Progress

Prepare yourself for a wargaming tour-de-force! Conquest of the Aegean is the next generation of the award-winning and revolutionary Airborne Assault series and it takes brigade to corps-level warfare to a whole new level. Realism and accuracy are the watchwords as this pausable continuous time design allows you to command at any echelon, with smart AI subordinates and an incredibly challenging AI.

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Arjuna
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Progress

Post by Arjuna »

Hi all,

Just to let you all know that we have just put out a new build #116 for our beta testers to test. Most of the fixes in this latest build are to do with eraddicating pernicious bugs and making the game rock solid. We believe we've finally licked the dreaded networking out of sync bug. We need to give out testers a week to confirm this though.

I plan to now focus exclusively on the manuals. The Getting Started Manual that has the two tutorials is all but finished. I have to review the Reference manual and develop guides for the MapMaker and ScenMaker. Looks like it's going to be another "intense" week ahead.

With a bit of luck we may go to "final candidate" stage next weekend. Keep your fingers crossed.
Dave "Arjuna" O'Connor
www.panthergames.com
Banquet
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RE: Progress

Post by Banquet »

Much as I'm eager to get my hand on this game it's great to see a dev talking about testing a bug for a week (when so many would have given it a day, or even released regardless) The manual sounds good too. The manual for HttR was excellent and the strategy guide better still!

Hang in there.. and fingers crossed that final candidate is reached next weekend. [:)]
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sterckxe
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RE: Progress

Post by sterckxe »

ORIGINAL: Banquet

Much as I'm eager to get my hand on this game it's great to see a dev talking about testing a bug for a week (when so many would have given it a day, or even released regardless) The manual sounds good too. The manual for HttR was excellent and the strategy guide better still!

Hang in there.. and fingers crossed that final candidate is reached next weekend. [:)]

Fingers crossed ? - how's Dave supposed to type then ??? [:'(]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx
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Tzar007
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RE: Progress

Post by Tzar007 »

I'm going to buy COTA the very first day it is out [:D] I have dust off HTTR these days in anticipation of COTA and it is as fun as it has ever been. Now, I imagine COTA will be even more fun and challenging.

It's been a long wait but Panther has to be commended in making sure the game is as bug-free as possible. There is always bugs in any game but I'm sure COTA will be pretty rock solid right from the start.

I'm happy that it will be available through download so I won't have to wait the postmaster or ordering it through a store to get it [:)]
MarkShot
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RE: Progress

Post by MarkShot »

The challenge with any software system is:

(1) As it ages/evolves to keep it structured so that it can continue to evolve as opposed to imploding in on itself.

(2) As you fix bugs, trying to not introduce more bugs than you repaired.

Thus, maybe it is lucky that every few years PC hardware and OS technology changes giving everyone a chance to start off with a clean coding slate. Then, they can recode the same bugs again from scratch. :)
2021 - Resigned in writing as a 20+ year Matrix Beta and never looked back ...
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Arjuna
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RE: Progress

Post by Arjuna »

Merry Xmas all.

We put out a new debug build tonight. We believe we've stomped on all major bugs now bar one. I have just been advised though that Eddy's got a recording of this with the latest build so hopefully we can fix this shortly. The game is looking very good now. We were hoping to go "final candidate" today but we relaised we needed to verify the latest round of fixes and you need a debug build for that. I'll be finishing the manuals over the Xmas New Year period and hopefully put out a final candidate build in the New Year.

May everyone have a safe and joyous holiday and heres to a COTA-filled 2006.[:)]
Dave "Arjuna" O'Connor
www.panthergames.com
MarkShot
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RE: Progress

Post by MarkShot »

Manuals!

It's about time. I was just beginning to wonder how some of this stuff works, Dave.
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sterckxe
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RE: Progress

Post by sterckxe »

ORIGINAL: MarkShot

Manuals!

It's about time. I was just beginning to wonder how some of this stuff works, Dave.

Not to mention that half the bugs we report get classified as "works as designed"
We desperatly need a manual to do this :

- see Dave, it does *not* work as designed [;)]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx
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Brady
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RE: Progress

Post by Brady »


Good to here were so close now to being able to play this game, and Mery Christamss to everyone[:)]
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RE: Progress

Post by Banquet »

ORIGINAL: sterckxe


Not to mention that half the bugs we report get classified as "works as designed"
We desperatly need a manual to do this :

- see Dave, it does *not* work as designed [;)]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

Nooooooooooo.. they are working as designed.. they are!! At least until the game is released.. then we can have a patch if it turns out they're not! [;)]

Arjuna, keen as I am to get this game.. u really must have a rest over Christmas!

