Hey folks,
It´s been a while since I posted the last
development diary on Code Red, our modern wargaming system. Time for another
update on what´s been going on behind the veil of silence.
After several weeks of writing the german
version of the rules, Code Red has entered the first stages of playtesting in
January. Since then, several playtests have been conducted with a basic version
of the game (including only infantry rules) and reports have been coming back
with important feedback on rule wording, missing bits and confusing or unclear
rules. These annotations will be refined into the next version of the rules,
while the testing framework will be expanded bit by bit each version by adding
rules for heavy weapons and Fire Support, Vehicles and at last, scenario and
list building.
This allows any playtesters to get
introduced to the ruleset slowly, learning and commenting it bit by bit. It also
allows me to judge the different building blocks and mechanics with their
respective effect on the overall game balance. It also enables me to prepare an
English version somewhere in the middle of the road, based on a refined and
playtested german version – i.e. I can translate infantry combat to widen my
circle of playtesters at any time, even if playtesting for games including Air
Support rules are still being tested. It also allows me to get rid of “lazy”
playtesters who are not showing that much interest after all. Playtesting is
work and can be frustrating at times, because it´s very likely to discover some
ambiguity in rules or balance issues.
The downside is obvious as well, you don´t
get the whole picture throughout the first test versions. Some tactical
decisions are simply not available (Artillery, Airstrikes, Vehicles), which can
be problematic for some formations in certain situation. A few factions,
especially mechanized elements, are just not meant to operate without their
vehicles and thus are not very fun to play without vehicle support (duh…). The
downsides of some choices will not be apparent until later versions.
But the very first versions are tightly
controlled by me anyway, so I can pick out the things that need immediate
fixing and put some other issues onto a list to raise the issue again in later
versions of the game.
So, what has been done and what needs to be
done? At which stage of development are we?
The following list, in no particular order,
should give you a nice overview:
Done:
- The first (german) version has been written.
- Infantry Combat works - it is being tasted and no major flaws have
been detected yet. Minor issues are being on the watch list for testing when the
other elements are in place
- Basic infantry cost/benefit - balance seems to be good right
now
- Draft versions of fire support have been written and are waiting to
be tested on a larger scale
- Basic vehicle combat framework exists
To-Do:
- Testing, Testing, Testing…!
- …and balancing + refining
- Correcting the usual minor flaws, oversights and rewording the rules
to reduce ambiguity.
- Writing the vehicle rules into a proper rules
text
- Reworking vehicle and heavy weapon pricing formulas and get the
relation to infantry point values right
- Refining & possibly expanding available scenario objectives and
their point cost
- Expanding list building options to create more variety in scenario
building (depleted units, patrols, etc.)
- Design a balanced framework for national flavor in faction
lists
- Build lists for the many factions that are not yet
included!
- Translating the rules into an English version
- Evaluate the playtest of the English version
As you can see, there´s still some way to
go, but the list has been shrinking down considerably during the last 4 months
and progress has been good despite very little opportunity to playtest the game myself.
The game is perceived as very fun overall, with playtesters stressing the tactical depth of the game. It seems to be flowing nicely but sometimes runs the risk of slowing or even bogging down. I hope future options (vehicles, artillery) and some of the changes from the last versions help to mitigate this factor, but only more playtesting will show.
That´s it for today on Code Red!
