Flashpoint Germany v1.03 Update Released!

[Alex Fiedler]

Major Update of Cold War Tactical Game, Major Improvements!

Matrix Games today announced the release of a major new official update for their grand tactical war game of modern combat, Flashpoint Germany. The new version 1.03 is now available from the Matrix Games website.

Flashpoint Germany occurs at the height of the cold war. The historical outcome we know hasn’t happened yet and this time things will end differently. This time, with the world at the brink of World War III and the Soviet Union in a state of near collapse, the decision to seek a military solution was made. Square off as either the Warsaw Pact or the NATO alliance in this war to end all wars!

This new update includes over forty enhancements to the AI, new sudden death options and rules, improved artillery supply calculations, many map visualization improvements including new overlays, new movement path and fire arrows, a main screen victory bar, improved reporting and faster animations. Over a dozen additional bug fixes make this the definitive new version of Flashpoint Germany.

Matrix Games recommends that all owners of Flashpoint Germany download and install this new version.

Flashpoint Germany spans 17 different scenarios and comes complete with a scenario editor, order of battle guide and equipment database. Additionally, players can play online, by e-mail, or against a competitive computer opponent. Each battle map is a detailed representation of the German landscape, representing the actual terrain that would have influenced battles throughout West Germany.

[Splusmer]

Here's a question I didn't see addressed in any of the press releases: are 1.02 games compatible with 1.03, or would installing the patch invalidate those games? (I've got a PBEM game going, and at the pace we're doing turns it'll be another 2-3 months before we're done.)

[IronManBeta]

We go to great lengths to keep previous saved games from breaking. There were 5 changes to the save game file since 1.02 but all are handled in code so that they do not break previous games. In fact, in all the time the game has been in development, the saved games have only been broken once!

Give it a whirl.

Cheers, Rob.

ORIGINAL: Splusmer

Here's a question I didn't see addressed in any of the press releases: are 1.02 games compatible with 1.03, or would installing the patch invalidate those games? (I've got a PBEM game going, and at the pace we're doing turns it'll be another 2-3 months before we're done.)

[IronManBeta]

I should also mention that for the benefit of those hard playing people that simply have to be called away during turn resolution by pets (FlyingElvis), children (Cap'n Darwin) or the wife (myself), there is now 'Pause' key to halt and then resume the combat phase. If your game is other than an AI vs AI or LAN game, then pressing the Escape key will pause the game at the first opportunity. It will stay paused until you hit the Return key or click on the Proceed button of the little dialog that has popped up.

Flashpoint marches forward with constant improvement!

Cheers all, Rob.

[sabre100]

Thanks Robert this is definitely one of the best games Matrix has out and the continued support you provide is excellent.

[nukkxx5058]

yeah ! I just down;oaded the 49 MO with my poor modem (i hope i will have DSL back soon!)
I just tried a first scenario. Just to say that fire lines are are cool as well as colors for overlay and pausable feature is a good surprise, I thought it would be for 1.04 . I forgot to mention the victory bar ! and AI seems at a first glance more agressive. But I need to further test.

Good job Rob !

[Zen]

Hmmm, the patch isn't working right for me. It installs correctly, but during play I have three problems:

1. During turn planning, the game becomes unresponsive to keyboard commands, such as L, R, S, and so on. I can still invoke those commands via the right-click menu. In addition, after awhile, I can't get the LOS overlay to disappear (turn off).

2. There are other display oddities. For example, the new unit-to-unit firing line isn't working. I saw it show up during turn *planning* though. There was a single line, and I thought it was some sort of waypoint line, until I checked the firing line color preference and discovered what it was. Very odd.

3. During the 2nd or 3rd turn resolution, the action became *very* slow (a unit moving from one hex to the next might take 3 seconds instead of the normal 1/2 second) and then the game would grind to a halt, either crashing, or becoming locked up.

In response to mainly #1 and #2, I threw out the preferences file and let FPG create a new one. It seemed to help with #1. Not sure about #2 because FPG crashed again during the resolution phase, before I turned the firing line on.

I have only tried two games, so this report is a little rushed and vague. I will hopefully have more time later to test. The big question for me is, am I the only one having problems? I had no problems with 1.02.

On a positive note, I like the feature changes -- when the game was working!

My system:
Windows ME
512 KB RAM
GeForce 4ti
4 GB free HD space
Latest version of DirectX (9?)

Zen

[Erik Rutins]

We didn't see anything like this during test. Could you help us rule out installation issues by shutting down all background programs, including anti-virus, then uninstalling and doing a clean install + v1.03? Thanks.

Regards,

- Erik

[Zen]

Yes, will do. I have a feeling mine is an isolated case.

Also, I realize now I should have put this message into the Support forum. Look for my response there after I get a chance to re-test.

Zen

[CapnDarwin]

Zen,

Do you have a FPG_Error.txt (some such thing like that) in the main folder you could post for Rob to look at. Could help narrow down the problem.

I hope things get sorted out, 103 is a blast to play.