Vassal Module: Version 3.5 preview

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2 years 10 months ago #7190 by grecian formula
Okay, thanks, glad to know the back button is there and I just didn't recognize it; fwiw I'm not a big fan of using control keys to manipulate vassal modules, which puts me in the 'extinct' category as far as many computer gamers are concerned :)

Basically, I think everything should be reachable/doable with the mouse.

Which brings me to my comment about un-squaring, the suggestion that control-U be used for that. Hopefully that can be a mouse control, too, Mouse in, mouse out, so to speak!
cheers, Marc

Prajñāpāramitā

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2 years 10 months ago - 2 years 10 months ago #7191 by Bayernkini
A lot of "automatism" in meantime.
But where are the automatic buttons for "Guerilla Marker & Iron Will" into hand?

And i missing the "retire" button, to retire/switch players hand. Not absolute necessary in single games, but in long time Epic it happens (i know it from 8hrs MM44 games)
that players leave game and other join there seat.


 

My dice are the hell!
Last edit: 2 years 10 months ago by Bayernkini.
The following user(s) said Thank You: RiverWanderer

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2 years 9 months ago #7234 by RiverWanderer

A lot of "automatism" in meantime.
But where are the automatic buttons for "Guerilla Marker & Iron Will" into hand? I will see how the next beta release goes and whether I iterate this one more time before Vassal release, but there are a few more useful features before I get to these counters. They are fully integrated in my all-in version of the module but for v3.5 it doesn't seem too hard to just draw a counter into hand occasionally. 

And i missing the "retire" button, to retire/switch players hand. Not absolute necessary in single games, but in long time Epic it happens (i know it from 8hrs MM44 games) that players leave game and other join there seat. Retire still exists; it is on screen at game start and for in game use it sits under the Game Options menu and on shortcut Alt+R.  By removing it from the main toolbar, I've saved a space for a more useful button whilst staying within the width of a laptop. On Epic, I have to decide but anyway I may make the hands more open to players on the same side, so the Epic module can be more adaptable to different modes of play.


 

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2 years 9 months ago - 2 years 9 months ago #7235 by RiverWanderer
V3.5a23 (Beta) is ready for testing. Find it here .
The following gives a summary of the changes. The Release Notes give fuller information (Help...Release Notes from the module toolbar).

There are further improvements I could add before release to Vassal but my inclination is to release this version, with any necessary bug fixes. Then I plan to transplant the block and combat marker functionality in my Epic version of the module, which will hopefully make that ready for prime-time as well.

Feedback Updates
These are actions against outstanding feedback;
  1. It is now possible to flip cards face up or face down in hand. Face down keeps the cards private, even between Solitaire and normal roles.
  2. There is a small margin around the card area in each hand window.
  3. Squaring is improved (see below).
Known Issue
Due to bug in Vassal, whenever the "Flip Cards" or "Squaring" buttons are used, the mouse-over of cards in hand progressively degrades (displays +1 card for each time the button is used, on the row where cards where located when the button was pressed). This bug has been reported. Update: Fix expected in Vassal v3.5.7.

Squaring
  1. The Square Command appears on the right-click menu before game start (for setting up special scenarios) and thereafter appears only when a valid combat is declared (terrain, attacker and target is considered).
  2. Squaring may be done using the procedure used in v3.4 and only requires a single Unit command (Square, Alt+H). However, the normal Square action now requires only that the Square button is pressed (Hand Window, second button from the right). The target unit will be squared automatically. Rudimentary checks for available square markers and handsize are performed and reported.
  3. Likewise, play of "Hasty Square" will automatically square a defending infantry unit, where valid.
  4. Battalion Mass works directly from the Unit, as before, without any validation on the number of available Battalion Mass counters.
  5. The Unsquare Command appears only when a unit is in Square. The command is greyed out until the Unit is ordered.  Once a unit is Unsquared, the freed-up card, if any, can be clicked-on by the owning player and this will retrieve the card (right-click command also available).
  6. Moving a Square Unit to the Victory Banner track will automatically Unsquare the unit and return the player's card, if any.

Other Improvements

Click Actions
Left-Click is enabled on army pieces on the battlefield, during a game and provides the following action abilities:
- An unordered active (ie active side) piece will be ordered
- An ordered active Infantry or Cavalry unit or a garrison will be marked Attacker, closing the previous combat
- An ordered active Artillery unit will be marked Add-to-Attack if an Attacker is already designated, otherwise it will be marked Attacker
- An unmarked inactive piece will be marked as Target

Command Size Display
The leader icons to the side now always display the Active player's correct Command Size (left hand number), as well as the total Tactician Cards hand-size.

