Thinking of Buying game but need to know on Modding?

[firefly101]

Hello Friends,

I am seriously considering buying this game, I have got mixed reviews from different people, but overall the game seems to appeal to me basedo n the videos etc.

I would like to know HOW moddable is this game and what can be modded?

I would also like to know if I can mod the unit numbers for the game. I prefer a 1 to 5 ratio instead of 1 to 10. Also if this is NOT possible to edit, would the Game designer Consider a Slider Bar to allow Greater numbers per Battalions? I know for HUGE battles this would be unwise but for smaller engagements this is a must for armies of 130,000 or less I think a 1-5 or even a 1-3 ratio would be great, you would still get the HUGE 50k battles but on smaller army sizes. Whereas on battles that have 3-4 armies you can revert back to the 1-10 ratio etc.

Also what can the engine handle on a FAST PC? is 50k max or can faster PCs handle more?

I am a little on the fence about buying, I love the Napoleonic Period and battles, but the Current Ratio is so small, especially for battles that are smaller.

I would like to know others opinions on modding this game and chances of improvements in the near future. I believe in supporting fellow gamer that make a game for gamers.

Thanks,
Firefly101

[Darsh]

The ratio is hardcoded and it's not moddable but JMM said that he'll perhaps change the ratio in the futur.

[firefly101]

How long ago did he say this? Like I said an option would be fine, that would preserve both slow and fast computer players. Game is alot of money and I just want to make sure it lasts and doesnt disappear like alot of other games after release.

Also how long do bodies stay on the field?

[Darsh]

The bodies stay some minutes before disappering on the field, I agree with your idea but the priority now is the MP with the next patch which is comming soon.

[firefly101]

Well lets hope he will add them soon. I can understand on the MP but a Different ratio will do alot to sell this game to other people.

I know I Personally would rather see 90 men per battalion instead of 45. You can never have too many options in the settings. I hope also that others agree that a setting to KEEP bodies on the field to end of battle would be a great option in the settings and easy to add. I like to review the field after a battle.

Are there any serious bugs to mention right now that need to be addressed with the current version of the game?

And is the Demo a Good view of how the game will play or are there problems with the demo?

I remember when this game was anounced years ago, I never thought it was going to release, now that it has I hope it will continue to refine and that certain options that are OPTIONAL in the settings can be added for enhanced gameplay. Nowadays with all the High End PCs its hard now to want Larger numbers per unit especially when our PCs can support it and this period was known for huge battles.

[JMM]

The bodies stay some minutes before disappearing on the field.

No really.. the system manages 10 000 3D models (dead), with a rate of 1 /3.
So the bodies are only replaced after 30 000 real hits.

The problem about the rate is the graphic board power isn't enough strong to draw several thousands of 3D model at high resolution...

HistWar uses the LOD system (level of detail).
For example, the infantrymen are displayed at full precision on 200 meters; over this distance, the quality drops but it's not visible!

Generally speaking, the figure of 3D models is around 800 (8000 soldiers) in the worst condition (10 battalions).
For 1/1, the figure must increase to 8000 3D models.. and  it's not possible with the present graphic boards.
I'll do some tests before the end of this year at rate 1/4... Don't forget the scale modifies the size of constructions to keep the right dimension of regiments.

HW is big piece; the team is small  . Some Modders work on the game. We continue to improve the game 

Hope it's clear...

JMM

[firefly101]

Hello and thank you for replying.

I understand what your saying. I was thinking that if its an OPTION in the settings this would allow the player to try both 1/10 and 1/4 etc. Based on the Battle they fight.

Like you said 800 men isnt alot compared to lets say 2000 at 1/4th scale. I would probably play zoomed out anyway, there is a small mod like European Wars for American Conquest FirghtBack which has about 120 man Battalions and look alot better on the field.

Also the Larger number helps in Telling how badly your units are hit, the smaller numbers based on watching your videos doesnt give one the feel of HUGE battles since most of the battles only had about 200k or less and even then the player will be focusing on small areas of the battle so not all 30,000 are displayed at once.

As for Resolution, I dont think the models are very high resolution, so I will probably play at modest settings to allow more men on the field. If I had my choice of Fancy 3d or More men per unit I would pick more men anyday! lol


Alot of the new video cards are pretty strong with lesser cards having 500mb of  video memory, that and most systems use 2gb min for Ram on PCs. I think you might be able to push the envelope to 1/4 or 1/5 like you said and I would be willing to test out the change if you wanted. I have a nice system which is about the average now here in the USA. I was just not sure to buy at $70+USD for a game without first knowing if there will be changes I would like to see.

I've gotten mixed reviews on this game, personally by your videos I see alot that looks like a dream come true, but the units are so small in men compared to the 1 on 1 cannon system that it doesnt seem to look  right.

Whats your opinion on my comment about only certain sections are visible on the screen at a time? I am sure the player can only see a small portion of the battle at a time which means more men should be possible without a hit on the system. Of course I think it should be made an option so low end PC players can enjoy the game also.

