HC Launcher Brainstorming

[TonyE]

For the first patch I want to have a basic game launcher ready, expanding greatly upon the idea after that.

 

Patch 1 Features:

• Show scenarios within the HC directory and subdirectories.
  
• Show orders of selected scenario.
  
• If player chooses to launch the currently selected scenario, check that a valid DB is present somewhere in the HC directory structure and put the DB into place. Alert user if appropriate DB is not on the machine.
  
• Allow launching of saved game.
  
• Also include the battleset scenarios if possible (this may not be feasible for first patch)
  
• Similarly launch the SE (this may have to be basic, i.e. just starts the SE with chosen DB, doesn't load a particular scen)
  
• Launch the PE, ideally help manage one pfData file for each DB encountered
  
• Launch the Orders Writer for the selected scenario
  
• Enable/disable data export DLLs
  
• Manage custom battlesets in the same manner as scenarios (matching DB, etc.) may have to be of a very basic nature for first patch.
  

Future Capabilities:

• Grab xml listing of scenarios, databases, battlesets available on community sites and present it to user for seamless download.
  
• Make other content available (custom photos for DB editing, sounds for the game,...)
  
• Capture game statistics (platforms destroyed, lost, ...)?
  
• Enable deletion of scenarios, databases, saves from local computer.
  
• Enable uploading of scenarios, databases, battlesets to community sites?
  

[divefreak]

Future Capabilities:

 

• Game Preferences
  
• Game Options
  
• Set Range Circles
  
• Set Grindlines
  
• Sound options
  
• Staff Options
  
• .....
  

[Gopher]

Sounds fine.

 

 

Patch 1 Features:

[*]Show orders of selected scenario.

Sometimes for older scenarios it is better to display the vicotry conditions were orders and victory conditions does not correlate. Or were the victory conditions between blue and red does not exclude each other and it will be only a question of time who is the first.

 

[*]If player chooses to launch the currently selected scenario, check that a valid DB is present somewhere in the HC directory structure and put the DB into place. Alert user if appropriate DB is not on the machine.

... with the possibility to select which DB is to use.

 

Further it would be good when we could launch the GE, the SE and PE synchron from the same platform.

 

 

Future Capabilities:

[*]Capture game statistics (platforms destroyed, lost, ...)?

Therefor is the message.log fine. Unfortunately the log file is not saved into the game save and reused by reopen the game save. Myself I use an Excel or text file to listen how may fighters, bombers, ship and subtype are distroyed.

[TonyE]

Good ideas guys, keep 'em coming. The showing of victory conditions is something I hadn't considered, it definitely won't make it into the first patch but seems like a handy feature in the future.

[Stalintc]

-The ability to switch between installed licenses of HCE (beta testing - differing DB installs etc etc)

 

I do this currently by exporting a copy of each license reg entry to my desktop as I install the HCE clients to my computer, and then import the respective reg entry to the registry for each install, for example if I wanted to load my Beta install insted of my personal copy.

 

Which currently throws up an error not allowing you open the exe if you dont have the correct license code for the exe in the registry entry.

 

Cheers

[Akula]

I think the ability to swap DB for the SE and PE would be a good option, so that a scenario designer could simply use the launcher utility to load the desired DB before designing a scenario.

 

Also, giving the ability to build a new DB in the PE from the launcher would be a usefull option.

 

Let me go into more detail on the PE option.

 

What I would like to see is the ability to use certain tables from the current DB (such as installations or weapons), but blank others like ships or aircraft. This would give DB designers the same basic format to work from, but not require changing every single entry.

 

With the utility I would like to see, we could copy over the weapons/mounts sections from the official DB, and then only need to build up his other annexes. While this is currently possible by simply editing the existing entries, it is a 'messy' ordeal. Starting with a blank annex would be preferable simply for organization, plus the fact I may not need 2000 bases in the DB I am creating. I think this would be a usefull tool considering the current limitations on the DB in size (even if we have managed to break free of that), and the fact that with the BB, if I create a Falklands BS for instance, I don't need to have every unit from every country from 1950 onwards available, I really only need the OOB for Argentina and UK in 1981.

