Panzer Corps Beta 0.96 - First Impressions (Bloodshot)

[Bloodshot]

Greetings and thanks for letting me take this opportunity to beta test Panzer Corps.

Installation
I decided to change the default path to "G:\Beta\Panzer Corps"
Noticed the game files were installed one step deeper in a duplicate "Panzer Corps" sub-directory:
"G:\Beta\Panzer Corps\Panzer Corps"

Uninstalled and tried again, just in case I had made a mistake entering the path, but there was no change.
(Note to self: Try not to accidentally remove Panzer Command: Ostfront directly above it!)
On the third attempt I used the "New Folder" button in the location browser rather than entering the path text manually - same result.
Thoughts: OK, not a game breaker but I would have preferred it go to the exact location I chose.

Uninstall
While trying to uninstall Panzer Corps, I received the following Windows error message: "Error please wait until the current program is finished uninstalling or being changed"
In order to rectify this I had to restart the PC before trying to uninstall it.

Registry
I was concerned that the Installer did not clear all registry entries from the system after uninstalling Panzer Corps.
Entries were found at the following locations using Find “Panzer Corps” in the Edit menu of the regedit program:
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Slitherine\Panzer Corps" and
"HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxx\Software\Slitherine\Panzer Corps"
Thoughts: Is it not possible to have all game options stored as Ini/cfg files in the game directory instead?

Start up
Launcher checking for updates… buttons to register, cancel and start the game.
Thoughts: Disappointed there is no button to order a pizza… mmmmmmm…. pizza!

I do like your logo animation, Lordz. You didn’t go for the classic “Tank ripping through the screen and firing directly at the user with the name appearing from the explosion”, then?
Love the menu artwork - kudos to the artist(s). Any chance they can do their work from a 1920x1080 monitor so they can fill in those black borders I’m seeing either side of the menu? ;P
So far, so good. Both the artwork and the music are high quality and very atmospheric – I am ready to jump into the role of a World War II General.

Menu - Options
The first thing I look for in any game is the option screen so I can adjust graphics, sound and key bindings to taste. I’m going to assume this is missing so bug hunting doesn’t get any more complex than it already is at this stage of the beta.

The Game
Thankfully, the game uses the whole of my screen without any black borders. Map tiles are pleasing to the eye and easily recognised - units are detailed and easy to see on the terrain tiles. I like the option to change the opacity of the hexagonal border grid rather than just switch it on or off.
(Note: some of the mountain tiles looked slightly unfinished in the lower left corner of the sprite where they overlapped adjacent hexagons)
Using the desktop resolution of 1920 x 1080, the unit icons look a little too small for my taste and I continually feel the need for an extra zoom level whilst playing. However, if I change my desktop to 1280 x 720 and restart the game, the graphic scale is just right at the lower resolution and I can see the fine detail of the artwork much clearer.

GUI
The interface is user friendly. However, I did find myself accidentally deselecting units.
Thoughts: Perhaps an option could be added to allow all commands to be executed with the Left Mouse button, while the Right Mouse button is used for deselection instead. (Also helpful for users who lost their middle finger insulting the wrong Sushi chef)!
I would prefer to see units move rather than teleport to their destination.
When units have both moved and attacked a red line marks the Strength icon below units. Maybe two lines could cross each other like an “X” so that one line could represent moves, the other attack.

[IainMcNeil]

Thanks for the feedback. Just a note on the installer - the install folder is by design because we have had people in the past try to install games to the desktop and if we do not add a folder level the files sit all over the desktop and the uninstaller can wreck your desktop. It's just a precaution.

[grabbysnatch]

Thanks for letting me test the game. As a stalwart wargamer and lover of original Panzer General, which I still play today I had very high hopes for this game. This opportunity gave me the chance to find out and be involved in possibly improving and making the game even better.

Downloading the game was not a problem, although I did have a slight panic when my user code didn't work first time.lol The game saved where I wanted it too and the installing went smoothly and quickly.

As Bloodshot says the artwork is excellent and gives a great feel for what is to come.

On entering the game I found it so like Panzer General I got all nostalgic. I have only ran through some of the menus and looked at the options etc and from all appearances it is everything I had hoped for. After having a quick look at one of the scenarios from all appearances it is Panzer General with nobs on and updated for the 2000's.

I will post more when I get a chance later today to try the tutorials and see how the gameplay works and any likes/dislikes. I can't wait!

[Bloodshot]

Thanks Ian. Can the end of the user's path string not be checked for the substring "/panzer corps" before deciding to duplicate with the precautionary "/panzer corp"?
Or better yet, check to see if it ends with "desktop" and show the message "Aborting... User too stupid to own a PC!"

Bugs
The links to some of the tooltips seem broken whilst hovering the mouse over certain buttons:

You can see the line break tags showing in the texts, for example:

Sea/Air/Rail Transport Button shows: "Embark/Disembark<br/>Sea transports: 0/0<br/>Air Transports: 0/0<br/>Rail transports: 0/0"


Possible cause, using HTML rather than XHTML format, perhaps?
In HTML the <br> tag has no end tag, whereas in XHTML the <br> tag is closed with the forward slash: <br/>

I also noticed that both the Weather and Forecast buttons constantly flicker their tooltips while the mouse pointer is over them.

If a unit is moved long range using truck transport and you use the Undo button, the unit is returned to its original tile but not it's original dismounted state.
However, it can still be returned manually using the Mount/Dismount button - bug or feature?