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13th November 2008 - Pip 12 Nov 2008

Been working hard on BBC code for a while now.  The script cradle is pretty solid now, and it basically allowed me to implement the entire combat model in the script.  This should really let people go crazy, should they decide they have a better idea for how the model should handle the setting or unit.  Literally nothing was needed in code beyond hooks to allow the scripts to play effects and change the model states.  All the attributes and values used by the script can simply be added to the unit data file.  It's pretty cool - and something we will definitely be looking to expand in future games - we know there are lots of people who enjoy modding out there, and the more we can do to help them (while making the game easier for us to balance and tweak) the better.

The GBotMA beta is still progressing - and many thanks to all the people who have let us have feedback.  More UI slickness goes in, together with bug fixes, and we're trying to get new versions out with at least a modicum of regularity.  The best bug so far was the fact that people could still get to the custom army reset when in the single player game, and thus give themselves a huge army from day 1.  Good for the ego perhaps, but not necessarily for the balance of the early missions :)

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23rd October 2008 - Pip 23 Oct 2008

Wow - been a long time since my last blog entry.  I hang my head in shame - though usually it's just weariness!

The GBotMA beta process is going pretty well.  Multiplayer in particular is beginning to take shape and hopefully the upcoming new beta release will get a few more people trying out the online game.  It seems to be fairly stable, and I hope that most systems will be able to run it, no matter what their specs.  Beta testing also helps to shape the UI as people come to it fresh and jar up against things which we have gotten used to over the development period.

At the same time we are ramping up work on the BBC game.  The script based system for opening up the guts of the UI and the model seems to be working better than I expected.  The scipting system is pretty quick, although the parser is a little less than easy to extend, because it is built upon a very simple system designed to just run the quest chains in GBotMA.  I guess I will have to bite the bullet and rework it all at some point - but for now, once the script has been parsed, it is very quick indeed to execute the code.  The result is that adding a new option for a unit is as simple as creating a couple of new functions in the unit script, and the UI will handle it all for you.  I think that this is going to make it very powerful for modders and creators of other campaigns for the game.

The game's also looking great already.  We have initial maps, and it's pretty fast to put things together with the build-in editor.  Most of the units are completed, at least 1st pass, and now we just need to begin adding in the control points to allow us to play effects and animations.

Cheers

Pip

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10th October 2008 - Iain 10 Oct

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2nd October 2008 - Pip 2nd October 2008

Really starting to get into our stride with the BBC work now.  GBotMA is in beta at the moment, so we have plenty of time to do prototyping and design work for the BBC project.  As I have said before, I'm hoping that it will provide a really great set of tools for people to create mods and scenarios - in fact we're building in user creation on all platforms (as much as we can).  Whether these are interoperable will depend a lot on the technical details as we go forward to implementation and find out what differences will need to exist between the game on its various platforms.

Currently I am working on making large parts of the engine driven by scripting files which could easily be added and tweaked by the user.  As an example, the current system would allow you to add an entirely different type of weapon interaction (say, a laser) and do all the damage calculations, range adjustments, and hit logic in your scripts.  Then once the script was loaded there would appear your new type of shoot option, in the menu with all the other types of interaction.  Not that I would encourage you to add lasers to everything, it would just upset the Grognards ;)

We're getting interesting feedback from the beta group, and have actioned some of it already.  The more feedback we get, the better the final game can be, as fresh eyes keep us on our toes.  Hence our gradual rollout - you only get one chance to make a first impression!  So if you are in the beta at the moment, then keep that feedback coming, and if you are waiting for your chance, then your turn is coming... :)

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25th September 2008 - Iain 25 Sep

Yesterday we announced Commander - Napoleon at War was Gold and now we have to do the final tweaks and tests to make sure the downloader works and purchase system is all set up correctly. We've completely changed our copy protection system. Previously we were using the default system provided by Digital River, who run the backend of online purchase system for digital downloads, and it uses something called Software Passport. This system is very secure and when it works is seemless for teh user as they don;t even have to enter any serial numbers, it automatically sets it all up. However, when it doesn't work it can be a real pain to fix and many people didn't understadn the no serial number idea and kept complaining they never received one - that's because they didn't need one :).

