for the Betatesters

[Montecuccoli]

Beta test started a long time ago (....Once upon a beta..... ) we started with one little map and some infantry units... i was so excited at the first install that seeing just some infantry and one map i told myself this kind of beta testing will be different from others (i made tests for some other Napoleonic games from Matrix).

All the team started just marching the infantry trying every (quite annoying but needed) "promenade" near lakes, forests, woods... bridges...ice (i remember a unit refusing walking on ice... that was not a shy unit...that was a bug)... every movement was tested many times by me and y other testers.

JMM was there to reproduce every bug we posted and fixed every bug reported...

This, shortly, was the first regimental part of the AI.

Then came some cavalry and artillery and regimental guns... to control squares, volley fire, bombardament... everything again without the AI just to let us select every unit and FORCE moves to FORCE situations... this i and others did sooo many times i am glad HWLG is not a cumbersome beast for my pc.

Next step was Corp AI and the Editors... Support Order gave us some problems as infantry attacks or even some regimental guns not in the ideal position.

The different work in this beta testing is that we testers just see grow the Engine day by day, is not a beta test with a given product quite done for the release... this was (and is and will be for future patches and add-ons), for me, be a part of a Project, a Project in which i firmly believe for its potential, the ideas behind.

As all of you know testers are not paid, sometimes not even with the game they test (some producers do this...no blame intended, just choices  ), but they need to believe in the things they are doing and, by my part, i believe.

And now tests are really at finishing touches for GT AI, some iusses with teleporting units (i used warping units in beta posts  ) and efficency (or not efficency) of artillery... just closing touches... but they need to be tested many times, and the version testers have IS upgraded compared to the demo that is out now... consider this, when i started i had HWLG Version Beta22... now i am testing Version Beta42... that shows how much effort JMM has given to this Project.

Thanks all of you for every suggestion you make... even some other games like CMSF has upgraded thanks even to some harsh but constructive one... and now at version 1.21 is a wonderful game for Modern Combat (at least is the one i like)

 

[Gunner24]

I don't want to repeat the demo is not the best, with a lot of bugs there aren't in the game. It seems this kind of message isn't received.
I can't work on the game during this week, and I can't analyse the different issues. I can understand the bad felling... and I am really sad because it's not a feast.
Wait for a new release... That's all!

It has shown us how the game works, and that's a good thing, I hope none of my post's have been thought of as "bad feeling" it's more one of dis-appointment, but as said above it will all be forgotten in an instant when we see the full game working as it should do.....thanks for the confirmation that the demo is not the same as the game.

[Hook]

This was only ment to show how the ai works in the demo for me, not critesism

You're fine, Gunfreak.  I had a good time reading it and trying to figure out how it could have happened.  It's a perfectly valid first impression of a battle, too.  We're going to get a lot of the same comments when the game is released, and we need to figure out how to answer them.

I fought the same battle on the French side.  I got like 1400 dead, nothing near what you reported.  I'm wondering how it happened in your game. 

Were you putting your troops in a defensive line in front of the enemy?  If you were using the deploy command, where was the final position... in front of the enemy, on top of the enemy or behind him?

Note:  I really really hate defensive line.  Really. 

Hook

[englishoo7]

Thanks for your comments Montecuccoli. I have read most threads and to me it seems that people just really want this game to succeed and no-one believes for one second that JMM and the beta testers have not worked incredibly hard! 

[Hook]

But some how lots of soldiers died, 7000 on my side and 6000 on french, pluss 15 000 wounded on both sides.
Something like 33 000 ran away on my side, while 23 000 french ran.

It was a very non battle, I never felt the corps actualy did what it was supose to do. No cordination on either side.

I just played the battle from the Coalition side and got about 2500 and 2800 "killed and missing" for the two sides.  Still nothing like your bloodbath.

I did figure out why the corps will stop just out of range and not appear to be doing anything.   Check the unit info box on the 2D map for the corps commander.  It will say, "Halt for artillery preparation."  I don't know how long that takes in the game, but a half hour of actual shooting wouldn't be unusual in real life.

