Pretty long gap between this update and the last one. Aside from a bit of code refactoring and a couple of minor bugfixes, the main thing I've added this time are animated sprites. I hadn't intended on doing this so soon, but work got a bit hectic and I found myself doing 3D work in Blender just to unwind, so it ended up being a good time to do it after all.
It's not perfect, and I've still got to add sprites for aircraft, as well as dying animations, but the bulk of animations are in now. I'll probably add a method of switching on the fly between unit display types soon - a lot of the behind-the-scenes work was actually geared toward making this a reality.
A lot of the detail I added in the sprites can't even really be seen due to the small size of the units on the map, but I'll admit it does look kind of cool zooming in and watching units move around, even if it's only really visible when the game speed is lowered.
Hope you all enjoy it, and let me know if there are any other animations you'd like me to add in.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Dealt with residual bugs which resulted when I converted time increments from 5 minutes to two.
Added animated sprites as an option in the settings menu
Hotfix - August 14
Hi all,
Bit of a quick turnaround on this update, as it contains some important fixes.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Enemy communications now become stronger as you push them back (only applicable to Western and Eastern fronts). Trenches will be reinforced and more wire will appear.
Fixed rare crash that could happen when pushing the enemy back and reloading a fresh map.
Fixed bug in which weather would stay dry and clear.
Added tooltips for some more staff officer traits.
Thanks for playing!
Mac Version
Hi all,
Sorry for the delay since the last update. The game is a lot more solid now, and most major features intended for full release (alternate maps, random events, staff commanders, etc) are in the game albeit with room for improvement. So I figured it was time to get a few more eyes on it and release the Mac version. This will hopefully provide me with more fresh opinions on the game while I go through and do things like add more tooltips, fix minor bugs I've been putting off, and improve quality of life in general.
Most of the work this update has been under the hood both to get the Mac version working, and simply to streamline the code a bit more for my own sake. Nevertheless, I did find time to implement a few suggestions from the forums, as well as finally getting around to fixing the sound effect volumes.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Units under attack from non-melee sources will be noted in the Event Log even if the Log is hidden. Previously, events would only be logged if the popup was open.
Clicking on a tile was previously strange because both the mouse button click and release were being counted, resulting in occasions where a ground tile would be selected and immediately de-selected. This is fixed.
Clicking on a tile now automatically deselects selected units, similar to pressing the ESC button. There is a new hotkey available when adding new units to existing selections. Holding this button causes unit selection to act the same as before.
Fixed SFX volume slider issue.
Reduced volume of rifle and machine gun effects.
Thanks for playing!
Update - June 26
Hi all,
This update is a combination of gameplay balancing and implementing suggestions from users in the forums. Keep them coming!
Bugfixes/Changes:
Tweaked enemy AI visibility checks to be more consistent across different times of day.
Artillery batteries in pits now select the closest tile available when involved in artillery barrages.
Units returning from leave now populate sections of the front line rather than being spread out.
Fixed unit stuns. Time increment changes had adversely affected stun durations.
Units assigned to scheduled orders now move near their assigned areas immediately after issuing the order.
Artillery batteries that are ordered to bombard areas via the top menu bar will now move back to their starting positions once the order is cancelled.
Units with less than half of their men remaining will no longer be involved in a scheduled order until their numbers are replenished.
Can now add new units to existing scheduled orders.
Selecting an HQ unit now automatically adds all subordinate units to the list of selected units in the scheduled order screen.
Updated localization file to localization_04.
Thanks for playing!
Update - May 24
Hi all,
Quicker than usual turnaround on this update, as it mostly consists of pathfinding changes that should help unit rotation go along a lot smoother. I'm hoping this reduces a bit of the clumping that would happen when new units were brought into the lineup.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Time increments have been decreased to two minutes, down from five. Things like cooldowns, etc, have been modified as well.
Fixed potential crash when crossing rivers at the extremities of the map.
Improved pathfinding when units rotate to the rear and there is no clear path of trenches and comm. trenches that exists to lead them there.
Staggered unit rotation so that they are less clumped together when returning from leave.
Fixed occasional crash when performing raids.
Fixed bug in which only the commanding unit of an artillery battalion would withdraw to the rear.
Tweaked frequency of enemy AI unit rotation.
Fixed issue in which destroyed trench tiles would sometimes show the wrong ground type instead of reverting to open ground.
Modified Administration delegation options - increments now modify morale and numbers thresholds by 10% instead of 5%, giving more unit rotation variability.
Thanks for playing!
