Matrix Games Forums

Okay, We will entertain comments and questions and place information about the extensive modding capability of the game engine here! This will be about User Generated Content for the game and also making new items for the game.

FPG was a fun game but almost impossible to mod. We started out of the game with the mantra of mod friendliness and worked hard to keep it that way. It may not be 100% of what everyone would like but we will allow for a great number of things to be changed, added to and modified.

More later! [8D]

OK.

Would it be possible to mod it at the same scale but WW2 Coy level 500m hex? Reason being is it could be the game to get my Stalingrad game sorted..with a proper 20km map..

I think it's a long shot but worth asking.

Possible. Yes. Optimal. Not so much. The combat engine is built and scaled to handle systems from 1950 to 1999. You might have to scale the data in places to get decent results. All things in good time I would say.

Interested in this game.
Terrain looks tile based, can they be worked on?
What about the roads and rivers?

Maybe I will do a Allies vs USSR Volgograd battle then;) Set in say in the mid fifties..kind off WW3 has gone off...throw in some far fetched backstory to get them both at the City..Maybe Patton got his way they have been fighting the Russians back for the last ten years!! Will history repeat itself this time??

I'd have a question concerning creating scenarios: Can you create scenarios and play them by yourself? Of crs you can - but are there enough randomization capabilities and other options to ensure fog of war - even for the designer of the scenario?

This could be a good add-on that sell more units... i coment about this, a bonus set of scens and campaigns covering other decade (50-60-70)... something like the 1980 scens/campaigns but with the 50-60-70 equipment... one of the Modern campaigns from tiller has this and is interesting play the scens with 1970 equipment... if create hardware is not dificult edit scen to use alternate OOB... you swamp 80s with other decade units... lets see if is not hard edit scens and save them with other name.

@ Jamm - Yes the map art in all png files and used in the Third party HexDraw program. We will be making the templates and art file available right after the game launches. As mentioned in another thread, you can in a pinch use a paint program to modify the map art file.

@ Hawkeye_de - If you are talking about some games where you can set up some parameters and hit go and the computer picks units and such, no. That kind of Quick Battle Generator would be nice and we may look at adding that to our post release wish list of things to add to the game. It would not be a simple task given the complexity and structure of some of the data. Now to be fair, the game is not 100% fixed on what it does all the time. The AI can and has performed differently from time to time. I've seen it move different groups and take different routes to objectives. Also the game will change based on what you do with your forces and how the enemy is encountered.

@ Hexagon - That is already our plan. We want to expand the Red Storm country base by adding about a half dozen other countries like Poland, East Germany, Canada, etc. In the long range plan we want to move to different decades of the cold war and to different theaters (Mid-East, Far East, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, etc). I'm also sure some very studious folks out there will add to the eras and countries too.

ORIGINAL: hawkeye_de

I'd have a question concerning creating scenarios: Can you create scenarios and play them by yourself? Of crs you can - but are there enough randomization capabilities and other options to ensure fog of war - even for the designer of the scenario?

As the scenario designer I can tell you that without a doubt you can make some really interesting fights. When I design a scenario I really never know for sure how the scenario will play that first time. Some of the most interesting results we've had were for some battles that had to be tweaked up or down to make them more competitive.

That didn't detract from playing them that first time though even if or especially because one side or the other was overwhelming.

Yes, you can go crazy with the editor and have some very interesting fights. From small battle groups to Brigade sized battle groups are possible. That is a lot of variation.

The game supports much larger battle groups now than it did the first time around. [&o]

Good Hunting.

MR

Hi
Capn Darwin and Mad Russian,

I just discovered this project, and I think it's great ....
it is really the kind of game I dreamed to make...

I have a few questions for the game Maps:
1. If I understand correctly, the maps are based on tilesets,
they are created in hexdraw ...
and then imported into the game engine?
2. The format of the map file will be open? I think to create an external map editor for
the game.
3. hexdraw is a commercial program,
I guess it will not be included with the game,
but only the necessary information and templates for everyone to create their own maps ?

I'm really excited about the game system, and impatient to explore all the it's possibilities ....

I am myself a graphic designer specializing in strategy games, and I have a lot of graphics of terrains from abandoned projects that would be perfect for this game ...

Best regards
Fred

Fred,

I look forward to seeing what kind of terrain a graphics designer can bring to the game.

Yes, the maps in the game were created on HexDraw. You are correct that we will not be including a copy of HexDraw in the game no matter how much they would like us to..[;)]

I would think any map could be configured to work in the FPC system. Not just those created using a particular program.

Good Hunting.

MR

Fred,

As MR stated above the maps in the game are from HexDraw using an art set we put together to work with an auto map values routine in the game. At the end of the day, the map is just a PNG file of a given size/scale to get the hexes to match up to what the game expects. Based on that folks can make maps anyway they want. The trade is having to hand edit in the map values in the editor.

I want more nukes
and nuke accessories.

Also chemical weapons of all sorts.

But mostly nukes, ballistic missiles. Nukes. Nukes nukes nukes.

Golden rules for a wargame developer...

WW2...or NATO vs WARSAW PACT with NUKES...

ORIGINAL: Baloogan

I want more nukes
and nuke accessories.

Also chemical weapons of all sorts.

But mostly nukes, ballistic missiles. Nukes. Nukes nukes nukes.

What I can tell you in a tactical level game is that what you DON'T want is nukes or chemical weapons. Those are operational or strategic level weapons and on a tactical battlefield they are a game breaker. Which is what they were designed to be.

They will be in the game but they will not be prevalent. Not for scenarios that are balanced to give each side a chance to win.

Good Hunting.

MR

HexDraw, its just 45 dollars, hell I can afford that. Going to get it and get ready to build some maps when FPC:RS comes out [:)]