Will widescreen resolutions be supported?

[SlickWilhelm]

I'd love to see support for 1280x800 or other various widescreen modes. Any chance?

[Erik Rutins]

The Battleground games run in resizeable Windowed mode, as they always have, so they support all resolutions by default. The only minor issue I've seen is that on very large screens there's some blank space to the right of the bottom bar, but this doesn't hurt anything.

[sabre100]

Excellent,  I think all games, especially wargames should be programmed in this app windowed mode fashion.

[Richard III]

Erik.

Will these just be reissues of the 32 bit versions of the Game or has Matrix made any alterations to the AI or any other areas of design or Gameplay ?

Thanks

[Erik Rutins]

Richard,

Unlike our other TS releases, these are essentially reissues. The main thing that has been done is to update them to the latest 32-bit executables from John Tiller, which have been updated to also be Vista-compatible (the older 32 bit versions were not) so that they'll continue to be playable long into the future. We've bundled them together for a much reduced price compared to what they were being sold at before we got the rights to them and will be offering an additional discount for buying both bundles together.

So we basically see these as a way for Battleground fans to get updated archival copies (especially if you order the boxed copy with the printed manual) that will serve them well for many years and also to put these great games back on the market for wargamers who weren't in the market yet when they were originally released.

Regards,

- Erik

[Richard III]

Actually Erik that`s just what I wanted to hear. I liked them just as they were and will be a buyer on release day.

Hopefully the ability to order the boxed copies will happen at the same time the download versions go up for sale ?

Thanks !
Rich

[Ashantai]

So...no updates at all. Pretty much anyone could bundle it all together if they had the originals, and do it for free.
 
The big question is: Are you going to edit or add titles in the future?
 
As it is HPS just murders the originals on content....

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: Ashantai
So...no updates at all. Pretty much anyone could bundle it all together if they had the originals, and do it for free.

I agree, except the "do it for free" part and the "just anyone" part. As noted above, these had to be updated in order to work on Vista. That was something only John Tiller could do (and did). The older releases will have problems on Vista so for those that have already moved to that OS, this release is a good thing. We also had to update the sounds and video to a newer format in order to fit these bundled games on a single CD for each bundle.

Also, these were certainly not free. As part of the entire TalonSoft deal we paid to get the rights to these and the other titles. Our goal was originally to update them more significantly and get them back on the market sooner, but in general to get them on the market in a more affordable bundle than what was available so that newer wargamers could get them and older ones who had lost their copies could replace them at a reasonable cost.

It was our original intention to work with some of the BG community to add some additional content as well. Unfortunately, we made two attempts at that and neither worked out, resulting only in delays getting this back to market. In the end, we decided to go ahead and release the bundles as described now as they will still represent the most affordable way to get these games yet and will include updated versions that will run on Microsoft's new OS for years to come.

The big question is: Are you going to edit or add titles in the future?
As it is HPS just murders the originals on content....

We haven't decided anything on that yet, but if we find someone willing to work with us, it's possible we might release some bonus content. I don't think we'll be doing new Battleground releases. As you noted, the HPS games are there as the effective continuation of the series, but these originals are still excellent games and held in high regard by many. Just making them available again in a compatible, affordable package was our main goal from the start.

Regards,

- Erik

[sabre100]

Erik -
 
I for one am glad you are releasing it, I don't care if it bonus content or as is as long as it runs on the newer OSs which it does.  I was not into wargames when these were first out, now that I am into wargames I can buy these classics which will work without tweaking everything under my PC to get it to work and the price is reasonable instead of buying the old versions from places like eBay where the sellers think they can charge ridicioulus amounts.  I hope your company continues to rehash more old classics a lot of these newer games can't even compare to some of these older classic games.
 
Nice work

[kbear]

Greetings Matrix, et al:
 
It's been a long time coming.
 
I'd kept a rig running w98 as I long as I could to play BGA or BBR, I've really missed those 3d maps.  Since BGG 1.00
 
Y'all must be fixing to get ready to bring 'em out next week, surely you wouldn't've posted otherwise.  I like HPSs well enough, especially those Western battles, but this is a spectacular revival and I have to say thanks Matrix.  This should help to make a New England winter pass more easily.
 
Hope the old patches and mods'll work and Gamers'll post updates at the usual places - have a great weekend
best regards
'kbear'