Any news on the Modern Wars Middle East Game..

[Hexagon]

Thanks for the reply.

I am doing now my "read list" and need balance between Middle east, early XX century naval warfare and something not military to break a little... I am close to finish the "6th days of war" by Michael B Oren book and have in reserve "Yom Kippur war" from Chaim Herzog.

Oooo something i remember now, the unit handbook... any plans to made the background of the screen opaque like in unit box??? sometimes read the values is hard.

Those damn manuals... a lot of job to have people asking in forum things that are on the f*****g manual [:D]

[scottintacoma]

Jason or Berto,

Is there a tentative date for release yet?

[berto]

No. Not too far off, but not quite soon either.

We're into the last lap (debugging, polishing, QA) of the race, though. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

[Hexagon]

Slow is good but fast-slow is much better and if you use "cheats" is a combo breaker [:D]



AAAAGGGG the horrible word!!!! soon™ ... how i hate this word.

PD: if i dont remember bad the old plan was may... is still alive or we need move the line to the next months???

[berto]

No, no chance of releasing in May.

[berto]

ORIGINAL: berto

We're into the last lap (debugging, polishing, QA) ...

Many loose ends to tie all together. Lots of dry, tedious work. For example (a recent post in the Dev Forum, of a still very much incomplete, work-in-progress QA effort):

ORIGINAL: berto

Another insider glimpse, this one of the CSlint work I've been doing in recent weeks:

---

...

/*
txt.l -- the cslint lexer

*/

#include "cslint.h"
#include "txt.tab.h"

#undef YY_INPUT
#define YY_INPUT(buf, result, max_size) { \
signed char c = fgetc(txtin); \
result = (c == EOF) ? YY_NULL : (buf[0] = c, 1); \
}

#undef ECHO
#define ECHO if (isshow_text) { \
fputs(yytext, txtout); \
fflush(txtout); \
}

#define DECHO(tokenstr) if (isdebug) fprintf(stdout, "\n%6d %s: #%s#\n", lineno, tokenstr, yytext); \
fflush(stdout);

#define PUTBACK(n) yyless(yyleng-n)

#define RETURNSTR(token) if ((! debugcomment) && (doinit || (! ignore[lineno-1]))) { \
txtlval.sval = strdup(yytext); \
return token; \
}

#define RETURN(token) if ((! debugcomment) && (doinit || (! ignore[lineno-1]))) { \
return token; \
}

#define OTYPE (filetype >= FILETYPE_COMPANYOOB) && (filetype <= FILETYPE_CAMPAIGNOOB)

...

<PLATOONOOB>[pP]{nD}.+[\015]*\n {
lineno++;
ECHO;
DECHO("PNAMES");
showlineno();
RETURNSTR(_PNAMES);
}

<PLATOONOOB>{D}+[-"./pP].+[\015]*\n {
lineno++;
ECHO;
DECHO("PNAMES");
showlineno();
RETURNSTR(_PNAMES);
}

<CRYPT>.+[\015]*\n {
lineno++;
if ((filetype == FILETYPE_SCENARIOSCN) && (lineno == SCNORG_LINENO+1)) {
BEGIN(INITIAL);
}
ECHO;
DECHO("CRYPT");
showlineno();
RETURNSTR(_CRYPT);
}

<ONAME>{W}*{D}+{W}+[a-zA-Z\*].+[\015]*\n {
if (typematch) {
i = 0;
while (isdigit(*(yytext+i)) || isspace(*(yytext+i))) {
i++;
}
yyless(i);
*(yytext+i) = '\0';
ECHO;
DECHO("INTPOS1");
txtlval.lval = atol(yytext);
RETURN(_INTPOS);
} else {
lineno++;
ECHO;
DECHO("ONAME1");
showlineno();
BEGIN(INITIAL);
RETURNSTR(_ONAME);
}
}

...

---

---

...

/*
txt.y -- the cslint parser

*/

#include "cslint.h"

%}

%union {
long lval;
int ival;
double fval;
char *sval;
}

%token _FAKECMD

%token _MYEOF

%token _UID_DEFAULT

%token _UID_AIDAT
%token _UID_TIMELINESDAT
%token _UID_ATTACKERDAT
%token _UID_SOUNDSDAT
%token _UID_ENCOUNTERSDAT

%token _UID_LEADEROOB
%token _UID_PLATOONOOB
%token _UID_COMPANYOOB
%token _UID_BATTALIONOOB
%token _UID_REGIMENTOOB
%token _UID_BRIGADEOOB
%token _UID_DIVISIONOOB
%token _UID_CORPSOOB
%token _UID_ARMYOOB
%token _UID_CAMPAIGNOOB

%token _UID_SCENARIOSCN

%token _EOL

...