I am leaning heavily on buying this game, but would like to know when you think you might have some tests done on the 1/4 scale instead of the current 1/10. 

I would like to say that I support the idea of making a better PC strategy game for this era, its something that has been missing for a while. Also I know a few others that liked the Demo but didnt like the lack of number of men. So this may be a buying factor, I know it is for me.

[AJ]

I personally don't fight HLG for the "Eye Candy", I'll leave that to the arcade games like NTW. For me HLG is a dream come true and I am so immersed in actual battle tactics that I am not too bothered about numbers of men etc... However each to his own

[Stoppelhopser]

I'm quite satisfied with the current ratio.

Formerly you had games (3D and sometimes miniature tabletop) where about a dozen figures represented a battalion. I was never satisfied with the look of units then. You also can't show formation changes well once you go under a certain troop number.

1/10 is very good to me. Maybe in the future the ratio can be increased as an option.

[firefly101]

Thats why I suggested as an option in the settings. I would love to see a 1/10 - 1/6 - 1/4 option Then it can be set depending on the battle. But either way I feel personally the numbers are too low, most of the battles are not 400k battles and the monitor screen can only show so many units at once even zoomed out. This game is designed to be more of a simulator of what battles were like back then, the larger size for units will help toward that feel of leading massive armies. My only wish is that PCs could handle 1-1 but they cant, but I think they can handle a 1/4 or 1/5 scale. I could settle for that and that would match any game out there with 90-140 man battalion units depending on size.

[Hook]

firefly101, what do you think of the demo?

Hook

[firefly101]

Well I just downloaded it, I had to wait because of Bandwidth limits. Its a stripped version compared to the Videos I have seen. The regiment in the Demo was pretty good in Size but then its was a 3000 man Regiments and we know alot of regiment were not anywhere near that level most of the time. I could imagine how wonderful it would look at 1/5 or 1/4 scale. :-)

The Orders screen in neat and its NOT for the casual gamer for sure, but it does feel pretty good on the delay of orders, controls are a little reversed for me, I think I would have had the Zoom go in the other direction, but this is probably because in the usa we have different options than overseas in europe/briton.

The units are basic and I prefer to view at a distance anyway, I am not worry about looks as the more eye candy and polys you add the less men you can have. I think at their level of polys we can have 1/5 without issue on hardware.

I havent found the bugs in the demo yet, its the TYPE of game demo that you need to spend time on, because there are alot of command options and methods to work out for quick use.  OOB is interesting but I dont think I have the option to modify in the demo. overall ALOT of work went into the emchanics of the game which is a plus for me as I would want a realistic simulation, but I have yet to test the AI.

How is the AI enemy in the full game, is this game better for MP or is SP AI good?

I am still testing the Demo to see, but  it looks good so  far, but its going to tsake time to learn this game, I can see that from the start.

[AJ]

FireFly, spend a lot of time in the tutorials.  This game has a depth and richness that never ceases to surprise

[Hook]

[The demo is] a stripped version compared to the Videos I have seen. The regiment in the Demo was pretty good in Size but then its was a 3000 man Regiments and we know alot of regiment were not anywhere near that level most of the time.

The demo has 3 tutorials, two of which are small battles to allow you to learn to control the troops.  It also contains two large battles, GrandChamps and Montebello.  These should give you lots of troops to look at.

The Orders screen in neat and its NOT for the casual gamer for sure, but it does feel pretty good on the delay of orders, controls are a little reversed for me, I think I would have had the Zoom go in the other direction

There is a lot of information in the interface, and it looks very complicated at first.  But you don't have to understand everything to play, and you'll learn what everything means in time.  The first time I played Montebello, I did it with full difficulty and the only thing I really understood was how to give orders and the Strength, Morale and Fatigue bars on the unit info card. 

What do you mean about the Zoom going in the other direction?  The normal zoom is very wide angle, and the closest zoom is about what you would see with your naked eye if you were on the battlefield.  The first thing I do when I go to 3D view is zoom in as far as possible in F3 and F5 views.  The F6 view gets adjusted according to what I'm watching. 

OOB is interesting but I dont think I have the option to modify in the demo.

When you're on the battlefield, you can reassign units from one corps to another, either before the game starts or while the battle is running.  There are limits to how many units a corps commander can have under him (you can see the number of slots in the bottom row in the 3D view) and a corps commander can only handle about 5 or 6 artillery units.

How is the AI enemy in the full game, is this game better for MP or is SP AI good?

The full game AI was no different from the demo when it was released.  It's been improved since then.

A lot of people only play MP or PBEM.  I generally only play single player, and while the AI isn't finished, it puts up a very good fight.  I've even managed to lose the tutorial battles a couple of times, and this was after playing for a while.  Multiplayer battles are good, even over dialup or a satellite connection with terrible lag.  And they don't use a lot of bandwidth.

Any questions, feel free to ask.  Don't let the interface overwhelm you.  Press the TAB key to make it disappear or bring it back.  And good luck!

Hook