Hook

[lodi57]

This was only ment to show how the ai works in the demo for me, not critesism

What is important when reporting is to give information which are usable for JMM and beta test team. I mean if you say that :

I sent the 20 000 austrians agasint the polish and french, the austirans to sent only a few units at the time

we don't know in what direction we have to search.

So, for example, tells us :

1. what kind of an order you sent (deploy, defend, etc.) and what organization, formation and reserve
2. at what time the order was schedule and at what time it began
3. where did you draw the order line (before, on or behind ennemy position)
4. did the order line appear in 2D and 3D maps
5. what was the information in the CC box (no order, concentrate, etc.)
6. during moves, did the organization and formation in accordance with your orders
7. don't hesitate to send screenshots of your battle plan in 2d map (initial, last position, etc) and CC box

According to this, beta team and JMM can say if it's a bug or a normal performance. And in case of a bug, it's easier for JMM to recognize the problem.

[lodi57]

It has shown us how the game works, and that's a good thing, I hope none of my post's have been thought of as "bad feeling"

No problem Gunner, we all know that it is easier to get over a message when around a table than through screens  .

What I ask everybody is to give us the more information you can about problems met, as I asked Gunfreak, so we can use them efficiently.

[Gunfreak]

What is important when reporting is to give information which are usable for JMM and beta test team. I mean if you say that :

we don't know in what direction we have to search.

So, for example, tells us :

1. what kind of an order you sent (deploy, defend, etc.) and what organization, formation and reserve
2. at what time the order was schedule and at what time it began
3. where did you draw the order line (before, on or behind ennemy position)
4. did the order line appear in 2D and 3D maps
5. what was the information in the CC box (no order, concentrate, etc.)
6. during moves, did the organization and formation in accordance with your orders
7. don't hesitate to send screenshots of your battle plan in 2d map (initial, last position, etc) and CC box

According to this, beta team and JMM can say if it's a bug or a normal performance. And in case of a bug, it's easier for JMM to recognize the problem.

1. Deploy, checkerboard, in column
2. The order was sent before the battle started, so they started to move after about 20 minutes in game time.
3. I drew it behind
4. Yes, all orders apeard as red arrows
5. varried from, "wating for artilley deploment" to Concentration mode, to no order, to final order.
6. No most units deployed in line, even as I order column, and as I said, the corps only sent one and one unit at a time, there was no cordinated attack. they all went in peicemel.
7. I'll remember that

[Malaspina]

A somewhat crucial  question  for the betatesters (I already asked Montecuccoli in the Italian forum):

Have you ever lost a battle against the AI when playing the (more or less) final version of the game?

[englishoo7]

In the full game do divisions hit the enemy line en-mass? In the demo they tend to hit piece-meal and very, very spread out.

[lodi57]

In the full game do divisions hit the enemy line en-mass? In the demo they tend to hit piece-meal and very, very spread out.

The mass effect depends on the lenght you chose for the order line.

For example :

A corp with 12 units and a 50% reserve (2 lines of 6 units) can be deploy with a lenght of 1 800 meters. With use you will know what is the best lenght to choose.

[englishoo7]

Thanks I will try that... I get a message saying something like, "changed length og deployment line". I suppose I should make my deployemnt short to ensure the corps hits the enemy together then?

[Gunner24]

I suppose I should make my deployemnt short to ensure the corps hits the enemy together then?

This is trickly, is there any kind of guide as to how wide the deployment should be, are we trying to stretch the deployment to wide for the number of Regiments in the Corps ?.

[Hook]

I don't know what the optimum length might be, but the line changes color if you make it too long.

Hook

[von_Clausewitz]

This is trickly, is there any kind of guide as to how wide the deployment should be, are we trying to stretch the deployment to wide for the number of Regiments in the Corps ?.

When drawing the deployment line you can only widen it as long as you have units to fill it, after that you cannot. Of course your level of reserves influence that as these are units that will not be on the front line and so cannot contribute to how wide your front line is.

VC