First off - KUDOS to the developers… Most of the things I found lacking when I started using Vassal have been added, enabling a bunch of awesome usability enhancements (particularly the die roller enhancement, ability to gray out toolbar GKC, and setting Old$ variables for units that have never moved).
The following are mix of things I have either wanted for existing module development or things I have thought about for developing a future original module.
V4 Requests
Ability to cut/paste between 2 different modules in editor. The ability to re-use clever code in another module would save huge time. (probably my #1 request)
Add option to move flag to NOT flag/report units that are “jiggled” in a single zone (i.e., insignificant movement)
Add option to make chat log persistent and/or save to file
Fix Turn Counters. They work great when using only 1 and have many bugs when using more than one. Or disallow more than one and create something similar that is designed for multiples.
Add options for 2nd (definitely) and 3rd (maybe) row of toolbar buttons on maps.
5a) Consider option for adding vertical buttons on left/right side of map
Enhance Expression Builder a) allow $pieceproperties$ in all instances b) enhance error reporting beyond the red X
Add a semi-automated wizard that could help a brand new designer create a prototype (maybe 1 for counters and another for cards)… (e.g., 12x12 grid, center 6x6 image, pick other 3x3 blocks for attack/defense/move etc with property IDs
Related to above, consider adding in a set of standard symbology for wargames (i.e., NATO X for infantry, oval for armor, slash for cavalry). Again very helpful for new designer to not have to hunt for this stuff on internet.
ability to do spreadsheet like functions on tables
ability to export data in CSV format
ability easily create a player configuration chart for multiple properties (see example).
Each property may have upper/lower limits. Cost to increase/decrease may vary (designer configuration). Optional pool of points to use to increase.
CONFIGURE NEW UNIT
Available Points: 5
MOVE 3 - + (2 pt from 3 to 2, 1 pt to increase from 3 to 4, 2 pts to increase from 4 to 5)
DEFENSE 2 - +
ATTACK 1 - +
For at start stacks, when adjusting on map, ability to see other at start stacks
Zoom in/out for defining zone vertices
Map overlays that can be toggled on/off
embedded checksums for modules & saved games (optionally ignore when loading) to improve security of games. (Note would deal with problem of cheating by editing - which I consider both unlikely and remote regardless).
Add optional “administrative processing” for certain GKC that ignore who triggered it and thus will affect masked units of players who did not push the button. (this is particularly relevant for turn advances). With checksum security, this option would not allow cheating by editing.
Right, that’s in GPI. In the future, it would be better done as an SVG spritesheet, but yes, the capability exists already. (And someone could make an SVG spritesheet and use it in V3 if they wanted it now.)
If the saved game checksum doesn’t equal the checksum in the module of each player then it indicates that something has changed (especially if the 1st tier test of module name and version doesn’t show a mismatch). This might indicate an undocumented change in one of the player’s modules, which could be a cheat edit.
Re Turn Counters - unsure if there is a issue noted in bug-tracker… I flagged it back on the old website and after spending a ton of time trying to get them to work, ended up deleting all of them but the basic turn counter and re-implementing them as units.
From memory, problems with docking multiple counters, problems with some not decrementing correctly, weird formatting problems, etc. Several of the bug reports never got a response…
If you want somebody to look into this, write up a bug report giving steps to reproduce the problem, or find an existing bug report and point that out to us.
Regarding the bugged multiple turn counters, I will look in my archives and find one of the early development modules that exhibit this behavior and (assuming it is till buggy in 3.6.5) upload it and point you to it…
My wish would be for map wraparound, eliminating the need to scroll left/right to get to the map edges. I play World in Flames, and full games use 5 maps (americas, west and east european, asia and pacific). Scrolling left/right often is a bit of a pain.
I tried this out today (wasn’t previously aware of capability) and found a small bug associated with this, but it has a fairly easy work-around.
If you create a new image using the Game Piece Image Definition tool, the image is NOT available to use for creating a new piece prototype until you save, exit, and reload the module.
None of the “reposition stacks” buttons ever show more than one unit in the stack or deck – that part is always the way it has been.
Other than that I have been unable to reproduce a problem – with latest Europe Engulfed Module in the 1940 window, I can open one of the at-start stacks’ properties, click Reposition Stack, and then when I check the “show other stacks” box the other stack positions appear.
Let me know if there are different steps you are taking that end up producing a problem? (Maybe when things are done in some different order things don’t work?)
