Version 1.20

Empires in Arms is the computer version of Australian Design Group classic board game. Empires in Arms is a seven player game of grand strategy set during the Napoleonic period of 1805-1815. The unit scale is corps level with full diplomatic options

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Marshall Ellis
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Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

Hello all:

I wanted to let you know that we have submitted a new release candidate (1.20) for the Beta testers!
If you are a Beta tester then go to the prviate forum and download now! We have included several fixes but the main change will be how we deal with larger screens. We are now taking advantage of the extra space!

Also, we are looking at ways to bring online play into the game!

Stay tuned...

Thank you

Thank you

Marshall Ellis
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Kai
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Kai »

This is great news. Can't wait.
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Pans
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Pans »

great to hear from you, Marshall.

I am really excited to see this new version. If you need more testers let me know.

Andreas
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Marshall Ellis
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

Great to be back guys! I still play a bit when I can and we have still been coding a bit here and there. REALLY want to take a look at Online play HOPEFULLY this year and essentially speedup PBEM!
Thank you

Marshall Ellis
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PISA.inWar
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by PISA.inWar »

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

Hello all:

I wanted to let you know that we have submitted a new release candidate (1.20) for the Beta testers!
If you are a Beta tester then go to the prviate forum and download now! We have included several fixes but the main change will be how we deal with larger screens. We are now taking advantage of the extra space!

Also, we are looking at ways to bring online play into the game!

Stay tuned...

Thank you

Finally some good news. Although it is desirable to have a greater participation in the forum.

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Marshall Ellis
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

Cannot disagree with ya PISA.inWar! I'm in a very circular development world where I rotate in and out of project areas over a period of time much like a comet :-) No exceuse it simply is what it is! Good news is that I"m still above ground and still LOVE EiANW so it is not abandoned and will not be if I can help it! I'm thankful that we made some VERY good decisions in our source code for longevity that keeps this game moving and compatible with all O/Ss from W98SE all the way to Win7! Not a small feat in development terms!
Thank you

Marshall Ellis
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Daniel Amieiro
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Daniel Amieiro »

Very good news this game is still in development.

I love the big screen... I wanna more modding tools (or use of some config file with oobs, leaders, etc..) than online play, but big screen is really needed...
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Marshall Ellis
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

Yea, I hear ya! We would love to add more moding tools but our hope is to really re-kindle the fires with an online play option!

Thank you
Thank you

Marshall Ellis
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Daniel Amieiro
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Daniel Amieiro »

I think both things will be handy. EIA is a game that can be very long (if desired), even very very long (1792 campaing and french revolution :D) or a scenario. Without modding, we have a powerhorse that can only go forward in the same speed by the same road

But if you play a Solo game, the modding is a must like a decent AI.

And as a developer i think that a Load Scenario Data from text file is really faster to implement than a multiplayer option (INMHO).

And i would really like the many "optional countries" found in Empires in Harm could be implemented (Even some of EIA like Westphalia) or Dominance Status (like Russia being a dominating power) or things like that.

If i would have a load scenario from text i promise that i will upload a lot of scenarios ^_^
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gazfun
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by gazfun »

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

Hello all:

I wanted to let you know that we have submitted a new release candidate (1.20) for the Beta testers!
If you are a Beta tester then go to the prviate forum and download now! We have included several fixes but the main change will be how we deal with larger screens. We are now taking advantage of the extra space!

Also, we are looking at ways to bring online play into the game!

Stay tuned...

Thank you

Hi Marshall
This version takes far far too long to play, everyone submitting 28 files per month plus an economic Turn. Even if everyone puts in a file daily it takes 28days to do a month by PBEM. You know Ive was with you at the begginning, and we never imagined this would occur.
But this has to change, to be viable.
Gaming in a year maybe 18 months to finish a game, this is what should be the goal, not 7 years.
There HAS to be a rethink here Marshall
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Marshall Ellis
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

Gazfun:

You were there with us at the start and you helped create the very system that we are in (Thank you). I think I might agree but the mechanics of this would require some pretty massive rewrites. Tell me some streamlining ideas? On line play?

Thank you
Thank you

Marshall Ellis
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gazfun
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by gazfun »

The PBEM game has this main problem I believe, after 7 years of trial and gaming.

The issues are this. Instead of people using the Skip functions that should occur it is not happening, the system is geared around the lazy players who don’t bother to use the skip functions at all, and consequently waste time getting the files returned, where the GM has to act. Mainly in the Diplomacy and Reinforcement, Naval phases, especially where there is no Navy.

The system should be geared around a proactive and a forward thinking player, which increases immersion in the game. The system should make a player more proactive, by the system simply asking questions at the right time, rather than people having to remember each time, which often means they don’t remember.

I think the system should have it so that players should be asked in the current land phase, do they want to skip the next month’s Diplomacy turn yes or no. If yes (error changed from no) then the system skips that player.
Once a Major Power has his Diplomatic situation set, its less likely that he will want to change it, only in cases of war or surrender etc. or some other Diplomatic shift in the game, which comes around now and again. As the system is now, everyone still waits in order and not many will put there Diplomacy until France does his first , which shouldn't make any difference at all of course.

