I’d like to have a go at making a very basic (very basic indeed) miniatures type game module. But before I start learning how to do that, it would be useful to have the answers to a few questions.
These are probably pretty basic questions, so apologies if they have been asked here before. I did do a bit of searching re questions 2 & 3 before posting, but I might have used the wrong terms for the searches.
Here are the questions:
(1) Are games created in version 2.9.9 playable in later versions of Vassal?
(2) Is it possible to disable drag-and-drop-anywhere, and instead restrict movement to the line of sight in which a counter faces?
(3) If yes to question 2, is it possible to place an upper limit on the distance allowed for that line-of-sight movement?
BTW, when I ask if these things are possible, I mean are they possible within the built-in editing facilities of Vassal without requiring additional Java programming. The latter is way beyond me.
On Feb 19, 2009, at 12:57 PM, Rodney Kinney wrote:
Although it is possible to provide some support for a non-enforced
version using the “Move Fixed Distance” feature. That was added,
IIRC, to help support modules for miniatures.
You can have a way of moving a particular fixed distance, which can be
based on rotation of the counter by appropriate placement of the move
trait above the rotate trait.
In general, Vassal provides tools for creating an interface that works
like a board game or tabletop miniatures game. There isn’t really any
enforcement of the rules, just as putting miniatures on a table top
doesn’t stop players from picking up the stand and moving it wherever
they want.
Vassal does provide various means to automate certain actions that
aren’t available in the physical games, but it is still not a system
that is designed to enforce the rules the way a pure computer game
would.
Also, does it make a difference for you that 3.1.0 will be released in a
few days? In practice, we’ve not been providing much support for 3.0 since
early fall or so. There are a lot of bugs (> 100) in 3.0 which we’ve fixed
for 3.1, and in almost all cases from here on out our answer will be
‘upgrade to 3.1’ if someone reports a problem with 3.0.
So, I would strongly, strongly advise against creating new content in 3.0,
in favor of 3.1.
See my reply re the identity of Hobson. I would very much like to use the latest version, but sadly that is not an option.
Fortunately, I just want to make some very basic modules to use for playing what are essentially ‘toy’ games, not the extremely good and highly sophisticated modules available at the website. It looks like 2.9.9 will be adequate for my purposes.
BTW, whoever wrote the help files which are part of the Vassal ‘make new module’ has done an excellent job. It really does explain the ‘how to’ very clearly.
The way that Apple handles Java seems designed to be aggravating. Sun doesn’t
rely on Microsoft for keeping Java up-to-date on Windows; Sun maintains Java
for Linux; but with Mac OS X, we’re stuck waiting (possibly forever) for
Apple to make releases. This would not be so bad, if not for the fact that
Apple thereby blocks any progress which might be made here by anyone else.
However, there is some hope with the open source Java 7 developments.
I have to say that I’ve never understood Apple’s reluctance to support
Java. It seems to me that as a minority operating system, they would
want to be doing everything they can to support cross-platform
applications. And Java really is the cross-platform development
language of choice.
It’s a port of BSD Java 6 for Mac OS X 1.4 and 1.5. If you can get this
running, then you’d be able to use VASSAL 3.1 when we release it in a
few days.
On Feb 22, 2009, at 10:01 AM, Joel Uckelman wrote:
Getting this working will require both an Intel Mac, and the
installation of X windows.
I would think that anyone using an operating system before Tiger
would not have the Intel hardware needed for Soy Latte.
But anyway: X Windows can be installed either from a download from
Apple, or it is also on the Tiger and Leopard operating system
install disks – but you must be limited to Leopard if you can only
get Java 1.4. People with older PPC Macs don’t really have a choice
but to upgrade to the Tiger operating system (which gets
Again, I am in the position of having little real choice. The OS available to me is Panther 10.3.9. Yes, quite old (in fact, probably considered ancient in computer terms), but adequate for most of my computer needs.
It’s extremely unlikely I will be able to update to a later OS anytime soon. So, thanks for the suggestion, but it does look like it is either Vassal 2.9.9 or nothing for now.
I use a facing variable and a move-to/ node piece combo to do similar things, its all possible… though its easier with a grid system, you couldn’t use drag and drop for such a system and a 360(degree) rotation and facing variable would be nigh on impossible…
But if its a board game its doable, you just have to make a suitable system for movement. I use click the square, moves to the square…
