Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Here is a screen shot of the problem I am currently trying to solve. There are 10 flags used in MWIF and you can see all 10 of them here. On the disk they are 24 bit color bitmaps of size 84 by 56 pixels and I have no trouble getting them to appear full size on the screen. Those are the large flags you can see on the bottom portion of the screen.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Borger Borgersen

quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Here is a screen shot of the problem I am currently trying to solve. There are 10 flags used in MWIF and you can see all 10 of them here. On the disk they are 24 bit color bitmaps of size 84 by 56 pixels and I have no trouble getting them to appear full size on the screen. Those are the large flags you can see on the bottom portion of the screen.

I'm used to similar programming problems at work. It's trying to find the needle in the haystack. The way I solve such odd problems is to attack the problem from many different angles until I find the cause of the problem or the workaround.

Have you tried to change the red color of the Chinese nationalist flag to see if it's the RED color that causes it to be transformed to transparent? Have you tried to remove white sun symbol within the blue area to see if helps. Just to try to locate WHAT is causing the problem.

Maybe trying the Chinese nationalist to get the symbol from another country to see if the graphics is causing the problem or maybe the file itself or the file NAME?

Similar with the German flag. Try to alter the size for all flags slightly to see if it could help. I guess there are many other angles to attack this problem, but sooner or later you would find the workaround or the cause of the problem.

Often you will be surprised to learn what caused the problem in the first place. Often there is something logical, but not very easy to see. Other times you have to fight an inherent bug in the development software and only a workaround can solve the problem.

This is part of the fun being a computer programmer. Every day is a search for needles in the haystack. I guess my home is crowded with thousands of found needles already. I know they will come handy one day.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

I solved the problem with the flags using a complete kludge. For the German flag it appears it wanted a percentage instead of a pixel count so I gave it 100 to get the whole flag. But then it was still offset wrong within the frame so I gave it a -5 pixel offset and it now lines up perfectly. For the Nationalist flag (which didn't show the red color) I assumed it was something to do with transparency though setting the bitmap's transparency to false had no effect. I finally wiorked out that it wanted the 4 pixels in the lower left corner of the bitmap to denote the transparency color (the normal is a single pixel) and cured that problem. Total work around - no logic to it at all. None of the other 7 flags need any of these 'adjustments'. So it goes. (My personal variation on that phrase is "Slow it goes").

Here is what I expect to be the final opening screen for the game.

1 - Clicking on the German flag or the Start New Game label goes to the Start New Game Screen.

2 - Clicking on any of the 18 tutorial headings goes to that tutorial.

3 - Clicking on a Partial Map Scenario radio button brings up the list of saved games for that scenario in the list to the right of the radio button list. And similarly for a Full Map Scenario radio button. Double clicking on a file from either file list loads/restores the saved game.

The intent of the design here is to let players start a game/tutorial as fast as possible.

I am revising the Start New Game form and should have it done a a couple of days.

I also starting working out the structure for the tutorial presentations and have it partially coded. I'll try to finish one of the tutorials (in draft) this week for your review.

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I just don't think the flags are doing anything to help. They actively confuse the issues.

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They remind me of the cover of some games, where you see all the flags of all the belligerents.
They are decorum.
They also introduce you to the color / flag matches that are used in the game, well, I'm not sure it is designed this way, but I feel it this way. US are green, Russians are brown, etc..., which not an automatic color / country matchings.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Neilster

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They remind me of the cover of some games, where you see all the flags of all the belligerents.
They are decorum.
They also introduce you to the color / flag matches that are used in the game, well, I'm not sure it is designed this way, but I feel it this way. US are green, Russians are brown, etc..., which not an automatic color / country matchings.

The box cover, a splash screen or during the intro is the appropriate place to show these flags. Not here. With respect, the positives you describe are fairly feeble. They could be arrived at in another way or would become obvious during play anyway.

I think reviewers will punish this section of the game if we persist with this confusing flag display. If some pictures are required to spice this page up, I can think of some suggestions that would actually help convey what is going on. They could be done by the graphic artist or someone who is experienced in this sort of thing.

1. Start a new game: A newspaper placard with the giant headline "IT'S WAR", "WAR DECLARED" or "POLAND INVADED".

2. Tutorials: A picture of maps on a table with books or of a war college or a motarboard to denote formal military study.

3. Restore a saved game: A picture of a floppy disk and perhaps an arrow to denote that info is leaving said disk (possibly animated and pointing to a PC)

Good games (and even not so good ones) spend a lot of effort on these atmosphere building aspects. It helps to immerse the player and give them a feel for the era, as well as providing a visual clue to the options. Given the excellent attention to detail on this project so far, I think it would be a major mistake to skimp on this stuff. It will look unprofessional and the beginning of the game is a bad time to make a poor impression.

