Carriers At War Development Diary

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Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/18/2006 5:55:46 AM

alexs

Posts: 417
Joined: 8/27/2003
From: Sydney
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Hi Guys,

For those that are interested, I have started a development diary for Carriers at War. I will use it to describe what I'm working on at the moment, and to give a little insight into the development process.

I make no promises about the regularity of updates, but i hope to make a reasonable number of smaller updates (at least once a week or so).

The site is located at the link below.

- Carriers At War Development Diary -

Cheers
Alex
SSG

_____________________________

AlexS
SSG
Support@ssg.com.au

Post #: 1

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/20/2006 9:28:23 PM

tocaff

Posts: 4781
Joined: 10/12/2006
From: USA now in Brasil
Status: offline

So almost 2 months later.....................?

(in reply to alexs)

Post #: 2

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/20/2006 11:54:34 PM

JSS

Posts: 781
Joined: 10/15/2003
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: tocaff

So almost 2 months later.....................?

???

(in reply to tocaff)

Post #: 3

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/21/2006 6:50:52 AM

bradfordkay

Posts: 8683
Joined: 3/24/2002
From: Olympia, WA
Status: offline

Maybe tocaff mistook alexs' date of joining the forums (if you were to ignore the year of joining) for the posting date?

_____________________________

fair winds,
Brad

(in reply to JSS)

Post #: 4

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/25/2006 5:06:57 PM

Fishbed

Posts: 1822
Joined: 11/21/2005
From: Beijing, China - Paris, France
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Man, ask you anything you want, you're our savior

(in reply to bradfordkay)

Post #: 5

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/26/2006 11:15:49 PM

Justascratch

Posts: 321
Joined: 2/7/2006
Status: offline

Thanks Alexs,

I'm glad to see this wonderful game making a come back! It's going to be interesting to see how the design is modified to take advantage of all the hardware and operating system advances since the original was released!

(in reply to Fishbed)

Post #: 6

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 10:35:09 AM

dobeln

Posts: 311
Joined: 3/28/2005
Status: offline

Yay! Looking forward to this!

(in reply to Justascratch)

Post #: 7

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 7:01:20 PM

LitFuel

Posts: 272
Joined: 10/21/2006
From: Syracuse, NY
Status: offline

I have a question about the graphical improvements...I've never played the original but I do know that for me to get immersed I need some visuals to go along with the action..nothing fancy just little touches to go along with what's happening.

For example: does the ship's picture change to show damage...smoke?..whatever..let's say the Yorktown takes a couple bombs...will the picture on the bottom change to reflect that?..what kind of little animations are there as far as a battle in progress....like I said nothing fancy just like to see something.

Also is this any similar to the Great Naval Battles series?...wish you guys could get that..that way I could play with German ships :)

(in reply to dobeln)

Post #: 8

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 7:11:34 PM

RayWolfe

Posts: 1553
Joined: 2/5/2003
From: Kent in the UK
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LitFuel
For example: does the ship's picture change to show damage

Well, the original did that.

quote:

ORIGINAL: LitFuel
that way I could play with German ships :)

Well, the original did that.

Ray

(in reply to LitFuel)

Post #: 9

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 7:18:44 PM

LitFuel

Posts: 272
Joined: 10/21/2006
From: Syracuse, NY
Status: offline

Oh ,then it's not just the pacific then?

(in reply to RayWolfe)

Post #: 10

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 9:51:15 PM

RayWolfe

Posts: 1553
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From: Kent in the UK
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There were scenarios covering the Atlantic, Med, North Cape, but mainly, of course, the Pacific. What the new iteration will cover, I don't know.
Cheers
Ray

(in reply to LitFuel)

Post #: 11

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 10:07:50 PM

LitFuel

Posts: 272
Joined: 10/21/2006
From: Syracuse, NY
Status: offline

Thanks....hope so, if they arn't going to give us a full blown Med/Atlantic game I would at least like to have a taste of it.

