First REAL screenshots from "Brother Against Brother"

[scattergun]

Map looks great,a nd units excellent from what my old eyes can see... the posts here are pretty old and i hope the sim is still moving forward as i plan to be a big fan..

[Gil R.]

Yes, definitely moving forward. I just spent 2+ hours responding to tester feedback and taking notes.

[zakblood]

before i reply i must first say, i have been given permission to answer only what i can, as testers shouldn't reply to questions on the forum, as only staff and game makers are allowed.

quote" How long would it take to play a battle in BAB?" end quote

battles that we are in testing at the moments are of different lengths in battle time, in real time it all depends on your play style and difficulty settings and also which side you pick / select, but (and remember these may alter and not be correct in the final game on release) range from real time of 3 hours to a whole 8 hours plus, the largest map and battle has been played by myself and others over a couple of days, but as you can save and load at any time, it doesn't matter how long you take or have tbh, as you don't have to fight it all in one go, if you don't want to, or haven't got the time etc.

please remember when i say 3 hours, i may have played and replayed that battle for over 8 hours plus by then so do know it better than most, so it could be longer or less, it also depends on games knowledge of the battle in question, but saying that a full description and briefing is given on every battle so also suits those who don't know it, like which i was when i started, or seasoned veterans who will know every detail...

hope that answers your question fully

ORIGINAL: Kipper

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

ORIGINAL: Kipper

One of the things that I disliked about the battle engine in FOF was that the battles took ages, too long for a time-pressed gamer! How long would it take to play a battle in BAB? Or will there be a battle with the wife?

Not to be glib, but it depends on the size of the battle.

I was hoping for some benchmarks which maybe your testers might now provide.

[zakblood]

Before i reply i must first say, as a beta play tester i have been given permission to answer only what i can, as testers shouldn't reply to questions on the forum, as only staff and game makers are allowed.

we also have been given permission to upload a few pictures, these are games / battles that are in the test atm and are fully working but may or may not be correct when the game gets released, the pictures have been resized to fit forum upload rules so aren't of the quality of the game being tested / played...

so here's the first picture, enjoy [&o]

i picked a different battle and map, as the colours are different than any posted so far, name of the battle is? well guess and lets see who knows the area and battle in question.....





as not all maps are green

[gwgardner]

ORIGINAL: TR

Are the graphics being updated in the upcoming versions?

I'm a playtester.

Never saw prettier maps in any game,and been playing computer games for twenty years. Unit graphics come in two varieties - sprites and semi-Nato. While the sprites are very nice, I prefer the Nato style. And there's a hotkey to switch back and forth instantly between sprites and counters.

[gwgardner]

ORIGINAL: Kipper

One of the things that I disliked about the battle engine in FOF was that the battles took ages, too long for a time-pressed gamer! How long would it take to play a battle in BAB? Or will there be a battle with the wife?

Definitely matters which scenario. One like Mill Springs, with small map and small OOB - can do a turn in one or two minutes. Can be longer of one wants to examine combat reports, plan for current morale of units, and so on.

For Manassas or Williamsburg, double that time or more - there's more units, more map. When things get hot and heavy at Henry Hill, for instance, with lots of units engaged, then I might take 5 to 10 minutes.

As Zakblood has mentioned, the player can save at any time in the middle of a turn, and resume later.

[Mad Russian]

It's been a year since you posted those screen shots. Got anything new you can share?

Good Hunting.

MR

[Gil R.]

Sure. And it's good to see you around these parts.

I don't have time to play deep into a scenario and take good action shots, but here are a few more feature-oriented screenshots. First, for the history buffs, we have historical descriptions of each of the roughly sixty different guns in the game, which one can see by mousing over the artwork showing a unit's gun type(s). (Units can have a combination of two types. This artillery battery has a mixture of 6-lb. smoothbores and the type described in the screenshot.

[Gil R.]

Here, at rainy Williamsburg, is a screenshot that can give you a bit of an idea of how important the command hierarchy is to the game. To the left you can see the hierarchy window, on which, among other things are buttons with various options. The buttons are different at each level, since we give different responsibilities to the generals at each level. Corps commanders, for example, can send out scouting units to penetrate fog of war. Most importantly, brigade commanders have a bunch of commands to give the units under them: march, advance, attack, charge, etc.

