Status?

[Mad Russian]

A large amount of time spent on this update was to improve the performance of the game for lower end machines. To make it run faster and smoother. That continues to be one of our main goals.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Prince of Eckmühl]

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

A large amount of time spent on this update was to improve the performance of the game for lower end machines. To make it run faster and smoother. That continues to be one of our main goals.

Good Hunting.

MR

At this point, y'all have committed to this, so what's done is done. However, I think that you can get carried away with an attempt to serve the retro-community. IIRC, a guy "went postal" on a distinguished member of your effort for not supporting his preferred version of Internet Explorer. Really, fellas, sometimes you just gotta leave the old-gear behind and write your game for the here-and-now.

[benpark]

There's quite a bit to suit those of us with comps that can handle the nicer looking stuff. The good thing is that it's not just eye candy now- grass offers cover, etc.

Again, the engine is very mod-able. If you don't like the looks of it, it's pretty easy to change it to suit. But we've been fixing it up for the last few years, so we are hoping you all think it's up to snuff.

[diablo1]

ORIGINAL: Prince of Eckmühl

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

A large amount of time spent on this update was to improve the performance of the game for lower end machines. To make it run faster and smoother. That continues to be one of our main goals.

Good Hunting.

MR

At this point, y'all have committed to this, so what's done is done. However, I think that you can get carried away with an attempt to serve the retro-community. IIRC, a guy "went postal" on a distinguished member of your effort for not supporting his preferred version of Internet Explorer. Really, fellas, sometimes you just gotta leave the old-gear behind and write your game for the here-and-now.

I agree 100% this patch is near 3 years old now they decide they want to improve the performance for ancient computers?? Release what you have now you know there's still going to be bugs and issues no matter when you release it and you're still going to have to do another patch for this. You can't do 3 years of code or improvements and not have issues. Enough wait already this is getting ridiculous.

[Jacko]

Matrix shouldn't wait too long. Combat Mission Normandy is coming...and after that it will be hard to keep the attention of wargamers...

[junk2drive]

Just to clear things up, PCK was released in April 2008. This team didn't start working on the update until December 2009. All that you see now has been done in a year.

[junk2drive]

ORIGINAL: Jacko

Matrix shouldn't wait too long. Combat Mission Normandy is coming...and after that it will be hard to keep the attention of wargamers...

We are not worried about beating them out the door, they are worried about us. [:D]

The people that are getting this for free don't need to worry about their gaming budget. They can have both.

One is East Front WEGO
The other is a piece of West Front RT WEGO.
We can coexist.

[Jacko]

Of that I'm sure. With a little luck we can fight a two-front war this spring. Another question, do you already have some thoughts on what comes after PCO? Will you go westfront too, or improve PCO? Personally I would prefer improving PCO. You could for example develop a Stalingrad module, with large factory areas, of a Winterwar module, with the Finns. Just curious whether you guys have any ideas about the future.

[junk2drive]

LOL we all have ideas and some of them match.

I lobbied for the Finns a long time ago as a mod. The hardcoded things would still say German but the symbols and icons can be modded to Finn as well as taking the German and Russian AFVs and reskinning them. To look right someone would have to make a soldier model too.

I think most of us would like to go West.

[diablo1]

ORIGINAL: junk2drive

Just to clear things up, PCK was released in April 2008. This team didn't start working on the update until December 2009. All that you see now has been done in a year.

Just to clear things up even more Koios started working on the patch before this team got ahold of it. Matrixgames lost Koios in 09 and then you picked it up and started work on it. So the patch is for a near 3 year old game regardless of who's been working on the patch lately.

[junk2drive]

Fortunately for you, you spend all your time posting on websites about all the games that you have, so you will keep busy while we work on it.

[diablo1]

Nope I'm bored so I want my PC:Kharkov/Osfront patch! NOW! [:)]

[benpark]

ORIGINAL: diablo1

Enough wait already this is getting ridiculous.

Basically, this is a massive free patch made by a team of modders and a really good coder. It's actually very close to release.

