Word Around the Campfire (con't)...

[Anaxogoras]

I think they should concentrate each update on one scenario to fill the planeset, and upon launch (or shortly after to iron out plane bugs) begin a scenario with it.

Absolutely, but I doubt that will happen.  Look at the way aircraft are added to AH.  It's more about arena play than filling in gaps for scenarios.  Otherwise we'd already have the He-111.

[Iron_Cross]

Gentlemen,

From the reports, posted from the Convention, their are a lot of little "Garage" projects floating around on the back burner due to resource issues.  That, coupled with CT, means their is not enough resources to pursue any project, including CT.  Hitech, has been reported at the Con, as wanting to bring these "Garage" projects forward, and improve MA play.  He has not ash-canned CT, but rather put it in the freezer, until these other projects are done, and he can focus again on CT, when more resources are available.

This sounds like Hitech, is focusing on his core product.  A smart business plan in anybody's book.    CT, is a branch off of the core, that will appeal to a slightly different player base.  Diversifying, is another smart move, business wise.  All I'm seeing here is a smart businessman allocating the few resources he has, to projects that will make the most customers happy.  CT isn't out, (It is in what, closed beta?) so there are no customers to make happy.  I'm sure that when resources become available, CT will be put back on the burner.

[Babalonian]

*loud annoying whistle*

Official Announcement: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,250755.0.html

[hubsonfire]

And there we have it. Sounds good to me. 

[Babalonian]

Took the time to read it fully, it sounds like they're going to give AH a lot more love, and fold what they really wanted to out of CT and into AH... turn AH into a bigger and badder contender.  It sounds awesome to me, can't wait to see some of these changes take shape and see what the development team has hidden away to surprise us all.

[Anaxogoras]

Where's the press release?

[1pLUs44]

I think a lot of people had a feeling HTC would be coming out with CT soon because of the release of the AI Bots... I honestly would pay another 15$$ a month for a few months to hurry up and pay for CT personally if they were going to actually go and finish it. It's a shame that it went away... All that work... gone for nothing. 

[macleod01]

Hang on, He said that they have major problems to overcome, so its going on the 'backburner'. Not being scrapped. I think some people are just putting words into Hitechs, or in this case Pyro's, mouth. Their figuring out who to breath life into CT, once thats done it adn AH updated to HT's standards, CT will be back on the full burner and back into full swing. I personally am looking forward to CT, but im more looking forward to the updates planned by HT, even if it does mean a whole new rig fore me 

[Iron_Cross]

I wonder what other CT goodies, will be incorporated into MA, and online scenario play.  The AI bots for offline were neat.  Incorporating that for online scenario play will make scenarios huge, and huge fun.  Exciting new game-play possibilities are opening up for AHII.  Pyro wants to have most of the features of CT incorporated into AHII.  Then all they have to do is implement the RPG aspect to launch CT.(from what I gathered from Pyro's post)  I'm sorry to see CT get shelved(for now), but with the renewed focus on game play and features for AHII, I only see AHII getting to be a stronger, more playable, and more enjoyable game to play.

[LYNX]

What this all means for now is that we are going to focus on core game development.  We’re going to pull the CT AI mission system and redevelop it for use by CM’s in scenarios and special events.  We’re working on new terrain upgrades in both the technology and the art used.  We want to implement a character animation system. 

OK...got all that.  Sounds good makes sense.  Very good for FSO's and scenario's.

We want to bring back the old 8 player H2H but expand it both in the number of players and with additional gameplay capabilities.

Sounds like their taking on IL-2.....not a bad thing but whats "additional gameplay"?  Missions in the h2h arena's?

There’s a lot of systems in the game engine that are dated and in need of overhaul.

Now here's where I get lost because I have no idea what a game engine actually does....could someone clarify please.

[moot]

I had a long conversation with Dale ...

He is going to be seriously looking at bump-mapping, pixel shading, etc ... He really wants to concentrate on the "land" and "water" aspect to get the "world" looking better. He said that these are some of things that he can take advantage of without a huge "cost" incurred by implementing them.

Yep, he'd said so around the time the AH2 beta was just going public.  The pixel shaders have their spot ready, it just needs to be done, no big rework required.  What I hope they do is make it all well-measured.  No obvious disproportionate lego-like bump mapping, no flashy glowing effects, or e.g. if they model heat waves off exhaust it should match the wavelength of real exhaust heat waves, not look slapped on like something out of Halo on XBOX.

[Newman5]

Well, there you have it.  An official announcement.  Personally, I think it's great what they have decided, and I'm looking forward to what they decide to implement into AH2, hopefully in the near future.

I think that, judging by what they said in the announcement, it sounds like they will be able to add all of the projects that they have planned and in a timely, efficient manner, and in a way that works for them and us.

Seems like a Win-Win to me.

[Newman5]

I honestly would pay another 15$$ a month for a few months to hurry up and pay for CT personally if they were going to actually go and finish it.

Keep in mind that "resources" doesn't always mean money.  In the announcement, Pyro specifically says that their staff was simply stretched to thin and it became inefficient to work on all the projects at once.  Sounds more like a "time" thing than a "money" thing.

[rabbidrabbit]

Keep in mind that "resources" doesn't always mean money.  In the announcement, Pyro specifically says that their staff was simply stretched to thin and it became inefficient to work on all the projects at once.  Sounds more like a "time" thing than a "money" thing.

Aren't time and money very close bedfellows?

[mensa180]

Keep in mind that "resources" doesn't always mean money.  In the announcement, Pyro specifically says that their staff was simply stretched to thin and it became inefficient to work on all the projects at once.  Sounds more like a "time" thing than a "money" thing.

Hours logged by employees= money paid