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Information Regarding New Features Within the Beta Internet Edition
This is the information that was sent to the Beta crew March 1st. None of this is finalized, though all features mentioned have been implemented.
Starting/Ending Game Changes:
Players cans switch between game types and sessions: Games can now start as PBM, Hotseat or Internet Play and switch freely between the types. This is secure. Hotseat players have blank passwords. In order to switch a player to a type other than PBM or IP, the password will be required. Players CANNOT switch back computerized opponents to Humans due to security concerns.
Save Game Processing: A PBEM game turn can be processed via the command line.
his is in case of a player needing to skip a turn. Units WILL NOT attempt to perform
their assigned orders. However, aircraft short on fuel will attempt to go home.
The password is the password for the player whose turn it is. The infile is the SVG to be read, and the outfile is the SVG to be saved. A report file called “fastload.txt” is also generating indicating success or failure.
Set Value Handicap Percentages: a new option has been added in the Player Setup Dialog Combat and Production Handicap Combos. Now you are allowed to enter a value for the handicap. This value is between 1 and 500.
Player Abdication: Players can "abdicate", turning control over to a computer player. Ctrl-A or in the menu.
Secure PBM Start: Players now have the option to start a secure PBM game, where the map is not generated until all players have logged in. It works in the following way:
Interface Changes:
Patrols Have Changed: Patrols now have up to sixteen legs. Also, ranged aircraft can refuel in bases, carriers(fighters only of course), and cities while on patrol to increase range. It is the responsibility of the user to add patrol legs that make sense in setting up air patrols. Movement lines no longer are limited to the range of an aircraft. If you place a patrol leg you wish to erase, press escape.
Movement Path Changes: Players can now begin and end movement paths in non city or base locations. Movement Path Creation is also no longer ‘smart”, and you can instruct units to move on a path that ends in a sea square. It is the users responsibility to generate paths that make sense.
Waypoints: Players can now assign text (up to 100 characters) to a location. To do this, double click on the desired square and select “Add Waypoint” from the info box. Editing and Deletion of the waypoint is also done via the info box.
Move To Waypoint: [Y] - Units can be ordered to move to a predefined location that you select from the waypoint window after this command is given.
Out of Range Warning: A Message box now appears forcing a response before you extend a plane beyond its range. This can be set in the preferences menu (Ctrl-U)
Play Intro (Music):Is now a preference setting.
Turn State Dump: Players are able to make an ascii text file of their current game state at anytime during their active turn.(No survey Mode). Menu command can be found in File-Save-Turn State Dump. The format of the file is self descriptive. In the preference menu, players can select “Auto State Dump”, which will automatically create the file once at the beginning of each turn, and once at the end. Use this auto-option sparingly, it will fill your hard drive.
No Production Alert: Player is now able to set a value for automatically being called to a city which is at no production when its Production Efficiency reaches that level. In the production dialog, when no production is selected, a “Set” button magically appears. This can be used to set the alert. It can also be default set in the preferences window.
Default Production Setting: Players can now enter in the preferences dialog the type of production they would like a city to default to when it is captured. The production dialog will still come up, but it will be set on the default production if possible.
Battle Odds Chart: This is a dialog box that you can look at in game to tell you different combat scenarios. Be aware that the probability given is only for a combat round. A battle between units can be made up of several rounds. (The probability does not change over the course of combat). In each round, the attacker must get lower than the probability given to succeed. If he does, his hit damage is applied to the damage total of the defender. If he fails, the hit damage of the defender goes against the attacker’s damage total. The first unit to exceed maximum damage is removed from play. Alt-O
View Odds of Last Attack [O]: Will display the mini round probability for the last attack that took place. Beware that the computer attacks other things during his turn, so the information may not be accurate is the computer moves more units before you inquire.
Personal Battle Odds: The status window (Alt-S) now shows the following combat stats for a game: Average Round Probability as an Att/Def, Att Rounds Won/Lost, Def Rounds Won/Lost. This is to help examine the random number generator issues (if any). These stats are NOT saved though they are remotely transferred. So they will not be useful in a PBM setting.
Additional Status Window Statistics: Cities conquered and Cities Lost have been added to the status info window, and accumulate in player history after a victory/loss. Also, “Units Available Before Possibly Suffering Resource Drain” has also been added.
Unit Status Window: Alt-U this window is the list of your units displayed by Name, Type, Orders, Damage Taken, Movement Points Left, Range Available, # of units carried, On board or in city if applicable, and location. This list may be sorted any of these categories. The can also be filtered by land/sea/air. The unit can be brought on screen and the info box for the unit can be called up and order can be given. You are in survey mode while viewing this list and other active game play cannot take place by you while it is open.
