Tank Squad News

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 68th Development Status.

Welcome to newest development status after a short break. After releasing upgraded demo version we had to take a small breath to release a tension. But its time to get back on board and continue working on the game.

[h2]Smoke grenades (Nebelwurfgerät)[/h2]



One of small features we added proper smoke grenades that are throw able from smoke grenade launchers - Nebelwurfgerät. For now its same model used for all tanks in the game, but we will expand it to have unique models per tank - if such vehicle of course have it.

[h2]UI changes[/h2]



Another update was regarding UI. We have changed style of weaponry/ammo icons visible at the bottom. They are now more compact, more space for future more ammunition types.

[h2]Scout NPC on Repair Station[/h2]



On repair station we have turne on again Scout NPC. New panel has been added with options to buy airstrikes or artillery support for mission.

[h2]Squad Manager[/h2]



Another panel has been added this time to notepad. There will be option to manage squads for example to dismantle squads, or to move units between squads to build more compex or dedicated ones.

[h2]AI[/h2]

We are constantly developing AI. Recently, we have been working on the behavior of units when encountering an enemy and how the unit moves during combat while carrying out orders.

In addition to combat, we also focused on the crew's behavior when evacuating from a destroyed vehicle and what next steps they should take depending on the situation on the battlefield.

We have developed a system that determines how accurate the shooting unit is. Parameters such as distance and combat time now affect shot dispersion.

Another thing that we have improved is the way of selecting the "best" opponents. A number of parameters influence which target among the available targets will be considered a priority, such as: distance, type of unit or current weaponry of the unit.

The system of issuing orders has also undergone a significant change. When we get out of the vehicle and it comes under AI control, it will be automatically placed under our commands. The same situation will happen when a player leaves a session, his units will be assigned to another player's control.

We have also made every effort to optimize the calculations currently performed by AI and thus reduce CPU usage.

[h2]PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E[/h2]



Finally, we added another version of Tiger I which is version E. In a nutshell this tank version was produced somewhere in mid 1943.



This version features:

• modified gun mantlet
  
• the new commander cupola
  
• loader's periscope
  
• single headlight on a front plate
  
• additional track mounted on a front
  
• no ail filters at the rear
  
• different tools & equipment (visual things)
  

Although Tigers after end of may 1943 were not equipped with smoke dischargers we decided to leave for the gameplay reasons. Tank is also covered with zimmerit anti-magnetic coating. It is pure visuals at least for now.





P. S. Would you like to see this version in Tank Mechanic Simulator? ;)

Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

[h2]Dev stream at 12:00 CEST / 03:00 AM Pacific time[/h2]

We would like to invite you to our developer stream!

Michał (WinteR5) and Robert (tr3b0r) will be playing the campaign on the newest build of the demo, showcasing the new features. Q&A session is also expected to happen.

Join us!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2622470/Tank_Squad_Demo

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1498130/Tank_Squad?snr=2_groups_partnerevents__100703
https://store.steampowered.com/app/407130/Tank_Mechanic_Simulator
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1485420/Tank_Mechanic_Simulator__First_Supply_DLC/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1065400/Tank_Mechanic_Simulator__Shermans_DLC/

Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 67th Development Status.

[h2]WW2 Games Sale Fest[/h2]


We as DeGenerals S.A. are organizing a military event. A festival of World War II games in a wide range of genres from a variety of developers who share a common passion to military and history set games. Multiple titles are on sale, make sure to check them out!

Our games Tank Mechanic Simulator and Tank Squad are taking part. TMS and both DLC will be on discount. TMS -75%, DLC1 -40% and DLC2 -20%.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/407130/Tank_Mechanic_Simulator
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1485420/Tank_Mechanic_Simulator__First_Supply_DLC/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1065400/Tank_Mechanic_Simulator__Shermans_DLC/

Head on over to World War 2 Games Sale, on now with discounts, demos and more through June 6th at 3rd at 7am Pacific time.

Link to sale event: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44891389/sale/WW2GamesSale

[h2]Tank Squad - Demo update[/h2]



We took the opportunity to update the Tank Squad demo version. We have gathered a lot of feedback from playtests and also from the current demo version. The demo version contains a number of improvements, many new things and fixes. We have introduced many things to the game according to your feedback and suggestions.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2622470/Tank_Squad_Demo

Below is the list of changes in the new version:

[h3]Features:[/h3]

• New rendering pipeline
  
• Tank Crew mode
  
• Xray/Hit cam (kill cam not yet implemented)
  
• Additional effect like suppression, damage indicators
  
• Optic ocular changing scale while zooming
  
• Extinguishers
  
• Smoke grenades
  
• Localization
  
• Notebook updated (visuals and logic)
  
• Vehicle status on Repair Station
  
• Visors (Tiger I)
  
• VFX update
  
• German voice overs (partly, still work in progress)
  
• New engine sounds for Tiger I
  
• Proving Grounds (Shooting range)
  

[h3]Overall & performance & graphics:[/h3]

• Changed BiRP to URP 14 (rendering pipeline feature)
  
• CPU & GPU Optmization
  
• Tanks, characters, weapons shader/materials optimization
  
• Desync fixes
  
• Improved ballistics
  
• Spalling (when penetrating vehicle armor)
  
• Shrapnels (every explosion)
  
• APHE effect (explosion after triggering HE fuse and reaching designated meter offset)
  
• HEAT effect (as a cone after first fuse trigger)
  