Cheers, Neilster

quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets


I have 3 reasons for displaying the flags here:

1 - For decoration (adding a little bit of color)

2 - To familiarize the player with the relationship between the flags and the background colors that will be used throughout the game (subtle and not very important)

3 - To lay some ground work for the next screen which I expect to be somewhat confusing: the flags demark separate decision areas of the screen and are merely decorative (this is a stretch, but every little bit helps)

What I am doing with this screen's graphics is setting expectations. The Opening screen is simple; the Start New Game screen is not. I hope to have the latter done some time today for you-all to critique.

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ORIGINAL: wfzimmerman

quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets


I have 3 reasons for displaying the flags here:

1 - For decoration (adding a little bit of color)

2 - To familiarize the player with the relationship between the flags and the background colors that will be used throughout the game (subtle and not very important)

3 - To lay some ground work for the next screen which I expect to be somewhat confusing: the flags demark separate decision areas of the screen and are merely decorative (this is a stretch, but every little bit helps)

What I am doing with this screen's graphics is setting expectations. The Opening screen is simple; the Start New Game screen is not. I hope to have the latter done some time today for you-all to critique.

i don't feel the need for more splash graphics, but then I am a command line type.

i do feel strongly that the flags are a) not serving useful purposes (as you indicate above) and b) are actively setting confusing expectations.

I would suggest something more along the lines of a simple MWIF banner at the top of the page.

quote:

ORIGINAL: wfzimmerman

quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
I have 3 reasons for displaying the flags here:

1 - For decoration (adding a little bit of color)

2 - To familiarize the player with the relationship between the flags and the background colors that will be used throughout the game (subtle and not very important)

3 - To lay some ground work for the next screen which I expect to be somewhat confusing: the flags demark separate decision areas of the screen and are merely decorative (this is a stretch, but every little bit helps)

What I am doing with this screen's graphics is setting expectations. The Opening screen is simple; the Start New Game screen is not. I hope to have the latter done some time today for you-all to critique.

i don't feel the need for more splash graphics, but then I am a command line type.

i do feel strongly that the flags are a) not serving useful purposes (as you indicate above) and b) are actively setting confusing expectations.

I would suggest something more along the lines of a simple MWIF banner at the top of the page.

quote:

ORIGINAL: wosung
Hi Seve,

it's very pedagogical to connect the flags to the colors of the counters.

But there are also disadvantages:

1. The colors of the counters are in fact quite common for wargamers, not only Wiffers. So for them it's unnecessary.

2. With 5 sections in the Start New Game screen you get all the needed info at once. No clickfeast. That's a good thing. But up to 6-7 different colors and the the flags do make it confusing. That's a bad thing.

BTW: Sorry, but with the colors I associate, eehrr, an Italian ice-cream shop. I just wonder what's the German gray cream is made of...

3.WW2 Atmosphere is missing. Perhaps the screen could look like an old ear-dogged WW2 document with old type-letter fonts? Plus generally they did have a taste for dynamic looking fonts then from Germany to China.

Regards

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ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel
Woah, woah, woah! Wait a minute. The colors look excellent to me. The screen looks a lot better than I have seen it any time before. I guess the only thing I have as a nitpick are the dividing lines between the tabs above the Japanese area. They should be solid lines from top to bottom and nonexistent on the sides. Other than that, very pleasing.

mo_reb

quote:

ORIGINAL: c92nichj
I agree with a lot of other posters. Adding the flags and all the colours make teh start screen look unprofessional and totally lack a WWII feeling.
It is a shame as the map looks so beautiful that the start screen shall look like this.

I suggest that it is handed over to the graphics artist to create a nice and clean screen.

quote:

ORIGINAL: c92nichj

I agree with a lot of other posters. Adding the flags and all the colours make teh start screen look unprofessional and totally lack a WWII feeling.
It is a shame as the map looks so beautiful that the start screen shall look like this.

I suggest that it is handed over to the graphics artist to create a nice and clean screen.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Zorachus99

quote:

ORIGINAL: c92nichj
I agree with a lot of other posters. Adding the flags and all the colours make teh start screen look unprofessional and totally lack a WWII feeling.
It is a shame as the map looks so beautiful that the start screen shall look like this.

I suggest that it is handed over to the graphics artist to create a nice and clean screen.

I honestly thought you were jesting ...

IMO, It looks good, far better than CWIF. Additionally, if these styles can be used on the forms that you use throughout the game, even better. It will be very intuitive what major power you are making decision for; land combat, air combat, production, etc...

quote:

ORIGINAL: abj9562
I know I am a little late to the discussion. However, the flags do seem to be a bit overpowering. My own eyes are drawn to the flags and away from the data being tranmitted. I catch myself being distracted to the flags  and it becomes hard to focus on the information presented. Perhaps fewer flags in opposing corners upper left and lower right which is the natural reading progression for the non Islamic world. That should draw the eyes to the natural start and stop position of the form.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gendarme
Greetings and salutations to the Matrix Wif community.

