August Progress

Hello again all! Ultimate General: Gettysburg development continues with full speed and today I would like to inform you about the latest progress.

We have started development of the final quality map and animations for units. All heights, detailing and important objects are positioned and once we finish the first block, we will be able to start sharing screenshots from builds. On the programming side in particular I would like to inform you about some of the newest improvements that are mentioned below.

Melee Mechanics

You will be able to see chaotic soldier movements while in melee. Not usual “gamey” and robotic movement but soldiers losing cohesion naturally and randomly, according to the side of impact. I would like to remind that in Ultimate General: Gettysburg units (brigades) consist of hundreds of troops and the actual soldier number you can see in battle can exceed the 7.000.

Full Day 1 Battle Flow

Currently the first day of the battle of Gettysburg is separated in three time zones. The first encounter begins with the Confederates approaching Seminary Ridge from West and North and the Union to mass troops from South. Time of reinforcements is not always the same and depends on your actions. Battle Duration is also a bit random. If for example an objective is at stake the battle can delay until the objective is clear of enemies or the maximum time delay is reached. When the battle ends, it can lead up to 5 possible next battles representing Phase 2 of Day 1 (noon). The third phase (afternoon) can be represented by 14 different alternative battles using the same logic.

Overall Day 1 offers up to 20 different battles than can lead to various events: from the capture of Cemetery Hill by the Confederates to their complete humiliation, if they fail to gain enough ground as they did historically. More over the positions of the units can vary according to the positions they had in previous battle so virtually every time you play the Gettysburg battle will be truly different.

At the start of next day and for every next possible battle day we are now considering to code a special “Decision Room” in which you will be able to make crucial strategic decisions, for example  which side of the enemy lines to attack or if you should hold your ground and wait for the enemy to take the initiative.

Saved condition of units and kills

The unit’s condition depends on various factors that affect morale, fatigue and overall battle effectiveness as well as of course the number of soldiers. Therefore you will need to take care of your units if you want them to be useful in your next battles. Their kills are also saved so you will be able to understand if they have done well during the battle. Previous unit actions will affect their performance: the better they do the more encouraged they will be.

Realistic Line of Sight (LOS)

We use an accurate height map of Gettysburg battlefield that takes into account all important ridges and hills. The LOS will not only determine which units you can shoot but also how far you can see, because if a hill is in front of your units they will not be able to see through it. Consequently, possessing Cemetery Hill, Seminary Ridge, Round top and other heights will give obvious strategic benefits.

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"Gettysburg Cyclorama" made in 1883 by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting "Pickett's Charge". One of the paintings that inspire me for making the visuals and game mechanics of Ultimate General: Gettysburg.

Epic Sounds

You may remember how much I tried to improve sounds in my mods. So you can expect the same “sound philosophy”, especially for rifle sounds. What it has been achieved currently is a true soldier sound trigger so you can hear realistic random musket and cannon barrages from your units. Various other sounds will enhance battle atmosphere to realistic levels. We will start paying more attention to sound work in September.

Extensive Map info

We added every important location and buildings so that you can also understand as you play where exactly the action is taking place. Later I will provide our full map object list to show how much attention we have given to every detail of the Gettysburg battle. We will of course need your help in improving it.

Stay tuned and If you have any questions let us know at the forums.