CO2 Changes

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Hi everyone. Here's the current list of changes/features that will be in the new CO2 engine. While we have made some minor Artificial Intelligence (AI) tweaks, our focus has been on improving the User Interface (UI).

• New Recording feature. When you play a game a recording is made and stored in the Recordings sub directory. You can select Replay on the main game menu and this will load the recording and allow you to replay it. The game will play through exactly as it was recorded or until you issue a new order, at which time you can start playing normally.

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• New Overlay Feature. New map overlays have been added to display:
  • Anti-Pers firepower (friendly and enemy)
  • Anti-Armour firepower (friendly and enemy)
  • Armour Concentration (friendly and enemy)
  • Map Control (current friendly, old friendly, contested, old enemy and current enemy)
  • Movement Rates (foot and motorised)
  

• New Force Icon Auto-scaling. Now force icons are auto-scaled (normal, small, tiny and invisible) depending on the map zoom level and force level. This can be enabled/disabled via the improved options dialog.

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• New Extended Force Icon Information. In addition to the normal Unit Info Box on the unit icon we now show four extra info boxes (current task/status, deployment, facing and rout status) as an overlay next to the unit icon at the highest zoom level. This is an option that you can enable or disable. If the force icon is reduced to small, the default unit info box is shown next to the icon as an overlay.

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• New Data Dialog Interface. The original data views in the sidebar are now independent dialogs which can be repositioned by dragging. Their last position is remembered between sessions. You can drag these onto a second monitor. So you can now configure your screen layout just how you like it.

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• New Multiple Force Data Dialogs. You can now hold the shift key down when you open a force’s data and instead of updating the “first” force data dialog it will create an additional data dialog. The “first” force data dialog will still be updated when you select a new unit on the map. Additional force data dialogs will not be updated. So you can now compare force data easily.

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• New Multiple Selection in the Order of Battle (OB) display. Hold the Control key down while you click on an entry in the OB to add or subtract from the selection. The selection in the OB display is now synced to that on the map. So you can now select a force group in the OB display and issue orders without the need to locate each unit on the map.

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[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

• New Mil Green look. All Panther Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements revamped with new mil green look.
• New high res startup screen and images. We now have four hi res 1920 x 1080 startup images (Monty, Patton, Rommel and Zhukov) from which we randomly select one each time the game is run.

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• New Scenario Selections Screen. Includes context image to provide you with visual context as to where this battle was fought; additional meta data provided for each scenario including start, duration and active unit count; the ability to sort the scenario list by name, start, duration or unit count. (This feature is still be developed. I'll post up screenshots as soon it is finished).
• Enhanced About Box. Increased the size of text, increased the dimensions of the scrolling credits list and updated game logo.

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• New Game Options Dialog.

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• All Game Options now saved between sessions.
• New Centre Map feature. Hold down the Home key and select a unit, crossing or waypoint to centre the map on the selection.

....more to follow tomorrow.

 

[Falkon00]

Can't wait!!! I am new to the game...how is tutorial handled...in game tutorial, a written follow along type tutorial, or youtube type tutorial?

 

[parmenio]

Thanks Dave - that was a quick response to my request.

 

[JoeKundlak]

Looks very very good! Keep at it!

 

[john connor]

All looks fantastic. Great job. What are the alternative Force Footprints?

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Closed Box, Open Box and Rounded

 

[john connor]

Ah. So those open boxes we get now (assuming you leave the default options on and don't select, for example, 'all round defence') don't actually mean anything in terms of facing and direction of firepower? That is, you could substitute a closed box for them and there would be no info loss? The line doesn't actually tell you where the limits of the force are (a rounded version would cut off the corners - does this mean the troops would - abstractedly - take a different position on the map? Sorry, confused by that.

 

[pekische]

I would like to ask about "Replay" feature. When I want to replay whole played battle, could I switch the "subject of view" - between only friendly view, only enemy view and view of both sides?

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Not at the moment. I'll look into it.

 

[john connor]

I would like to ask about "Replay" feature. When I want to replay whole played battle, could I switch the "subject of view" - between only friendly view, only enemy view and view of both sides?

That's a great idea.

 

[pekische]

This could make a replay very entertaining, new level of playing, and of course very useful for learning how to play.

 

[Iconoclast]

Looks great.

Maybe you want to consider to swap Miquels (or Pauls) job description. both do the same, but one line says that "UI and AI programming" is Pauls job while miquel does "AI and UI programming". For the sake of standardization you might want to use only one of these versions.

by pekische

I would like to ask about "Replay" feature. When I want to replay whole played battle, could I switch the "subject of view" - between only friendly view, only enemy view and view of both sides?

About that:

When thinking about a replay function, I always have to think back to a time when I really liked to watch competetive Supreme Commander or CoH matches. Something that always bothered me was that you could always just watch one player (minus the fog of war usually) and did not have any features that are specific to the replay. When watching soccer or football or whatever sport we, as the viewer, also get a few neat statistics and commentary that make is easier to follow what is happening.

How about a few displays or windows specific to the replay function? Let's say, two newslogs in both top corners, one for the axis, one for the allies. In each log we get msg's whenever this side e.g. gets reinforcments, seizes an Obj, disbands a unit etc. When no unit is selected, you could show a few comperative charts in the tab where we would usually issue orders (I don't know the term for that tab...) let's say about the numerical situation, a pie chart on how many tanks/guns/infantry the allies have compared to the axis, the casualties in average in an in-game hour, how many units are currently fixed and freely available ( e.g. how many units are currently engaged in combat) ....these kind of things. If you want to go really crazy, you could allow two players in a multiplayer session to view the same review, write another and put down markings on the field to guide the others attantion. That way after action reviews could be so much more fun and educational.

Well, but that is a luxory thing to have. I am not saying that this should take precedence over all the great features that ought to be implementet, but for the far future (of course after the WWIII- Edition ) this might be something to ponder about. I will also open a "Suggestionthreat" and paste my text in there, so it is documented.

A

 

[pekische]

I guess you are describing too huge plan I am not programming expert but I suppose that your way of replay is not easy to do.
My idea is that all newslogs, tabs, charts and whole UI is linked with player´s side during replay. When you switch on "only enemy view" you will see only all enemy counters with their LOS so you will see friendly units that enemy could see. But detailed informations you have only for your units.

When I am thinking about this I remember replays from Wargame series.

 

[Iconoclast]

Aim for the stars ;-)

 

[kipanderson]

Hi,
Yup all sounds superb.. .
As with many other greatly looking forward to this..
All the best,
Kip.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Looks great.
Maybe you want to consider to swap Miquels (or Pauls) job description. both do the same, but one line says that "UI and AI programming" is Pauls job while miquel does "AI and UI programming". For the sake of standardization you might want to use only one of these versions.
A

Well actually they both have done AI and UI programming but Paul's main focus has been on the UI while Miquel's was on the AI. So I put their prime focus first and added their secondary focus.

 

[Daz]

This looks amazing!
Some great improvements in the look, and functionality of the game.
I particularly like the clean looking interface, with the pitted metal texture, and the multiple unit info boxes to the side of the counters.
The multiple selection from the OOB list is also another favourite.

Looking good guys

 

[CapHillRat]

Awesome Dave.

 

[Renato]

It seems very good.