Star Wars: Armada - Vassal module version 4.2.0

[Green Knight 9,793]

Vassal is a Java application used to replicate board games.

The Armada Vassal module is a top-down (2D) recreation of the Star Wars: Armada miniatures game.

It's not a substitute for the real thing, but a supplement, to let player hone their skills and connect with opponents across the globe!

Why Vassal?

• It's 100% free.
• Always up to date with latest releases and previews.
• Easy to use.
  • If you can use a mouse and a keyboard you're good. Simply put, every game piece has a right-click menu with all available actions.
  • As you play, you can learn hotkeys for important actions (which are visible in the right-click menus) to greatly speed up play.
• You can automatically set up your fleet based on export from the major list builders. Very fast and convenient.
• Lots of automation and reporting reduce bookkeeping to a minimum and speed up play.
• Support for Corellian Conflict and Rebellion in the Rim.
• You can play from home (convenient and safe).
• You can save games and continue later.
• You can log games and review them later.
• GREAT community! Easy to find games and always friendly and casual.
• You can join ongoing games as an observer and watch.
• Get inspired by the lists you meet online and the talented players behind them  

The only real drawback: you try something on Vassal, then decide to buy more FFG plastic to try it IRL 🙃

How to successfully Vassal?

• Watch the tutorials below!
  • Karneck is making updated ones...
• Get online, watch a game or two.
  • Vassal's open nature means you can easily watch other ppl play.
  • Excellent way of getting inspiration for lists and play styles.
• The Vassal players are all very welcoming and casual, so take the plunge and PLAY A GAME.
  • Even if you're really good at Armada, don't expect to win your first game - many Vassal players are really good + it takes some getting used to a digital format.
  • Don't be discouraged. Play another game. Then another.
• When in doubt: RIGHT-CLICK. (Almost) everything has a right-click menu with actions.
• Learn the important shortcuts for a faster, less mouse-intensive game.
  • Did I mention right-clicking? Right-clicking shows the hotkeys (if any) for that command.
• Use the Preferences menu to customize your play experience.
• EMBRACE the top-down graphics!
  • It looks pretty, but it'll never be 3D. If you MUST have 3D, TTS is the thing for you.
  • 2D does, however, offer utter clarity and pixel precision.
• Learn to use Shrimpbot over in the Discord to generate setup files based on fleet builder export.
  • Text export of fleet, PM to Shrimpbot, !vassal <paste list>, download vlog file, open/join a room in vassal, load continuation <vlog file>, step forward until fleet appears.
  • This way you can have any fleet set up in SECONDS!
• Get a 2nd screen - or a big one. Being able to see the tabletop AND have room for the chat on one side is VERY helpful.
  • My home office/nerd space has THREE big screens... compared to my laptop that's a huge difference.
• Don't be afraid to use Discord voice chat. Text chat is nice, but voice is even better. Especially if learning the game/module.
  • That said, I know many players appreciate Vassal bc they don't need voice to play.
• TTS is an excellent platform for online play. No reason to limit yourself to Vassal.
• Playing online isn't a substitute for the real thing. Push the plastic and the pixels both  

The most current module version:

Module version 4.2.0 "Hello there Vassal WC 2021" is available!

Download: http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Star_Wars:_Armada

Direct download link: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmLOw84tw_3YhOQyo4GOYl80BsLV9w?e=Mmv42P

Checksum: d4b1771d

OVERVIEW
Official VASSAL WORLD CUP 2021 version!
Contains various bug fixes and convenience tweaks.

COMPATIBILITY
Armada 4.2.0 was built using Vassal 3.4.12. It should be compatible with module versions 4.0.0+ and Vassal 3.4.11+ but ALWAYS update to the most recent versions of both!

CRITICAL BUGFIXES
Alternate paint schemes for Consular & Hardcell now have plastic rails and shield dials.
Likewise, faded Arq & Raider side rails have been restored.

OTHER BUGFIXES
SAdv, Bail and Pryce subjected to Order 66. They will not be missed.
Ordnance Experts now has the errataed version of the card.
Starhawk ship token name no longer disappears.
TIE Phantom typos fixed.
Phlac-Arphocc typos fixed.

MAJOR NEW FEATURES
The maneuver tool is now capped at 2 yaw for any given joint (which incidentally fixes a known man tool bug).
Some reports are color coded (WIP).

OTHER NEW FEATURES
Cloning/spending Pass tokens generate a report.
Some new button icons added.
Cleaned up the references section.
Updated the Help menu.

TO-DO
Explore new features added in Vassal 3.4 and 3.5.

BUGS:

• report them here/PM or over at the Discord

Feature requests/suggestions/questions:

• place them here/PM or over at the Discord

Matchmaking:

• join a tourney announced on this forum
• hang out in the Vassal Armada lobby (logged into the module)
• join our Star Wars: Armada Discord server: https://discord.gg/ym4sUAy
• use the Facebook matchmaking group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/starwarsarmadaonline/

Tutorials:

Green Knight

Edited December 30, 2020 by Green Knight

[JJs Juggernaut 1,845]

Are 2.5.0 fleets compatible with 3.0.0? Also I assume the two map pack extensions are still good?

Edited September 22, 2016 by JJs Juggernaut

[Green Knight 9,793]

Are 2.5.0 fleets compatible with 3.0.0? Also I assume the two map pack extensions are still good?

Yes to all of those.

[Drasnighta 26,924]

Holy ****.

 

Vassal 3.0.0 works on my computer.

 

 

The end is really frikkin' nigh!

