Tank Squad News

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 39th Development Status. You can see on what we were working the last three weeks.

[h3]Diorama[/h3]

For the Main Menu, we are going with a diorama approach. By default, this will be the default scene visible in the Main Menu. We might add more scenes & layouts later on during the development. The design idea of it was to show a diorama of a tank being repaired on a field during or between the battles.



[h3]UI & Game branding changes[/h3]

As we work on developing different aspects of the game, one of the important parts is the visuals of how the game is going to be represented. What colors, what logo is going to be used etc. Current colors and logotypes are going to be changed somewhere soon. This includes also improving the Steam Store layout with a new fresh look. Once we will set it all and mark it as ready you will of course be informed about it.



[h3]Main Menu UI[/h3]

Here is a diorama with work in progress UI mockups screens showing how we are trying to adopt new things. New logotypes will come with a few variants. The main colors used are black/white and red. Keep in mind this is just a prototype and it's not meant to be 100% delivered with a full game. For example LVL. 69 is just a preview - we didn’t yet decide to add or have player progression in the game. If you are familiar with our first game Tank Mechanic Simulator, the camera will be animated/rigged. You should be able to spot some similarities as in there. Below is a screenshot taken from the project itself:



Recorded sample of how this UI works currently:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Currently, we have started prototyping a new look for Main Menu that includes new logotypes and new colors. What do you think?

[h3]Repair Station Environment[/h3]



Another big push was on the first iteration of set dressing of a repair station scene. We have taken a look at terrain materials, improved shading and overall feel of the scene.



Placeholder models started to be replaced by final assets. Layout elements of the scene such as the HQ and ammo stations have been redone with new assets.



The whole scene has gotten a lot of love over the past weeks of work.



[h3]Opel Blitz[/h3]



Opel Blitz is a German truck, produced from 1930 up to 1975. Blitz, German for "lightning" reflected that not only by the emblem on the grille, but also by the way it paved the way to new, lightning quick German tactics developed during WW2.



In the years before the war, Opel was the biggest truck manufacturer in Germany, and to rearm the country, it helped by producing around 130,00 of those vehicles. It was powered by either a GM Marquette engine for heavier applications, or by Opel's own engine for lighter ones. By 1934, however, the GM engine was replaced by another Opel design, that was so similar to Chevrolet engines, that if any malfunction appeared in the field, it could be repaired using allied vehicles' parts.



When the war started, Wehrmacht started heavily using the 3.6 tonne, 4-wheel drive of the Opel Blitz, seen in this status. To deal with bad road conditions in Russia, a half-track model of the Blitz was created as well, called Maultier.



For our game we made 3 variants of this truck. Two with cargo, one closed and the second one as a more open variant. Third variant is a medical version.



[h3]Level design[/h3]

Some new features and improvements in battle levels:

• Configuration of side objective types:
  
  • Conquer
    
  • Defend
    
  • Protect
    
  • Destroy
    
• Collectibles have been added
  
• Randomization of AI units positions
  
• Optimization of performance: limit amount of AI units active at once
  
• Retreat of friendly and enemy units when they’ve lost objective or their vehicle is broken
  
• Configuration of airstrike events
  
• Randomization of timing in events
  
• Units field of view
  

Detail blockout:

• Mills
  
• Cemetery
  
• Hives
  
• Road signs
  
• Sawmill
  
• Sets of houses with backyards
  
• Turf mine
  

Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 38th Development Status. You can see on what we were working the last three weeks.

[h3]PGA[/h3]
Last week (Friday) we had the great pleasure of visiting Poznań and participating in the PGA (Poznań Game Arena). We took it as a good excuse to integrate and gathered 16 people coming down from all over the country to attend the event together. In addition to visiting the site itself, we attended several lectures, met people from the industry, and had the opportunity to play a few new titles. In the evening we went out for dinner together, and then visited a few Poznan pubs, where what was going on we will leave to ourselves ;)

[h3]Crane[/h3]


[h3]Current technical features of traces[/h3]

• Support for many (up to several thousand) emitters (objects that generate traces);
  
• Support for many Terrain Components, without restrictions (each of them can have any number of splatmaps);
  
• Track marks fade effect (its speed can be set in the component);
  
• Smoothing traces, high quality, and precision;
  
• Ability to set shared albedo (RGB) smoothness (A) and normal maps for traces from the component level;
  
• Each trace has a radius adjusted to the size of the emitter (based on bounds if it has a Renderer), for empty GameObjects the radius (Radius) is set globally from the component level;
  
• The ability to decompose the generation of traces in every N image frames to obtain better performance;
  
• Tracks are generated only if the emitter has contact with the ground surface. No more bugged traces floating in the air. Proprietary way of detecting the geometry of the terrain, optimized, without physics or raycast.
  
• Level Of Details for traces.
  

[h3]PaK 40 animations[/h3]
Some time ago we’ve showed you a model of a german anti-tank gun 7,5 cm PaK 40. We’ve done animations of characters and of the PaK 40 itself.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Airstrike[/h3]
During the battle, players will have to watch out for enemy airplanes. If players notice enemy planes incoming, they can hide from them in a forest or between buildings. There are going to be an enemy and friendly airplanes. Something that was happening in real life during world war 2, was that planes could confuse enemy tanks with their tanks. For that reason, tankers were placing flags on top of their tanks to make it easier for pilots to recognize them. In Tank Squad, players will have to place flags on their tanks to decrease the chance of friendly fire from airplanes.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 37th Development Status. You can see on what we were working the last three weeks.

