Progress

[Arjuna]

Hi all,

This week has been a big one with excellent progress on the development of COTA.

Steve "Golf 33" Long has started work on the manual. Before you ask this will be digital download only. While we have yet to finalise details with matrix we plan to provide it in a large format ( 210 x 280mm ) using 9pt serif font for the main body and 10pt sans serif font for the bullet point instructions in the titorial. Pictures will be BIG, in colour and provided at high dpi so they print well.

I believe I have nutted out all outstanding issues with the mixed mode movement code ( this allows us to differentiate between foot and motorised such that one can enter terrain that the other cannot - eg foot can enter forest while motorised cannot ). When combinesd with the new slope effects code it means that those German armoured columns are pretty well restricted to the narrow valleys as they try and invade Greece. Conversely it means that the Aussie and NZ infantry can show off to good effect the new Delay code we've written. [:)]

Also this week we have implemented some new code that will make the AI managed forces much better at reassessing their tasks. They will now record when and what reassessments they have done and use this data to better select their next reassessment. The end result is that you better look out. This AI means business. [;)]

Stay tuned! COTA is on the way. [:)]

[JVSFugitive]

I can't wait. [:D]

[pamak1970]

Stay tuned! COTA is on the way

Does this mean that you are in the final stage?

Is it possible that we will get it until Christmas?

[Arjuna]

"Final Stages" is one of those very subjective terms, so I feel I can say "YES" and not get into too much trouble. [;)]

We have had a number of problems that have required more time to resolve than originally planned. Yeh, I know, tell me something new. At this stage I'm hoping to get out a new build this week to our beta testers, that will put all the new slope-effects, mixed mode movement, delay code through its paces. We have another new feature to add. I'm half way through it. This will need another few weeks. I'll let you know more on that then. The game will then need another round of testing before we go into the final candidate phase. So I envisage a Feb 2005 release. However, as you know, our policy here is to only release the game when we consider it to be rock solid.

[Fallschirmjager]

Sounds good. One of the few wargames I am looking forward to.

[stall84]

awesome, I'm waiting on it

[Arjuna]

Good news. The dreaded "Load Game" bug is dead - oohray![:)] This obnoxious bug has held us up for weeks but is finally fixed. It had prevented us from doing any beta testing as our beta testers could not load a saved game. So we are busy preparing a new build today, which should be available for our Panther Prowlers later on today. There is a whole swag of changes to test too.

These include:

• AI - Delays - Overhaul Delay task - add leapfrogging & arty firebases
• AI - Attacks - Spt Platoons should be positioned behind line unit hubs in the Assault.
• AI - DetermineDurationToComplete() needs fail safe code for invalid route
• AI - Disband Units - review
• AI - Exit Tasks - Need Task Doctrine
• AI - In-Situ formation should keep facings as well as locations
• AI - Map Islands - Infinite recursion in DetermineIslands() line 126 of MapIslands .cpp
• AI - Mixed Mode Movement (MMM) - DetermineRoute Changes Needed
• AI - MMM - Fix bug in Secure code where mot friendlies try to intercept enemy foot units
• AI - Modify CanSeeRoute() to take in formationType param
• AI - Reactions - revised timings and triggers
• AI - Reasessments - revised timings and triggers
• AI - SOP History - forces now track how and when they react and reassess
• AI - SYNC BUG - Spot Heights
• AI - Unit Effectiveness Updates & Basic Supply Expenditure - revised and removed potential for double dipping
• AI - unit appears to be caught in a loop
• AI - units not moving
• AI - Weather - Fail Safe code for case where scenario ends at midnight
• AI - Ensure orders delay is correctly applied at game start
• Assert - AADebug.exe, in PodFloat.inl, line 175
• Assert - in FPInfiniteRecursionDetector.cpp, line 38. Had just selected an intel report.
• Assert - in ScenPlanScheduling.cpp, line 8768, 8930, 9023, 8840.
• Estab - set MG Coys to use kMilSymMG and hmg symbol
• Estabs - develop base estabs for COTA units
• Estabs - trim base estabs
• Maps - Completely re-do roads on Kalpaki and Smolikas maps as per underlay image
• Maps - fix Malta map altitudes where they cross into the sea
• Maps - Korinthos map - fix roads/rail/rivers too close
• Maps - remove Rough layers & recalc
• Maps - Set GOW map data
• MM - add "Show Movement Table - Motorised" command
• MM - Add interface to Movement Maps to show and interogate map islands
• Movement tables - diagonal roads through impassable areas are not working correctly
• Scenarios - add B Sqn 2 NZ Div Cav to Tempe Gorge Crisis
• Scenarios - Arm Sqns of 5 RTR - fix force type; fix 3 UK Arm Bde morale scores
• Scenarios - check intel settings for all COTA scenarios
• Scenarios - Crete scenarios need to use the new Bad Para arrival type
• Scenarios - fix exit task timings for Crete scenarios
• Scenarios - make the Crete template consistent with the Rethymnon scenarios
• Scenarios - multiply all VP values by 1000 in all scenarios
• Scenarios - review COTA scenarios - increase fitness of GJ units
• Scenarios - Tanks at Platamon - fix missing description!
• SM - SM crashes on saving a scenario where a unit has no estab - saved file is corrupted
• UI - AI - different value for BombFP given in FireSpt tab and Unit Info tab
• UI - AI - Load Bug in Beta Test Build
• UI - Sound - drops out after loading a saved game

