Lock 'n Load - officially in beta

Hi, Over at the Matrix forum Mark Walker had this to say : "It's in beta. There is no debate. Beta has a definition. Beta means the software is feature complete. HOS is feature complete. Now that doesn't mean every feature works perfectly, but all the features the game will have are in, and working. In fact, some of them need a good amount of working. " http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/m.asp?m=2568093&mpage=1&key= Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

Abstract wargames and other assorted ramblings

Hi, What are the world=92s most successful - in terms of spread and survival rate through the centuries - boardgames and what have they all in common ? Well, the first part of the question is easy, it=92s games like chess, checkers, go and awale. The thing they have all in common is that unlike every other game out there they=92re lacking something. That something is a theme, a background story - they=92re all abstract games. Sure, you could argue that chess has a vague battlefield theme, but in what era were elephants (castles) and bishops fighting on the same battlefield and wi

R.U.S.E. demo out

Hi, http://store.steampowered.com/app/33310/ Copy & Paste of Arctic Blast's description of the game over at The Wargamer forum : "The 'gimmick' is the availability of various ruses in game. You earn them through battle results and the like, and can use them on a specific region in the game. Propaganda to reduce enemy morale, fake radio chatter and dummy units to create a feint, radio silence and camo to hide the real offensive, that sort of thing. The other part that's different is the scale. This isn't like CoH where you're micromanaging individual guys. You're sending out u

i am fitting my depression with jesus :) :)

high evryone its me denny pants. i have been so sad i have been crying more then when my big brother butter pants died :( :( mom took me to see pastor matthews she always does that when i am sad becos he fills me up with jesus joy and i feel grate but it didnt work this time :( :( he told me that happiness is a long road but i can be sure jesus is at the end. then last nite i remembered that uncle jean owns a cabbin out of town rite at the end of happiness road!!!! that must be a signe from god! :) :) uncle jean took me their once that is were he grows his special plants. i be

Battle Chronicler

Hi, Maybe this is old news, but I just encountered some freeware software to create battle reports by giving you a mapping tool. It creates automatic arrows if you move units on it and such and is ideal for AAR's of a game where you want to show the big picture and a screen capture just won't do it. Anyway, when you see, you'll know what I mean : Main page : http://www.battlechronicler.com/ Direct Download page : http://www.battlechronicler.com/download/downloadv08.html Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

Panzer Command : OstFront - beta bunnies wanted

Hi, http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2563004 They're looking for some fresh eyes to do some final bug/stability testing for this soon to be released title Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

Windows 7 - Anything to know related to wargames?

I finally installed Windows 7 on my machine, along with a new GeForce 470GTX graphic card. I'm quite happy with the setup: graphics under DX11 just scream... which is not really in-topic here : o) More IT, is there something I should be aware of regarding wargames? To my surprise, the CMx1 run just fine, and so does TOAW. Any problem/surprises with other titles I should be aware of?

Harpoon 3 scenarios for the PlayersDB

The 39th NEW Harpoon scenario of the year! Middleweights Past Japanese militarism and colonial rule has continued to strain relations with its neighbours, most notably, South Korea. One of the principal disputes between them has been over territorial claims to a pair of tiny rocky islets that lie almost mid-way between them in the Sea of Japan, know as Dokdo in the ROK and Takeshima in Japan. These desolate rocks sit in rich deepwater fishing grounds and above unexploited energy reserves potentially worth billions. Past threats by Japan to conduct a survey of the area, presuma

=?windows-1252?Q?Decisive_Campaigns=3A_The_Blitzkrieg_from_Warsaw_to_Pa?= =?windows-1252?Q?ris_=96_initial_impressions?=

Hi, I think I=92ve gotten a bit of a reputation in here for bad-mouthing computer games in favor of boardgames, so let me take the opportunity here to use this game as an example of what computer wargames do better, the extra stuff they can bring to a wargame which can=92t be done in a boardgame. - Battlefield congestion. Instead of rigid stacking rules and penalties, there=92s a gradual and automatic penalty in this game for pushing too many troops into a too tiny space, both in offense and defense. - Everything takes time, including waiting around for another unit=92s fight to

Microgames

Hi, First data point : there=92s a sub-species of boardgames called microgames =96 something like 2 dozen pieces, playable in under half an hour etc. An example of this is : http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28776/unternehmung-25-v-mail-postcar= d-game-2 The =9320=94 series of VPG comes to mind too =96 games with 20 unit counters. Second data point : small games, or =93social games=94 as they=92re called today are hugely popular, to be played in the odd 10 minutes you have to spare here and there. Farmville, Bejeweled, =85 So, what about a pc wargame microgame =96 no

Charles S. Roberts passed away

Hi, The father of US wargaming, founder of AH http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-charles-roberts-20100827,0,1072832.story?page=1 It's quite telling that AH is only mentioned off-hand, while trains & railroads take center stage in the story of his life Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

i met aston kutcher and russell crow but i lost my one true luv :( :( :(

high evryone its me denny pants. i went to jail to see uncle jean!! i sed uncle jean i'm sorry ur in here i cant weight for u to get out. he sed he will take me shooting the first weekend he gets out!! see he dos'nt blame me at all!!! :) i told him that fay broke up with me and i asked fore his advise. he sed there is nothing more romnatic then getting a tatoo of ur girlfrends name. then i saw that uncle jean had new tatoo on his arm that sed joes bitch. i sed uncle jean that is not romantic and he sed it is a prison thing i wuldn't understand. i went to the tatoo shop and at th