The same for the reinforcement phase. Mostly a player would only want to do reinforcements is when they have troops coming out of the barracks. Or when to change leaders or adjust corps strengths, with other corps etc. People 80% of the time will not skip this phase. At the moment war or reinforcements has been the only criteria that will change the auto skip settings.
Otherwise the player should asked by the game YES or NO. No one will bother to remember to skip even when there are no reinforcements for sometimes up to 2 months in row. A waste of time.

The naval Phase is another phase where countries are blockaded, and not worth risking combat because of expected high losses, or that player has no navy. If no navy the question by the system shouldn't be asked at all. If a country has a navy then 80% of the time especially if blockaded by a bigger navy won’t move out of the Harbor and most of the time won’t move any navy. The system should ask if the player wishes to move their navy next month if not the Naval phase is skipped. Reset for that next month if DOW on.

turn off that month only the month they were DOW on, until at the next land phase where they can reset the skip function by the system asking the questions as mentioned before.

To sum it up, for the Diplomacy, Reinforcement phase, and naval phases included. The system should ask at the end of their Land Phase, YES or NO, for the next month (February), the system should default to no so they have to actually click on the yes response… If a DOW then all phases for that player have to be reset, and that player will have to go through all phase manually for that month he has been DOW on only. At the end of that same month (Land Phase) the system should then ask for each phase for (March) etc.

The other reason, no one uses the skip function is due to bugs associated with that in the past. In Diplomacy and Reinforcements. When the GM has to use AI has to act due to a slow player, doing an AI move temporarily in the Land phase causes that players VP total go to zero.

A lot of waste if time is spent waiting for a file where nothing has been changed or done by the player concerned in his turn. Only when there is need to change things should there be a delay, not both reasons.
This way the GM only has to supervise the Land phase file be returned mostly, and not all four phases each month.
I don’t know exactly what involved with coding here, but it is the least way I can think of.
Otherwise all 4 phases should be in the one turn this would save even more time. But I realize this would be a major rewrite.


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Marshall Ellis
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

Gazfun:

That's ALL good stuff! So am I correct in saying that the skip settings do not work in PBEM? If they did would that do? Also, tell me more about the VPs to zero issue?

Thank you
Thank you

Marshall Ellis
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pzgndr
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by pzgndr »

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis
So am I correct in saying that the skip settings do not work in PBEM? If they did would that do?

I think Gaz's point is that the skip settings work fine, it's just that players do not always use them when they could/should. So a simple query feature to ask them at the end of the Land Phase would help implement more skips and speed up play.


Bill Macon
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bongina
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by bongina »

Actually, skip turn does not always work. Likewise, once set it can sometimes get stuck in skip mode.

Other very annoying PBEM bugs:

1) A DOW on a Major does not bring its minor allies into the War, causing horrendous headaches for the GM. In fact we have a current game where Persia (which was a Turkish ALLY) did not become a Turkish Free state when France DOW'ed Turkey. Even worse was the fact that Turkey had been at war with Russia at the time and really could have used those Persian corps in the Caucasus. I was able to change Persian status vs France and Russia to "at war" but not vice-versa! As there any way you can fix this for us, Marshall?

2) Turn order change not recognized. In the same game as above, England went to war with Russia and changed its move order from 7th to 1st so that it could attack the Russian navy in Italy. The game did not recognize this change. We went back to UK reinforcement and asked the UK player to redo it, and it STILL did not recognize the change. Only on the following or some subsequent turn did it let finally do it.

3) Leaders wounded return prematurely.

4) Option to change a minor's status from Conquered to Free does not work sometimes. It likewise does not always work in the editor.

Not sure if these are in mantis, because I have not been able to log on there for some time.

Sincerely,
Bart B.
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gazfun
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by gazfun »

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

Gazfun:

That's ALL good stuff! So am I correct in saying that the skip settings do not work in PBEM? If they did would that do? Also, tell me more about the VPs to zero issue?

Thank you
Im saying as pzgndr has stated that the skip setting work fine, its just that players need to be reminded to use it more frequently as I suggested at the end of every Land Phase by asking the players each time for the next month. At the moment as I stated they forget to even use it. and time is wasted. The skip setting should be "YES" by default, and changed each time by the player, for Diplomacy Reinforcement, and Naval.
That would effectively reduce the number of files to be submitted because players would not need to. Its a case of the above three phases be only of use if needed, not in the case they are needed all the time, which they are not, due to my reasons Ive mentioned before.

By the way the skip setting are buggy as well.

VP's to zero issue.
This occurs when the GM has to put a Player on Temp AI to complete the Land Phase because of a slow player or a player being away. That players accumulated VP is reduce to zero percent, when that is used.

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Marshall Ellis
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

Thanks Gazfun!
Good point on the skip item. PErhaps we may look to do this.
Can you tell me in the VP issue is it immediate?
Thank you

Marshall Ellis
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Marshall Ellis
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

and BTW...

The current game skips will be erased in case of forces ready or a DOW. Still want that?
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Marshall Ellis
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gazfun
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by gazfun »

Yes thats right in case of war, automatically or when asked the question Skip Yes or No
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Marshall Ellis
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RE: Version 1.20

Post by Marshall Ellis »

Gazfun:

Can you tell me in the VP issue is it immediate?
Thank you

Marshall Ellis
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