Scourge of War Boards

I just want to give credit where it's due. A while back we went to the packed sprites in order to save memory. It was a big change throughout the game and required us to release the artwork again. But it loaded faster and was more efficient for the video cards. We're learning as we go along.

But the improvements that you see really come down to the new map guy, 2nd Texas. He took the time to experiment with all different types of artwork, splats, textures, and really worked through it until he found the best fit for the engine. There were no major engine improvements in this area for this release, it really all falls on the map design. Not only are they gorgeous, they were fine tuned for the engine. I just had to point this out because he's impressed all of us with his work and we're very glad that the rest of you can see it now.

The new terrain really does look fantastic.

Is there anyway to mod/update the older battles with the new terrain?

Or is it updated already? I never checked!

That would require us to recreate all the older maps. That's not on the radar at this point, but it has been discussed.

I just want to give credit where it's due.
But the improvements that you see really come down to the new map guy, 2nd Texas.

Great Going 2nd_Texas - considering that you haven't been doing this for that long, your map-making-skills are top-notch.

Hey, I knew him when he wasn't even making maps!

davinci

Yeah, I totally agree.

2nd-Tx's work on map making has helped us all. A game changer.

Hi Norb,

Regarding upgrading Gettysburg, Antietam, and Pipe Creek to the new Chancellorsville standard:

Battlefront.com has implemented an upgrade policy for their Combat Mission line of products, which may be a model that you can use. Battlefront is constantly working on new games, and with them come upgrades to the engine. They have been able to figure out a way to upgrade their previous products with the latest improvements. As they make improvements to the game engine, owners of older products will always be able to upgrade to the latest standard if they chose to do so.

They are still working on this and will be releasing the first upgrade soon. I believe that they will charge approximately $10.00 for the upgrade.

Anyway it might be worth a look, since I have seen quite a few requests for upgrades to Gettysburg.

Hoorrah for Texas and 2nd_Texas! Love the new maps. I hope I have my camera with me next time I go through that area (Rt 20 and Rt 3). Of course the Salem Church area will look a bit different, as in unrecognizable.

Not to toot our own horns here, but also wanted to point out the effort it took to get the terrain height done for these maps. We were able to use some excellent topographical maps, but there are of course a few areas that have undergone major changes since the battle. I must have spent 40 hours trying to get the Hazel Grove/Fairview area just right.. Just south of the area where Alexanders artillery was posted is now a lake, so you can imagine the area has changed a bit.

I took a tour around the place. Fraps shows a significant increase in framerate even with all those trees. Well done!

And now, my favourite gripe: The water features. The streams still look like dirt roads and are easily confused by someone who doesn't know whats going on. Couldn't you at least tint them blue like on the Valverde map? That would suspend my disbelief and keep me happy.

Apart from that, I'm glad we're getting new content. Looking at the maps, will we be getting a Marye's heights scenario to err... celebrate the event on the anniversary?

It was my understanding that the water graphics would be upgraded for Chancellorsville. However, I noticed that this was not listed in the new Features.

Was water not actually upgraded?