Sandbox

World in Flames is the computer version of Australian Design Group classic board game. World In Flames is a highly detailed game covering the both Europe and Pacific Theaters of Operations during World War II. If you want grand strategy this game is for you.

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Sewerlobster
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Sandbox

Post by Sewerlobster »

I know that right now there are scads of real problems, but I sort of wish MWif had a "sandbox" mode, a way to tell the game the date and just plunk down units if only to show screenshots. A sort of build your own scenario tool

I understand that the player would have all sorts of underlying chores such as assigning hex control and nation statuses. But it would be fun to be able to work out strategies. Or if the game crashes in a fatal way, a way for one to recreate the board by hand.

But then it can take me hours to just set up the convoys... [8|]
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AlbertN
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RE: Sandbox

Post by AlbertN »

Call me party spoiler, but I'd buy a game that allows me to do that if that's what I wished.
I bought a WW2 game, and an "editor" of scenarios is the last thing I need currently from this game, especially with the amount of work other required aspects are to be done.

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Sewerlobster
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RE: Sandbox

Post by Sewerlobster »

I agree, there's plenty more important things to do. But what got me thinking about was someone reporting a bug that essentially ruined the game he was playing. His save crashes no matter what.

While wishful, it would be neat if he could at least drop units onto a fresh map and pick up play.
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Extraneous
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RE: Sandbox

Post by Extraneous »

CWiF (Computer WiF) from ADG (Australian Design Group) had an Editor program.

Steve decided you could start a game and save it if you wanted. Instead of updating and maintaining the Editor.

University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)
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Centuur
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RE: Sandbox

Post by Centuur »

ORIGINAL: Extraneous

CWiF (Computer WiF) from ADG (Australian Design Group) had an Editor program.

Steve decided you could start a game and save it if you wanted. Instead of updating and maintaining the Editor.


Which I believe is not a wise decision at all, since most computer games have something of a "design your own" option. But perhaps, in a far away future, we can convince him to see things a little more different...
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Admiral Delabroglio
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RE: Sandbox

Post by Admiral Delabroglio »

An editor would allow what-ifs, such as swap a couple Japanese units present at start for a Synth Oil, due to arrive on January 1, 1940. BP for BP exchange.
I wish there was one.

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jc4751
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RE: Sandbox

Post by jc4751 »

An editor does seem like a pretty good idea, if nothing more to edit a blank save game file and load it up into the regular game. Assuming there was nothing wonky about the data structure, that should be pretty straightforward to do. I'd be a little surprised if there wasn't already a bit of code floating around to do that very thing, albeit not for public consumption.
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RE: Sandbox

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: jc4751

An editor does seem like a pretty good idea, if nothing more to edit a blank save game file and load it up into the regular game. Assuming there was nothing wonky about the data structure, that should be pretty straightforward to do. I'd be a little surprised if there wasn't already a bit of code floating around to do that very thing, albeit not for public consumption.
No, there isn't.

Type in Ctrl-R in the middle of game and look at all the relationships between countries. Then turn on the flags, and check out which countries control which hexes.

If you wanted to create a game from a "blank slate", you would need to fill in all those details. You might still think it is "pretty straightforward to do" but it would take you days to enter all the data. Then there are things like whether war was declared this turn or not (for partisans), the various conditional rules related to decisions in the Balkans, and other elements of the game state that are time dependent.

A program to let someone other than the game's programmer to set up a new scenario would be extremely difficult to do and likely to create bugs in unexpected places.

For instance, a Debug function that simply let's a player place units on the map (which is available to the beta testers) has numerous ways of causing the game to crash. So many in fact, that I stopped trying to fix them all (after having fixed several dozen of them) way back in 2006.
Steve

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Extraneous
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RE: Sandbox

Post by Extraneous »

And yet there was an editor.

University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)
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