4.6 issue date ...

Silvarius · Post by **Silvarius** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 9:53 pm

Hello,

Does anybody knows precisely when 4.6 is expected ? I just would like to know if it's a question of days or of weeks, so that I don't start a new PBEM game the day before the upgrade is available !

Silvarius.

Paul Vebber · Post by **Paul Vebber** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 10:08 pm

We are curently working on a "Zecret Plan" that will supercede 4.6 and accelerate 5.0

I can't let the cat out of the bag, but the "New Mark" is for inclusion of a bit of a "Blast from the Past"...

We are looking at 6-8 weeks probably for release

molset · Post by **molset** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 10:26 pm

Oh boy!
A new version. I just cant wait and still we all have to wait. Paul, it was really nasty to come with this criptic statement "blast from teh passed". What will be in ver 5.0. Please give a hint, plaese!!!!!

best regard
molset

Silvarius · Post by **Silvarius** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 10:32 pm

Humm, Paul, I'm not sure to get your reply correctly, my English failing me somewhat. Have I well understood if I say there won't be any 4.6 version, but a wonderfull 5.0 in 6-8 weeks, with everything we are eagerly waiting for and more ?

Paul Vebber · Post by **Paul Vebber** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 10:52 pm

It will have a few new things, one BIG new thing

, and lots of problems corrected (though all things are never possible...)

More will follow soon...

Larry Holt · Post by **Larry Holt** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 11:07 pm

OOOOHHH, OOOOHHH, I am salivating now.

Here are two suggestions that I've made before but I think would increase realism without having to code whole new modules, just tweak existing functionality.

Can I have improved chance to hit probabilites for units in entrenchments/bunkers/etc. simulating having range cards made? Perhaps if a unit is in one of those statuses, it could be as if it had a very good rangefinder since the code/functionality for rangefinders is already available.

How about random probablities that the asterix is correct and that you are under observation. (more experience = greter probablity that the asterix is accuratly depicting the enemy in the area)

Thanks!

------------------
An old soldier but not yet a faded one.
OK, maybe just a bit faded.

Larry Holt · Post by **Larry Holt** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 11:17 pm

OH and add more orders for FO units (arty support is almost impossible with C&C on unless you buy an excessinve number of FOs) or perhaps make the number of orders a unit can generate and retain a preference setting.

------------------
An old soldier but not yet a faded one.
OK, maybe just a bit faded.

Fuerte · Post by **Fuerte** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 11:39 pm

While it is great to have a new version with as much new and corrected features as possible, I would still like to have a "final" version which will not be updated for a while.

Why? Because I can't start secure PBEM games if the versions are being updated all the time. 4.6 should have been released a week ago, that's why I didn't play 4.5 at all. Now we still have to wait for a couple of months. I have not really played much SPWAW since 2.3... those were the days.

Of course if the secure PBEM would work between versions... that would solve this problem. I could start playing right away.

Kharan · Post by **Kharan** » Wed Jan 31, 2001 11:51 pm

Originally posted by Fuerte:
Why? Because I can't start secure PBEM games if the versions are being updated all the time. 4.6 should have been released a week ago, that's why I didn't play 4.5 at all. Now we still have to wait for a couple of months. I have not really played much SPWAW since 2.3... those were the days.

Of course if the secure PBEM would work between versions... that would solve this problem. I could start playing right away.

Or you could start them now and wait on upgrading until you've completed the PBEM's

.

There's 3 months between 4.5 and 5.0, plenty of time to play. And it's not like the new version is something you absolutely need to have right away (well unless you play 4-player online games

).

[This message has been edited by Kharan (edited January 31, 2001).]

Mark Ezra · Post by **Mark Ezra** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 12:04 am

One big thing...Oh boy...what could it be?

Arralen · Post by **Arralen** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 12:31 am

Originally posted by Mark Ezra:
One big thing...Oh boy...what could it be?

Nukes ???

Kharan · Post by **Kharan** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 1:29 am

Since you got time, I'll pester you some more. I've been keeping notes of these, so here we go.

Apart from what's been already fixed in v4.6...

Bugs left to fix:

-In 4-player games the reinforcement screen doesn't have a Done-button. You can get around this by pressing Escape.
-Reinforcement hexes are randomly left out or reset in random battles with a custom map. Anyone know a workaround?
-If you set a lot of spec ops target hexes and then set artillery priority hexes, spec ops targets are reset to your artillery targets. Probably vice versa too. (Hard to reproduce.)
-Exiting online/timed games closes SPWAW altogether.
-Reduce the VCR buffer to 15MB to get rid of the error message.

