Happy New Year 2017
It's been quite for a while and much less progress has been made during the last couple of months as I wished for. Anyway, I'm still working on the 3D map and almost all terrain types have been implemented already. What is still missing are all actual units and weapons. But in the first version they will simply be depicted as counters like in the 2D map. BUT they will appear at their correct position (horizontal, vertical) inside the 3D world so you can actually see whether a unit resides in the 2nd story of a building or on ground level. What else are my plans for 2017? Hopefully I'm able to implement a first version of AI - a computer opponent. This has often been demanded and I'm finally convinced that it is doable. Thank you for all the support so far. I wish you a Happy New Year…
WW2T has been greenlit on Steam
I'm happy to announce that WW2T has been allowed to be published on Steam as a result of the Greenlight community process. I will do my best to bring the game onto the Steam platform as quickly as possible in order to present it to a bigger audience and to attract new players. The feedback from the Steam community has been good so far. I will continue to focus on usability issues and artwork and hope that the new 3D map will provide an improved game experience.
3D map in the making
I've spent quite some time weighing the pros and cons of a 3D map against each other. I'm convinced now that there is no alternative to it, considering the immense number of rules "hidden" in the maps. Advanced Squad Leader is played on a fully fledged three dimensional map that is on the one hand a simplification of naturally occuring terrain and on the other a precise simulation of it. I see no better way of explaining all these concepts (multiple building levels, depressions, sewer movement, line of sight etc.) than a 3D map that also lets you explore the line of sight from the perspective of an individual unit. So this is why I came up with a first version of such a thing - still under development but I'm making rapid progress. Eventually this will lead to the replacement of the existing 2D map and its artwork because…
Upcoming version 0.2 with Map Editor and Ordnance
You haven't heard from me for a while now but this doesn't mean I'm not busy with preparing the upcoming version It will be the next major step for WW2T on its way to a fully fledged tactical wargame of the Second World War. We finally move on to a totally new combat system covering ordnance. The first scenario on offer will feature a Russian infantry howitzer that can fire high explosives as well as smoke. Believe it or not - smoke will also be animated and no longer be presented by a plain counter in the map! Together with smoke a basic weather simulation makes its appearance (wind, rain). All building artwork has been overhauled. New terrain types will be featured in a completely new map (thanks to Jacksboro who is currently setting up the map!): walls, hedges, bridges, row houses, rubble. The UI will be much less cluttered…
Version 0.1.50 is in the making
;feature= With this promotional video (based on the current Alpha version) I wanted to update you on the upcoming release. Version 0 1 50 will cover Concealment in scenario setup and game play. Since this will have an impact on many rules already implemented I cannot guarantee a release date yet. The next version will contain a significant number of bugfixes resulting from the fruitful playtesting with members of the Gamesquad forum community. Thank you for your support!
Preview of WW2T version 0.1.40a
The upcoming update 0 1 40a will feature many new event types (Residual FP, Self Rally, Rout etc.) which will help you to better see what your enemy is up to. A new toolbar features a bunch of buttons to access victory conditions and also for the first time the scenario description. A cool new feature will be the "Follow" button (F key). When pressed your map view will follow the actions of your opponent. The Close Combat/Melee will receive a complete overhaul. Ambush is possible now and also the possibility to withdraw from Melee. Cowering has been added to the Fire Attack resolution. Last but not least Snipers will make an appearance. Watch out for the target selection mechanism that will highlight all valid hexes. No more guess work needed. One of the important fixes included in the release will be the tooltip that appears on top of all…
Outlook on Version 0.1.30a
The next update of WW2T is in the making and will bring non-gound level locations, some usability improvements and a new scenario. With the addition of upper building levels and stairwells the scenario Guards Counterattack will make it much harder for the attacking Russian player to reach his objectives and hopefully lead to a much more balanced game play. Also Line of Sight mechanics have been extended with Blind Hex calculations in conjunction with this. A new scenario (and map) will be added that features 2 new weapon types: Flamethrowers and Demolition Charges. The update is scheduled for next Sunday.
Upcoming version 0.1.20a features
The next Alpha version () will be published in a week from now if everything goes fine. It will feature Double Time when moving Infantry, Sustained Fire and an overhauling of Fire Groups which should now work correctly (including multi-location FGs and leader direction). I've also focused on improving the traceability of actions taken by your opponent which currently is kind of hard because it is only logged to the console. For this I've added an Event system that displays Fire Attacks and Movement actions and lets you jump to their location in the map. For the first time the Line of Sight is also displayed as the result of a Fire Attack with exact depictions on where a LOS breaks or hindrance comes into play. Last but not least Bypass movement will be made available.
Approaching first Alpha version
If I don't run into major problems during this week it is likely that the first official alpha version of WW2T is going to be released by the end of next week. I do my best to make the 2 scenarios the game ships with playable without the chance of encountering any fatal bugs. I will provide binaries for all major PC platforms, Linux 32/64 Bit, Windows 32/64 Bit and Max OSX. Another focus of this week's work will be to provide a first (and very rough) player manual and also to open the forums section of the WW2T web page.
Second scenario ready to play
The second scenario "Vierville retaken" is ready to play. In order to make it work an extension regarding offboard units and setup had to be implemented. The scenario is significantly easier to understand and to play because it features no Support Weapons, just plain infantry, namely Squads, Half Squads and Leaders. The postponed entry of the majority of forces on both sides up to and including turn 3 of the game adds a lot of excitement and variation to the game play.