Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront News

Hi everyone, here we are with a new dev blog. We want to thank you guys for the overwhelming reactions to our previous blog, that was really motivating. Keep it up guys!

This time, we would like to tell you about the sound(s) in the game and how we research and use them. Of course we also show you some of the results and ask you what you think of them.

This is a challenging subject for any developer.
Most Hollywood productions are useless as a source; except for just a handful of movies, they use the wrong sounds and equipment for almost everything. Does it sound familiar to you? You watch a ww2 movie and you hear yourself say “that’s a fake explosion” or “that’s the wrong tank” or “that equipment doesn’t belong here” every couple of minutes. As an example, check out JG2’s “FW190”s below:

https://youtu.be/t0gcap1hjPI
Even though this is an iconic movie, this bit just isn’t right at all.

So we can do several things: we can travel to museums and events where we can capture the original engine sounds of war (which we sometimes do), or buy the sounds.
Some of our weapon sounds are live recordings, some are acquired from 3rd parties. The right tank gun sounds were also difficult to find, just like engine sounds, but we got some already!
There again, unless we have had the extremely rare chance to do a live recording, it will have to come from elsewhere.

Last but not least we need explosions (lots of them ːsteamhappyː) and since we are not allowed to detonate anything at Barbedwire studios ːsteamsadː, we have to find another way to get those as well.
In the end, you don’t have to worry, we will make sure we get it absolutely right.



Are you one of those that can tell the number of cylinders when you hear an engine running? Allow us to reassure you with some of our assets then:

https://youtu.be/9xd8eV7h128
This is what the Maybach HL230 P30 sounds like.

https://youtu.be/gHuS82OL2bo
This is what the Model V-2-34 diesel engine sounds like.

We move on to artillery. Many games have a limited array of sounds for all guns. However, in reality, different shells make different sounds.
Let’s have a quick look at the use of larger calibre howitzers in- game. Logically, if we want to see an impact, first we have to fire the shell:

https://youtu.be/93djAdM7rNM
Friendly or enemy, if an artillery shell was incoming, everyone on the battlefield would duck for cover.

https://youtu.be/S-wi7vPvXD0
How do you like our sounds? Do you have any improvements to suggest?

• The first series of Panthers was rushed into battle at Kursk despite known technical problems, and the first two were lost to engine fires already during unloading from the train.
  
• T-34’s are still fighting today, in the civil war in Yemen.
  
• The Panther cost 117.100 Reichsmark, less than half the cost for a Tiger I (250.800 Reichsmark).
  
• The 1943 model T-34 cost 135.000 Rubel. The exchange rate of the day was 5:1 which means in Reichsmark it cost 27.000 so the Panther would have been more than 4 times the price of a T-34!
  
• Just a mortar shell explosion near a soldier (under cover) results in loss of hearing. Many soldiers went deaf this way.
  
• Engine sounds could be heard hundreds of meters far away. This would be good intel, especially at night.
  
• We have a facebookpage! Like & follow us to get our other “did you know” posts as well!
  

In the meantime, please tell us what you think would be really cool to have in the voice acting, so we can consider using it.
Last but not least; are you Russian speaking and would you be interested in recording for us as a voice actor? Please let us know.

In the next dev blog, we want to show you some German voice acting, so start getting excited for that!
Thank you for all your support and good luck until the next dev blog.

Hi everybody, it’s time for an update.

In this dev blog it’s about both Winter scenery and a map showing you how we use some of our assets to create a wintery atmosphere. We also want to show you part of our development to recreate operation “Wintergewitter”.


When we consider winter scenery for the game, we want things to be realistic of course. The conditions and atmosphere can be found in photographs like the ones below.





These are good study material but they are static and there are no dynamic effects.
So we used some different sources to complement this and the result can be seen in these effects and textures (all work in progress):



What do you think about these? Do they meet your expectations?


While we are showing you this content, we can reveal that we created a scenario with it!
As you may know, Wintergewitter (winter storm) was an attempt by the German 4th Panzer Army under the command of Erich von Manstein to break the Stalingrad encirclement. On December 12th, 1942 when the German offensive started at Kotelnikovo, it was a surprise to Soviet high command and initial gains suggested the offensive might just be able to relieve the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. After some days, the Soviet 2nd Guards Army was sent to block the advance, which it did.


One of our campaign missions will take you to Gromoslavka, the village that marked the end of the German advance - only 48 kilometres from Stalingrad.


The 6th Panzer division, under the command of Colonel von Hünersdorff, reaches the River Mishkova near Gromoslavka. There, the Germans run into the Second Guards Army streaming south across the bridge. Hünersdorff’s tanks are low on fuel and face a numerically superior enemy. Despite this, he deploys his tanks to engage the Soviets.
As the German tanks and assault guns blaze away at the Soviet positions, a Panzergrenadier Regiment crosses the Myshkova and secures a small bridgehead. Hünersdorff quickly sends reinforcements across and expands the German hold to a perimeter of just a few kilometres.
The bitter fighting for the expansion of the bridgehead lasts from December 20 to 22.


The situation that develops makes further German attack risky; the connection to the bridgehead is under severe pressure and besides that, the situation to the rear of the battleground (south of Mishkova) is anything but stable.

This is as far as “Wintergewitter” will get.
The 6th Panzer Army is not only blocked by the 2nd Guards Army after crossing the Mishkova, but there are all kinds of signs that the Soviets are readying themselves for a counterattack. German high command calls off Wintergewitter on the 23rd of December and all hope of rescue or relief for the German soldier in Stalingrad has now gone.


HD link The Second Guards Army crosses the Mishkova river by night to engage the German attack. Hours later, the bridge is fiercely disputed.


HD link After the battle at the south part of the village, the fight for the Gromoslavka bridge takes centre stage.


HD link Gromoslavka. Note the icicles on the roof edges.

Did you know:

• One of the untold reasons why Wintergewitter failed was that the German reinforcements dispatched to von Manstein were exhausted from fighting in the “Rzhev Meat Grinder” near Moscow during Operation Mars. In this way, the heavy Soviet losses at Rzhev contributed significantly to the tactical victory at Stalingrad.
• Likewise, the quick gains made by von Manstein in the second week of the offensive were in part due to Soviet forces suffering from exhaustion after already having fought for weeks.
  

NOW: Back to our development, we have some questions for you!

1. When you look at these assets and imagine the wind blowing across at -30 celsius and the snow blowing in your face, can you feel it too?
   
2. Looking at the new map and scenario, what do you think?
   

We hope you liked today´s dev blog topic and we thank you for all your input that brings important infos to us to improve ourself and the game!