Task Force Admiral News

Dear Fans,
Dear Followers,
Old & new,
Welcome back!

So, the few last months were seemingly calm on Steam, but don’t worry, the pot was still being stirred, with much to tell you about.

We advanced on many fronts, alternating between them as we were implementing this, improving that, correcting bugs along the way. We cannot really list everything we did during that time, and some others are probably better showed than told. Just to give you an example of what our days are made of, here’s a sample of a normal week these days. Work just doesn’t stop. But it brings along progress, pushed by rigorous testing.



At the end of the day, you will get most of this in a gameplay format soon enough – the videos and the screens we will be sharing today are probably enough of a testament to our steady pace, and those who have been following us for some time already will certainly be able to appreciate it better than anyone. Please just remember that everything you’re seeing in this update is work in progress, and that every visual and mechanic is subject to change further (for the better!).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




[h2]Surfing birds[/h2]

Now as for the features themselves, we worked a lot on the seaplanes lately, as an important addition to the larger game’s environment.



Cruiser and Battleship seaplanes were a crucial asset in carrier combat, or naval combat in general. On both sides, they obviously accomplished a number of tasks that normal aircraft from carriers were either unable or too precious to accomplish themselves. As the American player, you will be very much welcome to use your SOC Seagulls & OS2U Kingfishers – and the few Supermarine Walrus inherited from your Australian allies. They can be tasked with patrolling the skies above your force as part of the standing Inner Air Patrol, guarding you against submarines. They are also a prime choice when it comes to search and rescue efforts, especially when recovering the aircrew from the drink proper is needed. Unfortunately, even if they can still do that job in time of need, their speed and range do not make them ideal platforms for naval search – unlike their Japanese counterparts.



"Indeed, more often than not, the first sign you might have from a Japanese force nearby is a Jake flying into radar range. Make no mistake, they will most likely spot you before you can spot them, as these small airplanes are detected late, if at all, by your radar operators. But once they are on your scope, the hunt is on. Make sure that any snooper you come across pays the ultimate price for having snitched on you...!"

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



[h2]That’s a lot of damage, second round[/h2]

As mentioned in our previous update, we did dedicate some time to damage modeling. We’re not finished yet, obviously, but let’s say we’re halfway there. Different types of impact decals (still in their work in progress state, of course) and damage have been implemented. As it has been the case all too often lately, I’ll let Lexington explain the whole thing, as the old lady bore the burden of experiencing the pain for the greater good.



Lexington, as a test bed, has suffered many woes to help us develop our external damage model. As you can see it here, on Yorktown this time, damage of all sorts exists: some of the projectiles in the picture above exploded or bounced without penetrating the deck – a common occurrence for the lighter high explosive bombs in the Japanese arsenal – and left a mere scratch on the flight deck. Others, upon exploding, penetrated the deck and affected the lower level (in this case, the hangar deck). Finally, some, owing to their fuze, cleanly passed through the wood and steel, stopping only on a lower level – if they stopped at all before reaching the armored belt



I need not highlight further, I guess, the potential of this tech in-game, as it will make any scenario unique the moment a projectile hits your precious flagship. The same way the angle of impact and resulting penetration value are dynamically calculated based on the characteristics of the projectile, so are the explosion delay (based on the fuze setting) and the blast range, along with the chances of a fire – chances which will increase if fuel or ammunition are within said blast zone.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As for the rest, we still have to add sinking effects, oil, and possibly debris left and right, and we’re nearly there. Still, there’s some soul to it already, even in this early stage. Decals seen above are mostly placeholders; they were here to test the functionalities. The final game will improve in this department too, among many others.



[h2]The devil is in the details[/h2]

Mentioning the damage decals brings us to another topic we can talk about: skins and markings decals. When put together, they provide Task Force Admiral and scenario designers with the tools needed to somewhat accurately represent the air groups featured in the game. If you guys join us on our Discord, we can discuss features like these in more detail. We have already shown an example of what it entails, with the SBD currently integrated into the game.





To simplify things somewhat, let’s say that skins are what an aircraft would wear, and the decals are the little pins and other accessories you’d add to your outfit. When combined with dynamic numbers, we can accurately reflect the extremely diverse paint schemes the US Navy went through between January and August 1942. This includes variations in roundel size, red dots, LSO bands, and flashy red and white rudders. The same goes for squadron badges for those who had them. So don't worry, we have you covered on this one.



