Sneak peek to CS: Vietnam 1.31 and Middle East 2.31 updates

[Crossroads]

We apologize for the delay of six to nine months from our original plan. With the loss of Berto, it has been an "anno horribilis" for our small team. But what better way to honor his legacy than by keeping the game updated for the coming years so here we go again. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

My original wish was to have a quick final “Berto baseline” out by late May, but we needed more time to sort ourselves out and align with Matrix Games' timelines. Expect an Open Beta in the coming weeks, followed by a full update once everything is running smoothly.

We aim to deliver a more comprehensive update by the end of the year and hope to establish a Spring/Fall update rhythm, as major revisions are now compeleted, including the phenomenal Lua-based Event Engine Berto developed to run parallel to the game engine, developed in C++.

Change Log for the Upcoming 1.31 / 2.31 Update

Enhancements:

• Extended CS Vietnam end date from 12/1967 to 12/1985.

• Objectives now display or obscure their values based on whether the Enhanced Fog of War optional rule is selected.

• Changed Double Value objectives to display the controlling side and award the value to the side controlling it when the scenario ends.

• Changed turn-by-turn Single Value objectives to be cumulative.

• Added slopes to 2D maps.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug where Side B was not able to see Single Value Objective values.

• Fixed issues with entering and exiting a Pontoon Bridge hex (bug in v1.30 / v2.30).

• Assaulting a hex now reveals any unrevealed entrenchments.

• Loaded rafts can now move into shallow water and onto land, and unload their passengers at either location (bug in v1.30 / v2.30).

• Fixed a situation where a carrying unit could move into a village but was subsequently unable to move out (bug in v1.30 / v2.30).

• Removed the “Play Campaign” button from the Middle East front end as linked campaigns are no longer supported as of Middle East 2.30.

Let us look at a couple of those enhancement in more detail:


Extended CS Vietnam End Date from 12/1967 to 12/1985

If you've been watching Jason’s Twitch live sessions or YouTube recordings, you’ve seen previews of the late Vietnam War scenarios. Jason will provide more details, but expect to see an Open Beta for the 1968 Tet campaign soon. Similarly, for Middle East enthusiasts, an Iran-Iraq War Open Beta is on the horizon as well, but will take a longer time.

Exciting times, nevertheless!

[Crossroads]

New Objectives and Related Bug Fixes

Berto ran out of time to deliver the full implementation of the new objectives model, which includes both Single Value (same value for both sides) and Double Value (different values for each side) objectives, in two formats: cumulative turn-by-turn or granted to the side that controls the objective at the end of the scenario. Here’s a recap of the various objectives the game supports as of 1.31 / 2.31:

objectives_table.jpg (236.23 KiB) Viewed 1294 times

objectives_samples.jpg (145.57 KiB) Viewed 1294 times

[Crossroads]

Slope Sides in 2D Maps

One of my long-term wishlist items, something we just haven’t had time for until now, is finally here! Originally planned for the Fall update, I managed to squeeze them in earlier. There’s one set of slope tiles for this version. While the “sunny side” hex sides may appear dark at the lowest elevations, they look bright on maps with higher elevations.

Our game supports 50 elevations per scenario map, and we’ll add more color variants in the next update. I opted for a minimalistic approach, using just one color for sunny sides and the same shadow hue as other 2D shapes in the maps.

pk15_2dslopes.jpg (1.4 MiB) Viewed 1292 times

[Crossroads]

Fall Update

More content is planned for the Fall update, likely delayed a bit due to our delay in getting back up to speed.

For the Middle East, we plan to introduce a more extensive set of scenarios with their CS Event Engine Lua scripts. Expect new scenarios, code enhancements, and more bug fixes. For Vietnam, more new content as well.

Again, thank you for your understanding and patience. Do stay tuned. And wish us luck!

[MarechalJoffre]

Awesome stuff! Thanks for keeping us updated.

[Crossroads]

Awesome stuff! Thanks for keeping us updated.

