When?

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Froonp

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
6. Context sensitive help
Once Section 8 of the Players Manual is done, I’ll transfer each form’s description into a TXT file for display by MWIF as context sensitive help. There is a lot of that to do, but it’s a mindless task.

I already volunteered to do that.

Ok. Thanks.

[npilgaard]

Every time I read these updates I am amazed with the amount of work you are managing to do, Steve!

And as always, very nice that you write us these monthly updates, so we can follow the progress.

[Caquineur]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Alain (Caquineur) has begun work editing the Land Unit writeups. There are over 100,000 lines in those writeups so that is going to take him some time.

over 100,000 lines [&:]
I hope this one is a typo [;)]
10,954 lines done, end of file [8D]
and you're right, that took me some time ! [:D]

So now I'm going to [>:]

[ypsylon]

So only 14 points to go... If you ask me only 9-10 because 4-5 (video, sfx/music, manual, netplay) are of no importance to me [:D]

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[bo]

November huh oh well I shall stick my stupid head in the sand like everyone else is doing here.

Willy

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Caquineur

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Alain (Caquineur) has begun work editing the Land Unit writeups. There are over 100,000 lines in those writeups so that is going to take him some time.

over 100,000 lines [&:]
I hope this one is a typo [;)]
10,954 lines done, end of file [8D]
and you're right, that took me some time ! [:D]

So now I'm going to [>:]

Ah, working from memory once agani causes inaccuracies. Better numbers would be 11,000 lines, 1.1 MB.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: bo

November huh oh well I shall stick my stupid head in the sand like everyone else is doing here.

Willy

Matrix requires a few weeks to transform my executible (et al) into multiple copies with unique serial numbers. They also need to create stock for boxed orders, so they will have something to ship to customers. Other events around that time are the marketing effort. When it was offered, I jumped at the opportunity to have a couple more weeks (end of September => mid-October), which puts us around Oct 30th, Nov. 1st as a release date. But then I have been told repeatedly by forum members to not be so specific[:-] - hence 1st week of November[8|].

As items get accomplished, I have a better estimate on what it takes to finish the overall project. But this is software! I looked at a simple bug yesterday, thinking it would take 2 or 3 minutes to fix, and 75 minutes later I had made zero progress on correcting it. Programming is not like hammering nails into wood, or pouring concrete. It is more like repairing a car - though even that analogy is pretty weak.

[Anendrue]

On a more positive note... It will be a perfect Christmas gift if released in Nov. Just enough time to get good and familiar before your opponent gets it on Christmas day.

[Petracelli69]

Steve
 
Thanks for your update and really looking forward to it's release. One question could you estimate percentage wise how far you think the AI is from being done, as a non techie be good to have a rough idea.
 
Cheers
 
Phil

[MajorDude]

ORIGINAL: Caquineur


... and you're right, that took me some time ! [:D]

So now I'm going to [>:]

Et, quel meilleur endroit pour 'sommeiller' qu'Aix en Provence, n'est-ce pas... - lol


(And what better place to 'catch a light snooze' at than Aix en Provence, 'n'est-ce pas'... lol)

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Petracelli69

Steve

Thanks for your update and really looking forward to it's release. One question could you estimate percentage wise how far you think the AI is from being done, as a non techie be good to have a rough idea.

Cheers

Phil

Actually, no.[:)] Estimates are undoubtedly one of my poorest skills.[8|]

[michaelbaldur]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

ORIGINAL: Petracelli69

Steve

Thanks for your update and really looking forward to it's release. One question could you estimate percentage wise how far you think the AI is from being done, as a non techie be good to have a rough idea.

Cheers

Phil

Actually, no.[:)] Estimates are undoubtedly one of my poorest skills.[8|]

release dates [:D][:D]

[tasdevil]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets


Ignacio has offered to work on a translation of the Players Manual into Spanish. Though it is still early days on this, Matrix Games is going to have Mike (MWIF editor) make copies of the MWIF documentation available to Ignacio prior to product release. A possibility exists that the translation might be done in time for the initial release.

If Ignacio needs helps I can help with the translation into Spanish.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: tasdevil

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets


Ignacio has offered to work on a translation of the Players Manual into Spanish. Though it is still early days on this, Matrix Games is going to have Mike (MWIF editor) make copies of the MWIF documentation available to Ignacio prior to product release. A possibility exists that the translation might be done in time for the initial release.

