Slitherine

Gents:

While the game has great "eye candy" including animations and sound effects, I am as interested in actual game play as I am with the graphics.

(1.) How does a player issue orders to units? Do you click on the units and a menu of options is displayed?

(2.) Is there a function / button that allows players to cycle through each unit under their command?

(3.) Land warfare in the Pacific was primarily an infantry affair with few supporting AFVs. This was especially true for the Japanese forces. But, you are showing a lot of support vehicles and AFVs in your screen shots? I assume that in most of the land combat scenarios there will be a majority of infantry forces and few AFVs - correct?

(4.) How does PBeM work? I assume players can email and exchange their turns? Watch a replay of the previous turn?

(5.) Could you release a short video that shows a player conducting 1-2 game turns?

Any additional details on game play would be most appreciated!

(1.) How does a player issue orders to units? Do you click on the units and a menu of options is displayed?

Movement & Attack orders are achieved by simple contextual point & click. Other abilities (repairing, upgrading, minelaying, switching units setups ...) are available in the main UI bar.

(2.) Is there a function / button that allows players to cycle through each unit under their command?

Yes, both as buttons or using pgup/pgdn hotkeys. An optional unit list sidebar also allows you to review all units currently in the field and in reserve.

(3.) Land warfare in the Pacific was primarily an infantry affair with few supporting AFVs. This was especially true for the Japanese forces. But, you are showing a lot of support vehicles and AFVs in your screen shots? I assume that in most of the land combat scenarios there will be a majority of infantry forces and few AFVs - correct?

Infantry will play a major role and have many types and upgrades available, but for the sake of gameplay and variety (armoured) vehicles will play a bigger role than in reality.

(4.) How does PBeM work? I assume players can email and exchange their turns? Watch a replay of the previous turn?

Both hotseat and server-based "PBEM++" are available for up to 4 players. If you are not familiar with Slitherine's PBEM++: you just log in through the game UI, play your turn (after setting up the MP game with other players) and the server will handle the file uploading & downloading for you. The other player(s) can then play their next turn at any time as soon as you have ended yours.

(5.) Could you release a short video that shows a player conducting 1-2 game turns?

AARs should appear soon enough

Hi kool cat,

If you watch carefully in the Beta Footage (Beta Footage 1, Beta Footage 2) you can see how basic move & attack orders are issued. Watch the mouse click a unit, it'll display a white shaded hex overlay over the valid moves, and a red cross-hair over valid targets. You can also see a simple 'combat prognosis' overlay when the mouse hovers over a potential target.

Hopefully that gives a pretty good idea of the basic unit control system. As adherbal said, additional unit orders are selected from the UI bar. Depending on the order, this might show an extra overlay on the map which you click to issue the order.

adherbal wrote:

Nice art style, I like it.

Hotseat - 4 players?

Very interesting, can explain that a bit more? I can understand that as maybe playing USA/Commonwealth but who fights with Japan? or its Navy/Army side?

Duplicate nations where added for Japan and USA so you can have 2v2 Japan VS USA aside from any other combinations of nations.

Sounds perfect because thats like making the game co-op. 2 players choose a side and make the others be AI and done.

You can also do 2 v 1 (AI) or 3 v 1 (AI) of course. Just give the AI enough stuff for everyone to have something to shoot at