Carriers at War

[acctingman]

Any idea how much of a pc will be needed to run all this ?

Could be one of those games that deserve a new machine.

This is also my fear, but if this game is half as good as it looks, I'm ok with upgrading my machine 

[rocketman]

I asked that earlier in the thread and I think the respons was that it will not require a beast of a machine, maybe even a half-decent one will do  <:-)

[The_Admiral]

Hello gents!

1) Thanks David, and all the others for the kind words, as usual. Means a lot for the morale.  O0
(David, sent you a small PM, thanks in advance  8) )

2) Regarding the sys specs, Brother Rocketman speaks the truth, we do not plan to make it a monster. My own computer isn't top of the line anyway. Besides, as a product with that sort of graphics, you can expect a large range of detail settings to be fully customizable, so that you might enjoy the game even if you have limited power at hand. FPS do that, simulations do that, RTS games do that, why wouldn't wargames be allowed that sort of caprice when they go 3D, ammarite?

We'll see quickly what to expect from our preliminary tests once a first vertical playable slice will be ready. But I'd rather have you spend your money on our Deluxe Collector Edition rather than a new Graphic Card  :-" :dreamer:

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Any new ship porn?  I'm suffering withdrawals.

[The_Admiral]

Good man!

Well, unfortunately, although I might have a few things to show, I am kept busy by the website (big thanks to MC and Tripoli in that regard), putting together a demo reel and - of course - by work IRL. Fortunately the people who are actually at work are busy with the game, so I'll have a few things to show tonight when I get home, but it's mostly tech - and as such not necessarily super eye-candy. A maybe at least one new ship - but it's mostly about tech, and we're using the planes as benchmarks. Also making great progress on the flag plot, but I am a bit reluctant to show WiP stuff, and run the risk of having people having the wrong idea about stuff that is far from final.

But we're among people with a brain in here, I might go the few extra yards and trust your judgement. 

[bobarossa]

But we're among people with a brain in here, I might go the few extra yards and trust your judgement.

Wow, you really don't know us then!

Just superimpose a bunch of supermodels on top of a carrier deck and that will keep most of us happy for another week. 

[The_Admiral]

Oh well someone did that already

Unfortunately, we had a few internet problems back in France that precluded us from uploading the stuff tonight...
I say tonight because it's 11PM in here and time for bed pretty soon, so you'll have to keep company to the ladies for now. We'll be back ASAP. Apologies, but apparently it seems that nowadays, it is faster to upload stuff with a VPN from China than from an ADSL line in France  :pullhair:

[Sir Slash]

That girl's gotta a nice set of signal flags.  :D  She's certainly got my nose up.

[em2nought]

That's one sexy LSO.  :dreamer:

[DoctorQuest]

Try to avoid being ham-handed with your joystick.

[besilarius]

That sailor may have been to a torpedo juice party.  Not the kind of alcohol you or I would choose to drink.
But, hey, there's a war on.

[The_Admiral]

Sorry SDR, I took my sweet time but you'll probably find that it was worth it :)

We are *that* close from announcing the game and launching the website, but as Robot said you sure are entitled to a little additional update before everything goes live.
As of late we were not very loud as most of the work was done under the hood, providing the engine with all the perks one would expect from a modern game - starting with actual sound. I must say the result ain't half bad, but naturally I am a bit biased. I'll let you judge by yourselves.

Here's our test-bed of a TBD and its twin-wasp roaring, with our sound engine tech in motion.

As you can see, that's true 3D sound right there. It changes with the distance, changes with your viewpoint, and it's real, variable stuff that follows the actual regime of the plane's engine.

The TBD itself is now our reference as our future standard for planes (at least Allied planes) in terms of art and details. Its livery is a fine reproduction of a VT-2 mount from Lexington. You might have seen it last year when the late and unfortunate Paul Allen and his team found Lady Lex at the bottom of the Coral Sea. Here is a reference:



Here are some in-engine views of the work in progress from a few days ago, with work done on reflections and materials.





Our 2D artist is not only good at painting pixel planes and beautiful dioramas, he is also in charge of the portraits gallery. The family is getting bigger everyday. We will eventually have 30+ portraits, most of them depicting actual officers historically involved in carrier combat back in 1942. A cookie for anyone you'll be able to identify in there (except for the fourth chap, whose destiny is to be our kind default sailor-guy, and whose face was originally randomly generated).



Meanwhile, our 3D artist has been very busy with modifying our plane models in order to optimize them further and set a standard for future integration. Like our 2D artist, he has been working on the TBD to produce the original basic texture mapping that will be used as the reference for paintjobs.



Still, he still found some time to work on a few ships - here's a Benson and a very early WiP shot on a PT-Boat, two very common visitors you might come across between Lunga point and Florida island.





We also started the in-game integration of the Flag Plot space. As you might remember, the Flag Plot is to be the main hub for the player, from which he/she will be allowed to access all stations (2D map, maneuver board, ouija board, pilot roster, the air ops board, etc...) by clicking on it or using keyboard shortcuts. It is expected to eventually look like the original concept art, and we only just started processing the larger chunks of the scene into the game proper. Our dev is also working hard on the lighting, as it will have a real effect on the overall feeling and mood. Here are some shots, including concept art, research, light tech business & some of the very early furniture being placed around the room.

First, this is the result of the research and immense talent of our 2D guy. I can't emphasize again enough how blessed I am to have people like him and the rest of my team by my side in this adventure, for it is quite the thrill to marvel at how much creativity and work they seem to put in everything they do.





Here is some basic lighting work:





Of course, the in-game 3D part itself is super WiP, textures and final models are still to be done. But, hey, at least, in two years from now you might be able to say "I was there before it looked cool!"







And, last but not least, our sound engine now also includes environmental effects. You will find below, yet again, a very early attempt at making it work, with the sound of the ocean, of the ship, and flight deck announcements (we'll feature the boatswain's call, the P.A. and even the bugle) all packed in one short video. Again, nothing too big or fancy, all of these are placeholder sounds and might look like very small progress, but it is coming together, step by step. Let's hope we can go the distance, but so far... so good!

In the meantime, enjoy the view and the mood, and see you soon! 

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

 :dreamer: :dreamer: :dreamer:

[rocketman]

Oh my, when you think you can't get more impressed, the devs surprise again 
3D sound is really cool and an important part of immersion. Will there also be sound delay, like if you see an explosion far away it will take some time before you hear it?

[Old TImer]

Truly amazing stuff.