Universal Wargaming Platform

[GaryChildress]

A lot of developers are using Unity to make 3D games these days. It seems to me that Wargaming could really use a platform where even a novice can create 2D hex-based wargames. Does anything out there like it exist? And if not, would anyone be interested in joining together to create one? I could help with artwork if there are any coders out there and anyone else who might want to contribute time and expertise.

Anyone interested?

[sPzAbt653]

Finding coders always seems to be the issue.

[mainsworthy]

You may fit with my project My problem is I program engines but have no wargame designers to develop them,I have a WW2 Land based engine of sorts, it has its own editor and LineofSight editor, and allows you to lays walls downs to keep the A.I. boxed in areas. I have made it for low Res and High Res versions. it has tanks MGs infantry motors and is driven a lot by Leaders giving bonuses to the troops in there zone.

I will put it online in a minite for you to look over, the problem with it is It needs Maps and counters, the A.I. just needs you to go into the editor and place units and control flags.

You can ask me any questions on it, I have finished developing it, so any game made would be guaranteed to work. OK I will pop it online.

PS: there are two 3 versions, so look at LAND BATTLES TACTICAL and WAR BATTLES TACTICAL as differrent games but based on a simular engine.

give me a min to add screenshots

[mainsworthy]

there are two screenshots of both versions.


https://agamecreator.itch.io/warland-battles-tactical

[mainsworthy]

its free so dont expect matrix quality, it needs a better manual etc... some things i would of done different now, but its not bad A.I. and it may be interesting for a wargamer neededing an engine

[mainsworthy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmh4E8B_ikQ&t=258s

I have done a really REALLY good naval game, I would love Maps made and unit art made. I have quite a few games just waiting for a wargame dev to get into just remember I am no artest and they are all done for free so will never compete with matrix etc..

[mainsworthy]

I have more engines too, so if you want to dev your own games with them let me know.

[mainsworthy]

https://agamecreator.itch.io/hex-and-ch ... ame-engine

if you are intereted I can put more online for you, but I have not got screenshots, so the website is limited

[mainsworthy]

I hear a lot of wargame designers wanting a coder to help, BUT I have all sorts of Engines waiting for wargame developers, and I am allowing it for free, I have Musket games, Roman, Wild west , Fantasy, WW2 , Naval. all ready to put the major elements in, THEY ARE ENGINES So Im asking why dont you? Im even here to answer your questions, The engines dont have the polish of a matrix game, but there free . I am flabbergasted why no one is deving these games, I am not an artist so thats why I dont finish them,.

[sPzAbt653]

I have Musket games, Roman, Wild west , Fantasy, WW2 , Naval.

These are too specific for a Universal Wargaming Platform. I will PM you about this.

[Kuokkanen]

A lot of developers are using Unity to make 3D games these days. It seems to me that Wargaming could really use a platform where even a novice can create 2D hex-based wargames. Does anything out there like it exist?

The War Engine is advertised to be this. And free. Unfortunately Matrix seems to have deleted the download link. Has anyone in here tried it and is it any good? Are we permitted to download the game from elsewhere and link to it?

Other than that, a number of games come with editors to make your own scenarios. Some games are moddable to very large extent. Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword comes with a number of mods that totally transform the game to something totally different, and Internet has tons of more. On Matrix/Slitherine front we have at least The Operational Art of War series and Advanced Tactics Gold.

[edit]
Unity is also used to make wargames.

[pzgndr]

Xconq (https://sourceware.org/xconq/), a general strategy game system, showed some promise about 20 years ago. But like many such promising projects, faded into oblivion. There are still files available for download and perhaps someone could pick up the ball and run with it again. Perchance to dream...

[gamer78]

.

[mainsworthy]

Well after people wanted a universal Wargame engine, I decided to convert My AFRIKAKORPS hex and chit wargame into an engine where its possible with no coding a novice can create a hex and chit wargame. BUT I sad BUT its not an easy task , you will have to edit graphics files and have transparancy set in a graphics program, and you will have to provide images for units and leaders etc... fortunatly you can get all you need from juniorgeneral.org , also when putting a unit on the hexboard you will need to add data that fits the engine, like armour value and anti armour, and range, and move points. you can go further and add Movement costs to hexes, once a game is setup you can play it and the engine will do its thing, you can lay walls to box A.I. units into an area, you can lay line of sight blockers so units cant shoot through cliffs.



Its all done for free so can be quirky, and its complicated, but you can if you wanted produce a hex and chit wargame.


https://agamecreator.itch.io/universal- ... -turnbased

[GaryChildress]

Hi, Mark.

I spent a little time looking at your Afrika Korps game. I couldn't figure out where the unit graphics files are stored, though.

I think a game along the lines of a hybrid between Advanced Tactics, War in the Pacific, and Civilization III would be really cool. For such a game a random world generator could be created to give it endless replayability.