Thanks MJ, Berto made sure to leave us in a good place, and in a good place we are. Time to get them updates and new content coming out again!

[TomWalton]

I've been playing the CS games since East Front first came out. That's getting on for 30 years, isn't it?

It's so, so amazing that you're still providing support and huge improvements for new versions of these games!

[Crossroads]

I've been playing the CS games since East Front first came out. That's getting on for 30 years, isn't it?

It's so, so amazing that you're still providing support and huge improvements for new versions of these games!

Thank you, Tom. I started with West Front myself. It's been a while, hasn't it

[Crossroads]

We're at the process of vetting the Vietnam 1.31 installer by the Matrix guys. So far so good! Must say, those 2D Map hill slopes bring a much appreciated improvement to game maps.

And wait, is that the first of the Tet Offensive battles about to hit the unsuspecting Vietnam game. The night is dark and full of terrors...

Screenshot with my wide screen monitor:

Vietnam131_Tet_Kontum.jpg (1.03 MiB) Viewed 1103 times

[Crossroads]

The most excellent Maus Man 3D Map mod is now available directly with the JSGME (JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler) that comes with the game.

I prefer the simple "button" unit base option, reminds me of those Airfix 1:72 soldiers I had a ton of in my wee years:

Vietnam131_Tet_Kontum3D.jpg (1.09 MiB) Viewed 1096 times

[Sunbather]

Excellent! I can't wait.

[GavinP01]

Those 2D map slopes are fantastic!
And am sure the new Tet scenarios will be equally fantastic.
Can’t wait for the new updates to be released.
Am also hoping to see more “week in” campaigns.
Keep up the great work.
Many thanks.

[Crossroads]

Thanks, Sunbather and Gavin

1.31 Public Beta available now!

Spot anything, do let us know!

[comte]

I am not seeing the new 2D slope sides after update.

All the Tet Mission select maps are scaled wrong so you cannot see them.

[comte]

I am not seeing the new 2D slope sides after update.

All the Tet Mission select maps are scaled wrong so you cannot see them.

[Jason Petho]

Most of the Tet scenarios are in locations where there is a bunch of flat terrain.

Try a different scenario to see them, or look in the map editor at one of the hillier maps.

[Crossroads]

I am not seeing the new 2D slope sides after update.

Can you please post a screenshot as how slope sides are drawn on your install?

As a design note, after some consideration, I have the slope sides drawn right after the basic hex of open and clear terrain is drawn. This means, for instance, if there are trees, they are drawn on top of the slope side for a more natural look. Covering more ground (pun intended), hex side rivers, for instance, are drawn over slopes too and often cover the whole hex side. Some full hex terrains, such as red dirt and sand, are drawn at a later stage too and cover even more space over the slope sides. I might need to make some adjustments going forward to improve visibility and layering.

If you have any specific scenarios or setups where the slopes aren't appearing as expected, let me know, and I can take a closer look.

[comte]

Most of the Tet scenarios are in locations where there is a bunch of flat terrain.

Try a different scenario to see them, or look in the map editor at one of the hillier maps.

You are correct Jason I was in all flat terrain scenarios

sorry for the confusion

I see the excellent slopes now nice job guys!

[Crossroads]

We have an opportunity for another Public Beta version due to the busy scheduling times with Matrix Games. The next public beta will likely become available sometime next week. Here are a couple of new items included in the next version, in addition to those mentioned in the opening post:

• Added ten elevation variants to 2D map slope sides.

• Fixed the Assault bug as recently reported in the Tech Support subforum.

• Addressed a couple of issues with the Maus Man 3D Map Mod for both Middle East and Vietnam games.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback!

[Crossroads]

Today's tally:

• Fixed the bug where background music would only play one track or sound file (introduced in 1.30/2.30)

• Background music now always plays either neutral or side-specific tracks only. The random 50% chance for ambient combat sounds in-between has been removed.

• Removed the dependency on C++ 2008 redistributables from all executables except the frontend app. Nope, safer to do this with 1.40/2.40 update with more time to ensure all's good.