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Games Discussion / Re: Panzer Corps 2

« Last post by Asid on March 22, 2024, 12:20:54 AM »

Panzer Corps 2: Frontlines - Bulge is out now
Thu, 21 March 2024

Get ready to immerse in the Battle of the Bulge, experiencing the intensity of WWII strategy gaming like never before

Panzer Corps 2: Frontlines - Bulge is out now!

Hello Generals,

The first DLC from the Frontlines series is out now.

Prepare to dive into an immersive battlefield set amidst the historical backdrop of the epic Battle of the Bulge, commencing just days before the pivotal date of December 16th, 1944.

[YouTube]https://www.youtube.com/embed/GuQ9xwxKRtQ?si=NYWbL0ciOT2cNONr[/YouTube]

Key Features:
Experience the Battle of the Bulge within a more zoomed-in scale, featuring the famous Siege of Bastogne
Unique Campaign Structure divided into smaller battles for detailed, focused gameplay.
Allied airpower is restricted for a few turns due to adverse weather conditions.
Earn heroes and extra units as rewards.
Tailor the experience by selecting easier or more challenging battles.
Enjoy a balanced gaming experience with rewards and scenario selection.
Adapt difficulty to individual skill levels and preferences.

Make sure not to miss DasTactic playing the game on the Slitherine Twitch channel today at 16:30 UK time!

To celebrate the release of Panzer Corps 2: Frontlines - Bulge, we are excited to announce a new Chess Maps Tournament which will feature the 3 multiplayer chess maps.

You can sign-up https://www.slitherine.com/tournaments here from Friday 22 March.

The tournament follows Swiss Tournament rules: you can find the full list of rules here https://www.slitherine.com/tournaments/rules

Steel Beasts Pro / Re: Steel Beasts 5.0 Thread

« Last post by Rinix on March 21, 2024, 03:42:24 AM »

https://www.steelbeasts.com/topic/17447-ai-collision-avoidance/#comment-238875

Quote from: Ssnake

Quote from: Gibsonm
Summary:
Is there some way to ensure Blue has priority over Green on roads?
No.
I understand why one would be interested in this and see the justification for such a feature; alas, it's not a feature and unlikely to become one in version 4. Version 5, I see at least the potential to implement this, it's then a question of development priorities.
Advice for the moment is, reduce the amount of Green traffic on the critical routes, re-route Blue to secondary roads which are less likely to be taken by Green traffic.

Games Discussion / Re: Rule the Waves III

« Last post by Asid on March 21, 2024, 12:09:03 AM »

Rule the Waves 3 - Update v01.00.40
Wed, 20 March 2024

Hello Admirals, Captains, and any newly commissioned midshipmen. We have an update today for Rule the Waves 3. Update v01.00.40 brings us several new fixes and some new QoL features that should improve player experiences. Pre-battle, players will now have access to a forecast that projects how the weather will evolve during the engagement. This is subject to error, improvements in tech will gradually make forecasts more accurate as it did historically.

The really big change with this update was classification of CA and CL to make pre-1900 designs more historically accurate. This may cause some issues with designs as you update from 1.00.37 so please keep that in mind. A full rundown of these changes is available in the changelog below. Good luck and happy hunting everyone.

This update will automatically download via steam or is available on the forums here.

Reversed the "CA cannot have protected cruiser armour configuration" change. Important Note: The earlier change to early CA in 1.00.37 proved to be ill considered. As some players have correctly pointed out, the main difference between pre-1900 in game CA and CL should be size, not armor configuration. Early cruisers have now been refurbished in the game and CA are now cruisers that have an armored belt or have a size over 8000 tons, others are CL. Templates and design logic have been updated accordingly. France and Russia have been given belt and sloping armor deck as bonus techs to reflect their early adoption of armored cruisers. This might cause transient issues in already started games with 1.00.37, in which case we advise continuing to play until this resolves itself or starting new game. The end result is that the treatment of pre-1900 cruisers is now much more historical and consistent.[/list]

Added an option to have spacebar both pause and run the game.

Added weather forecast to pre battle screen. Note that this is unreliable, just as the real weather forecast. It will improve with tech and time.

Prevented some cheesy tricks in officer assignment, for example assigning bad officers to empty divisions.

Added possibility to manually change aircraft type of an air unit.

Added save path info on main screen.

Fixed a bug where the default settings were not used if the preferences file was not found.

Fixed a bug that could set the year of ship designs to 1899 in an 1890 start.

Fixed a bug where a Lieutenant commander could be promoted directly to Admiral in some cases.

Fixed a bug with the free manual promotion per turn not resetting after the turn.

Games Discussion / Re: Armored Brigade II

« Last post by Asid on March 21, 2024, 12:08:59 AM »

Call for Proposals: Map Makers Wanted for Armored Brigade II
Wed, 20 March 2024

We are excited to announce an opportunity for talented and aspiring map makers to contribute to the development of Armored Brigade II. This is an opportunity to showcase your skills in map design and play a part in creating an engaging gaming experience.

