Scourge of War Boards

Will this be available with the new engine for modding? It is possible with TC2M, but the troop strengths won't display properly and also maps would have to be scaled up to accommodate the larger perspective.

RebBugler,
are you saying what i think you're saying, that the troops in a unit would/could be at a 1:1 sprite ratio instead of the current 10:1?
I think that might be real hard on lower end PC frame rates and clutter up a battle field especially on smaller monitors.
One possibility could be an option somewhere in a mythical 'ADVANCED OPTION MENU' to change the sprite ratio 'on the fly' automaticaly when map magnification or zoom is enabled.
And/Or a user defined ratio in that 'advanced option menu' to accomodate a slow, medium or fast PC which ever the case.

Don't know for sure but i think this might be a real PITA for Norb to implement especially at the 11th hour of release. Maybe not.
Though i gotta admit, it would be great to see a hundred thousand troops on the field duking it out! Oh the humanity!
If i misunderstood your post, nevermind!

Ironsight,

On a company/regiment scale man. ...staying within the limits of available sprites...maybe a division at most. This way, the number of scenarios possible with each battle is broadened tremendously. It could be broken down to tactical squads on missions, sharpshooter companies up against regiments...lots of possibilities.

This would be great for "smaller" engagements. Possibly where you would have no more than say a thousand men total.....maybe a little more.

Both of you Gentlemen have very sound ideas in this aspect. I'm not sure how well this would work at Divsion level RebBugler; but maybe at Brigade strength.

H'mm, this ol hard head of mine doesn't quite understand!:S

What i think you're saying, correct me if i got it wrong, is that a more detailed mini-battle for lack of a better term, could be fought within the scope of the main battle by zooming into the map?
If thats the case, the sprite ratio would still have to automatically change on the fly when the map is zoomed into, then brough back to a the more realistic 10:1 ratio when zoomed back out again.

That sort of reminds me of the suggestion i made way back when at the MM site was to incorporate RPG mini-scenario options somehow into the main battle.

For example, during the main battle a crack enemy battery is in a very defendable strategic locaion who is decimating your Brigade's line preventing it from moving forward and needs to be taken out by a cavalry squadron maybe by maneuvering around it to attack it from the rear. This enemy battery's Flag would have some designation on it that it has a RPGable option to take it out.

Once the your cavalry commander's flag is hi-lited, there'd be a button on the tool bar to go into an RPG mode if desired. When the squadron reaches a predifined perimeter around the enemy battery, the map would automatically zoom only that area within the perimeter and with extreme 3D detail no less. Then the squadron commander along with his cavalry, the battery and surrounding terrain would be displayed in the entire screen in an RPG environment with obviously a 1:1 sprite ratio. Whether you'd be the commander or a grunt i don't know. But a grunt would be more fun as he might have several pistols tucked in his belt along with a repeating rifle and of course his sword for taking out the enemy cannoneers.

Once the battery is taken, the squadron routed or whatever, that RPG button on the tool bar would be deactivated taking the screen back to the main battle.
I think the RPG feature plus the current battle emulator of the game would be a strong marketing point realizing it would add a lot more baggage to the code....though these RPG scenarios could be made modular with hooks put in the present code for a future implementation.

Maybe minus the RPG thing, is this what you're basically thinkin, or did i get it wrong again?

Wow, Ironsight, some great ideas, but I think we'll be dead and buried before that futuristic display of technical knowhow emerges.

No, I'm more simple minded, this is where I'm talking: single scenario design for 1:1 sprite play, not melding the two ratios. This is why I mentioned the necessity for map scaling, possibly a map scale file included with the custom scenario folder...still using the same map...I'm just speculating...I don't know squat, merely probing for possibilities. Sure would be neat, the realism of 1:1 play.

And to further speculate, large, in the background slow moving or fluctuating sprites, representing corps and armies, giving a grand feeling of an immense battleground.

I would love to see a mod with 1:1 all they way up to divion vs divion.

but It's not something I would want Norb and the guys to work at, if they could only leave the back door open for a mod to do it I would be happy

I believe that we will have the ability to adjust much more in this engine. You will be able to define how many "units" make a yard, when we open the maps you will be able to do different size maps, and I think that you will be able to define whatever sprite ratio you want.

Since we're doing some wishing here, I'd like a scenario designer. Something where I could open a drop down list of the OOB and drag and drop a unit onto the map, select a formation for them, and select a direction to face them. Can you NSD guys have that completed by the weekend? :ohmy:

OK RebBugler, i finally get it now! Yep that'd be great too!
I think i'm gonna have a nice cold bottle of Sprite soda pop now maybe with a little vodka thrown in!:)