Details on KP Patch V1.1

Gregor_SSG · Post by **Gregor_SSG** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 3:52 pm

The patch to Korsun Pocket will be available in early November. The current change list is as follows:

• Game Fixes (Version 1.1)
Fixed a bug where when the AI sorted units for an attack it could produce an illegal unit, which could crash the system.
Fixed a bug where when the AI tried to get isolated units to a supplied hex it could overstack the hex and this could cause an infinite loop at a later time.
Fixed a bug where at the end of an AI phase the screen could fail to display relevant information.
Fixed a bug where when the AI sorted attacking units it could take an illegal one and crash the system.
Fixed a bug where the AI tried to move a Truck to an illegal hex, crashing the game.
Fixed a bug where using the space bar to select, or de-select, all units could crash the system if the stack was not completely full.
Fixed a problem where some information could not be displayed during turn replay.
Certain airdrop displays and features now work as planned. These did not play any role in TAO or KP.
Stopped the Combat Advisor being tricked into revealing the results of combats against unknown units.
Fixed a problem caused by hitting the Undo button at the end of an AI turn.
Made various minor game balance changes.

• Game Features (Version 1.1)
Added a zoom feature to the tactical map. Holding down the ALT key will change the cursor into a magnifying glass, which will zoom the map. The mouse wheel will increase or decrease the zoom level.
Added the short campaign created by SSG’s Steve Ford to the game.
When two dice are thrown in a combat only the first die can cause a retreat. The second die can only increase the step losses.
In combat, the results for the defender are now color-coded. Normal combats are Yellow, combats against isolated stacks are Red, and Overruns are Green.
During an overrun additional retreat results are possible, particularly for stacks in wooded or rough terrain.
Isolated Artillery units that are in the red cannot now be used in defense.
Changed the combat system to allow a single unit to lose more than two steps in a single combat.
Changed the color of text in the combat advisor to be consistent with the new combat results colors. Overruns are now Green, good results are now Yellow.
Changed the way movement is displayed. Units may now be given a move order to any hex within their current movement range or to any hex, out of range, that is not in enemy territory. This means it is now impossible to pinpoint hidden enemy units by moving the move cursor over enemy territory.
Music will now play. The music files are compressed to the Ogg Vorbis standard and the system will play any files of that type found in the Music folder.
The ‘-‘ character in Email game file names upset some email programs. This character will now be forced to ‘_’ in email file names.
Added a system to allow the ‘@’ character to be typed regardless of keyboard settings.
Changed the Korsun Pocket maps to make road and rail lines easier to see.
If the Divisional Locators option is On, selecting a unit in a division will show a green outline around the hexes within which the unit could move this turn and still stay within its Divisional Integrity radius.

• PBEM Secure Mode
The Secure Mode option has been added to email games. If a game is started in Secure Mode then both players must complete the game on the computer they started the game on. Players will be unable to open an opponent’s turn.
If, for any reason, a game turn is not completed, then when the Secure Mode game is restarted, the game turn will restart at the point where the previous game was prematurely ended.
When a game turn is sent to an opponent, there will be an option to request that the Secure Mode status be cancelled. If the opponent agrees then the game can be continued as an Unsecure game. This will allow for situations (such as travel, repair or the inevitable operating system reinstalls) where a player’s original computer is unavailable.
The Secure Mode system contains various mechanisms to preserve the integrity of the game data. If the system detects a loss of data integrity then the Secure Mode will be cancelled and the opponent notified. The game could still be completed as an Unsecure game.
There will be an option when sending a game to resign. This will end the game immediately and issue an overwhelming victory to their opponent.

PLease Note: Due to the changes required to implement Secure Mode email games, V1.0 PBEM games will not be compatible with V1.1 PBEM games. Part of the reason for the early notice of the patch is to allow people to finish current games. Single player games should be compatible between 1.0 and 1.1, but we can't guarantee this until the patch is final.

• Editor Fixes (Version 1.2)
Editing rivers are now drawn correctly on the screen.
When a unit or strong point’s steps are changed in a scenario they are now correctly recorded.
When any ‘.SAV’ file is deleted from a scenario it does not now take the main battle data but rather empties the relevant database.
Number of division symbols extended to 120.
It should be noted that there are a series of excellent tutorials on ‘http://www.wargamer.com/wachtamrhein/’ that any enterprising scenario designer should read before creating a scenario or a battle.

Gregor

Capitaine · Post by **Capitaine** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 7:02 pm

Very very pleased, Gregor, to see the details of the forthcoming patch. Virtually all of the items will make the game soooo much better to some (particularly the amazing variable zoom feature -- too cool).

My only disappointment is with the November ETA, which means at least another month of awaiting the changes.

Nevertheless, better late than never, and the system is timeless. Thank you for listening to user "pleas" and giving us some of the things that will assure that "Decisive Battles" (and KP in particular) will be the paramount operational system on the PC.

coltom · Post by **coltom** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 7:16 pm

Pleased to hear that patch will contain "zoom feature". As a member in good standing of the bad (old) eyes division I am sure this will make game much more enjoyable.

hank · Post by **hank** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 9:07 pm

Excellent !!! Its great to know I've bought-in to a game that has developers who listen to their customers. I applaud you. This is what makes a game good.

