Wanted to ask when this would be looked at...

[JudgeDredd]

One of the things hitting me every time I fire this game up is when a battle takes place...I simply have no feel for where it is and it's importnace.

The battle screen shows and cannot be moved and I have no idea where it is.

Is there any chance you could have the battle window moveable so I can see where the battle is taking place...or show it on the minimap or have a list of battles played last turn which show where they were and, when clicked, takes you there.

It really irritates me that I cannot get a feel for what's going on where.

This has been bugging me for a couple of months now...I've only just got round to posting it here because I knew you were busy with other more important stuff, but I thought I ought to mention it as it does irk me.

Thx

[Frank]

What helps me is to push the Breakthrough or Retreat/Counter Attack button during the battle to see an overview of the surrounding provinces. It is not the best solution but so i have no problem to know where the battle is.

[Johnnie]

Yes, the breakthrough, etc. button does help, but JudgeDredd is right. There should be a toggle to the larger map, maybe with the province in question highlighted.

[JudgeDredd]

Didn't think about the breakthrough button. I'll give it a go

However, not knowing the areas makes it very difficult to know where you are even when doing that I would've thought!

[Aphrodite Mae]

My husband has had this problem with other wargames. He came up with a nice solution that might work for this game, too. It takes a little bit of time, but it's worth it, I think. It's very simple: he zooms out as far as he can, and takes screen shots of each area. Then, he copies and pastes them in MS Paint. Eventually, he has a great big map of the entire game map!

If you have duel monitors, you can run both the PNG of the "composite map" and the game. OK, so maybe you're not so fortunate: you can still "Alt + Tab" to your PNG or JPEG composite map, to see where you are. Another approach is to print it out, maybe "posterized" to fit on four pages or something like that.


AM

[calvinus]

Yes, indeed besides the binocular view and the Retreat/Breakthrough popup windows, I do not see any "space" where to print such map...

[JudgeDredd]

Well as I suggested...just being able to move the combat window out the way (or minimise it) would help

[calvinus]

Eh eh... what you ask is extremely complex.

[tagwyn]

H: Your husband is very smart and clever. Look at his wife! A sure test of good taste. t

[JudgeDredd]

Eh eh... what you ask is extremely complex.

Moving a window is extremely complex? I could name 50 diferent games that allow me to do it.

Sorry...a new poster here being as the Matrix ones are quiet for this game...but are your posts "tongue in cheek humour" or am I reading them wrong? I have no idea if your taking the mickey or not

What does "Eh...eh" mean and the smiley at the end?

[Frank]

A other solution could be if you press a button and then the battle window is hidden so you could look at the map. Pushing the button again and the window will reappear again.

[calvinus]

Moving a window is extremely complex? I could name 50 diferent games that allow me to do it.

Sorry...a new poster here being as the Matrix ones are quiet for this game...but are your posts "tongue in cheek humour" or am I reading them wrong? I have no idea if your taking the mickey or not

What does "Eh...eh" mean and the smiley at the end?

Ops, absolutely no humor... my "Eh eh" was a sign of my brain rolling like a mad studying the solution:
We Italians use "Ah ah" to mean a laugh, and "eh eh" sometimes to mean a tough situation.

What do you mean exactly for "moving the window" ?

The Battle Window is modal, and I draw the map in background. So you mean I should allow the hor/ver scroll of the background map (if so, when/how)? Or you mean I should allow to minimize the Battle Window? Or I should allow both of these solutions.

[calvinus]

A other solution could be if you press a button and then the battle window is hidden so you could look at the map. Pushing the button again and the window will reappear again.

This could be quite simple indeed.

[Anthropoid]

If it is possible to minimize the battle window, and resume the ability to scroll around on the big main map, that would certainly solve the problem.

I too had this reaction when I first started playing the game. I also used the breakthrough button to get a more inclusive view, which does not always help.

But as of now, having realized that this game is very complex, and that I need to pay very close attention to a lot of details in order to make the most out of army-by-army move mode, the issue of not knowing every single region name for every single battle has become largely inconsequential to my play.

With the exception of the early part of the game when the AI might attack me somewhat by surprise, I now seem to keep pretty good track of what is going on and anticipate where combats might occur. Just saying that, as you play the game more, you may notice that this gripe becomes less of an issue for you Judgedredd.

Apart from retreating, there does not really seem like a lot of decisions to be made in the battles that knowing the exact battle location would change. Moreover, if you see a battle come up and you don't know where it is, it might be safest to assume that retreating is the best option: after all, if the region is so unimportant that you do not recognize it, why fight over it?

[JudgeDredd]

ok...sorry...just wasn't sure of the dialog and smilies used.

I meant moving the battle windo (the modal one you speak of) out the way. But a button to hide/restore it would be even better...anything that allows me to survey the map before continuing with the battle

[JudgeDredd]

...Just saying that, as you play the game more, you may notice that this gripe becomes less of an issue for you Judgedredd.

Very true...perhaps I need to overlook this issue and get on with it. It is an issue that has stopped me in the past getting into a game in any depth...it hits me like a brick wall and I tend to think "bugger it" and get out...perhaps I need to get past it and try...I will do so. Thx

[calvinus]

Move the battle window is not possible, because it's modal 1024x768, so the guys that play the game in 1024x768 cannot move it.

[Kaiser1918]

But why is it fixed? No need to do so? Or simply put in a 'hide window' button.

[JudgeDredd]

To be fair, just because some languages allow you to move windows, it doesn't follow that all do.

He did mention the word modal and I know that some languages allow non-modal windows (this is probably particularly important when dealing with full screen games because you would probably have to alt-tab to the other window, being as if you click off a non modal window, it goes "behind" the main one).

However, I think the suggestion to use a button to hide the window and return it is a good one, and Calvinus thinks it's viable, so I would like to put my (considerable :d) weight behind that suggestion.

[calvinus]

Yes, the hide/show button in the best solution. I will ask Gilles to do the button.

[JMass]

I am working on the Land Battle Window to render visible the map below, in a few hours I could attach a screenshot.

[JMass]

Now it is more simple to locate the battle's region (currently I am not using my map mod because I must update it to v. 1.06a).
Any feedbacks, please!

[Generalisimo]

Now it is more simple to locate the battle's region (currently I am not using my map mod because I must update it to v. 1.06a).
Any feedbacks, please!

INteresting idea, didn't thought about that... it looks like a nice workaround until calvinus makes the hide/show window.

[yoppy]

Hurray!!! That's exactly what I was asking for weeks ago. Go on please.

[JMass]

Here's the window, it is a bit crude and it needs some work but for now is usable.

[Haplo_Patryn]

Nice!!!

[JMass]

New version...

[JMass]

The final version is ready, I attached it in my mod's discussion

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showpost.php?p=133677&postcount=35

[JudgeDredd]

I'll take a look when I get home. Thanks for trying