Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals!

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Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals!

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> The Operational Art of War IV >> Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals!

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Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 2:10:13 PM

UnionWarDog

Posts: 47
Joined: 11/3/2018
Status: offline

Hey guys,

I really wish TOAW would add a layout in the design mode so you could setup your battle/casualty report for your custom scenarios. The current poor one-screen-fits-all eras or scale is way too bland. I purchased all prior versions of the game and left it cold turkey because the game reporting/layouts were terrible.

In addition, I missed the leader units that help influence units in the OOB like key generals (i.e. Lee, Jackson, Patton, Rommel, Sherman, Washington,Zuhkov, ect....).

I've gone back to classics like JTS Civil War series, Panzer General and some newer games due to these limitations.

Would love to purchase and re-engage this series if some changes were made to improve the design features, game reporting and OOB updates with influental leaders.

UnionWarDog!

Post #: 1

RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 3:45:31 PM

larryfulkerson

Posts: 39932
Joined: 4/17/2005
From: Tucson, AZ
Status: offline

quote:

I purchased all prior versions of the game ....

Are you saying that you didn't get any pleasure out of ANY of the versions? TOAW IV looks like an entirely different game because of the, new UI and it now has naval rules, and there's new dialogs to tweak the game settings, and there's been a lot of time devoted to the editor so that it's a hundred times easier to use. And you can adjust the EQP file from the editor now and there's about 30 new scenarios written especially for TOAW IV, and a really helpful member of the TOAW community has written "TOAWIV XML" that allows you to edit the entire scenario, map, OOB, events, etc. in XML and that makes it really easy to make changes. And TOAW IV is on sale I think. I heard that from somebody on the board about 3 days ago. TOAW IV is almost all I play any more.

EDIT: I just now looked up the price of TOAW IV and they have dropped the price down to $40. I bought it when it was $60 and I'm convinced I got my money's worth.

< Message edited by larryfulkerson -- 3/9/2019 8:12:55 PM >

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RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 3:59:01 PM

larryfulkerson

Posts: 39932
Joined: 4/17/2005
From: Tucson, AZ
Status: offline

double post, sorry

< Message edited by larryfulkerson -- 3/9/2019 4:03:03 PM >

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RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 5:56:52 PM

UnionWarDog

Posts: 47
Joined: 11/3/2018
Status: offline

Hi Larry,

I did enjoy the game at first and built some large WWII and ACW scenarios; which took several years to develop. Once nearly complete I tried some demo runs and soon realized the game's shortcomings. The was missing just generic Victory Dialog screens. *tried to post some examples but I'm current not allowed and lost two attempts to reply to this post* :(

The other thing I wish the game had is leaders added to the OOB files so the could influence units performance or reorganizing time from being routed or disrupted.

I did have the editors from the prior versions but always felt like something was missing from the game/scenarios with a good news or victory dialog screens. I think this feature would be fairly easy to add to the game editor and would great enhance the custom scenarios.

UnionWarDog!

< Message edited by UnionWarDog -- 3/9/2019 6:02:39 PM >

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Post #: 4

RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 6:15:04 PM

Cabido

Posts: 243
Joined: 12/11/2017
Status: offline

I have already suggested some simple triggers (moving a unit for the first time, entering an hex - enemy owned or not - for the first time or with a specific unit, etc) and a simple event bringing up a window where the designer could place text (and pictures if possible). This simple change would be a step forward in terms of narrative and immersion, IMHO. Also, it could be used to bring up text relating to house rules or scenario specific events, like units withdrawal or other events linked to specific places or units, instead of forcing the player to go through the whole briefing parchment once in a while looking for some event. You could bring the history of a naval vessel upon activating it for the first time; the history of a battle after capturing a specific hex; the nature and historical role of a unit after moving it for the first time; some movement limitation house rule after moving a unit for the first time after some specific turn; the historical role of a fortified line or topographical feature when crossing/entering it, and so on.

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Post #: 5

RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 7:04:15 PM

UnionWarDog

Posts: 47
Joined: 11/3/2018
Status: offline

I would agree, Cabido. You should be able to create a dialog window, sort or arrange the info you want from the scenario/game and add some basic graphics from a dialog folder (maybe. .Bmp or .jpg files?).

