The New Field of Glory

[stockwellpete]

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?

Still waiting for official release . . .

viewtopic.php?f=97&t=39843

[JocaRamiro]

Indeed.

Updates on the beta site have some interest

However, it is the official release that is needed. Short of that, news would be welcome. How about a daily bulletin? or perhaps every 8 hours?

JR

[oldbear1962]

Meanwhile Pike and Shot steams ahead with a full-on campaign system. Guess what's not a priority?

[Terrement]

Also wondering about the soft promise of porting to iPad...

Though I'll settle for just the PC version if and when.

JJ

[Praeter]

Perhaps we should get more vocal with Slitherine about this issue - i.e. all send them emails/support messages about the new version - they might start to take notice then?

[oldbear1962]

I've no faith left in this project. Sure, it will probably get released at some point, but I won't be surprised if it is flawed and support some way beyond minimal. Feel free to call me a cynic.

[cothyso]

Re: FoG(U) update

A small update,

Slitherine hasn't reviewed the v2.1.01.1004wip GC4a release build yet (sent for reviewing on 16th july), Tamas is away and will be back from holiday on 5th August, but before Tamas will be back Iain will also leave for holiday and return on 17th August.

So Slitherine can't start review/asses the build sooner than 17th August. We'll continue push new builds until then (updating the Editor, fixing small bugs found out in the mean time, more optimization and polishing), and you'll have full access to them anyway

Cheers,
dan

[Praeter]

Can I ask if Multiplayer is fully functional? If so I'm wondering if the Digital League should be restarted - that might encourage the community back together.

I'm happy to download the files rather than waiting the official word from Slitherine. My main concern however is that they'll be no one to play multiplayer with. Is anyone playing multiplayer with the new FoG?

[cothyso]

Of course Multiplayer is fully functional.

[stockwellpete]

Can I ask if Multiplayer is fully functional? If so I'm wondering if the Digital League should be restarted - that might encourage the community back together.

Sorry, but I am not prepared to re-start the Digital League until the new version is officially launched and all players have had 5-6 weeks to test it all out and Dan has also had time to make any further tweaks in the gameplay that may be necessary. Only then will I approach Slitherine for sponsorship and open up recruitment again.

[Praeter]

Of course Multiplayer is fully functional.

I'm really asking if anyone is actually playing multiplayer or not - it sounds like the Digital League won't restart until the official release has been approved - I can understand why, but its a shame that not much is going on otherwise.

Is anyone else willing to play multiplayer under the new system? Let me know and let's try it out!

[mcfcivo]

I've just downloaded the new version and managed to get it working. If anyone fancies a try out of the Multiplayer, I've posted an unlocked challenge.

cheers,

Andy.

[Yuknoom]

I'm sure it would be possible to handle something worse.
I'm just not sure how.

[cothyso]

A short update.

The new FoG(U) version containing the latest requests (async tasks execution and error feedback (like PBEM server communications, saving/loading data) and buttons tooltip) will be ready no later then the beginning of next week (and there's a chance to be by this Sunday's afternoon/evening - yes, I'm still working during most of the weekends!).

[Einzinger]

Great game...just my two-bits of things that would make FOG digital a little more fun for me:

A nice, simple campaign generator...a little like Steel Panthers...
A way to view a replay of your battle(s)
A "bitter end" option...i.e: instead of a victory screen, playing a battle to the end...all enemy units routed and off board, would be useful for a campaign...

[Asterix_von_TWC]

Great game...just my two-bits of things that would make FOG digital a little more fun for me:

A nice, simple campaign generator...a little like Steel Panthers...
A way to view a replay of your battle(s)
A "bitter end" option...i.e: instead of a victory screen, playing a battle to the end...all enemy units routed and off board, would be useful for a campaign...

Great ideas - if the publisher doesn't have the grit to follow up on such a good base game, at least they could republish with such features. FoG has no competition really, and is worth pursuing with a campaign... I am happy that Pike & Shot managed - if FoG would have had a steam release it could have made the penny pinchers in the back office think differently... or an IOs realease.

Cothyso - I fully appreciate your work, and none of my acidity is directed towards you, but I hate to see all of these delays and lack of prioritization from Matrix/Slitherine, maybe I am wrong, but I know I know I am not the only one seeing things this way.

FoG was very worthy of a campaign engine and upgrades - but the pace of commitment and follow up I feel to be a dark omen for Matrix/Slitherine's future.

When I purchased this aging game at full price last November, I found a vibrant, eager community still playing it.... many years after release, I find it hard to believe that it could not have been rendered lucrative to update by the publishers.

[cothyso]

An option to let the game go even after meeting the victory conditions is on my to do list.

A campaign is an entire other thing. I definitively feel the need of something like it for FoG, but this is for the future, as it needs a bit of thinking on definitivating a good concept for it. And it also goes hand in hand with a map generator, and adding a whole map generation based on sides spending points of wishes/blocked features (which in my oppinion should be worked on and added before the campaign feature). And both are lower in the list than the in-game trigger gamplay mechanics (which has most of its bases already implemented, and doesn't need more than 3-4 weeks of work to have it fully functional).

The FoG(U) already contains a LOT of new features and mechanism compared with the old FoG(RB). Think only of the whole game replay system, and the possibility to stop it at any time and continue the game from there as you would load a new save. Or the allied nations system (the nations of a side can be treated by the code separately, and can be maneuvered separately, can have different players assigned to them (including the AI!) and can even switch sides during the game..). And that's only a first fast call (I still have to gather together a list with all the new features the new FoG(U) contains).. No tactical wargame had ever (including the best of the old ones - GBCE, or any of the current present ones, like Pike & Shot) so many features as FoG(U) has right now. Not by far. And without mentioning that FoG(U) has even more features in various stages of work and the number will only grow bigger in the future.

