The New Field of Glory

[desdecado]

Thanks for the reply - you say "...you can still download and play the open beta version that have WotS fully operational." Does this include a functioning AI?

[ianiow]

No AI as yet. Just muliplayer or hotseat against yourself.

[Nakedcelt]

No AI as yet. Just muliplayer or hotseat against yourself.

Link?

[ianiow]

No AI as yet. Just muliplayer or hotseat against yourself.

Link?

viewtopic.php?f=97&t=39843

[XOPT13]

I share your frustration that FOG2 and WotS are not officially out yet. But you can still download and play the open beta version that have WotS fully operational.

How can I play with it? What serial number must be write, that I can play all armypacks? I can not start new game...

[ianiow]

I share your frustration that FOG2 and WotS are not officially out yet. But you can still download and play the open beta version that have WotS fully operational.

How can I play with it? What serial number must be write, that I can play all armypacks? I can not start new game...

I believe you use your serial numbers from the original game. Go to the slitherine main page and log on to find your serials http://www.slitherine.com/my_page/serials
The new version of the beta is only days away now. viewtopic.php?f=97&t=49162

[kme37158]

Field of Glory 2. Do we have release date for this game which is going to be met.

I have been playing this game for years but this seems to have just disappeared with no further development.

I have downloaded the beta of the game but this is not the same.

[gavril]

I check in here every now and again to see how things are progressing. I've invested quite a lot of money in this game and I would love to see - eventually - a new version with a challenging AI. Will it happen? Who knows. I decided some time ago to revert to table top gaming, both with a local wargaming chum and also solo. I've found the Command & Colors games are perfect for solo Ancients wargaming.

As for FoG, it's been a huge (and quite expensive) disappointment for me. I know that is probably a minority view, but each to their own...

I hope that eventually it's all ironed out and resolved.

[XOPT13]

How can we help to developers? They need money? How much money do they need? Where they collect money for the game? Thanks.

[Schweinewitz]

As for FoG, it's been a huge (and quite expensive) disappointment for me. I know that is probably a minority view, but each to their own...

Same here.

I hope that eventually it's all ironed out and resolved.

Hope so, too. But although Pete thinks that "this game will be absolutely massive as soon as it is re-launched properly", I'm afraid that when (yes, when?) it actually sees a relaunch it could be already too late.

[gavril]

>>Hope so, too. But although Pete thinks that "this game will be absolutely massive as soon as it is re-launched properly", I'm afraid that when (yes, when?) it actually sees a relaunch it could be already too late.

The question, I suppose, is just how bothered are Slitherine? I suspect the honest answer is "not very". Software companies tend to focus on their next big release. Intensive support and development will never make economic sense when you're looking at a game aimed at a niche market - even if that niche is a substantial one. Software companies don't have the same "hobbyist" ethos that exists amongst many traditional wargames companies, Games Workshop aside, whether their products are geared towards tabletop gamers or board gamers. Most people go into the wargames business for reasons of enthusiasm as much as for the money. I've talked to a few people over the years about getting involved myself at some level, and they all say the same thing: do it for the love of it, not for the money, if you want to avoid huge disappointment and frustration. Software companies, on the other hand, are first and foremost money making enterprises - however strenuously they might deny it! We're talking about an entirely different ethos.

So is there a way forward? One gleam of light is the Wesnoth project, which many people on here may be familiar with. It provides a community based, open software model which has delivered a bug free and absorbing D&D wargame that can be tweaked and edited by the users (albeit there is a learning curve involved). This kind of model is likely to be, IMHO, the only one that is capable of delivering a really satisfactory and long lasting solution to the kind of issues we've had with FoG Digital. AFAIK there is nothing along the lines of Wesnoth in the pipeline for ancients/medieval wargaming, and despite many years in the IT industry I lack the skills to get anything similar off the ground. But if we want to move forward then I believe this collective vision of R&D will provide a much more viable solution than relying on the goodwill and patience of companies which, at the end of the day, are primarily motivated by profit. In a sense, this would represent a return to the roots of wargaming - and that would be no bad thing.

Cheers,
Jay
PS Wesnoth can be found here - http://www.wesnoth.org/

[Nakedcelt]

I'm inclined to agree gavril, this rewrite is taking far too long.

I've played the beta version a few times. There are some nice touches - everything is a little crisper and quicker, I like the combat narrative and yes there are some unpublished lists to play around with. But in terms of improvement I feel that's pretty much your lot; none of my bugbears - absence of weather effects, roads, bridges and buildings, little choice of viewpoint and nasty unit graphics - have been addressed. (And I don't think I'm alone in holding these views!)

It would be nice to hear from someone in the company about what the long term plan is. In the meantime, although I've yet to purchase three of the army lists, I'm afraid my money's staying in my pocket until we see the full version of the upgrade>

[Micha63]

>>Hope so, too. But although Pete thinks that "this game will be absolutely massive as soon as it is re-launched properly", I'm afraid that when (yes, when?) it actually sees a relaunch it could be already too late.

