WDS New Civil War Game, Bought All of Tiller's Assets, and Catalog Refresh

[Grim.Reaper]

Interesting news, new "Tiller" Civil War game that WDS is now releasing and seems like WDS has bought the entire catalogue of past "Tiller" games.

https://wargameds.com/products/forgotten-campaigns?mc_cid=68821e9233&mc_eid=cddf15686cWargame Design Studio publishes its first game:

Civil War Battles -- Forgotten Campaigns

Wargame Design Studio (WDS) is excited to release its first game under the WDS label.

Forgotten Campaigns is the next installment in the Civil War Battles series with the prior fourteen titles covering the major campaigns in the American Civil War.

Forgotten Campaigns is a title unlike the others in the Civil War Battles series, in that it covers a wide range of actions from all theaters of the war. In this fifteenth installment of the series, we have rolled up the actions not covered in other titles, and in many cases actions that the historians have not devoted much attention to either. Fighting will range from frontier actions in New Mexico during 1862 to Mobile Bay in 1865. The Red River campaign of 1864 is included as is the War in Mississippi with Brice's Crossroads and Tupelo. Naval combat plays a prominent role in many actions as well, with coastal actions from Charleston to Baton Rouge and many others.

Wargame Design Studio purchases the assets of John Tiller Software

In addition to the release of Forgotten Campaigns, WDS is announcing that it has bought the full John Tiller game catalogue, source code and John Tiller and John Tiller Software name. The deal was finalized in September 2021, and we would like to thank the Tiller family for their support in closing the deal and allowing us to continue to build on John's legacy.

Catalogue refresh

The full PC game catalogue has been updated and will be branded as WDS titles from today. With the move to new installers, many enhancements and fixes have been included across almost every series. A summarized list of inclusions in the new installers and patches follows:
•   American Civil War - significant new code enhancements introduced with Forgotten Campaigns and included in all existing fourteen titles. New 2D & 3D hi-res graphics sets. Newly revised and improved documentation
•   Early American Wars - New 2D & 3D hi-res graphics sets.
•   First World War Campaigns - additional content updates for all three titles
•   Modern Campaigns - new code enhancements and the hi-res graphics engine introduced with Panzer Campaigns Scheldt '44 is implemented in all five titles.
•   Musket & Pike - new code enhancements in both released titles. New 2D & 3D hi-res graphics sets.
•   Napoleonic's - significant new code enhancements as introduced with Campaign Waterloo 1.09 and now included in all fifteen titles. New 2D & 3D hi-res graphics sets. Many of the enhancements to this series have been ported across from the previous WDS work on the Civil War Battles series.
•   Naval Campaigns - significant new code enhancements including weather, damage and other items needed for both current and planned titles. All five released titles have been upgraded.
•   Panzer Battles - significant new code enhancements including replacements, weather, artillery resolution and optional alternative assault resolution that were slated for the next titles in the series. All three released titles and the Demo have been upgraded
•   Panzer Campaigns - significant new code enhancements including changes to alternate assault resolution, corps attachment and addition of forts. All titles have implemented the hi-res graphics engine introduced with Panzer Campaigns Scheldt '44. Newly revised and improved documentation.
•   Strategic War - new code enhancements and new hi-res graphics set for both released titles.
Both the Modern Air Power and Squad Battles series are being released as WDS titles, but their planned enhancements are still work-in-progress. More on that at a future date.

In total, we are releasing installers or patches for all ninety-nine PC titles today.

WDS  F.A.Q.

Q: What is WDS?
A: Wargame Design Studio (WDS) was founded in August 2016 to support and enhance John Tiller's wargame series. In September 2021, WDS bought the full John Tiller game catalogue with a remit to continue to publish and enhance the complete range. We have a robust pipeline of new titles and are excited with what the future holds.

Q: What happens with all the games I've purchased over the years from John Tiller?
A: All games purchase through John Tiller Software are completely supported in the same manner that JTS has supported them for years. All games that were purchased through HPS Simulations and converted to JTS versions over the years are also supported. That migration window has now closed, however. In short - if you have a serial number for your game, you are good to go going forward.

