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Crossposted from the SFU blog on BGG

After way too many delays, version 2.0 of the Vassal module for Federation & Empire is officially out, and available for download from ADB. There have been some small fixes over the last few months, but mostly I’ve been trying to get the gumption to get extra scenario setups done. It’s past the point of delay for no gain, so the module has been released without all of them done.

New features of 2.0:
* Both regular and large-scale maps.
* New counter art, which is easier for me to work with than the old set.
* The ISC, LDR, Vudar, and Seltorians are in the main module.
* The stack viewer counts ships and SEs. This isn’t nearly as good as it sounds because I can’t do the 0.5 for cripples, but it will be easy to update if/when Vassal becomes able to do it.
* Captured ships can be flagged to their new owner, and show up in the tracking under the owning empire.
* The regular map features sector and cordon borders as layers that can be turned on and off as needed. (This ate the memory of most testers on the large map, sadly.)
* All bases, and ships with multiple EW settings, can be set to their current usage, which will adjust the AF in reports.
* Combined MON+pallet and TUG+pod counters are in the module.
* New markers added, such as ‘Free Strat’ to note just built/repaired ships.

You can see the look of the new module, and the large-scale map in my reporting on Bel and I’s game of the Four Powers War.

Scenario setups are included for the first few scenarios of the General War in both sizes. The small map also has setups for the Maelstrom and Winds of Fire. Future releases will include setups for 4PW, ISC conquest, and Minor Empires (note that the initial Seltorian force is already present in these setups, allowing you to use them when your game gets that far) for both size maps.

The zip file also contains a PDF explaining some of the fine points of the module.

Before I go, I’d like to mention that it’s a little annoying that even at 50 pixels, the counters are so small. Just about every base hull is a different graphic, but many of the differences just aren’t visible at that size. So, here’s a few counters closer to the size I see them at in CorelDraw:

Please, feel free to make comments and ask questions!

Crossposted from the SFU blog on BGG.

As I hinted when I released version 1.3.1 of the F&E Vassal module, I had something new in mind. Specifically, I’m looking to start over and do a brand new Vassal module. My hope is to be able to add new features that I can’t current do.

One of the pain points of the current module is actually the map. It is half done in CorelDraw, and half in Photoshop, and exporting the first into the second is a challenge (there’s some places where it’s kind of coming apart in the latest revision that I just can’t get fixed). So, I have done an all-new map purely in CorelDraw. Since it can’t be exactly the same size as the old one, using it would break all saved games in the current module. Therefore a new module is needed.

And since I’m starting over, and I have a pure vector map, I can handle a request that’s been popular:

While I’m at it, I’m re-doing the counters to get away from the pixel-twiddled images I have now, and make them a little easier to do. Though doing all those counters all over again will take time. A lot of time.

Also, the new map comes at a price. It takes a lot of memory, and is too big for Vassal 3.1 to handle. However, Vassal 3.2 (which is just entering beta) can do it. It also has a few other new features, dealing with math that should allow the new module to handle stats around crippled status and showing the stats associated with a fleet marker.

What I need now is people to discuss the new module with. I want to bounce ideas off other people, and get input so that I can make it the best module I can, and I can get started on it from the beginning, rather than having to re-do things constantly. If you’re interested in discussing this, contact me, I want to have an email conversation with everyone who’s interested to hammer out ideas. The only caveat is that you will need to install the test version of Vassal v3.2.0 so you can follow what going on. (Note that doing so will require you to be cautious with Vassal, as you need to remember to switch back to 3.1.20 with any ongoing Vassal games you have.)

Again, long after I thought I’d be done and get it out the door, I’ve released the next version of the Federation & Empire Vassal module.

Download it here:
http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/F&E 1.3.zip

The changelog for this version is longest one yet; it’s a pretty massive update. Here’s a quick list of the highlights:

* The ISC extension is updated for the actual published version of ISC War.
* The scenarios are now bundled into the module, so the zip is just the module plus extensions as separate files now.
* The capital charts are completely reworked so that you should be able to run a capital assault just from them.
* The racial charts and battle mats have been updated and look better.
* A lot of markers have been added as memory aids for combat. This includes handling hidden information functions such as which of multiple maulers is actually mauling.
* Added a bunch of carriers with heavy fighters, and separate counters for all the HDW (and similar) modes.
* New squadron counters for the Theater Transports, for when they’re working as a permanent team.
* A new extension (“Extras”) includes just about every unpublished ship that I have official stats for.

So, go download and enjoy! …And tell me what bugs and mistakes remain.

Oh, and I should warn you that the combined module & ISC extension are a pretty huge package. The main ISC scenario (“Driving Winds”) is also pretty massive, so you will need to give Vassal more memory space than the half-gig default. Go into the Vassal module manager, and the the module itself and select “Preferences” from the File menu, and change “JVM max heap” to 1024 (from 512). Otherwise, you’ll probably be able to load, fiddle around, but not save anything big with the ISC….

Crossposted from the SFU blog on BGG.

Well, when I put the mini-battle boards into the capital charts, I knew I was going to be re-doing the regular battle boards. First, there was actually a new feature to put in (the slot for plus and minus points), and then I wanted to update the look to match the much nicer style I’d achieved by starting with CorelDraw instead of PhotoShop. I think it’s much nicer looking:

However, that left the ‘Charts’ the boards where the module lets you keep track of the Raid Pool, available tug pods, the Depot, and other limited items as the last bit of pure-PhotoShop graphics. While they aren’t bad, they were starting to look out of step with the rest of the module. So, I’ve decided to re-do those too.

:sigh:

I’m still working out just how I want the new ones to look, but I think this is pretty much it:

As always, I’m interested in hearing opinions and advice.