Matrix Games Forums

Hello...

Some of you may have been wondering when we would be releasing Carrier Force (CF). Well, progress slowed a bit over the holidays, but the development team is working full time on the project, once again. We have a testing alpha copy almost ready. Still pretty buggy, but playable.

The main delay has been the nature of the game. Although it looks a lot like Uncommon Valor or War in the Pacific, the underlying code is quite different. The turns are 15 minutes, in tactical combat. The map scale is smaller. The computer opponent had to be brought up to speed on these differences. The interface has had a number of new screens added. A lot of the aerial code has been rewritten, as tactical level air to air combat is different than the once per day - all planes assigned to a base - free for all. The naval engagement rules have changed a lot and it is no longer an easy task for a slow, unescorted transport fleet to disengage and head for home, when pursued by fast combat task forces. It is really a new and different game.

Still working on interface for land based air groups and adding new features, options and new data display. Still modifying air to air system to allow for climb rates, and pilot skills (there are now a number of them) and pilot experience in different areas. Have to add the new fatigue and disruption rules for ships, too. Haven't added PBEM system, yet. Just finished new editor, today, to add a number of useful items to database. Need to add those into game code.

Will try to post, once a week or so, with updates on progress. Hesitate to post screen shots until all new art comes in.

Hope this Helps...

Michael Wood

Programmer, Carrier Force

THank you, we do appreciate it. A lot of people on these Forums are looking forward to playing CF...

Wow Mike - now that´s a post! It´s just the kind of "info" I intended to see when opening the "Carrier Force - Matrix Games" thread before and contrirbuting to others (i.e. Tankeraces´s) earlier.
Your update sounds very good, especially considering the several (new) features you mentioned. Great thing to hear about the Naval Combat changes...

Now my interest in CF is newly incited again, and I am looking forward too!

Thank you. [:)]

edit: even more so after reading your response in Justins "what would you like..." thread. Great!

Thanks for the update Mike. Sounds like you're plugging in some interesting new features looking forward to reading all of your progress reports. [:)]

[&o][&o][&o] 
 
Great to hear that it is far from being death, as some of us feared already!

What's the big deal about Carrier Force? I've been playing it since 1983...

It's hard to believe it has been that long. I rememeber the day I got it back then. There was one store carrying it and I had to drive about 20 miles to get it. But it was FUN.

ORIGINAL: flipperwasirish

it was FUN.

Yup. I must have splashed ten thousand carrier planes because I always miscalculated endurance and allowable deckloads. It was completely unforgiving of player errors. I really liked that.

And if you ever got a hit by a B-17 on a ship at sea, it was among the greatest upsets in modern warfare (unlike in other, newer, more historically realistic games that shall remain nameless...)

@Michael Wood

Only a question. Is there a campaign mod in CF ? Or only scenarios ?

V.

Hello...

If by campaign, you mean year or two long scenarios, yes we will have campaigns. I'm not writing the scenarios, but there will be several long campaigns and a number of shorter scenarios, some as short a a few days.

Bye...

Michael Wood

ORIGINAL: Vorsteher

@Michael Wood

Only a question. Is there a campaign mod in CF ? Or only scenarios ?

V.

Will try to post, once a week or so, with updates on progress. Hesitate to post screen shots until all new art comes in.

Hope this Helps...

We are almost 9 weeks later. You tell me.

Give up and either wait or forget about it because obviously the passing of updates is just not going to happen with any kind of regularity.

WOW! Ike and Tocaff agree on a point! CF must be doomed![X(]

WOW! Ike and Tocaff agree on a point! CF must be doomed!

Yes, after reading that post I had to check outside to make sure the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were not galloping through the streets.

[:D]

"It is the end of the world as we know it..."
[;)]

I like this classic one most... (A. Duerer, 1498 - Woodcut)

...and another very impressive version... (Viktor Vasnetsov, 1887)

OK, after all this I´d really like to know what again happened to the "developer´s team". Why did they even bother to give a comprehensive response some weeks before if they now have fallen into another lull once more?

The whole matter doesn´t makes sense to me... [&:]

No Ike & I do not agree. 
I meant that he should just chill because the only thing he'll get from his present course is more trouble, for a change, for himself.  If Matrix was going to keep people in the loop or had something worth reporting, then the would.  No matter how much forum members try to pry info about CF out of the development team it just isn't happening for whatever reason. 

ORIGINAL: tocaff


No Ike & I do not agree. 
I meant that he should just chill because the only thing he'll get from his present course is more trouble, for a change, for himself.  If Matrix was going to keep people in the loop or had something worth reporting, then the would.  No matter how much forum members try to pry info about CF out of the development team it just isn't happening for whatever reason. 

To report something just for the sake of reporting is wasting resources. I'm happy to wait until the crew has something real to report. It really makes no sense to prod the team for info when it is obvious they having nothing to report. As to me, it is obvious if they had something to say, they would say it.