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Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:57 am
by RedLancer
In this final showcase I thought it would be good to show some of the extra detail that is available.

In many of the areas this is an area where the player community can add to what is already in the game or adjust to it their liking.

WitEpaedia

The big new addition to WitE2 is the addition of the game’s own encyclopaedia which unsurprisingly we’ve called WitEpedia. It contains entries on Ground Units, Ground Elements, Devices, Air Units, Aircraft, Leaders and Pilots.

Here’s a screenshot of the detail of 11th Panzer Division:

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The bold yellow text are hyperlinks to the internet for those who want more detail.
Although we have been steadily adding entries you as a community can help us to add so many more. We’ll explain at a later date exactly how this is possible but it’s not that difficult and I hope you agree it adds a lot to the game.
In the next screenshot you’ll notice the W suffix to 11th Panzer Div’s title – that is the link to the WitEpedia entry. There is of course also a button and hotkey to access all the entries.

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Ground Unit Insignia

In the screenshot you’ll also notice that we now show the insignia for the unit. This is also shown as a watermark behind the unit summary shown in the right hand unit bar:

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Air Unit Insignia

Air Units also have insignia:

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These can also be seen in the AOG overlay if you have selected an airbase.

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Whilst we have looked high and low for as many ground and air insignia as we can find there are still many units without them. If you find one then adding them is easy – just create a 100 x 100 pixel targa file with an embedded alpha mask (white should not be pure i.e. don’t use white with an RGB value of 255/255/255). Once you’ve done so then simply save the file with the same name as the air or ground unit (/ is replaced with _ and then drop the file into the art folder structure (Airsym or Sym by Nation) and the new symbol will appear in game. Alternatively post the base art on the forum and someone (possibly me) will create that art.

Formation Map Colour Coding

The SET COLOUR Function on the HQ Detail Screen allows you to choose the colour for the centre of the on-map counters to help you better organise your forces using a simple palette system. You just need to click on the colour you want without having to reference an RGB chart.

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Practically this allows both sides to alter the colours of their formations if they are finding them hard to distinguish. Equally you can retain the standard practice of the WiTx series of having all the components of a given Axis Army or Soviet Front using the same colour or vary this at the corps/army level. The latter is probably of more use to designers of small scenarios but can be very helpful on a congested sector where you are trying to avoid too many command penalties for mixing formations in combat.

GUI Changes

For those who are particularly brave you can also amend the Fonts and Colour used for the GUI. This is done through changing the new GuiFonts.json and GuiColos.json files.

In summary I hope that as the game releases you use the potential to help us make the game that much better…

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 8:17 am
by Kel
Seems great !
Are the counters NATO symbols moddable ?

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:08 am
by RedLancer
Yes - if you are graphics savvy. You just overwrite the original art with the counters you want - they are located in the Dat/Art/Unit folder and titled Counter*x*.tga. To be visible you need an embedded alpha mask. The full set has 6 files to allow for different zoom levels.

The game also has a choice between NATO and Stylised Icons - I forgot to add that to the showcase. Screenshot shows what they look like:

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RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 3:26 pm
by ranknfile
ORIGINAL: RedLancer

...
The game also has a choice between NATO and Stylised Icons - I forgot to add that to the showcase.

...

Hmmmm .... don't feel bad about that, the NATO Icons are (as Cajuns say here in south Louisiana) "much mo'betta!"

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 8:34 pm
by pbrowne
Can the WITEpedia ect windows be expanded in size by the user (e.g. drag out)? IMO the yellow/green text on green background is a bit difficult to read due to lack of contrast. Black on white is always better from an accessibility perspective. Perhaps include an option to have black on white? I think would also make it look a lot cleaner...the design/colours, sorry to say is quite 1980's in style.

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:47 pm
by ObeseMonkey
These little changes/ additions are actually some of the ones I'm most excited for. Can't wait!

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:03 am
by Kel
All this seems very great

[Deleted]

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:18 am
by Anonymous
[Deleted by Admins]

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:26 am
by RedLancer
The same set applies to both sides.

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:58 am
by loki100
worth mentioning that one of the testers has modified the display so it looks like unit locations on a situation map rather than a conventional counter set, so there is a lot you can do

viz:

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RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:14 am
by Templer_12
I already love the game’s own encyclopedia.

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 4:22 pm
by juv95hrn
"Formation Map Colour Coding

The SET COLOUR Function on the HQ Detail Screen allows you to choose the colour for the centre of the on-map counters to help you better organise your forces using a simple palette system. You just need to click on the colour you want without having to reference an RGB chart."

I take this as confirmation that you can not change colours of a selection of units in the commanders report, but only all subordinate HQs units like in WITE1.

I really wish you would allow for changing colours of multiple units that are NOT only under the same HQ, which for me is a much more common occurrence (lets say you want to colourize all your low xp and low morale units of a certain category).

Yes, I realize that you have the corner icon indicator. But that is not sufficient since it only shows one factor at once, isnt very visible and has quite large sections (fx every single USSR unit have the same colour in certain "categories" here. Not a huge help).

I just would love it if I could colour all my conscript, 2nd and 1st line, elite units in different colours, without having to do it individually. Sure, I change colours of entire HQs with fugly colours to. But doesnt help me sort my huge Soviet OOB on map.


RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2021 10:58 am
by anglonorman
How about the AI. I found WITE and WITPAE to have lackluster AI. Are there some major improvements in this area?

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2021 11:51 am
by Erik Rutins
ORIGINAL: anglonorman
How about the AI. I found WITE and WITPAE to have lackluster AI. Are there some major improvements in this area?

The AI is, in my experience, much better than the WITE AI and Gary has spent most of the five years of development since WITW focused almost entirely on making the AI as good as it can be.

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 10:22 am
by sillyflower
ORIGINAL: RedLancer

Yes - if you are graphics savvy. You just overwrite the original art with the counters you want - they are located in the Dat/Art/Unit folder and titled Counter*x*.tga. To be visible you need an embedded alpha mask. The full set has 6 files to allow for different zoom levels.

The game also has a choice between NATO and Stylised Icons - I forgot to add that to the showcase. Screenshot shows what they look like:

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Very impressive counter option, but a shame that all the Russians are pointing the wrong way: at least from my perspective as I much prefer playing soviets.

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:24 pm
by Firebri
I hope someone can mod the Russian counters. So they face the Germans.

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:15 pm
by teddybbeer
You have also Soviet/Finnish/Romanian etc units in this encyclopaedia?

.. oh and as im curretly playing wite1, during WWII there were no proSoviet partisans active in baltic countries...

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:46 pm
by Joel Billings
In WitE2 there are no Soviet partisans in the Baltic countries.

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:37 pm
by Hanny
ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

In WitE2 there are no Soviet partisans in the Baltic countries.

Try The Soviet Partisan movement 41 to 45, Edgar Howel, Ree online to read, pages 181 list 27k active in 44, it also how many and when, and what they achieved by year.

RE: Showcasing WitE2 #7 - Helping to make the Game better

Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:23 am
by RedLancer
ORIGINAL: Firebri

I hope someone can mod the Russian counters. So they face the Germans.

...unfortunately then the Axis face the wrong way. You could create a second set with a more Soviet flavour.