First, my compliments to those working on the game and keeping a tab on us posting on these forums. You're hard work is appreciated and I'm looking forward eagerly to the game's release. Everything -- maps, counters, etc. -- looks fantastic. As Wif is the final word in strategic WWII boardgaming, it looks like Matrix Wif will be the final word in computer strategic WWII wargaming.

Second, and I'm not certain if this post quite fits in with this topic, but I have three questions/wishes concerning Matrix Wif:

1) I know this game must be too far in development to allow for the feature I am about to suggest, but to me, one of the things I like most about wargaming is the variability that dice bring in. I like rolling the dice. The ups and downs, the lucky streaks and yes even the runs of bad luck. I hope there can be an option for the PC gamer to generate his own dice rolls and enter the results into the game as it progresses, whether the rolls be for combat, US Entry, weather, etc. I don't know if this is even an option with other computer wargames or not, but it's just an idea.

2) I've read on an earlier thread that having a feature that will allow a gamer to print the (absolutely beautiful) Matrix Wif maps would take up too much space on the disc, so the idea is impractical. In spite of this, I would like to voice my wish that this will be an option, even if it means having a second disc for the game or whatever it would take.

3) One way I can possibly see Matrix Wif improving on Wif with regards to small historical details is having the unit scale at divisional level, with each land playing piece being an actual division that existed, numbered and with nicknames if any (the Big Red One, Ariete, Das Reich, etc.), rated by combat strength and movement allowance for Matrix Wif. I realize this would add a whole lot of work for the developers with regards to researching Orders of Battle, so I know this is entirely a pipe dream. Not to mention, the number of playing pieces would be quadrupled: imagine the number of divisions the Soviet or Chinese Armies would have. I know what some guys are thinking, if you want to go divisional, go play Europa. Plus, play balance issues would be involved if Wif moved from Corps-level to divisional level.

Anyways, keep up the good work, guys. It is appreciated by all.

Anthony DeChristopher

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Printing out the maps can be achieved using other software to take screen shots and then putting the pieces together. Building it into the program seems unnecessary. I use HyperSnap to take screen shots and that works well for me. It support dozens of different formats.

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Going to division level in MWIF is not going to happen. The problem is fundamental: teh ADG designers started with a hex scale, a time scale, and a unit scale (for air, naval, and land units). The rules blend those 4 basic elements into a simulation/game: Map + Units + Time + Rules. Every time ADG made shange to 1 of those aspects of the simulation, they had to make changes to 1 or more of the others. I'm not going to mess with those elements except when absolutely forced to (e.g., for the unified map).

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I don't believe I have posted a recent screen shot showing the medium resolution counters. I've added outlines and moved the shadowing to the right/bottom. I will probably make the shadowing a little larger (up from 1 to 2 or 3 pixels). This is zoom level 3, and I think all the numbers are easy to read (except maybe the # of units in a hex).

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ORIGINAL: Froonp

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Printing out the maps can be achieved using other software to take screen shots and then putting the pieces together. Building it into the program seems unnecessary. I use HyperSnap to take screen shots and that works well for me. It support dozens of different formats.

About this, I did this, at 100% zoom which is not the highest, and it took literally hours and hours, I'd even say days, to take the hundred screenshots and assemble all of them. The final assembled file, saved as a JPG (80%) is 67 MB large, most picture processors program fail at even opening it, so processing it is impossible except with the most advanced professional picture software and very very powerful computers.
So I think that if the game had a simple utility that created a bitmap file of the map, even if the output was hundreds of MB large (I think that a full scale full map in BMP format should be larger than 1 GB, but I don't care, GB are cheap nowadays), I would love it. Needless to say, Rob would love it too.

quote:

Going to division level in MWIF is not going to happen. The problem is fundamental: teh ADG designers started with a hex scale, a time scale, and a unit scale (for air, naval, and land units). The rules blend those 4 basic elements into a simulation/game: Map + Units + Time + Rules. Every time ADG made shange to 1 of those aspects of the simulation, they had to make changes to 1 or more of the others. I'm not going to mess with those elements except when absolutely forced to (e.g., for the unified map).

About this, you may know that people at ADG work about divisional WiF, who would be called Master WiF (see for informations at http://www.gdg.de/). For what I know about it, it keeps the map.
Maybe one day Matrix will convert it to MMWiF (Matrix Master WiF)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Froonp

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I don't believe I have posted a recent screen shot showing the medium resolution counters. I've added outlines and moved the shadowing to the right/bottom. I will probably make the shadowing a little larger (up from 1 to 2 or 3 pixels). This is zoom level 3, and I think all the numbers are easy to read (except maybe the # of units in a hex).

Great screen shot !
However, the shadowing are not visible, and what is this outline about ? Before, there was a Green outline for units that were available to perform actions during the step that is in play. Is the green outline replaced by this one ?