< Message edited by LitFuel -- 10/27/2006 10:10:46 PM >

(in reply to RayWolfe)

Post #: 12

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 10:34:18 PM

RayWolfe

Posts: 1553
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From: Kent in the UK
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I think you've got to bear in mind this is a carrier based program so the Atlantic except, perhaps, the hunting of the Bismark is not going to be it's main focus.
Cheers
Ray
PS The game installed on my machine is Complete Carriers at War. I seem to remember that it was the second iteration of the original so I've got a great many more scenarios than were issued originally and, knowing me, I've almost certainly picked up user produced scenarios.

(in reply to LitFuel)

Post #: 13

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 11:04:01 PM

LitFuel

Posts: 272
Joined: 10/21/2006
From: Syracuse, NY
Status: offline

Maybe they could whip up a little What If? scenerio with the Graf Zeppelin being built

(in reply to RayWolfe)

Post #: 14

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 11:21:59 PM

wworld7

Posts: 1727
Joined: 2/25/2003
From: The Nutmeg State
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: RayWolfe

I think you've got to bear in mind this is a carrier based program so the Atlantic except, perhaps, the hunting of the Bismark is not going to be it's main focus.
Cheers
Ray
PS The game installed on my machine is Complete Carriers at War. I seem to remember that it was the second iteration of the original so I've got a great many more scenarios than were issued originally and, knowing me, I've almost certainly picked up user produced scenarios.

First out of the gate will be "Carriers at War" NOT "Complete Carriers at War". I could be wrong but I only remember Pacific scenarios in the first one.

Flipper

BELOW BOLDING ADDED BY ME:

quote:

ORIGINAL: David Heath

quote:

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Is this going to be a remake of Carriers at War or Complete Carriers at War (i.e. with all the extra scenarios)?

Hi Terminus

This is a remake of Carriers At War not Complete Carriers At War. SSG has a lot of ideas they are working on so I expect we will see more Carriers At War in the future.

David

(in reply to RayWolfe)

Post #: 15

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 11:27:37 PM

LitFuel

Posts: 272
Joined: 10/21/2006
From: Syracuse, NY
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hmmm...seems like they could have just as easily re-did the Complete Carriers at War version, no reason not to other then make a few more bucks on a addon or additonal material later.

(in reply to wworld7)

Post #: 16

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/27/2006 11:31:44 PM

Froonp

Posts: 7995
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From: Marseilles, France
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quote:

ORIGINAL: LitFuel

hmmm...seems like they could have just as easily re-did the Complete Carriers at War�version, no reason not to other then make a few more bucks on a addon or additonal material later.

Yes. I'm a little disapointed if they do CAW, and then Complete CAW a year latter. I already bought each and every CAW game published, and I would have appreciated a step further, with a 2006-2007 re-publication. As you say, addons can still be made and solds even if Complete CAW was released initialy.

(in reply to LitFuel)

Post #: 17

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/28/2006 3:59:24 AM

Steve Ford SSG

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LitFuel

hmmm...seems like they could have just as easily re-did the Complete Carriers at War�version, no reason not to other then make a few more bucks on a addon or additonal material later.

It's not that simple. I was responsible for the Atlantic scenario in the old game along with all the ship and plane graphics. I did it just so I could paint the entire Kriegsmarine. However, it took nearly a year just to do the ships in a 16 colour DPaint palette.

It seems, all these years later, very little has changed. I'm still responsible for all of SSG's graphics. In the new version however every ship class has a hi-res profile plus a smaller top-down view and a series of matching silhouettes. But it doesn't end there. The ships then require animations for Explosions, Bomb-hits, torpedo strikes, escalating fires, smoke plumes, permanent damage, fluttering national flags, bow waves, wakes, smokestack plumes, Main and Secondary Gun muzzle flashes.

