Hello all! It's been a while since we released something for the public, but this is mainly because we've got something huge in the pot and we're almost ready to share it with you. A big demo, and an accompanying devlog, are both in the works — and we're very excited to show you just what we've been up to behind the scenes.
We know, however, that you've been waiting for an update, so as a little entrée we'll show you some of the other stuff we've been working on.
T-26 Progress
Although the Pz IV and the T-34 are the imminent vehicles, there are of course others in the works. We'd like to show off the T-26, and the interior progress on it.
Sd.Kfz.250
The Sd.Kfz.250 is also mostly complete. Other parts of development have taken priority, but soon enough the finishing touches will be added and the texturing can begin.
Lighting & Performance
In regards to the practical, in-game changes that are being made — there's a lot to go over, most of which we'll save for the big update. Along the way, though, leaps and bounds have been made from the previous demo.
Global Illumination (GI) is now massively improved. For the interior of a tank, lighting is very important. Not only this, but we're getting significantly better performance.
Speaking of performance — it's significantly better in general. The FPS simply had to go up in preparation for more vehicles, more players, and complex ballistics, all taking place in real-time and simultaneously. Despite no degradation in visual fidelity, lighting improvements, and a test map going from 0.3 km² to 3 km² (a 10× increase), FPS has improved by at least 50% — and in some instances approaching a twofold increase.
Optics & Gunnery
A feature that many of you will be enjoying in the upcoming demo are the optics and gunnery. Electric and manual traverse, the accurate utilisation and implementation of optical markings, and the various refraction effects seen with telescopic sights are all implemented.
Turret Traverse — As Real As It Gets
Lastly, we wanted to speak a little about turret traverse. As they are objects with mass and inertia, turrets and gun barrels interact directly with the world and are in turn interacted upon. You can't phase your barrel through a building, and you need to be aware of where it is in relation to the world.
Their requirement to be interacted upon with torque and other actual forces also leads to emergent properties. Attempting to rotate your turret on a slope can actually be quite an ordeal as your poor gunner — or his electric motor — has to fight against the additional weight of rotating the gun barrel against gravity. Currently on the Panzer IV this makes it incredibly difficult, or even impossible, to rotate the turret by hand when on a slope. It's easy to see how this could lead to a lot of emergent gameplay when it comes to positioning, entrenchment, and damage control for crews. Vehicles like the Panzer IV J (as an example) would need to be very careful as, without electric traverse, they are left at the mercy of gravity.
While not implemented at the moment, this also allows for additional interactions between the turret, gun barrel, and the world. An example being our current "bonk mesh" implementation — where objects can physically collide with players, knocking them aside if they are in the way of a moving object. It's easy to see how implementing that feature on the gun barrel can lead to some interesting interaction where players would need to mind their heads.
We know it's been a long wait — but thanks to the great work of the development team you'll soon see our tanks flinging shells into targets with a full-fidelity ballistics system, the functions of each position, and a modular system that will (soon-ish) be able to be applied to other vehicles. Something we're very excited for.