There's an App for That
Did everyone see the latest update on the Wings of Glory Facebook page? It appears Wings for WW2 is getting an app that will not only record keep for your battles but also allow you to play the game digitally. epawn is the name of the new app soon to launch a Kickstarter campaign. I'd say comments are mixed on the prospect and unfortunately Sails is not going to get any attention at all?
I'm on a clunky tablet otherwise I'd link the article.
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
Yes Jim i saw that last night on the Ares sight.
E-pawn, a very unfortunate nameI think it will be renamed at some point.
Man standing in pub/bar "im off home to E-pawn", lady at bar "thats lovely". Hmm maybe not.
Meh, I'll stick to my lovely miniatures!
I'm sure some people will love it and it will be extremely popular
Epawn arena is a gaming system that uses robots on a playing surface. Ares is adapting Wings of Glory to it. We're talking planes that move themselves around the board! The robots are interesting in that they project data on the playing surface. If you go to http://www.epawnarena.com you will see a list of games being developed for it. Both WOG WWI and WWII are listed.
Notice the Spitfire in the background. It is on a generic tracking base used for any miniature you want.
Last edited by Kentop; 07-04-2015 at 08:43.
As someone stated it does bring back the 'board' to digital gaming. For Sails of Glory I don't think their 'board' is going to be big enough, even if they had any interest in supporting our game. I'm more interested in the record keeping and game management aspects of the app.
P.S. I agree it's a terrible name. Someone on FB is already referring to it as "eporn".
Last edited by Nightmoss; 07-04-2015 at 10:14. Reason: added ps
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
Is e-pawn any worse than Wii as a name?
Its a bit worse than WOG I think, all sorts of inappropriate mental images. I'm sure Mr French's mental imaging system is already away with the fairies
Oh dear, WoG by e-pawn with your Wii. Explain that in a crowded room.Originally Posted by Naharaht
Well, depending on the crowd you may be just fine?
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
Hey, if it will record my chess moves so I don't have to, I don't care what they call it.
So does that mean the minis are now...
[sunglasses]
...EPAWNYMOUS?
B)
I think that this would be great as a learning tool.
Arma Virumque Cano
I doubt this will interface with my TRS80, otherwise I might be interested. Someday, I will enter the new millennium regarding technology.
One of the aspects I like the most about these games is the social interaction. Not being familiar with epawn, is the system primarily geared toward solo play, or can it be used for playing with others at a distance?
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ― Plato
There are a couple of videos out there showing off the system and from what I can see it's meant to be social and solo both. Four people sitting on couchs, all with controllers in hand, would entail some interaction, but again if it's all focused on a digital screen rather than a game board or each other? I don't know? I was happy to see that WoG will be turn based and not a real time shooter. Playing over the internet if you don't have local opponents would seem to be a big draw here. Also, they're opening this up to other game designers with SDK (software development kits).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTyCc83b1Ww
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWcmFkir08U
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
Does anything interface with a Trash 80 besides a 1 baud modem?
You mean like four family members or friends sitting at a dining table all looking at their phones? I was at a former student's wedding several years ago. During the reception, my wife and I were observing things, not knowing anyone else there. At one table, there were the 20 somethings, all with their phones out next to their plates; though full, it was a relatively quiet table, the greater activity being the use of people's thumbs. At another table, there were all 50+ somethings, with no phones in view; the folks there were loud, laughing, etc. I will take the latter every time when in a social setting.
Here is my thought as I just posted on the 'Drome:
My one concern is that Ares will dilute its time. We have heard that it is a small company many times, especially with respect to SoG, and, hence, the company is not able to be as responsive or produce as much as we desire. If the folks at Ares spend time on this, that is IF they spend time on this as I don't know what this endeavor will require of them, then that will result, most likely, in slower development and releases of the mini-based games.
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ― Plato
I hope someone from Ares reads your post on the drome? It could very well dilute their already stretched capacities.
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
I think they primarily check BGG.
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ― Plato
You've obviously never sat at a table full of my 50 something relatives! You would be wishing they'd shut up and use their phones!
Personally I'm on the fence about this one.
that's all.
https://anki.com/en-us/anki-overdrive
Or, "Why _Car Wars Sixth Edition_ Is Doomed".
Yup, so am I although they're off to a good start. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...d-gaming-board
Ironically for me none of the other arena stuff has any interest to me at all. Only the 'turn based' Wings has appeal.
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
Ares has posted an update on their Sails of Glory Facebook page implying that epawn arena will eventually support SoG as well ("big hopes").
https://www.facebook.com/SailsOfGlory
They've also linked a short demo of the WW2 WoG version running on the epawn system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ur-4vc5Gwk
I've not checked the Kickstarter FAQ, but I do know that play between folks in different locations will be possible as long as they both have the system. What I've not seen answered is if multiple airplanes (or ships) are going to be possible?
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
I'll second that!
I doubt it's the end of miniature gaming. Even as a technophile, the hobby aspect and manually moving little men (or ships) around a table in my basement is fun. I like this thing, but I'm not going to lay out the cash for it, and I'd be surprised if Ares goes completely in this direction.
Frankly, as cool as this is, I'd rather just play a videogame that does the same thing, which would be way cheaper.
The play area alone is a huge limiting factor for certain styles of play. I cannot foresee SOG ships working with the current ePawn mats, as they'd have no room to tack/turn.
Well, I'm not really surprised, but I do feel bad for the company and those of us that were hoping to see a sophisticated app that would help in 'Wings' and perhaps eventually 'Sails' game play.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects.../posts/1300257
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
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