Lost Block Count and Elimination Reporting
  1. A lost block count can be displayed as a personal Game Option (shortcut F10). To use this feature, always move eliminated units and leaders to the opponent's side of the battlefield, within the width of the main board. Do this even for Cossack units.
  2. When the number of hits is enough to eliminate a unit, it is not necessary to apply the hits. Just move the unit to the opponent's side of the board, and the hits will be reported automatically.
Chat Log Reporting
Units and Leaders are highlighted in their Army's color (or a useful equivalent).
Combat and Squaring actions are reported.

Mother Russia
  1. Paper-strength units are now designated by a Mother Russia counter icon (similar to the boardgame and how French Line Conscript is handled).
  2. The command to upgrade / downgrade a unit is now Alt+C (previously was F5 and was upgrade-only).
  3. An alternative Mother Russia mechanism is provided: Press F5 before cards are dealt to obtain Mother Russia tokens based on the Mother Russia die roll (or take them from the Markers palette). Move a Mother Russia counter onto a Russian LN, LT or FA unit and click on the counter to update the unit. Or use the right-click options to turn the counter into a Cossack unit or a Fieldworks section.
Combat Markers
These have been further over-hauled and optimised. Most status changes are denoted by an embedded mark on the unit, garrison or leader (like C&C Ancients). The main Attacker and Target markers are movable and can be used to designate a Combat rather than using right-click menus or shortcut commands which remain available.The Target Piece's Movement trail and Move-mark are reset on once next Target is marked.Generally speaking, to get the best out of the Combat Markers, make Retreat and Momentum Advance moves using the Unit and/or Leader and not selecting the Attacker or Target marker (to make this easy, the markers are not selected when the Unit and/or Leader is band-selected).
Last edit: 2 years 9 months ago by RiverWanderer. Reason: Updated to v3.5.0a23. Fixes for non-standard Army sides and Attacker/Target commands being disabled.

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2 years 9 months ago #7236 by Mark-McG
in rare instances there are two non-French sides fighting.
These seems to throw the ordering and targeting out, I think because the "French" side is ordering non-French units

Does that sound possible, or am I just screwing up (more possible)

Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
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2 years 9 months ago - 2 years 9 months ago #7237 by RiverWanderer

in rare instances there are two non-French sides fighting.
These seems to throw the ordering and targeting out, I think because the "French" side is ordering non-French units

Does that sound possible, or am I just screwing up (more possible)

 
More likely that I've not set up a scenario correctly, or missed one...  hopefully that rather than the mechanism itself.
I thought I'd caught them all.  Was it an particular scenario that you tried ?

Update: Unfortunately it is something deeper than a single scenario. Setup is getting reset back to default.
Thanks for the report. I will investigate.
Last edit: 2 years 9 months ago by RiverWanderer. Reason: update

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2 years 9 months ago #7238 by grecian formula
Thanks for all the hard work, Mark.
The new version CC Napoleonics beta V3.5a22 -- is it compatible with VASSAL 3.5.5? I get an incompatibility warning message when I try to launch it in 3.5.5, but it seems to work. At the moment I'm not ready to abandon VASSAL 3.5.5 for 3.5.6 because it sounds like already they are working on 3.5.7.

Hehe when will the madness end?

Prajñāpāramitā

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2 years 9 months ago #7239 by RiverWanderer

Thanks for all the hard work, Mark.
The new version CC Napoleonics beta V3.5a22 -- is it compatible with VASSAL 3.5.5? I get an incompatibility warning message when I try to launch it in 3.5.5, but it seems to work. At the moment I'm not ready to abandon VASSAL 3.5.5 for 3.5.6 because it sounds like already they are working on 3.5.7.

Hehe when will the madness end?

Thank you.
Yes, a22 is compatible with Vassal 3.5.5; I need to remember to tweak the module file so that it doesn't give that warning for v3.5.5 users.

However, v3.5.6 fixes 2 or 3 minor bugs that affect some mouse-over features; and Vassal v3.5.7 will properly fix the bug affecting mouse-over in a hand window. Overall v3.5 is pretty stable now and I recommend using the latest available v3.5.x release.
 

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2 years 9 months ago #7240 by RiverWanderer

in rare instances there are two non-French sides fighting.
These seems to throw the ordering and targeting out, I think because the "French" side is ordering non-French units

Does that sound possible, or am I just screwing up (more possible)


 
More likely that I've not set up a scenario correctly, or missed one...  hopefully that rather than the mechanism itself.
I thought I'd caught them all.  Was it an particular scenario that you tried ?

Update: Unfortunately it is something deeper than a single scenario. Setup is getting reset back to default.
Thanks for the report. I will investigate.
 I think I've fixed the problem. Re-download from the module link for a22 above (now a22f1). Scenarios Bailen and Balaclava should work. I will refresh / fix the others after I review and tidy up the scenario configuration tool that allows an Army to be switched to the other side.

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2 years 9 months ago #7241 by RiverWanderer
I have updated the above release post with a replacement release (3.5.0a23) to fix the Army side issue spotted by Mark McG and also a fix for an issue with Attacker/Target commands that I found in a game today.

You can also download the replacement version  here .

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