A brilliant idea...

[tagge]

...or complete crap. I’ll leave the decision to you. Anyway, here goes.

Sometimes in the editor I find the strategic, tactical and operational map bmp-files too small. It would be cool if you could change the splash screen background pic (the one showing while the mission is loading) in the editor to something fitting for the mission in question, a big ass map or sumefink…

The background pic is in the gamefiles, I know, but could it be done?

[ShaneO]

a big ass map

One likes to think one knows one's way around an ass already.

[hcrof]

I like that idea - a bit more of an effort for the designers but it would add interest to the loading time and actualy get people to read mission briefings!

[Field Marshal Blücher]

I presume this would be impossible without the developers making available the use of multiple loading screens, otherwise you'd just have the same map there no matter what mission you're loading. Doesn't sound like a lot of coding to me, and it could be a cool idea, but I might be wrong, especially on the first count.

[panzermartin]

Oh, I like this. Some scenarios take forever to load, this would be very smart use of our time.

[Dietrich]

I too like this idea. The only obvious problem I foresee with this is that the loading progress bar would obscure (at least partially) whatever image the scenario designer had included as the background, thus limiting its usefulness somewhat.

[stikkypixie]

I think it would be better if we could zoom in and out when viewing the map of the briefing.

[birdstrike]

Very nice idea, indeed. But as Blücher has said, currently not possible because there's no multiple backgrounds.

Nevertheless, definitely something worth noting as a possible future improvement.

[JonS]

I too like this idea. The only obvious problem I foresee with this is that the loading progress bar would obscure (at least partially) whatever image the scenario designer had included as the background, thus limiting its usefulness somewhat.

It'd be fairly simple to either move the blue bar (to the bottom of the screen?) or to just leave a 'hole' in the centre of the image.

[ChrisND]

This has several major problems, one of which is that the player would have to manually swap out the file for the loading screen in the game files before each and every scenario is downloaded. The second problem is that the player cannot review the picture after the scenario has loaded (which can be quick) without tabbing out of the game and opening the file.

Impractical, in other words, unless BFC were to allow these files to be wrapped in with the scenario and replace the default picture.

[snake_eye]

One of us found a way to look at the tactical and operational stuff. He put these in a PDF file.

The good point : You can read it in your bed the previous night, think about it while sleeping and play later. More seriously, while loading you can read it and refer to it while playing

The bad point : You have to unzip the PDF file and print it, before playing, since there are nothing written in the opening battle screen.

I think that with good shots of the battle ground and clear order that could be another alternative to what should be seen in the opening screen. Not to put anything in it, is not a good idea even if the maps aren't so easy to look at. A zoom, however would be welcome.

What do you think of it ?

Cheer

[JonS]

Impractical, in other words, unless BFC were to allow these files to be wrapped in with the scenario and replace the default picture.

That would seem to be the obvious longterm solution.