How's about some good news...??

Nikademus · Post by **Nikademus** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 4:48 am

I've been so happy with 6.1, i hav'nt even minded getting my head handed to me playing Evil Bill's tough scenerios.

:p

You guys are the best!

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 5:10 am

:)Team Matrix has done one heck of a job!!
I feel they have really burnt the midnight oil in making SPWAW an awesome game. There is no comparison to the original Steel Panthers. The graphics and flexibility of this game cannot be beat. Though I have yet to jump into Wild Bill's "inferno" I'm sure it is as top notch as are his other works!! I'm eagerly waiting for Mega Campaign 2. For over a year this game has been free, so I feel the cost of the Mega Campaign is a small fee.

Happy Gaming.
Semper Fi
Randy

Larry W. Wilson · Post by **Larry W. Wilson** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 5:23 am

I've played Steel Panthers since the game first came out back in '95 or so. SPWAW is the ultimate WWII game for me. I've played Panzer Elite, Panzer Commander, Combat Mission, all the Panzer General series, West Front, East Front2,and all the rest. What the Matrix team has done is to create the best WWII combat game on the market---bar none. Thanks Matrix for all your hard work. Sure there have been a few bumps in the road, but these are nothing more than "growing pains" to be expected. Looking forward to the next MC already.

Warrior · Post by **Warrior** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 7:29 am

Originally posted by Monte:
I would argue that if this forum fills with propaganda statements and bursting optimism from every word that is said, you will have a negative effect, not a boost to your sales.

You find any "optimistic propaganda" in here, make sure you let me know so I can double-ditto it. If you have some beef with the enthusiastic support of Matrix that I'm reading here, that's your problem, and if you're not careful I'll sic Sven on you.

G Van Horne · Post by **G Van Horne** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 7:45 am

I have to admit that I am one of the "quiet ones". I have been quite busy working on my house, however, I always find time to check out the forum first and then a couple of hrs in the "field".
I will support Matrix now and in the future. I can't express how much I appreciate all the work and sleepless nites that Matrix has put into this amazing game.(and upcoming games). I have ordered the first MC and when it arrives, I will order the next. I have been telling most of my friends about SPWAW and I know that quite a few of them have downloaded it. I will continue to "pass the word.
True story ! I started playing the first day it was available (and SP2WW2) and you could probably count on both hands the days I did NOT crank it up.(family reunion, daughter's graduation, my stent implant, etc).
SP and WW2 is a big thing with me. About two weeks ago, I got a hold of 6 letters that my Dad sent to his mom during the war. Along with his canteen, puttees/weights, small pack, and web belt.
Thanx, Matrix !
Garth

Monte · Post by **Monte** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 8:23 am

You find any "optimistic propaganda" in here, make sure you let me know so I can double-ditto it. If you have some beef with the enthusiastic support of Matrix that I'm reading here, that's your problem, and if you're not careful I'll sic Sven on you.

Warrior,
I don't have any beef with optimistic expressions of support for Matrix effort, nor with anybody who choses to express his support for Matrix that way.

I said what I think, that forum, as it is right now, is very balanced and great addition to the game. Some very interesting discussions developed after complaints about a particular weapon or aspect of the game. Answers contain a bit of military history and tend to be some very interesting reading material. A great addition to the game experience, if you ask me.

Paul’s word is respected here, and if he says “c’mon guys, show some positive energy here, it looks as if we have the worst game on the planet”, then it might effectively shut of all complaints, and rob us of these interesting discussions that develop here. You might find it interesting, but I too believe that what I said is a honest attempt to support Matrix and this game, and it serves Matrix interests better than yelling three times: “I support Matrix and whoever has a problem with that can go to Hell”.

Drex · Post by **Drex** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 8:46 am

Man I love this kind of talk. Keep it up guys!

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 8:49 am

I've had my share of complaints and critisisms, questions and concerns, and posted most of them to the board. I have nothing but great things to say about the Matrix people and the SPWAW community one can find here on the forums. WIld Bill and Paul Vebber have both taken the time to email me when i've had some specific questions. Can you imagine someone from SSI or Atomic doing that? I can't. And did you ever get the feeling that people at atomic felt some empathy for you when things were delayed or bugs found? I never did. But the matrix guys always kept us informed, were honest and timely with bad news as well as good. Who else does that these days? no one but matrix.

