HTTR Patch

[Arjuna]

We're just going out to testing now with a final candidate build for the patch. We've been tweaking a fair bit of stuff including the arty firebase code, armour/inf reactions, anti armour fire, bombardment of AFVs and a whole lot more. We will be posting up a full list of changes soon. New features added include Battle HQ connectivity, multiplayer passwords and Intel hyper-threading support.

Allow another week for the final test and we will then sign off and after a short while it will be available for downloading. Stay tuned.

[HercMighty]

Details of what is in the patch would be most welcome. Thanks for your hard work.

[Arjuna]

Here's the list so far.

HTTR Patch Changes

AI - Arty Deployment - Modifiers added to give preference to deploying in clear terrain

AI - Arty Firebase Code - Ensured reassessments during Moves now drop off arty units that are within range

AI - Arty Firebase Code - Reduced number of objectives to cater for

AI - Arty Firebase Code - Tweaked to prevent arty units trying to move through enemy lines

AI - Attacks - Ensured all Moves now use Exclusion Routes, where possible, to avoid objective

AI - Attacks - Ensured waypoints to FUP are being used in exclusion routes

AI - Attacks - Overhauled complex attacks - uncoordinated offsets, objective achieved

AI - Attacks - Stopped long range arty units from moving forward on replanning after obj achieved

AI - Bridges - Fixed bug that prevented player from gaining VPs for rebuilt bridges

AI - Command Capacity - Reduced modifier effects of leader efficiency and staff quality

AI - Direct Fire - Reduced Percentage of Direct Firing Weapons for Support and Base units

AI - Direct Fire - Reviewed Armour Casualties

AI - Enemy Intel - Retained reports of stationary forces

AI - Facing - Ensured that facing is fixed when formation type set to in-situ

AI - Formations - Fixed bug in Line formation that only created two guard subGroups on Defence

AI - Indirect Fire - Reviewed Armour Casualties

AI - Morale Check - Fixed bug in modifier for nearby Infantry

AI - Orders Delay - Fixed bug in and made adjustments to staff capacities

AI - Orders Delay - Reduce Staff Efficiency Modifiers

AI - Orders Delay - Review time delay for grossly overloaded forces

AI - Reactions - Arty are now more likely to withdraw if under heavy fire

AI - Reactions - Review Armour Reactions to Enemy threats

AI - Weather - Amended first and last light times as per discussion on forum

Estabs - Reduced Staff Capacities of HQs

Estabs - Added "deploy to fire flag" to unit and wpn estabs

Other estab changes:

- renamed German vehicles to include PzKw / SdKfz designation where appropriate
- renamed many vehicles to make armament details clearer to players ( e.g. SdKfz 251/9 - 75mm gun )
- removed rear-echelon troops and vehicles from German and British SP artillery units, added appropriate light AFVs
- removed soft-skin vehicles and unprotected troops from Arm Regt/Bn HQs and replaced them with appropriate light AFVs ( SdKfz 251/1 or White SC )
- removed rear-echelon vehicles and troops from British Arm Sqns
- corrected British Recce and AC Sqn estabs for both troop numbers and equipment and vehicle types and numbers
- added vehicles: Daimler Dingo SC, Humber Mk II LRC, T17 Staghound AC, M3HT - 30 cal MG, FlakPz IV Möbelwagen, SdKfz 165 Cargo, SdKfz 124 Cargo
- corrected German PzDiv SP Lt IG units to use SdKfz 251/9
- corrected German PzBn SP Lt Flak units to use FlakPz IV Wirbelwind
- corrected German PzRegt SP Mdm Flak units to use FlakPz IV Möbelwagen
- added AFV variants of weapons which normally would need a unit to deploy ( e.g. most HMGs and some Flak weapons ) but which can be fired on the move when mounted in vehicles, changed the vehicle armaments to use these variants
- adjusted rates of fire for some flak units and MGs, especially multiple mount weapons
- corrected 2pdr gun so it can now fire
- corrected spelling of some officer ranks
- changed UK small-arms ammo name from "7.7mm" to ".303"

Map Caches - Nijmegen - revised to accommodate changes to terrain around fort van Holland

Maps - Nijmegen - adjusted terrain around Fort van Holland, which was preventing the fort from having an effect

