I've cleaned up this channel in order to eliminate broken image files and to get rid of stale stuff.

Quite a bit of valuable comments, questions, and ideas from all of you have been put on our punch list or added to our storyboard. Thanks for all of your input...it has had a positive effect!

As to our current status for the project:

- Journeyman is working on a conceptual Mission/Ready Room
- Ripstop is still planting trees building the Coventry Campaign terrain files
- Neozero is currently putting together a CBT rule-based fun night with NetMechIW 3067
- Monk ??
- I'm working with MySQL integration with Journeyman

Again...a thank you goes out to all of you.

__________________________________________________________________ zGroup Projects __

Figured I stop by and post the current status of your project...

1. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) is 90% functional. All menu buttons work and are feed from the MySQL Database. The only item left unfinished is the "zGroup Combat Computer (zCC)" at the bottom of the GUI.

2. The StarMap galactic navigation is 50%, including zooming in to the SectorDetail GUI. The remaining items are the PlanetDetail GUI and the Dirtside GUI. I am currently working on these two.

3. We have resolved planet populations for your 2,100 planet galaxy. Considerable effort and time had been expended by Journeyman in producing these populations based on known data and using it as seed data in assumption processing in Microsoft Excel. Ripstop and Neozero reviewed the results too! We are fairly certain this milestone is 99%, and will respond to changes from players as it comes to light.

4. We have resolved our first draft of the Dirtside regions, detailing terrain type, climate conditions, and mission type. Planets will have a range of regions beginning with 2 {very small planet} and up to 17 {a very large planet}. This is also feed through the MySQL Database. The best way to understand how these regions involve game play is to join us on TeamSpeak; otherwise, I'd be here for weeks typing.

5. So What is Left? Here is a laundry list:

- Mech Chassis database = we need Chassis Name, IS or Clan, Tonnage, and CBills Cost for MP 3.02b in Excel or text file
- Logistics GUIs
- Mission GUIs
- Economic Model = chat with Journeyman and Ripstop on this...they are collecting inputs and ideas
- Game Engine Reporting = currently using MW4mercs MP 3.02b...we will need to learn BMH game engine reporting too
- The fluffy stuff...the destruction manual, combat rules, and the campaign instructions

In closing, I'd like to thank everyone who have supported this little project since it's inception back in July 2008. Every little idea, comment, and question that you all have shared with me have been most valuble.

Catch Journeyman, Neozero, Ripstop, or myself on TeamSpeak for up-to-the-minute development work. We gladly accept your ideas, comments, and questions.

__________________________________________________________________ zGroup Projects __

Project status for March 2010
by Neozero » Tue Mar 30, 2010 12:59 am
This month has been an exciting time for me personally as work has progressed on enveloping as much of the BattleTech/Mechwarrior Lore into our Project. The dedication by the team to include every aspect possible of simulation from actual combat drops to logistical support has been amazing. In our efforts to include as much information as possible March has seen the development of support assets previously never included in any PCCS, or "league" to the degree Zgroups is moving in. With the inclusion of ground vehicles to the support of the all mighty Naval Warships of space, the units factions will have at their disposal will be astronomical when compared to other previously attempted systems.

With Journeyman and myself working to develop a system of attrition and "simulated" combat for these assets. We are very close to having a finished system that takes statistics right from the books used in tabletop, this will allow us to factor in not just the hardware value but also pilot value of these assets to create a genuinely unique PCCS. Yes we can even distinguish between Clan and IS technology as well, not just represented in production cost, but also "battleValues" aka BV, a system long employed by the creators of the tabletop game, used to represent a single unit's combat rating.

Perryraptor's dedication to remaining to the books as much as possible has created the need for a massive mySQL database, which as I am sure you all know including all of this is no small task. That said his dedication to seeing this done should be commended as I think when we all started this project we did not truly grasp the needs we would be placing on not just ourselves but our database. Right now with just our ground support assets we are looking at near 400 units and this is before we include aerospace and mech assets into our database. No small task when you consider we have multiple data points for each and every unit we include.

As things move forward we continue to develop the GUI, Ripstop has made phenomenal progress in creating a map that not only gives each faction it's own unique color, it allows us to distinguish ownership at a quick glance of the planet without going dirtside and the use of a single "Key" showing faction assignments. Obviously the major faction colors remain unchanged, some of the smaller factions we have included have had some tweeks done to their colors to keep confusion down to a minimum. The end product is an efficient galactic map that makes for an easy on the eye look, and a scaled map dictated by your resoutions. no longer will you have one massive map that requires you to scroll left or right, our sector system makes for a truly user friendly interface, that does not penalize users without the latest and greatest 22 inch widescreen display.

I apologize for the late monthly update, as you all know Zgroup is and will continue to be done by volunteers, that said our dedication to this project has never been stronger. The simple reality is we all have a strong desire to eat and take care of ourselves leaving us with not as much time as we would like to dedicate to our project. Be that as it may we continue to make forward progress and we are approaching the time when we will have buttons to push and code to break for all of you currently tracking our progress. The team's dedication to seeing this community have a proper PCCS to call it's own developed remains strong and as long as there are people who enjoy the mechwarrior universe we shall work to provide you all with a place to call your own. At the end of the day we are just like everyone else we just want to blow things up and take over your worlds.

Sounds like you guys have made a lot of progress, can't wait to see it.

That's too much to read...SEND PICTURES!