Total World War: December 1941 (BETA) 2.8.0.5

[Hepps]

@gully I have developed a new system where the "is destroyer" property is abandoned all together and removed from the game.

What happens is nothing can ever stop a sub from submerging... however... the "Improved Destroyer" and "Advanced Destroyer" techs gives destroyers the ability to try and depth charge subs when they try to submerge. As a trade of I have also changed how subs operate to compensate for the fact that Subs can survive (with a little luck) without the prospect of being slaughtered outright. These changes include making them effective on attack but at the same time utterly useless when paired with fleets as defensive cover.

[redrum]

I'd probably agree with @CrazyG on this. Given how well 2.8 has gone, I'd say retire 2.7 XML and if you want to test out new sub/destroyer mechanics then make it 2.9.

[Hepps]

0_1531101259707_unit_icons.properties

[Hepps]

Well after a couple of pretty intensive days of revisions I think we are there...

1. Icons on units to identify tech upgrades. (You can see Germany has SW and Imp. AT Guns)

2. A much improved mini map that is far more useful to gameplay. (individual unit locations are much easier to see)

3. Territory extension bars that go left instead of right for problematic territories. (Still in the works... but territories like Western Egypt will extend away from Cairo, and Malta's overflow will go the opposite direction)

4. Unit stack numbers with outlines for better clarity. (Huge improvement already in the latest pre-release)

In addition to that I am also...

1. Adding a subtle texture to the oceans.

2. Reformatted Options Island to space out the placements.

3. Making a new Chinese Combat Engineer that matches the other units better..

4. Redid 40 territories worth of placements to make better use of the space and eliminate overlapping stack extension bars.

And last but certainly not least...

5. Put in the feature that allows the Neutral Nations to be excluded from the game so that they do not have to be "played" by a player in the Lobby Bots. (Happy Birthday @prastle )

[Hepps]

[Hepps]

So did a little testing... and I get this when I bomb a factory with Production Tech.

Looks like the error is related to the game looking for an icon... guessing I have to add the damaged units into the Icon Properties list.

TripleA engine version 1.9.0.0.10506
Loading map: total_world_war, from: C:\Users\Hepster\triplea\downloadedMaps\total_world_war-master\map
Loading resources from the following paths: [C:\Users\Hepster\triplea\downloadedMaps\total_world_war-master\map, C:\Program Files\TripleA\assets]
Loading map: total_world_war, from: C:\Users\Hepster\triplea\downloadedMaps\total_world_war-master\map
Loading resources from the following paths: [C:\Users\Hepster\triplea\downloadedMaps\total_world_war-master\map, C:\Program Files\TripleA\assets]
Error: java.lang.NullPointerException
java.lang.NullPointerException
at javax.swing.ImageIcon.<init>(Unknown Source)
at games.strategy.triplea.image.DiceImageFactory.getDieIcon(DiceImageFactory.java:168)
at games.strategy.triplea.ui.DicePanel.create(DicePanel.java:68)
at games.strategy.triplea.ui.DicePanel.setDiceRollForBombing(DicePanel.java:37)
at games.strategy.triplea.ui.BattleDisplay.bombingResults(BattleDisplay.java:165)
at games.strategy.triplea.ui.BattlePanel.lambda$bombingResults$17(BattlePanel.java:428)
at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue.access$500(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(Unknown Source)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(Unknown Source)
Error: java.lang.NullPointerException
java.lang.NullPointerException
at javax.swing.ImageIcon.<init>(Unknown Source)
at games.strategy.triplea.image.DiceImageFactory.getDieIcon(DiceImageFactory.java:168)
at games.strategy.triplea.ui.DicePanel.create(DicePanel.java:68)
at games.strategy.triplea.ui.DicePanel.setDiceRollForBombing(DicePanel.java:37)
at games.strategy.triplea.ui.BattleDisplay.bombingResults(BattleDisplay.java:165)
at games.strategy.triplea.ui.BattlePanel.lambda$bombingResults$17(BattlePanel.java:428)
at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue.access$500(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(Unknown Source)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(Unknown Source)

[redrum]

@hepps That error actually looks like you are missing dice images and probably the "0" dice image.

That being said, you should probably have entries for damaged units in the unit icon properties as otherwise they won't show the unit icons but you shouldn't get an error.

[Hepps]

@redrum Yah but the zero is in the map folder.... with all the other D12.

No idea why it would have thrown an error. First time I've ever seen that.

So most of the damaged units are straight forward.

But for the BB, ACC and Hvy Tanks which of the 4 unit images need to be included into the properties folder?

[redrum]

@hepps Well, that's what the error says. If you can reproduce it with a save then upload it so I can take a look.

