1.28 beta.

Bundyrum · Post by **Bundyrum** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:44 am

Production Update, patch v 1.28 in beta.

I'm going to run through a list of developments underway in the v1.28 development cycle and hopefully not give away any surprises we haven't talked about previously. At this time of the year we're obviously aiming at a "Christmas" patch where we release live in time for Christmas but as is usual with patch cycles we can't know absolutely for certain if we'll make Christmas or not before we actually get there, but we're trying.

1. Air Spotter System. As some of you are aware we are going to be adding an Air Spotter System to the game which isn't exactly radar, but will certainly be called that by players and because your game UI is a digital interface it will appear to function in a "radar" like way to the user ... even though it's actual information resembles more of an air spotter system than it does radar. This will allow players the ability to see where enemy aircraft are operating in a broad and generic kind of way. It won't give alitiudes or sizes of enemy formations outside of very vague terms which players will learn mean basically "a lot of planes" or "not very many" ... we don't want to remove the need to work in teams or the effectiveness of learning operational search techniques where better trained or more co-operative teams of pilots can utilize the information to gain advantage perhaps over those who just fly around willy nilly. It might not seem like a huge differance over non radar ability but when pilots have learned how to use it we expect it to be pretty good at what we intend it to do. You'll probably have a lot of questions but most of the details are not really ready to be talked about yet.

2. Variable Paratroop types. We've made a good deal of progress here but it's not finished yet because in order to create all the new paratroop types and make them work with the refinements we have made to spawning code (which is less a new feature to players and more a case of greater control and flexibility for CRS to develop variations that the old hard coded methods didn't make possible) ... however we will have most of the regular infantry weapons (but not all) available to paratroops in differing amounts per airborne brigade. They will not mirror exactly their ground based similar units but remain unique in ways that seperate the airborne from the rest of the infantry.

3. RickA (Granik) is remodelling the aircraft hangers as we intend the paratroops to spawn there rather than at the AB as you have previously learned to expect.

4. Eastern RDP facility for the Axis. As we announced we are taking the Monchen-Gladback RDP facility and relocating it in such a manner that we achieve the following objectives:-

a) Pull the first RDP facility within reach of the Allied forces if they are advancing ... back to the Ruhr or beyond. Monchen-Gladbach was perhaps a little too easily reached compared to the Allied RDP cities in France. Putting everything the Ruhr seemed a little too concetrated so we needed to do something different.

b) Create the need to fully encircle the enemy more, rather than split them with a drive to the edge of the map. Of course there is still an edge to the map on all sides so it can still be employed to split your opponent from his supply (this is not side specific as both sides have areas of the game world where this is possible to do) ... so while it is possible still to cut an area of the gameworld off from it's supplying factories (on both sides not just one) it is probably as difficult to each sides perspective as it is to the other side now ... regarding the Axis supply all being in one small gameworld region which is no longer the case.

c) The relocation should better mimic the functionality of the English factories where, by the time the Axis can capture them the victory conditions have ended the campaign. This should be very similar now from the Allied perspective when driving east.

d) Creating an Allied strategic bombing target that is deeper into Germany.

e) Ensure that the distance needing to be flown was not so short that it places that RDP facility at a range that is too easily reached, but not so far that it is too diffcult to reach.

Creating the city of Frankfurt and placing the relocated RDP facility there satisfied all thease concerns as well as providing a historically important bomber target for the Allied bomber groups. It is almost exactly the same distance from the closest Allied airfield at campaign start as the closest Allied RDP city (Amiens) is from the nearest Axis airfield at campaign start (Bertrix) is, thus ensuring relative parity is maintained. Monchen-Gladbach still has its airfield (as it did historically) but the city is now just a regular city.

6. Myriad other smaller things. Like bug fixes and optimizations. I'm not going to list these in detail because there are too many of them, from FB's with berms running through them to building anomalies to all kinds of things. No we didn't get them all but we got as many as we could fit into the schedule, and are still chasing down more every day.

7. Video performance. I probably shouldn't say anything too detailed here as it's still very much under further development, profiling and evaluation of each successive implementation we compile. We think we've made some good progress but it's very complex and we would prefer to lower expectations and be surprised than raise them too high and be dissapointed. We just want you to know it's a huge priority and one of, if not -THE- most important areas of current development we are engaged in.

Ok, well, that's a glimpse of what's going on here. Undoubtedly I missed some things but that's a good thing not a bad thing. Too much detail too soon is never wise. Better to know cool things are coming and not know too much about them befo re hand. Particularly at Christmas time.

thor · Post by **thor** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:06 am

Sooo, we get to fly longer... more time with my friends is nice. If I also had bombs with me... I guess it will be even harder to delay RDP from now.

I can't understand this fully if we don't get a big bomber to mach all the changes to the bombing game. And I still stand by my word; if it would help us get a bomber quicker - I would be glad to take off from England every time! I have always thought that, and I always will. Big strategic bombers should have an impact, and should be flown from England.

Kizmet · Post by **Kizmet** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:18 am

The rats are an ASS (Airfield Spotter System). Now don't ya think it's about time DOC stopped showing his ASS? :lol:

Main4ce · Post by **Main4ce** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:30 am

hmmmm

Charlie3 · Post by **Charlie3** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:41 am

thx for the update bundyrum... but discussion from here on out should be in a closed forum

*looks toward the sky*

Kizmet · Post by **Kizmet** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:15 am

Probably the best place to continue this on is the Strategic Bomber Crew forum. Everyone who would work with this has access I believe.

Main4ce · Post by **Main4ce** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:03 am

Reddog should be able to move it, Red?

Frantish · Post by **Frantish** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:50 pm

MG has only 1 factory, its not that big of deal for me to keep it there.
They gave us a pretty (it really is!) new hanger, but that does not solve fundamental problems for us.

Guys, the Rats have 2 weeks to get 1.28 out.
Just fixing the bugs alone will take 2 weeks!!!!!!!!

Testing out their ASS ( :lol:

) has not started either.

Its what I am saying, we are NOT getting the love we need.

And what happened to Bail Out? it was talked about back then, but I have not heard a peep about any chance for 1.28 (unless its a surprise, and they could surprise us yet).

We really have to band together to get what we want for the air war.

S!