OpenFracas 0.4 Released

We are proud to announce the next version of OpenFracas, v0.4, has been released. This release is our best yet, with exciting new features and a focus on quality.

Specifically, this new version brings the following improvements

• New drawing code, making the game board
  
• Customizable. Change text sizes, and line styles
• Faster. Game feels more responsive. Redrawing rates are improved
• Resizable. Resizing the board is now possible
• Animated. The drawing is now fast enough to have simple animations
• Teams can be created when starting a new game, allowing for more challenging and exciting gameplay
• End-of-game dialogue displays statistics and a timeline, showing the game's course
  
• Map previews are faster when creating a new map
• Map previews have been added when opening an existing map
• Basic map creator. Create maps, and export them to OpenFracas
• Default maps are included
• Eurpoe
• Risk
  
• Complete use of Tango theme on Windows to improve interface aesthetic
  
• User interface refinements and improvements
  

The new version is available on the downloads page; please feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, or bugs on our forums.

Ubuntu users who have added our repository to their package manager will find the new version automatically available as an update.

And slowly, but surely, they drew their plans against us...

OpenFracas includes a few features that the original Fracas doesn't have; resizable gameboard and maps of any size are two that come immediately to mind. These features are relatively trivial, though. Sure, they make the game more usable, but they don't really place OpenFracas above the original in a significant way.

What we've wanted to have for a while now are features that impact gameplay that Fracas never had; features that feel natural for this style of game and make the game different. Making capitals optional was one such feature; teams is now another. We're excited to have added this feature, since it helps to distinguish us from the original game, and was something that was surprisingly easy to implement...for the most part.

Initially, teams confused the AI to no end; they would keep attacking other players they were allied with. At least, they tried to. The game wouldn't let them get away with it, and they'd get thrown into a never ending loop trying to attack their friends. A surprising amount of effort had to go in to getting the AI to work in teams. It had to stop 'fearing' nearby troops owned by allies, and start recognizing them as allies.

Now that the AIs are able to work with allies, it presents an interesting cop-out. Our AI is bad, and we know it. The truth is that its a very complicated thing, getting an AI to play well, and we have too many other things that still need doing to give it the attention it deserves. But what would playing against 5 AIs, all on one team be like? I can't say that I've tried that - yet, but I suspect that it might just be a little bit harder than when they're all on their own. Perhaps that is one way for human players to get a little bit more entertainment out of the AIs when playing against other humans isn't an option.