New Development for War In The Pacific -- MUST READ

[Bobthehatchit]

This is great news!

[&o]

One thing i'd like changed it the size of RN carrier airgroups later in the war, it was possible to hard code the USN airgroups to change sizes and configuration during the war, it should be possible to do the same with the RN carrier, maybe tie it in with ship Upgrades?

I know its not a major thing but hell i'm British, its matter of national pride![:D]

[denisonh]

Great news!

Thanks Joe and Don for taking this task on. Good luck and look forward to the fruits of your labor.

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: Bobthehatchit

This is great news!

[&o]

One thing i'd like changed...

Yeah, I'm beating a dead horse. A real dead horse. It stinks. It's got maggots on it. Man, it's so dead, Jesus couldn't raise it. Even with a Japanese engineer vehicle he couldn't raise it.

[Feinder]

FWIW, a DB editor isn't THAT hard. It's just a GUI to edit fields in the database. Considering all the other complexities of WitP, it's development time is but a crumb of the whole cake.

It is also a bit presumptuous to think that future patches of WitP or WitP II (whatever), will completely fix issues (and no future ones created). Folks will want to maintain games in progress, that have been upgraded thru various versions.

What folks would also want tho, is a "game already in progess" editor. Again, it's a matter of making a GUI, so you could edit the current settings of the game file.

Natureally, the AI doesn't care if you edit the DB. No security required.

My suggestion on how to accomodate PBEM security would be to have each player have their own password to the DB, and you could only edit (and see) your OWN units. You actually coun't see or touch your opponents units. In order to actually edit the DB for YOUR units, you'd have to put in your OPPONENT'S password. Password could be reset as often as necessary (option to change DB password when working on turn). You could edit/add/delete unit(s) with this function.

This means -

a. A player can't edit anything, without his opponent knowing that -something- got edited (because he needs the password from the opponent).
b. A player can only edit his own stuff (with permission).
c. A player would have a free-hand to make fixes - maybe a teleport or disappeared unit or a jump into mountains, whatever.
d. Would certainly require trust on behalf of both PBEM players. But the whole point is to try and salvage a critical problem. If somebody chooses to take the oppontunity to bork the game, then just dump the game.
e. A player could reset access to the DB during his next turn (for additional security).

-F-

[Nomad]

Another possibility would be an editor that took both passwords and was intended to be used by a third party. That way things could be fixed without either player actually having access to the data.

[Feinder]

3rd party - Yeah, the only problem is finding folks who will actually do this. There -ARE- folks who understand the editor (not that hard), and would be glad to fix other people's games. But my concern would be that those people who volunteered would get innundated with requests (altho hopefully not). A 3rd party option would be one thing, but I would shy away from REQUIRING it being a 3rd party edit. Nobody wants to wait around for a week or two, to have your game fixed. If players agree that it's important enough to be fixed, they should agree to a degree of trust.

-F-

[Curty]

MAINTAINING A GAME IN PROGRESS IS A MUST....I'VE BEEN PLAYING THE FULL CAMPAIGN SINCE EARLY NOVEMBER '05 ITS NOW MARCH '06!!!! THATS A LOT OF HOURS........AS FOR THE DISAPPEARING UNITS BUG...[&o] TO THE NEW GUYS IF THEY FIX IT!!!!!!

REGARDS - CURTY

[Bobthehatchit]

ORIGINAL: pasternakski

ORIGINAL: Bobthehatchit

This is great news!

[&o]

One thing i'd like changed...

Yeah, I'm beating a dead horse. A real dead horse. It stinks. It's got maggots on it. Man, it's so dead, Jesus couldn't raise it. Even with a Japanese engineer vehicle he couldn't raise it.

Try a difibrulator....

Or maybe cloning....

Its all in the details.

[steveh11Matrix]

ORIGINAL: Feinder

FWIW, a DB editor isn't THAT hard. It's just a GUI to edit fields in the database. Considering all the other complexities of WitP, it's development time is but a crumb of the whole cake.

It is also a bit presumptuous to think that future patches of WitP or WitP II (whatever), will completely fix issues (and no future ones created). Folks will want to maintain games in progress, that have been upgraded thru various versions.

What folks would also want tho, is a "game already in progess" editor. Again, it's a matter of making a GUI, so you could edit the current settings of the game file.

Natureally, the AI doesn't care if you edit the DB. No security required.

My suggestion on how to accomodate PBEM security would be to have each player have their own password to the DB, and you could only edit (and see) your OWN units. You actually coun't see or touch your opponents units. In order to actually edit the DB for YOUR units, you'd have to put in your OPPONENT'S password. Password could be reset as often as necessary (option to change DB password when working on turn). You could edit/add/delete unit(s) with this function.

