Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

ORIGINAL: josant
The aircraft carriers have a limit to carry aircrafts, normaly they are limited with no more than 90 planes (in a super aircraft carrier) but currently under toaw 3 engine, if yo want, you can land in it units with more than 1000 planes or more (for example).

My question is; this has changed in Toaw 4?

Thomas has fixed his carriers so that they can carry one unit and that unit can have whatever equipment a squadron usually carried
so that would be about 16 Wildcats or 28 Zeros or 24 Vals etc.

And... how a scenarios designer can also make this? via the editor?

And... how a scenarios designer can also make this? via the editor?

There's a TOAWIII Equipment file editor somewhere that will work for this. Or you can just edit the EQP file itself, it's XML
and just edit the flag for that unit so that it's a carrier. I'm not sure which flag that would be.

ORIGINAL: josant

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

ORIGINAL: josant
The aircraft carriers have a limit to carry aircrafts, normaly they are limited with no more than 90 planes (in a super aircraft carrier) but currently under toaw 3 engine, if yo want, you can land in it units with more than 1000 planes or more (for example).

My question is; this has changed in Toaw 4?

Thomas has fixed his carriers so that they can carry one unit and that unit can have whatever equipment a squadron usually carried
so that would be about 16 Wildcats or 28 Zeros or 24 Vals etc.

And... how a scenarios designer can also make this? via the editor?

The scenario designer controls the size of his air units via the Editor.

ORIGINAL: josant

ORIGINAL: Meyer1

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

TOAW IV uses the same naval targeting priorities as PacWar. Embarked units have their priority based upon their weight. If Larry is seeing no interdiction of unescorted embarked units, then he's found a bug that needs to be fixed - but it sounds like he hasn't done rigorous tests, exactly).

What is PacWar?

I suppose that this means "Pacific War", a game from Matrixgames that now is free and you can donwload in the following link: http://www.matrixgames.com/products/235/downloads/

Thanks.

Here's an update on the game between Thomas Harvey and I. It's T153 and he has landed on the west end of
the home islands and it advancing toward Tokyo. Most of my LCU's are out of country on the mainland or on one
of the islands in the Pacific and there's only about 20% of the force on the home islands themselves so I'm
having to use the respawned units that are born again round the Tokyo area but they are tired worn out and in
need of rest and refit. So it's just a matter of time before he and his forces win this one. I doubt that I can drag it
out for another year game time.

EDIT: perhaps I should explain how this image isn't a TOAW IV screenshot. What you do is in the
editor mode load your scenario and then save it using F8. I used the same name for the file. What this does is
saves the scenario in the 3.2.0.22 version so it's easy to load into my copy of 3.4.0.202 and do a
screengrab.

Any logical reason why we still can't see a single screenshot and instead you have to torture us by doing that? (opening the save game in the previous version)

ORIGINAL: Jakers123

Any logical reason why we still can't see a single screenshot and instead you have to torture us by doing that? (opening the save game in the previous version)

Completely agree... but I fear the logic is that , as to graphics, we are going to receive a TOAW III 4.0 instead of a TOAW IV....

ORIGINAL: TDefender

Completely agree... but I fear the logic is that , as to graphics, we are going to receive a TOAW III 4.0 instead of a TOAW IV....

IMHO actual graphics are perfect and functional, and I see no need to change them. I consider much more important the changes on the naval and aerial game, the engine adjustments and the pbem++ server implementation.

ORIGINAL: lecrop

IMHO actual graphics are perfect and functional, and I see no need to change them. I consider much more important the changes on the naval and aerial game, the engine adjustments and the pbem++ server implementation.

And extending the editors. Don't forget the editors.

ORIGINAL: berto

And extending the editors. Don't forget the editors.

Of course. A good editor and a reliable pbem system are the secret for the longevity of a computer wargame.

ORIGINAL: lecrop
IMHO actual graphics are perfect and functional, and I see no need to change them.

I disagree that the graphics are "perfect"; although the terrain and counter graphics are functional, the overall GUI is terrible and desperately needs to be updated and improved.

Do we really need to discuss if a 10 years old game need or not a strong graphics overhaul (at least)? [&:]

Graphics are far more than ,,shiny" stuff as some people think, they are extremely important, at least the interface is.

There are a lot of confusing things in the editor for example, but the biggest problem is that I had no idea how to create new formations, parent formations,etc, I figured out that by copying already existing units. I did create a small scenario of my own from scratch and it worked, but I think that I created all units using the copy function, since I don't know a different way if there even is one... For example I created a original hq unit and then had to copy it in order to make a mechanized unit, then copied that to get a artillery unit,etc and all that time I had to press the buttons bellow the editor that are more than confusing since they appear and disappear depending on what you press.

It doesn't have to be 1% as complicated as that, the only thing that needs to be implemented is a simple drop down menu in which you would be able to select which side you want to edit, general specifics of the side like supply,etc., you should also be able to select whether you want to see formations, weapons, to create a new formation or subformation,..and btw. if you wanted to put in another weapon in the formations you should have simply had a pop up window that appears when you click on something like ,,add new weapon" inside the subformation window and you should be able to remove weapons in the subformation window itself, which I think you can't do without finding the weapon in the weapon list, so you have to look at 2 windows at the same time, instead of simply one.

