| Sean_Drummy | Hey Vic |
| Vic | he sean |
| Bismarck | Hi, guys! |
| Sean_Drummy | Hey Jim! |
| Sean_Drummy | (I'm assuming...) |
| Bismarck | How are you both? |
| Bismarck | Yeah, it's Jim Cobb here. |
| Vic | Hi Jim |
| Bismarck | Vic, congratulations on coming so far! |
| Vic | thanks man |
| Vic | you mean game wise right? |
| Vic | not like staying awake untill 1 a clock :) |
| Sean_Drummy | LOL |
| Bismarck | Right! I still have People's Tactics. |
| Vic | PT :) |
| Vic | i have not played that game for an eternity to be honest. but i guess that does not require explanation |
| Bismarck | LOL! |
| Vic | i mean basicly AT does everything PT did, except for officers |
| Vic | and well the engine is of a whole different level |
| Vic | if i look back at it it sort of feels more like a prototype for AT now |
| Vic | Did you prepare some sharp questions? |
| Bismarck | Sometimes I go back to remember what things were like. |
| Xaver | well, first of all hi |
| Vic | Do you remember Empire Deluxe, Jim? |
| Bismarck | Yes. Whatt does ATG have that AT doesn't? |
| Xaver | maybe |
| Bismarck | Sure, I remember the mainframe version. |
| Xaver | Vic, what do you prefer for a wargame based on ww2, European front, east front or Pacific front? |
| Vic | @jim: its a long list. you can look it up on the product page. core new features are resources and alliances |
| Bismarck | Right. |
| Xaver | alliances... how work this? you have on game a message system? |
| Vic | @xaver: i dont got a very strong preference, but i do not much like pacific war games i must say |
| Vic | @xaver: basicly you can request an alliance or a peace deal and the other player can either accept or ignore it. |
| Vic | also you can send in game messages. |
| Bismarck | So the MP side has been enhanced? |
| Xaver | i see, i like see the ingame messages. |
| Vic | @bism: i think especially for PBEM games the alliances are a great feature |
| Vic | with AT there were quite a number of players who did 3,5 or like 9 player games |
| Sean_Drummy | Yeah Alliances add a whole new level of strategy. |
| Xaver | i like the "pay" system, you can give resources, units and terrain!!! |
| Sean_Drummy | I, for instance, would love to stab people in the back. :-) |
| Xaver | i prefer facepalm on people face ;-) |
| Sean_Drummy | Lost a few friends playing diplomacy as a key. (not really) |
| Sean_Drummy | kid, not key |
| Bismarck | I can see that the basic AT engine is being enhanced and that's great. But have you thought about any new approaches to game design? |
| Vic | @bismarck: basicly ATG is still AT.. there has not been chosen for any revolutionary new direction. a lot of the changes are incremental or optional. |
| Vic | though i have noticed that the adding of extra features like raw materials and oil add a whole new layer of complexity. |
| IDDQD_3 | Yeah can you talk about the resources a bit more? |
| Vic | sure |
| Vic | basicly its very simple |
| Bismarck | I must say I like Decisive Campaigns. Are you planning on more installments in that series? |
| Vic | you have mines and oil wells on the map, if you conquer them they'll produce oil and raw materials for you |
| Vic | raw materials are required to build heavier equipment. |
| Vic | so for instance infantry cost 0 raw, a machinegun 1 raw, but a light tank like 20 raw |
| Xaver | ummm then resources dont need be storage? no? cant capture then after enemy stract then no? |
| Vic | the introduction of raw... thus means players will have a hard time making like tank only armies.. and i liked the fact i saw more realistic army compositions now. |
| Bismarck | Good idea! |
| Vic | @xaver: no basicly they cant be captured. but... as with everything in AT(G) you can make a mod or a scenario in which they will be. |
| Sean_Drummy | Yeah the modability of the game is astounding |
| jakefont | Vic, would ATG appeal to someone with a less groggy background - Civ, Steel Panthers, Age of Rifles? Is there a game (other than your own) that you'd compare it to in terms of complexity? |
| Vic | the engine allows for so much stuff, and i have so little time :) |
| Xaver | i see, is an interesting thing create storages or supply convoys |
| Vic | @bismarck: yes i am planning to return to development of the next dc title after ATG |
