Updated October 8th, 1999
10/8/99
I have been very busy lately and so I have not had the time to update this page or work on BMD 10, but I will be resuming work on BMD 10 soon. Since my last update I have heard from several of you about more problems with HP printers. It appears that some of the newer HP printers are now unable to work with BMD 9.7 at all. I will do everything I can to make BMD 10 compatible with all printers, but there is really nothing I can do about the incompatibilities with BMD 9.7 without seriously delaying my work on BMD 10.
I have received many suggestions regarding BMD 10 and also gotten several really good ideas of my own which I will be incorporating into the new BMD 10. This will lead to some interface changes so the “preview” picture I have available at this site will be inaccurate as well as any “Beta” versions you might have seen. As soon as I get the new interface worked out I will update my preview pictures.
One recommendation I have seen several times is that many of you want more information on one screen. The reason I did not do this in BMD 9.7 is because I believed that many people were still running their systems at a resolution of 640 x 480. I would be interested to know how many people who use BMD actually still run their screens at 640 x 480 because I am thinking of designing BMD 10 to run at a minimum resolution of 800 x 600. If I get a significant amount of feedback from people still running at 640 x 480 I will continue to make BMD so that it will run at the lower resolutions.
8/30/98
I had a major system crash last week but fortunately I did not loose any files relating to BMD10. I did however loose all my e-mail files, even though I backed them up. If you sent me a question regarding BMD before last week and have not gotten a response it is probably because I no longer have your e-mail. Feel free to resend your questions and I will attempt to answer them all as soon as possible.
7/24/98
I am still working on BMD 10, unfortunately I have not been able to spend much time on it lately. I have been hoping to have a beta out, but I think it will be a couple more months.
3/26/98
Sorry about the delay in updating this page and getting a beta out. A lot has been happening and I have been unable to do as much work as I have wanted on BMD 10. I still need to get the weapons finalized so it will be at least a few weeks until there is a beta out, but I do have some screen shots to show you what the new look and feel will be. I have the screen shots in two different formats (GIF and PNG). The PNG version is an accurate representation of what the screen will actually look like on a 16 bit color display, but PNG is a new format so older browsers will not be able to read them. This is why I also have the GIF format, the only problem with the GIF is that it can only save 256 colors, which means the screen shots will look somewhat grainy.
1/18/98
The program's new look has been finalized. I have made a considerable effort to make the interface more appealing. For those of you who use 9.7, most items will still be located in the same place, so you won't have any difficulty in adjusting to the newer version. I believe I have found a satisfactory solution to increasing the amount of information available to you while at the same time greatly reducing the amount of desktop clutter.
Basically, most of the pieces are there. Right now the greatest challenge is to get all of them to fit together, and behave. BMD 10 is becoming a major upgrade. Many of the changes I have done and still plan to do are "under the hood" and therefore will not be noticeable to the casual user. In fact, nearly every bit of source code is either being replaced, rewritten, or appended. Numerous improvements will be made across the board, however, and there is no question that version 10 will be a much better program. I also intend to implement a few new unique and innovative features, the exact nature of which I do not wish to disclose at this time.
You can read about the changes and features added to each of BMD's "pages" below:
The various options now included on this page are:
Technology Base:
Inner Sphere Level 1, Inner Sphere Level 2, Inner Sphere Level 3, Clan Level 2,
Clan Level 3, Mixed/Custom Level 3
The Mixed/Custom Level 3 technology allows you to combine any legal combination
of structural components and weapons. For instance, you can have Clan
endo steel and an XL engine matched to an Inner Sphere command console and
triple strength myomer, and armed with Clan Streak LRMs alongside Inner Sphere
Thunderbolt launchers. You will also be able to add your own custom- designed
weapons and equipment as well.
Configuration Options:
LAM, Omni, Quad, Utility
These configuration options may be combined in some cases. For instance, you
can have a Quad Utility 'Mech, but it is impossible to make a Quad
LAM. And yes, even though it is total and complete munch, you can
build a Clan LAM.
OmniMechs can now be built with a fixed configuration, a primary weapons
configuration, and alternate weapons configurations A through Z. If you
require more than this, then you've got entirely too much time on your hands.
Choosing the current configruation will every bit as easy as before, even
though I am not using the old-style radio buttons for this.
Internal Structure:
Standard, Endo Steel, Composite, Reinforced
Engine:
Standard Fusion, Extralight Fusion, Double-XL Fusion, Compact Fusion, Internal
Combustion
With the exception of compact engines, when your engine rating exceeds 400 then
the engine automatically becomes a large engine.
