SITREP

[kipanderson]

Hi,

this is nagging, but as a devoted fan, may I just ask how things stand with regard to the move to the Eastern Front?

Once the new patch and is fully sorted will be downloading the core engine again and buying one of the modules once more. Haven't played for a while and look forward to it.

But when it comes to settings the Eastern Front is far ahead of all others in my book especially for operational games. Using such a great engine as CO for an Eastern Front setting would be something special.

Thanks,
All the best,
Kip.

 

[JyriK]

Not silly. I think the dev is on leave until mid january.

Ok, thanks for the info!

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

SITREP 2 Feb 2018.

MY dev machine has packed it in. New machine arriving soon. But I'll be offline for a bit, so please don't think you're being ignored.

 

[ghibli]

All quiet on the SITREP front...any news?

 

[simovitch]

In a nutshell, the Data Design Team has completed all the scenarios for the next module and these are in beta testing. Technical challenges on the programming side has delayed the release of the beta patch somewhat, but progress is being made. It will be done when it's done I reckon.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Sorry guys for the lack of progress but It's been a tough month with hardware, software and code development issues. My dev machine packed it it a few weeks back. Now my server is on the blink. I'v e had to upgrade just about everything to work with Win 10 (previously all was good under Win 7) It had to be done, though.Today I start work and find my windows scrolling erratically to the point of being useless and I've wasted a morning trying to sort this out, including rolling back the latest MS update which Logitech blames for the problem. But I've just confirmed that it's still an issue. Driving me crazy and definitely not my fault. Don't you love computers some days.

In addition our server machine needs to be replaced pretty damn quick too. I'm researching options for using Github instead of SVN for source control and versioning and working out the best config for a new server setup. We're probably going to go with a NAS drive. This is all taking time too.

On top of all these delightful factors we also took some time out to respond to an Australian Army request to assist them in developing a Command Ops map file they plan to use at an upcoming exercise. We took the opportunity to further develop some code that Pavlo has been working on that imports standard GIS data into MapMaker. This can save an incredible out of time to develop a map. We were able to import elevation and terrain data (Shapefiles) and build a map. There are issues yet to be resolved, but it bodes well for a future feature that should allow for a speedier generation of maps and hence data content modules. That's all wrapped up now and the Army were very happy.

LNL will no longer be generating the installer for Command Ops engine and modules. So we have to do that ourselves now. We've started this process, but a precursor to this is that we need to make changes to the way Command Ops automatically converts old versions of files. Previously this was automatic. But with the upcoming release of an Upgrade package that will be paid for, we need to cater for users who don't upgrade. So we're writing code to ensure that such users won't be able to convert their current versions without paying for the upgrade. They'll still be able to use them on the earlier engine, just not on the latest engine. Needless to say this is more complex than it sounds and we're going to need some time to finish and test it. My apologies for the delay.

 

[kipanderson]

Dave, hi,

thanks for the update. In a sense it is reassuring that experts like yourself can also find problems with Windows updates on new machines. I tend to think "this wouldn't happen to people who really know..." when struck by these things.

Anyway, good luck with it all and when the updated version is out will enthusiastically be relaunching on Command Ops.

I look forward to it...!

All the best,
Kip.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

FYI our PantherServer machine is dying and we're migrating all our data etc onto a new Diskstation. We're taking this opportunity to migrate our source control from SVN to Github. We have a few teething issues with that at the moment. The good news in using Github is that we can put our data content developers onto it and that should enhance collaboration and provide better version control. I know all this is very boring for you but it's the nuts and bolts of code development I'm afraid. Not sure how long this is going to take. Could be a few days.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

SITREP 20 Apr 2018

I managed to get the release and debug code for all projects to compile and build yesterday. The move to Github hasn't been without its dramas. One issue I still have is the speed of the debug version. I kicked off the autotester yesterday and it went through the night bu only managed to get three days into the Greyhound Dash scenario. That's unsatisfactory. So I am going to have to track down and resolve this. We need the autotester working. Once I get this fixed. I'll put out a new build for our beta testers and get them testing the Bradley at Bay scenarios with the new code.

In the meantime I am waiting on Steam to get back to me about the mechanics of managing a paid update. So, the good news is the Bradley at Bay scenarios are done and we should start testing these in earnest as soon as I can sort out the slowdown in the debug version of the game.

 

[Rosseau]

There's a lot on your plate. I am going to stop bitchin' about being stuck on the 5.1.28 non-Steam version and be thankful I have something. I also need to do a Steam review. A total of 105 reviews and 80% positive is pretty darn good for a game series like this (I think). My personal plan is to hold tight until Bradley at Bay is released on Steam and then install the whole shebang. I realize that might be quite a while.