The system is made so that it offers a flexible platform that can be easily enriched by your own work if need be, whether you need them for a specific scenario or a good joke. Hopefully, we will find a proper way to have you share your contents with little hamper, but practical solutions in that regard will have to wait for us to deliver you with a game first!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



Finally, we would like to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support throughout our journey. Your presence and enthusiasm have been instrumental in keeping our team motivated and energized as we strive to make our dream a reality. Knowing that there are people out there who believe in us and our vision has helped us to push through the tough times and stay focused on delivering the best possible game.

As we move forward towards the release of our game, we want you to know that your support will continue to be a crucial part of our success. Your feedback, encouragement, and excitement keep us going, and we are truly grateful for every single one of you. We can't wait to share our game with you and hope that it lives up to your expectations. Fear not, as our goal is now within sight, we’re not going to give up just yet.

Cheers and stay safe!

The Task Force Admiral Team

Dear Fans,
Dear Followers,
Old & new,

Welcome to this (late, but still earlier than before!) February 2023 dev diary for Task Force Admiral.

Sooo... Well, we did post the January update a bit late, and February not being a very long month either, we had to tie a few loose ends before I end up with some contents in an interesting format. A video being worth a thousand words, let's start with the fun. More details below!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



[h2]Under the Sea[/h2]

Views would be nothing without relevant, sophisticated visual effects. Now that cameras are working their magic following the progress made back in January, let's see how they also allow you to explore the depths of the Pacific and our colorful palette!

I won't spend too much time on the underwater camera, it kinda speaks for itself. Until now we were lacking an actual underwater plane for the game, and considering subs are coming too, and ships got to sink convincingly, we had to do something about it. Some aspects still need to be tweaked of course (the propellers are a bit fast, and have to be made more compatible with the actual framerate) but overall, it is serving its purpose well-enough - we aren't making a submarine simulation after all. We just want to make sure that you'll be able to make nice shots all the same below and above the water, and as these few seconds above demonstrated, I am pretty sure our players will make do!

Oh yeah right, talking about submarines by the way...









[h2]The Filter System[/h2]

The filter system is somewhat more complex as a topic, as it is more of an extra feature in nature. The four pictures below depict the same scene. Yet, they seem a bit foreign, different from each other - some of them actually don't look like the game as you know it, some might say. Why is it so?



We're excited to talk about a new feature we've developed that we believe will add a whole new dimension to your gameplay experience – fully customizable color filters that can be swapped on the fly during gameplay.

This feature is all about giving players the ability to create the mood and atmosphere that they want while playing the game, and we think it's going to be a game-changer when it comes to experiencing the game and creating contents along the line of what you think the deep Pacific should feel like.

First of all, let's talk about what we mean by "color filters." Essentially, a color filter is an overlay that changes the colors of the game world. We've developed a variety of different color filters that players can choose from, ranging from vibrant technicolor to more subdued, vintage-style filters. These filters can be swapped in and out during gameplay, giving players the ability to experiment with different looks and moods as they play.



So, why are color filters so important? Well, for one thing, they allow players to create a more personalized gameplay experience. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to visual style and aesthetics, and color filters give players the ability to customize the look of the game to their liking. Whether you're into bright, bold colors or more muted, understated tones, there's a color filter that will suit your tastes.

Beyond personal chromatic preferences, color filters can also add a whole new dimension to the game world itself. By changing the colors of the game world, players can create different moods and atmospheres. Are you looking for the darkest night? Or a romantic sunset? Or a black & white / Sepia old school vintage feeling? We've got you covered. And considering it is an in-game feature, this kind of flexibility should be available when using our future replay system too.

Although it will obviously not replace a full-feature video or image editor, it is a good start, and it is all done in real-time! Somewhere, there has to be a setting that fits your needs, and you'll be completely free to use it for the right sequence.



Besides, as you can see above in a few shots, those who feel like making a periodically a new wallpaper or screensaver for themselves will be happy to know that our object viewer is also used to tweak said color filters. We are certain that the most art-minded souls among you will put this to good use to produce breathtaking shots. We are looking forward to these, and will probably start producing a few ones ourselves in the near future as a reward for those who are following us and reading us in here!





