J P Wagner

HOI2?.....I'll pass...once learnt.....

No, there will not be Mexico in the SC2 game as the map will still have the basic SC2 theater area but larger.... with the editor however, you could expand the territory of America for any scenario you may wish to create...

It would be interesting if you could script events in any scenario you may devise...for example, in the Russian Civil War, being able to have an event concerning assassination attempts agianst Politcal/Military leaders, which could result in the reduced effectiveness of a HQ unit, would be a nice random element to have in the game....

I think it would be an added challenge if land units could only do tech upgrades in friendly city hexes..uh..tiles...units would then need to withdraw in order to be refitted, so you will need to make certain you do not weaken your lines....it will also make that enemy city hex..uh..tile which is only two hexes..uh..tiles away, that much more of a plum to capture since it will advance you tech base ability...it will also result in a more measured tech advance rate for existing units... [ May 03, 2004, 06:31 PM: Message edited by: J P Wagner ]

I have mentioned this before but it bears repeating...the internet is a blessing and a curse for gaming companies...on the one hand it helps promote a product, but on the other, the forums can generate so much bitching, moaning, and groaning, about when a game will be released, that one wonders if companies push a release ahead of schedule for fear of losing customers..... The pre-release forum for OOTP6 was abundant with all this foolish "when will it be released?" nonsence...When Markus dared to mention that he was hopeful for a release by opening day, and did not deliver, the complaining was both obnoxious and redundant. Potential buyers have complained about the overlong delay for Matrix's Empires in Arms to the point that there were some posts stating that people were no longer going to buy the game because it took so long. To a lesser degree, there were people asking about the release date for Frank Hunter's Campaign on the Danube, and when it was released, while not unplayable, had too many bugs to make it enjoyable... Hearts of Iron also had a glut of release date posts, the end result being that it was a mess when it was released... and while I have read more than once that all the latest patches have improved the game immeasurably, I cannot be bothered with it anymore as I have too many games on my plate right now, with limited time to play them....but, my HOI experience has caused me not to even look at Victoria, so while they received my money for HOI, they lost me as a returning customer.... But saying that, Forums aren't always negative...right here in SC, Hubert may have gathered some good ideas from the likes of JJ, Edwin, Kuniworth, Rambo, and others to help make SC2 the best WWII strategic game on the market... [ May 02, 2004, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: J P Wagner ]

I had bought a 3DO game console only because PG was available on it..while I enjoyed PG2 and to a lesser extent, PG3, the original game was still tops...sure there were complaints that it was a "rock - paper - sissors" approach to the combat system, and this critique was justified, but it still was a great game...too bad I can't get my pc version of PG1 to run effectively on my XP PC....

DD, I do not have the skills to make my own strategic games from scratch, which is one of the reasons I am anxiously awaiting the editor!..

Agreed...keep it turn based

Like Bill and Les, I too am looking foward to WAW... but a more truer measure of how a global WWII strategic game may work might be with World in Flames...we already know how the map will look, based on ADG's design, but it will be interesting to see how the AI they are trying to develop turns out.....regarding the SC2 editor, the more I work on details for the Russian Civil War mod, the more I believe that I might be able to pull it off using the SC2 engine... just hope it's not wishful thinking...

I wouldn't use HOI as a barometer for any other game out there....if it's done right, and SC is one game going in the right direction, a global WWII strategic game could be viable and enjoyable gaming experience..

Probably like SC1, the Axis and Allies will be hardcoded, with only thier entry level as a variable...but perhaps with the editor, you'll be able to set up any alliance, neutral, ect. that you want.....

An agricultural resource would be beneficial... perhaps Hubert could provide a nice Wheat sprite?....

For me, without question, it's the inclusion of an editor.....while I will want SC2 for the chance to once again play a WWII strategic game, I can envision myself starting work on a campaign mod shortly after I learn all about the game mechanics and editor features....I have started researching the Russian Civil War, refreshing my stale mind on the subject, working on OOB's, HQ designations, map features, ect., so that if it's feasible with the editor, I will be ready to go when the game is available.... even if I cannot translate the subject to a mod effectively, it will not be a waste of time because reacquainting myself with this facinating and chaotic period in Russian history is reward in itself...