Update - May 9
Hi all,
As with last update, I mostly focused on bugs and quality of life updates this time around. Most importantly, I changed the map used in the tutorials to the Redoubt map, which should make them easier to get into.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Filter options on the selected unit list window now have tooltips.
Tutorial maps now use the redoubt map type, which lowers the load time for each one.
Some slight changes have been made to each tutorial to help them move along more smoothly.
Fixed Unit Rotation tutorial button text.
Fixed bug in which tutorial text would disappear when camera was moved around using keys.
Improved visibility of signals cables.
Fixed bug in which selecting a supply unit, then drag-selecting other units would allow users to assign supply orders to non-supply or non-rifle units.
Fixed unit starting positions in redoubt map.
Fixed occasional shader bug in tutorials.
The effect of artillery on entrenched units has been reduced - however, the effect on morale has been increased.
Previously, there would be immense lag when withdrawing a unit during an offensive - this was due to pathing issues when withdrawing from enemy positions. This has been fixed.
Fixed cavalry charges over rivers, which would unnaturally favour bridges.
Update - April 5
Hi all,
I've gotten a lot of good feedback from the previous update, so this time it's mostly been about addressing it. I've fixed some bugs and added a lot of quality of life fixes this time around.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Unit detail window is now wide enough to accomodate secondary stats like cohesion and food.
Operations tasks should work more frequently now.
Settings now persist when game is booted up.
Can now toggle between alphabetical and reverse chronological order when viewing save games.
Destroying tiles now properly resets tile graphics of nearby tiles. Previously, destroying a tile next to a trench tile or comm. trench tile would result in an opening remaining behind.
Terrain movement penalties no longer affect units in trenches and comm. trenches.
Artillery officer units no longer use shells and gas shells as their supply types.
"Container/RemoveUnit" button in Schedule Dialog has been fixed - was due to a faulty localization key.
Assault raids no longer take prisoners and have had their casualties inflicted increased.
Units are now color coded when selected.
Camera movement via the keyboard has been made more responsive by moving UI navigation via keyboard use the numpad keys. Using WASD and arrow keys for camera movement seems like a more likely use case.
Sprite display options now have a preview when selecting options on the settings screen.
Thanks for playing!
Update - March 7
Hi all,
I've mostly spent this last update implementing some requests and suggestions you've made in the discussion forums.
Raids now result in after-action reports when you either call them back or they end normally. This took a little longer than expected to implement, because there were some bugs in the raid mechanic I had to iron out. I've also added the ability to schedule orders according to the time of day rather than having to manually set a time. This is useful for more general orders.
Lastly, there have been a few changes to the information available to the player. Units with subordinates will now show the combined status values for all of their subordinate units, which allows the player to see at a glance the overall status of an entire unit.
Vertical bars represent combined values, while horizontal bars are the status values of the unit by itself.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Added after action report when performing raids.
Tweaked effectiveness of raids and melee combat.
Added ability to set scheduled orders to different times of day. This will update automatically depending on the time of year. Not setting a time of day will set the order to the specified time, same as before.
Added total numbers, morale, supply, and readiness to units in both the unit detail popup and the Order of Battle screen.
Added subordinate unit list to Order of Battle screen. These also show the combined numbers, morale, supply, and readiness of their subordinates when applicable.
Units now blink red when under attack.
Thanks for playing!
Localization
Hi all,
The big change this time is the addition of localization files. Since I don't have the ability to actually get translations done, I figured I'd just provide the ability for others to do it.
Now you can use a csv/Excel file to add different languages to the game. The key is to ensure that the first line of the csv file contains the language itself, followed by the actual lines of text in the game.
It is strongly advised not to change the values in the first column, as the game looks for these tags when converting text. The default localization file has been placed into the game folder, under Graphics/Names, along with the name files. You can also select a file from anywhere on your computer.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Improved pathfinding across rivers to prevent unnecessary river crossings.
Fixed potential crash with certain event choices that increase commander stats.
Improved performance of raid area-drag over large areas.
Plane upgrades are locked behind an experience wall again.
Music files from the game have been added into the game folder.
Thanks for playing!
Brigade Command
Hi all,
As per request, I've added a smaller scenario in which you control a single brigade rather than an entire division.
The map revolves around taking a single redoubt. It otherwise operates mostly the same way, except that reserve brigades are no longer available. Additionally, it is no longer possible to use the Aerodrome on the Redoubt map, as it is the responsibility of the Division commander. Air sorties are automated and cannot be disabled.
Certain windows can now be resized as well. Any popup that appears on the main battle map can now be made smaller or larger by clicking and dragging the right and/or bottom of the window. They can be restored to default size by clicking the button on the top left.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Redoubt map now exists, allowing control of a single brigade.