[h2]That's a lot of Damage[/h2]

Finally, we have also used the small amount of time we had available in February to work further on the damage model of our ships. As our Porter is being readied to serve as a guinea pig for everyone else, it had to endure some extreme punishment day after day, as we were meticulously making boxes within its 3D shapes so that we could puncture them all mercilessly shortly thereafter.



It made it necessary to create the right tools for the job, and we got there with little trouble thanks to the versatility of our existing interface in the editor. These integration tools will be available to you too, and should speed up the modding process whenever you need to add a new ship or aircraft to the existing gallery.



The flooding system, as depicted in the video at the top of this blog post, allows water to incrementally enter a compartment based on the diameter of the hole(s) which were created by damage received from a projectile or a collision. Water pours in, but will not spread to other yellow compartments as long as each adjacent box retains its original integrity. That's where big shells, bombs and torpedo play a role: by damaging several of these "cells", they will create a cascading effect that might very well make the ship impossible to stabilize before it's too late.

One will also have to keep in mind that not all compartments are equal. Engine & boiler rooms occupy larger space (equivalent to several decks) and can critically impact the overall balance of the ship if they were to flood rapidly following a hit. These are basic mechanics of course - one still has to factor in the effect of damage control, which also includes water being pumped out, or counterflooding being used to bring the ship back on an even keel. But we're getting there, solving one issue at a time, and the future still looks bright!





There you go! Hope this was an enjoyable ride. As for us, we're back to the workshop, thinking hard about our next step. Thank you for following us, sharing this post and our media posts, and for supporting us in that long, long trek of ours...!



As always, if you aren't too fond of Discord, Facebook, Twitter or else, don't forget that we have a mailing list here specifically made so as to keep you updated of all our Steam updates and other announcements which might be big enough to deserve a special treatment. Click on the pic below to access the form.



Cheers & take care, and see you at the end of March for our next chapter

The Task Force Admiral team

Dear Fans,
Dear Followers,
Old & new,

Welcome to this (late!) January 2023 dev diary for Task Force Admiral.

That was quite the busy month we had in January, and I had a bad cold right at the time I was supposed to upload all this stuff, so apologies for the unwanted delay...!

We have mostly worked on ironing out bugs and introducing our view system, while implementing thoroughly combat systems aboard ships and visual effects too. That might sound a bit surprising considering views & visual effects are not usually an important part of the wargamer's toolkit to a good experience. Yet, in the specific 3D environment of TFA, they remain central to the enjoyment of the game, and a fair companion to any After-Action Report minded playthrough. Let's see why.



[h2]The View System[/h2]

Our view system is sticking to a few cardinal rules in its design which, hopefully, will satisfy the expectations of most, whether you use it for your in-game enjoyment or as a tool for a video or picture-based after-action report.

• The views should give you as much freedom as possible when it comes to picking an angle
  
• They should be easy to navigate using a few keys, in an intuitive fashion, while making good use of the mouse without hampering gameplay functions
  
• They should help with focusing on a given unit from your current PoV with handy padlock options
  
• They should be fully interactive during pause as long as pause is a thing in your realism settings, and obviously will be as such when used in the future replay system
  

The first video below gives you an idea of the basic PoVs one can pick for any naval or air unit, on either side. Basically the different views are:

• A default Orbit view around the selected unit
  
• A Front view, at bridge-level for a ship, and above the engine cowling or the nose for an aircraft)
  
• A Left side and Right side view, which also works for the vulture’s row on a carrier
  
• A Rear view, which will puts you on the stern of a ship or the backseat of an airplane
  
• A Chase view, which will allow you to follow dogfights & the action in general with a cool head bobbing effect

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Of course this cannot equal all the options you would have in an actual plane or ship simulator, but we believe that it offers enough opportunities so as to keep you entertained. As you can see below, the free navigation lets you pick the angle you like best. Coupled potentially with a rewind function in the replay mode, you should be able to efficiently cover a given event under different angles without having to restart your track and pray to have it right the first time. At least, that’s the intent, time will tell if we manage to (pardon my French rugby lingo) convert our try by learning from the sins usually encountered in games with a comparable scope, while hoping we are not committing too many new ones while doing so!



[h2]Of Padlocking & FoV[/h2]

The padlock system works pretty well. It allows you to easily pick a friendly or enemy contact by switching between the different objects rather seamlessly. It allows for some dramatic angles, like these we’ve been showcasing in our shorter videos this month. Whether you are aboard a ship getting bombed, or seeing the action from the perspective of the aggressor, you will have you covered.