| Xaver | hehehe i want ask about new DC title but this is not the place to do it |
| Vic | @jakefont: thats a hard question. i think to be honest that DC is more accesible. ATG has a hard learning curve at the start. |
| Bismarck | Great! I suck at AT but win at DC. |
| Sean_Drummy | Well yes and no, if Vic wants to share some details I'm not going to complain :-) |
| Vic | @jake:... well.. hard for non wargamers |
| Bill_D | Hey Vic, what about ATG are you the most proud of? Like what's your biggest selling point in your opinion? |
| Bismarck | May I make a comparisin? |
| Vic | @bill: most proud of the incremental changes that improve the core selling points of AT... best selling point for ATG on its own: resources, alliances, improved graphics and interface, new random game creator |
| Vic | @bismark: be my guest, jim |
| Bill_D | Roughly how many scenarios do you think have been created for the original AT? |
| Xaver | i think that the human part of the game is the best thing, very few wargames are orientated to something more than a 1VS1 |
| Bismarck | I'd say that AT lies somewhere between Empire Deluxe and the Strategic Command series. A non-wargamer should be able to pick up the mechanics easily. |
| Vic | @xaver: yehh.. its been something i always keep in back of my head. i said earlier to bismarck that Empire Deluxe is on of the games i drew inspiration from |
| jakefont | The new features seems to take a lot from the 4x genre. Sounds great. |
| Vic | Also another feature of a small incremental change is for example the combat detail screen. some games hide their calculations because they are to complex. thats the case in AT too, but now if you want to you can check things out in detail. |
| Xaver | ummm like the DC datail screen? |
| Vic | @bismark: yeah... though the HQ nesting, unit creation, transferring, supply and production system are a bit hard on complete newbees i noticed |
| Vic | @jake: yeah i really want to move AT(G) a bit more in that direction. |
| Bismarck | Learning is a good thing. |
| Vic | :) |
| Vic | @xaver: yes exactly. |
| Sean_Drummy | Hey Obsolete |
| Obsolete | :P |
| Vic | @xaver: though in AT(G) its much more usefull since so many scenarios use different rules from the default ones. |
| jakefont | Unfortunately, haven't played Empire Deluxe or Strategic Command. Count me in on ATG though. |
| Sean_Drummy | Hey Vic another random question for you - were there other things you wanted to include but then just found them to be adding too much complexity to the game so you left them out? |
| Vic | hel l yeah |
| Vic | i left out quite a lot |
| Vic | from what i would like to do |
| Vic | if time available was infinite :) |
| Vic | to be honest sean i dont know if i should say this... |
| Bismarck | Variations on Empire are freeware and I think SC has a demo. I know SC WW One does. |
| Vic | but i have already been making tentative plans for a next AT installment in a year or two |
| Vic | notice the word: tentative |
| Xaver | SC have demos for all titles, the WW1 demo is great |
| Xaver | i dont buy the game for the DRM and the only 1VS1 option |
| Vic | things i'd like to eventually add is officers for instance |
| Sean_Drummy | Officers would be awesome |
| Sean_Drummy | If you ever played like Panzer General II for instance, your units could get officers or heroes and they could develop special abilities |
| Sean_Drummy | it was a bit gamey, but so much fun |
| Vic | @sean: other thing i postponed was "models", in which players got to design their own tanks and other trooptypes |
| Sean_Drummy | that would also be very neat i think |
| oberst_klink | wow, what happened? so many ppl? |
| Sean_Drummy | ahistorical sure but adds a massive new layer of strategy |
| Vic | the thing is the engine is already pretty complex as it is and sometimes throwing in everything you can think of... is not the best for gameplay. |
| Sean_Drummy | Aside from space games i don't think there are many strategy games like this with unit design |
| Bismarck | Yes, the clean mechanics were what impressed me about PT. |
| Sean_Drummy | PG is such an awesome game |
| Xaver | i remember now one called... superpower |
| Sean_Drummy | Panzer Corps is shaping up quite nice too. :} |
