Advanced Tactics Gold Platinum Edition

[the_iron_duke]

This is a great game, but it feels like there's even more potential goodness that can be drawn out of it. Are there any plans to develop it further? Maybe as a DLC expansion or as an Advanced Tactics Gold 2 or as an Advanced Tactics Gold Platinum Edition?

[ernieschwitz]

Many people have suggested it. What is on Vic's (the creators) desk is the question. I too hope that some day we will see an ATP.

[Vic]

For the moment first up is Shadow Empire. Which is going to really feel quite familiar too ATG players.

I would like to see how that title goes first before announcing any other game plans.

I am still supporting ATG however, when modders and scenario designers need specific features.

One of the potential problems with making a new AT version like ATP is the AI.. the game has grown so sprawling and wide that AI design has become a trouble point. This is also one of the reasons I am working on Shadow Empire first to see if I can keep the essential gameplay but provide a much more streamlined experience as well a much better AI.

AT(G) is many things to many people and doing all those things well (by raising the bar and quality level) for a new game is hard.

Basically ATG does 3 things at the same time and allows mixing those three:
1. Historical Scenarios
2. Random Fictional wargaming
3. Free form modding

Question: If it does something else for you than those 3 points please post what it is for you! thx.

When I look the direction VR is moving I would say
1. Historical Scenarios is getting covered by the Decisive Campaigns series including the new and 'free' Decisive Campaigns : Community Project.
2. Random Fictional wargaming is going to get new life in Shadow Empire
3. Free form modding is something that might warrant a new title indeed at some point. The big question and challenge here is the AI. Free form and AI are words that bite each other. None the less there is still enormous potential here.

Hope this gives a bit of an insight in the long term development plans.

Best wishes,
Vic

[CSO_Talorgan]

ORIGINAL: Vic

Random Fictional wargaming is going to get new life in Shadow Empire ...

Free form modding is something that might warrant a new title

Will Shadow Empire not be capable of free form modding?

[the_iron_duke]

- historical/authentic military organisation using
- random maps

Personally, I like a historical or semi-historical setting, with military organisation that feels authentic. I do much prefer randomly-generated maps to scenarios, though, and ATG is the only one that combines these two things.

[major.pain]

I would love ATG to become a merger of what it does best now with the free flow in depth war game on random maps with the empire building and diplomacy mechanics of a Civilization type game.

Would be my dream game

[Tac2i]

Sounds great! This is my personal sweet spot in wargaming. While I thoroughly enjoy the WWII time period I'm ready to give a scifi ATG type game a try. Random maps is simply the way to go for me.

ORIGINAL: Vic

Random Fictional wargaming is going to get new life in Shadow Empire

[altipueri]

Vic, I think the link to Peoples Tactics isn't working on your site.

Can I use the old ATG mods - Roman and Napoleonic with the AT included in ATG ?

Random maps is very important to me for all periods. I find it strange when people want to fight Waterloo or Gettysburg or Arnhem for the 100th time.

[Vic]

ORIGINAL: CSO_Talorgan

ORIGINAL: Vic

Random Fictional wargaming is going to get new life in Shadow Empire ...

Free form modding is something that might warrant a new title

Will Shadow Empire not be capable of free form modding?

Nope. It will not be a wargame construction set.

[Vic]

ORIGINAL: the_iron_duke

- historical/authentic military organisation using
- random maps

Personally, I like a historical or semi-historical setting, with military organisation that feels authentic. I do much prefer randomly-generated maps to scenarios, though, and ATG is the only one that combines these two things.

Altough there is nothing historical about Shadow Empire BUT I try to keep the rules and political, economic and military logic very close to the real thing. For the military part expect the same kind of depth as in the Decisive Campaigns and ATG titles: OOBs, TOEs and logistics.

[Vic]

ORIGINAL: M J R

I would love ATG to become a merger of what it does best now with the free flow in depth war game on random maps with the empire building and diplomacy mechanics of a Civilization type game.

Would be my dream game

I hope to deliver on that sentence.

[Vic]

ORIGINAL: Webizen

Sounds great! This is my personal sweet spot in wargaming. While I thoroughly enjoy the WWII time period I'm ready to give a scifi ATG type game a try. Random maps is simply the way to go for me.

ORIGINAL: Vic

Random Fictional wargaming is going to get new life in Shadow Empire

In fact the tech level will be very close to WW2.

Which is a bit odd for a game having a setting 6000 years in the future

[Vic]

ORIGINAL: altipueri

Vic, I think the link to Peoples Tactics isn't working on your site.

Can I use the old ATG mods - Roman and Napoleonic with the AT included in ATG ?

Random maps is very important to me for all periods. I find it strange when people want to fight Waterloo or Gettysburg or Arnhem for the 100th time.

Thanks for spotting the dead link. Fixed it.

As for the other question... Shadow Empire will hopefully be the first in a new series and will not have any relation (except for taking some inspiration from it) with Advanced Tactics.

Best wishes,
Vic

[Vic]

And as for Advanced Tactics there might be a small but real chance there might be something like an Advanced Tactics Redux version at some point in the future that focusses on a specific subset of random games with better AI. But really this is far from sure at this point in time. I am basically just sharing this information to show that this title has not yet reached the end of its life.

best, Vic

[GrumpyMel]

Super excited about Shadow Empire. Obviously is starts out single planet and WW2 Tech level....but I'd love to see a version that tech's up to science fiction level.

Vic perhaps as an intermediate step to that, perhaps you could consider providing some sort of linked campaign in shadow empire where at the end of a scenario the player discovers some relic interplanetary transports and is able to transport a handful of units and maybe a couple of generals onto a new planet?

Essentially it would be just like starting a new game on a new random planet, except the player could carry over a handful of units, a couple of leaders and maybe some perk from the previous game? I'm not sure what that would do to game balance or programming complications but thematically I think it would be cool.

[Strategiusz]

For me ATG is:
- random maps
- freedom of strategy and tactics I can try and play
I try to play mostly that kind of strategy games. Not only strategy level games but I like tactic level games like Field of Glory or Combat Mission (the older version) too when you buy your army for points before battles on random maps. (I like Frozen Synapse and Frozen Cortex too - tactic level games on random maps).

I don't like when I have to learn a scenario where there is a lot of units already deployed and lots of fixed events I must get to know before playing. If I play a game with fixed scenarios I try to play only the small scenarios.

I like some of turn based 4X games but most of them are too similar to others and boring with too big emphasis on "single player" (even when playing multiplayer) and building and upgrading buildings or some kind of micromanaging or no-brain "choices".

[davebob]

In response to Vic's question, aside from the 3 elements, ATG does them with an elegant logistics system. This is a rarity. Well done. As to the use of WW2 weapons technology: WW2, marked the ending of an era, man skill, aim the gun, find your airbase, scout the enemy. Today, laser guided, satellites, drones. Hurrah for John Henry (American folk hero)