We've developed our own system now which completely replaces it. This system uses serial numbers which seem to be what people expect. When you place an order you'll be issued a serial number. When you run the installer you are asked for your serial number and this is the only time you have to enter it. After this all the checks are performed and assuming you didn't mistype your serial number you should be up and running. The advantage of this system is that there is very little than can go wrong so we're hoping there will no no technical support calls, or at least a lot less. I guess we'll know for sure when the game goes on release on Monday!

The new system also allows us to do cool stuff to track multiplayer games. We know which countries are issued which serial numbers and when people play online we can see their serials when it hits the web server so we can see which countries play more games. It could also allow us in future to link players forum usernames in to the serial number and then have their usersnames appear in game and even report results to a ladder or competition server. Basically the sky's the limit here :) 

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18th September 2008 - Iain Sep 18

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4th September 2008 - Pip 4 Sept 2008

Missed a few blogs I think.  But we are, as always, pretty busy.  With the combination of ongoing projects, new ones starting up, and some finishing, there is everything going on from managing beta feedback, to working on installers.  We have begun to show GBotMA to a few beta testers, and there has been a fair bit of good feedback from that, resulting in some bugs,  as well as improvements to the UI and more feedback to the player.  Hopefully we can get some multiplayer testing going and make it a solid play experience.

Beta testing is always interesting, as by the time it rolls around usually we are so close to a project that the little pointers that beta testers feel are missing come as a total suprise.  But it always results in a better game, with less friction to the enjoyment of the player - so it's well worth it!

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29th August 2008 - Iain 29th August

Last week we were away at the Game Convention in Leipzig. It's a huge show with around 200,000 visitors, but we were in the trade area, which is still big but a lot quieter and a great place to meet people. We were there to showcase our line up for 2009, which includes 6 games with a total of 18 skus, so next year is going to be busy! The show went really well and the line up received a great reaction. We also met with old friends and made some new ones :)

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18th August 2008 - Iain 18th August

We're off to Leipzig tomorrow to present our line up for 2009 to distributors so we're making our last minute preparations. All the sales sheets have been printed up and we're now setting up the Alienware laptop with all the latest code. We've also got the DS with playable code on two titles. We can't bring the PSP with us as the dev kit's not portable enough so we wont be showing any games on that platform.

While the Alienware is technically a laptop, it's so big and heavy it's more like a portable desktop. It also eats so much power that the battery doesn't last long so we need to be plugged in for any demos. One year we saw some guys with an Alienware and on a trolley they had the battery to power it :)

Having said that the Alienware is a powerful beast and does allow us to demo the games nicely. However its over a year old now so even this is starting to show it's age.

We've got meetings booked up all day Wednesday & Thursday and are travelling tomorrow. There were no fligths in to Leipzig so we're having to fly to Berlin and catch the train down. There were no hotels in Leipzig so we're having to stay in the next town and get the shuttle bus in every day. Neither of these are ideal but it just goes to show how big an event this is.

It's really exciting and we can't wait to see what sort of reaction we get at ths show with all our cool new titles & licenses! Anyway I better get on with the packing as there is still a lot to set up and get ready :).

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15th August 2008 - Pip 15 August 2008

Lots of stuff happened this week.  Skirmish mode is coming along nicely - it's something people have asked for for a while, and so hopefully all the hard work will pay off.  Also been doing some polish on the UI and other user friendliness aspects of the game.  Hopefully that will head off the usual problem that a week after you ship the game we (and you guys!) come up with 30 ways that the UI could be better.  Beta helps catching that, but nothing brings up suggestions like 1000s of people playing the game!

I've also been looking at our memory use.  We're aiming to run on machines with only 512Mb of RAM, which stills seems like a lot, but these days is really pretty unusual.  We always work hard to ensure our games work on the widest possible set of hardware - even knowing that most of the time this won't be something that gets noted.  But if it means people can try and play on their laptops or on older machines, then it feels like a good use of time.