Titles That Already Use the PBEM++++ System

[Probus]

I am curious as to all the options and features we will get with the new PBEM+++++ system included with the Steam Cold War release.  Can anyone point me to a list of games that already use it?  I probably own a few and don't know it.

Thanks!

[BFCElvis]

21 minutes ago, Probus said:

I am curious as to all the options and features we will get with the new PBEM+++++ system included with the Steam Cold War release.  Can anyone point me to a list of games that already use it?  I probably own a few and don't know it.

Thanks!

Your question was one of the first that I'd asked because I wanted to take it for a test drive on something. I tried it in Field of Glory II and Gary Grisby's War in the East 2. 

It's probably time for an update. So, I'm glad that you asked @Probus.

The 2 main features that it will introduce are:

1) After you have finished your PBEM turn the email file is automatically sent to your opponent. The opponent is also sent an email notifying them that the turn has been received. 

2) There is a "lobby" where you can pick up a game. In it is a list of available games that you can play. If you are starting a game against a specific player you can password protect that battle so that only someone with the password can play it. Otherwise, anyone is free to play any available battle.

The look is what you are already used to. As things get closer to being done I'll post some screenshots so that you can see what I mean by that. Everything looks very "CM". Which means the learning curve will be very shallow for people familiar with Combat Mission.

When setting up a PBEM battle the dropdown list that now includes 1 Player - Real Time, 1 Player - Turn Based, etc now also has "2 Player - PBEM3" as a choice. The naming of that will likely change. It looks like it looks now when setting up a battle. There is just 1 additional chpice.

In Saved Game where you now load your saved games and PBEM turns there is a dropdown menu with several choices. One is PBEM 3 Challenges and another is PBEM3 - In Progress. The latter is where you load your PBEM3 turns from. The drop down menu changes what you're looking at (Challenges, saved games, PBEM3 in progress games etc..) but those screens look like what the Saved Game screen looks like now. 

Those are the basics. There are a few more details that we'll get into once they are locked down. Like how you'll be logged into the Matrix servers and stuff like that but the items listed above are the main functions. Also, the intention (and no one has suggested otherwise) is for the existing PBEM system to remain for those that don't want to use PBEM3 for whatever reason. 

The obvious, and reasonable, next question (I'll answer it before someone asks it) is "when will it be out?" Dunno. Last April is when we wanted it. There was a feature that worked perfectly........and then stopped working perfectly. It has been a bear to figure out why it's stopped working. All that I can ask in the meantime is for you to enjoy your Battlefront version of the game.

[Grey_Fox]

On 9/29/2021 at 5:22 PM, BFCElvis said:

Your question was one of the first that I'd asked because I wanted to take it for a test drive on something. I tried it in Field of Glory II and Gary Grisby's War in the East 2. 

It's probably time for an update. So, I'm glad that you asked @Probus.

The 2 main features that it will introduce are:

1) After you have finished your PBEM turn the email file is automatically sent to your opponent. The opponent is also sent an email notifying them that the turn has been received. 

2) There is a "lobby" where you can pick up a game. In it is a list of available games that you can play. If you are starting a game against a specific player you can password protect that battle so that only someone with the password can play it. Otherwise, anyone is free to play any available battle.

The look is what you are already used to. As things get closer to being done I'll post some screenshots so that you can see what I mean by that. Everything looks very "CM". Which means the learning curve will be very shallow for people familiar with Combat Mission.

When setting up a PBEM battle the dropdown list that now includes 1 Player - Real Time, 1 Player - Turn Based, etc now also has "2 Player - PBEM3" as a choice. The naming of that will likely change. It looks like it looks now when setting up a battle. There is just 1 additional chpice.

In Saved Game where you now load your saved games and PBEM turns there is a dropdown menu with several choices. One is PBEM 3 Challenges and another is PBEM3 - In Progress. The latter is where you load your PBEM3 turns from. The drop down menu changes what you're looking at (Challenges, saved games, PBEM3 in progress games etc..) but those screens look like what the Saved Game screen looks like now. 

Those are the basics. There are a few more details that we'll get into once they are locked down. Like how you'll be logged into the Matrix servers and stuff like that but the items listed above are the main functions. Also, the intention (and no one has suggested otherwise) is for the existing PBEM system to remain for those that don't want to use PBEM3 for whatever reason. 

The obvious, and reasonable, next question (I'll answer it before someone asks it) is "when will it be out?" Dunno. Last April is when we wanted it. There was a feature that worked perfectly........and then stopped working perfectly. It has been a bear to figure out why it's stopped working. All that I can ask in the meantime is for you to enjoy your Battlefront version of the game.

Considering there are a number of bugfixes waiting on the CMCW patch (e.g. M113 .50 cals being able to see through smoke), is there any chance of releasing the patch without PBEM++?

Edited September 30, 2021 by Grey_Fox

[Probus]

14 hours ago, Grey_Fox said:

Considering there are a number of bugfixes waiting on the CMCW patch (e.g. M113 .50 cals being able to see through smoke), is there any chance of releasing the patch without PBEM++?

Good question. What do you think @BFCElvis?

[BFCElvis]

17 hours ago, Grey_Fox said:

Considering there are a number of bugfixes waiting on the CMCW patch (e.g. M113 .50 cals being able to see through smoke), is there any chance of releasing the patch without PBEM++?

A patch hasn't gotten to the testing phase yet. So, it's unlikely there will be a patch before the one adding PBEM+++ The "patch" that is being tested now only includes PBEM+++ at this point.

[Dr.Fusselpulli]

On 9/29/2021 at 6:22 PM, BFCElvis said:

All that I can ask in the meantime is for you to enjoy your Battlefront version of the game.

Yes, it's great! Just would love to see the termal vision for M113s fixed. And if possible the behaviour of firing ATGMs from vehicles changed from denying when "Waypoint exist" to "driver is driving"
And I'm curious about modules already, but this will probably take a while.

[BFCElvis]

On 9/30/2021 at 6:36 PM, Grey_Fox said:

Considering there are a number of bugfixes waiting on the CMCW patch (e.g. M113 .50 cals being able to see through smoke), is there any chance of releasing the patch without PBEM++?

 

16 hours ago, Dr.Fusselpulli said:

Yes, it's great! Just would love to see the termal vision for M113s fixed. 

This is marked in the bug tracking software as "Resolved"

[Dr.Fusselpulli]

On 10/28/2021 at 6:03 PM, BFCElvis said:

This is marked in the bug tracking software as "Resolved"

Yeah, I believe it is, as this doesn't seem to be a complicated bug. But it needs to find it's way into a patch. But if the next patch is just about PBEM++ ...isn't there a little bit of space for the small M113 as well? 

[BFCElvis]

22 minutes ago, Dr.Fusselpulli said:

Yeah, I believe it is, as this doesn't seem to be a complicated bug. But it needs to find it's way into a patch. But if the next patch is just about PBEM++ ...isn't there a little bit of space for the small M113 as well? 

The next patch will not just be for PBEM+++. 

 

On 10/1/2021 at 12:36 PM, BFCElvis said:

A patch hasn't gotten to the testing phase yet. So, it's unlikely there will be a patch before the one adding PBEM+++ The "patch" that is being tested now only includes PBEM+++ at this point.

I made this post a month ago.