Posts made by Motdc

Germany Deploy B

Poland Deploy

Germany Deploy A

As noted before, deployment order for this scenario has Germany deply half thier units, then Poland, then Germany does a second deployment to emulate an element of surprise.

Obstacle Deploy

If obstacles are used then they are deployed next.  As you can see, it takes several map exchanges to get a game started due to taking turns during unit placements.

Initial Steup

In most games you’d use the built-in forum dice roller to select who goes first, but in this case the setup is defined by the scenario.  This image is the first “tab” or page in the game.  In it, both armies are dropped onto the map awaiting deployment.

The other player (or any spectators) can then tap on the link to view or continue play as long as they also have MapView (http://motcreations.com/mv_overview.html) installed and have downloaded the game modules ( see here for AAM modules http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=10782.0).

The game progress is viewable in the row of tabs along the bottom.  All the way to the right is the Initial Setup, and then each player adds a tab containing their turn, creating a kind of flip-book that holds the history for the whole game.

I think what I will do is each day is post the game one turn at a time as an image as well to illustrate the way a AAM game flows in play-by-post.

Mot

I was asked how you pass maps back and forth, an this is how you play-by-forum with MapView.  You simply attach the map using the “Additional Options…” link right below the windows you type you Reply into, like this!

Mot_VS_Cobalt_Luksusowa.mvf

I figured it would be worthwhile to post up some past AAM games that were wiped from this forum a few years ago when the spammers nuled it.

This game was a match using the 1939 invasion of Poland scenario (“Luksusowa”) described here:

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=11831.0

Game map to follow.

I’m working on some solutions for non-windows users, though you might see it on an Android or in browser first.  In the short term, I could perhaps add some image export options to make the maps at least easier to view on non-windows.

So what do you think?  Is something like this useful?  What changes would you recommend?  How is the size of the map vs the size of the units?  I recall thinking the ship images needed to be smaller…

Mot

We used a facing indicator (the blue dot / sphere graphic) to denote which hex edge a vehicle is facing.  But if there is a lot of demand I could add support for multiple images per unit and then the user can select one that is pointing the right way.

Are you familiar with MapView?  We used it to play dozens on play-by-form A&A Minis (land) games on here before the board got screwed up and ate all the game threads.  (Boy I’d give a dollar to be able to get those threads back from a backup of some sort).

MapView can be downloaded here: http://motcreations.com/mv_overview.html

The WAS module was in this thread…I’ll go back and find it and edit it into this post in a minute.

What I recommend is to download the AAM modules from the pinned location at the top of the AAM section of this forum to see what a finished module looks like and plays like.  I will post some game files.

The WAS module that was started is incomplete, but we can whip it intoi shape if the community thinks it will add value.

Mot

PS - Here is a site that has a WAS module:  http://www.battlevault.com/Campaigns/Guadalcanal/Guadalcanal_01.htm

I chose not to just link the download file so as to give credit to the forum member that did the initial work.

We used to play A&A Minis here all the time using this tool:

http://motcreations.com/mv_overview.html

Which looks like this when you play it:

The map/unit packs (modules) are pinned here:

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=10782.0

And a guide to adding new unit images and maps is pinned here:

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=11595.0

And I could desperately use the help of any skilled in image editing to add more units and maps!

Mot

BUMP

Seems to be relevant again.

To reiterate to anyone new to the tool, MapView is program that makes it easy to play board games on a virtual surface.  Each turn is tracked in a history, pieces are moved with drag and drop, and it supports things like undo/redo.  Game files are very small and can be posted to the forum for “play-by-forum”.

MapView is game-agnostic, meaning you can play any game you want, you just need a module for it.  Game modules can be created by anyone with by linking their own maps and unit images together.  Image and XML, that all there is to it.  For A&AM, we all collaberatively created and maintained the game modules, with users contributing maps and unit images to put in the modules.

I will be glad to help create/modify modules and I can host the module files.  But I don’t know this game, and I don’t have time or the skill to make maps and unit images.  But it seems several high-quality map makers are around in the Minis forum?  I saw in this thread a sample module someone put together for WAS.  If someone can evaluate it to see if it will work and report back we can go from there.

Mot

Hmmm, I suppose you are right.  I guess I shouldnt have said it’s not a fair comparison.  I just remember when it was vibrant and back then I would have said AA org had the edge.  But yes, at the moment it is a bit behind.

In regards to the activity differences, it used to be active here.  Comparing it now is not a fair comparison.

In regards to maps and such, I will help adapt any MapView modules for AAM of WAS that are needed.  It works better than photobucket for PBEM.  Let me know.

Mot

On another note, when we did have an active community of A&A mini players going back in the beginning (I probably played 40 games PBF of it myself, and I have the game files still), we were racing to add all the units to the mdoules to keep the game vibrant.  I think a few people even put togther a WAS module or two (modules are just an XML file and images, no code needed).  If anyone wants to pick up that task and continue to extend the modules to cover the new units I’d be more than happy to assist.  But it’s one of those self-fulfilling prophecy kind of things though, if no one is using it then I don’t want to dump lots of time into working on it, and if it doesn’t get updated, no one will use them.

A key premise of MapView is the ability to play while disconnected.  While HTML5 is supposed to better deal with offline and local storage, I’m not familair enough with it to know if it would address that design objective.

I’m actually in a transition period right now professionally in that I need to shift my skill set into Andriod, iOS, and/or HTML5 if I want to keep employed where I am since my current product line is ending.  If my learning coincides with a direction for MapView then it serves double-duty.

This should probably go in the Trades area not the general discussion area…

Now that I can see though I doubt they replace PCs (or Macs) but rather supplement, as my phone is doing now.  You don’t throw out the computer when you get the gadget.  It just gets used less.  I still sit down at a computer to work or do my taxes.

But anyway, we digress :)