It's certainly rich to be told to "hurry up and gimmeee" when none of us are on the payroll, and are producing a labor of love and then sharing it with the rest of you (which we want to do ASAP). We have been forthecoming with lots of updates and screens, it's not like there hasn't been a progression shown on the forum.

It has been a LOT (a LOT) of work to get this far. I have an incredibly busy life beyond fiddling with 3D models and such, and sometimes I would rather be doing something else (like have some actual leisure time) besides doing data entry on the 50 or so types of trees I have produced. Something changes and things must be redone. Again and again. That's how games get made, and that's why it can take years. I hope you like it when you see it, but take it easy with the bad attitude. It's nearly there. Seriously.

As for competition with any other game, not from me. I'm buying "that other game" the second it comes out, and I love that company and nearly all of their games. I've put my time in with this game because:

A. It had a lot of potential to be a very good turn based game

B. It's based on the Eastern Front (a very large reason personally)

C. It was mod-able in nearly every way.

So, no competition from me, at least. Friendly camaraderie is how to look at it.

[Jacko]

Yes, this game is perfect for the western front too. Think battle of the Ardennes for example. One can NEVER have too many games about that period of the war. Personally I prefer the period of 1944-45 and I can't wait play battles and campaigns with PCO set in those years.

And I think it is incredible what you guys, volunteers and gifted amateurs, put in this game, without any reward but the joy of it and our ingratitude. I salute you all. And don't let our moaning and pushing get under your skin. You are doing a SUPERB job and we all know it.

[Ratzki]

Is it not within the game's abilities to represent any time period or forces with people just designing and adding the units? Could not this latest Ostfront update be further modded(I do know that it would be a huge one but none-the-less) to represent the West/Ardennes?

[benpark]

It could certainly be made to represent the Ardennes.

Some knowledge of 3D modeling would be necessary to make the US forces. The map maker would do any Western front locale as it is now (or North Africa, for that matter). I have even added "German style" houses to the buildings, so that could get you a reasonable facsimile of the urban landscape.

[junk2drive]

The interface is hardcoded to Germans vs Soviets. You can make models of anything and put in the game. I have played battles with the stats of M60A1s vs T-62s using existing models of Shermans and T34s but the screens will show Germans and Soviets.

[Ratzki]

I wonder if this would not be the way to go with the next installments, sort of a toolbox idea. The hardcode would provide the basics for several user-made upgrades. Maybe something along the lines of the Flames of War miniture tabletop series. A basic framework core game is there with the ability of both user-made and official purchased battles/fronts/nationalities or whathave you. That has always been the worst part of the CM series is that we are stuck with whatever Battlefront gave us, mistakes and all.

[junk2drive]

I don't work for Matrix but if I had a game company I would make something hardcoded so that you would buy the next game in a series.

Slitherine's BBC BA is so wide open you can do anything with it. They are still selling expansions because some people don't have the talent or desire to make their own stuff and are willing to pay for more content.

We have discussed these kinds of things but nothing is written in stone.

[HintJ]

ORIGINAL: benpark

ORIGINAL: diablo1

Enough wait already this is getting ridiculous.

Basically, this is a massive free patch made by a team of modders and a really good coder. It's actually very close to release.

It's certainly rich to be told to "hurry up and gimmeee" when none of us are on the payroll, and are producing a labor of love and then sharing it with the rest of you (which we want to do ASAP). We have been forthecoming with lots of updates and screens, it's not like there hasn't been a progression shown on the forum.

It has been a LOT (a LOT) of work to get this far. I have an incredibly busy life beyond fiddling with 3D models and such, and sometimes I would rather be doing something else (like have some actual leisure time) besides doing data entry on the 50 or so types of trees I have produced. Something changes and things must be redone. Again and again. That's how games get made, and that's why it can take years. I hope you like it when you see it, but take it easy with the bad attitude. It's nearly there. Seriously.

The problem, to me, seems the game is infinitely improvable, leading to an indefinite release date. I'm almost afraid to come on here and request new features that will further push out the release date to implement.

If we just say "Go ahead, take your time, do it right, etc," then this game would never be released.

Look at the Kharkov release! Wow, certainly an unpolished gem, but really, how much polishing are you guys going to actually do before it is ready?