I Keep Coming Back... when's TOAW 4?

[geozero]

TOAW is one of those classic computer wargames that I find myself coming back to over and over. I think few PC wargames compare to that, though some of my other favorites are Steel Panthers, Panzer General, WitP, and maybe HOI II (HOI III needs a lot of fixing)... but I digress.

The point I'm trying to make is that with TOAW being such a great system where you can model just about ANY battle (albeit a few glitches here and t here), the question begs to be asked... when is TOAW 4 going to see the light of day.

Yes, I've read a lot of posts about how it's a labor of love, how there could be legal issues, etc. But someone, somewhere must have the ability to code a new game along the lines of Norm Koger's classic and bring it to a modern finish playable game.

Matrix should have the sales data history to show how many gamers would buy this NEW TOAW, and even if it came out as a $75 game, I think a lot of people would buy it IF enough changes were made so it was truly a new game engine, graphics, and design.

So aside from time constraints, would it not be to the company's best interest to invest in a new TOAW title by putting some resources to it... a full time programmer, graphics artists, testing team, etc? Maybe this is already happening and I haven't paid attention, but when you have a great game that you can re-make and make it better, it sound to be like a formula for success...

I guess for now I'll go back to finishing yet another map...

[redwolf]

What do you think would set TOAW4 apart from TOAW3?

Personally I long for a WEGO TOAW with multiplayer and an interface to plug in your own AI. But that' just one person's preference, I am not sure there is a real direction set to what the next "real" installment of TOAW the game would be.

[V22 Osprey]

TOAW IV will be no different from TOAW III.If you want new features, it would just be in a future patch.No sense in making a new game for essentially the same thing, plus TOAW III hasn't even been out that long.

[06 Maestro]

ORIGINAL: redwolf

What do you think would set TOAW4 apart from TOAW3?

Personally I long for a WEGO TOAW with multiplayer and an interface to plug in your own AI. But that' just one person's preference, I am not sure there is a real direction set to what the next "real" installment of TOAW the game would be.

That's more than just one person's preference.

[ralphtricky]

ORIGINAL: redwolf

What do you think would set TOAW4 apart from TOAW3?

Personally I long for a WEGO TOAW with multiplayer and an interface to plug in your own AI. But that' just one person's preference, I am not sure there is a real direction set to what the next "real" installment of TOAW the game would be.

I went ahead and wrote a blog post instead of posting it here so I can laugh at what I wrote in a couple of years

The AI interface should make it into the next game, but the documentation probably isn't going to be very good[:(]. You'd be able to do map analysis (with the same limits as hiumans) and set formation tracks, but would have to let the current code deal with making sure that the units followed the tracks. (that't the interesting and least well done piece anyway.) You'd also have the same control that you have with events, but be able to use a language like C# to code the events in as well as the current process. That means that things like unit creation, etc. should be possible, and the overall coding of events should be simplified.

Multiplayer and WeGo is probably going to be the game after. There is a LOT to do for that, and none of it is simple, that's probalby 6 months to a year of effort in those pieces alone. As I say there, a multi-player game is going to feel a lot different. I can't see two people being online for 120+ hours to play a game of FitE.

http://www.operationalwarfare.com/post/ ... ideas.aspx

[jmlima]

ORIGINAL: ralphtrick
...

Multiplayer and WeGo is probably going to be the game after. There is a LOT to do for that, and none of it is simple, that's probalby 6 months to a year of effort in those pieces alone. ...

Bloody hell Ralph. You're an eternal optimist. 6 months for WEGO? eh,eh,eh... tell that to the Combined Arms team... [:D]

[ralphtricky]

ORIGINAL: jmlima

ORIGINAL: ralphtrick
...

Multiplayer and WeGo is probably going to be the game after. There is a LOT to do for that, and none of it is simple, that's probalby 6 months to a year of effort in those pieces alone. ...

Bloody hell Ralph. You're an eternal optimist. 6 months for WEGO? eh,eh,eh... tell that to the Combined Arms team... [:D]

Yes I am[:D]

Here's my vision today (it may change tomorrow) There are some libraries out now that make it easier, and even as WeGo, it's probably would be still almost the turn-based model, just with simultaneous resolution, kind of like combat mission. I could even use something like IM to ship files back and forth.