1944 D-Day : Game Content (Massive 56K Warning)
polycounter lvl 17
Firstly I am a programmer, this is not my work, but the work of the team members behind 1944.
Time for the content:
Turn Tables (QuickTime .MOV Files)
Hands.mov
Hands2.mov
Head & Hands.mov
Head.mov
FJ Unit
German Tanker
Vehicles / Tanks / Planes
Weapons
Characters
Time for the content:
Turn Tables (QuickTime .MOV Files)
Hands.mov
Hands2.mov
Head & Hands.mov
Head.mov
FJ Unit
German Tanker
Vehicles / Tanks / Planes
Weapons
Characters
Replies
1. All content is currently WIP
2. Our Tri count limit for Vehicles is between 5000 - 10,000
3. Our Tri count for Characters is between 5000 - 15,000 (depending on gear)
4. Our Tri count for weapons is upto 3000 depending.
5. We use our own sourced references, we do not simply google for it. SO please if you going to crit based on images form google, consider the year, version and if its a re-issue or refurbished model. We are trying to be extremely accurate and detailed, we have a research team of 10 members doing their best to get first hand information.
6. The hands will look plastic, fake and waxy due to no specular map.
7. The point on the tip of the fingers have been fixed., In game the hands look great and we will not add more tri's to round off the fingers. They also match our reference material.
8. If anyone is interested in joining our team, please feel free to email:
recruit@franticgames.com
We are always on the lookout for new talented members who can dedicate tiem to getting the product complete. We are also on the verge of signing some very intersting deals.
9. With regards to renders, I would far prefer to spend our time developing the game than posing renders, or doing fancy ass shots. So my apologies if you feel the images are slapped together. That is merely because we spend our time developing not doing PR Spins.
10. Hope you all enjoy, when I get my net connection back, I will do another large update. I have around 200 more items to add to this.
Cheers
Ronan
Im comming to the end of relocating from Ireland to Australia, and will thumbnail the images when I get the chance.
This is the content to the game that I have been leading and programming.
For what its worth, if its critique you're after, my overwhelming first impression was nice hardsurface models, but oh, that face. It isn't nearly as up to par quality wise. it feels pretty naiive. Looks like good quality stuff overall though. I notice you didn't state what game engine it was for either.
With regards to the face I am assuming you mean the actual images there, and not the turntable?
http://www.1944d-day.com/images/soldiers/turntables/Dave_Head.mov
We are developing on the Reality Engine.
It looks a lot better textured, although there is still something slightly funky going on. The eyes are too far forward in the skull or something. It's decent though. The hairline looks strange, and I think I see what you guys were shooting for, but it doesn't feel quite right. You're probably going for the classic WW2 german haircut, which is more like this: http://www.dererstezug.com/GermanHaircut.htm
i.e shaved very very short at the back and sides, but not really literally hairless I don't think.
Ref photo for the face:
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4775/me1yl5.jpg
Its not a direct match, but we did capture the core features. We are not going for the hardcore rambo look alike that every WW2 game goes, we are looking for a good cross section of units. 16 - 24 year olds, the hardened vets and older generation men....
Will look into having the hairline sorted.
Give me a week, I can post alot more
Map shots created for our HL2 mod, and then ported across to the game
http://www.1944game.com/images/maps/unreleased/
I am with kat, there is billions of ww2 games already, what would really set your game apart ?
edit: was just at your website, the open large battlefield does sound like a good idea (me is a fan of Operation Flashpoint), however it is also very complex. Imo the ai/coop feeling is the key to success, not the graphics, as too many good looking ww2 games are already out.
We don't need your technical design document to read, just say "It's a WW2 game with a bunch of WW2 vehicals" and we'll figure the rest out.
Also, is it nessesary to post every view of every model? Make some thumbs, pic the best renders, and show off the best. It works for every established game company around, should do the trick for you as well?
Anyways, very nice models.
Reality Engine was far from free, just because its an indie title doesnt mean that it will not sell. We aim on selling it online, if we cannot get a publisher. We have turned down around 4 publishers at the moment.
Swastikas were the symbol of the time, and of the elite units. While we are aware that not all Germans were Nazis. There were still Nazi's. We will not compromise on our content, even if it means we do not distribute in specific nations. We will not compromise, if a nation has a problem with us, and our historians developing a simulation that realistically depicts the Event, and which is backed by historical institutions, so be it. But we will not compromise on our content for the sake of being Politically Correct. We will show the events as our research indicates.
Now with regards to posting everything, well thats the poblem with a game of this scale, and being indie. If gear box were to go on about what they aim to do, people would lap it up based only on 1 fake screenshot. So if we post all our content then people will see how much we actually have. It also re-affirms our goal and dedication to the title at hand.
