PGF Library: Omnibus Posting - Questions & Commentary

[HexCode]

INTENT & UTILITY
===================

The present topic is intended to accommodate poster questions and commentary as they pertain to:

PGF Library
viewforum.php?f=100

The Library is self-contained within its very own, dedicated forum. As far as posters are concerned, the Library's forum is "view only"; hence, the practical need for the present topic.

The Library's contents will be modified / expanded with the passage of time. This will be a long-term, evolving project.

The Library features information potentially helpful to:

Novice Players (NPs)
Veteran Players (VPs)
Novice Modders (NMs)
Veteran Modders (VMs)

It's always a good idea to preface commentary under this topic with the "[LIB]" characters. I will be doing so... religiously.

Note: There's a good chance that some of this forum's contents will be incorporated into the Library in due course.

MY POSTS
===========

Intent & Utility
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p8845

[LIB] User Segmentation
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p9142

[LIB] The Necessity of Hypertext Links
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p11441

[LIB] A Virtual... Iceberg
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p9593

[LIB] Editor Utility Coverage
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p9472

[LIB] Reliable Verification
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p9525

[LIB] Discovering & Verifying "Little Things"
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p9208

[LIB] Orderly Information Transfer
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p10931

[LIB] Forum Activity Complementarity
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p11312

[LIB] A Looser Connection
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p12267

[LIB] Evolutionary Trajectory
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p12697

[LIB] PGF Knowledge: Levels of Interest
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p12790

[LIB] Emerging & Envisaged Realities
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p14762

[LIB] Not an Old Fashioned Manual
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p18520

[HexCode]

For presentation purposes, PGF's Online Library is organized on the basis of the following broad user segmentation:

Novice Players (NPs)
Veteran Players (VPs)
Novice Modders (NMs)
Veteran Modders (VMs)

Obviously, the preceding segmentation isn't meant to be... air tight. It can't be. Users wear multiple "hats", oftentimes, on the same hobby occasion. For example, a VM may be play-testing some custom content of his. Therefore, he is both Player and Modder. To boot, although "Veteran", he may be unaware of some important Play Feature, and so on.

Bottom line: No PGF aficionado can know / remember everything at any particular point in time. Hence, the need to have an accessible Library "around".

[HexCode]

In its decade long history, PGF has never had the benefit of a proper manual squarely addressing the needs of Novice Players (NPs). NPs were encouraged to consult this or that SSI manual or hobbyist document and take it from there, for better or worse...

Presently, I'm in the process of putting together a rather long-winded, multi-post, online document specifically targeting the perceived needs of NPs. While doing so rather methodically, I'm surprised to keep on discovering "little things" which I didn't know or appreciate before, never mind my self-professed "veteran" status... Practically speaking, the document's contents will be subject to frequent revisions as the "finer points" become ever clearer.

And yeah, methodically and responsibly verifying all these "finer points" takes quite a bit of time...

By the way, hobbyist camaraderie is not necessarily a one-way street. If the... devil is always in the details, well, it pays to keep on enriching and expanding... hell's library !

[HexCode]

Elsewhere in THIS PGF forum:

So mostly information on different tools, editors etc and how to use them, and various design tricks one might find useful when making their scenarios / campaigns . . . And if our own in-house librarian @HexCode thinks any of this is valuable enough to preserve for posterity, i'm sure he will include it in his great PGF library!

For the foreseeable future, I will be focusing on "researching" and documenting the "finer points" as they relate to PGF's engine per se. In the meantime, I will be keeping a Librarian's eye out for FPGE-specific observations and "discoveries". Technical matters can't be effectively separated by erecting this or that artificial wall...

[HexCode]

Introduction

The ever expanding Online Library is an exception. Why ? Because it treats PGF as a computer assisted / moderated / enhanced board wargame. As such, it's going to take quite a long time for it to be completed. Persistently coming across iffy, seat-of-the-pants technical commentary has been all the rage in video wargaming quarters, of course. However, that's where the Librarian drew the line in the sand...

SO, there's a fundamental difference between posts appearing in this forum and the information posted in PGF's Online Library. When it comes to the former, there's no realistic expectation, let alone guarantee, that the information contained therein will be reasonably reliable / accurate. On the other hand, PGF's Online Library better guarantee that.

"Better" ? Who says ? Why ?

Well, I say so. Now, no one would... die, of course, if the information featured in PGF's Online Library were to be even grossly inaccurate. The "Hobby at Large" would certainly survive the terrible... blow ! But, as far as I'm concerned, I'm the most significant user of the "beast". Consequently, as Librarian, I've got to observe my standards and cater to my expectations first. The "rest" (if any) is most welcome gravy for sure; but gravy, nonetheless.

PGF is a video wargame, of course. However, as mentioned earlier, its Online Library will be covering it as if it were an old-fashioned board wargame. I make absolutely no apologies here...