[MarkShot]

I guess this means that all leaves and passes for Beta Testers this holiday season are cancelled.

[CriticalMass]

a look at the extensive list of changes, I see no reference to "campaigns", does this mean a) you've not started the coding for it yet? b) ...you wouldn't dare...would you? [:-][:D]

TANX
Andrew

[brdxman]

I cant wait until the release, I really like the gaming system. Keep up the good work!!!

[Arjuna]

OK we had a bug in our build script that delayed the release of the latest build to our beta testers till last night. The Panther Prowlers are busy downloading it and hopefully we will get some constructive feedback from then in the next few days.

[Arjuna]

Started work early this morning and noticed a massive increase in traffic on our Panther Developer forum as the Panther Prowlers fire up the new build. A couple of minor bugs reported already by Eddy who couldn't resist a dare to find a bug in the first hour of testing and that was despite the best efforts of his wife to get him to stop playing on the computer. [;)]

Life is good. [:)]

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
A couple of minor bugs reported already by Eddy who couldn't resist a dare to find a bug in the first hour of testing and that was despite the best efforts of his wife to get him to stop playing on the computer. [;)]

IRL the dare was to find one in the first 2 hours - and it had to be a CTD (crash to desktop) kind of bug. As to the result of the dare, let's just say that I'll be drinking a beer for which I'm not paying ...

Seriously : I suspect Dave just puts in an obvious bug just to motivate us

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
Life is good. [:)]

.. when you can convince your wife of the importance of "a new build in town"

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[Brady]

Cool, I cant wait to get this game[:)]

[ladner]

Maybe because it is December, and the 60th Aniversy of the Battle of the Bulge, but I cannot help but inquire about the Battle of the Bulge game. Will it be the next product after Conquest of the Aegean (CotA)? If so will there be a campaign?

Another reason I brought this up was the topic of how CotA will have a detailed supply system, too many wargames do a poor job of this. Charles MacDonald in his book A Time for Trumpets, The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge quotes Major General Walter Lauer, commanding officer of the 99th Infantry Division as saying, "the enemy had the key to success within his hands but did not know it." This quote is referring to if Kampfgruppe Peiper had rolled up the flanks of the 99th Inf Div by heading to Wirtzfield and Krinkelt-Rocherath it would have pocketed both the 99th and 2nd US Infantry Divisions.

In all of the years of computer wargaming I have yet to find a game that allows for this type of scenario, were cutting a key supply line, in this case a limited road net could radically alter a campaign. I am looking forward to CotA to see how supply is implemented.

<edited typo>

[Arjuna]

ladner,

Our plan at this stage is to release BFTB after COTA, followed hopefully in quick succession by "Dragon's Teeth" which covers the battles along the Seigfreid Line in late 44/early 45.

We're still working on the resupply code but it is out intention to simulate exactly the situations you describe above. But the proof is in the eating. We should know how successful we are in this by mid January.

[ladner]

Arjuna -

Sounds very promising, I may have to buy Highway to the Reich now, to support Panther Games. You folks have my utmost respect it must be extremely difficult just to get the Orders of Battle right, especially for the Conquest of the Aegean, in particular if the games are going to have the level of detail or scale of Highway to the Reich.

[Arjuna]

OB sources for COTA have been difficult. However, the Australian DoD has helped out along with the Australian War Memorial Library. Steve "Golf33" Long has established good contact with various Greek, German and Italian sources and has used all of these to build up a very extensive database of establishments and OBs.

[Brady]

Check out this New Zeland Limk:

http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-27Ba/index.html

[Thomas87]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

OB sources for COTA have been difficult. However, the Australian DoD has helped out along with the Australian War Memorial Library. Steve "Golf33" Long has established good contact with various Greek, German and Italian sources and has used all of these to build up a very extensive database of establishments and OBs.

That's very good news, since the OBs are my main point of admiration for HTTR and very important for me.