Frontend for: guides, AARs, demo tours ?

[GoodGuy]

I had an idea how to enhance the presentation / look+feel of a 5 min guide, so I've been tinkering with Director/shockwave this weekend, and ended up recreating COTA's main menu.

Please download this file (11.6 MB) , and have a look.

The zip-file contains the main menu (demo-tour.exe , examined with anti-virus sw btw [:)]), an additional director file to launch Eddy's 5 min. guide-avi, and the avi itself.

Pls bear with me, this is just a test and not finished, so no bells and whistles there, yet. Also, the video size had been reduced for testing purposes, so fonts and stuff will appear pretty blurry/blocky.
Anyway, just hit ESCAPE to close the movie window.

Using such an interface to hold + display promotional videos or guides (like Eddy's one) would deliver a nice look and feel for ppl who are interested to get to know more about the game, and it's not that much work (hey and cheap [:D]). This could be configured for offline viewing or online viewing.

Also, this kind of interface, in case a recording function will be added in the future, could include a menu item leading to online content, like AARs or recordings uploaded by users for example, or to a list of community pages.....

EDIT : Content could be pulled via a PHP script to exchange the existing video guide with a newer guide, or let's say with the most recent AARs ---> for offline viewing.

..... or for experienced players: to a small database with custom scenarios.

Once bug-free / fully functional it's relatively easy to create flash versions or html versions in order to have independent online and offline versions, if desired.

Wouldn't that be a neat tool?. Thoughts?

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: GoodGuy
I had an idea how to enhance the presentation / look+feel of a 5 min guide, so I've been tinkering with Director/shockwave this weekend, and ended up recreating COTA's main menu.

Wouldn't that be a neat tool?. Thoughts?

Incredibly neat [;)] - well done

Incidently : I noticed you're from Köln - for everyone in the neighbourhood : I'll be at the Spiel 2006, Essen convention (October 19th-22nd) doing demos for Matrix Games. Hall 6 - booth 236. I'm buying a beer for anyone from the COTA forum who drops by to say "hi" [;)]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[GoodGuy]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

Hall 6 - booth 236. I'm buying a beer for anyone from the COTA forum who drops by to say "hi" [;)]

I appreciate the offer, hehe, but I use to skip this fair. It's the world biggest fair/convention for board games and card games, but it used to lack representatives of PC Game Developers.... that's why I used to skip it. Well, it might have changed, haven't been there in last few yrs.
Your hall is packed with board game companies, though.

http://www.merz-verlag.com/spiel/jpgs/ha0606xl.gif

Looks like booth 236 is shared with several Companies/ppl., e.g. GMT Games Europe. Do you know those guys?

EDIT: Btw, u gonna bring a few copies to the fair? You might get one or another of the disbelievers (military/stragegy board game players) to the bright side, and sell a few copies. Many publishers / dealers sell their stuff there.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: GoodGuy

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

Hall 6 - booth 236. I'm buying a beer for anyone from the COTA forum who drops by to say "hi" [;)]

I appreciate the offer, hehe, but I use to skip this fair. It's the world biggest fair/convention for board games and card games, but it used to lack representatives of PC Game Developers....

Guess where those PC wargame developers *need* to be for "easy targets" [;)]

Seriously : Matrix went there in 2004, but it's a very costly affair to get staff + equipment across the ocean. I like going to game conventions so the current setup was a win-win situation for everyone.

ORIGINAL: GoodGuy
that's why I used to skip it. Well, it might have changed, haven't been there in last few yrs.
Your hall is packed with board game companies, though.

http://www.merz-verlag.com/spiel/jpgs/ha0606xl.gif

Looks like booth 236 is shared with several Companies/ppl., e.g. GMT Games Europe. Do you know those guys?

Matrix Games has struck a deal with Udo Grebe Games (UGG) - I'll be part of their booth, gamers can try-out all the Matrix Games titles.

ORIGINAL: GoodGuy
EDIT: Btw, u gonna bring a few copies to the fair? You might get one or another of the disbelievers (military/stragegy board game players) to the bright side, and sell a few copies. Many publishers / dealers sell their stuff there.

UGG will have (all) Matrix Games titles for sale, so this is your chance to get one of their titles "retail" [;)]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[GoodGuy]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

Guess where those PC wargame developers *need* to be for "easy targets" [;)]

lol well board/miniatures wargamers might be logical targets but not necessarily easy targets j/k

Seriously : Matrix went there in 2004, but it's a very costly affair to get staff + equipment across the ocean. I like going to game conventions so the current setup was a win-win situation for everyone.

