Progress

[Arjuna]

Yesterday we released a new BFTB buiuld 4.0.207. It's been around five months since the last build. The reasons for the delay include, re-equipping with new hardware and software, a tour of the Ardennes battlefields and implementing the new automated bridging feature.

IIRC the main areas that have changed are:

• Automated Bridge Building - You cna now order a unit to move to an unreachable location, provided it has a bridge building capacity and it should try and construct a bridge for you. Needs confirmation and review of all cases. Go for it.
• Plan Scheduling. Oh so many changes here. Plans now crib and slip en masse. Heaps of bug fixes and refinements to get the StartAt time to work properly. Moves are automatically extended if they need more time to achieve their objective. Added multiple next and previous tasks. Attack tasks now linked properly and crib and slip properly.
• Revised the Estimation code for task completion times. Factors in weather, cohesion, fatigue et al.
• PlanMove now splits forceGroup into reachables, unreachables and reachableIfBridgeBuilt. It then schedules separate interim Move/Construct/Defend tasks and handles independent moves much better. Need to review this.
• Intel - Ensure reports on stationary units stay around until otherwise spotted
• Allocation - overhaul Mark 5 to fit in with bridge building and PlanMove changes. Plus fixed bug with the proximity code and revised HQ allocations.
• Unit Disbandment - tweaked to improve prob of rumps dispbanding
• Firebasing - tweaked - restrict range if part of attack and within min range.
• Intel Estabs - tweaked - increase prob of getting appropirate estab based on nearest size
• New Startup screen
• Obj Tab View - sort objectives by Activation time and Descending VPs
• SM - changes task HHour time to Activation Time. Note HHour used exclusively for attacks - ie to denote start of Assault
• SM - added conversion code to update atStart intel
• MM - Fix crash on ending bug - due to MapKeys not being properly deleted

There was more, but I can't recall them right now.

[barbarossa2]

Yes. Normandy has been done to death. But I have to agree with Arjuna's statement, "not with this engine." This engine will bring a totally new take on the operations. And if we can cram in only a handful of additional improvements (maps with multiple layers, minefields, offboard artillery, etc.), then I would definitely be game for it. And I must admit, I was the first person to think... Normandy? If they do that, I will pass on it. I had the same feeling with Battle of the Bulge when I heard of it. But I am so excited to try all of the new features, I feel it will be the first time I will even get a feel for what it was like to command at the Battle for the Bulge.

[Misty99]

I played Normandy44 from HPS. But I quit playing it after a few hours, because it was to boring to move each counter by hand. Then I tried Normandy from SSG. It was much better, but it plays more like a chess game than a wargame.
I think, a Panther Normandy game would be much more fun, because the AI will do a lot of work. The German player has to block the Allies while getting shelled and bombed from air and sea. I hope, this will not be too boring, even with an good AI.

[Grestok]

Hello everybody !

Sorry for my strange english ! [8|]

Have you a new release date for BFTB ?

Thank you ! [;)]

Ps : Congratulations for COTA ! It's a magic game to play !

[Misty99]

Peut-etre en été 2009.

[Arjuna]

We're going as fast as possible. We put out a new build last Friday. The testers are testing flat out and the bug reports are coming in. We're working our way through these. The game is at least two months away from going gold - ie the time at which we sign off on it....it usually takes the publisher another four to six weeks to release it.

[Grestok]

Ok ! Thank you for your answer !

I am counting the days! ! [:D]

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the answer. I will be waiting too.

[wodin]

I see it as a birthday present in August!

[Deathtreader]

Hi,

Any chance of a mini-update?
Thanks!

Rob.

[Arjuna]

Well I am knee-deep in overhauling the formation movement code. This has been required to speed up movment when in formation and as a preliminary step to allow HQ basing. Testing has shown that there was an inbuilt governor effect on mixed ( foot/mot ) forces when moving in formation. I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say that if Piper is to have any chance of achieving his historical progress, we need to overhaul the formation movement code. The approach we will take is to simulate what occurs in real life - ie we will use phase lines to control progress, rather than the constant checking of offsets that currently occurs. So units will move more or less independently to their next phase line, then they will stay put till everyone is in position and then move off again. 

We also need decouple HQs from formation movement so we can base senior HQs ( Div HQ and above ). This will prevent these from leading the charge. The mods to the movement code to facilitate automated bridge building have accentuated this, with a lot more "independent" moves. The general consensus within the Beta Bunnies was that we had to do something about it. The best solution is to base senior HQs like we base arty and depots. But that then requires that their force can still move in formation, without them. Currently the HQ would be the centre "hub" of the formation. To get around this we are going to use the advance or front guard as the "frontal" hub in those cases where the HQ is "based". This requires rejigging all the formation offsets.