MM - added command line parameter to generate map caches

New Feature - Battle HQ connectivity

New Feature - Hyper threading Intel PCs now supported

New Feature - MP Password Protection

Scenarios - All - Fixed 2nd Lt Rank problem

Scenarios - All - Fixed Irish Guards Commanders - Gp HQ: JOE Vandeleur; 2 IG: Giles Vandeleur; 3 IG: blank

Scenarios - All - Reset side task frontage and depths

Scenarios - All - US Abn/Glider Coy should be commanded by Captain not Major

Scenarios - Eindhoven HC - briefing refers to "Gavin", should be "Taylor".

Scenarios - Eindhoven HC, DD and BBB - Added MajGen Taylor Cmdr name to 101st Div HQ

Scenarios - Op Garden Final Phase - adjusted at start German placements

Scenarios - Raid on Renkum - adjusted objective placement & radii

SM - Added editable field for Staff Quality in Force Data

SM - Made minimum radius 200m for all objectives regardless of terrain

SM - Made Staff Capacity a "read only" field in Force Data

UI - Cmdr tab view - Added Staff Quality and extra Orders Delay fields

UI - Cmdr tab view - removed "Title" field

UI - Reattach Shortcut ( H Key ) - fixed crash

UI - Mouse wheel Zoom (due to time constraints only for Windows NT4, 2000, XP).

[Arjuna]

On the AI side, apart from fixing a number of bugs I have paid particular attention to attacks, artillery, armour and orders delay. I'm certainly a lot happier now with the AIs handling of complex attacks and the deployment of long range arty units. We fixed a bug in the indirect fire code that was making AFVs 9 times more likely to be hit ( oops! ). That was my mistake. I was passing in the area instead of the radius. Must have been one of those very late nights.

We've added in an extra orders delay field that shows the estimated duration for the entire force to process orders and get going. I was hoping to add in another orders delay field which showed an estimate of when the current orders ( if any ) would be processed, but this required the storage of more data. So this will have to wait for the next game.

[Arjuna]

BTW I would like to thank those who posted the information about the historical times for dawn and dusk. After cross checking, this information proved accurate and so we have amended the weather daylight hours. In effect there is two less hours of daylight/twilight.

It's great to have so much support. [:)]

[HercMighty]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

On the AI side, apart from fixing a number of bugs I have paid particular attention to attacks, artillery, armour and orders delay. I'm certainly a lot happier now with the AIs handling of complex attacks and the deployment of long range arty units. We fixed a bug in the indirect fire code that was making AFVs 9 times more likely to be hit ( oops! ). That was my mistake. I was passing in the area instead of the radius. Must have been one of those very late nights.

We've added in an extra orders delay field that shows the estimated duration for the entire force to process orders and get going. I was hoping to add in another orders delay field which showed an estimate of when the current orders ( if any ) would be processed, but this required the storage of more data. So this will have to wait for the next game.

When the next game comes out, will the scenerios from this one transfer over?

[Panther Paul]

One extra new feature Dave (Arjuna) left off the list!

UI - Mouse wheel Zoom (due to time constraints only for Windows NT4, 2000, XP).

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: HercMighty

When the next game comes out, will the scenerios from this one transfer over?

Not as such. We have looked into this in detail from the development, marketing and user perspectives - all of which seem to pull in different directions. From the development point of view we need a system which is easy to manage. This boils down to maintaining only one code base. From a marketing point of view we need an arrangement which doesn't kill off sales of older games once a new game has been released. From the user perspective we want to provide the ability to play the older games with the new features as they are developed ( agree? ).

So what we intend doing is maintaining one code base from which we can generate each game title. This is going to involve quite a bit of work upfront (now) to make all the resources that are currently compiled into the exe "portable". By that I mean we need to put them in separate files. This way we can keep different versions for each title and it has the added advantage that so much more of the look and feel of the game will be moddable.

Then when we release a new full game title we will also release an upgrade for the earlier titles. The upgrade will be provided at a nominal fee ( probably $10 ) and be downloadable. We will endeavour to include at least one new scenario which showcases the new features. So you won't be able to play HTTR scenarios in BFTB, nor vice versa. But you will be able to play the HTTR scenarios with the new BFTB features.