"Official" Sources

SSI's PG1 / AG documentation strictly focused on Novice Players (NPs). To boot, no information whatsoever was provided for the benefit of Modders (Novice or Veteran). It's been 25 years since the release of Prima Publishing's "Panzer General : The Official Strategy Guide". In its day, the Guide contained quite a bit of information potentially useful to Veteran Players (VPs) having a lasting interest in PG1-DOS. How reliable were these "official" sources ? Does it matter ?

Illustrative Case

SSI's PG1-DOS Manual says: Zilch ! Zero ! Nada !

Prima's Strategy Guide says:

"During every turn of the game, the player on the offensive receives one point per port, city, or airfield controlled, exclusive of victory objective hexes. The offensive player receives four prestige points per turn for each victory hex held. The defending player, whether human- or computer-controlled, receives four points per port, city, or airfield controlled, and eight points per victory hex controlled."

PGF's Manual says: What ? There's no such thing; yet !

Waaaait a minute. This PGF forum as well as the Online Library are essentially dedicated to PGF. Why, then, dredge all this PG1-DOS stuff up ?

a) PGF's programmer and quite a few posters have always claimed that, play system-wise, PGF is a PG1-DOS replica.

b) PGF's Online Library features a topic documenting the differences between PGF and PG1-DOS thereby shedding much useful light on the de facto meaning of the word "replica".

As Librarian, I needed to reliably verify whether:

1) PG1-DOS actually behaves in accordance with Prima Guide's above mentioned writings.

2) PGF actually behaves in some, perhaps, not necessarily identical, yet similar manner.

For the purposes of this post, the specific conclusions which I've arrived at aren't that important. What may be important is for the... curious to get a glimpse into a few hours of the Librarian's "hobby" life.

[HexCode]

The time I can devote to the PGF "hobby" has recently expanded somewhat. This means I'll be spending that extra time enriching PGF's Online Library. The Online Library's organizational structure hasn't taken final shape yet; nevertheless, it's already pretty well developed.

Library work is akin to an... iceberg. Something like 90% of it entails modifications to preexisting posts so as to accommodate new findings and nuances. Such goings on are, well, virtually undetectable when it comes to potentially interested hobbyists. On the other hand, something like 10% of my work entails the lodging of brand new posts. Such posts are serially "announced" by the Library forum's software.

From time to time, depending on what I perceive to be of potential interest to hobbyists, I'll be posting "heads up" notifications in this PGF forum. The posts will be prefixed by designator characters [ADV], [DES] or [LIB], as deemed appropriate.

[HexCode]

Often, prior to some piece of information being "formally" incorporated into the Online Library, the event is preceded by discussions regarding it. Such discussions take place in this forum. By their very nature, the discussions are evolutionary, oftentimes, well, sort of left... dangling. Once in a blue moon, I endeavor to ask this (PGF) forum's Moderator to kindly delete any posts of mine related to such discussions. This isn't just a matter of avoiding subject duplication. Rather, my request(s) are intended to safeguard against confusion which might arise out of readers going through the discussions themselves as opposed to consulting the Online Library's invariably more reliable and polished contents.

For rather obvious reasons, [ADV] posts are, by far, the most important information transfer "targets" ! Hence, the [ADV] topic will be experiencing periodic "slimming down" operations...

[HexCode]

This Web venue accommodates two forums essentially dedicated to PGF: This PGF forum and the one hosting PGF's Online Library. From time to time, posting activity in this forum peters out or essentially becomes a one poster affair. If and when so, this isn't necessarily detrimental to the hobby's long term "health"; au contraire ! Relative peace and quiet in this forum allow PGF's Librarian to spend more time enhancing and expanding the Online Library's contents.

[HexCode]

Having had a wide exposure to board wargames, I've been conditioned to viewing traditional rulebooks as the "obvious" way to document "things".

Having served as the "PGF Librarian" for a number of months now, I've concluded that computerized wargames absolutely need a way more flexible documentation mechanism as opposed to the strictly linear presentation framework encountered in good ol' hard copy rulebooks.

Invariably, computerized wargames are orders of magnitude more complex than board wargames. To boot, modding within the context of the former, presupposes and, in almost all cases, requires modders to possess significant technical knowledge.

Documenting logico-mathematical complexity all but cries out for a non-linear way of doing "things". In particular, the cross-referencing of topics is absolutely indispensable. To this effect, PGF's Online Library is certainly on the right path, what with its ubiquitous hypertext links...

[HexCode]

Two years out of PGF's second decade have already gone by. There're eight more years yet to go...

In the future, not all new information to be lodged within PGF's Online Library will necessarily appear in this PGF forum first or even at all. Actually, posting such information in this forum will be the exception; certainly not the rule. I anticipate that the lion's share of hobbyist communications regarding "advanced" play system and technical matters will be carried out in private (i.e., PMs / Emails).

