[PG-HQ Dev Blog] War of the Worlds broken OOB

[Shad]

As mentioned here, War of the Worlds is now in the Library but you cannot see the Martian OOB.

This is because the unreleased upgrade of the PG-HQ Library pulls units from a different set of database tables than the current Library code does.

The new tables are optimized for better page loading and data analysis speed.

However, when adding new units to the database they only go into this new set of tables, they are not duplicated into the old unit storage area.

So the Martian WM exists on PG-HQ, but currently you cannot find it.

Here is what the new version of the Library OOB looks like for War of the Worlds (this is a screenshot from my development server):

   

[Matt W]

Perfect choices for the graphics in the Library and the new scenario force presentation is awesome!

[Shad]

I spent 3 hours of my life yesterday researching War of the Worlds in order to get the best images possible, and I am also very happy with the result. Totally worth it! The "box cover" is the 1953 movie poster, which is stunning. I've attached the original hi-res file (~3.2MB) to this post for anyone interested.

[Michael Murphy]

Sweet! Thanks for that poster. Can you say instant desktop wallpaper?

I like it, and I'm not really that interested in either the movie or the book.

[Shad]

I like it, and I'm not really that interested in either the movie or the book.

Apparently the 1953 movie is a "must see" if you like sci-fi. I've only seen the recent Spielberg-Cruise remake, and that was only because I'm an extra in one of the scenes.

[Matt W]

Andrew,

I just saw that movie Saturday night. Which scene are you in? Were you vaporized? Or were you fertilizer?

[Shad]

Andrew,

I just saw that movie Saturday night. Which scene are you in? Were you vaporized? Or were you fertilizer?

I'm on screen for all of about one second during the convoy scene approximately 48 minutes into the movie.

The scenes where Tom Cruise, the punk kid, and Dakota Fanning are driving through the countryside in the minivan were filmed in SW Virginia in and around Lexington, where I was a college student at the time.

They had an open call for extras and lots of us college kids tried out. Most of my classmates ended up being cast as "survivors" because they were fat, but I was an athlete at the time so I fit the bill for National Guard and got to ride around in the back of a truck dressed in full kit with a bunch of other REAL National Guard guys. That was fun.

In the scene the convoy looks quite long, but in reality it was very short and we just drove in circles all day for three days.

It was a lot of fun to see how movies are really made. One thing that stuck in my mind is a quick shot of a humvee blasting through a big puddle. They actually had a firetruck on hand to refill that puddle after every iteration! It all looks so natural after editing, of course.

[Matt W]

My daughter and I sat and watched that movie and ate Mexican as a "bonding" experience after we spent the whole day moving my home office. She will be tickled to hear that I actually knew someone who was in the movie.

Re: Lexington, VA. One of my favorite places. I worked quite a bit with the doctors and hospital in town during the 90s.

[JayTownsend]

Very cool Andrew!

[Shad]

My daughter and I sat and watched that movie and ate Mexican as a "bonding" experience after we spent the whole day moving my home office. She will be tickled to hear that I actually knew someone who was in the movie.

I can't endorse cannibalism but I'm glad your father-daughter relationship is strong!

You may tell her that your moviestar friend said Tom Cruise is a beautiful, tiny man.