I apologize for asking again, but how would I activate all my DLCs on Steam? I want to be ready when the day comes! Meanwhile, I guess it would be important for anyone who hasn't done so already to leave a review on Steam. Thanks and good luck.

 

[GoodGuy]

SITREP 20 Apr 2018

One issue I still have is the speed of the debug version. I kicked off the autotester yesterday and it went through the night bu only managed to get three days into the Greyhound Dash scenario. That's unsatisfactory. So I am going to have to track down and resolve this.

That computer may be playing HQ live Trivia, when you're not watching. The game even manages to get 15 mins of attention from our millennials, that's quite some achievement ! Just take that app away, and the workhorse will work again.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

SITREP 1 Jun 2018

Hi all,

I have just uploaded a new Dev build for our beta testers. It's 5.1.33. Here are the changes:

Changes

- Added new versions of the Core, Release and Dev NSIS Installers (still a work in progress, but I finally got the regsitry keys to work in the Dev version. I have yet to copy these to the Release version.)
- Added bitmaps and license text for installer
- Minor tweaks to positions and size of tools dialog (still a work in progress)
- Made the default orders delay 75% - ie Realistic. It was set to 0% or None.
- ensured correct maps are deleted on uninstall
- fixed typo in Dev v2 script.
- renamed the first map to read Arracourt in Bradley at Bay module installer
- Fixed vld dependency
- Updated Steam Workshop Manager
- Added Bradley at Bay steam scripts and content builder
- Fixed build, some purification of Pod headers and Scenario stuff
- Massive set of tweaks to Dialogs to align most to a standard 240 pixel width. Msg and Supply dialogs are 480 width. I left the OB dialog as is. The intent here is to tidy up the look of the dialogs, to reduce their overall footprint and make it possible to align them in columns or as the user wants on a second monitor. It is also possible to have them all aligned in one column and use the toolbar buttons to switch between them.
- Added registry keys to installer that ensure the game opens with the Controls, Tools and Orders dialogs opened in line on the left.
- Expanded the stratmap in the Controls dialog, which now uses 240 pixels width.

So the situation at the moment is I have some feedback from the previous Dev build 5.1.32 that I have yet to test and resolve. That will be my next task. I also want to have the installer check for any existing preferences in registry before it overrides these with the defaults. Then I need to migrate all these changes to the Release installer that you all will use. It's been a massive amount of work updating to Win 10, Visual Studio 2017 and Github and all the consequent changes to the coding standards that these have entailed. But we're almost done now.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Here's an example layout on a dual monitor system

 

[Rosseau]

Wow, wish I had room for a second monitor! That looks like a proper wargame.

Question - Will the update be available through the updater or only for Steam users?

Thanks

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Wow, wish I had room for a second monitor! That looks like a proper wargame.

Question - Will the update be available through the updater or only for Steam users?

Thanks

The update will be available to both LNL and Steam customers. The reason the last beta wasn't available to LNL was LNL no longer have someone doing their installer. I've taken that on so you guys can get access. I'm not getting anything extra for this work and it takes me away from work on the game itself.

 

[col.sanders]

I for one am glad to hear the news,I was starting to understand why Patton was chomping at the bit when they ran out of gas.

 

[Grognerd]

Not bad. I'd prefer gold lettering though. What do others think?

Gold lettering does appear a little more official looking (as far as real military patches). Also it's easier to see the stitching.

 

[Keydet]

The update will be available to both LNL and Steam customers.

Appears I have been missing some things. Am roaming around LnL and not catching on to where the update is? https://store.lnlpublishing.com/series/command-ops-2-series Just re-download the free core? Do not instatl this over the version us designers use? The debuggers are not in this?

 

[john connor]

The update isn't out yet, keydet, unless you're in the dev team, which you are, right? You can log into the dev forum to ask these dev questions there, no? In the dev forum there's a thread with a link to the beta update.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

SITREP 26 June 218

Hi all,

I'm still trying to resolve the out of sync bug that manifests in multiplayer and when replaying recordings. It's really low level stuff involving our base level pointer classes and their destruction during the game. Most of this code was written by others and so it's been a steep learning exercise for me. It's very complex. It's also all consuming. I wake up with it and go to bed very late thinking about it. I have been at the point where I thought it was solved several times now over the last few weeks. But I have still to confirm all is good. I hope to have good news later this week.