The aforesaid posting changes will significantly decouple the two forums currently dedicated to PGF matters. Also, they will free up a considerable chunk of my hobby time which will enable me to tend to the requisite, diverse "research, verification & documentation" activities without having to spend additional time on "interim" posts. To this effect, the contents of

[LIB] A Virtual... Iceberg
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=526#p9593

explicitly outline as well as highlight the important, emerging realities "around here"...

Bottom line: to the extent that any Modder / Player wishes to get information regarding some advanced play system or technical feature, PGF's Online Library will be the way to go. Actually, the Online Library's contents are easily searchable as per the contents of post

Library Searches
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=528#p9905

[HexCode]

1) PGF's Online Library started as a pilot project aimed at proving the overall concept. It was accommodated in this PGF forum. The pilot project was successful.

2) # Lettos' # active presence in this PGF forum provided the practical impetus behind the Online Library contents' migration to a SEPARATE forum. The Online Library has been growing ever since and, in all probability, will continue being enriched in the future.

3) I fully intend to expand the Online Library's scope to include commentary on "traditional", Hex-Based, Half-Turn Based, Non-Real Time wargaming conceptually focusing on Grand Operational, Operational-Tactical and Grand Tactical warfare scales. Quite a bit of the commentary is presently accommodated in this PGF forum as well as in the "PUB". I've concluded that the Online Library, wherever it's going to be hosted in the future, is a much more suitable place for such... "philosophical writings" to reside in !

[HexCode]

More than two years have already gone by since the launch of THIS PGF forum. When it comes to organized, PGF-related information and its "public" availability and accessibility, quite a bit has already been accomplished.

"Green" Novices

Hobbyists completely unfamiliar with SSI's 5 Star play systems may as well consult

[INF] Introductory Information
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=130

first !

To the extent that such hobbyists wish to stay with PGF a bit longer, they should get SSI's PG1 / AG manuals (DOS or Win95) which are widely available on the Internet and skim through them.

The preceding information should be more than sufficient to support "pure players" merely wishing to play SSI-style content under PGF for a relatively short period of time.

More Demanding Players

PGF players soon realize that PGF's user interface is quite different from the user interfaces of SSI's PG1 / AG. To this effect,

[NP] Introductory Documentation
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=531

methodically introduces and explains PGF's user interface elements at some length. Most importantly, it establishes the necessary terminology that one needs to know in order to effectively communicate with other PGF hobbyists.

ATTENTION: the play system information contained therein directly applies to SSI's "flagship" PG1 / AG content (and its close emulations) ONLY. This is strictly PGF-SSI territory

Content Designers & Veteran Players

When it comes to the contents of PGF's Online Library, all preceding references and commentary should be viewed as situationally provisional. PGF's play system is way more complex, nuanced and versatile compared to what one routinely experiences just playing SSI's content. This is PGF-CDP territory.

Awareness of PGF's underlying play system and its capabilities is akin to medicine's body of knowledge. It's most definitely subject to continual enrichment and clarification due to all sorts of encountered "advances". At the same time, NOTHING is forever cast in stone !

In a nutshell, advanced content designers and veteran players CANNOT afford to be doctrinaire / complacent regarding the implications of the inevitable "advances" in PGF knowledge. They should be prepared to revisit any one of the hobby's "givens" at a moment's notice. All around open mindedness regarding PGF-CDP matters is a sine qua non !

[HexCode]

PGF's Online Library has been around for awhile now. A few personal observations, conclusions and expectations follow.

PGF-SSI Territory

1) Posting in THIS PGF Forum has been rather... anemic for some time.

2) There's absolutely no evidence that PGF-SSI aficionados ever consult the Library.

3) I don't expect "things" to change in the foreseeable future.

PGF-CDP Territory

A) There's absolutely no evidence that PGF-CDP aficionados other than myself ever consult the Library or will be inclined to do so in the future.

B) Consequently, the Library amounts to a de facto strictly personal project (of mine).

C) For the record, when it comes to my own (custom) content design, I find the Library's existence and easy accessibility invaluable.

[Radoye]

There's absolutely no evidence that PGF-CDP aficionados other than myself ever consult the Library or will be inclined to do so in the future.

Well i do (when time permits to do PGF things, which sadly isn't as often as i'd like), for whatever that's worth...

I find the Library's existence and easy accessibility invaluable.

Me too!

[HexCode]

# Radoye #

I kind of suspected that you've been no stranger to the Library. So, now there're TWO of us !

I'm reminded of the following rather memorable line from a 1960s movie:

A bandit on his own is nothing but a bandit. A bandit and a lawyer are a revolution !

[Radoye]

Now we just need to find a poet, and our revolution might have a chance!

[HexCode]

Elsewhere in THIS forum:

I apologize, I read those studies of yours, but I didn't notice the part where "Dives!" is researched.

To begin with, additional empirical evidence never hurts.

The thing to take from such incidents is that "properly" documenting wargame title software is orders of magnitude more complex and demanding an endeavor compared to the linear presentation invariably encountered in yesteryear's hard copy rulebooks which explained how to play board wargames.