Q: What about getting the games installed? I never made a backup of most and what I do have is very old.
A: This is a multi-part answer:
•   First off, you should only be doing installations from a digital installer. All CD versions of the games are obsolete and in many cases the file structures are different. They should no longer be used.
•   We will be "re-opening" all orders from our existing store which will cause an email to be sent to you for each product you have ordered in the past. This will give you an opportunity to grab a new installer for the game that is completely up to date as of the WDS announcement.
•   If you purchased games through the original JTS store (Dec. 2010 - May 2012) then send an email to Support@wargameds.com along with your order number(s) or serial number(s) and new installer files will be emailed to you.
•   If you were migrated over from old HPS purchases, then send an email to Support@wargameds.com along with your serial number(s) and new installer files will be emailed to you. ** You must include a complete listing of all game names and serial numbers you are requesting new installers for.

Q: Will you be continuing to sell games as John Tiller Software?
A: No, all titles and sales will be through WDS going forward. We are a fully incorporated company (WDS LLC) in the United States. All our titles use John Tiller's game system, and we will continue to pay homage to John. If you follow existing links to John Tiller Software, it should route you to our new site at wargameds.com

Q: Why aren't you using the existing wargamedesignstudio.com url?
A: We debated using this as our primary url, but it is l-o-n-g. We have chosen the shorter wargameds.com to simplify the ability to find us – wargamedesignstudio.com will still be in place, but you will be redirected to our new URL.

Q: I'm getting a warning message when I try and launch the game installer or update, what gives?
A: This is to be expected and should go away with time. The reason is, we have a brand-new code signing certificate and up until November 19th, 2021, it has only been used within our development circles. All our software has been scanned and found free of both viruses and malware. As time passes and more installations take place around the world the "reputation" of our certificate will grow, and the warnings will diminish. You can confidently by-pass these warnings and install the software.

Q: Will the games run under Windows 11.
A: Yes, preliminary testing shows that the games will run under Windows 11.

Q: Are you planning just to sell the existing titles or are you planning new content?
A: Civil War Battles - Forgotten Campaigns is the first of a very solid pipeline of games. WDS is continuing the approach started in 2016 of bringing together developers, programmers, and artists to build on John Tiller's work. This means a focus on both new titles and enhancements to prior releases. The solid foundation and research behind each title and game series is a perfect starting point for further enhancement.

Stay tuned for more as time progresses!

[MengJiao]

  Wow!  Very Cool.  I think I've spent more hours playing these games than any others.  I'm going through the Napoleonic Series starting with Republican Bayonets on the Rhine so that's going to take me a while.

[GaryMc]

Interesting news, new "Tiller" Civil War game that WDS is now releasing and seems like WDS has bought the entire catalogue of past "Tiller" games.

Not just purchased the back catalog, but will be continuing to publish in the future :)

[Sigwolf]

I like what they've done to refresh the Tiller titles, and the fact that they are carrying on the tradition.  I can't say I'm thrilled with the new home page, though... way too "busy".  At least the rest of the site is reasonably easy to navigate.  Since they bought the name and entire catalog, it would have been nice to see them incorporate the John Tiller name a little more prominently.

As for the new domain... they had to know at quick glance it looks like a sketchy pharmaceutical company called Wargame Meds.   :D ;D

[Geezer]

Very happy to see this.  I wish them all the best.

[MengJiao]

Very happy to see this.  I wish them all the best.

  And double WOW!  they are sending me the download codes for all the games I bought long ago that have now been updated!  So I can download totally new versions!

[Zulu1966]

Very happy to see this.  I wish them all the best.

  And double WOW!  they are sending me the download codes for all the games I bought long ago that have now been updated!  So I can download totally new versions!

Mmmm... could turn into a bit of a mess for me - had a load of stuff I bought under an old email address I could never change on the tiller store

[Destraex]

I just got an email about a demo but have never ordered anything from these guys. The email talks of an order number and re-opening an original order. I have never had an original order with them as far as I remember. Could this be the new owners trying to tell me I can access a demo of a game for which I do not own the full game?

"
Wargame Design Studio <Notifications@fetchapp.com>
the actual sender of this message is different than the normal sender blah blah blah

New Downloads for Order (6 digit order number here)

Wargame Design Studio has released a new version of Panzer Battles Demo!
Use the link below to download your items. This link may be used up to 20 times. It will also re-open your original order so that it may be accessed through your Store account going forward. Please ensure the entire URL is copied to your web browser.
INSTALLATION: After saving the download to your computer, run it by double-clicking on the download file. This will install the product on your computer.

