris]

Global Conflict Blue is a good example of a sound improvement on the fundamental H2 interface. Context menus, crisp UI all around, arc-limited ranges etc. Definitely something to pay attention to.

That said, the developers have already stated that UI changes are a post-3.8 priority.

[hermanhum]

ORIGINAL: Awac835

YES hermanhum its stuff like that im talking about.
Ease the burden on the player. SPWaW also suffers so bad from this. I mean everybody can agree that the SP engine is superb but dammit you can feel the GUI is 10 years old.
And that is not aceptable.

Well ive read they will update the interface at some point. When that time comes ill be ready with my wallet. This is like Dangerous Water just that you get to plan it out instead of playing it out [8D]

When I first started playing this game, I thought that I would die from an RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) from all the clicks I needed to make. After awhile, you just have to learn to live with it or find another way around the problem. Otherwise, the game engine is still excellent.

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: Tomus

What is going with the font in that? It looks like something running on a Commodore 64. Please tell me those aren't the available graphics.

No offence but I don't mind COTA graphics or BiI graphics but these look truly shocking like from 1993 or something. I know its all about gameplay but is there no chance that these would ever be updated? Or are they updated?

Actually, having played the game I was quite surprised, the graphics look OK (for what they are). The higher the resolution the smarter they are (I'm running full screen in 1280x1024), and although the text windows still leave something to desired the maps are fine, and look suitably 'authentic'.

The UI itself certainly needs work, but that seems to be high on the 'to-do' list, and its live-able with in the meantime.

The "all about gameplay" thing has become something of a cliché, but it certainly applies to this game - you get so far involved with it so quickly the graphics really don't matter and the UI only annoys when it won't let you do something as fast as you want to. A real hot-key game if ever there was one!

[Pergite!]

ORIGINAL: Sunburn

The game's graphics were deliberately designed to emulate those found on a real-life CIC's tactical console. In that respect, they succeeded near-perfectly. Not the designers' fault that RL CIC screens are positively spartan [:D]

Yes, its nice that it simulates a 1989 years model of CIC. Go back 10 years from that and a CIC would be bunch of wax crayons and glass screen map. It would be close to real life, but hardly anything in terms of a computer game, or worth 50$.

A modern CIC UI has evolved since Harpoon3 was designed, not even the symbols are correct any more. Is there any possibility that the GUI will get a facelift as an upgrade, or will this result in a new release somewhere in the future?

[Awac835]

I still think the graphics are fine, but they have said it will get a facelift but they havent put a timeline on it. In another post someone of the officials said past 3.8 this being 3.7 so not sure how long time that will be 1 year maybe? give or take? hint hint give us a timeline

[Vincenzo_Beretta]

ORIGINAL: Pergite!
A modern CIC UI has evolved since Harpoon3 was designed, not even the symbols are correct any more.

I didn't knew that the NTDS symbols were obsolete. What do they use now?