... can't wait till Thanksgiving.

best regards

hank

asdf12 · Post by **asdf12** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 9:39 pm

Looks great the zoom feature is appreciated. Will there be future releases of scenarios/campaigns? And on another note if this game is so hot as some mags put it, where are all the postings?

Marc von Martial · Post by **Marc von Martial** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 9:49 pm

And on another note if this game is so hot as some mags put it, where are all the postings?

One could say everybody is pretty busy playing it actually.

Joel Rauber · Post by **Joel Rauber** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 2:26 am

I suppose the obvious question is can a game being played with V1.0 be continued with the new version? Obviously it would be nice if it will be possible. Understandable if not.

Fred98 · Post by **Fred98** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 3:41 am

Storm95 wrote:And on another note if this game is so hot as some mags put it, where are all the postings?

The game is excellent.

It is also simple. I expect that most players have migrated from the predecessor – TAO2.

It means there is little or no discussion about the mechanics.

As we get into the game there will be talk about the strategy and tactics. I have already made blunders in both

Once the patch is out I hope to improve my play - and as always - look forward to the next game in the series

Gregor_SSG · Post by **Gregor_SSG** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 3:50 am

Joel Rauber wrote:I suppose the obvious question is can a game being played with V1.0 be continued with the new version? Obviously it would be nice if it will be possible. Understandable if not.

Good question, which I should have answered. I just added this to the original post.

PLease Note: Due to the changes required to implement Secure Mode email games, V1.0 PBEM games will not be compatible with V1.1 PBEM games. Part of the reason for the early notice of the patch is to allow people to finish current games. Single player games should be compatible between 1.0 and 1.1, but we can't guarantee this until the patch is final.

Gregor

bobnickbob · Post by **bobnickbob** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:48 am

I use a track ball so no mouse wheel , any key comands for the zoom ?

BnickB

Fred98 · Post by **Fred98** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 8:48 am

I have sympathy for MAC users because they don’t have a scroll wheel on their mouse.

I had forgotten that some lap top users don’t use a mouse.

e_barkmann · Post by **e_barkmann** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 9:34 am

Joe 98 wrote:I have sympathy for MAC users because they don?t have a scroll wheel on their mouse.

I had forgotten that some lap top users don?t use a mouse.

well, FWIW, I think many will be happy with the default zoom level...

Cheers Chris

Rob Gjessing · Post by **Rob Gjessing** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 10:59 am

The Zoom function will be linked to the ALT key I think, so you hold down ALT and then you can use your mouse or track ball to zoom around the viewing area..

hank · Post by **hank** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:38 pm

One Item I did not see on the list is a hotkey for "entrenching".

Will that be in the patch ?

peter hellman · Post by **peter hellman** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:40 pm

Great there'll be a patch. (not that I've encountered any weird stuff still, haven't had much time to play still)

One thing I'm wondering however. There are two versions of the game, the American version and the Europe version which I suppose is exactly the same game, I'm not questioning that. Now when the European version is supported by JustPlay, I hope the patch will be released the same time and will be compatible with the American patch.

I suppose all this is crystalclear that everything will be compatible, but I haven't read any about that yet. Was this post a question? Maybe. But it contains one important thing, not to let the KP-players on different continents be divided by different versions.

Rob Gjessing · Post by **Rob Gjessing** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 2:35 am

I assume the patch will be a universal patch that will be released into all markets at the same time. It would have to be otherwise people from Europe and the USA wouldnt be able to take part in PBEM games.

Global dig in wont be part of the patch I dont think.. (Gregor?) It is in for the next game in the series (I think)..

Edited to mention : There is a screen shot of the Zoom function on the news page over at Run5 Click on the image there for a larger one.

Capitaine · Post by **Capitaine** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 3:36 am

Hmm... that zoom function depicted at Run5 is not what I thought.

It appears the graphic detail is "set" at the current resolution, and there is noticeable degradation in the zoomed portion. This is not the same as a different resolution for the "zoom", which is probably how it would've had to be done otherwise.

Also, the "zoom" is only in a little circular area, not the entire tactical map. I don't know what prevents a "clearer" zoom feature (map/counters in different resolution?) but this likely will not make KP on par w/ the size and clarity of TAO.

If I'm wrong, forgive me. But this suddenly doesn't look all that helpful in view of what folks were wanting. I'm sorry that SSG have wasted their effort on this "issue" b/c likely it will not give us the TAO "look".

hank · Post by **hank** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 5:34 am

Global dig-in is not what I was wondering about. I was interested in whether a hot key was being considered for entrenching "a" unit. For instance, you select a unit and hit a "hotkey" to entrench it instead of having to move your mouse to the far lower right of the screen to entrench it. I am sure I've read where others have asked for this .... it would be quite helpful.

hope my question doesn't cause any problems ... I can live with the way it is but a hot key would help IMHO.

thanks

hank

Vorsteher · Post by **Vorsteher** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 9:02 am

And what is with the music of the game ?The patch does that correct?

V.

Rob Gjessing · Post by **Rob Gjessing** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 12:52 pm

The patch does fix the music issues yes, I am testing the patch and I can hear the music quite clearly.