Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Greywolf

Hum, I was noticing all thoses granite-textured windows background... And I wonder, is it an option to have plain color instead ? Thoses mixed-colors produce a lot of "noise" around writtings and make the windows a bit painfull to look at for long time and harder to read (especially noticable with the CW with white writings on mixed blueish background). Perhaps it is a Jpeg compression problem from the screen-shot, but the more I watch in-game pics, the more I am noticing this effect...

This falls into the category of WIF Design kit, which is not part of MWIF product 1.

I have been pretty careful about the contrast between text and the background. For instance, I changed from 'Regular' font to Bold for all that text you were reading (white on textured blue). For anything that looks like a table, I use black text (or navy blue) against a white background.

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
5 - This is not to say that subtitles aren't a good suggestion. It's just that I do not feel the benefit justifies the time and effort they would require (sorry).[:(]

There are experts out there on the Internet, that can subtitle a 50 mn episode of an american serie in a night. I'm sure there will be people doing the subtitles spontaneously.

If the AVI files are read with Windows Media Player, the subtitle file (SRT or SUB, I don't remember) just have to have the same name, and the subtitles will appear automaticaly in Windows Media Player. If the AVI files are read from within the game, I don't know.

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
For screen layouts I have come up with 3 to show off the feature. Here is the starting First Game.SLY (i.e., screen layout) for the Commonwealth.

These 3 screen layout look great.
Maybe you can copy them for each scenario ?

ORIGINAL: Froonp

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
5 - This is not to say that subtitles aren't a good suggestion. It's just that I do not feel the benefit justifies the time and effort they would require (sorry).[:(]

There are experts out there on the Internet, that can subtitle a 50 mn episode of an american serie in a night. I'm sure there will be people doing the subtitles spontaneously.

If the AVI files are read with Windows Media Player, the subtitle file (SRT or SUB, I don't remember) just have to have the same name, and the subtitles will appear automaticaly in Windows Media Player. If the AVI files are read from within the game, I don't know.

I am following Matrix Games standards for the format for the Training Videos: WMV, 1024 by 768. I believe Matrix plans on doing additional processing of my WMV files to place them within a 1280 by 1024 frame, (or maybe that is just what the Windows Media Player does).

The Training Videos will not be accessible from within the program. The Picture & Text Tutorials already are. I doubt that the Interactive Tutorials will be accessible from within the program since they require restoring a saved game. It would be a lot of overhead to save the player's current game, bring in the saved game for the interactive tutorial, and then later restore the player's game where he left off.

There is a ton of help available when playing the game: context sensitive help on the form/phase/subphase of the game, Rules as Coded document, and the Players Manual. If all that information is inadequate for helping the player figure out what is going on in the game, well, then he needs a lot of help, and not just for playing MWIF.

ORIGINAL: Froonp

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
For screen layouts I have come up with 3 to show off the feature. Here is the starting First Game.SLY (i.e., screen layout) for the Commonwealth.

These 3 screen layout look great.
Maybe you can copy them for each scenario ?

Something for the beta testers to develop. [:)]

I still need to finish incorporating what they have given me for the default map views[:(] (7 scenarios done, 4 left to do).

Hi Steve,

I realise this is wildly off-topic! Saw the screenshot above which has "Naval Review Summary". Don't you think the table rows would be easier to read, as well looking smarter, if you had a style for alternating-background-color for the grid? I assume there are many similar tables. Yes, I know it's way too late, just a suggestion [:)]

ORIGINAL: JonBrave

Hi Steve,

I realise this is wildly off-topic! Saw the screenshot above which has "Naval Review Summary". Don't you think the table rows would be easier to read, as well looking smarter, if you had a style for alternating-background-color for the grid? I assume there are many similar tables. Yes, I know it's way too late, just a suggestion [:)]

Yes, I agree.

But I am trying to work with existing components rather than develop special ones just for MWIF. The current libraries I have do not offer that feature. I could put in lines, ... [8|] I'll take a look-see at that. My apprehension is that it will make the form too 'busy'.

Quite understand; there was a chance your libraries just had that available as a Style with a single simple setting, if indeed that table is a single "grid" control (which maybe it isn't!).

Just to conclude the convo, if you did ever decide to do it, may I recommend that you would go for alternating where one row is exactly as is now (i.e. nothing special/different) while the other one just has the palest of backgrounds (pastel gray or blue or similar). That is very easy on the eye without making it look "busy" like a strong color would, as you say.

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

ORIGINAL: JonBrave

Hi Steve,

I realise this is wildly off-topic! Saw the screenshot above which has "Naval Review Summary". Don't you think the table rows would be easier to read, as well looking smarter, if you had a style for alternating-background-color for the grid? I assume there are many similar tables. Yes, I know it's way too late, just a suggestion [:)]

Yes, I agree.

But I am trying to work with existing components rather than develop special ones just for MWIF. The current libraries I have do not offer that feature. I could put in lines, ... [8|] I'll take a look-see at that. My apprehension is that it will make the form too 'busy'.