[h3]Binoculars[/h3]


[h3]Blowtorch[/h3]


[h3]German Wagon[/h3]


[h3]Tank’s movement speed dependent on the terrain surface[/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Tank Squad has a new feature called "Terrain Physics Materials". It is based on the written scratch new scripts by us. In real-time, this system detects on which terrain texture (splatmap) the vehicle is currently situated. In practice, it gives us new possibilities. For example, to simulate terrain friction, we can calculate the maximum vehicle speed value independently for every ground texture. So now, when the tank enters different surfaces (muddy/sandy /rocky etc.), the system adjusts drive physics to present a more realistic behavior of the vehicle unit.

[h3]New Environment Artist[/h3]
A new Environment Artist - Sebastian has joined our team this week. He will be responsible for modeling and sculpting the terrain and its integration with gameplay. Together with the level design department, he will make sure that the maps and missions in Tank Squad are interesting and balanced in terms of difficulty. In addition, he has made a menu background for us, which we will soon be able to show off in one of the future development statuses. Our team consists now of 21 people and is still growing!

Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 36th Development Status. You can see on what we were working the last three weeks.

[h3]PAK 40[/h3]

PaK 40 - a German 75 mm anti-tank cannon developed between 1939 and 1941 and used by the German army during World War II.



[h3]ZiS-3[/h3]

ZiS-3 - a Soviet 76 field gun developed in 1942 and used during World War II by Soviet army.



[h3]Swamps[/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Prohorovka is a map mostly filled with grasslands, forests, and smaller urban agglomerations, which might seem a bit monotonous to some of the players. As a solution to this matter, we've decided to introduce a bit of variation in the form of a new terrain biome - the swamps.
Our main intention was to create an immersive surrounding that would make you guys feel the grim atmosphere of the wetland and provide some exploration potential for those, who curiously look at the world around them. You may find here tons of mud, puddles of the marsh water, and only a few roads that guarantee a safe passage - going out of the track might be beneficial, but you do it at your own risk!
The production process of a swamp was fairly easy, as it only required the use of basic terrain deformation tools, followed by polishing with some additional details - you may see it on our timelapse above! As we all know, nature is the most impressive artist, and to replicate its creations we needed some randomness and "organized chaos". Therefore, we used irregular "terrain brushes" to obtain natural-looking curves with randomized height and shapes of the "ground islets". Once the formation was done, we covered the area with a mixture of different textures and adjusted the water's color, so that it would suit the gloomy vibe of a smelly morass. Thus, after a few hours of creative efforts, we are finished with a new - hopefully interesting - location that is waiting for your tanks to come and take the challenge. Make sure that you pack a few shovels and equip the vehicles with a towing chain - the peat ground is dense and it most certainly won't give you an easy fight!

[h3]Level Blockout[/h3]
We’ve recently changed our approach to level blockout - unlike previously, now we are using very basic-looking, geometric assets which’s the main purpose is to communicate terrain’s logical role. Our main concern is to place the obstacles, enemies, objectives, and events in such a way that it provides a player with the best gameplay experience possible.
As you can see, our map currently looks more like a floor full of plastic toys, rather than a photorealistic eastern terrain, but this is the case - for now, we are going for simplicity and clarity. This reversed strategy will allow us to precisely determine which parts of the map are still under blockout processing and which have already been finished.
Once the blockout stage is considered to be done, environment artists will take rule over the area and change it into more visually appealing - stay tuned, as we will most certainly share the results with you in the future!



Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers,[/h2]

Welcome to our 35th Development Status. You can see on what we were working the last two weeks.

[h3]Tents[/h3]
The Truppenzelt was used as a storage or quarters for German officers and soldiers.


The Große Stabszelt - Germans used a unique painted camouflage on these tents.


Zeltbahn - Soldiers needed at least 4 pieces to make a tent.



[h3]Level Design[/h3]
During the last two weeks we worked hard on the maps' design - not only on the blockout but holistically revised our vision on the objectives, surroundings, and experience that we want to provide you with. In this task, our team was supported by a fresh member, Mikołaj, who from now on will work primarily as Level Designer for the Tank Squad project. As we want to deliver the best possible quality, in terms of both visual and gameplay design, we are currently working only on Prohorovka, to give it all the time and love it deserves.

That being said, we may assure you guys that now we have a clear overview of all primary and secondary objectives, which allows us to focus on building the surroundings, placing enemies, and testing the gameplay. So far, we have filled the left flank of Prohorovka with occupied villages, lines of deadly trenches, and a few Soviet outposts that will try to prohibit German forces from breaking their defenses and besieging the city.

In the nearest future, we will continue designing the western scenario, which will include some difficult terrain and a few easter eggs - be sure to look for them closely, once you’re deployed on the battlefield!

[h3]Animations[/h3]
In our game, you’ll be able to order AI units to repair a tank. We’ve created a set of animations to visualize AI repairing it.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Panzer of the Lake[/h3]
O Panzer of the Lake, what is your wisdom?
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]TikTok[/h3]
We recently launched a company TikTok, where you can find additional footage from Tank Squad production and our other games. This is another platform where we will be able to publish our content and keep in touch with you. We also hope that this will attract more players to us.

Watch us and leave some kind of trace of yourself in the form of a like or a comment! :)
https://www.tiktok.com/@degeneralsofficial

Thank you and have a good one!
DeGenerals