[Gil R.]

Finally, a series of screenshots showing fog of war being penetrated early in the morning at Wilson's Creek, where CSA cavalry are on guard duty well to the north of the rest of their army, and the USA is advancing. First, the CSA position when it first detects one enemy unit, which it cannot identify just yet (as is shown by the generic flag instead of a unit sprite).

[Gil R.]

After moving my unit up one hex the enemy comes into view. And I can attack their flank, since they were about to move off to the side while sneaking up on my position.

[Gil R.]

And here we are a short time later, as smoke begins to fill the air. Note that a second USA unit that was completely invisible (thanks to Wilson Creek's crazy terrain) is on the attack, while a third is now visible in the distance.

[berto]

Sweet!

The Command Hierarchy feature -- what I've always wanted in an ACW battle game.

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

Sure. And it's good to see you around these parts.

FoF was a favorite of mine, as I'm sure you recall. The last patch never materialized but at some point you simply have to move on.

I'm curious to see what you will come up with for BaB. I very much like tactical games. Both of my offerings here on Matrix have been tactical. Just never went to the ACW. I'm very much hoping with your game I don't have to go and create one at level. Instead I intend on buying yours when it comes out.

Thanks for the updated screen shots. I appreciate the quick response.

Good Hunting.

MR

[rickier65]

This is looking pretty good. and like something I'll be picking up!

Thanks
Rick

[Tanaka]

Looks great! When you are done with this game can you please incorporate it into a Forge of Freedom 2 game with a bigger campaign map! Real battlefields and a bigger campaign map would make FOF a civil war dream game!!!

[zakblood]

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

ORIGINAL: Kipper

One of the things that I disliked about the battle engine in FOF was that the battles took ages, too long for a time-pressed gamer! How long would it take to play a battle in BAB? Or will there be a battle with the wife?

Not to be glib, but it depends on the size of the battle. We haven't gotten to Gettysburg yet (that's about two years off before we start working on it, I would guess), but that will probably be hellaciously long. In this release our biggest battle is 1st Bull Run, which is a wee bit less time-consuming.

If any of the veteran testers want to respond and give an idea how long battles take, feel free. I have to confess that I have not yet played 1st Bull Run all the way through to completion, since when I test I am looking for a whole bunch of things that don't necessitate finishing the game.

well i wouldn't call myself a veteran tester by any stretch of the imagination tbh, but i have played it through many times till the end date / finish etc, and it all depends on many factors tbh, i can't give or say better than that tbh, i have done it in 8 hours game time, but then again it like everything, i depends on your play style and settings used, on the hardest settings, with no help on, playing as USA it can be 8 to 16 hours from start to finish, playing as CSA can be half that time as you don't have as many units to control, but if you know the battle and map, playing either side and playing defensive with either side can make it longer, playing USA and knowing the map and your units fully and being very aggressive with easy or medium difficulty you can get it done it less time if you forget about your losses, if you play it properly and stick to the history adds to the time in any battle but i'm waffling now.

playstyle and difficulty adds to time, knowing the map and battle can but not always means less time .

also knowing the strengths and weakness of either side helps, even more so for CSA

some maps and battles are a lot shorter, game save you game anyway so stop and start at will, the largest battle is more than you will ever do in a day real time played correctly / historically etc, but a quick dash and forget about history and losses is a totally different ballgame regarding time spent

[rickier65]

Any more info or news on this game?

Thanks
Rick

[Gil R.]

Not just yet. Release has been pushed back to 2015. Not 2016, but 2015. A more specific release date can't be announced just yet, but we do have one that has been agreed to by WCS and Matrix. Which alone is a sign of progress!

I am hoping to provide more information about the game in January, perhaps even post an AAR. So stay tuned, and thanks for your interest.

[rickier65]

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

Not just yet. Release has been pushed back to 2015. Not 2016, but 2015. A more specific release date can't be announced just yet, but we do have one that has been agreed to by WCS and Matrix. Which alone is a sign of progress!

I am hoping to provide more information about the game in January, perhaps even post an AAR. So stay tuned, and thanks for your interest.

Ah, excellent I'm looking forward to this game.

Thanks
Rick