I recieved my t-shirts today. One was for my son, which he has been proudly sporting aroung the house. My two CC campaign buddies know that matrix is coming out with CA, and i'll twist their arms until they buy their copy. I am, and always shall be, a loyal member of the extended family at matrix.

bobaloo000 · Post by **bobaloo000** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 5:21 pm

OK - This game rocks! For more detail see my feedback on MCNA in that forum.

Thanks Matrix.

Banjo · Post by **Banjo** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 5:28 pm

First off, I think that this is the best pc wargame I have ever played. The Entire Matrix staff has done an outstanding job in bringing us this game and all of the updates and editions. A greater praise also goes out to all of the folks who volunteer their time to make this game and community better. And not least, all of the folks who post on this forum, for all of the various insights and information I have gleaned from reading about the different aspects of the game. I have learned so much more about the historical and technical aspects of the weapons systems history and tactics that I would ever care to look up for myself, although my historical and biograpical reading never ceases. I actually have had to curtail my playing time as I was loosing way too much sleep, and neglecting my domestic duties. I have no time for reading the topics containing unfounded compaints and criticisms, or the rare flaming posts. I certainly learn lots from all of the constructive criticism, and hope to see it continue. Thats how we all learn.

I hope that my constant talk of the possibility of having longer scenario lengths in the upcoming C.L., is not taken for critism. I just tend to ramble on more than I should sometimes. My girlfriend would say all of the time!!

I'm ready to pre-order the next M.C. AND C.L. now, and would gladly wait months before I see them at my door.

Thanks again all.

Slind · Post by **Slind** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 7:10 pm

Your customer service is too good! I see you really want to make this game for us, so when we tell you we would like to see this in the game, it'll probably be there in the next patch, or at least you explain why it can't be that way.

I've heard a quote that goes in finnish like this: "Tyytyväinen kansa on kehityksen jarru" which means something like that fully satisfied people will stop or at least delay development. I see people that are talking about bugs and other things they don't like as a part of development. That's no bad, is it? Whining about things is another subject...

Warrior · Post by **Warrior** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 7:17 pm

Originally posted by Monte:
Paul’s word is respected here, and if he says “c’mon guys, show some positive energy here, it looks as if we have the worst game on the planet”, then it might effectively shut of all complaints, and rob us of these interesting discussions that develop here. You might find it interesting, but I too believe that what I said is a honest attempt to support Matrix and this game, and it serves Matrix interests better than yelling three times: “I support Matrix and whoever has a problem with that can go to Hell”.

I doubt if our gang of gamers will ever roll over and become "Yes" men. You're right, and I stand corrected. I apologize for my "knee jerk" reaction, and I'll call off Sven.

lnp4668 · Post by **lnp4668** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 8:35 pm

Even though I haven't received my MCNA disk yet, I have to blame UPS for loosing my CD, not Matrix. So hopefully I will receive a replacement soon

Monte · Post by **Monte** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 9:06 pm

I doubt if our gang of gamers will ever roll over and become "Yes" men. You're right, and I stand corrected. I apologize for my "knee jerk" reaction, and I'll call off Sven.

No offense taken, Warrior.

I am standing my ground here to deliver what I think is an important message to Wild Bill Wilder and Paul. The truth that nobody has a hart to tell them is that they are doing things WRONG on this forum. How is that?

With the blooming SPWaW community, they are finding themselves worn down by the shear volume of messages on this forum. One has to read 48000 posts, for Christ sake!!! Paul and Bill are spending their valuable time on this forum, and there is no need for that. If I was in their shoes, I would USE this tremendous loyalty in customer base to recruit a volunteer moderator from the ranks of veteran supporters. That persons job would not only be to prevent flaming and unacceptable discussions, but also to filter all the noise and send every day an e-mail summary to Bill and Paul pointing them to the topics that require their intervention. For instance, if somebody is asking about the details of the game engine, moderator would ask Paul to take a look. Same would go for scenarios and Bill's involvement here.

Warrior, one thing that escaped your attention is my "rank" on this forum. I am a "matrix recruit", read that as "newbie". I have an idea what a "newbie" is looking for on this forum.

Paul is wrong when he is afraid that a newbie would come to this forum to look if big download of SPWaW is worth it. Some might, but with the proliferation of broadband access to the Internet (cable and DSL), people are not concerned about the big downloads anymore.

I, as a newbie, found this forum to be EXTREMELY valuable replacement for PBEM experience. You hear experienced guys speaking about their tactical use of weapons, you learn how to win this game. And winning is what matters, because that is what is giving us all a pleasure.

