Any update on the ETA of new patch?

[wodin]

Apart from the HTTR sceanrios I wouldn't expect anything new for a very long time....thats my feeling anyway...Dave is earning his money with the military at them moment and until that is all done then BftB is a back seater...

[ulisin]

Apart from the HTTR sceanrios I wouldn't expect anything new for a very long time....
 
 
Ok, but the HTTR scenarios?
I love this game, and I need them! [:)]
 
 

[Arjuna]

The plan at the moment is to get the game compiling under VS2010, then release a second patch for BFTB followed by the HTTR expansion pack ( for which you'll have to pay ). As to a delux version we haven't considered it as yet...not sure it's worth doing.

[bink]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

The plan at the moment is to get the game compiling under VS2010, then release a second patch for BFTB followed by the HTTR expansion pack ( for which you'll have to pay ). As to a delux version we haven't considered it as yet...not sure it's worth doing.

Arjuna,

Thanks for your reply. What is the implication of compiling the game under VS2010? Can this potentially introduce new bugs? Will it speed gameplay?

Regarding the expansion, I asked about the potential execution because I have seen Matrix issue updates previously which disadvantage previous purchasers. e.g. World At War was supplanted with World At War: A World Divided, and the only way to get the expansion was to buy the whole game again.

So from what you are saying, if I buy BFTB now, and the expansion later, I will not be disadvantaged? (i.e. if there is a bundle price, the expansion will be discounted to current owners).

Thanks

[ulisin]

Dear Arjuna,
thanks for your reply

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

a second patch for BFTB followed by the HTTR expansion pack ( for which you'll have to pay ).

Ok, thanks, a charge for them seems to me obvious

Please consider, if you can, that short scenarios are very suitable, useful and important for on line gaming, human versus human.

[Panther Paul]

You'll be glad to know that the issues with Visual Studio 2010 has been solved.

We will now be getting on with solving the last few issues we want to fix for the patch.

[gabeeg]

Woo Hoo!

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: Panther Paul

You'll be glad to know that the issues with Visual Studio 2010 has been solved.

We will now be getting on with solving the last few issues we want to fix for the patch.

Don't speak too soon Paul. I still have an issue on mine. [8|]

[gabeeg]

Boo Hoo!
 
[;)]

[Antares367]

Would it be possible to have an update on the Visual Studio 2010 issues and if progress is continuing on the patch and HTTR Expansion Pack?

[Arjuna]

We now have the Game, ScenMaker and MapMaker running under VS2010. However, we are still to get the EstabMaker to compile under VS2010. Hopefully we can fix this within the next week and then get back to work on the patch. Thanks for your patience.

[vj531]

any further news?

[Arjuna]

We're still working on the EstabMaker. I can't put out a new build for testing till we get that working.

[MarkShot]

Dave,

I am still waiting for the BFTB HD app on the iPad2. Clicking on counters is so yesterday. I want to be able to multi-touch, tie in the battlefields with Google Maps/YP, and know where the best pizza can be found North of the Arnhem rail bridge ... you and Paul really have to pick up the pace here!

[Phoenix100]

Well, for what it's worth, Dave - here's the question again - is there any timetable at all for getting the HTTR add-on out? Here I am - like many others, I suspect - ready and willing to pay for it. I'm not so bothered about the update, which is what, I believe, you keep referring to when you mention the VS2010 problems - is the update connected to the HTTR add-on - or can we have the add-on now, whilst you're still working on the update?

Has the defence contract worked out? I ask not only out of concern for your financial well-being, but because you hinted that if it ever went ahead in some form or other you might end up producing a tactical size product using the same model as the BFTB engine (which I would love to pay for!) Will that happen?

Thanks

[Arjuna]

phoenix,

It's been a frustrating time for us here on the games front. Paul finally fixed the issue that prevented the EstabManager from compiling but now the release versions of the ScenMaker, MapMaker and Game won't compile because of another issue. Paul is now looking into that. We need both the debug and release versions to compile before we can release a new comprehensive build for testing.

I have been trying to debug AI issues but it's bloody difficult when the debugger under VS2010 reports all string variables as <Bad Ptr>. This is a known issue with VS2010 and MS say they are working on it. Their suggested workarounds have all failed to deliver for our project for one reason or another. It's making it nigh impossible to identify which unit or item of equipment I am dealing with when stepping through the game. If it's any comfort we're not the only developers complaining about this. But it's largely out of our hands. If you have any pull at MS give them both barrels please.

So where does this all leave things. The HTTR expansion needs to be playbalanced and tested. We can't do that till we can put out a new build. I can't do a comprehensive build till Paul can fix these other issues with the release versions of the apps. Hopefully he can address these next week but he's working part time on this. In the meantime I have made lots of tweaks to address most of the issues reported but I cannot really test to see if these are working as designed till MS fix their VS2010.

Re Defence. We are currently waiting to see if Defence are going to fund the development. The Govt delivered its budget last week and Defence was forced to make some significant cuts. So who knows. We won't know till mid June whether or not it will go ahead. But even if it does we'll probably have to go through a tender process and that can take some time and we may not win the tender. Welcome to the joys of doing business with Defence.

[Phoenix100]

Thanks for the answer, Dave. Bad news, then, for all of us waiting for the HTTR add-on. I'll have to revert to playing HTTR itself. Looks like there's no timetable, in effect, if you're hanging on a solution from MS.... From what Paul had said in earlier posts I had thought that the add-on was done beta testing etc, but now I see that it depends upon you solving things with the new build.

Good luck with the military. Hope you have a day job meanwhile!

[Wiggum]

@ Arjuna

I just hope you guys will continue to make wargames (Command Ops series) !
After all im pretty sure that Panther Games is by far my favorite game developer and you have for sure done some of the greatest wargames of all time !

[parmenio]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

This is a known issue with VS2010 and MS say they are working on it.

I have to wonder why you bothered to upgrade part way through the project life cycle.

[Arjuna]

We upgraded at the end of a cycle - ie the release of BFTB. We had been on VS2008 for three years and VS2010 had been out for over six months. I admit I should have investigated more thoroughly but hey life has been very full, too full in fact, so my bad on that one.