In the old game we only displayed animations on the ship profiles. Now we also display complete air strikes against an entire Task Group in a simultaneous top-down view. All these animations need to be properly registered to the underlying ship graphic. That's a job requiring some precision and attention to detail. It can't be rushed.

I'd love to do the Atlantic/Med ships again, and may well do so in future, but for now, the graphics load is immense. It's taken over a year to complete all the ship and plane pics for this initial release.
If I may illustrate: each ship profile first requires research to find accurate reference, usually from Conways or Jentschura
I then render the new ship in Photoshop. The end result is a PNG that includes every instance of that ship class in all sorts of sizes required by the various screens. It's a big job and there are well over 110 ship pictures in the game.

After the Ships comes the Planes, the Maps and then the GUI itself. But that's another story.

I hope this gives some insight into the development process.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

Steve Ford
Creative Director
SSG

(in reply to LitFuel)

Post #: 18

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/28/2006 5:42:24 AM

LitFuel

Posts: 272
Joined: 10/21/2006
From: Syracuse, NY
Status: offline

Well, I can certainly understand all that and the fact that for such a small part of the game it would hold up the release further. I hope it makes it in someday...I'm just frustrated that the kriegsmarine always get's the shaft along with the Atlantic/Med in general. This game isn't really the best type for it since it's Carrrier based anyways, but I would take it...beggers can't be choosers.

I suppose the best case scenerio would be for Matrix to try and get the Great Naval Battles series for an update. I also feel a game that focuses on U-boats would be nice. I can dream I guess.

(in reply to Steve Ford SSG)

Post #: 19

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/28/2006 11:40:45 AM

RayWolfe

Posts: 1553
Joined: 2/5/2003
From: Kent in the UK
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Steve Ford SSG
It seems, all these years later, very little has changed. I'm still responsible for all of SSG's graphics.

Ahhh!

Never mind, they don't still make you clean dunnies, do they?

Your explanation is well understood and I will be very happy to pay another ... say ... $2.50 for a years worth of your work.

Cheers
Ray

(in reply to Steve Ford SSG)

Post #: 20

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/30/2006 12:50:49 PM

Greyshaft

Posts: 2252
Joined: 10/27/2003
From: Sydney, Australia
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LitFuel
...I'm just frustrated that the kriegsmarine always get's the shaft along with the Atlantic/Med in general.

Blame Adolf.. he should have finished the Z plan

_____________________________

/Greyshaft

(in reply to LitFuel)

Post #: 21

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/30/2006 11:02:53 PM

Texican

Posts: 248
Joined: 10/30/2006
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quote:

ORIGINAL: LitFuel

Maybe they could whip up a little What If? scenerio with the Graf Zeppelin being built

"What if's" are a major plus to have. Would be cool if somehow the Bismarck, running from British ships in the Atlantic, blasted its way through the Panama Canal and ended up in a Japanese task force. Far fetched, but cool all the same.

Prototype aircraft, ships "that were never finished historically", and other random stuff can all add to the variability and replay value of a game.

(in reply to LitFuel)

Post #: 22

RE: Carriers At War Development Diary - 10/31/2006 8:59:06 PM

SireChaos

Posts: 710
Joined: 8/14/2006
From: Frankfurt, Germany
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Texican

quote:

ORIGINAL: LitFuel

Maybe they could whip up a little What If? scenerio with the Graf Zeppelin being built

"What if's" are a major plus to have. Would be cool if somehow the Bismarck, running from British ships in the Atlantic, blasted its way through the Panama Canal and ended up in a Japanese task force. Far fetched, but cool all the same.

Prototype aircraft, ships "that were never finished historically", and other random stuff can all add to the variability and replay value of a game.

I think one of the what-if scenarios in the original CCAW had the Shoho (Jap light carrier) sailing with the Kriegsmarine.
It also had one monster battle in the Atlantic with the historic German ships and the Plan Z battleships *and* German CVs *and* converted French CVs against the Royal Navy.

(in reply to Texican)

Post #: 23