Battlefield Academy - The Wargamer review

Hi, Jim Zabek doing the reviewing Part 1 : http://www.wargamer.com/article/2929/battlefield-academy-part-i Part 2 : http://www.wargamer.com/article/2931/battlefield-academy-part-ii Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

Panzer Command : OstFront - semi-interactive AAR

Hi, Over at the Matrix forum Erik Rutins is playing a game and asking for player input as to tactics - it looks like the game is going to be a lot of fun : http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/m.asp?m=2557969 Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

VR Design on AI in wargaming

Vic wrote an interesting article on his blog about the AI in wargaming: http://www.vrdesigns.nl/ I was wondering about his comment on the AI in chess. Is chess really an "easier" game than almost any wargame? Given that chess has indeed less units and less squares with less rules than the average wargame. Why than the almost mythical hubdub surrounding chess? I guess it is the uniformity of chess ( a wargame with only one scenario and one setup) plus the millions of players and followers that form its status. If we had only one wargame and we all only played, lets say, ASL, with onl

OT: "Connections" ...

James Burke has made his 1970s "Connections" TV series available for free on YouTube. Just go there and Google for "Connections Episode 1" and you can watch the full series. YouTube quality ... but what the heck. Interesting to see how a technology show that's pushing forty has held up. -- Giftzwerg *** "Obama managed to stake a brave stand on a principle no one seriously contests - the legal right to build the mosque - while voting "present" on the question that matters: whether they *should* or not. This is high-toned dodginess, insipidity masquerading as incisiveness.

an 1890 wargame

Hi, No, not a game on the war of 1890, but an actual British wargame of the 1890's Up for auction if you've got a couple of thousand dollar to spare. http://www.gizmag.com/game-of-war-up-for-auction/16094/ Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

Chain of Command - announced

Hi, http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3D96883 "The game will be called Chain of Command, and offers a very unique outlook on the classic ww2 strategy genre =96 it allows players to command units within a true military hierarchy filled out with other players. Imagine a classic hex-tiled ww2 strategy game like Panzer General 2, but portrayed on a truly global scale, with entire teams of players commanding the units of each nation=92s forces. That=92s the dream of CoC. It takes turn-based ww2 strategy gaming to the maximum degree and infuses team coordination, co

Lock 'n Load - Heroes of Stalingrad - new screenshots

Hi, http://www.wargamer.com/article/2926/lock-'n-load-heroes-of-stalingrad Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

OT: Nom de guerre

Hi, Got a mail from a wargame friend this morning. It contained the request to remove his name from a post I made at the Matrix forum a couple of years ago which mentioned him as having collaborated on a WWII book. The guy works in a tough & cut-throat international academic job and wants to remove all possible =93dirt=94 that can be dug up on him by his academic rivals. First I=92d like to rant a bit about how sad a world we live in where having collaborated on a WWII book is considered =93dirt=94 in the academic world. How low has academia fallen. No wonder their prestige has

Recruiting players for WW2

WW2 is about to begin again. There is a need for Tactical army, air, and naval officers. The game is played by email (text only) and turns are 11 day not counting weekends. Land war scale is division sized units, air war is between squadrons, and naval is by task forces or by mission. Ranks begin as Lt. General, Squadron Leaders, and Captains. This is not just a Tactical game. That is the starting level. You can earn promotion to the Operational Level and control fronts. From there you can expand to senior OP level and even Strategic Leadership of a nation. Game info site: htt

Field of Glory - patch 1.3.3

Hi, "... update includes significant improvements in evasion logic, additional allied army unit images, new maps for the DAG, an auto deployment feature, AI improvements, and plenty of fixes. Particularly important fixes include the resolution of several multiplayer issues from 1.2.8 including some crashes and freezes." Update File: ftp://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/FieldofGlory/FieldofGlory-Update-Comp-v133.zip More info : http://www.matrixgames.com/products/378/details/Field.of.Glory Greetz, Eddy Sterckx

New Matrx Game: Decisive Campaigns Warsaw to Paris

Eddy must be taking a well deserved break! LOL New game coming out from Matrix from the designer of Advanced Tactics. Operational Level with a strategic layer (cards apparently), the game covers the early blitzkriegs from Poland through the fall of france. There's a hypothetical Sea Lion scenario as well as a couple of smaller scenarios. No screen shots yet on the Matrix site. Release date is apparently estimated at end of August. Funny thing about Matrix is that you most often get either incredibly long lead times or a game just seems to pop up moments before release. Anyway

BFTB

Howdy gents, long time no see. Been away for a while and I've celebrated coming back by buying BFTB. So far, I love it. Played the intro scen without watching any of the movies, just used what I learned playing HTTR (still haven't bought COTA, but I imagine I will). Scored a decisive victory on my first go. Probably got lucky. I sent the 318 inf reg across a fairly undefended crossing point to the right of the one that needs to be secured, and sent an arm reg right at the bridge slightly delayed. The 318 made it across the river easily and helped secure the obj bridge from the other

BftB : Yoyo attacks ?

Two or three times recently I've noticed a battalion I've given an order to reach its objective only to immediately issue orders to return to its original start point. The first couple of times this happened I was in the thick of it, so with a mental WTF, just ordered it to defend in situ. This time though I was well on the way to forcing a surrender and had the wit to make a save to investigate later. When I checked later if left alone the battalion actually returns all the way to its FUP, (which I had placed at the point it had been defending at for some time.) reorgs and then a