Every topic where somebody complained about how particular weapon is modeled in the game, was not a bad thing for Matrix at all. Those topics are HUGE success. In the great scheme of things, how precise is flamethrower simulation in this game is irrelevant, and Paul is wrong, although I can understand his defensive stance about the thing he invested so much into. The truth is that with all these competent folks hanging around, any attempt to attack the game turns itself into the exactly opposite effect. From the flamethrower topic, I learned how other, more experienced players are treating flamethrowers, there was a discussion about the historical use of the weapon, and ALL OF THAT is immensely helping Matrix and this community.

I, as a newbie, paid a close attention to these posts, because I learned to expect a great deal of info there. I intentionally said things just to provoke others to teach me a lesson.

One of very important functions of this forum, gentleman, is that this is a training camp. This particular training camp is producing veterans from recruits, it is producing new Warriors (capital letter intentional

) who will not only buy MCNA, but anything else that Matrix throws in their direction.

Forum traffic should grow, if you are asking me. It will happen anyhow, because that is the nature of increased sales for Matrix.

And Wild Bill and Paul should start thinking about the future now and see how to handle this increased traffic that will sooner or latter make it impossible for them to handle.

Bing · Post by **Bing** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 9:16 pm

"...with the proliferation of broadband access to the Internet (cable and DSL), people are not concerned about the big downloads anymore."

Sorry, but this is just not the factual situation. Talk to the gamers in Europe who cannot get a fast connection in any form. And have to pay for their oxcart connection by the minute.

John Dvorak, resident guru for Ziff Davis publications, recently quoted a industry survey of Internet users. Better than half of them are in the 34 K connection category. I'm lucky to get 33.6 because of a small town phone system, most of the time it is 31.2.

File size beyond question is important to myself and I am certain a great many gamers. The entire world is not comprised of people who have DSL or modem cable. The reverse happens to be the case.

Bing

Monte · Post by **Monte** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 9:31 pm

I stand corrected, Bing.

But this community already has developed an answer to that challenge. Offering free burned CDs is becoming a frequent and noble way of supporting Matrix.

Matrix guys should use that to put a statement on the download page reading something like:
"If you are concerned about the big download, consider checking our forum, where you can sometimes find a good soul who is willing to burn and send you a CD".

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 9:52 pm

This groundswell of enthusiasm from all over the world means much more to me personally than I know how to express to all of you.

We are NOT greedy, evil manipulators or smooth talking con-men out to fleece the gaming public.

We are a fledgling company, taking our first steps, making mistakes unintentionally and doing our very best to correct them.

We are learning. We will get better. We already are getting better.

For all of you with the patience to understand that and evaluate our sincerity for what it is, I am greatful.

The Matrix Team is one of the most talented and devoted anywhere! I am convinced of that.

Timely post Paul. Hey, I thought you were on vacation!

Wild Bill

m10bob · Post by **m10bob** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 10:31 pm

started out with avalon hill in (i think)the late 50's..always liked wargames 'cuz my dad was a "lifer" and my brother and i always had big ambitions to fill his boots..i got my time in uniform and got re-acquainted with war "games" by an army buddy from ohio..got addicted and drove the next 3 women in my life nuts!...then....THE COMPUTER!!!!!!!atari 800,coleco,another atari,a commodore 64,and then.......I.B.M.!!!!!!!!every time something came out,i HAD to have it..spent a fortune and saw a lot of it collecting dust,but then along came the original S.P. and i finally felt justified in all the time and money spent....it started to age about the time i lost my personal hero and best friend,(bob sr),and then,along came MATRIX!!!!!!Matrix gave re-birth and actually recreated S.P. by completely changing that "game" and turning it into (for me) a truly accurate,historical study in which i felt part of...this thing is "in my blood" and Matrix has gone out of it's way to prove it's not just another company out there for the almighty dollar..Matrix is made up of an impressive bunch of steady,persevering,intellectual veterans and gameplayers AND game designers who are unwilling to compromise just to "get it on the shelf"..anybody who has ever bought any electronic wargame actually as ready as this one has been is either a liar or very forgetful..i've never been a real master of diction,but i'm known for honesty and not "beating around the bush"........MATRIX is the best wargame company going...bar none....their product is superb.....long life!

Fabio Prado · Post by **Fabio Prado** » Sat Jul 21, 2001 11:06 pm

Originally posted by Paul Vebber:
A call to arms!!

A friend of mine called today and offered his apologies and said it was a shame so many people thought we were doing such a poor job. I had to take a step back and ask what the heck he was talking about??

