Release date

[Greyshaft]

ORIGINAL: kaleun
I used to play SWOTL but never discovered that trick!

You had to keep moving. If your plane ever completely stopped then you were considered captured and that mission ended.

[kaleun]

We're really old farts to remember that game I guess.

[ZOOMIE1980]

The first computer game I ever got was North Atlantic '86 back in 1985 with a brand new Apple IIc. That was a Gary Grigsby game, one of his first. Amazing thing about that game was I was able to figure out how to extract the AppleSoft basic code to that game and make modifications to the game within about six months after purchasing it. I went back and forth with Gary back then but never got him to release a sequel with some of the pretty cool new features I added.....at least I thought they were back then.

[rroberson]

I'm starting to think you're older then me. [X(] My first strat game was for the com 64. It was a cold war epic (the name escapes me) I was too poor to even afford a 64 at the time so I bought the game and use to stand in the computer store and play it...circa 1982.

[kaleun]

My first GG game was War in the South West Pacific, for the C64. Two years ago, I realized I still had the disks and the original plastic overlayed map. Then I got USAAF, also for the C64 IIRC, the forefather of BTR. PACWAR was the next and then War in Russia.
I am so looking forawrd to getting this game.

[Greyshaft]

I can't remember the last time I've ever "hardcoded" ANYTHING into a software module other than an error or trace message.

Naughty boy... how do you handle internationalisation of your products? Error messages belong in seperate files which are loaded at runtime [:-]

[2Stepper]

ORIGINAL: kaleun
My first GG game was War in the South West Pacific, for the C64. Two years ago, I realized I still had the disks and the original plastic overlayed map. Then I got USAAF, also for the C64 IIRC, the forefather of BTR. PACWAR was the next and then War in Russia.
I am so looking forawrd to getting this game.

Oh MAN! I remember USAAF like it was yesterday. Basic text game that had VERY basic maps and all you did was watch as planes and pilots fell from the sky... Not to mention Bombs as you dropped them on Europe. Fun game though...

[siRkid]

I bought SSI's very first computer game. It was call Computer Bismarck, and then Computer Ambush. It took an hour to run one turn with CA. I can trace the evolution of computer war gaming by the SSI games I bought. I still have every SSI catalog that ever came out, up until the point the suits took over the company. I can still remember the day I got War In Russia in the mail. I was in Iceland about to transfer. The game arrived after my computer got shipped out. That really sucked. I could only look at the manual for 4 weeks. Ahhh those were the days.

[2Stepper]

Indeed... SSI was the stuff of life back in the day... Least when you still weren't reliving old dreams on an Avalon Hill board game.

Fact I remember a friend of mine and I back in '95-96 taking out an old game called "Federation and Empire" and setting up to play... Took us upwards of 4hrs just to prepare...

Just about the time we were ready to begin we both realized that we both had games that could do the same thing in a moment or two vs the longer time. LOL!!! Oh how things change... Ah well... We'll all have a computerized version of those old days soon. Would you believe I still have my copy of "Pacific War Struggle against Japan" from Victory Games... [8D] Bugger is in mint condition too... Still like to break it out sometimes and just look... don't have NEAR the time to play that anymore... kinda a shame...

Okay... I'm done reminiscing now. [8D]

[mogami]

ORIGINAL: Kid

I bought SSI's very first computer game. It was call Computer Bismarck, and then Computer Ambush. It took an hour to run one turn with CA. I can trace the evolution of computer war gaming by the SSI games I bought. I still have every SSI catalog that ever came out, up until the point the suits took over the company. I can still remember the day I got War In Russia in the mail. I was in Iceland about to transfer. The game arrived after my computer got shipped out. That really sucked. I could only look at the manual for 4 weeks. Ahhh those were the days.

Hi, Very strange. I got War in Russia the day my ship left for a 6 month deployment. Then the computer did not work. For 6 months I read the rules. The first thing I did when we finally got back to USA was get the computer replaced so I could finally play it.
I had the rules memorized.

[Sonny]

ORIGINAL: Kid

I bought SSI's very first computer game. It was call Computer Bismarck, and then Computer Ambush. It took an hour to run one turn with CA. I can trace the evolution of computer war gaming by the SSI games I bought. I still have every SSI catalog that ever came out, up until the point the suits took over the company. I can still remember the day I got War In Russia in the mail. I was in Iceland about to transfer. The game arrived after my computer got shipped out. That really sucked. I could only look at the manual for 4 weeks. Ahhh those were the days.

Geez, I had forgotten all about computer Bismarck and Computer Ambush! I got every thing I could lay my hands on when I got my AppleII. Am I really that old??[X(]

[ZOOMIE1980]

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft

I can't remember the last time I've ever "hardcoded" ANYTHING into a software module other than an error or trace message.

Naughty boy... how do you handle internationalisation of your products? Error messages belong in seperate files which are loaded at runtime [:-]

Well, yea, that's what I mean by "hard coded". I guess even that doesn't count. I use UNICODE versions of wxWindows with translation files for international products that require a UI. Fortunately, most of what I do is backend, server side, middleware stuff with very little UI requirements. But the wx folks do a wonderful job of making internationalization easy. (BTW I wrote the OS/2 port of that product.....remember that OS?)....

