Update #31
over 4 years ago – Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 10:05:36 PM

The picture below shows dye colored miniatures in gray. These are American tanks. This tour was supposed to be finished two weeks ago, but due to reduced capacity at Voxellab, all delivery deadlines have been extended.

Molded pieces of tanks are intended for the "Standard" version. The plastic injection tools we made for the Tank Chess game are used. Pieces from the first tool (light, medium, heavy tank, medium destroyer, bulldozer, etc) were cast a long time ago. The other tool had to take some small changes and two more pieces were added: an anti-aircraft vehicle and a truck. Inserting those two pieces into the tool took an incredible 10 months! The first tests were performed only a few days ago. We are satisfied with the appearance of the anti-aircraft vehicle, but the truck needs to be improved, because it does not stand stable. It is a small finishing touch and we believe that it will be done quickly.

In previous updates, we have informed you about the difficulties we encounter during the implementation of this project. There are objective circumstances that have slowed us down, but we are also partly to blame for some organizational failures. We have solved the problem of lack of money to complete production and finance the sending of packages. We did a campaign for the game "Age of Dogfights: WW1" which brought us much needed money. After most of the bakers paid for the postage and for some of the add-ons - the total amount collected is $ 118,000.

The great success of the campaign enabled us to buy one workshop and several other necessary machines and tools. We already use two rented workshops and one small warehouse and with this new workshop our capacities have significantly increased. Photos of the new workshop will be published in one of the following updates.

After we have successfully completed the campaign for AoD:WW1, we will now dedicate ourselves to the realization of this project (Panzer Strike 1 and 2).

The presentations of the Panzer Strike campaigns had the focus on 3D terrain and miniatures. We think those are important game qualities, however, the essence remained in the background, and that is its simple and original gameplay mechanics. We, as the authors, believe that this is the greatest value of Panzer Strike and our other games. While working on the AoD:WW1 project, we came up with some new solutions that can be applied in Panzer Strike as well. We will use the time while we wait for the missing pieces and miniatures to improve the game rules, which will even more comply with our "MCMD" motto (minimum complexity, maximum diversity).

We have repeatedly emphasized that we want the end product at the highest level. We will also try to make some compensation to the backers due to delays in production and delivery. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

A small progress in production
over 4 years ago – Fri, Jul 24, 2020 at 05:42:18 PM

Today we received a batch of miniatures from the manufacturer. We were also supposed to get one round of painted miniatures (American tanks), but the worker in charge of painting is currently on sick leave. We expect it to be over by the end of next week.

For the Standard version, we have already made molded tank pieces from one tool. The other tool needed some alterations - to insert new pieces: a truck and an AA tank. Those alterations are in the final stages and we expect the pieces to be cast during the next week.

We cannot estimate when all the elements will be completed, because not everything depends on us. Follow our updates, we hope that they will be more frequent in the coming period.

Age of Dogfights: WW1
over 4 years ago – Sun, Jun 07, 2020 at 08:14:10 PM

Our fifth Kickstarter campaign is already in the last week.

To this day, due to a mistake in our organization, we have not posted an update in which we would inform our old backers about the campaign beginning. For that reason, all our old backers who pledge for any physical copy will receive a First Day gift (set of 12 Turkish planes) regardless of when they pledge. The only condition is to inform us via private message so we would know that you are a backer of one of our previous projects. There are 5 more days until the end of the campaign:

Age of Dogfights: WW1

The problems we already had during the production of Panzer Strike: Western Front 1 games were followed by problems related to the Coronavirus. The pandemic is slowly ending and we are continuing to work on the project. Due to the interrupted aerial transport with China, there has been a shortage of material for 3D printing since January. Our associates ordered the goods a long time ago and it is expected that they will arrive in Serbia soon.

The ongoing Kickstarter campaign will bring us much needed money (counting the pledges for add-ons and shipping fees as well, which are yet to come in the pledge manager), so that factor will no longer be a problem. We will do our best to provide some additional gifts to all the backers as compensation for the delay in delivery. We will soon post a new update showing the progress. A big thanks to the bakers for their patience, and we are again learning through this so that we do not end up in a similar situation in the future.

Progress in the difficult conditions
over 4 years ago – Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 04:11:34 PM

This update was supposed to be posted about a month ago, but circumstances prevented us from doing so. Serbia is not among the countries most affected by the Corona pandemic, but drastic measures of quarantine and restraint have been introduced here. All public traffic is suspended. Markets and shopping malls are closed, only part-time shops are open. We, like everyone else, spend much of our time in queues to get basic necessities for life.

The company that makes the miniatures does not work at all, because some of its employees were in Italy before the crisis, and therefore, under the current regulations, everyone is subject to mandatory quarantine. Just before the company closed, we were able to get the models that were completed by then.
 

The Standard and Light versions have molded plastic tank pieces. The plastic colors available in Serbia are too bright and don't fit the tanks. So the manufacturer imported the two shades we required. Pieces from one tool have already been done (mostly standard tanks: light, medium, heavy, tank destroyers, etc.), and soon the other tool will be put to work (special tanks - amphibians, howitzers, etc.).

The main part of PnP is ready - terrain and STL files of stylized tanks and the links were just sent to backers. The final rules and scenarios will be ready later. With these PnP files available, the backers can start building the playing field (terrain). The rules (which are not final) can be viewed on the updates: Part 1, Part 2.

STL files of miniatures are mostly done. We will send what is finished in a couple of days.

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In these circumstances, financing the residual production (and our daily needs) has become extremely difficult. Large orders for the games Tank Chess and Fun Set have been postponed for the post-pandemic period, and sales to individual customers through our site have been reduced. Interest is still solid, but shipping via Post Export isn't currently in function, so shipping via UPS and DHL is too expensive for many customers. That's why we decided to launch a new game campaign on Kickstarter, which was planned for the period after the delivery of all the rewards to the backers of this project. It's about "Age of Dogfights WW1". It's a game which uses our original Triangle system, one of descendants from our first game in 1996 (Saratoga).

You can read an article about the game here: http://armchairgeneral.com/this-game-has-the-right-stuff-age-of-dogfights-preview.htm

Of the many options we had available, we chose this game that we believe will raise solid funds since interest in aviation-themed games is always high. The game does not contain any complex components so it could be manufactured and delivered without any hassle. We have been working on perfecting air battle themed games for years, so now we have a concept and design for a game that spans the First World War. The series will also include games covering periods: WW2, Transonic Era, Supersonic Era, and Stealth Era, and these will have their campaigns over the next few years.

As with previous campaigns, we are not able to allocate any money for advertising. We believe in the quality of the game itself and in the fact that friends and co-workers will help us reach out to as many people as possible. I hope that you will also contribute to this.

First batch of dye-painted miniatures
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Feb 19, 2020 at 02:43:59 PM

The first batch of miniatures is dye painted. The procedure of painting is "cooking" a large group of pieces in a dyeing machine. During the process, the tanks' turrets must be separated from hulls. Financially, it would pay off more if all the miniatures of the same color would be painted at the same time. However, in such case we would need a lot of time to separate all the turrets and hulls from one large pile. Some turrets are very similar to each other, so distinguishing them is very difficult.

For that reason, we have decided for a compromise: we will paint them in 2 or 3 batches per color. The miniatures which are not too similar will be grouped, and that will make the separating much easier.

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The latest 3D models are test printed, and now they are being produced.