TCGO PVP Soft Release date and news

[cabd]

Post on their forums here.

July has been a big month behind the scenes for the Pokémon TCG Online. I’d like to share some insight on the progress of the game, and what you can expect in the near future.
We’ve been putting multiplayer through its paces for several weeks now and we’re very happy with the progress we’re seeing. Our current plan is to release the core components of multiplayer before the end of August, with additional features rolling out in the weeks that follow. These core components will include player collections, Player vs. Player, Practice Battle, and the deck builder, as well as the Black & White–Dark Explorers and Black & White–Dragons Exalted sets.
Over the next few weeks, the development team will run numerous tests with the script responsible for the transfer of players’ collections from the old version of the game to the new version of the game. We plan to run these trials on our test servers, using copies of every collection currently on the live servers, so players shouldn’t see any effects on their existing collections. The goal of this testing is to get the script airtight so that everyone’s collection is successfully migrated to the new version of the game when the core components of multiplayer release.
Once the multiplayer components have been successfully rolled out, the development team will begin work on finishing the Mac client. As previously stated, we anticipate this version of the client to be available before the end of this year. When the Mac client rolls out, we plan to include all the same functionality that the Windows client has at that time.
In addition to the release of multiplayer, we’re also making improvements to the forums. We will be looking to replace the current forum software with vBulletin in the near future. This transition will allow us to implement more robust forum features like signatures, private messaging, thread subscriptions, and more! Our goal is to migrate existing threads from the current forums to the new forums. When all is said and done, it should be far easier to navigate the forums and keep track of all of your favorite discussions.
As you can see, big things are on the horizon for the Pokémon TCG Online! August should be a very exciting month, and we look forward to hearing the community’s feedback on multiplayer.
Thanks for your continued support!
Prof_Mathis

Of note, they're upgrading their forums to vBulletin, a very welcome change. They also soft-confirmed that all card collections are being moved, and not reset.


Quite a good set of announcements, and I'm glad to see it getting ready for release once again.

[signofzeta]

YES!!! No more having to hold shift+Enter to skip a line. Not like I have been there recently anyway.

[ticka222]

releasing all in a bunch-not a good way to do it.this way instead of doing step by step repairs,for instance,just adding the deck builder,and then solving all the deck builder errors(if any),they will be flooded with errors with the program and once again nobody will be happy with it etc.

jmho though
on another note,this should be moved to PTCGO section of the forums.no meaning in crossposting this since its already posted here.

[cabd]

I figure this is more general TCG news, since the new TCGO forums will be a new place for newer players to get advice in a more accessible way, and also a good way to funnel people into competitive play when they're ready.

[Zarmakuizz]

Now that Unity can compile for Linux, I wonder if they will do a Linux client as well ?

[Naknut]

Originally Posted by Zarmakuizz

Now that Unity can compile for Linux, I wonder if they will do a Linux client as well ?

Probably not. Game developers do not seem to take Linux seriously for some reason...

[sid18]

If they don't make a Linux client then I will be demanding a refund for all of the packs I bought just for codes for the online game when it was browser based and now cannot use due to it being a downloadable client for OS's that I do not use.

Although some game developers have been announcing releases of their games for Linux recently.

Carmageddon Reincarnation will be developed for Linux along with the usual OS releases.

This month Steam announced a port of their client and and source engine to Linux.

[kakle]

I highly doubt there is a big enough market for linux version and would be unreasonable to demand it. Most people generally run another computer anyway and for those who dont, have you tried using wine or another windows emulator I'd be very suprised if it doesnt work with this program.

[Thatguy99]

Why do game developers hate MAC!!!

[bulbasnore]

Originally Posted by Thatguy99

Why do game developers hate MAC!!!

Smaller market?

I spoke with the PTCGO chief at USNATS and being that Mac is my weapon of choice, asked after that client. The good news is this... they chose the current development environment because it is a "write once, compile many" multi-os system.

The catch is that "write once, compile many" isn't entirely as clean as it sounds. Its really:

1. write once
2. tweak for each non-primary O/S
3. compile & test for each other O/S

I imagine that to get us the product more quickly, they are skipping step 2 until they are relatively feature complete with step 1.


So, the world has changed from "get lost" to "patience" for Mac users. I like that better.

[deckmaster]

I am very hopeful that the official Pokemon TCG program will deliver the results the Pokemon TCG community has been craving for a long time now. Witnessing the success of a humble, family inspired program like playtcg.me flourish over the past months should be the inspiration people at the Pokemon Company International need in order to make a robust Pokemon TCG program. I sincerely hope that they can mimic the success of Playtcg.

[FirestormXVI]

Originally Posted by Thatguy99

Why do game developers hate MAC!!!

What do you mean? They say right in that press release that they'll have a Mac version by the end of the year.

I'd be interested to hear their decisions for vBulletin! I spent a really long time trying to figure out if I wanted to use vBulletin, Invision, or xenForo for the site I was building and eventually settled on Invision because vBulletin just seems to be falling apart. I know Nintendo used to use Lithium or something before but not sure what they're on now.

[Thedrone1man]

Originally Posted by Thatguy99

Why do game developers hate MAC!!!

Ummm...because they (and Apple products, by extension) aren't really designed to be gamed on? Sucks that you payed an obnoxiously inflated price for a product that, when released new, is already out of date, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Besides, they said they'd be bringing it to Mac sometime afterwards anyways.

[TheDancingPeanut]

Originally Posted by Thedrone1man

Ummm...because they (and Apple products, by extension) aren't really designed to be gamed on? Sucks that you payed an obnoxiously inflated price for a product that, when released new, is already out of date, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Besides, they said they'd be bringing it to Mac sometime afterwards anyways.

A computer's utility can't be quantified by is technical specifications--at least not any more. We have come to a point in time where technology is so advanced that most consumers don't need the most powerful (i.e. 'up to date') system--there's only so much computer power you need to have to operate comfortably within a certain framework. What Apple sells is machine that works smoothly within that framework, and which far surpasses the products offered by its competitors in other regards (e.g. design, construction).

[Yarac]

Originally Posted by Thedrone1man

Ummm...because they (and Apple products, by extension) aren't really designed to be gamed on? Sucks that you payed an obnoxiously inflated price for a product that, when released new, is already out of date, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Says the hardcore gamer. You may not have noticed, but there's been an explosion of casual gaming and even indie games for which Apple's products (the handhelds especially) often offer a better play experience than other platforms.

I'll be interested to compare the gaming experience for the TCGO on Apple vs. Windows clients.

[AnUnown]

Sounds like they're using AIR (which would make sense since the browser version was flash). If so, it should be fairly easy to also port to mobile devices as well.

[Rogue Archetype]

What's missing is a "deck testing mode" whereas you can build and text decklists with cards you don't "own."
Even if it's against AI only, it would be great to test consistency of a deck IDEA before you trade your collection away to build out a list for PvP games.

This game REALLY needs to find a deck-idea testing solution for tournament players who could REALLY be a strong market for this program. PlayTCG.me and RedShark users continue to rely on the "custom build" functions of these programs to test the viability of their ideas.

[AnUnown]

Originally Posted by Yarac

I'll be interested to compare the gaming experience for the TCGO on Apple vs. Windows clients.

If they continue to build with AIR, there won't be any difference.