The question, I suppose, is just how bothered are Slitherine? I suspect the honest answer is "not very". Software companies tend to focus on their next big release. Intensive support and development will never make economic sense when you're looking at a game aimed at a niche market - even if that niche is a substantial one. Software companies don't have the same "hobbyist" ethos that exists amongst many traditional wargames companies, Games Workshop aside, whether their products are geared towards tabletop gamers or board gamers. Most people go into the wargames business for reasons of enthusiasm as much as for the money. I've talked to a few people over the years about getting involved myself at some level, and they all say the same thing: do it for the love of it, not for the money, if you want to avoid huge disappointment and frustration. Software companies, on the other hand, are first and foremost money making enterprises - however strenuously they might deny it! We're talking about an entirely different ethos.

So is there a way forward? One gleam of light is the Wesnoth project, which many people on here may be familiar with. It provides a community based, open software model which has delivered a bug free and absorbing D&D wargame that can be tweaked and edited by the users (albeit there is a learning curve involved). This kind of model is likely to be, IMHO, the only one that is capable of delivering a really satisfactory and long lasting solution to the kind of issues we've had with FoG Digital. AFAIK there is nothing along the lines of Wesnoth in the pipeline for ancients/medieval wargaming, and despite many years in the IT industry I lack the skills to get anything similar off the ground. But if we want to move forward then I believe this collective vision of R&D will provide a much more viable solution than relying on the goodwill and patience of companies which, at the end of the day, are primarily motivated by profit. In a sense, this would represent a return to the roots of wargaming - and that would be no bad thing.

Cheers,
Jay
PS Wesnoth can be found here - http://www.wesnoth.org/

And now you should start to create a medival Battle for wesnoth mod and everything is solved.

[gavril]

>>And now you should start to create a medival Battle for wesnoth mod and everything is solved.

So far as I can see Micha that wouldn't really work. In any case I totally lack the skills to do it (my IT experience is as medieval as a WOTR army).

What I do occasionally dream of is a similar coming together of like-minded people to form a team and user base for a collective project along similar lines to Wesnoth. I suspect that there are enough frustrated ancient/medieval/renaissance gamers out there to sustain such a project, many of them with IT and artistic skills of some sort. But I have no idea how to get it started. I suppose the starting point might be to approach the Wesnoth developers for advice and a few pointers, then put out a call for people to get involved.

OTOH I'm not sure I would want to pour most of my spare time and energy into such a project. I suspect it's a massive undertaking.

But...I can dream!

[Micha63]

Hi Garvil,

here my personally standpoint about this problem :

First at all, i"m sure Cothyso has good reasons for the delay of new releases. As i remember rigth he had healt problems
which did prevent him from working on the project.
What we should keep in mind :
Creating a good roundbased game this days is a risky adventure. Most players playing realtime games.
And many players are not willing to pay a good price for the game or they try to get a illagal copy.
So its not possible to hire a big team of programmers and i assume cothyso is the only one who works on the project.

If there would be a way to develop the game faster cothyso would do it, thats for sure, he wants to sell copys.

But where is the problem, field of glory is great like it is. There is no need for any hurry.
The sustained crying "when comes my game " is not really motivating for cothyso.

If you want a freeware game about medival wars which you can mod there are a few projects.
There is "Open General " which has now a antique mod.
Field of Strategie has a medival mod. For this game all is ready you can start making scenarios.
There is no need to have any programming scills, every child can make the scenarios.

But the other side is the quality of this games is not to compare with Field of glory.

So i think we should be patient, this game is worth it.

[gavril]

Thanks for the info about Open General and Field of Strategy, Micha - I'll have a look at them.

I'm really NOT having a go at Corthyso - I think it's great that he's taken the project on. I'm not EVEN having a go at Slitherine - they're a commercial enterprise and they have to make a living, simples. I just think that if we're ever to overcome the probs with commercial games then open source collaborative efforts are the way.

I think it's good that you enjoy FoG as it is. Many don't - for different reasons. Mine is that the AI is broken, and I prefer computer games against an AI to games over the net (for a number of reasons). Everyone else has their own issue with FoG. But the killer is this - as platforms change, even a revised FoG will become obsolete. A commercial product, I suspect, will NEVER overcome that issue. An open source project can and will.

[Micha63]

Hi Garvil,
be sure , there will always be people which keep this game running if a time should come fog will not work anymore on new systems.
For exemple, my favorite game , people general works great on new systems because i keep it working via a draw dll made by a programmer.
And its older than 15 years.
.

[Brindlebane]

Just a quick note,when this update comes out,have the dice rolls been looked at.Panzer Corps in a future patch,gave an option to tone down the dice rolls in the game.Very similar to FOG,if you played PC in vanilla mode,some really fantastic and unit wrecking dice rolls could ruin your whole game.

Totally addicted and really love this game but boy do those dice really piss you off at times.Too many "I've got this game" "Oh no i haven't" moments,as i'm sure we are all aware of.

[amenofi64]

Finis terrae or Finis game?

[Igorputski]

Did this update ever come out? If so what was the update/patch number? Are there update/patch logs I can see? Was the AI improved?