And also speaking of formations, the only current way in the editor that you can find a specific unit is by pressing the ,,next formation" button, but a lot of scenarios have hundreds of units, so you just have to press next, next, next, next and by the time that you reach the formation that you are searching for, you already get bored and not want to play anymore...again, extremely easy solution, drop down list with subunits that you can click on and which expands, like this:
1.Hq
2.Tank division
3.First mechanized division
4.Second mechanized division
-First mech brigade
-Second mech brigade
-Third mech brigade
5.Third mechanized division
6.Motorized infantry division

, say you want to adjust the supply in the Second mech brigade of the 2.nd mech division, currently you would have to waste a bunch of time pressing next formation repeatedly, but this way you simply open the drop down list, find what you're searching for and that's it, over in a second.

ORIGINAL: TDefender

Do we really need to discuss if a 10 years old game need or not a strong graphics overhaul (at least)? [&:]

"10 years old"? Try: approaching 20. TOAW was first released in 1998.

(Yes, I know. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, right? [8|] [:-])

That said, and apart from some UI issues, I'm not unhappy with the tried-and-true TOAW classic map & counter graphics. After all these years, still looks good to me. [8D]

I am new to this game series.

The map and counters are just fine.

The user interface is so terrible that after a few attempts I gave up.

.

ORIGINAL: Jakers123

Graphics are far more than ,,shiny" stuff as some people think, they are extremely important, at least the interface is.

There are a lot of confusing things in the editor for example,...

There's a certain baseline level of knowledge needed to use the Editor efficiently. If you can't get that from section 17 of the manual, then you need to ask for help on the TOAW III board.

but the biggest problem is that I had no idea how to create new formations, parent formations,etc, I figured out that by copying already existing units. I did create a small scenario of my own from scratch and it worked, but I think that I created all units using the copy function, since I don't know a different way if there even is one...

There is - though copying can be the easiest way.

For example I created a original hq unit and then had to copy it in order to make a mechanized unit, then copied that to get a artillery unit,etc and all that time I had to press the buttons bellow the editor that are more than confusing since they appear and disappear depending on what you press.

I assume you mean the Force Editor. Note that it has three modes, depending upon the contents of its right-hand pane: Available Systems, Current Formation, and Current Force. The mode control buttons are at the bottom, and are probably what you were pressing above. They do indeed cause that right-hand pane to change significantly.

It doesn't have to be 1% as complicated as that, the only thing that needs to be implemented is a simple drop down menu in which you would be able to select which side you want to edit, general specifics of the side like supply,etc., you should also be able to select whether you want to see formations, weapons, to create a new formation or subformation,..and btw. if you wanted to put in another weapon in the formations you should have simply had a pop up window that appears when you click on something like ,,add new weapon" inside the subformation window and you should be able to remove weapons in the subformation window itself, which I think you can't do without finding the weapon in the weapon list, so you have to look at 2 windows at the same time, instead of simply one.

And also speaking of formations, the only current way in the editor that you can find a specific unit is by pressing the ,,next formation" button, but a lot of scenarios have hundreds of units, so you just have to press next, next, next, next and by the time that you reach the formation that you are searching for, you already get bored and not want to play anymore...again, extremely easy solution, drop down list with subunits that you can click on and which expands, like this:
1.Hq
2.Tank division
3.First mechanized division
4.Second mechanized division
-First mech brigade
-Second mech brigade
-Third mech brigade
5.Third mechanized division
6.Motorized infantry division

, say you want to adjust the supply in the Second mech brigade of the 2.nd mech division, currently you would have to waste a bunch of time pressing next formation repeatedly, but this way you simply open the drop down list, find what you're searching for and that's it, over in a second.

That's pretty much how the Current Force mode of the Force Editor works. It gives you a complete list of all units, which you can then select/cut/paste, etc. Formations can also be cut/pasted/created on that pane.

I understood how to use the scenario editor, but found it a huge pain to use. Hopefully Curtis Lemay's post above is not an indication that it will remain more or less as is in TAOW IV?

ORIGINAL: 76mm

I understood how to use the scenario editor, but found it a huge pain to use. Hopefully Curtis Lemay's post above is not an indication that it will remain more or less as is in TAOW IV?

Perhaps he was trying to help someone with the current editor. Paging through formation after formation or weapon after weapon until you get to the one you want is kind of 1980ish. It is clunky and difficult at best. I dread the task ahead in creating the entire Axis and Soviet armies with this. I've done smaller tasks and it always gives me a headache.

@Jakers: Organize the whole thing on paper first until you get things the way you want to see them in the game. Welcome to the 'electronic, paperless' age. [:D]

ORIGINAL: Lobster
Perhaps he was trying to help someone with the current editor.

Yes, I think he was...but he also didn't indicate that there would be, or even need to be, any improvements.

I don't find it difficult, but I guess that comes from being familiar with it. But that is the same with any new software we get. Learning it can be frustrating at first. The current Editor could sure use some modifications that would make it better, but they need to be well thought out. We've all had experiences with new versions of software that just suck [W7 auto arrange for photos anyone ?].

With well over 1,000 scenarios designed by users, it can't be all that difficult, right ? And as Bob said, there are folks on the forum that don't mind helping at all. Maybe this video will help some - https://youtu.be/WGn4rK_TCQ8

And, I may regret it, but I'll offer to Skype and Screen Share with anyone that wants. We could even go so far as to have a session with multiple callers if several people were interested in real time tutorial stuff. I haven't done that specifically but I think its possible.