Have not played WIF but am fascinated about taking this on. Any chance you could post some condensed training videos on Youtube. More exposure.

ORIGINAL: Bradley62

Have not played WIF but am fascinated about taking this on. Any chance you could post some condensed training videos on Youtube. More exposure.

I'll mention it to Dave and Erik, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

YouTube has very low resolution which is especially damaging to achieving one of the goals of the training video: impressing people with the quality of the game. If the graphics look abysmal, or are so distorted that you can't read the numbers on the units, well, that sort of defeats the whole purpose. But this decision is up to Matrix Games - not me.

Youtube has higher res, some of the HOI3 vids are quite impressive and seem to be drumming up more excitement for its release. Just as well looking forward to this.

ORIGINAL: Bradley62

Youtube has higher res, some of the HOI3 vids are quite impressive and seem to be drumming up more excitement for its release. Just as well looking forward to this.

Marketing decisions are up to Matrix Games, I'm just the contract programmer.[;)] "A man's gotta know his limitations."

ORIGINAL: Bradley62

Youtube has higher res, some of the HOI3 vids are quite impressive and seem to be drumming up more excitement for its release. Just as well looking forward to this.

Is it videos taken from the actual game? --> videos screenshots?

ORIGINAL: micheljq

ORIGINAL: Bradley62

Youtube has higher res, some of the HOI3 vids are quite impressive and seem to be drumming up more excitement for its release. Just as well looking forward to this.

Is it videos taken from the actual game? --> videos screenshots?

Yes. MWIF is executing the entire time the videos are being created.

The first 5 chapters are viewing the Picture and Text tutorials so there isn't a "game in progress". But for the other 6 there is a game real game being used to explain things. Each of the latter chapters uses a different game, because I have different features I want to demonstrate/explicate.

After I have finished the Training Video, I am going to create the Interactive Tutorials to match. Theoretically, after viewing the Training Video you will be able to recreate the same steps yourself using the keyboard and mouse.

At one time I was thnking of using the Interactive Tutorials as a starting point for a game, and then let the player play the game from that point. Of course you could do that simply by restoring the saved game(s) that the Interactive Tutorials use as a starting point. However, I am not going to go to the bother of trying to get all the units 'properly' placed on the map.

Instead, I am going to have the beta testers create some "Instant Start" games, where they have set up all the units on the map in reasonable places. What makes this effort so imprecise are all the optional rules. If the Instant Start game is/isn't using an optional rule that you consider important, then it won't serve its intended purpose. But there is no easy solution to that. The program needs to know what the ooptional rule set is before it begins the game, since the optional rules affect dozens of elements when MWIF 'creates' a new game.

I just placed the symbols for a hex that is beign invaded by air and/or sea lower on the counters so they do not overlie the other information. As perhaps is obvious, here the Para unit has just paradropped and the Motorized has just invaded from a naval transport (amphibiuous optional rule not in play). Notice the Selectable units list in the upper left, which shows the 3 naval units that can provide shore bombardment.

EDIT: also notice the odds ratio shown in the message bar of the main form.

Very nice and concise.

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

I just placed the symbols for a hex that is beign invaded by air and/or sea lower on the counters so they do not overlie the other information. As perhaps is obvious, here the Para unit has just paradropped and the Motorized has just invaded from a naval transport (amphibiuous optional rule not in play). Notice the Selectable units list in the upper left, which shows the 3 naval units that can provide shore bombardment.

Nice

EDIT: also notice the odds ratio shown in the message bar of the main form.

This show 3 combat factors for the defender, which looks like it is wrong.
From what I can see, the notional has 2 combat factors : 1 basic combat point plus 1 for being in a german unit ZoC.
Edit : replaced the mistplaced quote marker.

ORIGINAL: Froonp

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

I just placed the symbols for a hex that is beign invaded by air and/or sea lower on the counters so they do not overlie the other information. As perhaps is obvious, here the Para unit has just paradropped and the Motorized has just invaded from a naval transport (amphibiuous optional rule not in play). Notice the Selectable units list in the upper left, which shows the 3 naval units that can provide shore bombardment.

Nice

EDIT: also notice the odds ratio shown in the message bar of the main form.

This show 3 combat factors for the defender, which looks like it is wrong.
From what I can see, the notional has 2 combat factors : 1 basic combat point plus 1 for being in a german unit ZoC.

There is a second point for the adjacent corp defender and a third for the invasion coming out of the 2 sea area section box (the US transport - partially visible).

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

ORIGINAL: Froonp
This show 3 combat factors for the defender, which looks like it is wrong.
From what I can see, the notional has 2 combat factors : 1 basic combat point plus 1 for being in a german unit ZoC.

There is a second point for the adjacent corp defender and a third for the invasion coming out of the 2 sea area section box (the US transport - partially visible).

This is OK then.

I have created a new form for Replacement Naval units. It isn't quite done yet - I want the Location information to refelct where the current unit is and where the replacement unit will start out.