For damaged units unit icons, I believe you just need to specify the regular and damaged (not the _hit ones) as its based on unit types (those defined in the XML not the unit images). But no one has ever tested that so not 100% positive

[Hepps]

Just working on the last little details for this release...

1. Adding the missing icons in for all the damaged units.

2. Doing full revisions to the game notes to ensure all the changes to the game are included in all pages of the manual.

Here's a little preview of how I am dealing with the tech chart...

[redrum]

@Hepps
Here is the updated unit_icons.properties: 0_1533414237710_unit_icons.properties

TODO

• Rename the following images to lowercase: Prod -> prod, ImpProd -> impProd, AdvProd -> advProd
• BB star looks off center
• Adv DD star overlaps "A"
• Should train have 2 logistics upgrades (added see below)?
• Should damaged units show icons (added see below)?
• Should "Infantry" do a single green circle instead of 3 pie pieces as it doesn't get bonuses from imp or adv SWF?
• Any reason "Alpines" don't get the ability to paradrop with Adv SWF?
• Anything look missing from below screenshots?

Fixes

• PR to fix unit types with periods in name (germanMech.Infantry): https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/pull/3721

The following is with all techs researched based on this save game: 0_1533414546488_test.tsvg

Land Units

Air Units

Sea Units

[Hepps]

@redrum Great!

1. Awesome. Consistency would be nice.
2. Yes I will have to make a new left facing star for all the left facing units that is just a hair bigger.
3. I'll have to ponder that one. It is going to be an issue for right and left.
4. Yes trains need 2 pluses
5. Would be nice.
6. I simply made all the Infantry types 3 slices for visual clarity. So no matter where you are on the map... regardless of what Inf type is present... you know which SWF tier your opponent is at.
7. Combat Paradrop with Alpine is with Improved SWF.
8. Will study. Looks good so far other than some of the changes identified.

[Hepps]

0_1533434830956_unit_icons.properties

[redrum]

Take #2: 0_1533439345052_unit_icons.properties

Land

Air

Sea

[Frostion]

Just out of curiosity, why are technical indicators not all just round and cake-slice like? Would that not lead to most consistency and also make the player not have to learn too many icons and symbols?

[Hepps]

@frostion I had all the icons the same in my first draft and it was very difficult to distinguish or differentiate between different units and which had been improved. There were just to many circles on the map.

So what I did was I simply made the indicator system the same format... just using different shapes for each branch of the military... Land, Sea and Air being Circles, Pentagons and Triangles.

[Frostion]

Yea, I thought the answer was something like that. I can imagine the crowded territories. I still think that the round one is the nicest, cleanest and best looking. I am looking forward to using this new feature on one of my own maps.

[Hepps]

Crowding really isn't the issue. Though late in the game there are lots of icons one the map. But since you rarely have 1 of every unit in a territory... it's less obvious than in the example. Just ensuring the icons are clearly understandable at a glance. By having different shapes for each type of unit it makes it very clear which unit have which techs. There is no chance to mistake Improved
SWF with Improved Fighters. Also it reinforces at a glance what type of unit you have.

[Hepps]

NEW TWW 2.8.0.5 NOW AVAILABLE on the Map Downloads!!!

Please refer to the first post in this thread for all the technical details...

The game changes are as follows...

• Game manual has all the game changes included from 2.8.0.4

• +1 Airfield added to Copenhagen

• +1 germanCombatEngineer added to West Africa

• -1 britishFighter removed from New Brunswick

• -1 britishInfantry removed from Malta

• +1 japaneseAlpineInfantry added to Eastern Manchuria

• +1 japaneseAirfield added to Peking

• Redrum added to credits on Greenland

• New placements for many territories of the map to reduce overlap from extension bars. Territories now also have extension bars that protrude in a leftward direction to ease the overlap on heavily populated areas of the map.

• New improved image for chineseCombatEngineer

• All fighter and Advanced Fighter classes now perform equally well on Coastal Terrain against a comparable unit. (Slight reduction for both types of naval fighter units)

• Unit icons added to units to be able to determine which technologies you and your opponent have at a glance.

• New Mini Map that gives better indication of units in territories and desaturation of the mini map to make units standout more.

• Neutral Nations can now be made optional and skipped during gameplay when you are playing without them (I am calling it...BOT friendly mode)

• Wave texture added to all water. Lightens map in a subtle way and adds a nice bit of detail.

• Placements in Gold coast SZ now fixed. So Minor nation units will transfer to the appropriate Major power.

• +34.685% fun added due to all these improvements

[Hepps]

Furthermore... I want to underscore just what a tremendous resource @redrum has been, both with making new features available and providing technical assistance to laymen such as myself in getting this product out to you all.

Be sure to give him a hardy slap on the back if you see him in the Lobby to show him how appreciative you are of all his ongoing efforts. Slap hard and often to show you care!