Serial Number for Panzer Battles Demo: serial number here

For support email us at support@wargameds.com. Please include your order number (6 digit order number here) with your inquiry.
It's been a pleasure doing business with you!
Wargame Design Studio
https://wargameds.com/
"

[berto]

Could this be the new owners trying to tell me I can access a demo of a game for which I do not own the full game?

Yes, could be.  For several of the series, there are free demos you can download and play even if you never bought any other game in a series, or even any JTS (now WDS) game at all.

[Sigwolf]

I just got an email about a demo but have never ordered anything from these guys. The email talks of an order number and re-opening an original order.
What does this mean and why did I get an unsolicited email?

The Panzer Battles Demo was different than all the other Tiller Demos, which were one-click downloads.  It actually required an e-mail address, and sent a download link just like a purchased order, but this was completely free.  If you ever tried the demo (I think it came out about five years ago), that's were the "order number" originated, and why you got the e-mail.  They're just sending you a new link... nothing nefarious.

[Destraex]

Thanks. Might have been nice to mention change of ownership and that new links were sent for this reason. i probably did download the demo but just so not remember. Thx for the clarification.

[Rayfer]

Thanks. Might have been nice to mention change of ownership and that new links were sent for this reason. i probably did download the demo but just so not remember. Thx for the clarification.

I went into my email a few minutes ago and there were 16 separate emails, one for every Tiller game I own.  Each contains a link to download the game.  Are our games now on a WDS site or is the current Tiller site still valid?  Do I have to re-download a game I'm already playing.  This is a confusing transition....or maybe I'm just a dope... :-[ :o

[smittyohio]

Thanks. Might have been nice to mention change of ownership and that new links were sent for this reason. i probably did download the demo but just so not remember. Thx for the clarification.

I went into my email a few minutes ago and there were 16 separate emails, one for every Tiller game I own.  Each contains a link to download the game.  Are our games now on a WDS site or is the current Tiller site still valid?  Do I have to re-download a game I'm already playing.  This is a confusing transition....or maybe I'm just a dope... :-[ :o

If you're a dope, I think you have lots of company.   I'm confused on whether I should download the installer and back it up, or if I can get it later easily.

[al_infierno]

Thanks. Might have been nice to mention change of ownership and that new links were sent for this reason. i probably did download the demo but just so not remember. Thx for the clarification.

I went into my email a few minutes ago and there were 16 separate emails, one for every Tiller game I own.  Each contains a link to download the game.  Are our games now on a WDS site or is the current Tiller site still valid?  Do I have to re-download a game I'm already playing.  This is a confusing transition....or maybe I'm just a dope... :-[ :o

Our games are on the WDS site, the JTS site appears to be gone now.  The emails are a bit weird, but it's probably just automated as they migrate our products to the new system + a convenient way of informing us where the games can now be downloaded from.

[GaryMc]

Thanks. Might have been nice to mention change of ownership and that new links were sent for this reason. i probably did download the demo but just so not remember. Thx for the clarification.

I went into my email a few minutes ago and there were 16 separate emails, one for every Tiller game I own.  Each contains a link to download the game.  Are our games now on a WDS site or is the current Tiller site still valid?  Do I have to re-download a game I'm already playing.  This is a confusing transition....or maybe I'm just a dope... :-[ :o

If you're a dope, I think you have lots of company.   I'm confused on whether I should download the installer and back it up, or if I can get it later easily.

My suggestion would be to download and back up.  I'm not sure that you NEED to, but out of a "better safe than sorry" approach.

To answer as I can:
If you have a current game going, you may want to finish it before updating.

If you download the patch, you can patch your current install where it is on your hard drive.
If you download the new install (.msi file) it will want to install in a new folder.  (So, you can have a JTS and WDS version of the same game if you desire.)

By the way, the server with patches is getting slammed, but the one with new install files is doing better.  So, going for new installs may be easier right now, and if you go for updates, grab 1-2 high priority ones, and then spend the next few days grabbing the rest.