[HercMighty]

That sounds like a very good solution. I look forward to future versions and being able to add the new features to my older titles.

[PaulWRoberts]

Thanks for the information! It should be a terrific update.

[Black Cat]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

ORIGINAL: HercMighty

When the next game comes out, will the scenerios from this one transfer over?

Not as such. We have looked into this in detail from the development, marketing and user perspectives - all of which seem to pull in different directions. From the development point of view we need a system which is easy to manage. This boils down to maintaining only one code base. From a marketing point of view we need an arrangement which doesn't kill off sales of older games once a new game has been released. From the user perspective we want to provide the ability to play the older games with the new features as they are developed ( agree? ).

So what we intend doing is maintaining one code base from which we can generate each game title. This is going to involve quite a bit of work upfront (now) to make all the resources that are currently compiled into the exe "portable". By that I mean we need to put them in separate files. This way we can keep different versions for each title and it has the added advantage that so much more of the look and feel of the game will be moddable.

Then when we release a new full game title we will also release an upgrade for the earlier titles. The upgrade will be provided at a nominal fee ( probably $10 ) and be downloadable. We will endeavour to include at least one new scenario which showcases the new features. So you won't be able to play HTTR scenarios in BFTB, nor vice versa. But you will be able to play the HTTR scenarios with the new BFTB features.

Dave

That seem similar in concept, if not design, to what John Tiller/HPS has done with the Panzer Campaign Games in allowing major improvements and mods to be implemented in older titles. A very pro customer policy, and one that keeps the older titles in demand which = sales.

Will, or can, the eventual Campaign Game feature you alluaded to for the East Front Games be retrofited into the upcoming Normandy - Bulge ?

I hope so [:)]

[Richmond516]

Perhaps it's too late for this but would it be possible to have everything representable at battalion level as well? Some units are only representable as companies/batteries and as such I've ended up using 200+% sized companies as 'mini-battalions' and of course the unit size symbol is wrong.

Thanks,
Tom

[Richmond516]

Final thing though probably not for this patch... would it be possible to allow you to write your own victory/defeat debriefing text? I mean as scenario makers venture into other areas like for instance Caen 1944 or something it might not necessarily be Model and Montgomery sending you that letter at the end. For me it's even weirder - the letter should be sent by Douglas Haig in 1916.

Best regards,
Tom

[HercMighty]

Any chance for a before this weekend release? I've got my whole weekend clear as the wife and kids will be out of town [:D]

[Arjuna]

Herc,

I have some good news and some bad news. First the bad news. One of our beta testers ignored my implied threat not to delay the patch release and found a bug in a new peice of code. I mean some people...[;)] The good news is that I've fixed it today and we will be putting out another build tonight.

However, more bad news I'm afraid. It won't be ready for release before this weekend. [:(] Maybe by the end of next week.

[Golf33]

Tom,

For big battalions you might want to check out some of the old/defunct estabs ( like the British Line "not used - Inf Bn Gp" ) - these come from RDOA where some units were represented as whole battalion counters. I don't guarantee they'll work, and I definitely don't guarantee they'll work well; there was a reason we moved away from them for HTTR [:)]. However you might find some of what you want in there.

The letter is currently coded into the game and cannot be changed at this time. Mind you for Caen 1944, it would still be Monty's name on the letter since he was in overall command until the breakout.

BTW please clear ~500kB of space in your email so I can send you my comments on the Serre test.

Regards
33

[Guz]

Perhaps I've missed it but are You including any new scenarios with the patch???

[RayWolfe]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
One of our beta testers ignored my implied threat not to delay the patch release and found a bug in a new peice of code. I mean some people...[;)]

Don’t ya just hate them mean ol’ testers? [:@]
I think they should just learn to be cowed by implied threats from their tyrannical boss and be dismissed if they fail … please.[&o]
Ray (Beta Tester)

[Arjuna]

Guz,

Sorry no new scenarios. Isn't it time you designed one. [;)]

Ray,

We love you mate. [:)]

[Richmond516]

In my Serre 1916 scenario I've made most ww2 weapons except the rifles and mortars 0 amount. The patch won't somehow change that right? Even if the estabs strength changes the number I've set there won't right?

thanks,
Tom