Cool. A viable way to convert some ppl. [:)] Keep it up !

UGG will have (all) Matrix Games titles for sale, so this is your chance to get one of their titles "retail" [;)]

Looking at fuel costs over here (to Essen: 1 hr ride by car), it may be cheaper to purchase 'em via digital river....unless I get 2 for the price of one ))) jk

ok 'nuff thread-hijacking *GG slaps himself too*

Back on topic please.

[GoodGuy]

My idea was not meant to be a community initiative.
It was an example of how to make up for the current lack of a demo (I'm convinced that a demo, - or even a somewhat interactive flash demo tour - would be the best way to present the engine and its features), and how to establish a community / promotion platform for the AA series, with minimal effort / resources.

This was mainly aimed at Dave.
Looks like there's even no interest to post a one-liner as feedback.

Pls delete this thread, thank you.

[Arjuna]

Finally got time to download and look at this ( in between meetings at the moment ). I'm unclear as to what you are proposing. Is it to modify the game to include buttons on the Command Set that allow for the launching of the 5 Min Guide and/or other promo material or is it to use something like your mockup as a standalone app that just happens to keep the same look and feel as the Game's startup screen?

[GoodGuy]

Ok, thought u weren't interested to check it out, nm.

Adding the features (like the ones below) to the AA-engine would require some effort I guess (possible at all?), so my basic idea was to have a stand alone (Director movie?) thingy or use it as part of a webby (shockwave or html version).

List of potential future features (there might be more possibilites)

Promotional use:

• Play included video, play streaming video guide or get most recent promotional video off the AA site
• List and/or explain key features of the game
• Display list of available recordings or custom scenarios within the application (via PHP) and explain the recording feature (hey i'm assuming it will be there in the future [;)])
• Display AARs created with the AAR function provided by the Rec-player (you've mentioned that somewhere)

Community Central:

• Offer upload possibility to store recordings with an attached user comment on the AA server ("AA-Central").
• Offer possibilty to finish AARs (text field then attach pics created with the AAR-wizard function provided by the Rec-player (you've mentioned that somewhere))
• Offer upload possibility to store these AARs on "AA-Central"
• List, display and/or download most recent AARs (within application, PHP)
• Display list of available recordings or custom scenarios (with attached user comments / descriptions) and download (from "AA-Central") within the application (via PHP)
• Small chat room for ppl who want to meet for online battles
• List community pages and available mods (with thumbnails for example)
• 5 most useful hints for beginners from MarkShot (maybe with illustrations / screenshots, or even better: with a tutorial video). These could be updated regularly.
  Or something like "Mark's hint of the day" [:D]

[MarkShot]

5 most useful hints for beginners from MarkShot (maybe with illustrations / screenshots, or even better: with a tutorial video). These could be updated regularly.

Ha! ha! "Start up hints, tip of the day, did you know?" After accepting the EULA agreement that's always the first checkbox that I click off.

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: GoodGuy

Ok, thought u weren't interested to check it out, nm.

Patience, GoodGuy, patience. [:)]

Adding the features (like the ones below) to the AA-engine would require some effort I guess (possible at all?), so my basic idea was to have a stand alone (Director movie?) thingy or use it as part of a webby (shockwave or html version).

OK, I see now.

List of potential future features (there might be more possibilites)

Promotional use:

• Play included video, play streaming video guide or get most recent promotional video off the AA site
• List and/or explain key features of the game
• Display list of available recordings or custom scenarios within the application (via PHP) and explain the recording feature (hey i'm assuming it will be there in the future [;)])
• Display AARs created with the AAR function provided by the Rec-player (you've mentioned that somewhere)

I assume here you are talking about AARs being in a flash, powerpoint or movie format. Is that right? Or do you mean the proprosed new feature - ie a recording created by the game? This would require them to have the game and that would be fine for existing customers but you would need to code into the front end exception handling that advised users with no game installed that this option was not available to them ( and a link to where they can buy it [:)] ).

Community Central:

• Offer upload possibility to store recordings with an attached user comment on the AA server ("AA-Central").
• Offer possibilty to finish AARs (text field then attach pics created with the AAR-wizard function provided by the Rec-player (you've mentioned that somewhere))
• Offer upload possibility to store these AARs on "AA-Central"
• List, display and/or download most recent AARs (within application, PHP)
• Display list of available recordings or custom scenarios (with attached user comments / descriptions) and download (from "AA-Central") within the application (via PHP)
• Small chat room for ppl who want to meet for online battles
• List community pages and available mods (with thumbnails for example)
• 5 most useful hints for beginners from MarkShot (maybe with illustrations / screenshots, or even better: with a tutorial video). These could be updated regularly.
  Or something like "Mark's hint of the day" [:D]

All good ideas, but a big job.

