This is a topic I like in any good community site.  I've had the pleasure of meeting multiple online gaming friends.  Adding a face and a warm handshake or fond embrace to an avatar or online handle is always a good way to further relationships.

Most recently I took advantage of a business trip to the Los Angeles California (USA) area to connect with Sir Osis of Thuliver.  My wife and two little kids were good enough to accompany me.  I like to show off my kids; my best work yet as I like to say.

SOoT and his wonderful spouse joined us for an early dinner at Bubba Gump restaurant and then spent some more time milling about the area (Universal Studios something something mega restaurant and buy some stuff zone).  SOoT is every bit the gentleman in person as I've had the pleasure to come to know through our online connection for nigh on a decade now.  He is an interesting guy who hit the jackpot with his wife, who like mine, gives immense leeway for the ludicrous number of hobbies, interests, and late nights (aka approaching sunrise) we habitually enjoy.

As a long time supporter of my efforts with Strategy Gamers and positive model for the good sportsmanship ethic I espouse here, I am very grateful to SOoT and want to give a big thank you to him for the decade of fun, gaming, engaging forum discussion, and most recently for making the effort to join me to break bread and share a few laughs and get to know each other in person even for just a short while (at some point I legally need to let my kids sleep).

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Have an opportunity to meet up with another player - go for it, and tells us about it to grow our community.

Thanks,
Peacemaker

This website hosts a survey to identify your political leanings.  It provides results of how your responses line-up with those of the various candidates (there are more than two in case you did not know) and a summary percentage score for how closely you come in-line with each candidate.  You can also see you score versus each state.  Give it a try.

http://www.isidewith.com/

I supported a documentary film effort today, Dungeons & Dragons: A Documentary.  Check it out at:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andrewpascal/dungeons-and-dragons-a-documentary.

The game holds a special place in my heart so I gladly supported it.  I hope some of you will too.

This was added to aid players when clicking End Turn, letting them know that they in fact did click End Turn and their computer is not freezing up.  Turn processing takes longer with maps with greater numbers of regions, with games of large number of players, and when a larger number of game actions have been input.  Hopefully, the new throbber will let players know not to click the End Turn button a second time.   

Strategy Gamers will be adding a new featured named Overlapping Regions.  It will not appear as an option on the Create Game page but rather is tied to individual maps.  This feature would allow, for example, Iceland to be part of Europe and North America at the same time.  I like the idea of this feature because it changes the dynamic a bit by having players vie for the same areas in order to control distinct regions.  Rather than players simply coalescing their forces to gain an region and protect it at the borders, those same borders may be equally desired parts of another players targeted region.  I expect that this will make game play more aggressive.

The first map to be outfitted with overlapping regions is the new Spring map. The semi-circle portions of the flower overlap and make a good test case.

I'll start off with a request for recommendation for a Windows file list application.  I've tried a few on my Vista (criminally poor operating system) PC but no luck.  I want simply to list the files in specified folders.  If dates and file sizes are included, that's a nice bonus.

Thanks

I wish to recognize and thank all of you good folks who have participated in the testing of this web site during 2009.  I thought it would be a good time to show my appreciation for your continued support and to provide some insight into the operations of this developing web site.

It has been a successful year and I'm confident in all of the primary game play functionality.  The feedback and bug finding has been very useful and will only lead to a better site.  Every bit of feedback weighs in on development of the site, so feel free to keep it coming no matter how trivial it may seem to you.  Note, as I have mentioned elsewhere, my primary focus remains on the site functions, not the appearance.  The Strategy Gamers browser compatibility make-over is planned after I sign off on the Hex and Terra Firma brands which I hope to do in the first quarter of the year.

2010 promises to be a big year for Strategy Gamers.  I have moved-up some things that were planned for much later, notably adding the ability to further customize game board pages and tournaments with graphics and sound so as to add to the atmosphere of particular events.  It is going to be a lot of fun.  The list of items to complete before releasing the next game is dwindling, and that is exciting because the testing involved for the next game brand, Terra Firma, should be minimal, therefore freeing me to dedicate more time to the next pair of games which do not exist anywhere on the web today.

Tournaments are in their infancy at this time.  Tournament testing differs a bit from general game testing in that it is vastly more complex, requiring a repeat of the game testing as well, but also in that design bugs tend to be show stoppers.  I plan to power through rigorous tournament testing in January so that you can begin to enjoy the variety of tournament play found at Strategy Gamers.

Strategy Gamers is a very complex site, although you may not realize it because of the few places you need to navigate to handle 99% of your gaming.  While the site does not change from day to day, the current operating procedure, behind the scenes, includes a detailed regimen of testing, testing, and more testing, designing improvements to current features, and planning the next features to add in the near future.

Progress appears slow, but this is purposeful because of the determination to build the best of breed functions from the start and apply it to current and future game brands.  Much of what is being completed now will be part of future games and therefore each successive game brand should be released in shorter time intervals.  But I will not rush the work as my intention for Strategy Gamers is to be the one-stop game site for best of breed strategy games.  No less than ten game brands are in development, but I will contain my excitement for what is to come until each game nears release.

In the mean time, I hope that you are enjoying Hex and its billions of combinations of game play, more than any other similar game on the web today.  I wish you all a happy and healthy 2010.  See you on the game board.

Peacemaker

I'd appreciate feedback on the Hex game maps.  The World map has been used quite regularly, so on top of previous comments made in chat areas, please feel to add your opinions here.  I'm, of course, willing to consider modifications, such as the value of regions.

I'd particularly appreciate feedback o the Halloween map.  I'll go first.  It is better than I expected.  It seems very balanced and challenging while leaving a sizable variety of play options.

Thanks