start: data
eof
;

data: aidat
| timelines
| attacker
| sounds
| encounters

| leaders
| platoons
| companys
| battalions
| regiments
| brigades
| divisions
| corpss
| armys
| campaigns

| scenario

;

scenario: _UID_SCENARIOSCN
_DTAHDR
int _EOL
_TEXT _EOL
int int int turnsegs
int int int int vissegs
int int int int int int int int _EOL
onezero _EOL
int int int int int _EOL
int int int int _EOL
int int int int int _EOL
int int int int int _EOL
crypt
crypt
opfires opfires opfires opfires _EOL
opfires opfires opfires opfires _EOL
intpos intpos _EOL
intpos intpos intpos intpos _EOL
side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side side _EOL
_UNTDTA
units
_DTAFTR
int int _EOL
int _EOL
_TEXT _EOL
_DATE
descs
eols
;

...

crypt: _CRYPT
;

descs: desc
| descs desc
;

desc: _DESC
;

texts: text
| texts text
;

text: _TEXT _EOL
| _DEFAULT
;

units: unit
| units unit
;

unit: _ZERO intpos intpos _PID int int int int int int int int int int int int int int int int int _EOL
| int int int int int _EOL
| int int int int _EOL
| int int int int int int int int _EOL
reinforcements
;

reinforcements: reinforcement
| reinforcements reinforcement
;

reinforcement: _PID int int int int int int int int int int int int int int int int int _EOL
;

side: _MINUSONE
| _ZERO
| _ONE
;

opfires: intpos intpos intpos intpos
;

...

---

[:D]

Hmm, that reminds me. I am backlogged on my Coder Diaries. I really should write one up this week.

[Hexagon]

Thanks for the reply, then i can slow a little the read of Herzog book... or i can add a new book more+osprey books [:'(]

PD: maybe in the diaries you can use some images with heavy unit density and show some new features.

[berto]

ORIGINAL: Hexagon

Thanks for the reply, then i can slow a little the read of Herzog book... or i can add a new book more+osprey books [:'(]

I found Herzog to be tedious and dry.

Better, at least among the 6-8 books I have read on the subject:

[*]1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War, by Benny Morris.
[*]Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Michael B. Oren.
[*]Six Days in June: How Israel Won the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, by Eric Hammel.
[*]The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East, by Abraham Rabinovich.

For book recommendations, Jason's the best authority, though. He has an entire bookshelf of titles on the subject! (Or is it two bookshelves?!)

PD: maybe in the diaries you can use some images with heavy unit density and show some new features.

You mean something like this (a topic of current intense focus)?



[:)]

[Hexagon]

Yes, something like this, i think that you can create a file with all new features for a fast read, if you are in Campaign series you dont need find the new info in the manual (FWW serie devs do this to made people move easy from PzC to the WWI serie and works very well).

Yep, i start to with Oren book... my plan was read it + Herzog + a pair of introduction books (similar to Osprey style but from 70s) but now with bonus time i can add to read list Menachen begin "The revolt" and the add Osprey 2 books about air war and 3 more that cover land forces (i read now usually a military book + a non military book... i have as 2nd half the Mary Gentle "The book of Ash"... well, is military to but has fantasy and i have it in reserve for years and after find the 4th book...).

Again thanks and good luck in the fun job of hunt bugs [:D]

[berto]

ORIGINAL: Hexagon

Yes, something like this, i think that you can create a file with all new features for a fast read, if you are in Campaign series you dont need find the new info in the manual (FWW serie devs do this to made people move easy from PzC to the WWI serie and works very well).

Um, Jason, I think that Hexagon just requested for us to do a "What's New" quicky introduction to the new game(s).

Oh goody, another thing to add to the to-do list. Oh goody, another excuse for delaying the game! [;)]

[Jason Petho]

Section 6.0 is the section called Veteran's Guide which is devoted to explaining what is different than the original Campaign Series.

One should be able to print off that section of the document for an overview of new features. For in depth explanation they will have to read the relevant sections of the manual.

[Hexagon]

Thanks for the reply.

Nice, that kind of info is allways wellcome to learn ASAP what is new and not need read the full manual, searching the new features like a dwarf mining for gold [:'(]

PD: you dont need new excuses, you have the old and good soon™ or real life™ (AKA your wife begins to look at you like a dog to mailman´s leg), who needs search an excure??? [:D]

[Warhorse]

And trying to square away 15 years of neglected 3d graphics is no fun either!! Slow and sure....

[berto]

Testing helos!

[berto]

Cool new toys, so fun to play with!

[berto]

They can run, but they cannot hide. All of those Libyan trucks and HQs in the "rear area" will soon be goners!

[berto]

Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam! That stack of 3 HQs and 2 truck units, all blown away!

[berto]

Based on these tests, we are scaling back the effectiveness of airborne helo attacks!

Helos will have to fly low for maximum firepower effect.

[Hexagon]

Thanks for the pics.

Interesting the helo dilema... for me helicopters with no AT weapons need have 0 effect VS armored targets when are not at lower fly level VS soft targets... well, low level 100%, medium level 50-75% and max level 0-25%

If you dont have missiles at least can try a ram attack [:D]

[MausMan2]

Ah, helos. So many questions. If I remember, Divided Ground didn't allow flying over any enemy occupied hexed. If we get multiple levels of flight and ability to transport, that would be so cool. I'd wait for Christmas if it means getting an update that includes all that.