Matrix Games Forums

We haven't had a flagship wargame release for a while so there has been a drop off in forum traffic. The next one will be Decisive Campaigns 3 which is looking awesome!

The number of major serious wargame & strategy game projects under way has greatly increased. We are funding a greater number and bigger games than ever before.

We haven't had a flagship wargame release for a while so there has been a drop off in forum traffic.

i disagree on that statement tbh, there's been plenty of them, some received better than others, but all good games, just not well supported by some forum members either in purchases or forum posts tbh.

I see SC3 I don't see DC3 in the development forums. Hey, I'm up and looking for another game, haven't settled into any particular genre, heck, if I see something that is right my ally, you'll know it. Of all the forums out there (that I know of), I feel Matrix is the "best", the forum mechanics are excellent and I especially like being able to upload from desktop SSs to posts and PMs with full size pictures and of good quality.

ORIGINAL: aaatoysandmore

The change I saw came when Slitherine took over. All of a sudden Erik disappears and in walks Iain. I know Erik is still there but I have this feeling that Iain is pulling all the strings or most of the important ones at least. When I look on Steam I see Iain's comments not Erik's.

Plus the direction of the discussion board has changed a lot over the years as many can see by some of the posts. I would imagine mothers aren't letting their little tommy's on this site because of some threads and words.

warspite1

Not sure that is true. I have been here since 2008 and the forum rules haven't changed as far as I am aware in that time so cannot see that language (or words as you call it) and content (threads) have headed south - and certainly nothing that would stop parents allowing their children to visit this site.

In fact I would say there is less unpleasantness on the forums now - a lot of the less pleasant characters seem to have moved on.

ORIGINAL: operating

Well it seems the slumber party is starting to wake up! The reason I started this thread is because the General forum seemed to be dying off, as well as other forums. Yes there has been posting activity, but not to the degree it had been. The pool of commenters seemed to have shrunk, regardless there is a lot of thoughts shared, but it seems there is a smaller crowd enjoying it. Much of the observation comes from who is identifiable during different discussions periods, there is nothing scientific in what I observe, it's been a gut feeling. Yes, perhaps there are many who hide their name for various reasons, which maybe has the effect of there being the appearance of lesser members who have an interest in what is happening at Matrix. That's pretty much it, in a nutshell.

There have always been a large number readers who don't post, that being said, the General discussion thread seems (my perception) less postings by different individuals. Though many of the game threads have a large number of posters and visitors.

LINK

DC3 forum..

ORIGINAL: operating

I see SC3 I don't see DC3 in the development forums. Hey, I'm up and looking for another game, haven't settled into any particular genre, heck, if I see something that is right my ally, you'll know it. Of all the forums out there (that I know of), I feel Matrix is the "best", the forum mechanics are excellent and I especially like being able to upload from desktop SSs to posts and PMs with full size pictures and of good quality.

Matrix is not dying it has just changed. Your point of view will determine if you like those changes or not.

I enjoyed Matrix more as a company before they joined with Slitherine. For my liking there is not enough emphasis on supporting previous releases, and the friendly sense of comradery has diminished to a certain extent.

On the other hand they still make some wargames that interest me. FPRS and CMANO come to mind and I will always have a sweet spot for the Campaign series. I also look forward to Tigers on the Hunt.

I am selfishly happy for their success as it should ensure that more wargames will be produced. As we know those wargames that reward proper tactics and some military understanding are far, few, and inbetween. So I am happy to see them flourish, even if they have lost the common touch.

ORIGINAL: z1812

Matrix is not dying it has just changed. Your point of view will determine if you like those changes or not.

I enjoyed Matrix more as a company before they joined with Slitherine. For my liking there is not enough emphasis on supporting previous releases, and the friendly sense of comradery has diminished to a certain extent.

On the other hand they still make some wargames that interest me. FPRS and CMANO come to mind and I will always have a sweet spot for the Campaign series. I also look forward to Tigers on the Hunt.

I am selfishly happy for their success as it should ensure that more wargames will be produced. As we know those wargames that reward proper tactics and some military understanding are far, few, and inbetween. So I am happy to see them flourish, even if they have lost the common touch.

+1 on the common touch loss.

ORIGINAL: wodin
Iain PM'd you:)

Actually, it was Paulo and I asked him to also ping Iain. [8D]

Regards,

- Erik

ORIGINAL: warspite1
Not sure that is true. I have been here since 2008 and the forum rules haven't changed as far as I am aware in that time so cannot see that language (or words as you call it) and content (threads) have headed south - and certainly nothing that would stop parents allowing their children to visit this site.

In fact I would say there is less unpleasantness on the forums now - a lot of the less pleasant characters seem to have moved on.

I would agree with that overall - back in the "old days" we had more spammers and also more arguments getting out of hand in this forum, but I think part of that was also that with more time for moderation we tended to let things run a bit more and just encourage more civility. Nowadays if a thread starts to get out of hand we generally err on the side of locking things up before it gets way out of hand rather than trying to nurse it in the right direction, mainly because more time may pass before we can come back to it again.

There's another wargame-related company where I happen to be a customer and I've noticed them also having similar debates. When the folks who are doing the work also have time to participate on the forum, it can be a good thing, but when they get too busy how do you stay engaged with the community?

With that said, we do still read a lot and listen to what our customers are saying and what they like or dislike - but a bit more in the game-specific forums than in this one. We just don't have as much time to chime in as we once did. Hopefully we'll be able to shift that back in the other direction in the future.

