PCO's Major Differences (Full Version)

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Mad Russian -> PCO's Major Differences (4/10/2011 11:50:37 PM)

Most of PCO's major differences are all about options. Turn things on or off as you like.

One of the most commented aspects of PCO is the camera angles. The way it works is not an option.

PCO camera angles are just different. In PCO you hold down the MOUSE WHEEL and turn your mouse and you can turn your camera right along with it. You move the mouse wheel up or down and the view moves up or down with it. Every camera angle is available while you hold the mouse or mouse wheel. Once you get used it it's simple to use. Like all interfaces it can take some getting used to.

You can preset the height of your view to 1-4; with 1 being a gopher on the ground and 4 being God Almighty looking down on your minions.

Another contention very early on was trees. With the "zero" key you get three options, full trees, partial trees, no trees. In the first two options you get the entire tree to see actual placement. Leaves, branches, and all. In the 'no trees' option, well, you get no trees. No leaves, no branches, no trunks. If the scenario designer set the ground texture to something different than the surrounding terrain you can see where the forest is by the texture on the ground; without having the trees block your own personal LOS. Taking trees off, to look at the underlying terrain, doesn't take away what your units on the game can see, it just gives you the ability to remove them for planning purposes.

There are also many types of trees. Like with the vehicle mods, where they can be individually numbered and given kill rings and units ID's, etc., trees can be made to be individual as well. There are many different types of trees in PCO. Your forests can look like whatever mix you want to put in them.

The same goes with houses, grass, urban buildings and farm buildings. There isn't just one of anything that I can think of. We even have two tractors for your farming needs.

You will find tremendous variations in the scenarios and campaigns included in the update. Which is still on schedule, at last report, to be released the end of this month. That's less than 3 weeks from today!

Good Hunting.

MR



Eagle Strike -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/11/2011 10:18:03 AM)

MR:

Great intel & report.I've always thought that a smart AI with lots of game options & good "eye-candy" always makes for a great game. You Sir & the Team of people behind the scenes have certainly filled in all 3 of those features and beyond my expectations.

Also nice to read a date has been suggested and I'll be ready with a few bubbly to celebrate. [sm=party-smiley-012.gif]



Hellmann -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 12:43:24 AM)

Couldn't agree more! Hope you don't mind me adding I'm extremely grateful MR + Team have been doing all this work. Can't believe after lurking here on and off all these months it's finally coming out! I just wanted to say thank you so much you Mad Russian sir! I really appreciate good camera controls.

I don't know, it just seems there's been an ubiquitous lack of any good games like this in recent years since all big games corporations want to do nowadays is dumb everything down and try to force us into ditching our computers altogether and buying games for their console division only. I guess once they've cornered the console market they'll try and force gamers (or as they would call us, "consumers") into cloud computing; just a broadband connection + a screen on an empty tin can at our end with the actual hardware controlled at their end... Well I'm not buying into that.

I can tell from reading this forum the last few months that Mad Russian and the people working on PCO have good hearts and humanity in their bones, unlike those game companies from Hell that shall remain nameless.

Sign me up for PC:O and more thinking games like this that show some respect for the player! Bravo, thank you and well done!

*passes a White Russian to the Mad Russian* Cheers! [sm=00000436.gif]



mbar -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 12:56:23 AM)

I'm right there with you Hellmann. Can't wait for PC:O and I'm glad to buy a good game I will own, install and uninstall an unlimited amount of times, and don't need an online account just to play single player. Keep making games like this and I will keep buying.



Jacko -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 1:56:57 AM)

I'm glad to hear a release date is more or less announced now. I'm looking forward to this game. 



Stridor -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 2:43:45 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Jacko

I'm glad to hear a release date is more or less announced now. I'm looking forward to this game. 


A release date has been more or less announced for the last 18 months. What makes you think this time it will be any different?

Take that from the perspective of the person who has coded all the changes from PCK->PCO.

In other words I wouldn't hold your breath.

S.



Mobius -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 2:57:05 AM)

There are not just new eye candy but there have been grogish details added under the hood. One example:
quote:

Schürzen Side Skirts
Schürzen were conceived and designed to provide protection primarily against Russian anti-tank rifles and low velocity high explosive rounds. Test firings on Schürzen (both wire mesh & steel plates) were performed prior to 20 Feb 1943. The tests were conducted using the Russian 14.5mm anti-tank rifle from 100m (90°) and a 7.5cm high explosive charge fried from a field gun. In all cases (mesh & steel plates) there was no damage or penetration to the test vehicle's side armor.

Of course Schürzen provides added protection as spaced armor from HEAT shells and warheads but it also deflects APCR bullets from Russian anti-tank rifles. Not 100% resistant but it does deflect a good percentage of them.

(Thanks to Stridor who listened to us.)



Erik Rutins -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 4:42:13 AM)

May 9th is our current planned release date. We'll keep you posted if that changes.

Regards,

- Erik



Firebri -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 7:18:00 AM)

Many thanks for that Erik. I'll warn my printer, that it's going to get run into the ground on May 9th. [:D]

Brian



Yoozername -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 2:48:57 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Mobius

There are not just new eye candy but there have been grogish details added under the hood. One example:
quote:

Schürzen Side Skirts
Schürzen were conceived and designed to provide protection primarily against Russian anti-tank rifles and low velocity high explosive rounds. Test firings on Schürzen (both wire mesh & steel plates) were performed prior to 20 Feb 1943. The tests were conducted using the Russian 14.5mm anti-tank rifle from 100m (90°) and a 7.5cm high explosive charge fried from a field gun. In all cases (mesh & steel plates) there was no damage or penetration to the test vehicle's side armor.

Of course Schürzen provides added protection as spaced armor from HEAT shells and warheads but it also deflects APCR bullets from Russian anti-tank rifles. Not 100% resistant but it does deflect a good percentage of them.

(Thanks to Stridor who listened to us.)


It was designed origionally for ATR and HE specifically. As mentioned, it tended to deflect/disrupt small rounds of the less than 20mm variety. But it also acted as a detonator against HE (explosive) shells. An explosive shell that could get to the lower side hull above the wheels and below the side armor will have its energy trapped under the hull area. Specifically the thin armor right above the tracks. The roadwheels, tracks will take the explosive force and fragmentation also. By having the HE detonate outside this area, the blast hits the ground and goes up in the air.

The fact that it worked against HEAT also was a bonus. The US bazooka round in particular had a hard enough time when it it anything but solid vertical armor.



Mad Russian -> RE: PCO's Major Differences (4/14/2011 3:02:42 PM)

One of the biggest changes to game play is the way PCO handles PBM games now.

The system PCO uses to do PBM's is Drop Box. It's free, it notifies you when you have a turn and it's FAST. Of course any system can be used.

While PCO doesn't have TCP capability using DB is the next best thing. I can send out TWO files in a row, do something else, have DB notify my that new files are ready to play. Go do them.

What we normally do is have the starting gamer do a file and make sure the other player has it before starting his second file. That way both gamers are playing a file at the same time and there is usually one waiting for you when you get yours done.

Then if something comes up the files simply become PBEM files that can be done at the gamers leisure.

While all of that is good news, the best news is that PCO tells you which file is the next to be played. You don't have to try to figure out which file has to be played next or getting out of sequence like with the old system. The new system does all that for you.

Good Hunting.

MR



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