ORIGINAL: rsharp@advancedgamin
Howdy folks,
AGSI would like to extend an invitation for the gamers here to our beta testing program. We are looking for people that would like to be a little more involved than the forums.
What you get:
First shot at the new features. The last couple beta builds of our next release include
- Focused Strike Switch - Missions using this switch will strike targets if and only if they are in the target list.
- Speed Optimizations - We've increased the speed of the game dramatically. How much? Find out.
- Improved navigator - Addressing a reoccuring issue of ships running aground.
Invitation to our moderated IRC meetings with the developers. (Don't ask about the goats)
Visibility and feedback with the developers. Get your favorite/most hated bug addressed.
Get a shot at getting your name in the credits, a spiffy T-Shirt, and major release testers (such as the 3.7.0 beta tester team) get the game free.
I'd like to chime in here and attempt to sway anyone who's trying to make up their mind on this offer. I returned to the Harpoon "scene" approximately a year ago. After decideding the game was moving forward and now there was an "Official" presence in the community I fired off an email to Don Gilman requesting permission to edit the DB pics and start rebuilding/editing the original stock scenarios.
I expect due to my involvement with the gaming system in the past Don was gracious enough to ask me if I'd be interested in joining the beta testing team. I must say I was a little overawed by the invitation as I really hadn't done a lot with Harpoon for many years. Regardless with a "what the heck" attitude I jumped at the chance and the rest as they say is history.
Russell makes some very good points, especially the point about getting your "favourite" bug killed off. here's just some of the things I was able to have fixed just by CONTRIBUTING to the effort:
1.> Aircraft placement in scenedit obeys the country and date restrictions.
2.> Aircraft placement in scenedit now recognises the "helo" flag in regard to pad and hangar components.
3.> The "backscatter" flag is now functional for radar systems allowing the creation of OTH - (Over the Horizon) radar systems.
The last one is rather special to me. Being an Aussie I have a vested interest in the game functioning correctly. Australia makes use of the Harpoon simulation and one of, if not the most advanced OTH radar system in the world, Jindalee. Without the backscatter flag functioning the guys at the DSTO (Defence Science and Technology Organisation) wouldn't be able to model JORN - the OTH network. Not being able to model such a force multiplier leaves any simulation of future engagements for the ADF missing a vital component in their efforts to model future scenarios. So in some small way I've helped the ADF out probably without them even knowing it...
Of course it doesn't have to be a "one way street". I had started a project for my own database many years ago, updating the in game platform photos. Now I know many people don't bother with them and I understand. Often it was hard to tell a ship from an aircraft. I suggest that everyone checks them out now, well it'd make the months I've spent on them worth the effort. I've undertook updating the game photos and they are now part of the official game (that's why the DL was a lot bigger this time). Now they are still b & w but wait until we get the next stage in the process completed, then they're in colour and not only that we'll probably have multiple images per platform, stay tuned.
So in conclusion, Harpoon is one "place" where the individual can make a difference and I urge anyone who has an eye for detail and knows when something's not right to join up and enjoy the ride.
Cheers
Darren Buckley
