Chiwie said:
And I can bet that the current book will be out of date for B:evo mk 2 (or what ever its going to be called)
We could certainly make a new game 100% compatible with the current rulebook, release new forces as PDFs, and so on. We would be very happy to do that. However, this raises a question.
If this were the case, we would have the chance to tweak certain rules - the way the command structure works when a squad leader is lost, for example, interaction of air vs. ground, and so on.
Should we make a rulebook that current players of BF Evo do not need in order to a) keep on playing (which, of course, they already have) and b) to play with new units, or should we do everything we can to make the game the best we can, based on feedback we have received over the past year?
Chiwie said:
Or better yet, information OR miniatures. At least I know how the SST people feel now.
We have always said, we will tell you all what we can, when we can - if nothing else, we have always been very upfront about what happens behind the scenes at Mongoose, even if that news has been less than beneficial. We could do things differently. We could keep quiet. In the past, we have chosen to be as open as we can be.
Now, with BF Evo, we have been NDA'd up to the eyeballs. This has affected SST as well, because up to now, we have linked the two games - what happens to one will happen to the other. We are currently looking at breaking SST away from this bond, for various reasons, but that is another subject.
For BF Evo, the outside company we have been talking to has been very enthusiastic about working with us, and we have received a great deal of support from both their licensing people, and the main developers of their. . . products. However, things slowed down once lawyers from. . . another organisation. . . started with their list of needs and demands.
We _are_ working to a deadline with this, as we want to release alongside. . . another product. . . next year. We informed the outside company that we needed everything laid out and ready to move forward last Friday if we were to hit this deadline. On Friday, we were asked to move this forward to Monday, and we agreed.
If all the ducks are not in line by then, all is not lost - the outside company has several different. . . products. . . that are all closely linked and all fit into the BF Evo mould extremely well. Our talks with the outside company started along the lines of supporting them all anyway, linking them together within a single rules system (BF Evo) so players could mix and match as they saw fit. A lot of these products will be released next year anyway, so it would only delay things by perhaps 2-3 months.
On the other hand, if the green light is given on Monday, and all interested parties are happy with the way things look, then hold on to your hats. All your current BF Evo miniatures will be fully compatible, giving you a headstart on the game. Added to that, you will have a range of truly fantastic games and new miniatures, all cross-compatible with one another. I know you have all been waiting a long time, and I do apologise for that - but once you see what we are trying to do and why, I think 95% of BF Evo players will agree that, however irritating the delays have been, it was, in the end, the right decision.
At least, I sincerely hope they will think that
Speaking as a gamer, I think they will.
If nothing else, I will try to see if I can let you all know what is happening on Monday/Tuesday, who we are working with, and what we are planning together. This will rest solely on the NDA we are currently working under, but I will make a specific request to let our customers know what is going on. Can't make any promises - their sandpit, their rules - but we'll see what we can do.