Modifications:

-Make CBF more powerful.
-Add 1-3 turns randomly at the end.
-Make tanks avoid buildings when retreating.
-Make retreating smarter, away from the enemy first, only then towards the retreat hex.
-Optimize pathfinding for tanks (15-28 moves) instead of halftracks (30-40 moves).
-Having all victory hexes ends the game always. Shouldn't force morale also be low?
-Add a toggle for fast artillery sound.
-Let player fire smoke grenades in op-fire.
-Firing on a routed unit should not make it pinned 98% of the time like it does now.

(Probably not necessary anymore):

-No assaulting for crews. Insert a check in the assault code to see if the unit is a crew.
-If scout vehicles run automatically from tanks, crews should run away from any combat troops. This would also solve the previous issue.

(Probably very hard to do):

-Limited intel shouldn't abstract player's own troop icons.
-Only paratroops should be able to paradrop.
-Use the second digit in the "chance for radio" number to determine rarity, i.e. how often and many times you can buy a certain unit.

Trivial stuff:

-Fix encyclopedia changing to display fort data when the cursor is over a button.
-Planes which have don't have or have run out of bombs shouldn't display the bombing message.
-In timed and online play, range (by "y") needs to be entered twice.
-Add scands and a word wrap to the log. Also sending messages would be more convenient by using the player's number instead of name.
-Add "D - Fire smoke grenades" in gamehelp.txt.
-Add "more breakdowns" in forests in terrain.txt.
-Set live delay to 0 by default in the preferences.
-Fix vehicle crews being added automatically to kill score (if you kill them, they are counted twice).
-Add an option to ignore EXE/OOB check when loading a secure PBEM turn.

[This message has been edited by Kharan (edited February 19, 2001).]

Paul Vebber · Post by **Paul Vebber** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 1:38 am

If you don't want to worry about version compatibility, then just don't use passwords.

It only casues a problem if you use secure pbem.

We have to make sure the "Big Thing" works... Then we will say what it is...

This will be the "Last hurrah" for a while...we want to make sure its as bug free as possible.

AmmoSgt · Post by **AmmoSgt** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 1:40 am

Ok let me get this right...
NO version 4.6
approximately 3 months untill version 5.0 ??
therefore NO changes anticipated for a while ???

Panzer Commander · Post by **Panzer Commander** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 1:42 am

Anti-Ballistic 150mm Shell System

Fuerte · Post by **Fuerte** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 1:46 am

Speaking about bugs, the very first one I noticed in SPWAW back in 2.x days (when learning using the tutorial scenario) is still around:

If C&C is on, and you click on a recon vehicle, the movement radius is not displayed correctly, unless you then click some other unit and back the first unit (or just double-click the recon unit). This bug has caused me to miss moving recon units many times, because it seems that it has moved already or is unable to move.

The same thing does not happen if you use N and P keys to move between units. In this case the radius is always displayed correctly.

And of course the 20 MB replay buffer allocation should be smaller (if that is the reason for the memory problems in some machines).

Fuerte · Post by **Fuerte** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 1:52 am

Originally posted by Paul Vebber:
If you don't want to worry about version compatibility, then just don't use passwords.

It only casues a problem if you use secure pbem.

We have discussed this about N times.

If the game has a secure PBEM feature, it would be nice to be able to use it! Just add an option to ignore EXE/OOB check when loading a secure PBEM turn. If you trust your friend and know that he has upgraded to a newer version (or if I have upgraded), then click Ignore. If you are playing an official tournament, then do not ignore, and complain to your opponent.

Paul Vebber · Post by **Paul Vebber** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 2:10 am

As you say we have been around and around...we have warned everybody since this thing began that this project was being done on a spiral development scale, so patches would come out periodically.

There will never be a final version, there will likely be "semi-annual tweaks" as long as we can still do them and people still have ideas to improve teh game.

IF you want to play secure, then agree on a version number and stick to it until you are done. OR install mutiple versions. There is only so much we can do for free...

That may change someday if we revamp the pbem system, but I don't know how many times I can repeat the same thing. Sorry

Kharan · Post by **Kharan** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 2:12 am

Fuerte, I added that to my list

.

AmmoSgt · Post by **AmmoSgt** » Thu Feb 01, 2001 2:32 am

If one can dream ... If one could wish for just one blast from the past ....
Brent's cities ...oh Pallas Athena let this be so ......