Robert Crandall & Flashpoint Germany At Origins 2004

[David Heath]

Hi Guys

Robert will be joining the Matrix Games staff at Origins this year with our very soon to be release Flashpoint Germany game. I know Robert Armstrong has done a great job improving the graphics and I think everyone is going to be impressed what they see it.

If you attend Origins 2004 this year please stop by our booth is 1106.

David

[Paul Wykes]

Great news that this is been showcased in public.

Is there any chance of giving us an update/more screenshots etc.

Thanks

[IronManBeta]

The game is 100% code complete for version 1 and the new bug rate has fallen way off. The game media content is getting up to 90% complete I would say, and the initial scenario set is perhaps 75% complete overall. Most scenarios play well but still require final balancing and a proper Mission Briefing writeup.

The rules have disappeared right now but can't be finished anyway until the art is complete so that we can take the screen shots. The final sound effects and music have started to come in and should be complete any day. There are a couple of introductory AVIs to make but that should not be a big deal.

Many thanks to everyone to has helped so much just recently!

Looking forward to Origins, cheers, Rob.

[IronManBeta]

The main screen

[IronManBeta]

The LOS display is on and a quick route march movement plot has been entered. Ctrl-P (path) was toggled to show the exact locations that will be used to make the move.

David asked me to do a couple of dozen screen shots with text to create a quick virtual tour of the game. As soon as it gets done we will doubtless post it here!

Cheers, Rob.

[Paul Wykes]

Thanks for the fast reply and the "taster" screenshots. Look forward to more.

Shall I dare ask the obvious question.....ETA?[:D]

After summer perhaps? or before?[:D]

[IronManBeta]

ETA - This will doubtless be a much discussed topic at Origins. Enough of the pipeline ahead of me should be cleared out by week end that my turn in the spotlight will finally come. I suspect that a few of the people I need will be recovering from massive burnout by then, but darn it, this game has to ship so that I can get on to the next project! I will buy David beers shamelessly and twist his arm once I have the advantage to try and get the specific commitments I need to wrap things up. Such is life in the trenches of the happy wargaming fraternity!

Wish me luck, Rob.

[Black Cat]

Tell me when and where to send the money [;)]

[Oleg Mastruko]

ORIGINAL: RobertCrandall

ETA - This will doubtless be a much discussed topic at Origins. Enough of the pipeline ahead of me should be cleared out by week end that my turn in the spotlight will finally come. I suspect that a few of the people I need will be recovering from massive burnout by then, but darn it, this game has to ship so that I can get on to the next project! I will buy David beers shamelessly and twist his arm once I have the advantage to try and get the specific commitments I need to wrap things up. Such is life in the trenches of the happy wargaming fraternity!

Wish me luck, Rob.

I suspect Marc (Schwanebeck, the graphic guy) is the most sought after man in Matrix and you need him to finish the game [:D] but that's just a wild guess on my part [8D] Since this is the game that covers his native Germany that might just prove decisive... [;)]

I'm sure many silent lurkers await FPG with anticipation, this is the title I personally have great expectations of. But, due to the lack of screenshots and new information, this is also the most FOW-covered of all Matrix titles currently in development for me. AARs that Greyshaft posted went a long way, and stirred the interest in the game.

Best of luck on Origins and in getting the game done,

Oleg

[JudgeDredd]

Rob

Excellent news on the completion status of this game. I personally can't wait and look forward to giving you my money [&o]

[Paul Wykes]

ORIGINAL: RobertCrandall

............this game has to ship so that I can get on to the next project! ...........

That sounds interesting. Any chance of disclosing what that might be[:D]. An expansion of FPG (or is that a bit pre-emptive[:D])

[IronManBeta]

Well the news seems to be all over the latest Origins related letter on the News page so I guess it is public knowledge now. Matrix licensed a monster boardgame called "World in Flames" a few months ago now. A computer version was 7 years in labour but never actually was released. Matrix picked it up and now I am going to switching over to it as the lead developer to get this one going at last.

That doesn't mean I am done with FPG - far from it! The plan is for at least one more Flashpoint title (Middle East anyone?) and continuous refinement of both for as long as anyone out there is interested. I expect to be working on it ten years from now, God willing.

Flashpoint and WIF between them should serve to keep me busy and out of trouble for a long time to come! I had always wanted to do an east front title, but WIF will do nicely and it will also model the diplomatic and economic strategies of WW2 too which both interest me as well.

WIF is 10x the size of FPG so is not for the faint of heart, but I feel up to it and I'm hoping a fair number of the rest of the Flashpoint team will follow me over too.

3 more hours of the day job and then it is off to Columbus Ohio! Beer, food, games, fun, and sleep deprivation here I come!!

Ta, Rob.

ORIGINAL: Paul Wykes

ORIGINAL: RobertCrandall

............this game has to ship so that I can get on to the next project! ...........

That sounds interesting. Any chance of disclosing what that might be[:D]. An expansion of FPG (or is that a bit pre-emptive[:D])

[JudgeDredd]

Is this going to be electronic download?

[David Heath]

Yes it will be and should be coming in July.

David

[JudgeDredd]

Excellent!

[Paul Wykes]

FPG due July.[X(]

Now that is good news....ONLY 3 days to Go[:D]

[Doug Olenick]

nice looking graphics on the game. The last NATO/Warsaw Pact game I played was called Kampfgruppe I believe. It was actually pretty good.

[Slick91]

ORIGINAL: RobertCrandall

Well the news seems to be all over the latest Origins related letter on the News page so I guess it is public knowledge now. Matrix licensed a monster boardgame called "World in Flames" a few months ago now. A computer version was 7 years in labour but never actually was released. Matrix picked it up and now I am going to switching over to it as the lead developer to get this one going at last.

That doesn't mean I am done with FPG - far from it! The plan is for at least one more Flashpoint title (Middle East anyone?) and continuous refinement of both for as long as anyone out there is interested. I expect to be working on it ten years from now, God willing.

Flashpoint and WIF between them should serve to keep me busy and out of trouble for a long time to come! I had always wanted to do an east front title, but WIF will do nicely and it will also model the diplomatic and economic strategies of WW2 too which both interest me as well.

WIF is 10x the size of FPG so is not for the faint of heart, but I feel up to it and I'm hoping a fair number of the rest of the Flashpoint team will follow me over too.

3 more hours of the day job and then it is off to Columbus Ohio! Beer, food, games, fun, and sleep deprivation here I come!!

Ta, Rob.

Dang! I’m happy for you, but I was hoping to see some more modern war games get cranked out. Maybe dust off some more of those Simulations Canada titles from the glory days.

Oh well, I’ll take what I can get. Thanks for the hard work and best of luck!

[IronManBeta]

ORIGINAL: Slick91

Dang! I’m happy for you, but I was hoping to see some more modern war games get cranked out. Maybe dust off some more of those Simulations Canada titles from the glory days.

Oh well, I’ll take what I can get. Thanks for the hard work and best of luck!

Oh, there ought to be a couple more modern era games using the Flashpoint engine. The bottleneck is more the research and artwork and both of those are out of my hands. Don't despair though!

I have been reading a new history of the fighting in North Africa just currently and mentally visualizing it as I watch FPG play itself endlessly. The FPG engine was made to simulate the swirling battles that typify low unit densities rather than the 'dance of the snakes' that happens when you have strong continous fronts. There might a number of WW2 possibilities along those lines.

Did you see that Matrix is thinking of reissuing many of the SimCan games more or less as is? There was a poll somewhere for it - you should look it up.

Cheers, Rob.