Another nice feature is the ability for the player to tweak the Field of View on the fly so as to find the best setting for your shots. It does change the perspective quite a lot, as you can see below. It’s an old trick from our simulation days, something that I remember from the very first Il-2, which would definitely give your screenshots the sort of inspiring oomph actual photography can instil in real life. In this mode, the work done on the 3D models shines, and I am happy to say that our 3D artist Rizki's work managed to give them quite the oomph factor despite our originally very tight triangle budget. As for their looks, they will be improved (some of these ships are still in their original untreated base texture). With the playable slice approaching, our 2D artist Julien will be hard at work to weather in a credible way all this wood and this steel.



Altogether, the camera options seem to make for a fair, functional package. We will carry on with the rest of our development pipeline for now. Naturally, all of this needs to be properly refined based on tester experience later on, and changes will necessarily happen, but the basic functions seem to do their job for the time being. Once paired with the future replay system we envision, we will hopefully achieve a relatable level of customization in the way you want to watch your gameplay contents. As such, we hope that it will result in a satisfying solution for those among our followers who favour colourful contents for their battle reports, whether these are posted on message boards or video platforms.

In the meantime, enjoy this lavish compilation below of all these aforementioned tools!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



[h2]Of Water, Fire, Guns & Fun[/h2]

Another area of interest this month was the continuation of the work already done on the mounts. After assigning them basic properties, it was time for us to put them in a relevant environment so as to test them against actual aircraft. Quite logically, it also led to an increased interest in the implementation of the corresponding sound and visual effects. These were applied to the guns and their target area alike. For starters, the sounds were properly integrated in-game and are now firing with a convincing punch. The guns themselves were fine-tuned so as to fire with a little more randomness to them and avoid the feeling that everybody is shooting in unisson whenever it is not warranted.

As for the visual effects, here’s a small demonstration below. Whether it is about water or fire, we went for solutions that might not seem always so popular with all developers, but we just could not accept the idea that billboards would look spectacular from one side, and suddenly look flat (well... like billboards are) the moment you rotate the camera to take a screen from another angle. Although this is certainly still work in progress, and will be improved over time, the water splash previously showcased really do work well and make you feel very much in the midst of the action.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

All these sweet videos might have gotten some of you readers a bit worried when it comes to the configuration needed to run Task Force Admiral. What was said on the store page back in the day is still pretty unchanged. Some time was devoted to the implementation of several techs that will allow the game to still run smoothly even if your computer is not NASA-grade. AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR) is among these technologies. The advantage of implementing the support for this tech in particular is that work with all manufacturers (unlike other comparable solutions) and will allow you to play at a higher resolution while dramatically improving performance by using upscaling smartly. Below, you can see the same scene, with native rendering on one side & a 0.75 rendering with FSR-managed upscaling. As you can see, differences are fairly minor - if you can't see immediately which is which, it is one of these rare times when it is actually good news ^^ - yet can mean the world to smaller rigs. It is in our interest to keep exploring solutions that will make TFA run smoothly on a larger panel of machines, so do expect us to keep optimization always in a good spot on our minds.





That's all for today Folks! As a parting gift, here's the traditional Greetings card for the Lunar Year authored by Julien. The year of the rabbit was a good opportunity to honor VT-2, which served from 1943 onwards with a mix between Bugs Bunny & Oswald as a mascot, riding a (working & modified) Mk13 torpedo. Feel free to greet your friends who celebrate the Spring festival in style!



As always, if you aren't too fond of Discord, Facebook, Twitter or else, don't forget that we have a mailing list here specifically made so as to keep you updated of all our Steam updates and other announcements which might be big enough to deserve a special treatment. Click on the pic below to access the form.



Cheers & take care, and see you (earlier than usual then!) for the February update at the end of this very month!

The Task Force Admiral team.

Dear Fans,
Dear Followers,
Old & new,

Welcome to this December 2022 dev diary for Task Force Admiral.

As December is only going to remain with us for a few more hours, the time for our usual Monthly update has come. Join us as we detail a few of the features & mechanics we have been working over the past few weeks.