I hope to have the new formation movement with phase lines ready for its first test run tomorrow. Then I have to rejig the formation offsets and write control code to use the new regigged offsets or the old ofsets depending on the situation. Once that's done I'll write the new HQ Basing code. With a bit of luck these will be ready for testing at the end of next week - touch wood! [:)]

Needless to say all this will require a good deal of testing and fine tuning.

Meanwhile, Panther Paul has been busy attending to a number of UI and tool issues. Richard and the data design team members have been revising the scenarios to reflect the new automated bridge building code. The recent AARs posted up by Eddy, Paul V and Paul R ( did I mention we have a lot of Pauls on our team at the moment [;)] ) on the Panther Dev Forum all point to an improved AI. The general consensus is that the AI is a lot more aggressive now.

Apart from the overhaul of the formation movement code and HQ basing the only other critical outstanding matter for the AI is to handle cases where the player sets a series of waypoints spanning multiple uncrossed rivers. At the moment the waypoints are being overruled by the new automated bridge building code. We need to mesh these in or at least to ignore the automated bridge building where the player issues such waypoints. One way or the other something has to be done to address this.

I'm aiming to knock all of these over by the end of next week with another month of testing and tweaking after that. Just remember that few plans survive contact with reality. [:)]

[06 Maestro]

Wow! that's an ear full. Thanks for the update. Sounds like the bridging problems were taken care of-this will be great.

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
With a bit of luck these will be ready for testing at the end of next week - touch wood! [:)]

I'll use a hammer on a 4x12.[:)]

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: 06 Maestro
I'll use a hammer on a 4x12.[:)]

And they say Yanks don't have a deft touch! [;)]

[Arjuna]

Hi all,

Good progress. I am pleased to advise that I have finished the overhaul of the formation movment code. It looks really good now. I have also added code to manage indepenents for attacks. This means that units that are on the far side of the objective, or are tired or routed or are too far away, will no longer hold up the main body. The code now assigns these units to either defend in-situ, join the reserve group or launch their own independent attack. This facilitates greater overall progress on the offensive and means the attacking AI is more potent.

To wet your appetite, here is a screendump taken from the Losheim Gap scenario. I have focussed in on the southern shoulder. Historically the green US 106 ID was defending the Schnee Eiffell ridg line that runs NE- SW. The open country at the southern end of the ridgeline was defended by a hodge-podge group based around B Tp of the 18 Cav Sqn. The German 190th and 283rd Gren Regts struck these on Day 1. Their aim is the penetrate and envelop north to link up with the 295th Gren Regt driving south, thereby trapping the 106th's regiments on the Schnee Eiffel. Part of the German force in the sout will also peel north-westward towards St Vith.

Richard and I travelled over this ground last October and I can verify that the poor American defenders would have their job cut out for them. Relief forces entering on the road via "88 Corner" would be severely inderdicted by German artillery on the opposing high ground near Brandsheid and that is exactly what's hapopening here in this game.

Oh well back to it! [:)]

[Arjuna]

OK I could go without showing you waht's happening on the northern shoulder.

[simovitch]

Photo Op:

[Rebel Yell]

Someday, I envision being able to pick any spot on the game map in sims, and selecting "Photo Op" to see that area just like that ^.

[Arjuna]

This one I believe also shows the Schnee Eifel but I'm afraid my pictures are'nt as well catelogued as Richards.

[Arjuna]

Here's Richard on the left and I in front of an appropriate landmark.

[GoodGuy]

That's the Panther in Houffalize.
The Mod of this forum http://www.militaria-fundforum.com/show ... 86&page=13 , he's from Austria, traveled along Peiper's route, taking pics of vital points all along the route, like Losheimer Gap, and provides some interesting details about the landscape. He also provides pics of Colonel Desobry's command post (that house still exists) and other locations.

He also attached some aerial photos of Noville and other locations and maps (recent navigator maps and maps that may be included in John Toland's "Ardennenschlacht"). He had 3 books at hand on his journey, John Toland's book, Gerd J. Gust Cuppens' book about Malmedy, and Issue No. 4 of "After the battle", i think that's some series from the 70s, with detailed (hand-drawn) maps displaying movements, location of strong points, even down to the location of single houses.

Did you make it to the King Tiger tank and the Gallain-Collection in La Gleize?

Btw, "Iron-Collectors" removed that Tiger's gun to sell it as scrap metal. These guys are usually from East Europe, they use to steal duct covers (manhole covers?) and electric cables from railroad lines in Germany, just to sell it as scrap metal. Since the museum couldn't get an original Tiger II gun, they had to weld a Panther gun to the vehicle. lol.

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