| Bismarck | World of Tanks will have it at very high levels. |
| Xaver | well, leopard is tier 4 and is a prototype heheh |
| Vic | @sean: gameplay wise the design your own trooptypes sort of clashed with the core feature of AT to mix and make your own unit compositions... it was a bit double up in the same gameplay department. |
| jakefont | Vic, could you give a specific example of a feature where gameplay trumped complexity/historical fidelity? Or vice-versa? |
| Xaver | aja, this is the thing, design your "divisions" type and produce then only with a click and the necessary elements of course |
| sPzAbt653 | Klink !! |
| Vic | @jake: sure... for example raw materials. they are stored in a "global" pool for the regime... ideally their transport and stockpiles would be moddeled in individual hexes... i chose not to do it because the game would be to much of a logistics manager then |
| Vic | @jake: you already have to manage supply and thats enough i thought. |
| Vic | @xaver: maybe one day, but i think i'll experiment a bit more with that in DC first. |
| Xaver | yep, maybe with more details on this part the game ends like a Paradox game like Victoria or the future PoN |
| oberst_klink | test |
| Vic | @xaver: basicly i am going to be using DC for building a system that handles TOEs and automatic reinforcements and stuff. |
| jakefont | Sound very reasonable. Per unit supply bogs me down in BOA2. Liking this more and more . . . |
| Vic | as a designer i must be very watchfull not to overdo it now.. the engine is already becomming a bit top heavy and there for time consuming to add stuff too |
| Xaver | yes, on DC i think that apart the visual problems (the highlight for example) the non reinforce is the only problem |
| Xaver | for early battles game is ok but on east front... here reserves were important |
| Vic | the scenarios in Warsaw to Paris are luckily played out in such a small time frame that i think it doesnt matter that much. but i am planning to move to a theater where the core scenario can stretch close to a year. here it is a must have. |
| Xaver | ummm sounds interesting, first thing i think is Barbarrosa second... Africa campaign |
| Vic | @xavier: i hope to tell a bit more on next DC title in a month or two |
| Xaver | thanks, sorry for this offtopic but i think that people are reading the second part of the ATG AAr hehehe |
| jakefont | One vote for Africa! |
| Bismarck | Very enjoyable, guys. I'll logpff now so Vic can get some sleep. |
| Xaver | yep |
| Vic | nice to have seen you bismarck |
| Xaver | good night |
| Vic | jim |
| Sean_Drummy | Yeah thanks for coming by! |
| jakefont | Thanks Vic! |
| Xaver | i return to bed, i have a bunnys platoon waiting for me ;-) |
| Sean_Drummy | I know some people just arrived, any questions for Vic? |
| Vic | :) good for u |
| Xaver | bye |
| Haudrauf1962 | I have a quetsions about aircraft carriers |
| Vic | sure shoot |
| Haudrauf1962 | in the old game it took forver to get them resupplied and repaired |
| Haudrauf1962 | so I gave up using them |
| Haudrauf1962 | any new behaviour in at gold |
| Haudrauf1962 | ? |
| Vic | mmm... i havent made any changes to that aspect of the game. but it should be a question of just putting their unit in a port hex under supply |
| Vic | and they cannot get dammaged |
| Haudrauf1962 | that is waht i did |
| Vic | actually nothing can get dammaged except locations in AT(G) |
| Haudrauf1962 | then it must have been supply |
| Haudrauf1962 | or the plabes on the carrier |
| Vic | well.... it could be multiple things... but most probably it was the fact you had not enough supply points in your hqs |
| Haudrauf1962 | mean planes |
| Haudrauf1962 | ok, maybe I did something wrong |
| Sean_Drummy | Anyone else? |
| Vic | posting a screenshot of your issue in the forums will help |
| Vic | have to see the situation so to say |
| Haudrauf1962 | it was more than a year ago in a random game, just remembered that the isue was bugging me then and I even asked in the forum, but got noreply |
| Haudrauf1962 | not a big deal anyway - at was already a great game |
| Haudrauf1962 | looking forward to the improvd version |
| Vic | any other questions or wishes? |
| Haudrauf1962 | thanks and good luck with the release |
| Vic | thanks |
| Sean_Drummy | Yeah Thanks much Vic! |