World in Flames is the computer version of Australian Design Group classic board game. World In Flames is a highly detailed game covering the both Europe and Pacific Theaters of Operations during World War II. If you want grand strategy this game is for you.
If it doesn't come out then VASSAL works just as well.
This is the frustrating part for me. Sure, I can play WiF over the net with VASSAL or Cyberboard. It has been extremely gracious of ADG to allow this over the years. I would much rather be playing WiF-over-the-net using a proto-MWiF, WITH the new map. This could have happened years ago if the powers that be on this project weren't so stubborn and/or the contract so rigid, I don't know or care which. No, such a product wouldn't have sold like gangbusters. Only us old wargaming grognards would purchase a map and counter management program. But I think most anyone who plays WiF is more than happy to purchase the products and support our game designer and software developer. Revenue would have come in, and that revenue could have been used to support future development of the game system, both on paper and electronically. Instead we play WiF electronically using shareware and ADG and Matrix get nothing. Brilliant.
At the same time I suggested to ADG to go to a server model (probably over ten years ago) I wrote in to Harry that I wished he would embrace the electronic future of the game. The power of computing could be put to use by a brilliant game designer to solve playability fudges, i.e. points in the game where realism has to take a back seat to face-to-face playability (sea-box system interaction with coasts, for one). But I don't see that happening, though of course a foundation of a PC version of WiF RaW 7.m to build on might help that idea along significantly.
As it stands, the paper game is leaving MWiF behind, with counters and rules systems that perhaps, possibly, might someday become part of version 2.0. To make such an idea even become possible, I suggest selling us all something. Now. The hardware base will be disappearing out from underneath this project in the next 2 years if you wait any longer.....why release (and develop) product for a diminishing hardware platform? With that in mind, perhaps Matrix has much bigger problems looming than one slower-than-hoped paper boardgame adaptation.
This has been the most open gaming and software development process I have ever heard of though, and it has been a great way to participate in the World in Flames hobby even during the long periods where I can't even dream of having time to play with Cyberboard solitaire, and that has been great. But virtual MWiF.....
I too am an AARPr for many years. At 77 I am fortunate in still being in good physical and mental health and I do expect to play the MWiF game before my number is up. I also still play the boardgame and have been doing so for a very long time.
Look lomyrin the only reason you can make that statement, playing before your number is up is because you live in the beautiful San Deigo area with great weather, try living in Filthydelphia [:D] my son keeps wanting to move there.[San Diego] [&o] I don't mind that except I do not want to lose my granddaughter [;)]
Good lord, I'm waist deep in old coots here! I'm 41. Listen dudes, I did my part: I've voted for Obama twice to ensure you geezers have the free health care you need to make it another decade and have a fighting chance to play WiF on your computer. It's out of my hands now, good luck!
Good lord, I'm waist deep in old coots here! I'm 41. Listen dudes, I did my part: I've voted for Obama twice to ensure you geezers have the free health care you need to make it another decade and have a fighting chance to play WiF on your computer. It's out of my hands now, good luck!
ONLY 41
[8D] It's good to be 41. [8D]
You are young enough to start a new career and old enough to know better that to do it.
You can still say "I need to start doing some exercise to loose that little bit of weight I've been gaining since I hit 30" (but you don't).
You can still say "I don't look too bad for some one my age".
You can still think about picking up a partner on Friday and Saturday night.
You can still remember why you want a partner on Friday and Saturday night.
You can still eat and drink what you want.
You wear sunglasses to look cool instead of bifocals to be able to read.
[:'(] I already get free healthcare from the Veterans Administration so your vote didn't matter for me. [:'(]
University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)
Yes, I daresay there are people on the wifdiscussion list who would engage on another in fisticuffs on sight over rules disagreements undertaken on the list. [;)]
Yes, I daresay there are people on the wifdiscussion list who would engage on another in fisticuffs on sight over rules disagreements undertaken on the list. [;)]
I can plead absolutely not guilty. I still have trouble understanding the rules. [:D]
i think it will be the bees knees and only a few months away now...easy to learn of a wargamer who played WIF all ready but hard to master...waiting to enjoy.
Tigercub
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life
December 1, 2012 Status Report for Matrix Games’ MWIF Forum
Accomplishments of November 2012
Project Management
The first half of November was more or less lost to having my gall bladder removed and recovering from same. Throw in the follow-up to the cataract removal I had on October 31st (7 eye drops /day) and I didn’t get much done during the first half of November.