Regards,

- Erik

I see the references that sales are up, but I believe Matrix is dying. It is not Matrix fault. PC wargaming and the PC wargame market has changed so much the past few years. Matrix is like the small deli that sells high quality meats at a higher price, but a Super-Walmart (Steam, etc.,) moved next door. So yeah, you will have some old timers hanging around, but it will not expand and it will die. And every time Matrix sends an old or new game to Steam to make money, the people on the forum will also go to Steam.

There is no remedy or way to stop this, just enjoy it while it is here.

As much as I personally hate it, selling games on Steam makes sense financially. And their games are exposed to a much wider audience, that cant be a bad thing. Matrix and I will only part ways if they start releasing Steam-only.
Integrating the beta-test sign up on the front page was a smart move and I think that gives us more input on the development of the games we intend to buy. And makes for a more interactive experience.

it looks like its changing for sure, dying, not to sure about that. Change is just the way of things, the cozy little Matrix Hamlet wasn't going to last forever. They have some really good Dev teams on board and i will support those whose products i enjoy and who support their products and communicate with their customers.There are some good wargames coming up. I often think were in a golden age of wargames with all the choices of games to choose from, something for everybody, so be of good cheer. If it all went belly up tomorrow I already have enough wargaming goodness to last my lifetime.

ORIGINAL: balto

Matrix is like the small deli that sells high quality meats at a higher price,

I don't agree. I think:

1: The quality of wargames has declined. The isometric/toy soldier look is for boys with their first wargame. It now seems to dominate wargaming.

2: Wargames on the whole do not take advantage of computers. There should be short cuts or database that can be sorted by any column to find things quickly.

3: If a game has too many variables then the player who studies the variables will defeat the player who has the better strategy and tactics.

.

I'm really confused why people think it's dying. As far as I can see it hasn't slowed down any with regards to new releases. I can't see any real competition that could snap up new developers and new games that will fall into the "wargaming" genre\category. They have Mr Grigsby on their side who will always make games that will turn a profit and Steel Tigers I recon will be a big future seller. It has a fairly good slice of the digital wargame market, which I'm sure will keep them ticking over nicely. No they wont make Millions and Millions but they will have a viable business. As long as they keep and eye out for new developer talent to sign up and they treat the companies in their stable well I see no real issues.

I do think though well made conversions of board\Mini's wargames that are superb and have a good following but are time intensive due to rules etc or aren't solo friendly so would be superb on the PC with an AI. Heroes of Normandy is looking excellent and visually is spot on for the style\type of wargame the board game is. I can think of quite a few that would make excellent PC games. I also think they should stick to the board game as closely as possible however if it will enhance the game then yes add new features. Sya for instance a tactical air warfare game is being converted. Well then add a RPG element and Squadron management etc etc but you keep the actual combat just like the board but you could use 3D esp for a Air Warfare type game as long as it looks great and plays just the same. The you have classics that are out of print and or cost the earth like Streets of Stalingrad or something like the mini's game NUTS! which would make one superb PC game, infact would make the best man vs man PC wargame made yet. The only alarming thing I noticed recently was seeing Command Ops depart which was a greta talent and classic game to lose, but then with the extremely slow rate of development and sparse releases it wont be a financial loss that hurts.

In regards to Heroes of Normandy I hope the game plays better than it looks. I felt like I had gone back 10 years or so when I saw those icons and graphics of it.

ORIGINAL: warspite1

In fact I would say there is less unpleasantness on the forums now - a lot of the less pleasant characters seem to have moved on.

I haven't moved on. Just post a lot less frequently than I have in the past.

2014 and 2015 were not stellar years as far as products that were of interest to me for whatever reason. Not much seemed to grab me. Hopefully that will change in the near future.

I generally agree with the Reb.

Everything looks like a cheap console game now.

Actually glad I stopped posting so much. Didn't realize we were so "unpleasant," it seems.

I think some people just like to be bitter and pessimistic. There are new games coming out around the clock, of all shapes and sizes, there are dozens of active posts across the various forums, older games like Advanced Tactics Gold, TOAW, the Campaign Series, and Panzer Command: Ostfront have all received major patches in the last few months, and there are some really exciting titles coming down the pipe. The guys running the place show up to personally clear up various concerns, and point out that things have never been better in terms of the business, yet it's still all doom and gloom for some.

ORIGINAL: nate25

I generally agree with the Reb.

Everything looks like a cheap console game now.

Actually glad I stopped posting so much. Didn't realize we were so "unpleasant," it seems.

warspite1

Well that's a shame [:(] I just read post 37 and 38.

So I state:

In fact I would say there is less unpleasantness on the forums now - a lot of the less pleasant characters seem to have moved on.

and Missouri_Rebel writes in response to that:

I haven't moved on. Just post a lot less frequently than I have in the past.

and nate25 writes:

Didn't realize we were so "unpleasant,"

a) As far as I know we have never had any online arguments, and indeed I thought we had always got on.

b) Why would you assume I was referring to you two? What on earth did I say to make you think that? I was referring - quite obviously, or so I thought - to UNPLEASANT CHARACTERS; the likes of that guy that used to have a dog as an Avatar - and got banned a couple of years back, or the guy in the WITPAE forum with a Soviet badge of some description or other who loved lobbing a few hand grenades every now and then.

So I am sorry if you took my reference to 'unpleasant characters' as a personal insult - even though I have no idea why you would and was clearly (at least to me) not my intention. [:(]