News Release For Immediate Release
Scenario Generator and Multiplayer Added to Salvo!
Hampstead, NC, 21 July 2006
Batten down the hatches, clear the decks, and roll out the guns, as Spruegames and
Shrapnel Games unleashes a new barrage of high seas adventure with the Salvo! 1.5
upgrade! More than just a patch to update the retail version of the game of fighting sail,
Salvo!, the 1.5 upgrade adds some much requested features to the game, such as a full
featured scenario generator and the ability to play against fellow captains.
Before we get to the truly exciting enhancements offered in the 1.5 upgrade, let's talk
about the less glamorous bug fixes and minor tweaks. A Macromedia crash bug has been
quashed, and there have been minor adjustments to the damage model in an effort to
bring digital sea captains more mayhem and destruction. New Hot Keys have been added,
allowing players to Undo their movement and in general have better control of the game
interface. The Spanish flag found on vessels has new and improved graphics. While all
of these changes are definitely welcome by players, obviously they're not enough to
constitute calling version 1.5 an upgrade. No, at this point it would be the Salvo! 1.5
patch but there's much more to be seen. The stout oaken heart of the Salvo! 1.5 upgrade
lies in two brand new features: a rich scenario generator, and the addition of a multiplayer
component.
The Salvo! 1. 5 scenario generator provides gamers the chance to chart their own destiny
and share their adventures with the world. The Salvo! Battle Generator can be used to
either allow the computer to quickly create a battle to play, or the user can get down and
dirty and handcraft their own interpretation of Trafalgar, Cape Vincent or the Nile with as
much historical accuracy as they desire.
Pick the engaged sides, battle size (from duels to large engagements) and click the
'Generate' button to make an infinite number of new Salvo! battles. Quickly select the
location, visibility, map type and exact fleet strengths for a more specific result. Or go all
out and craft your own battle complete with the victory text, the scenario game title
image and exact order of battle. Once a scenario is created designers can then tweak
initial starting positions of the vessels with the included Battle Tweaker. Scenarios can
of course be saved and played again and again, or shown to the world. Best of all,
generated files are interchangeable between PCs and Macs.
The Salvo! 1.5 upgrade also includes full ship customization with the ability to modify
existing ships in the database or create brand new ones. Found an obscure text that
doesn't agree with the number of guns of a particular ship found in the game? Change it!
Want to model a battle that's not included and need to create your very own order of
battle? Go for it! The customization module allows you to modify all of the following:
the ship name, appearance, rigging details, Captain, country, handling, quality, morale,
size, number of guns, number of crew, and number of marines.
"The best thing about the scenario generator is that it lets you make a entirely new Salvo!
battle with as little or as much involvement as you want. You can have an almost entirely
random battle, or you can specify almost every detail. The only thing better than that is
knowing that the other fleet is commanded by an infamous salty dog who also happens to
be your company's IT manager," comments Andrew Lonon of Spruegames.
That's right, now you can sail against human opponents! The multiplayer component of
the Salvo! 1.5 upgrade allows for either hotseat play or PBEM, with cross-compatibility
between PC and Mac PBEM games. In hotseat mode both players simply sit at the same
computer, battling each other. The advantage to hotseat play is the social component and
the fact a scenario can be played out in a reasonable period of time. The disadvantage is
the need to fill the seat with a warm body in this hectic world.
PBEM (Play-by-email) allows gamers to play a scenario with folks around the globe
easily through email. Salvo! 1.5's PBEM games automatically save your turn when
completed, making for a smooth play experience. Snap up the save and attach it to an
email, and then wait for your opponent. The main advantage of PBEM play is being able
to play at any time of day or night, with players from around the world.
The version 1.5 upgrade can be downloaded directly from Shrapnel Games at:
www.shrapnelgames.com/Sprue/Salvo/6.htm
Please see the page for a complete listing of all changes and enhancements found in the
upgrade.
Salvo!, launched in 2005, is a turn-based game of naval combat during the Age of Sail.
Players command ships from all the major seafaring nations of the time, and even pirates
are represented. Land, boarding actions, morale, and more all come into play. As Jim
Cobb said in his review on Subsim.com, "Every serious student of the Age of Sail needs
this game."
Now, we would be remiss if we didn't let those who don't have the retail version of the
game know that the new version is on the way to the duplicators as we speak. That's
correct, the 1.5 version of Salvo! will be available for shipping in a few short weeks.
With a projected shipping date of August 28th, now is the time to pre-order Salvo!
Version 1.5. To pre-order go to the Gamers Front (
www.GamersFront.com).
For more information on Salvo!, or any of our other fine strategy titles, please visit us at
www.shrapnelgames.com
Yar Matey, Here Be The Salvo! 1.5 Upgrade!
Hybrid Mode
