New Player; Questions

[Xtopher]

I just bought MWiF yesterday. I checked out the forums before purchasing so I have an idea of the state of the game. I'd just like to confirmation on a few things.

1. How often is the game updated?

2. Currently I'm downloading 2.1.4.0. Is that the best version to be using? I saw there's a version 2.2.0.0 but I didn't see it in the members area (I probably didn't look hard enough).

3. Has anyone successfully completed the full campaign game using NetPlay? Is it even possible?

4. My impression is that short of quantum computers or some sort of FTL computing system, even a cursory AI will never be possible. Am I correct? I have no problem with that, but I'd also have no problem if my expectation turned out to be too low.

5. Is hotseat play what most people rely on to play non-solitaire?

6. If someone could link the most comprehensive list of current bugs it would be appreciated.

7. Is it possible to become a beta tester? We played WiFFE once a week (sometimes more) for more than 10 years so I know the game well. Not sure how much experience with the analog version is relevant at this point when it comes to bug fixing, though.

8. Is this forum a good resource to find FTF players for playing the board game version?

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to diving in once this update finishes!

Chris

[AlbertN]

1. Cannot say. Patches dictate that!

2. Check the forum thread if so. I have the 2.2.0 and I've got it from either the forum or the member area.

3. Never tried Netplay. I play "single player" with an oppponent - being on skype with him; and using skype as both voicecomm and sharing the screen of the pc of one of us at time.

4. I always support the idea that an AI for a high level strategy game is impossible to have. (I mean an AI that is competitive without cheating by having extra production or so). Better use effort for Optionals, etc.

5. Still using full "Solitaire" - in the end it's one player to operate; no need to switch a player in technical terms. Just wait for the instruction OR otherwise do what you think it is right (at times done so to speed up turns - and very often when playing stiles do not match it leads to different decisions taken).

6. Can't help there.

7. Can't help there either, but even by just playing you can report bugs you find on the Tech forums.

8. I doubt this Forum is apt for that. Since here there are players playing the computer version. I suggest boardgamegeek for that or the Yahoo group for WiF.

[Neilster]

As to the AI, a lot of work has been done on it but it's on the backburner as other things have priority. To cut a long story short, I'd expect an at least competent AI.

That's all it has to be. Something to help beginners learn the game and to give intermediate players a challenge. Expert players will either play each other or select optional rules to make it harder for themselves against the AI. If it turns out to be strong, then it can have difficulty levels or the same optional rule trick can be used to advantage the player.

Cheers, Neilster

[paulderynck]

1 & 2: On average I'm guessing there's been an update at least 4 times a year so far. Early on, a process was established where a public beta is announced and players are free to try it "at their own risk" and are expected to report any bugs they find. "At their own risk" may sound intimidating and there was a time when this was so. Lately the bugs that are being found are much more esoteric. At any rate when the next public beta is announced, the current public beta (2.2.0) will replace the current public release (2.1.4).

3. Not that I've heard of and likely no. NetPlay has improved a lot but is still a work in progress.

4. Strictly a matter of opinion and mine is pretty similar to yours.

5. There's really no point in using Hot Seat to play Solitaire - it just results in extra clicking to advance the Sequence of Play. Use Solitaire.

6. This is up to the designer to release publicly or not. So far this has not been done. Beta testers have access to bug lists, but we're at the stage where we report everything we find and are not too worried if it's a new or old bug.

7. Using the public beta release and reporting bugs you find is the current way.

8. Agree with Cohen in post #2.

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: Xtopher

I just bought MWiF yesterday. I checked out the forums before purchasing so I have an idea of the state of the game. I'd just like to confirmation on a few things.

1. How often is the game updated?

2. Currently I'm downloading 2.1.4.0. Is that the best version to be using? I saw there's a version 2.2.0.0 but I didn't see it in the members area (I probably didn't look hard enough).

3. Has anyone successfully completed the full campaign game using NetPlay? Is it even possible?

4. My impression is that short of quantum computers or some sort of FTL computing system, even a cursory AI will never be possible. Am I correct? I have no problem with that, but I'd also have no problem if my expectation turned out to be too low.

5. Is hotseat play what most people rely on to play non-solitaire?

6. If someone could link the most comprehensive list of current bugs it would be appreciated.

7. Is it possible to become a beta tester? We played WiFFE once a week (sometimes more) for more than 10 years so I know the game well. Not sure how much experience with the analog version is relevant at this point when it comes to bug fixing, though.

8. Is this forum a good resource to find FTF players for playing the board game version?

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to diving in once this update finishes!

Chris

1. New public patches are made every few months. Work is still being done at about the same rate as always, except that Steve took a vacation for most of March.

2. 2.2 is a private beta version. I do not know when the next public beta will be released.

3. Netplay is not yet fully operational, but my understanding is that it is very close.

4. I have no hope of a decent AI, myself.

5. Don't know.

6. I am not sure that there is a public bug list. If there is, I would like to know where it is.

7. Ask Steve; If he agrees, he will then ask Matrix, who will take a long time one way or another to decide.

8. I doubt it, but you could get lucky.

[paulderynck]

Regarding #2:

tm.asp?m=4043326

[Shannon V. OKeets]

We are not currently looking for more beta testers. The time and effort required (primarily by me) to get someone new up-to-speed beta testing is substantial and there has been a well documented history over the past 11 years of new beta testers disappearing after a month or so.

On the other hand, the pressure to do more testing remains about the same. My alpha testing is okay for simple bugs - where I have a saved game to work from. And it is less lovely when I need to make substantial changes across a broad swathe of code (e.g., modifying most of the Vichy Creation subphase to support NetPlay).

The beta testers and the Public Beta versions appear to be catching the things I mess up (that use to work) when I make changes to the source code.

As Paul stated, the 'new' bug reports keep getting more and more esoteric. For example, here are some of the changes in version 2.2.0.2:


5. April 7, 2016 - Added a check so militia and reserve units belonging to a minor country aligned to France only go into the setup tray for Vichy France (when that is declared) if France controls the unit. This avoids a problem with Ethiopian units (Ethiopia aligned to France and conquered by Italy - which built Ethiopian territorial units) being removed from the map. The same change prevents other non-French controlled units from being placed in the Setup Pool for Vichy France [this once happened with US carrier air units appearing in the Setup Tray].

6. April 7, 2016 - Added a special line of code so De Gaulle in Production never arrives as a Vichy French unit. Instead that unit goes into the French Force pool.

7. April 7, 2016 - Added code so if Free France doesn’t exist after the creation of Vichy France, then the French Pacific Islands go to Vichy France regardless of the die roll for those territories.