I know in the event editor this news announcement feature is possible but it's a generic one-suites-all view. No graphics or customizing there.

I believe the dialog editor would be key to improve the overall game. I still would like leaders added to the armies too ;0)

UnionWarDog!

< Message edited by UnionWarDog -- 3/9/2019 7:05:38 PM >

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Post #: 6

RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 7:39:32 PM

Cabido

Posts: 243
Joined: 12/11/2017
Status: offline

The news windows is useless for this goal. To create a text you must combine multiple news events (each event allows only a single limited string) and it only pops up at the beginning of the turn. The window must pop up when the trigger is activated. Also, there is no trigger for first movement of a unit and first time entering an owned hex, which would be very useful.

I think your idea of a configurable window is a good one, but as a first step, IMHO, a simple windows using the briefing window configuration (allowing the designer to change the background picture with each event) would be enough, since it wouldn't need much change to the code, I imagine. It would be using the elements of the present interface. For a configurable window, we would have to wait for an interface revamp. In fact, I don't have great hopes that the simpler idea I've presented will ever be implemented, but we're on our legitimate roles of suggesting improvements, isn't that so?

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Post #: 7

RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 8:20:41 PM

larryfulkerson

Posts: 39932
Joined: 4/17/2005
From: Tucson, AZ
Status: offline

A long time ago, maybe 6 years now, I had an idea about having a "greese pencil" that you could use to make notes, draw proposed stop lines, outline the route you need to take, circle the next objective, annotate those units that need to rest, schedule them for movement to the rear, demarcate the range arc of bombers and fighters. This last one would be particularly useful the way I play. Nothing ever came of my "greese pencil idea". I think they thought about it, laughed about it, and then forgot about it.

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RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/9/2019 9:03:27 PM

Cabido

Posts: 243
Joined: 12/11/2017
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

A long time ago, maybe 6 years now, I had an idea about having a "greese pencil" that you could use to make notes, draw proposed stop lines, outline the route you need to take, circle the next objective, annotate those units that need to rest, schedule them for movement to the rear, demarcate the range arc of bombers and fighters. This last one would be particularly useful the way I play. Nothing ever came of my "greese pencil idea". I think they thought about it, laughed about it, and then forgot about it.

If they laughed about it, it would be only because it must be pretty challenging, with the present TOAW graphics engine, to implement. It is a very, very nice idea, to be able to keep notes of what to do, where to do, etc. That's why I tend to suggest alternatives that are nearer to the present state of the game. A simpler (but not that simple) possibility here would be to create a set of counters which could be placed all around the board, more or like those used in ASL to mark units that already fired, residual fire etc. Some key on the keyboard could bring a menu with counters presenting figures like arrows and text (or figures) like "Limit", "target", "stop", "finished", "goal", "moved", "enemy" (for places you know there is enemy units), or whatever. Being able to choose the colors for the counters could be used for planning for specific formations. I always had a problem remembering which units I still intended to move, so I have to cycle through them multiple times. Also, for intelligence info, it would be nice. Sometimes we have seen enemy units crossing by, we know there are enemies around, but we don't have a way to keep track of it. Sometimes we know the strength of a spotted enemy that isn't spotted anymore, and so on. During a game session, with a small scenario, it is easy to keep track, but if we return to the scenario a couple of days later, it would be nice to have some record.

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Post #: 9

RE: Missing Pcs! Casualty/Battle Report & Generals! - 3/10/2019 1:39:33 AM

larryfulkerson

Posts: 39932
Joined: 4/17/2005
From: Tucson, AZ
Status: offline

quote:

If they laughed about it, it would be only because it must be pretty challenging, with the present TOAW graphics engine, to implement.

I have no doubt that it might be easier to implement it as a feature of an entirely new program, designed for future expansion in mind, in a state of the art programming language, using the best practices of the industry. i'm not sure that our development staff would want to tackle that very soon. It sounds like a huge job. For a team of people.

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Post #: 10