I’ve created a rough working beta of Hutsell’s classic VGA Civil War Strategy compiled as a Windows application. You can download it using the link below:

Civil War Strategy Game 1.58 BETA

I’ve included a bunch of notes below, but I’ll try and offer a brief summary of what this means for now and what it means for the future:

• My goal is simply (initially) to port the games to Windows and to expand, optimize, and reorganize the code.
• The first will allow individuals to quickly play the games on Windows without using DOSBox, the second is in preparation for an even larger undertaking once the application has been fully and successfully ported to QB64 and native Windows compilation – the creation of new written from the ground up games.
• I could use help beta testing the game. Please give it a try and let me know if you run into anything that doesn’t work correctly. This is the first beta, so I expect there to be a number of issues…more hands to the shovel, the easier the task.
• I’m doing this in my spare time (which isn’t much). I hope to release a new beta release once a week at least…even if it contains only the most minor changes. A lot of that will depend on how much feedback I receive providing insight into issue areas.

What’s Changed:

• Runs as a native Windows application, no more necessity for DOSBox.
• Removed mentions of DOS.
• Removed links to 32-bit batch files that won’t work with 64-bit Windows.
• Removed old extraneous files.

Known Bugs:

• Music at beginning of game doesn’t play correctly.
• You cannot save games.

Technical Notes:

• The code has been compiled in QB64.
• This removes the file length issues previously present in QuickBasic 4.5 and PDS 7.1, allowing for the consolidation of all code into one code file.
• Minor code changes were made throughout – some removal of duplicate code between files, change of code to operate correctly within QB64, and so on.
• Significant work has gone into (though not completed) expanding code using more verbose and clear techniques and to standardize code operations.

• This is the new Hutsell Games’ site. The goal is to have it serve as a central hub for all things relating to W.R. Hutsell’s classic computer wargames VGA Civil War Strategy, EGA Civil War Battleset, Wars of Napoleon, and World War II in Western Europe.
• The latest versions of each game are available for free download from the site.
• And the question everyone really wants answered…

Will there be a new Hutsell game?

The answer to this is maybe. Several years ago I (Dave Mackey) commissioned an excellent artist to design new artwork for a new release of VGA Civil War Strategy. I received and still have the artwork…and it is still amazingly beautiful with the passage of time! The breakdown was on my end (surprise?), I just didn’t have the know-how or time to complete the project.

Now, over the last several days I’ve spent perhaps twenty hours working through the code and looking at the possibility of moving ahead with a new game. The truth is, it would be fairly easy to do….but it will take some time. I’d estimate between 100-200 hours worth!

My initial goal would be to rewrite the application in Microsoft Visual Studio as a Silverlight application (which could be run either in the browser or on one’s local computer) that simply replicated the current functionality of VGA Civil War Strategy but in a native Windows environment and with the updated graphics.

From there the goal would be to focus on creating multiplayer functionality which would allow for online rankings and intense competition. I’d leave the AI as is for the time being, b/c with a web-based game, the relative short duration of the games, and the number of potential players, one should almost always be able to find an online opponent.

Once the multiplayer functionality was accomplished I would probably work on creating similar games on the same engine – beginning with World War II in Western Europe and the Napoleonic Wars.

Once the engine has been built once it should be reusable across all time spans (at the strategic level) and I’d like to integrate an editor which would allow users to create their own custom games (with some restrictions).

So that is where I’m at currently…I’ll try to keep this blog updated semi-frequently with the latest reports.

Ohh, and a caveat:

• Mr. Hutsell is writing games anymore, he has passed the source code on to me. While I intend to be as true as possible to Mr. Hutsell’s initial vision any flaws and failures in this area will rest totally on my shoulders and not Mr. Hutsell’s. I hope to deliver a game which is worthy of standing in Mr. Hutsell’s legacy of excellence, but if I fail, this should be clearly my burden to bear.