But I now have new glasses which make my good eye 20/20 and my poor eye 20/40, which is not too shabby. Reading and working on the computer (yesterday and today) with the new glasses is much easier. My only health event in the next 2 months (of which I am aware) is probably removing a retinal membrane in my left eye. That will be done by a retinal specialist whom I will see in mid-December. A retinal membrane is roughly equivalent to scar tissue (due to surgery or some other trauma to the eye) and the process for removing it is to peel it off. Still, it’s yet another operation - ugh. Doing so should improve my left eye’s vision a bit more, which would be very nice.
After my heart surgery I had a 6 inch vertical scar over my breastbone and three 1 inch horizontal scars in my chest from their other incisions. From the surgery to remove my gall bladder I got a 1 inch vertical scar near my belly button and 3 more horizontal scars in my abdomen. Looking at my torso one might think I am a survivor of a South L. A. drive-by shooting involving gangs and automatic weapons. I’m investigating getting a tattoo “ER Bloods” and wearing gangland colors of scrubs green and latex white.
Hardware and Software
Matrix/Slitherine Games programmers made more revisions to the code at the NetPlay server end. I haven’t tested those changes yet.
The open items for Theme Engine remain unchanged: (1) scroll bars for the detailed map, and (2) its inability to display detailed listings of file directories (i.e., the dates and stuff when opening or saving a file).
Beta Testing
The first thing I did once I was able to work on the game again, was to go back over all the emails I had received since June 8th, before my heart attack. I then went through all the bug reports the beta testers had posted for versions 09.08.03, 09.08.04, 09.08.05, and 09.08.06, which covered roughly the same period. My goal was to make sure my master task list was accurate and up-to-date, and to assign an MTL number to all the email missives and posted bug reports. There was some redundancy and other confusion that had to straightened out - as always with tasks like this. But by the 24th of November I had a good handle on all the new items that had been reported in the previous 5 months. I am now able to link posted bug reports to saved game files and MadExcept bug report files (i.e., data dumps) which makes figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it vastly simpler.
I started working my way through my master task list in the order of the sequence of play, which is my normal approach. I fixed 5 Setup bugs, 4 DOW bugs, and I’m working on the 5 new bugs related to air missions. The newly reported bugs fall into 2 categories: mostly cosmetic and obscure. The mostly cosmetic are where the program performs a function correctly but fails to immediately update the map and/or forms. Simply refreshing the map or form ‘solves’ the problem. But sometimes the player could generate a Mad Except error (i.e., fatal crash) when trying to manipulate one of the false visual artifacts. Under obscure bugs I place the rail gun unit being unable to retreat when no rail line exists to an otherwise valid retreat hex. A second example is when a player wants to fly a bomber with a range of 5 and extended range of 10 to a target 4 hexes away, but wants to use extended range so in the return to base subphase the bomber has a range of 10.
In November I released new versions 9.09.00 (12 fixes), 9.09.01 (9 fixes), and 9.09.02 (7 fixes) to the beta testers. That’s only 3 new versions and 28 fixes. I’ll try to pick up the pace in December.
Saved Games
Nothing new.
Map, Units, and Scenarios
I received some more naval unit writeups from Warspite.
Optional Rules
Nothing new.
Game Engine
I haven’t finished with supply yet. Still left to do are:
1. write a routine to determine if a supply path, that was previously valid, is still valid; this will drastically reduce the time required to recalculate supply,
2. check and evaluate when supply is calculated/recalculated during game play (the beta testers have reported instances when it hasn’t been recalculated when it should have),
3. reduce the time required to calculate supply the first time (i.e., from scratch) to something acceptable.
Player Interface
Nothing new.
Internet - NetPlay
Nothing new.
PBEM
Nothing new.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Nothing new.
Player’s Manual
Nothing new: both the Players Manual and Rules as Coded are in the hands of the Matrix Games graphics person, who is doing the final layouts for how those will appear as PDFs and in print.
Tutorials and Training Videos
I still have one bug to fix for the tutorial on Production (so production can be performed for multiple countries within the tutorial). Otherwise the tutorials are done.
I need to re-record the 6th and create the last three Training Videos: 10th, 11th, and 12th. The 6th (main form and drop down menus) needs redoing because I have seriously modified some forms since I recorded that video in December of 2009. The last 3 training videos are for naval movement, naval combat, and production/politics.
Historical Video, Music, and Sound Effects
I now have all the files I need as WAV files. What’s needed is for me to insert calls into the sequence of play to activate these glitz elements.
Sounds like a lot of pain Steve, but at least it sounds like you are on the road to recovery if you can avoid any other "new" issues or any complications from what you have been through. Goodluck!
"We are going to attack all night, and attack tomorrow morning..... If we are not victorious, let no one come back alive!" -- Patton
WITE-Beta
WITW-Alpha
The Logistics Phase is like Black Magic and Voodoo all rolled into one.
ONLY 41
