Arjuna how are things?

[wodin]

Dave, Just wondered how things are going with the future game developments. Are you working on them at present or doing Contract work?

Any tiny snippets with regards to the EF game?

[Arjuna]

Right now I am back on game development. The Defence contract I was expecting to start this month got axed with the latest Federal budget. So that's good news for the game side of business.

At the moment I am knee deep in conversion code. We're trying to get to the point where the Game and ScenMaker will convert scenarios, maps and estabs created since COTA patch #3. We've implemented the regime for preservinmg conversion code. Previously we did whatever was necessary in terms of conversion code as a temporary hack and then commented it out. Now we preserve all conversions along with the respective version numbers and run through these one by one on load. So if a scenario that a user has done with COTA patch 3 ( which would have been version 117 ) it will troll through several sections of conversion code to bring it up to the current version 173. As you can see from th difference in version numbers that amounts to a fair bit of conversion code. It gets messy because we branched development at version 109 with one branch leading to the thrid patch for COTA and the other doing the preliminary force group restructure work for BFTB. I'm right in the middle of the process of resolving these two branches.

The end result should be that any user should be able to load their previously developed data content generated since COTA patch 3 inclusive in the Game or the and it should be able to run. Ditto for scenarios in the ScenMaker. We will also be providing a special Convert menu in the ScenMaker which allows you to batch convert scenarios, maps and estabs. With a bit of luck previously saved game files may also work but I'm not making any commitments in regard to saved games.

One of the benefits I hope of the conversion code will be that we can convert all the COTA patch #3 data content. If this works then we will release a COTA Ex Pack for BFTB. This will be similar to the HTTR Ex Pack but hopefully with the entire set of COTA scenarios - that's 44 by my count.

Once I have finished with these I will endeavour to put out BFTB Patch #4 with various changes and fixes - more on that closer to the event.

Also in the works at the moment we have:

• Knock On All Doors (KOAD) Ex Pack - just four scenarios to go on this set which covers the alternate German staff proposal for the Bulge.
• East Front - we have started designing scenarios for this now.
• West Wall Ex Pack - this will cover battles along the west front between Market Garden and Bulge. We're still in the research phase for this one.
• Legends of the Blitzkrieg (LOTB) - this is a more tactical level simulation of the France 1940 battles focusing on Rommel's 7th Pz Div. We have estabs and some mapping done with a concept scenario designed and being tested.

[wodin]

Excellent stuff. Sounds great. I'd be up for a COTA exp pack! They where my favourite scenarios.

EF and LOTB is great that things are moving along.

Hope this contract being pulled hasn't damaged your finances to much.

[Lieste]

Arjuna, I think that 7th PzD is only one branch - there were other operations suggested that were in different Korps and Armee groupings. Including some of the operations with the French Cavalry and (heavy) Tank Groups.

I'm currently poking about with 7th PzD, because it was the first OOB that I stumbled over for May 1940 ~ and it was a coincidence that this matched the terrain for the first test scenario.
Rommel saw barely any tank-tank action, as his 25th Pz Brigade (25th Pz Regt and 66th Sep. Pz Bn) was out of position at Arras (arriving after the decision) and he met little armoured resistance at the Meuse or the Maginot extension.

[Bil H]

Yes, LOTB will include battles from Fall Gelb and they will not be exclusive to the 7th PD at all. That was the initial idea, bit there are too many interesting tactical battles that we wanted to experiment with so we expanded the playing field.

The test scenario, which was used to test some experimental concepts and unique approaches (I'd rather not discuss these yet [;)]) gave us a lot of valuable information, both good and bad.

We now have a way forward and I think you will find this game feels very different from the standard Command Ops game.

[Pergite!]

Great news!

Yet a chance to invade Crete, again, and again and again!

[RockinHarry]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

Right now I am back on game development. The Defence contract I was expecting to start this month got axed with the latest Federal budget. So that's good news for the game side of business.

