Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

The obvious new features are ...

Thanks: for us non-programmers, these new features weren't so obvious, but as a consumer of Panther products, does all this all up to a sooner release date for BftB?

It shows how furiously Arjuna and the developers are currently working on the project.

We beta bunnies can hardly keep up. No sooner do I start a scenario and get half a day played than I discover the next day that a new revised version of the scenario has been uploaded for distributing along with a new beta build and revised maps.

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

... It shows how furiously Arjuna and the developers are currently working on the project.

Which possibly suggests an imminent release date?

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

... It shows how furiously Arjuna and the developers are currently working on the project.

Which possibly suggests an imminent release date?

No need to rush things. I havent had the time to suck all the juice out of the latest patch yet [;)]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

... It shows how furiously Arjuna and the developers are currently working on the project.

Which possibly suggests an imminent release date?

Joe, I only know what Arjuna has set as a target, which, of course would be a violation of my NDA to disclose.........

and besides targets often get missed so I wouldn't want to encourage any false sense of expectations...

al I can say is patience man, patience.....or apply to become a beta tester..... [;)]

pre Christmass? what year? I was still hoping for a summer release if the game is in beta.. this is about the top of my wish list

ORIGINAL: freeboy

pre Christmass? what year? I was still hoping for a summer release if the game is in beta.. this is about the top of my wish list

You guys are gonna have to wait for Arjuna to pick up this thread to get anything more........

<puts on his best Sargent Schultze impression>

I know nothing!

[Deleted by Admins]

ORIGINAL: Grognerd

Hello Hans. Just noticed you were from St. Petersburg, Fl, I'm a displaced Californian down here in Melbourne, good to know there are other gamers here in Fl....

In order to get it right I'll wait as long as necessary...(the patience of a 56-year old I guess)

Off topic: After Bulge I read the Chir river battles from the russian front is next. Interesting, should be real fun too. I have all the satellite map images from Google of all the battles depicted in Von Mellienthin's "Panzer battles". Might be a good scenario or two in there. Some of the spots were a bit hard to find but the maps in the book are very accurate when you find the locations as they are today. Some of the cities have changed names and have grown, several dams have been built but the river lines from the book are near perfect.

My curiosity about the Chir river battles and the game engine as designed now, it would seem to me that the engine will have to be tailored for the Russian style of warfighting of that era. Very scarce radio's and radio networks for C3. Echelon style attacks with very little ability to change battle plan mid-stream. The engine would seem now to give the Russian side far too much command authority once the plan commences. (Most wargames miss this fact)

Remember Victory games "Panzer Command" a very good title that reflected this very well.

A long time ago I ordered like 8 or 9 counter sets from this game (Avalon Hill was good about selling game parts and blank hex maps) I used Beryl Prismacolor pens to create a giant 4 map geomorph of the Kursk maps in "Panzer Battles" book. A friend and I played Panzer Command on a vast scale for months. Not bragging but my maps were drawn on a professional level so the look of the game was really cool. I love map making, I've made many a monster game map..
Divisional level of all the Russian Front for "PanzerKrieg". All of the North African front for a magazine game "Kassarine" Me and the Central Coast Wargamers (California club now defunct) played em all.

I'll be interested to see how the engine is implemented on the Russian Front, considering the high level of authenticity of the present games.

We sound a lot like contemporaries as well as neighbors. I'm 50 myself and started wargaming in the early 1970s, cutting my teeth on the AH classics of the day. If you happen to have a copy of Advanced Third Reich, you'll find my name (real name) in the design credits as a playtester.

I do indeed remember Panzer Command. I have a copy on the shelf. Interestingly enough, my local boardgame group is currently playing the Case Blue edition of the Gamers Operational Combat Series, with plenty of action occurring along the Chir.

I, personally, haven't made too many maps, but have played many, many monster games and created a few additional counters with my drafting skills as an architect. I once created company breakdown counters for the American paraptroopers in The Longest Day because we didn't like the fact that they dropped as battalions without recreating the scatter and dispersal of the historical drops. We wanted them to scatter by companies as they did in AHs Crete/Malta game that was the predesessor to TLD with regard to that particular game mechanics system.

I'm pretty much strictly a scenario tester for Panther games and haven't gotten much into actual development besides making lot's of suggestions. The points you make regarding the Russian army are valid. The Panther Games development forum has sub forums for each theater that has been proposed and I have not yet wandered into the East Front subforum to peruse the discussions the developers have had there.