I have no doubt the some abstractions will need to be taken into account when modding a game outside of the SC2 sphere... for example, recreating the use of armored trains during the Russian Civil War will no doubt be difficult to implement, but perhaps by using a low value armor unit, one might still be able to represent it for gameplay purposes...I should add that there were Cavalry Corps as well and if they are not one of the representative units available in SC2, they would need to be abstracted... unless, will it be possible to add unit types with the editor? [ April 28, 2004, 11:36 AM: Message edited by: J P Wagner ]

Bill, thanks for reminding me of Hubert's quote...I guess there is some possibilities here, which is encouraging, but time will tell.....

I have that game too Rambo..it's a very good starting point for a mod.....and Victory Games Korean War would be beneficial for that mod as well.... [ April 26, 2004, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: J P Wagner ]

I had planned to lay off discussing the editor and our hopes for future scenarios but it's simply too tempting to resist....I would like to get a general concensus on what you think the AI is capable of (if anything) when creating these scenarios...Sarge and others have mentioned that you are creating different era and location scenarios but still have the WWII SC2 game engine beneith it...as a comparison, it is like having Windows XP but still using the Windows NT kernel...so, can these campaign mods that everyone would like to develop use the SC2 AI, or are they going to be hot seat and pbem only?...the mods that were made for SCI were still contained within the framework of the original game, but the ideas suggested thus far, American Civil War, The Pacific, Korea, Russian Civil War, Invasion America, ect. break away from the SCII European theater framework...only WWI seems to be a decent "overlay" to SCII and perhaps have a competant AI available for it... Personally, I hope it is possible to incorporate the AI, though at this point I cannot fathom how it can work on the diverse ideas that have been presented...perhaps someone can shed some light on this topic which remains very murky to me...

Now that's something to think about. :cool: </font>

From what he said, it looks that way...and since you can rename them, I presume that they do not even need to represent countries...for example, in the Russian Civil War scenario I guess I would have the six slots reserved for: 1. Reds 2. Whites 3. Blues - US, UK, & French Armies 4. Greens - Peasant Armies that fought on both sides 5. Poland 6. Ukrainian, Finnish, Armenian Independent Armies The map would need to divide Russia into territories where Reds, Whites, Greens and Independent Armies would be initially positioned, with the Blues having the ability to invade during a specific turn....The Whites,Independent, and Blues would be allied (though historically they were not acting in unison) agianst the Reds...the Greens would be neutral and have valuable resources in their territories, which both armies would need to possess, so they could join either side, when their territory is invaded...Poland would also be neutral but like Russia in SC1, will have their war readinees increase by territorial incursions and build ups.... There you have a very bare bones idea of the scenario that I'm aching to try to make.... Bill?...Hubert?...anyone?....based on the editor, and what it can and cannot do, is such an idea plausible?

We are going down the same path that a few other threads have gone, namely what in fact this editor can do and the wish lists that accompany the topic....I know the game is quite a way off, but there seems to be as much anticipation for the editor as the game itself...I think I'll put these visions of scenario editing, which are dancing around in my mind, on hiatus for awhile until we have some more concrete information on the editor...

This poor horse has been beaten into a can of SPAM...As has been suggested by more than one person here, let's wait until the demo is out before passing judgement....there will be other options for gamers on the Strategic WWII front in the near future and so it will be interesting to make comparisons when the time arises....for now though, the idea of an editor for the game is one of the most exciting features that I am drooling for...if the editor has the potential to do what some here are presuming it could, and having a tile based map makes using the editor easier, than I will gladly accept the change....the demo will be free, so we'll all be able to make more sound decisions about the gameplay then with only the investment of time... [ April 21, 2004, 07:51 PM: Message edited by: J P Wagner ]

And that has been my point, in a few post around here, regarding what exactly this editor can and cannot do...looking forward to the day when more info about the editor is released...

5 tiles from Tobruk to the bottom of the map is excellent!

I hope more info comes out in the near future about the editor, how it works, AI management, screenshots, ect. because so many people here are designing games in their minds, that it would be a shame if most scenario ideas cannot be realized...right now, I'm more curious about the editor than the game....