Slitherine

Now that BA for the iPad has been released can you guys give us any visibility of what's upcoming and perhaps any timescales?

OK - but only between us . The things that are currently being worked on or planned are (in no particular order)

- MP force selection
- 2D mode (to make it much easier for modders to build new units etc)
- use of hexes (again, for modders - mainly those who enjoy the pain of hexes )
- improved UI for unit information
- Invite system for MP so you can invite friends to try out the game against you

Now some of these updates are focused on helping us with our new project which is in preproduction, which we are codenaming Beowulf for now.

Cheers

Pip

- MP force selection

I'm really looking forward to this .. please use maximum effort on this update

Thanks Pip - there's some tasty stuff in there especially (as Vulcan pointed out) the MP force selection option

pipfromslitherine wrote:- 2D mode (to make it much easier for modders to build new units etc)

I need just a fragMotion exporter and more spare time!

- use of hexes (again, for modders - mainly those who enjoy the pain of hexes )

Squares work more well than I expected but hexes are hexes!

Now some of these updates are focused on helping us with our new project which is in preproduction, which we are codenaming Beowulf for now.

A wild conspiracy theory: could this game use hexes?

By the way, now that you are developing a new game, can we still expect more expansions for Battle Academy in the future?

Hi JMass
Just to let you know I did make some small progress with the fragmotion 3D exporter over the winter, with help from fragmo and others on the forum there, but ran into few problems with indexing the vertices never mind learning LUA etc. I have not been able to proceed any further recently due lack of time (work and family) but will attack it again sometime soon, as I even bought a licence, I like the software some much.

I see fragmotion does a nice sprite generator.

alex0809 wrote:

Now some of these updates are focused on helping us with our new project which is in preproduction, which we are codenaming Beowulf for now.

A wild conspiracy theory: could this game use hexes?

By the way, now that you are developing a new game, can we still expect more expansions for Battle Academy in the future?

Yes - although I still have to hear a convincing reason why hexes are desirable. They certainly aren't from an internal code point of view! We will still be supporting BA with expansions and updates - in fact I am trying to structure the code so that key upgrades (e.g. MP force selection or something like Co-op MP) would share across the codebase, although it will require a little thought to keep it all synced up.

Cheers

Pip

Richcat wrote:Hi JMass
Just to let you know I did make some small progress with the fragmotion 3D exporter over the winter

Very good to hear, thanks!

Never thought I'd say this, but I am actually not sure BA needs hexes.

Hexes are nice, they increase movement options a bit I suppose, but I am not sure two additional movement choices are really that vital.

All I require of BA, is more expansions offering more places to play out the game.

I can think of so many that might be fun. Korea, early Middle East battles, a few of the wars of the 50s and 60s when military tech was still not too radically evolved (I am just unsure how far the game engine can be stretched).

I can think of quite a few battles of WW2 still to be explored. Italy has to be a gold mine for BA. And we still have not fought in Russia yet (hard to believe eh). And that often forgotten realm, the fighting in the Far East.

All I require of BA, is more expansions offering more places to play out the game.

You take the words outta my mouth..
Battle Academy is one of the few wargames, where I really have nothing to critisize. Everything is just great - the graphics are beautiful - simple, comic-style but not cheap - and the gameplay is so well thought-through most other games I play either feel shallow or unnecessarily complex. I just want more missions!! More units!! More theatres!!

Also, about hexes, I see how it is good for most games like this (eg. Panzer Corps), but with a map style like in BA, how could Hexes be implemented? For example, how would you build up a city? That would only work with multiple houses on one hex and that again would look stupid so... I'm happy with how it is right now.

Yes - although I still have to hear a convincing reason why hexes are desirable.

Movement accuracy.
True, and more realistic Line Of See, Line of Fire.
Clearer front, side and rear of units (two adjacent units now, one facing north and the other facing south, so tiles are matching only a point, how they fire front or side?

Just glad you're not porting it to the IPhone...yet. I hate these new fangled trends. Unless they create revenue to make more PC games :>

Sorry Enric, I did not see your question. I'm off topic again.

Squares give you 8 places of movement, hexes 6.

You might not have the current LOS problem on hills with hexes.

junk2drive wrote:Squares give you 8 places of movement, hexes 6.

You might not have the current LOS problem on hills with hexes.

8 places to move?, uuummh, yes you've 8 adjacent tiles, to four of them your move using the unit's conditions (mov., status, etc.) and tiles terrain, but to move to the others four tiles, diagonally, your move is affected by the tiles adjacent to the diagonal, its a bizarre situation.

In hexes, your move is only affected by your conditions (unit conditions) and the hex you leave and enter.

exemple:

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

Moving from 5 to 3 is affected by 2 and 6.
Moving from 5 to 6 is not affected by others.

You might not have the current LOS problem on hills with hexes.

More for hexes!

Images to try to clarify(?) movement in diagonal using tiles.

Tank can not move if a hedge is adjacent... and front tile is taken by other unit .



Tank can move diagonally even if a building is adjacent and front tile is taken by other unit.

Hexes would not be added to BA - they are for project Beowulf

iainmcneil wrote:Hexes would not be added to BA - they are for project Beowulf

When we will know some details about Beowulf, Ian? It could be possible at the end of this month?

(I could be wrong almost surely but Beowulf says me something about East Front...)

It has only just started so that's a bit too soon really. Until we have something to show there is not much to announce. I think we're a few months away.

alex0809 wrote:

All I require of BA, is more expansions offering more places to play out the game.

You take the words outta my mouth..

Me too. I'm very new to BA, but not to simulation wargames - and I've seen all too many good wargames ruined by endless improvements and chrome. Improvements and chrome can be good, but the designers should be VERY judicious how much they try to pack in.

For me, I'd love to see a huge variety of settings - Poland 1939, Japan in China, Norway, etc... more than a pile of new rules and features.

I hate these new fangled trends. Unless they create revenue to make more PC games :>

I understand what you're saying - I'm a cardboard, punch-n-push wargamer from the 1970's and 80's. How ironic it is that I should discover Battle Academy by an App search on my iPad... For me, the new-fangled trend became a conduit to an old-fashioned friend... I ended up buying both the iPad and PC versions.

-Mark R.