One idea might be to restrict command to the regimental level for the Russians, where most players tend to command by battalions in this system. Another might be to substantially incease the orders delays to heavily penalize flexibility and detract from the players ability to increase flexibility by taking command at very low levels.

If you haven't seen it yet, there is a sticky here of my AAR of the early beta version of Peiper's Race for the Meuse scenario. I like to think it does a good job of showcasing this game engine's fortes.

There is a guy on the WitP forum under the moniker of Feinder, or something like that, who is located here in Florida as well.

It's good hearing from another Floridian who is a wargamer.

As to when BFTB will be ready, well as I have stated before, that depends on a lot of things. Right now I am aiming for an Origins ( July ) release. However, the usual caveats apply. First the game has to be ready and robust. Second, if I get contract work elsewhere that brings in hard cash then that will get priority and may delay matters. But for now it's full steam ahead and we have made tremendous progress this last month since releasing COTA Patch 3. A lot of pent up creativity has been unleashed from everyone on the team. It's been great.[:)]

[Deleted by Admins]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

... Right now I am aiming for an Origins ( July ) release. However, the usual caveats apply ...

Here's to Christmas in July.

July yummy this looks great..
can someone speak to the multi or two player issue, I was never abble to get going in two player httr.. a shame really as it definately would have improved my gaming time.

What was the reason why? In COTA we added code to assist in playing from behind firewalls.

I think I was frustrated the few times I tried to play, and was distracted by other titles. although I really liked HTTR could not get my head around Cota area of operations, although Bulge is one of my favs for the time period.. so from your answer I look forward to killing the ai and then being challenged in h2h[:D]

freeboy,
&nbsp;
Do yourself a favour and take the plunge with COTA. The battles in Greece and Crete are great. Sure there are no Americans but then you guys did hold back for a while. [;)]
&nbsp;
There are plenty of historical references for some enjoyable background reading provided in the manuals. So take it as an opportunity to explore another area and have a great time while you are doing so. You won't be dissappointed.

ORIGINAL: Grognerd

Yes, I have Third Reich in a box in the garage. (I don't board game anymore, no space.)

I was looking around at different games here at Matrix and noticed your AAR. I thought, darn those maps are good! I was looking for something with an editor that would allow me to do several Russian front battles at about company level.
TAOW III 2.5 Kilometers is too big, another computer wargame of the russian front is too small (2 by 4 kilometers). Looked like this game is just right.

I bought HTTR several years ago along with several other Matrix titles. Played the tutorials and put it away. Though, eh not so good.

After reading your AAR I gave it another shot, re-loaded it and went throught the tutorials again, then played the battle for the bridges scenario. I have never played a computer wargame that was so enthralling, the AI played great, the 107th Panzer Brigade counter attack was well timed and the Tigers kicked one of my Battalions out of their hard won objective areas. I was on the seat of my pants. So now I'm playing the Eindoven Campaign, same thing a very hair raising scenario.
I'm now a full convert to this game system. It's real time without the issues of most real time games.

I tend to shy away from realtime strategy, but this one seems just right. I suppose eventually when I know the mechanics of the game better it will be easier to beat the AI, but for now it does a good job. Now I have to get COTA.

Nijmegan is my favorite scenario in that game. Give that one a try.

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

freeboy,

Do yourself a favour and take the plunge with COTA. The battles in Greece and Crete are great. Sure there are no Americans but then you guys did hold back for a while. [;)]

There are plenty of historical references for some enjoyable background reading provided in the manuals. So take it as an opportunity to explore another area and have a great time while you are doing so. You won't be dissappointed.

Exactly...for me a different area theater and something new to learn.

I bought COTA in Feb/08, but I still haven't played it as I bought 11 games that month and 11 games In Jan. So, I'm loaded up with games. LOL!

Regards,

Grell

I find the wealth of very good games limits me, and unlike SSG decisive battles games that I buy to support ssg, I would rather simply make a donation to your war fund than buy cota, no time less time in&nbsp;warm summer months in Northern hemi coming up.. and several add on / new games to get .. and already overloaded.. BUT I will be buying this product and one other Matrixxee title this year

ORIGINAL: Grell

I bought COTA in Feb/08, but I still haven't played it as I bought 11 games that month and 11 games In Jan. So, I'm loaded up with games. LOL!

Regards,

Grell

more money than something!!! [:D]