[h2]Anti-Air Artillery Effects & Mechanics[/h2]

We will begin with the part of the work pipeline that involves the most eye candy. We’ve been at work on implementing Anti Air artillery systems in-game, both visually and on the programming side of things. Visually speaking, it was mostly about optimizing the explosion and smoke effects, while adding a few new gimmicks to improve overall immersion, such as shrapnel effects in the water below the explosion proper.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
As far as its in-game implementation goes, anti-air artillery is a complex, multi-layered affair that requires a detailed approach for it to shine – or at least start to look the part. Three main types of AA guns have to be accounted for in Task Force Admiral :

• Heavy Anti Air is made of naval guns acting in AA mode. Some of these are dual purpose by design, as their inner workings support high angle elevation while still allowing reloading and firing at a useful rate. In this category, you will also come across single purpose mounts, which cannot elevate past a certain angle and train past a certain speed and still remain efficient. Yet, most of these guns do have some limited anti-air use, as they can still shoot at low flying objects, and as such they will take part to the defence of the force against torpedo planes. This category of guns usually fires a time-fuzed projectile at aircraft, set to explode in the vicinity of where the enemy plane is to find itself a few seconds later. Said fuze is set just before loading by a complex system, which begins with the AA directors, the AA gun plot and ends with a fuze setter embedded with the mount at the mouth of the gun. The radar proximity fuze, an invention that was to find its way into the Fleet in 1943, was not available yet in 1942 to the US Navy, so back then it really was a matter of getting timing right, or get the odd lucky direct hit that would set off the impact fuze. In TFA these shells will be what they were in action: an ubiquitous sight on both sides when aircraft attack, but a mostly harmless display of pyrotechnics save for that one shell in a thousand that will manage to connect.

• Medium Anti Air mounts are a category the Imperial Japanese Navy never really managed to get quite right. These intermediate calibres attempt to retain the best characteristics of both worlds: powered mounts managed by AA directors, with several automatic guns bundled together so as to reach a critical, uninterrupted volume of fire. Thanks to their redundant feeding systems, these pieces usually don’t have to stop firing for a long period, and as such can put up an actual barrage of shells. As their ammunition is too small and their range too limited to warrant further fine-tuning, all the projectiles are set to explode with the same delay, setting up killing zones in the trajectory of approaching attack craft. The U.S. quad 1.1in (28mm), British 2 Pdr (40mm) and 40mm Bofors are among the most common systems of this kind you will encounter in TFA.

• Light Anti Air, finally, is a category made of all manually-trained, manually-fed and manually-aimed guns. These can be found in single, double or even triple mounts in the case of the IJN Type 96 25mm. They do not benefit from the input of a AA director, and their short range only allow for short duration bursts on a given target before said target leaves their firing arc. They end up being primarily psychological or even revenge weapons, but in the latter case, they still serve a purpose, as a damaged or destroyed aircraft, even after it has delivered its payload, is still one less threat to worry about in the future. On the US side, the Oerlikon 20mm and water-cooled .50 AA mounts are part of this category.

Naturally, all these different weapons and their mounts have their own technical specs, which will result in varying base accuracy and dispersion values, acquisition time, reload time, etc... Their base performance might or might not be improved by an additional layer of control offered by AA directors if these are available to them. As you can see in the screenshot above, we keep on deploying the relevant edition tools along with the new features they serve. As these are designed so as to allow everyone in the team to contribute to the integration of new devices, down the line they might prove handy for all those who wish to customize the in-game specs and tweak them to their liking.



[h2]The Air Plot[/h2]

Those who have been reading our previous update (click here if you haven't just yet) will remember that we had mentioned the Ouija board, or aircraft management screen, as one of TFA’s carrier-centric feature. This month, we fleshed out the other modes of what we call, in short, the “Air Plot”.

The Air Plot is an array of air-focused management screens which are here to provide the player with a complete panorama of the air activities in his task force. The different screens and their uses are as follows:

• The Aircraft Management Screen (which is the new, more practical name for the Ouija board) remains unchanged this month, besides the few functions left & right which were not there yet last time: it is used as an interface that allows you to check effortlessly the status of all the aircraft aboard a given aviation ship under your command.

• Using the same top-down layout of your carrier, the Deck Timeline will retain the upper part that displayed the flight deck and provide you with an extensive schedule of deck operations, indicating in details which aircraft are about to be spotted, launched or recovered. It is a more thorough version of the information always available on the air ops timeline at the bottom of one’s screen.