If Ignacio needs helps I can help with the translation into Spanish.

Thank you for offerring to help.[:)] I am not part of that effort so you should email Ignacio directly: joseignaciorojo@gmail.com.

[nanorider426]

Hi Steve.

Thanks a lot for the update. It's always interesting to follow the progress of your work; I'd wish that every developer would do this.[:)]

I'm really, really looking forward to the Appendix containing the file structure and other internal stuff from the game. It sounds like a real treat for a former programmer and techie like me. It's just so cool that you have included it. Thanks! [8D]

Like Ignacio I would like to volunteer my services for translating the manual, but I don't know of how much use it will be since I don't speak Spanish. [;)] However, as a native Danish speaker I could do a Danish version if Matrix Games think that a Danish translation would be of use. I realize though that Danish is a small language and that many (if not most) Danish players understand English, so I don't know if it's needed at all. But if you need someone to do it then I'm ready to give a go.

Best regards
HP

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: nanorider426

Hi Steve.

Thanks a lot for the update. It's always interesting to follow the progress of your work; I'd wish that every developer would do this.[:)]

I'm really, really looking forward to the Appendix containing the file structure and other internal stuff from the game. It sounds like a real treat for a former programmer and techie like me. It's just so cool that you have included it. Thanks! [8D]

Like Ignacio I would like to volunteer my services for translating the manual, but I don't know of how much use it will be since I don't speak Spanish. [;)] However, as a native Danish speaker I could do a Danish version if Matrix Games think that a Danish translation would be of use. I realize though that Danish is a small language and that many (if not most) Danish players understand English, so I don't know if it's needed at all. But if you need someone to do it then I'm ready to give a go.

Best regards
HP

You should contact Erik Rutins (erikr@matrixgames.com) about this. All foreign languages are foreign to me.[;)]

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: nanorider426

Hi Steve.

Thanks a lot for the update. It's always interesting to follow the progress of your work; I'd wish that every developer would do this.[:)]

I'm really, really looking forward to the Appendix containing the file structure and other internal stuff from the game. It sounds like a real treat for a former programmer and techie like me. It's just so cool that you have included it. Thanks! [8D]

Like Ignacio I would like to volunteer my services for translating the manual, but I don't know of how much use it will be since I don't speak Spanish. [;)] However, as a native Danish speaker I could do a Danish version if Matrix Games think that a Danish translation would be of use. I realize though that Danish is a small language and that many (if not most) Danish players understand English, so I don't know if it's needed at all. But if you need someone to do it then I'm ready to give a go.

Best regards
HP

Here is the table of contents for the Appendices:
========
11.0 Appendices
11.1 Sequence of Play Reference
11.2 Standing Orders List
11.3 Data Files
11.3.1 Map Data Files
11.3.2 Country Data Files
11.3.3 Unit Data Files
11.4 Bitmap Files
11.5 Player Created Files
11.5.1 Screen Layouts (SLY)
11.5.2 Map Views (MVW)
11.5.3 Optional Rule Sets (CSV)
11.5.4 Scrap Lists (SCP)
11.5.5 Saved Setups (SET)
11.5.6 Saved Games (GAM)
11.5.7 Game Record Logs
11.6 MWIF.INI
11.7 Other Files Included with MWIF
11.8 Keyboard and Mouse Commands
11.9 WiF FE Land Combat Tables
==============

And here are a few other snippets. Each of the following have several subsections that contain the nitty-gritty stuff.
==============
11.3.1 Terrain Data Files
There are eight data files that contain all the information for generating the map. Located in the subdirectory Data\Map Data, they are:
• Standard Map ADJ.CSV - Adjacent sea areas.
• Standard Map ALT.CSV - Alternate controls records.
• Standard Map COA.CSV - Coastal data.
• Standard Map HST.CSV - Hexsides data.
• Standard Map NAM.CSV - Labels data.
• Standard Map RLS.CSV - River/lake special graphics hexes.
• Standard Map SEA.CSV - Sea area data.
• Standard Map TER.CSV - Hex terrain data.
-----
11.3.2 Country Data Files
Countries are broken into 4 mutually exclusive groups: governed areas, sub-countries, minor countries, and major powers. These roughly match territories, subareas of countries, minor countries, and the major powers in WIF terms. Sub-countries are used for odds and ends: SS units, Nationalist China, Communist China, Eastern Poland, Bessarabia, and so on.