[Green Knight 9,793]

Holy ****.

 

Vassal 3.0.0 works on my computer.

 

 

The end is really frikkin' nigh!

 

When we see an Article, we will know the end has come.

[Green Knight 9,793]

Added a bit about compatibility to the OP.

[SkyCake 1,183]

thank you for all your hard work!

[Green Knight 9,793]

Updated the OP with a piece about the damage deck shuffle feature I talked about in a developer blog.

[Green Knight 9,793]

Regarding the new fire arcs:

 

They are CORRECT. The old ones were simplifications.

 

Do they look odd? I suppose they do, but attack range is measured from attacking hull zone, not the ship token in general. That means side arcs don't match up perfectly to front/rear, unless the ship is a "perfect broadsider" like the H1, GR-75, Neb. Large ships with big front arcs are most affected, like the ISD and Liberty.

 

ISD arc:

 

Edited September 24, 2016 by Green Knight

[CaribbeanNinja 6,210]

Playing SoonerTed last night and he had a great suggestion.  Is there any way that the range/firing arc bands can turn off if you select the other band?  Similar to the way the man tool makes them disappear?  That way you'd never have for range bands and firing arcs displayed at the same time - it would just switch the last one off.

[Green Knight 9,793]

Playing SoonerTed last night and he had a great suggestion.  Is there any way that the range/firing arc bands can turn off if you select the other band?  Similar to the way the man tool makes them disappear?  That way you'd never have for range bands and firing arcs displayed at the same time - it would just switch the last one off.

 

It's possible. I did consider it in the past actually, as part of a stricter enforcement of the one-tool rule. I dropped it, as it seemed a very marginal improvement.

 

But maybe I should reconsider - I do mix CTRL+SPACE and SHIFT+SPACE quite often.

 

In the meantime, the Clear tool button/CTRL+ALT+SPACE is a godsend.

[Green Knight 9,793]

Version 3.0.0 has been out for about a month now, and I've played quite a few games with it.

 

Thus far I've had exactly zero bug reports and no major feature requests.

 

I'm very pleased with the module as it is now. I have a few tweaks I could make down the line, but those are very minor items.

 

What are your experiences?

 

(eagerly waiting for CC and wave 5 to hit)

Edited October 19, 2016 by Green Knight

[CaribbeanNinja 6,210]

I agree with your assessment GK.  My experience so far on 3.0 had been great. 

It is very smooth with no real issues to speak of. Even the LOS tool is behaving so far.

 

Great work!

Edited October 19, 2016 by CaribbeanNinja

[CaribbeanNinja 6,210]

dbl post 

Edited October 19, 2016 by CaribbeanNinja

[Green Knight 9,793]

I agree with your assessment GK.  My experience so far on 3.0 had been great. 

It is very smooth with no real issues to speak of. Even the LOS tool is behaving so far.

 

Great work!

 

Good to hear.

 

The LoS tool bug seems less prevalent now (still a Vassal bug, not a Amrada module bug).

 

When it happens it's usually something like this:

 

- player A does something

- player A leaves the LoS tool visible

- game continues

- player B pushes Undo

- game continues

- LoS tool is stuck and neither player can unstick it

 

AFAIK the only way to "fix" this is to undo all the way back to a point where the LoS tool is not visible.

 

So it's best to not leave the LoS tool visible for too long.

 

But like I said, it's much less common now.

[moodswing5537 1,415]

I also have had no issues with the 3.0 mod. Plays great, and if you get in the habit of doing an extra click in space somewhere to remove the tool, no problems at all. Great work, and thank you for all the hard work you poured into this. 

[Ginkapo 9,342]

I have issues with hanging when I notch, but as you saw last night, I think laptop might be almost dead.

[Green Knight 9,793]

I have issues with hanging when I notch, but as you saw last night, I think laptop might be almost dead.

 

Yeah, you lost connection at least twice, no?

[Ginkapo 9,342]

I have issues with hanging when I notch, but as you saw last night, I think laptop might be almost dead.

 

Yeah, you lost connection at least twice, no?

Three I think. Managed to get to three copies of myself online at once!

[SkyCake 1,183]

I get that tool notch hang too sometimes, its not crazy bad, but still there... if I'm hanging though and I click on chat, it seems to notch right away... but not always, its liveable

[Green Knight 9,793]

Haven't noticed that one myself, but I'll make a note and look at it during the next development cycle.

[Green Knight 9,793]

Question/musings:

 

Currently, if you park a squadron next to another squadron on top of an obstacle, it appears they are touching token to token, and the obstacle underneath can't be seen. Thus, there is no obstruction.

 

On the tabletop, however, the clear plastic base would beep cardboard tokens apart, allowing the obstacle to be observed. Hence there IS obstruction.

 

Could also apply to ship bases, where the grey edge representing the plastic is totally opaque, whereas the plastic base isn't.

 

So it looks like we have a diff on our hands. Not a very big one, but still there. 

 

What do you say? Am I correct? Does it need addressing?

[Maturin 1,587]

Can you make the last 2mm of the squadron base transparent somehow?

[Drasnighta 26,924]

 

Currently, if you park a squadron next to another squadron on top of an obstacle, it appears they are touching token to token, and the obstacle underneath can't be seen. Thus, there is no obstruction.

 

 

This bit is a null-issue mostwhat,  - The Rulebook states that they are still considered "Obstructed", even though they are "In contact", even if the obstacle underneath can't be seen...

[Green Knight 9,793]

Can you make the last 2mm of the squadron base transparent somehow?

 

Yes.