[ZOOMIE1980]

ORIGINAL: Kid

I bought SSI's very first computer game. It was call Computer Bismarck, and then Computer Ambush. It took an hour to run one turn with CA. I can trace the evolution of computer war gaming by the SSI games I bought. I still have every SSI catalog that ever came out, up until the point the suits took over the company. I can still remember the day I got War In Russia in the mail. I was in Iceland about to transfer. The game arrived after my computer got shipped out. That really sucked. I could only look at the manual for 4 weeks. Ahhh those were the days.

And it was a time that an individual, or couple of individuals could actually write a game by themselves. Graphics were so primative they did not require a great deal of code to create and no artists to create the content, but now with all the level designers and top end artwork required.... Ooops, sorry, level designers....probably a very politically incorrect topic for a wargaming board....

[Slick91]

ORIGINAL: ZOOMIE1980

And it was a time that an individual, or couple of individuals could actually write a game by themselves. Graphics were so primative they did not require a great deal of code to create and no artists to create the content, but now with all the level designers and top end artwork required.... Ooops, sorry, level designers....probably a very politically incorrect topic for a wargaming board....

You touched on a point that I’ve always wondered about. In the early days, you lacked detailed graphics and had to play more abstractly. This is what seemed to be the proverbial fish hook for me. I started my love affair for wargaming with the table top classics from Avalon Hill, Victory Games, et al. The early days of computer gaming before the 3D game engines, kept the same abstract aspect. I enjoyed being able to pause and look at the battlefield in front of me and imagine the sights and sounds.

Now a day, it is all eye candy, smoke, and mirrors game play. There is too much focus in the industry for the graphics and sound first, game play second. At least Matrix Games has got it right and stuck to the old standard while adding the pretty things to look at.

Look at two games from the early days, Red Storm Rising and Falcon 3.0. Both games very limited in graphics and hardware by today’s standards, but the game play was second to none and still has not been duplicated to this day. You younger folks will probably have no idea what I’m talking about. You had features included in those early DOS games that have never been reproduced in any game released in the last five to ten years.

I figure this year I’ll end up paying for Matrix Game’s utility bills a few time at least. [:D]

[Adnan Meshuggi]

Err... somebody mentioned that the game could be go gold... so everybody should be helpfull, so i can buy the game in a few days and download it....

what is the costs, what is about the bank datas... just tell me, so i can transfer the money[:)]

[kaleun]

Yep, played both.
I loved RSR best though, but both were great

[ZOOMIE1980]

Exactly! The value in a game back it the 80's was the gameplay itself. How the developer went about resolving combat, represented the "board", handle logitics. Games like North Atlantic '86, USAAF, PacWar, War In Russia, etc... were all VERY primative in terms of graphics and sound but were games that hooked me until the wee hours of the morning on even workdays. WitP promises to be something a lot like that. Still don't know why they need to use DirectX for such simplistic graphics and sound.....

ORIGINAL: Slick91

ORIGINAL: ZOOMIE1980

And it was a time that an individual, or couple of individuals could actually write a game by themselves. Graphics were so primative they did not require a great deal of code to create and no artists to create the content, but now with all the level designers and top end artwork required.... Ooops, sorry, level designers....probably a very politically incorrect topic for a wargaming board....

You touched on a point that I’ve always wondered about. In the early days, you lacked detailed graphics and had to play more abstractly. This is what seemed to be the proverbial fish hook for me. I started my love affair for wargaming with the table top classics from Avalon Hill, Victory Games, et al. The early days of computer gaming before the 3D game engines, kept the same abstract aspect. I enjoyed being able to pause and look at the battlefield in front of me and imagine the sights and sounds.

Now a day, it is all eye candy, smoke, and mirrors game play. There is too much focus in the industry for the graphics and sound first, game play second. At least Matrix Games has got it right and stuck to the old standard while adding the pretty things to look at.

Look at two games from the early days, Red Storm Rising and Falcon 3.0. Both games very limited in graphics and hardware by today’s standards, but the game play was second to none and still has not been duplicated to this day. You younger folks will probably have no idea what I’m talking about. You had features included in those early DOS games that have never been reproduced in any game released in the last five to ten years.

I figure this year I’ll end up paying for Matrix Game’s utility bills a few time at least. [:D]

[Zeta16]

I am of the young age of 26 and my first war game was UV, wish I had played those old games when I was younger. I just played video sports games with the cousins and keep books of stats on each one.

[kaleun]

Good. New blood is what we old foggies need to keep a market for these games.
Maybe the GameBox generation, as they get older, gradually graduate (neat turn of phrase if I may say so myself) to these more educated games.
Now to the important question: When can we order?
[:)]

[Zeta16]

I was never into what one would consider video games. Never played the shootum up games. Play EA sports games and wrote all of the stats down before it started to save them. We used to keep stats on wiffle ball and basketball in the driveway. My one cousin and I started playing NHL 95 and started it like the NHL in 1917 or 18 and played the number of games each year had. We then copied the stats down after the season and made a record book and by now we have gotten to 1950, so we have more games in season. I think I love war and sports games because of the stats invovled.