Submission Guidelines:

Participants will be tasked with drawing a 15x15km section of a map, completing it as thoroughly as possible within the trial period. This initial task is designed to evaluate your style, capability, and the quality of your work.
A uniform 15x15km sample height map will be provided to all participants. a level playing field, focusing the challenge on design skills and creativity rather than QGIS proficiency.

Map files available here

Participants will have three weeks from the receipt of the height map sample to submit their map section. This period is intended to allow sufficient time for showcasing your map-making abilities.
We encourage all participants to document the man-hours invested in creating their map section. This will enable us to compare the effort required for your work against our current standards.

Selection Criteria:

Accuracy and completeness of the submitted map section
Creativity and artistic talent
Ability to convey tactical importance of the terrain features
Overall aesthetic quality and attention to detail

For inspiration and a sense of direction, we encourage reviewing existing maps within the Armored Brigade. If you aim to set your sights high: the maps of Chechnya serve as the gold standard in our community. Dare to match or exceed this benchmark.

Successful candidates will be commissioned to create two full-scale 30x30km maps for inclusion in Armored Brigade II. We are looking into continued collaboration, offering an opportunity to contribute further to the game and potentially other projects, depending on mutual satisfaction with the work delivered.

We are excited to see your creative contributions to the world of Armored Brigade II. For any inquiries or further information, please contact us directly on Discord or on forums.

Deadline:

The timeline officially starts TODAY, and submissions will be accepted until April 19th 2024. Don't miss your chance to leave a lasting impact on the Armored Brigade 2 experience!

World War II Europe 1939-1945 / Re: WWII-Europe Campaign Scenario #102 Update

« Last post by Freyr Oakenshield on March 20, 2024, 11:20:58 PM »

Ron, do you think you could put all the new tested stuff in the game and release a new game version on DropBox that would be higher than V1.0.11 - which was the latest official version you released in 2018, i.e. 6 years ago...?

Regards,
Fr

Games Discussion / Re: Distant Worlds 2

« Last post by Asid on March 20, 2024, 11:03:15 PM »

Distant Worlds 2: Game Faction Update - Announcement
Tue, 19 March 2024

This update will include a refresh of the Human and Mortalen factions from April 9th on

Dear Explorers,

Another free update, "the Game Faction Update," is scheduled for release on April 9th for all Distant World 2 players.

It marks the beginning of updating the base game factions to match the gameplay standards of the new factions introduced in post-release DLCs.

This update will include a refresh of the Human and Mortalen factions as well as many other changes, including improved border graphics and a new visualization for Fleet Engagement ranges. Future updates will cover the remaining base game factions until all are refreshed.

It will include additional Fleet Engagement ranges and a new map overlay for engagement range visualization to help you plan your fleet home bases, engagement ranges and targets.

This update, along with many other news and events, will be included in the free Game Faction Update, launching on April 9th.

That’s not all!

There will be a special streaming event with Erik Rutins, producer and co-designer of Distant Worlds 2, on March 26th at 13:00 PM GMT on our Twitch channel where he will pre-show the Game Faction update.

Be sure to tune in and join us for this special event.

The Galaxy lives on

Games Discussion / Re: Empires of the Undergrowth

« Last post by Asid on March 19, 2024, 10:10:48 PM »

March 2024 Newsletter - Matabele Ants & Friends
Tue, 19 March 2024

Just in case the change in the winds isn't perceptible to all yet, I’ll spell it out - we're approaching a point where we'll soon be ready to announce our release date for version 1.0 of Empires of the Undergrowth. Official reveals for the setting and species you'll be encountering have begun, and so this newsletter will focus firmly on that.

What wonders await in the savannah?

The reveals began at the start of the month and since then we've been doing regular posts on our social media (X/Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Discord), usually on a Saturday. A few other content creators are also getting involved in the fun this time around! Let's go through everything that has been revealed so far and give it some in-depth discussion.

The Matabele Ants

The final ants that the player will control in the campaign is the Matabele ant, a large and fierce termite-eating species Megaponera analis. They live in sub-Saharan Africa. We did a 'Creature Feature'-style short video about it, which also begins to show off some of the environment they live in - the grassland savannah.

Read on: Here

Games Discussion / Re: Field of Glory: Kingdoms

« Last post by Asid on March 18, 2024, 07:57:36 PM »

Field of Glory: Kingdoms - Diplomacy and Troublesome vassals
Fri, March 15, 2024

Even the most powerful of nations will need to rely on allies or vassals

In Kingdoms, even the most powerful of nations will need to rely on allies or vassals. Indeed, medieval Europe and the Middle East are tumultuous and hostile lands, where the small isolated state stands no chance of survival. Nations often have territorial claims against each other, exacerbating tensions. The two major religions of the Book are often in tension, creating fault lines where nearly half the map could be hostile to you, especially as holy wars, crusades, or jihads regularly appear.

Gelasius II, Head of the Holy See, wisely befriended the Knightly Orders and the Byzantines

Kingdoms offers a diplomatic model with more than half a dozen different treaties: Alliance, Cooperation, Vassalage, Royal Marriage, Right of Passage, transactions, gifts, insults, knowing that there are of course wars to declare and peace to sign, and transactions are actually a box where you can add different additional entries. For example, offering mercenaries, requesting territorial concessions, offering metal, etc.