 

Basically would could build a BS with an appropriate DB and not have it cluttered with 4-5 copies of the same ships for different eras.

[TonyE]

Let me go into more detail on the PE option.

 

What I would like to see is the ability to use certain tables from the current DB (such as installations or weapons), but blank others like ships or aircraft. This would give DB designers the same basic format to work from, but not require changing every single entry.

 

With the utility I would like to see, we could copy over the weapons/mounts sections from the official DB, and then only need to build up his other annexes. While this is currently possible by simply editing the existing entries, it is a 'messy' ordeal. Starting with a blank annex would be preferable simply for organization, plus the fact I may not need 2000 bases in the DB I am creating. I think this would be a usefull tool considering the current limitations on the DB in size (even if we have managed to break free of that), and the fact that with the BB, if I create a Falklands BS for instance, I don't need to have every unit from every country from 1950 onwards available, I really only need the OOB for Argentina and UK in 1981.

 

Now that is worthy of your Wish List!

[Jason]

For the first patch I want to have a basic game launcher ready, expanding greatly upon the idea after that.

 

Patch 1 Features:

• Show scenarios within the HC directory and subdirectories.
  
• Show orders of selected scenario.
  
• If player chooses to launch the currently selected scenario, check that a valid DB is present somewhere in the HC directory structure and put the DB into place. Alert user if appropriate DB is not on the machine.
  
• Allow launching of saved game.
  
• Also include the battleset scenarios if possible (this may not be feasible for first patch)
  
• Similarly launch the SE (this may have to be basic, i.e. just starts the SE with chosen DB, doesn't load a particular scen)
  
• Launch the PE, ideally help manage one pfData file for each DB encountered
  
• Launch the Orders Writer for the selected scenario
  
• Enable/disable data export DLLs
  
• Manage custom battlesets in the same manner as scenarios (matching DB, etc.) may have to be of a very basic nature for first patch.
  

Future Capabilities:

• Grab xml listing of scenarios, databases, battlesets available on community sites and present it to user for seamless download.
  
• Make other content available (custom photos for DB editing, sounds for the game,...)
  
• Capture game statistics (platforms destroyed, lost, ...)?
  
• Enable deletion of scenarios, databases, saves from local computer.
  
• Enable uploading of scenarios, databases, battlesets to community sites?
  

one thing id like to see is the ability of the launcher to read scens that are not in the CE directory structure....i keep all my downloaded scens on an external HD and point the game to them manually before the start of a game....

[divefreak]

the last changes look great.

 

Good work....!

 

I´ll start a new discussion/proposal in the database and discussion area about how we can take the most effort out of the new capabilitys.....

[donaldseadog]

A big step forward I find. So good for testing anything.

1. I can't wait for the SE tab to get filled.

2. I guess it is because I'm a bit tardy but when I do a selection from a drop down 30 % of the time I forget to tick the box so the selection has no effect. Would there be a disadvantage in have the box ticked automatically if a selection is made from a drop down (if it doesn't take much effort in coding)

3. I think (but am very open to disagreement) that the default for formation patrols should be 'enabled'.

Don Thomas

[TonyE]

3. I think (but am very open to disagreement) that the default for formation patrols should be 'enabled'.

 

From a code perspective the GE's default is to have formation patrol disabled (i.e. first time you install the game). The launcher defaults mirror the GE defaults.

 

From a player perspective I can say that only on the largest scenarios do I enable the auto formation patrols since I like to set up my own formation patrols.

[CV32]

... I like to set up my own formation patrols.

 

Ditto.

[TonyE]

The first function of the new launcher is just starting to work, the auto-updater so that the launcher can install new versions of itself.  

The second feature for the first release is strangely enough to be able to launch the game.  That hasn't been implemented yet so no build for you all to test quite yet.

[donaldseadog]

On 12/18/2007 at 3:44 AM, TonyE said:

Show orders of selected scenario.

Nice, that be, if did