At the moment I am knee deep in conversion code. We're trying to get to the point where the Game and ScenMaker will convert scenarios, maps and estabs created since COTA patch #3. We've implemented the regime for preservinmg conversion code. Previously we did whatever was necessary in terms of conversion code as a temporary hack and then commented it out. Now we preserve all conversions along with the respective version numbers and run through these one by one on load. So if a scenario that a user has done with COTA patch 3 ( which would have been version 117 ) it will troll through several sections of conversion code to bring it up to the current version 173. As you can see from th difference in version numbers that amounts to a fair bit of conversion code. It gets messy because we branched development at version 109 with one branch leading to the thrid patch for COTA and the other doing the preliminary force group restructure work for BFTB. I'm right in the middle of the process of resolving these two branches.

The end result should be that any user should be able to load their previously developed data content generated since COTA patch 3 inclusive in the Game or the and it should be able to run. Ditto for scenarios in the ScenMaker. We will also be providing a special Convert menu in the ScenMaker which allows you to batch convert scenarios, maps and estabs. With a bit of luck previously saved game files may also work but I'm not making any commitments in regard to saved games.

One of the benefits I hope of the conversion code will be that we can convert all the COTA patch #3 data content. If this works then we will release a COTA Ex Pack for BFTB. This will be similar to the HTTR Ex Pack but hopefully with the entire set of COTA scenarios - that's 44 by my count.

Once I have finished with these I will endeavour to put out BFTB Patch #4 with various changes and fixes - more on that closer to the event.

Also in the works at the moment we have:

• Knock On All Doors (KOAD) Ex Pack - just four scenarios to go on this set which covers the alternate German staff proposal for the Bulge.
• East Front - we have started designing scenarios for this now.
• West Wall Ex Pack - this will cover battles along the west front between Market Garden and Bulge. We're still in the research phase for this one.
• Legends of the Blitzkrieg (LOTB) - this is a more tactical level simulation of the France 1940 battles focusing on Rommel's 7th Pz Div. We have estabs and some mapping done with a concept scenario designed and being tested.

That´s good news.[:)] In case you´re in need of some more info for the West Wall Ex Pack, I could possibly help some, particularly for the battles around Aachen between september to november 1944. Did lots of research about it the past decade.

[Gizuria]

I'm still getting to grips with this game so I'm not in any immediate need of new content. But WOW! I'd be very interested in a COTA expansion for this game. And East Front? That's my dream game. I can't wait to get my hands on a game that covers that conflict at this level. Basically, I'll buy whatever you guys put out for this engine ;

[wodin]

Superb isn't it Fascist Dog? Like me East front is to drool over. If it came out the same time as CMEF I'd be in wargame heaven. Also COTA had for me some of the best scenarios, I loved the smaller unit scenarios but lasted a few days. It also never felt hard work like The Bulge can do at times especially as the Germans which is down to the battle and not the game.

Also the lower scale game really really really gets me excited. Imagine the battle of Stalingrad with this engine at platoon level!!! Gulp. Would be a huge test of the game and it's mechanics, also obviously the whole battle couldn't be played at the level at the same time. But the major attacks could easly be a scenario of their own. Seriously that would be my dream wargame. I don't believe a PC wargame has managed to do Stalingrad City fighting justice yet. However this, this if made could be the one.

[RockinHarry]

ORIGINAL: wodin

Superb isn't it Fascist Dog? Like me East front is to drool over. If it came out the same time as CMEF I'd be in wargame heaven. Also COTA had for me some of the best scenarios, I loved the smaller unit scenarios but lasted a few days. It also never felt hard work like The Bulge can do at times especially as the Germans which is down to the battle and not the game.

Also the lower scale game really really really gets me excited. Imagine the battle of Stalingrad with this engine at platoon level!!! Gulp. Would be a huge test of the game and it's mechanics, also obviously the whole battle couldn't be played at the level at the same time. But the major attacks could easly be a scenario of their own. Seriously that would be my dream wargame. I don't believe a PC wargame has managed to do Stalingrad City fighting justice yet. However this, this if made could be the one.

Wodin, unless CMEF and COEF comes to happen, we´ll surely quite busy playing Iron Front: Liberation 1944!