• The Mission Roster is a specialized table that goes the extra mile as far as commander awareness is concerned: all the air missions are there, with a number of buttons which will allow you to easily follow them on the map, edit them, or read their log and final report.

• The Squadron Roster on the other hand focuses on the air groups aboard your ships, giving ample details in regard of their readiness, their equipment, and their statistics since the beginning of the scenario.
  
• Finally, the Aviation Stores tab, not depicted here, will give you a complete brief about the allocation of aircraft loadouts. As bombs and especially torpedoes are in limited supply, we needed to make sure that you would have the ability to follow ammunition expenditure closely.

To those who might wonder about the effects of all these contents of the game’s complexity and accessibility: worry not. All these screens are mostly of an informational nature, with little in way of actual interaction – so no mandatory micro-managing hell is involved. Going through them is only necessary for those who want to make sure to know each and every detail of their on-going air operations. The same way one can play through a Paradox game without ever opening the ledger screen, one can succeed at Task Force Admiral while not giving a damn about which pilot is flying which plane, or which is the next flight in line for recovery. But considering all these information were there already floating around anyway, we had to think of a way to make them available in a centralized & exhaustive fashion for those who like to run a tight ship, so there you go.



[h2]Pearl Harbor Art[/h2]

December is like every year, finally, the moment when we can commemorate the event that started it all, that is the Dec.7 attack against Pearl Harbor. Over the last few years, our artist Julien has contributed quite a number of original pieces dedicated to the battle proper and to the events surrounding it. They will undoubtedly be an important part of the posters or postcards line-up in any physical box edition we might come up with during our launching phase.



Mentioning the said launching phase, I will happily use the opportunity offered by this update so as to reiterate that our plans are to have something playable in your hands certainly by the end of next year. Can’t say just yet which approach we’ll be using so as to reach this goal, but I take you as witnesses here and now stuck between Christmas & the New Year to claim that we’ll eventually get there. I hope that the progress shown over the last few updates has made clear that we know where we’re going, and that our deliberate pace is mostly the result of us trying to do the things the right way. Watch out for more exciting contents over the next few months!



That's all for today Folks! Although the day wouldn't be complete without the traditional season greetings by Taffy - so there she goes, along with a nice view of a very cute, illuminated Yorktown, waiting calmly for the release of Task Force Admiral like a good girl.



As always, if you aren't too fond of Discord, Facebook, Twitter or else, don't forget that we have a mailing list here specifically made so as to keep you updated of all our Steam updates and other announcements which might be big enough to deserve a special treatment. Click on the pic below to access the form.



Cheers & take care, all of you! Happy New Year to you and all your loved ones!

The Task Force Admiral team.

Dear Fans,
Dear Followers,
Old & new,

Welcome to this November 2022 dev diary for Task Force Admiral.

Ok, so what do we have here this month? Two much needed functions bringing us closer to our goal by a resolute margin were on the menu.



[h2]Of evasive maneuvers, exploding fishes and sacrificial helldivers[/h2]

First, we had our first actual attack with bombs, explosions, etc... that wasn't staged. That was enough of a small event to warrant some footage, so there you go.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Everything is coming together, slowly but surely. Obviously all visual effects are placeholders & there are glitches left and right - sorry for the occasional stuttering, it's been taken care of - but overall it ain't too bad. Also, don't pay attention to the fierce efficiency of the anti-air fire, it is obviously way too murderous for now - our poor Vals playing guinea pigs were slaughtered mercilessly, so we gotta tweak that among other things, of course. But we're getting close enough to the vibe we're looking for, and it is always a heartwarming and reassuring moment indeed!

(don't be shocked to see that Porter's guns at such a high elevation, the final version will take into account the single-purpose nature of these and all related fire direction issues)

The relatively crude state of all techs across the board provided a few smiles to the assistance. As our Vals are just not rigged for complete dismemberment on impact just yet, their carcasses ended up floating in the wake of our ships in a somewhat macabre and grotesque fashion. Well, at least the flotation part of the code still works, it seems!



At any rate, one might say that the main meat of this video was not really the pew-pew part. To be honest, it would rather be the whole evasive logic instead. As you can see on the video, our Task Force tries to remain cohesive & to maneuver together, as concentrated AA fire is the difference between life & death.