Wishing everyone a great Xmas and New Year :)
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RE: Progress

Post by sterckxe »

ORIGINAL: Banquet
Nooooooooooo.. they are working as designed.. they are!! At least until the game is released.. then we can have a patch if it turns out they're not! [;)]

There will be no patches, only "feature enhancers" [:'(]
ORIGINAL: Banquet
Arjuna, keen as I am to get this game.. u really must have a rest over Christmas!

Impossible - remember : "No rest for the wicked" [>:]
ORIGINAL: Banquet
Wishing everyone a great Xmas and New Year :)

Ditto from the Beta Bunnies

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx
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TheJoat
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RE: Progress

Post by TheJoat »

My comment has always been that it is "working as coded"....
Bruce
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Arjuna
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RE: Progress

Post by Arjuna »

Hi all. I know it's been a while since I last updated progress on COTA. The good news is that I finished the 200 page Reference Manual last night. It's now being reviewed by the beta testers. I've spent today fixing a few outstanding minor bugs. I needed a break from writing manuals. Tomorrow I will start on the ScenMaker manual and then the MapMaker manual. When they are done, reviewed and finalised we will release COTA. So not long now.

Hopefully by that time the dreaded out of sync bug will have been fixed. But if not we intend releasing the game anyway. Economically we just cannot afford to hold off releasing COTA. The coffers are dry and we need to pay the rent.

The out of sync bug has no effect on single player games. It only affects networked multiplayer games and even then not all the time. We will of course continue to track this bug down and release a patch but no promisses as to when that will occur. It's very much like finding a needle in a haystack I'm afraid and we need to get lucky.

One good point in all the time we have spent so far trying to eliminate this bug is that we have made the game very reliable and robust and that's a very good thing. [:)]

So keep your fingers crossed and thank you all for your patience.

Dave "Arjuna" O'Connor
www.panthergames.com
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*budd*
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RE: Progress

Post by *budd* »

thanks for the update and all your work. Still working my way through HTTR, so looks like i came to the party at the right time.
Looking forward to helping with that coffer thing.
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RE: Progress

Post by Brady »


WOOHOOO!
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AlexB
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RE: Progress

Post by AlexB »

That's excellent news, Arjuna! Thanks for the update...

In the mean time I haven't been sitting still and am recommending COTA to all whom I think is interested [:D]

(btw, when playing the multiplayer, will you notice when the out of sync bug has struck right away? Or do you only find out let's say half an hour later?)

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RE: Progress

Post by MarkShot »

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

...
The good news is that I finished the 200 page Reference Manual last night. It's now being reviewed by the beta testers.
...

Yes, 200 pages and that is only a substantial chunk of it (the docs which the player gets), but there's more!

I must say it harkens back to the glory days (mid 1990s) of PC game documentation when manuals covered every in and out of a game for the novice up through the grizzled veteran player. A time when manuals were as special as the games themselves and were read and reread, and they were never further than an arms reach away when playing. It really is a refreshing change from what passes for tutorials and documentation these days.

Of course, the game is fun too, if you like that sort of thing. :)
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RE: Progress

Post by JeF »

Good news.
I'm glad to see the "out-of-sync" bug will not gate the release. Must be disheartening for you Dave. Hopefuly, you can find it before release. As you said you just need a little luck...



A bit too early to celebrate, but I can't resist. [:D]

JeF.
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RE: Progress

Post by MarkShot »

Yep, Dave did everything but have the President mobilize the National Guard to find that bug. It certainly is one very elusive creature.

I wish I could answer the other poster's question on how it impacts MP, but I never play or test MP.
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RE: Progress

Post by Arjuna »

ORIGINAL: AlexB
(btw, when playing the multiplayer, will you notice when the out of sync bug has struck right away? Or do you only find out let's say half an hour later?)

In the debug version we know straight away as we have debug code to check. In the release build this checking code wont be there so you may end up playing for a while before you realise.
Dave "Arjuna" O'Connor
www.panthergames.com
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