[wodin]

Very true Harry!! Oh come over and check out my forum. See sig. Your more than welcome.

[Nikolaj]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
Also in the works at the moment we have:

• Knock On All Doors (KOAD) Ex Pack - just four scenarios to go on this set which covers the alternate German staff proposal for the Bulge.
• East Front - we have started designing scenarios for this now.
• West Wall Ex Pack - this will cover battles along the west front between Market Garden and Bulge. We're still in the research phase for this one.
• Legends of the Blitzkrieg (LOTB) - this is a more tactical level simulation of the France 1940 battles focusing on Rommel's 7th Pz Div. We have estabs and some mapping done with a concept scenario designed and being tested.

I just had to login to say YES!!!! I will buy it all!

I'm so glad that this game has apparantly sold well enough for you guys to keep releasing expansions. I'm especially excited about the 1940 pack, but it all sounds great.

Keep up the good work. [:)]

[hjc]

I'm excited by the continuing development. Last night I bought CO-HTTR, mostly because I want to encourage you guys to continue producing expansions. I had a quick go at one of the scenarios (and got a bloody nose) and am glad I bought it.

Can't wait for the estabs for EF to come out!

A question for you Dave, for EF will you be modelling extreme mud - rasputitsa? The current "quagmire" terrain probably doesn't accurately reflect the dire kind of mud experienced in parts of the USSR.

Oh and thanks for producing a great game, particularly one with a more than respectable AI opponent.

cheers

[parmenio]

As far as I'm concerned Panther Games could produce anything and I'd end up buying it. I came late to the party - BTFB was my first purchase but on the strength of it I bought Conquest of the Aegean - even though I had zero interest in the campaign - and I ended up getting hooked and doing a pile of background reading I wasn't expecting. I almost pulled the trigger on the original HTTR but paused (as I knew the expansion was in the works) as I'd already got a bit frustrated with some missing functionality going from BFTB to COTA.

It's interesting that my Number 1 wargame of all time is/was TOAW - because of it I barely paid any attention to any other published games (which proably explains how I missed all of the previous Panther iterations) - and I spent *some* time waiting for the 3.4 patch but I have to confess since Jan 2011 when I purchased BFTB I haven't actually started a scenario....

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: BofH
A question for you Dave, for EF will you be modelling extreme mud - rasputitsa? The current "quagmire" terrain probably doesn't accurately reflect the dire kind of mud experienced in parts of the USSR.

IIRC the East Front dev team have or will be adjusting the effects of quagmire. If not, then I'll get them to take another look. Thanks for the heads up.

[Perturabo]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

[*] Legends of the Blitzkrieg (LOTB) - this is a more tactical level simulation of the France 1940 battles focusing on Rommel's 7th Pz Div. We have estabs and some mapping done with a concept scenario designed and being tested.

Finally something that I'd be interested in playing. Any chances for a Hannut and Gemblaux Gap scenario?

[Bil H]

ORIGINAL: Perturabo
Finally something that I'd be interested in playing. Any chances for a Hannut and Gemblaux Gap scenario?

Of course. We will probably be doing a couple scenarios (at least) based on the tank battles that occurred at Hannut and Gembloux. As well as Stonne, Watten, Dinant-Houx, etc.

Bil

[Perturabo]

ORIGINAL: Bil H

ORIGINAL: Perturabo
Finally something that I'd be interested in playing. Any chances for a Hannut and Gemblaux Gap scenario?

Of course. We will probably be doing a couple scenarios (at least) based on the tank battles that occurred at Hannut and Gembloux. As well as Stonne, Watten, Dinant-Houx, etc.

Bil

Sounds great.

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[Nikolaj]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
One of the benefits I hope of the conversion code will be that we can convert all the COTA patch #3 data content. If this works then we will release a COTA Ex Pack for BFTB. This will be similar to the HTTR Ex Pack but hopefully with the entire set of COTA scenarios - that's 44 by my count.

That sounds great, and I'd definitely pay for that. I'm wondering, though, if this would also allow you to convert and release the original HTTR scenarios that weren't in the expansion pack?