[GoodGuy]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

I assume here you are talking about AARs being in a flash, powerpoint or movie format. Is that right?

No. That would be too much work, because a server-side PHP interface would have to have a flash or PowerPoint template and convert things automatically once uploaded. Flash could be done, i guess even power point.....but, since there won't be animations or slideshows, that would be waste of effort/time, anyways.

If talking about AARs I am referring to traditional text AARs with some pics AND to the possibility that a proposed recording / playback function won't make it into the game..... but even if a recording function will make it, a set of let's say 5 sample AARs could be included for promotional use.
These after action reports (created by players) would look somewhat like the posts in the AAR forum here. A text document with pics illustrating situations / progress / outcome of a given scenario, pretty much like a word document having pics with automatic word wraparound.

Commercial version: Once the user hits the "upload to AA-Central"-button, a server-side PHP template script would then create a HTML page automatically, containing text/pics. Once the AARs are converted to HTML they would be stored in the database, allowing the application to list and display contents, with an option to download each AAR.

Or do you mean the proprosed new feature - ie a recording created by the game?.........This would require them to have the game

Yes I was referring to the new feature as well, but it wouldn't require them to have the game in the promotional version, since recordings (once again, if such a recording / playback function will make it, at all) would only be listed (maybe with descriptions) to show potential customers the range of support/possibilities.
The community version (for ppl who own the game) would allow to download both, AARs and recordings.


Community Central (or "commercial version"):

• Offer upload possibility to store recordings with an attached user comment on the AA server ("AA-Central").

This task is relatively easy: You need a frontend, PHP-enabled server, SQL-database, and a PHP script storing the "demo"-file (recording) along with the description entered by the user.

• Offer possibilty to finish AARs (text field then attach pics created with the AAR-wizard function provided by the Rec-player (you've mentioned that somewhere))
• Offer upload possibility to store these AARs on "AA-Central"
• List, display and/or download most recent AARs (within application, PHP)

I think you were talking about the idea to have a little "paint" tool to create AAR-pics (with a few tiny tools, like arrow tool, text tool, maybe military symbols tool?) with ease. But even if there'll be no tool like that, the function above could offer a text field along with the possibility to

• upload txt + pics,
• then convert to HTML using a PHP template,
• then store it on AA central to make it accessible for the public.
• The frontend could then display the AAR-list and offer the AARs for download.

PHP and HTML involved here. It can be done.

• Display list of available recordings or custom scenarios (with attached user comments / descriptions) and download (from "AA-Central") within the application

Again, some PHP involved on the server, just plain HTML needed inside the frontend.

• Small chat room for ppl who want to meet for online battles

There are good Java chats (for COTA webby for example) that could be licensed for 50-70 USD. It doesn't have to be a feature inside the frontend. Integrated Java client would be neat, tho.

• List community pages and available mods (with thumbnails for example)[/u]

Just HMTL and pics being pulled from the server, using a PHP template.

• 5 most useful hints or "hint of the day" [:D]

A text file would be sufficient.

The really big job would be to create an admin interface for maintenance of these "AA-Central" community features, and there'd be some work involved to create the PHP-templates.
There are affordable commercial Content Management Systems out there, where many are customizable, and PHP-Scripts for file conversion or templates are spread all over the net, and many of these scripts are freebies. This would reduce the workload somewhat. No? Just a thought[:D]

My 2 cents.

Maybe I should talk to Erik or Karlis and see if a Community Central would be an option for Matrix.

[Arjuna]

Thanks for that lowdown GoodGuy. Overall I think it's a good idea. However, I must say that I have absolutely no experience with PHP or Sequel Server. So while I might now regard the development of attack doctrine as relatively straight forward the learning of a new language ( albeit as simple as PHP ) and developing in it is not something I warm to very readily. It will have to wait till we make some money and can afford to pay someone to do it. Thanks for the idea. Good work. [:)]

[GoodGuy]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

[].....the learning of a new language ( albeit as simple as PHP ) and developing in it is not something I warm to very readily. It will have to wait till we make some money and can afford to pay someone to do it.........[][:)]

Hmm get a "cheap" student or hey, no wait , some student in India [;)].