• Effective armor calculation - based on attack angle
  
• Effective projectile armor penetration - also based on attack angle
  
• AI infantry anti-tank behaviour
  
• Changed and optimized vegetation shader
  
• Optimized vegetation meshes
  
• Changed SSAO to HBAO
  
• Implementation of Beautify postprocessing
  
• Added texture arrays, for better CPU-GPU memory handling
  
• Optimized environment meshes
  
• Streamlined GPU usage (no more CPU waiting for GPU rendering)
  
• Optimized Indirect Instancing
  
• Changed Shuriken particle system, for VFX Graph (still in implementation)
  
• Better looking Impostors (far away meshes)
  

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1498130/Tank_Squad?snr=2_groups_partnerevents__100703

Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 66th Development Status.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Proving Grounds[/h3]



As promised in our previous dev status, we are sharing the results of our work on the shooting range map. The mission is accessible from the main menu after entering Bootcamp, where there is access to tutorials and the mission itself.





The proving ground range is a testing ground. A place where you will be able to test any tank in the game at will, check ballistics penetration etc. When we will add the X-Ray system it will be an excellent diagnostic place in the game.





[h3]Notebook update[/h3]



Notebook received updates. Mainly due to problems reported by players as well as our QA testing. There was a problem with reading information. Notebook itself reacted differently to lighting conditions. At the moment, the main reported issues have been fixed.



[h3]Vehicle status on repair station[/h3]



We have added a panel to the UI with an short status of the tank e.g. its modules whether they are repaired. Whether the vehicle has fuel and ammunition and whether the tank itself is combat ready or not. This panel will appear when you approach a tank at an appropriate distance. This is similar to what we did in Tank Mechanic Simulator. For more details, of course, you need to go into the notebook.

[h3]C1M1 update[/h3]



In the meantime, we took a look at the first missions from the campaign. We added the performance improvements we added in the missions we worked on last time. By the way, we did another visual iteration including changes to the post processes.



[h3]VFX update[/h3]



This time we present to you a new way of rendering particle effects - VFX Graph. The main difference between graph and the Shuriken we were using previously is that Shuriken uses CPU to generate and simulate particles, which today is not an optimal solution. VFX Graph, on the other hand, takes full advantage of the GPU’s capabilities, so we can have more polished and overall nicer effects while working more efficiently than our previous solution.



Thanks to this change, we also gained greater control over the spawning effects, thanks to which we hope to present with higher accuracy what is happening to vehicles at given moment. However, the transition from one system to another requires work, so as for today we only show you its first effects.


[h3]Further performance improvements[/h3]

We have reduced the RAM usage from roughly 13-16 GB to around 10-11 but still after a few playthroughs it rises up to 12-13 and is unacceptable. Our internal tests prove that the game just crashes on 16-GB RAM operation systems and is critical to get this even lower.

Also we’re working on loading times of missions smoother for HDD and we finally did it, now instead 3-4 minutes to load the main menu it takes 15 seconds, when bigger maps also take around 1 minute.

The focus now is to get as much CPU as possible from AI and game physics. Right now when a bigger engagement happens the game just drops the FPS too much and we know what causes it. It just needs to be addressed.

[h3]Localization[/h3]



We are working on the localisation of the game. We are adding keys everywhere for every label or text displayed in the game. Initially, there will be over a dozen languages to choose from in the game, just like in Tank Mechanic Simulator: English, Polish, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian and Turkish. The Tank Squad community is also helping us with the translations :)




Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 65th Development Status.

[h3]Engine version comparasion[/h3]



We made a short video of what the build of the game looked like (on Built In in Unity, around October/November 2023) of the demo version compared to the current version of the game from the latest builds.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We have already covered the whole thing in previous dev statuses, what the changes consisted of and why we decided to do it. In the video, you can certainly see a big difference in the quality of the graphics and much more.



In the video below Outskirts of Morton... yes we know, there's that mission again - on defence, it's one of those missions where we test and embrace the latest innovations before we implement them on subsequent missions/scenarios.

[h3]Additional effect like suppression, damage indicators[/h3]

As you can see on video above we have added also few basic effects. When receiving an direct hit fr example from enemy anti-tank gun or a tank we would see a suppression effect / vignette animation on our screen. Also when actual damage is being taken, another effect is visible - slight red overlay. This is purely a cosmetic change. Design was to make it slightly visible and for sure to not be annoying or intrusive.





[h3]Optic ocular improvements[/h3]

Another new feature is the change in eyepiece magnification when aiming. The closer we zoom in, the larger the eyepiece becomes. The change is also accompanied by a pleasant sound effect.





[h3]Extinguishers[/h3]

After adding a molotov cocktail to every single soviet infantry soldier we’ve ran into problems. Driving into a group of soviet infantry ends in our tank becoming a barbecue. That’s why we’ve added a quick fix - electric extinguishers that just extinguish all fires on top and close around our vehicle.



We know that electric extinguishers were very rare, especially not really exsitant for soviet vehicles, but this is a temporary approach, just to stop a critical bug of being forced to respawn after receiving few molotovs on engine bay.

[h3]Proving Grounds[/h3]

What we are also working is the proving grounds. A place where you will be able to test any tank in the game at will, check ballistics penetration etc. When we will add the X-Ray system it will be an excellent diagnostic place in the game. In the next dev status we will try to record a dev log showing this scene in action.



Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals