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I've seen TOS:WS now and I must say it's clearly better than the freeware, but a bit disapointing too..

Pro's:
1.) Graphics became a lot better, great stuff.
2.) Music is really cool, thx.
3.) Campaign is good.

Con's:
1.) Still no 4 Player FFA? Why?
2.) You still can't really play vs the Bot on your own host since you'll see everything he does when it's his turn. You can't use multiple instances (at least in Fullscreen mode). Simple Solution: Just mute the sound and fade the screen to black while the bot moves. I figure this would be a 4 lines code change. I already had to set up a 2nd PC to host the bots for a friend of mine and me when we played co-op with the freeware. I had hoped WS would fix that.
3.) The same obvious bug that was in the freeware is still there? (If you fire with weapons in your arm, you can't punch. If you close the attack window and reopen it, you suddenly can punch in the same Second..) I'm not sure what's intended, but it's a bug regardless
4.) To play coop, I've to copy over my friends Squad files to my PC. Is that really necessary? Why can't WS just allow him to provide his own Squad?
5.) Would it have been too hard to allow co-op campaigns? A lot of my friend prefer coop games instead of deathmatches all the time.


Better graphics and a cool packaging is not everything to make a game professional, I'm sorry you didn't add some of these options. Well.. I can still hope for a patch And I'll enjoy running the freeware till then..

I'm not sure what you mean about "co-op campaigns". I've not got WS yet, but what I think as co-operative matches *can* be played in 1.4 (Teams 1&3 against teams 2&4) ... though, thinking about it, it would be a nice touch to be able to link scanners with your allies in the other team.

What I mean is playing the campaign (or even user created ones) against the CPU. Currently you can play co-op only on normal maps vs the CPU, without any mission objectives or scripted events.

Maybe you're just not playing WS?

1) Because that's how the game goes. Larkin said he *might* allow that in the future.
2) Larkin already addressed this in some other post.
3) Nope, it's not a bug, it's a feature. This is not BT, remember?
4) Because? To make the game faster?
5) Campaigns are single player. Period. There are multiplayer maps available for co-op or otherwise play. If you want to play co-op campaigns, you have to play half the squad, and your friend the other half. This has already been addressed too.

1) ok, so if a developer says you can't, you don't even want to? Maybe you're that kind of user. I am not

2) Oh, must've missed it, thx. I'll check it out..

3) Let me rephrase it. There are 2 options. I'm allowed to punch and fire in the same second or not.
Option A: I'm allowed to:
My Question: Why do I have to close and reopen the attack window instead of being able to do all attacks at once?

Option B: I should not be allowed to:
My Question: Why can I do it then by reopening the attack window?

You see.. There's a bug regardless of the intent..

4) It's not faster if I've to switch tasks, send him the Squad file, let him process it, reaquire it, put it into the folder and reload. This can't be faster than having TOS transfer the file..

5) I'd love to play half the squad and do co-op missions. Can you tell me how I can do so without him next to me? We use Voice Communication and Internet games for a reason If he could come over quickly, I wouldn't ask

I see you really love WS. I like it too, but I hope to make it better by reporting bugs and requesting features.. I'm the developer of a BT based game and as such I know how development goes
(http://www.megamek.com)

Originally posted by McWizard

Better graphics and a cool packaging is not everything to make a game professional, I'm sorry you didn't add some of these options. Well.. I can still hope for a patch And I'll enjoy running the freeware till then..

Regardless of your cons I do think the game is professional. There won't be a 4 FFA. There won't be cooperative campaigns. The shot than punch feature isn't a bug as it might happen that the second attack is delayed due to failing a reaction check.
There is more than 4 lines code to change the AI display on a network host. Don't wait too long for a patch addressing your cons, the game might be out of stock by then.

I do think the game if offering lots of play modes and I must live with it that some players wish for more.

Fortunately (unfortunately?) for me, the guys I play with are waaay too competitive to ever agree to playing a pure co-op vs. AI style of game with me (though I do enjoy those). They'd call me bad names if I even suggested it.

So I kill them. It's good therapy.

Originally posted by McWizard
2.) You still can't really play vs the Bot on your own host since you'll see everything he does when it's his turn. You can't use multiple instances (at least in Fullscreen mode).

I can, why can't you ? Nevertheless I will look into improving the sight routines for local AI on network hosts. Its definatly no 4 line code change. If you think twice you will know why.

McWizard, I know who you are, who do you think posted in MegaMek?
And I was only trying to answer your questions and clear the issues. Seems I wasn't too successful Maybe I just didn't understand what you meant.

1) Actually, that's what I've been doing for X years You wouldn't know how many requests of mine have been implemented.
3) Already answered.
4) I meant during an actual game. Or maybe I misunderstood your point. Anyways, you only have to send the file, and he has to put it in the right place. Nothing else, you just blew it out of proportion.
5) If it wasn't too hard, you wouldn't need to ask, don't you think? And like I said, you can create your own MP maps for that.

@Larkin:

The shot than punch feature isn't a bug as it might happen that the second attack is delayed due to failing a reaction check.

But it's not actually delayed game wise. You do the punch in the same second that you shot. Maybe I'm blind but I really can't see how this is NOT a bug.

@Larkin2:
If (CurrentPlayer.isControlledByAI())
{
this.MainWindow.setBlack();
this.Sound = false;
}

Ok, it's more than 4 lines in total but wouldn't that be possible?

@Thorgrim:

4) I meant during an actual game. Or maybe I misunderstood your point. Anyways, you only have to send the file, and he has to put it in the right place. Nothing else, you just blew it out of proportion

During the game, there is no difference. It's about what has to be done between games. It's no big problem, but it's inconvenient. I somehow feel like I'm not supposed to play WS like I want to

) If it wasn't too hard, you wouldn't need to ask, don't you think? And like I said, you can create your own MP maps for that

Of course I can create maps, but can I set objectives other than "kill all your enemies"? I was under the impression, I can't..


I really don't want to say that WS sucks, it doesn't. It's a good game based on a cool idea. But when I saw WS, I really felt like: "Ok, this is the freeware with music and graphics", I even found the same bug (Can someone please explain me why it's none, I seem to be slow).

Easy. You punch
You damage your enemy doing 5 pts damage to them and 2 points damage to your arm.
You see that you have no armor and in fact not even 2 pts left.
Your arm drops off.
You skill check and fail.
Falling.
Other weapons are useless as you fall flat on your face.
Hasn't this happened to you in the game?

This also happens when your armor goes yellow to red.

There are a few ways we could solve this dilemma. Larkin handled it in one of the better ways IMO. Could it be done differently. Sure. But it wouldn't make it better. Just change things and then everyone that likes it this way would complain.

Its not a bug. Its a problem that was solved intelligently and thoughtfully like everything in TOS.

@rosary:
I see where you're coming from, but I do the following:

I click attack. I see that I can attack him with my 3 MG's and 2 Punches for instance. I shoot the 3 MG's. Suddenly I can't punch anymore. So I close the attack window, reopen it and then do the punches.

If I'd do the punches first, I'd accept your explanation

The punch can be delayed game-wise, though. It all depends on your jock's reaction skill and a check. If it's a starting jock, there's a decent chance that choosing to attack again will result in a delay.

Let me guess. your heat is in the red. You can punch, kick and fire your twin tesla bolts or fire your guided missiles. Which weapon do you use first then?

You punch first so you don't send your heat into critical. your arm drops off and with it goes your tesla bolt as you fall on your face.

TOSWS covers a huge range of different possibe options or decisions.

Besides reopening an attack is easy just press 'a'. Problem solved.

Ah ok, now I got it I think

I'll now stop seeing it as a bug.. You can all start cheering

I'm sorry that you felt that TOSWS was just the freeware with improved graphics and audio. its true the graphics and audio are improved a great deal. That alone is enough reason to get the game but there's more.

Campaigns, missions, multiplayer maps, a map editor, new weapons, Much better AI, Faster Net play, an Import/Export for your Titans, improved weapons, systems and armor,an improved factory, Skills work better, the experience pt system is improved,
The battlefield is vastly improved and not only that but we added buildings that have features. And a very supportive team at Matrix Games and Vicious Byte as we have proved in trying to answer your questions. We take you seriously.

You see there is a lot more to TOSWS than just better graphics and music. Everythings improved. And there's more to come for those that buy the game.

allright.. I didn't get the chance to check out those "backend" things. But the communication really got a lot better. Responses to my post are very fast.

It's a very decent game after all. It has been good as freeware and now it got even better. I hope you'll sell at least so many copies as all the sensless copies of EGO shooters do. You got a unique idea and made a great game out of it. Thanks!

Originally posted by McWizard
[B@Larkin2:
If (CurrentPlayer.isControlledByAI())
{
this.MainWindow.setBlack();
this.Sound = false;
}

Ok, it's more than 4 lines in total but wouldn't that be possible?

[/B]

It would be possible but a big mess and very very unprofessional.
You won't see the AI even if it moves/fires in your LOS.

As I said I will look into it but as a solution you can still use a second instance of the game even if playing yours fullscreen. Not with the freeware but with WS .

Oh I can still use my 2nd PC as a host.. It was just a suggestions.. I've already found my ways to live with it

It's only a bug if it's there by accident. If it's there intentionally it's a "feature."