Now, regarding the community situation. The long period of development for FoG(U) haven't helped for sure, but the community still had full access to both FoG(RB) and FoG(U) during its beta. There's nothing stopping you play it right now (because the old FoG(RB) serials are fully working with the new FoG(U). The community's situation atm can only be partly attributed to FoG(U) long development cycle. A cycle not so long though if you consider the niche market which actually this kind of genre we are all loving belongs to, or the (available) resources invested in doing it.

You must also consider the fact that the polishing is one of the most lengthy and consuming development periods for any game. There's a saying in game development stating that 90% of a game is made in 10% of the development time, while the rest of 10% of the game are finished in the rest of the 90% of the development time. Finishing the base code for FoG(U) and having it so solid and so full of new features required a lot of time. The good news are that after finishing with these last minutes polishing and after launching the game, things will start moving much faster, as the work can concentrate on finishing the WIP and designing and adding new gameplay features, instead on the never-ending GUI polishing or on esoteric things like engine internal error handling and async tasks feedback).

FoG(U) doesn't comes only for PC, but for OSX, iOS and Android too. The full game, with all the features as on PC (well, excepting the Editor, and that only from screen size considerations, as the Editor is fully capable on working on tablets too). And with a cross-operating system MP, which means you can play with anyone having it, no matter the OS they are using for playing. The tablets versions might bring a lot of new casual users in here, and a part of them will end up as hardcore tactical ancient wargames lovers as we all are.

And for the end, when adding the iOS authenticating code, I've also added the Steam authenticating code in it. So the game can also be released on Steam if there's a wish to proceed in that direction (of course, with a few more weeks of work as adding the achievements and other Steam required features).

Cheers,
dan

[TheGrayMouser]

"Or the allied nations system (the nations of a side can be treated by the code separately, and can be maneuvered separately, can have different players assigned to them (including the AI!) and can even switch sides during the game..)."

For me, this alone is worth the wait!

Thanks for the update Dan.

[Asterix_von_TWC]

An option to let the game go even after meeting the victory conditions is on my to do list.

A campaign is an entire other thing. I definitively feel the need of something like it for FoG, but this is for the future, as it needs a bit of thinking on definitivating a good concept for it. And it also goes hand in hand with a map generator, and adding a whole map generation based on sides spending points of wishes/blocked features (which in my oppinion should be worked on and added before the campaign feature). And both are lower in the list than the in-game trigger gamplay mechanics (which has most of its bases already implemented, and doesn't need more than 3-4 weeks of work to have it fully functional).

The FoG(U) already contains a LOT of new features and mechanism compared with the old FoG(RB). Think only of the whole game replay system, and the possibility to stop it at any time and continue the game from there as you would load a new save. Or the allied nations system (the nations of a side can be treated by the code separately, and can be maneuvered separately, can have different players assigned to them (including the AI!) and can even switch sides during the game..). And that's only a first fast call (I still have to gather together a list with all the new features the new FoG(U) contains).. No tactical wargame had ever (including the best of the old ones - GBCE, or any of the current present ones, like Pike & Shot) so many features as FoG(U) has right now. Not by far. And without mentioning that FoG(U) has even more features in various stages of work and the number will only grow bigger in the future.

Now, regarding the community situation. The long period of development for FoG(U) haven't helped for sure, but the community still had full access to both FoG(RB) and FoG(U) during its beta. There's nothing stopping you play it right now (because the old FoG(RB) serials are fully working with the new FoG(U). The community's situation atm can only be partly attributed to FoG(U) long development cycle. A cycle not so long though if you consider the niche market which actually this kind of genre we are all loving belongs to, or the (available) resources invested in doing it.

You must also consider the fact that the polishing is one of the most lengthy and consuming development periods for any game. There's a saying in game development stating that 90% of a game is made in 10% of the development time, while the rest of 10% of the game are finished in the rest of the 90% of the development time. Finishing the base code for FoG(U) and having it so solid and so full of new features required a lot of time. The good news are that after finishing with these last minutes polishing and after launching the game, things will start moving much faster, as the work can concentrate on finishing the WIP and designing and adding new gameplay features, instead on the never-ending GUI polishing or on esoteric things like engine internal error handling and async tasks feedback).

FoG(U) doesn't comes only for PC, but for OSX, iOS and Android too. The full game, with all the features as on PC (well, excepting the Editor, and that only from screen size considerations, as the Editor is fully capable on working on tablets too). And with a cross-operating system MP, which means you can play with anyone having it, no matter the OS they are using for playing. The tablets versions might bring a lot of new casual users in here, and a part of them will end up as hardcore tactical ancient wargames lovers as we all are.

And for the end, when adding the iOS authenticating code, I've also added the Steam authenticating code in it. So the game can also be released on Steam if there's a wish to proceed in that direction (of course, with a few more weeks of work as adding the achievements and other Steam required features).

Cheers,
dan

I feel my pessimism is finally cured, I must have missed some information... but your core post are true and well put, and the last two paragraphs bring a surge of optimism to which I was not aware of. Thanks for taking the time! I rest my case, this time truly.

[MikeMarchant]

Music to my ears. I already thought you were a hero, Dan, but all this other stuff I'd never realised was going into the new version? Amazing!

And on iOS! Oh my God! The hours I've lost sitting up at my computer waiting for one last turn, when I ought to have gone to bed... And now I'll just be able to go to bed and do it on my iPad. Bliss!

There aren't thanks enough.


Best Wishes

Mike