This means -

a. A player can't edit anything, without his opponent knowing that -something- got edited (because he needs the password from the opponent).
b. A player can only edit his own stuff (with permission).
c. A player would have a free-hand to make fixes - maybe a teleport or disappeared unit or a jump into mountains, whatever.
d. Would certainly require trust on behalf of both PBEM players. But the whole point is to try and salvage a critical problem. If somebody chooses to take the oppontunity to bork the game, then just dump the game.
e. A player could reset access to the DB during his next turn (for additional security).

-F-

All excellent suggestions. I still feel that any PBEM game between players I'd want to play against needs no such security at all, but for those who want such a crutch [;)], this maps a decent way forward.

Steve.

[Damien Thorn]

ORIGINAL: Mike Scholl


May I ask one thing. If/when you ever get around to playing with WITP II, will you consider making it a PBEM game first and formost. PLEASE! Almost all the "problems" in the current game seem to trace back to the need to make it playable against the computer. I know this is popular with many players, but it seems to have made far to many of the problems unsolvable..., as well as creating such unworkable or totally screwed up sub-systems like the uncontrollable "overland supply movement" system or the "automatic convoy (destruction) system". Please make a game that works..., then if you must, put an AI on some of the scenarios where the scope and the demands on the AI can be limited.

I had to respond to this as soon as I'd read it. I'll go back and continue reading the rest of the thread later.

Are you kidding? A mega-moster game that takes years to play PBEM and you want to drop the AI and make in ONLY PBEM (except for some scenarios you said). You really have got to be kidding. Among all of my friends I don't know anyone who made it more than 6 game-months playing PBEM.

How about suggesting they make the AI BETTER and not eliminate it. I don't think I've ever heard of a wargame released without an AI.

Damien Thorn

[Damien Thorn]

ORIGINAL: jwilkerson



This being said, the idea would be to have the "AI" scriptable, so that it can be changed and enhanced by developers and modders alike.

I hope WitP 2 will come with an API and allow modders to make DLL's that they can link in to the game to add or change features. the "Starfleet Command" series did this and I had great fun doing programming with that. This is assuming you are going to write WiTP2 in C++.

Also, I'd like to have a scripting ability using Python to create events in the game and to customize the interface. Civilization 4 currently has this and the community has produced some wonderful mods that are really amazing.

Those two games should be examples of the level of customization we shoot for in WiTP2.

Damien Thorn.

[sprior]

Welcome abourd guys.

In best Leslie Nielsen voice: I just want to tell you both good luck, we're all
counting on you.

[Terminus]

Eight times in a row...[:D]

[Admiral DadMan]

OMG, is it Patched yet?

Note to Joe an Don: Inflate your time estimates by a factor of 4, then get it done in half the time.

Is there a timeline yet?

[akdreemer]

ORIGINAL: Admiral DadMan

My, God. Patch 1.8 first.

I have issues with WitP too, but can we at least put first things first, and not act worse than my 7 year old?

Yes, give me the game that at least does not self-destruct at random intervals, and fix the databse because this if where most of the problems seem to exist.

[Dereck]

ORIGINAL: AlaskanWarrior

Yes, give me the game that at least does not self-destruct at random intervals, and fix the databse because this if where most of the problems seem to exist.

Everybody up to now has been posting about wanting things which are basically just "bells and whistles" and are overlooking the fundamental fact that the "database" for WITP is seriously flawed. Without addressing the basic issue of the "database" all that WITP II will be is a continuation of adding bells and whistles on top of a flawed database - which is just what is going on with the current WITP. The same bugs which are plaguing WITP will continue to plague WITP and exist and plague WITP II.

Properly re-design (or, in my opinion, design in the first place) a proper database and so many bugs could be eliminated and much more could be possible.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: fremen

WITP II ????
Who must be killed to get it???[:D][:D]
CHEERS!!

[:D] Hey..do you guys need any help? I know Atari Basic.[:'(]

[2Stepper]

And the forecast is???? [:D]

Fair sailing lads... With the odd typhoon or two mixed in of course. LOL! Congrats to you both Joe and Don.

[Damien Thorn]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake



[:D] Hey..do you guys need any help? I know Atari Basic.[:'(]

Cool, another Atari user. Atari rules! Always has, always will.

I remember the first thing I ever typed on a computer. I typed my name in to the Atari and hit return. It said, "Syntax Error". I wasn't sure what it meant but I was pretty sure I had just been insulted. [:D]

Damien Thorn

[Rysyonok]

ORIGINAL: Damien Thorn
I remember the first thing I ever typed on a computer. I typed my name in to the Atari and hit return. It said, "Syntax Error". I wasn't sure what it meant but I was pretty sure I had just been insulted. [:D]
Damien Thorn

Oh this is hilarious =) An instant classic =)