I created a little bit of art for such a project which I've attached below.

[sPzAbt653]

Thanks for your work on this. How many columns and rows of hexes can the map be?

[mainsworthy]

I think the hexes are about 160x100

the art is stored in \capt\ folder in main zip, and the small chits are stored in the 3 55x55chits files in the modules folder, you can turn off facing and place the chit in the centre for ordinary chits, I have done a big update and instructions with it

https://agamecreator.itch.io/universal- ... -turnbased


here is a loose tut

remember to make a module with a hotseat scenario, or you wont be able to edit the enemy. you set hotseat in the modules folder shield.txt hotseat=Y dont change the line order just put a Y on the end

there are 3 files in a modules folder 55x55chits.png this is 100 55x55 pixel chits that apear on the bottom of the screen when selected they use PNG transparency, and the other two files are the same file but shrank in mspaint to be 100 40x40 pixel files 55x55chits2.png has PNG transparancy and is what you see on the hexgrid, the filanl file 55x55chits3.png does not really need PNG transparancy because this is what is shown on the hexgrid when selected , so you want it to stand out differrent, and having the bases as a solid colour helps to see it when selected. you can put a square chit in the centre and turn off facing in the shield.txt to have a chit game, the first 50 chits are yours 51 to 100 are enemy.

next you have hextiles.png these get layed in the editor 'E' I believe you can press 'L' when a hextile has been chosen to auto place tiles, you switch it on and off as you move the mouse over the hexgrid, also check the autofill controls in folder \Not for Players Help Files for mod creation\MapMaker you can fill a whole map

next is the GUI display board.png and zinboard.png make them look like the game your making.

next is the scenario briefing , its a image that gets displayed when you are choosing a sceanrio its in the modules folder named info.png

Modules are querky, a fresh module needs to be started from start or delete these two files if they exist in the modules folder damagesavedata.dat damagesave.dat they store chit image data, but are reset on loading, so they wont remain the same if a module is edited after a new seetup, I told you it was quirky, but if you do this as i say it will work, remember i do this for free. first go into editor 'E' and add your chits, then after all chits placed exit editor 'E', then select each chit and press 'O' and set big image for chit (this can be a Leader or unit type etc... it can be an image with text all sorts of things, it gets displayed when you select a chit, eg a tank or infantry) , when done all press SAVE , now exit the game and go into the modules folder, then the correct module folder eg module1 then reneme save.dat to savedata.dat and rename damagesave.dat to damagesavedata.dat

thats how to do a module. setting an image for each chit borrows some code from my space game so ignore all data except image, told you it was quirky

The magnifying glass is just to see the closeup, its not meant as a working environment, but I put it there so you can get a better look

the small rectangle above the magnifying glass is a jumpmap, you can hover over it for an overvierw or click it to jump to a map location

[mainsworthy]

Hi, Mark.

I spent a little time looking at your Afrika Korps game. I couldn't figure out where the unit graphics files are stored, though.

I think a game along the lines of a hybrid between Advanced Tactics, War in the Pacific, and Civilization III would be really cool. For such a game a random world generator could be created to give it endless replayability.

I created a little bit of art for such a project which I've attached below.

I like the idea of a random generator, I will get on it, I already updated the game to allow more art etc , so get the latest version here
https://agamecreator.itch.io/universal- ... -turnbased

we need art for the Tanks in a general sence like you have done and art for the small chits 55x55 and two shrunk 40x40 placed in 3 55x55chit files in the modules folder. We are limited at the moment to 72 big art images such as the tanks you have done. and 100 small chits per module. I can work on adding the 72 art imagaes to every module though if needed, it would inflate the game a bit but doable, I will get on it.

the tanks look great!

[mainsworthy]

ok every module now has a \capt\ folder with 72 images for units, cap1.png in the folder is default image for unassigned units , like a general unknown unit image, these images are for groups of unit rather than one specific unit, eg medium tank or light tank, the stats on each unit give it individuality like armour and antiaarmour and move points and attack points etc... but if the sceanrio has less than 72 types of units they can be individual which is usualy the case! you can have 20 churchill tanks for example

https://agamecreator.itch.io/universal- ... -turnbased

[mainsworthy]

cant work on random game yet untill i know what images the tanks armoured cars motorcycles etc all are in the images. and we are going to need a format for it. because if we have a game based on a diff era in the future the random setup needs to know what units are heavy and light etc... and what are infantry and what are vehicles or inf and horse eg. we also NEED to know what are enemy too!

if we keep a format say 2 to 20(11-20 enemy) heavy 21 to 40 l31-40 enemy) light 41-60(51-60 enemy) infantry. one thing that is important all images are in batches of 12, they have a command rating we can leave on default for all but its a nice bonus to have orders for each unit depending on its command rating.

we will need to further format them, but you get the idea, a random game needs to know this stuff