I'm back and here is our October update!

[Marshall Ellis]

Hey guys:

Appreciate the patience in letting me get away for a few days! I appreciate my wife hanging with me and had to get her out of town for a few days (she deserves it) for our 10th anniversary! Thanks again!

WELL NOW! Where were we?

Final map touch-ups being done!
Few more small (toughys) bugs being worked!
Testers are working the PBEM system as we speak!

Still optimistic for release this year BUT cannot predict what the testers may find!

Thank you

[denisonh]

Thanks for the bones Marshall.

Make sure the betas "put it through the wringer", especialy with respect to PBEM.

[sage]

Does that mean you're code complete?

[VictorH]

Hopefully there will be an AI that can play somewhat better than an amoeba.

[YohanTM2]

ORIGINAL: VictorH

Hopefully there will be an AI that can play somewhat better than an amoeba.

That is the hope. Even with PBEM getting 7 players who stay for the duration may be a challenge. Worst case you need an AI that can take over for someone.

It will be interesting to see; they seem to have spent a lot of effort on it.

[ardilla]

Glad to see you around here again Marshall [;)]

Well, it looks like there is not much left to do, only bugs....so I guess the code is done and the rules and optiones of the release version are close, right?

It will be too much to ask to let us download the rules in PDF if you have it around, so we can play as soon as we pay and download the game [&o] plez!

Also is to find out what are the upgrades from the original and what options we have.

Thank you and keep up the good work!

[Marshall Ellis]

Thanks again guys for the support!

To Yohan's point about PBEM and 7 players haging around until completion:

We have done an option to allow the host to be a GA and have the powers to replace player or to allow the computer to take over a player who is slow.

Thank you

[eg0master]

and also replace a player with another human player maybe?

[ardilla]

OK Marshall, that means that there is a time to a pbem player to send his moves or something like that, I guess.

My question is:

How the main computer of the game knows that a player is out of the game?? After 3 days of not answering?!?!
When all the other players say so??
All of them?
Both at the same time? (after the delay the main computer ask the other players??)
Can the other 6 players kick out the other one under agreement?

And of course, like eg0master said

There is a chance of switching a human player for another after the beginning of a game???

Thank Marshall and sorry if I bother u too much.

[Madcombinepilot]

Thanks for the update Marshall.

I also would like to know if we could get the earlybird copy of the rules.....

[1LTRambo]

I too would like a pdf copy of the rules to begin preparing for the release, so as to understand how to play on the PC. However, I would like to see the full release with a book.

[ancient doctor]

Marshall Ellis you left us alone in the wind for your wife?[:D].O well i am kidding really.
Anyway are there any planed updates for the game like a small BUT finished AAR or any new screenshots?
BTW i am a hard core fun of the original board game(with my modification)and i dont remember any light/heavy cavalry distinction as it is mentioned in Matrix page for it so do you mind give a small piece of info about new units that might be in the game and where not in the original paper version?

[YohanTM2]

ORIGINAL: Ancient seaman

Marshall Ellis you left us alone in the wind for your wife?[:D].O well i am kidding really.
Anyway are there any planed updates for the game like a small BUT finished AAR or any new screenshots?
BTW i am a hard core fun of the original board game(with my modification)and i dont remember any light/heavy cavalry distinction as it is mentioned in Matrix page for it so do you mind give a small piece of info about new units that might be in the game and where not in the original paper version?

The AARs only show one type of cavalry so I think that is in error.

[Marshall Ellis]

Ardilla:

The computer will not know the player is out of the game BUT the host GA would and could execute a turn and send them out to the players. I have not and do not plan to allow the computer to decide when to step in. I think this is best done by the GA because of the fact that all PBEM games that I have been in HAVE extremely different time scales. Some do a turn a week, some in a month, etc. I want the GA to arbitrate this. A predetermined timeout could be programmed BUT has not in this release.

Thank you

[Sonny]

ORIGINAL: denisonh

Thanks for the bones Marshall.

Make sure the betas "put it through the wringer", especialy with respect to PBEM.

Yeah, 'cause I don't want denisonh to have any excuses when I whip him and his buddies like I'm doing in WitP - er...wait, he's whipping me! Hey, Marshall I need with EIA. Put in a "Sonny" cheat code for me.[:D]

[crenfrow]

Marshall...are you ignoring the questions on the rules being posted...you bad bad man.[;)]

[ardilla]

Thank you Marshall...

But what it is a host GA?
Do you mean that we will need to play thru a MG host computer and not directly with our own computers?

And, plez, tell us something about the rules.

You can post the pdf and you will know how many people download and probably how many people will download the game [;)] and what are the expected sales of the game!!

[YohanTM2]

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

Ardilla:

The computer will not know the player is out of the game BUT the host GA would and could execute a turn and send them out to the players. I have not and do not plan to allow the computer to decide when to step in. I think this is best done by the GA because of the fact that all PBEM games that I have been in HAVE extremely different time scales. Some do a turn a week, some in a month, etc. I want the GA to arbitrate this. A predetermined timeout could be programmed BUT has not in this release.

Thank you

Perfect, the players need to police themselves. There could be extenuating circumstances on occasion, sick, travel etc. that will slow a game down for a valid reason. The GA will be able to make the call on slow play.

In conjunction with the other players of course [:'(]

[YohanTM2]

ORIGINAL: ardilla

Thank you Marshall...

But what it is a host GA?
Do you mean that we will need to play thru a MG host computer and not directly with our own computers?

And, plez, tell us something about the rules.

You can post the pdf and you will know how many people download and probably how many people will download the game [;)] and what are the expected sales of the game!!

ardilla, a GA is the human Game Admin who will setup the game for the group of guys. It will be you or one of your opponents.

[ardilla]

Many thanx Yohan for the explanation!

So 7 players, 7 computers, one of them GA.

Cool