City Status Window: Alt-C this window is the list of cities under your control, displayed by Name, Efficiency, Specialization, Production, Turns to complete, and Location. This list may be sorted any of these categories. The city brought on screen and the info box for the city can be called and the production adjusted. You are in survey mode while viewing this list and other active game play cannot take place by you while it is open.
Waypoints Window: Alt-W This window lists the Waypoint locations and Names, and can be sorted on those two criteria. The waypoint can be brought on screen, edited and deleted in this window. You are in survey mode while viewing this list and other active game play cannot take place by you while it is open.
Area Combat Report: [Ctrl-M] – Only combat Report Events visible on the current screen will be displayed. Both the attacker and defender squares must be visible.
Area Recon Report: [Ctrl-N] – Only enemy movement on the current screen will be displayed when viewing the recon report.
View City Data: [Alt-V] – This toggles labels of the city production and specialty to be displayed on the map. The owner is also reflected by color o the text.
Player History Changes: The player history window can now be sorted, players can be deleted, and players can switch branches of service on demand. Numerous Useless Statistics have also been added. All categories can be sorted.
Eight City Icons representing different production levels are now in the game. The levels can be set in the INI file.
Damaged Ships may be placed on sentry and will awaken when repaired.
Save window state: It is no longer a mystery as to how and when your window settings get saved. You do them explicitly via the Menu Display->Save Window State
Zoom Settings: Players may now set the zoom sizes for zooms 1-5. In addition, they can specify when the map should display pixels rather than bitmaps for certain sizes. Sizes are specified in the INI file.
Mapping Changes:
Map Size increase: Maps can nw be sized up to 254 x 254
Number of cities increase: The maximum number of cities available is now 32,500.
Number of units increase: The total # of units allowed in a game are 32,500
Map Makers can now adjust map settings for altitude, wetness and roughness. They can also set the number of cities on a map, the variance to that number, the production efficiency and the variance to that number, and the percentage of specialties in a dialog. All of these values can also be randomly set.
[Alt-C]Map Makers can have the Cities Removed and Replaced on a map.
[Alt-D]Map Makers can Redesign Existing Citites on a map.
[Alt-K] Map Makers can now randomly shake up cities from their original locations. To do this, a shake value is entred. This is the number of shake attempts each city will make. Each shake is a random jump in one of nine locations (with the center location being the same position). A city cannot shake onto an edge square or another city. You cannot have units on a map when you shake. If a city moves, it will leave either a clear or sea square in its old location (50/50).
[Alt-M] Map Makers can now make Symmetrical maps within the editor. These maps can be replicated by halves or quarters.
[Alt-D]Map Maker/Programmers can now create a DLL to build a world. Example Source code is provided (with more details there). The DLL name is listed in the INI file.
Networking
Network Play: Players are now able to connect to other players to play live. Essentially, live players have one of two roles, a Master or a Slave. There is only one master, there can be up to five slaves. Players can hot seat off a slave machine, but there is no remote pass-through via a slave machine.
The Slave:
The Master THEN
Games are loaded and resumed in the same fashion.
Paths/Orders/Waypoints are save Remotely: Movement Paths/Orders/Waypoints will all now be saved in games regardless of what player does the saving/loading.
Jump To Combat Events Preference Setting: IP games only - If turned of, you will not observe combat against your units during another players turn. Be aware that your screen may not have the latest data due to this fact.
Jump To Movement Events Preference Setting: IP games only - If turned of, you will not observe movement of enemy units. Be aware that your screen may not have the latest data due to this fact.
Remote Players Can Linger: Players can remain connected and chat after Resignation/Abdication/Loss as long as the Master Server remains online.
Bug Fixes:
The Resignation Cheat where players can resign in a remote or PBM game and see the other opponent without permission is fixed.
Neutral cities reveal capture is now an option on the player setup dialog. Look for the big button.
Aircraft Attacking While Stacked Reveals Hidden Units is fixed.
Sea Border/Edge used for land icons in a wrap map has been fixed.
The Infinite Air Endurance bug has been squashed.
Aircraft Carriers on land is no longer possible.
The Combat Report No longer effects the random number generator.
Long City names are not a problem. Change names at will.
Utilities/Files:
ConvertXP.exe is a program that takes version 3.11 maps and scenarios and converts them to be playable with the Internet Edition.
During a play session, if auto save is on, the game will rotate between Ten Auto Save Files.
Online Help has been added
All sound files are exposed as WAV files, and are set in the INI file. See the ini file for details.
All Graphics Files are exposed as BMP files and can be changed. See the INI file for details.
Players may now set player colors via the INI file.
© 2018 Killer Bee Software
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