The associated data files for these 4 groups, which can be found in the subdirectory Data\Map Data are:
• Standard Map CGA.CSV - Governed areas data (e.g., WiF FE territories).
• Standard Map CSu.CSV - Sub-countries data.
• Standard Map CMi.CSV - Minor countries data.
• Standard Map CMa.CSV - Major powers data.
-----
11.3.3 Unit Data Files
There are four data files in the subdirectory Data\Unit Data that contain all the information on the units. They are:
• Standard Units AIR.CSV - air units
• Standard Units LND.CSV - land units
• Standard Units NAV.CSV - naval units
• Standard Units SPC.CSV - special units
• Standard Units LDR.CSV - leader units (not used in MWIF product 1)

Also in this subdirectory are the unit write-ups: MWIF Air.txt, MWIF Land.txt, and MWIF Naval.txt. The unit ID numbers cross reference the unit data file entries with the unit write-ups and the unit bitmaps.

-----
11.4 Bitmap Files

MWIF stores most of the bitmaps it uses in the directory Bitmaps. There you will find all the BMP files for the splash screens that are shown while the program loads, and a few odd bitmaps used by the Main form. As you would expect the subdirectories contain the following:
• Alpine Bitmaps - the alpine hexsides;
• Backgrounds - the background textures for each major power;
• Coastal Bitmaps - 6 packed pages of coastal hex bitmaps, with accompanying TXT files that identify the row and column number for each of the coastal hexes therein;
• Flag Bitmaps - the bitmaps for the flags;
• Icon Bitmaps - the mishmash of bitmaps used for the icons within the hexes and various button glyphs;
• Skins - the Theme Engine MSKN files for each major power;
• Terrain Bitmaps - the terrain and fort bitmaps;
• Units Bitmaps - the medium resolution bitmaps for the air and naval units (separate sets for each country), the NATO symbols for the land units, the unit symbols shown when immobile hex icons are in production (e.g., factories, forts, and pilots); this is also where the 22 packed pages of bitmaps for individual units are located, with their accompanying TXT files that provide the unit number for bitmap image; lastly, this subdirectory has the bitmaps for saved build and oil points and the circles for range and extended range.

The AggregateRiverLake.RVR file is not a bitmap file per se, but a densely packed file structure that identifies where on the map the rivers and lakes are to be drawn. Each river and lake bitmap was encoded into the RVR format (unique to MWIF) and is decoded by MWIF when the program is loaded. Et voila! the river and lake bitmaps appear.

Other bitmaps are stored in the Tutorials subdirectory. Those are each for a specific tutorial page, as is obvious from the filenames. Also in that subdirectory is the bitmap that explains the status indicators.

[nanorider426]

Mail sent to Erik Rutins. [:)]

Edit: Steve: BTW, appr. how many pages will the manual contain when complete? Yeah, I know you said that estimates are not a strength of yours, but you must have some idea. [;)] Alternatively, how pages are complete now?

Thanks for the list above. I always like to rummage around in the files of games and see what I can find of fun stuff to tinker with.

Cheers
HP

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: nanorider426

Mail sent to Erik Rutins. [:)]

Edit: Steve: BTW, appr. how many pages will the manual contain when complete? Yeah, I know you said that estimates are not a strength of yours, but you must have some idea. [;)] Alternatively, how pages are complete now?

Thanks for the list above. I always like to rummage around in the files of games and see what I can find of fun stuff to tinker with.

Cheers
HP

I emailed you the Players Manual table of contents and section 9, optional rules, to give you a sense of how much work translating the Players Manual would entail.

Steve

[StrictlyRockers]

I am not disappointed by the delay.  I would be disappointed if the game were released in an unfinished state. 
 
Those who are very interested in playing this game might consider putting more effort into helping out in some way by perhaps volunteering, instead of just trolling on the forum about how much it sucks to have to wait.
 
I believe in Steve.  He's the man.