Revision Numbers [OFFICIAL REPLY]

>On Friday, November 21, 1997 8:40 AM, Sprayform 
>[SMTP:sprayform.dev@netwales.co.uk] wrote:
>> Mark S at 15:33 20/11/97 -0600, you wrote:
>>> >> >	Yes, when will FTIII be released?
>> >>
>> >> ...Please please please can we start calling it FT3
>
>
><snipped>
>
>On a topical note what is the Official GZG designation on this? They
seem to
>use Roman Numerals on Dirtside II and Stargrunt II. Is this a
publishing 
>tradition?
>However the romans were toast a long time ago and their numeric system,

>somewhat challenged.
>
>In email and usenet etc the short forms DS2 and SG2 seem to be more
popular
>so have become the de facto standard in discussions etc. While because
Full 
>Thrust  second edition never got numerals its called FT or sometimes
FT2.
>
>As this is meant to be a futuristic SF game maybe we and JT should use
arabic 
>numbering (decimal), which are more common in computer programs etc.
>
>When is FT 3.1.1 (beta) out? Or are you just going to be calling it
'Full 
>Thrust' third edition and put a different picture on the front?
>
>This is going to matter more when the comparison between rev's start 
>happening.
>
>sincerely
>tim jones
>--
>Reality is for those who can't cope with Science Fiction.
>
>

This is actually a very good point. In all probability, when FTIII/FT3
is
actually out, it will simply be called FT, with "3rd Edition" on a new
cover, much like the current book. Using FTIII or FT3 is a convenient
shorthand right now to differentiate it from FT 2nd Edn, during
playtesting
and development.
The reason that Dirtside became Dirtside II (and likewise with SG/SGII)
is
that in both these cases the "II" version was actually a completely new
game, with very little left of the original versions. This will NOT be
the
case with FT 3rd Edn, which will be an amended and added-to new edition
of
the existing FT (in the same way as FT 2nd Edn was a much-expanded but
fundamentally unchanged version of FT 1st Edn.).

For any new list members wondering when FT 3rd Edn will be out, we don't
exactly know - probably after we do BDS for DSII/SGII; however, the
forthcoming FT Fleet Book (being worked on now, and scheduled for
sometime
in the early part of '98 - basically as soon as it is finished!) will
contain a lot of the changes proposed for "FT3" and will form a bridge
between 2nd and 3rd editions.

Jon (GZG)