Unfortunately, for a newbie coming to this forum for the first time, A large number of threads are negative and lead one to believe that things here are not going very well...
<SNIP>
There are thousands of you registered on the forums, but a only a small fraction post regularly. <SNIP>
<SNIP>
So Lets make folks who come to the site and forum know that the negative stuff is healthy criticism, but nothing to worry about, and to help us sell out MC1 Desert Fox quickly and prime the pump for even more of you to get MC2 Lost Victories.

[ July 20, 2001: Message edited by: Paul Vebber ]

Although I am not much of a Forum kind of fellow - I do my talking by the support I give via my website - I have been with Matrix since the beginning, and seeing what I saw, decided to support them. And will keep on doing it, as long as I possibly can.

I am an old wargamer - I have been around - and I have NEVER seen the kind of support and attention that the MATRIX team give to customers. And you have to understand that this customer base, up until very recently, paid NOTHING for the best ever version of the most illustrious PC wargame ever. This behavior that characterizes MATRIX doesn't have a precedent. This has given them the reputation they've got.

For all this they deserve RESPECT and CONSIDERATION of all of us wargamers.

Remember how the world was before MATRIX?

Then they launched their first paid product, the MC1 - Desert Fox. And as they are wargamers trying to give their community excellent products by working theirs hearts off, and not a bunch of greedy, unscrupulous people - they experienced some problems.

Now some people complained about the delay in receiving their copy of the DFMC. I can understand them. But I don't agree with their attitude at the forum. I myself ordered as soon as the online pre order began. Yet I only received my copy yesterday. Did I posted at this Forum complaining? No.
Why? Because I feel the MATRIX team deserves the RESPECT and CONSIDERATION of all of us wargamers. This waiting time was nothing compared to the long hours and sleepless nights of continuous tireless work to give us a superior product FOR FREE. How do I know it? Because I was in the beta team of most versions since SPWAW 1.0. I experienced the daily beta releases, the thrill of the bug hunt, the friendship, the frustration, the joy and the pride that comes with this work.
I am no part of the company, and make no money from it. On the contrary, I am a supporter. I work with them whenever I can, and do the most I can, and still buy their products because I believe in David, Paul, Mike, Wild Bill and all the Matrix Team.And
because I know the quality of their work and their commitment.

Now a word about the "Bug fond in version X.x!!!" posts.
Matrix wants feedback. More. Matrix NEEDS feedback. But I have seen lots of posts where the gamer saw something he/she thinks is odd and goes straight to the forum and post it . Please remember: RESPECT and CONSIDERATION. If you see something you feel may be a bug, please check it out first. See if it happens all the time, most of the time, rarely, of it doesn't happens anymore. Then take a little time analyzing the situation, to clear things out and verify if it is REALLY a bug, or if you are not misinterpreting correct game behavior.

If it is not a bug, but If something doesn't particularly suits your taste, you can always use some of the many configuration settings or even the OOB editor to make things like you feel they should be. There are enough configuration options within SPWAW to suit almost everybody's tastes.

Please remember that if you don't proceed this way, you may be doing more harm than good. Again: Remember how the world was before MATRIX.

And last but not least: Here we are all, without exception, having a lot of FUN!

This is a very supportive community, where if you can't download the game there is always a fellow gamer that will burn a CD and send it to you.

There is a bunch of fellows that have built support websites on their own expenses just so you can have the latest info, scenarios, upgrades and other goodies available.

So, post about it - this is what we are all living everyday as part of the MATRIX Games community - and let the newbies know how good it is you will be helping your favorite wargame company to give you even more wonderful wargaming experiences.

Just my two cents.

Fab

[ July 21, 2001: Message edited by: Fabio Prado ]

Bing · Post by **Bing** » Sun Jul 22, 2001 12:19 am

Mea culpa maxima. This really IS the last time I am going to apologize to Paul, Fab, whoever feels they need one or could use one.

I did not post the FT thread because I had seen this happen once, it happened many times, as it turned out it may have been a scenario gone "buggy", because when I went to the second battle in the campaign after the FT incident, I suddenly had no core forces at all. Zip. Nada. Quick way to end a campaign.

No intent to do more harm than good. Didn't expect Paul or anyone else would run off big tests or anything of the kind. Was really asking what other gamers were experiencing. Is this wrong?

I doubt if I will post anything of the kind again. I thought the forum was as much for those seeking help as anything else. If I was wrong, well, go to the top of this message.

In the way of reparations, you can have my first born if you would like. He is however rather large - 6' 5" - and eats a lot.

Bing