Jump Jets:
Standard, Improved
Heat Sinks:
Standard, Double, Compact (Inner Sphere), Laser (Clan)
Gyro
Standard, Compact, Heavy-Duty, XL Gyro
Cockpit
Standard, Command Console (Inner Sphere), Enhanced Imaging (Clan), Small,
Torso-Mounted
Targeting Systems
Standard (with or without the targeting computer), Long-Range, Short-Range,
Variable-Range, Anti-Aircraft, Multi-Trac, Multi-Trac II
Miscellaneous:
The armor allocation has moved to another page. In its place is a group of
options for Level 3 BattleMechs. These include options for an Enhanced
Satellite Uplink, the Null-Signature System, a Supercharger, Jump Boosters, and
options for placing turrets (in the head, either side torso, or both torsos.)
In BMD 9.71, armor allocation is handled from the main items page. In BMD 10, it now has its own page. The move was necessary to more easily accomodate the new Level 3 armoring options. Also added are aids for helping you easily allocate the armor spread you desire. BMD now permits you to have uneven armor allocation across the 'Mech, so as to accomodate the 0.25 percent of 'Mechs that do not have symetrical armor allocation (the War Dog being an example.) The armor types now available include standard armor, ferro-fibrous, light ferro-fibrous (Inner Sphere), heavy ferro- fibrous (Inner Sphere), laser reflective, reactive, and hardened armor.
All of the new Level 3 weapons have been added to the database. All the fun stuff is there, from Artemis V to X-Pulse Lasers. BMD now stores the weapons and equipment in a real database, which will require a few additional seconds to load the program in the first place, but the advantages gained outweigh this minor nuisance.
BMD now groups weapons into three categories: Inner Sphere, Clan, and Custom. As can be expected, 'Mechs built with an Inner Sphere technology base choose from the Inner Sphere weapons bin, while 'Mechs built with a Clan technology base choose from the Clan weapons bin. BMD 10 does allow you to swipe weapons from the other tech in certain situations. For example, Inner Sphere OmniMechs can mount clan weapons as pods, so when making an I.S. Level 2 Omni, you can grab whatever clan weapons you want. To make things "fair," the opposite is also true, so if you really gotta put an Inner Sphere C3 unit on your Mad Cat-X, you can (and will forever be branded a Munchkin.)
Any Inner Sphere or Clan Level 3 'Mech can use either weapons tech, irregardless of whether or not it is an Omni. So, for instance, you can upgrade your Penetrator with Clan-tech pulse and ER lasers, while also adding an Inner Sphere Angel ECM suite. If you picked the Mixed/Custom Level 3 tech, then just about anything goes, custom-designed weapons included. You will be able to add and delete your own custom weapons and equipment to the custom component database. This feature is not completely implemented at the moment, however. What I need from FASA is their system for determining BVs. If they come through on this one (hopefully,) then the program will be able to recommend a fair Battle Value for your weapons.
CASE allocation on this page has changed. CASE is now handled in a different manner, which is both more convenient and less intrusive. Level 3 'Mechs will be able to choose between CASE and CASE II armor protection. Added to this page are options for constructing an armless 'Mech and for using the optional limiting critical slots rule.
In addition, it is on this page that you will be able to armor your 'Mech's various components. Adding or removing component armor is incredibly simple.
You can still use the "Move Up" and "Move Down" buttons for moving components around in a single location, but I also plan to add a drag and drop feature, so you can use the mouse to grab a component and move it from one place to another. Also included is an "Optimize" button that is basically used to organize the equipment in your 'Mech. The idea here is to put the "real" criticals (such as weapons) at the top of each location, followed by the "non-critical" criticals (such as endo steel and CASE) afterwards. Any empty critical slots are moved to the very bottom.
Not too much happening here. I was able to make enough room to add a summary of the amount of damage that your 'Mech inflicts with different phyical attacks. Also, your heat dissipation ability has been added to the main graph, so you will see at what range your 'Mech "crosses the line" when it comes to overheating.
This page has been cleaned up a bit, and looks much nicer. The entries for the components have been lined up, and the "Armament" and "Overview" sections have traded places, which means you now have more room to see the overview. The "Design Source" has been moved to this page, and you may now type in your own design source. I also have a comprehensive list of all of the weapons used on BattleMechs, from Aberdovey Medium Lasers to the Zeus Gauss Rifle. Actually, this list was ready for BMD 9.71, but I decided to wait and better implement this feature in BMD 10.
Most importantly, you will be able to add or delete your own manufacturers to the database. For example, you can add your own armor type called "DuPont Flakmaster" to the armor list, or "SooperTech Industries, Inc." to the manufacturer list.