As enemy torpedo planes approach, the main units in your force will maneuver so as to offer as small a target profile as possible, usually running in the other direction if it can help putting some additional distance between the attackers and themselves. Their screen will maneuver with them, so as to keep their station and firing arcs optimum (which, hopefully, you'll have adjusted using the relevant formation before the attack). The goal for the friendly AI is to have the enemy torpedo bombers fly as far, as long as possible before reaching a favorable attack position, optimizing the chances for interception and loss of attack coordination. Even then, once the torpedo bombers will start their run, the ships will maneuver a second time so as to avoid the torpedoes themselves. Once the danger has passed, the ships will return to their previous heading, or prepare for the next wave if the enemy is already in sight. The opening sequence in the video precisely shows that happening.



At the end of the day, do not expect to hit ships moving at high speed too easily without favorable circumstances and numbers. Conducting a torpedo and dive bomber strike at the same time, and having enough torpedo bombers to enable a pincer attack to begin with will increase your chances of a successful attack remarkably, as only then will the enemy ships be forced into the difficult task of picking the lesser threat between two evils. Besides, as time goes, the formation will start to gradually lose cohesion, especially when some of its ships will start reacting individually to immediate threats, possibly decreasing the effectiveness of the defensive fire.

Sometimes you're lucky. Sometimes you're very much less so...!

[h2]Aircraft Management[/h2]

The second item on the list this month, as those who follow us on our social media platforms certainly know, was the design of a proper in-game interface for aircraft management. Not that we're planning on overwhelming you with tasks in that department (that is still fully automated, for your own good to be honest), we aim at providing the player with the clearest picture when it comes to knowing what your air group is up to. And oh dear, that's one busy part of your carrier indeed!

(Playing around little aircraft aboard USS Randolph - CV-15 in 1945. Ref 80-G-K-5395 from the NHHC website)

It all started with that: how could we turn the above view into something useful for the player? It actually came in very early in development, and one of our very first prototypes, 4 years ago, actually started with the idea that the Ouija (as it is called after the mystical board) should be an important part of gameplay.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
(very, VERY early prototype from our first trials back in 2018. The model was the World of Warships CV-6 that we had bought online thinking it was a legit one, ah jeez we were young & innocent back then...)
(Also, don't tell JB our dev I've shown it to you, or I am a dead man)

At any rate, the 3D version was cool, but let's be honest: it had no business down there in the flag plot, and it was going to be a lot of effort expanded for comparatively little gameplay potential, as we are not exactly remaking Carrier Deck here and can't afford to have the player mess around the parking spots and the missions all at the same time. That's why, four years later, when the topic came back to our attention, we went for something else which, just 15 days ago, looked like that:



Just a few days later, it had turned into this



And then... Into this





Gotta say, these were 14 very busy days. In its final form, the Ouija screen allows you to check quickly and simply in an overlay window the current status of each and every aircraft aboard a given carrier (and potentially within an airbase too). It will show you all the planes in different shades of color depending on their status (whether they are unassigned, assigned to a mission, ready to go, etc...), will tell you which one is going where, and allow you to visualize the flight deck as it is in the process of being reorganized for the next phase. You will be allowed to swap aircraft between the hangar floor and the storage area (a.k.a. the space overhead in an American carrier) where spare aircraft are stored. These will require time to be assembled. Same with the aircraft undergoing maintenance and repairs, which will have their own little icon depending on their current status. As you can see, there's more to come, but it's taking shape.



Now that the system is undergoing stress testing with the utmost number of aircraft would could expect to see aboard a Yorktown class carrier (based on the actual data we had from the historical battles, especially at Santa Cruz where Hornet and Enterprise were packed at full capacity), we are relieved to see that everything seems to be going according to the plans, give or take a few little issues. It is, at the end of the day, an efficient AI-based solution to our needs, although it certainly doesn't have the brains to replace the wits of a creative human deck officer. And believe us, it is not because we don't think you'd have the needed smarts either, but it's quite a specialized job to manage all this, and it deserves its own game. Perhaps someday, who knows? Not on the menu just yet though, and until then it's for your own good. Let's see how well you behave as a Flag officer first, and only then will we see if we can recycle your talent into some actual job...! :P



That's all for today Folks! As always, if you aren't too fond of Discord, Facebook, Twitter or else, don't forget that we have a mailing list here specifically made so as to keep you updated of all our Steam updates and other announcements which might be big enough to deserve a special treatment. Click on the pic below to access the form.



Cheers & see you for our next update!

The Task Force Admiral team.