The royal marriage is a novelty in Kingdoms, and will be an ideal opportunity to strengthen ties between two nations. Of course, you will need a daughter of marriageable age for this (i.e., 14 years old), and you must be astute, as a royal marriage can backfire on you. Upon the death of one of the sovereigns, it can lead to a division of the kingdom or even its absorption. Be careful to have the highest Authority, or you will suffer the consequences.

Having vassals also provide decisions to play with, with several outcomes

Right of Passage is also a novelty and is relatively easy to conclude compared to an alliance. It allows not only to transit through the territories of the other nation but also to resupply there, including the resupplying of ships. Generally, becoming allied with another country requires a gradual approach, initially made of simple cooperation, maybe a gift or two, and often the abandonment of all claims against that nation. Usually, all of this happens organically and naturally, because only nations in dispute will seek to claim the regions of the other. Know finally that different religions are a rather major obstacle to establishing good relations, but it remains entirely possible, with the right means.

Kingdom of Heaven, except they are now vassals of the Fatimids, as is Oultre-Jourdain. Only Antioch remains fiercely independent

But the main addition of Kingdoms in diplomacy is undoubtedly the vassalage relation, which is much richer in its possible aspects than the client state relations of Empires, the game preceding Kingdoms. A vassal is generally a plus for a suzerain, as it facilitates the progression of your kingdom towards a more accomplished and powerful Realm, and it can lend you troops. These will still bear the coat of arms of your vassal and will be returned to them in case of peace, but as long as the war lasts, you will have full control! Vassals also provide the opportunity to manage decisions with multiple choices with many different outcomes depending on the loyalty of the vassal and the abilities of the suzerain. Finally, a vassal will often show signs of independence and will not hesitate to let you know if you possess a land that they believe belongs to them.

Stay tuned for our next diary, which will deal with the special perks and game rules that major nations and culture groups have. It really makes for a different gaming experience depending on the country you play, and we can't wait to provide you with some juicy details on the perks we designed!

Games Discussion / Re: ICBM: Escalation : Gobal warfare and nuclear mass destruction

« Last post by Asid on March 18, 2024, 07:44:34 PM »

The Beta has begun + Dev Diary 6
Mon, March 18, 2024

Hi everyone!

In this dev diary, we’re going to be talking about our first beta! It’s just landed on Steam and we’re super excited to show off what we’ve been working on!

To start, we’re going to be working with a relatively small group of testers so we can dig in deep and get some really detailed feedback. The response we’ve gotten from the beta sign-up has been overwhelming and was much, MUCH bigger than we expected, so we’re grateful for all the support we’ve gotten so far. Unfortunately, this comes with the caveat that we can’t take everybody. But, don’t worry, because this is just the first beta test and as we make progress, they’ll get bigger and bigger with more and more participants. As of the time of writing, we haven’t named any names yet, but if you don’t get accepted early on, it might just be a matter of time. You’ll know if you’ve made it if you get an email from Slitherine with instructions on how to join, so keep an eye on your spam folder. Most of the administration for the actual testing is going to be on the official ICBM Discord, so make sure to drop in!

So! On to the beta itself! In our first round of testing, we’re going to be getting a feel for the pace of the game, the way the AI behaves, some of the strategies and how effective they are, and overall, just get some first impressions.

Our testers will have access to the original game modes from ICBM 1, including the original multiplayer experience, single-player skirmish matches, and a freshly redone tutorial explaining all the new mechanics. With 5 times as many technologies as the original, even more units, and a much, much more complex overall strategy and gameplay loop, the ICBM: Escalation experience should feel much different from its predecessor, so establishing how it feels early on is important. Our testers will also get a glimpse of the graphical facelift that the units, menus and map have received.

The AI is now capable of effectively leveraging land assets like special forces, armies and mobile launchers. Instead of just bases and installations, the war on the ground is going to get a lot more dynamic!

One of the crowning achievements of ICBM: Escalation is the introduction of conventional ground warfare, which adds an entirely new dimension to the game. Although players will have the choice of if they want to engage with it and attempt to invade other factions, they’ll have to be on guard, because the AI is now capable of using armies, and they’re ready and willing to invade anyone who’s not prepared! The new mechanic of escalation, from conventional warfare, to tactical nuclear warfare, and eventually total nuclear annihilation is the biggest step forward we’ve made, and also the focal point of the beta test.

ICBM may be focused around nuclear war, but that doesn’t mean that armies can’t pose a threat to you either!

So, hopefully all goes well with the first round of testing, and we can forge ICBM: Escalation into a top-notch nuclear wargame. A quick thank-you to our testers in advance before we get started, and remember, if you’re disappointed about not making it into the beta, it might just be a matter of waiting! We’ll see you again in the next dev diary!

Games Discussion / Re: Videos

« Last post by Rinix on March 17, 2024, 07:18:12 PM »