Graphics are not the be all about 1944. The AI is the core to the game, this is what makes 1944 different, instead of having a game that is heavily scripted and that follows a set number of units. The AI simply kicks in and simulates the entire operation, each time it can be different. The player is then free to do as they please, jumping between as many units as they want to experience the war from all the different angles.
Every Nation, Every Unit, Every Vehicle, Every Weapon.
Yes we may be an indie title, but our dedication, commitment and determination to get the job done, should re assure people that we definately know what we are doing.
If you want to know more about the game check out the site.
"ugh... not another ww2 game..."
"ugh... not another ww2 game..."
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Haha! Yeah...it's true the WW2 theme is getting old.
However, I do feel like i have to commend you guys on your dedication to this project, and your efforts to keep it true to life. It seems like you guys are going for something that is as much a simulation as it is a game, and i think that is a very interesting direction.
I am personally getting really tired of the old rehashed FPS model, which is so prevalent since it tends to be the driving force behind emerging tech. This looks to be an interesting new application within engine constraints.
Ill second Daz on the anatomy for the head. The Eye sockets are much too shallow and need to conform to the shape of the eyeball better (common faux pas). Also may want to check the curve of the bony eyebrow parts in the top view, theyre looking slightly flat. The modeling of the mouth looks somewhat tense too, perhaps a lighter treatment of the lines around the mouth would help.
I think your models look great overall, so you guys should definately try to refine the chars as much as possible to keep things on par.
Best of luck on the project.
Kudos!
...Reality Engine was far from free, just because its an indie title doesnt mean that it will not sell. We aim on selling it online, if we cannot get a publisher. We have turned down around 4 publishers at the moment...
[/ QUOTE ]Whooaah there fella... I didn't mention that as some sort of back handed insult (you cad), it was merely an assumption based on my not having heard of the Reality engine (I have now, had a look at their webbly site ) and you didn't really add that much info about the project overall to the post - overwhelmed as it is with screenshots.
As Crazybutcher said, no one is questioning your dedication or that you don't know what you're doing, most indies need to be die hards to get anything done these days, so that's a given.
Good job so far but yea.... Kinda overwhelming...
The design document filled with every weapon known to man, should of been left out. It's easier to recruit interested people with quality screenshots screenshots rather than everything we have ever made.
@ChaosEidolon
We tried calling it a game, but attracted the wrong people, so now we call it a simulation. It attracts less CS / DOD players.
We made a realistic HL2 mod to draw in the crowds. Indie games dont draw the publics attention like mods. So a quick mod brings in the crowds.
We are taking the genre in a new direction, and while people often tell us there is not enough room for another WW2 title. Our simple response is that there is enough rooms for a WW2 Title that does it right. We will be far from COD, DOD or MOH. Heck even our acronym doesnt follow their style
Anyway our principal is really simple, develop a simulation that functions and works like one would expect. Then allow the player to be introduced. They cant save their progress, they cant go back etc. So it always keeps a forward momentum, any mistakes they make could potentially come back to haunt them (Obviously the game saves on exit.. just the player cant quick save or manually save every 5 minutes) If they die, they select another unit and move on.
@ Kat
We get alot of digs about the engine etc, so dont take my response as being over defensive. I just wanted to clarify it wasnt free, and that not all indie titles are freeware or vapour ware. Epic did buy out the engine but we got in there before them
If they die, they select another unit and move on.
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Awesome idea
Your biggest challange I guess will be the AI and making that dynamic enough to handle what the player does. certainly sounds interesting now that I've had a good look thru the info (in that context Swastikas won't be that much of a problem I would have thought).
Good luck with the project.
My Degree and Masters (Still getting through the masters) were all focused on AI. I developed an Educational Tutoring System back in college and since I left I evolved it into 1944.
People will always moan about Swastikas, but I am not going to make any apologies for accuracy. Granted we will not have every unit in the game bearing a swastika because that simply wasnt the case, but there were certain units that did.
People will always moan about Swastikas, but I am not going to make any apologies for accuracy.
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I'm inclined to agree actually. I've received hate mail for the depiction of a swastika. Now, whilst I guess I could have actually stopped to think on deciding wether or not to depict one beforehand, the more hate mail I receive on the subject the less I'm inclined to change it. It's a complex issue I suppose, but I don't take too well to the idea of denying history.
One thing I'm curious about. I see you have some fully modeled out vehicles there to very high spec, and I assume that that's source material for normal maps? If so, obviously your commitment is impressive here, but not ever having normal mapped a hard surface object before, is that the most efficient way? I'd have thought 2D>normal conversion techniques for a complex vehicle would be much quicker, but I'm all ears. Impressive high res models though.
For lesser vehicles, we only create High Poly models for key parts like the tires etc. Then paint on the remainder.
We found that to be the most efficient way. We also break down our vehicles into common parts, not so useful for the German vehicles, but for the Allied it really does help. Prime example would be the Sherman tanks. We break the model down into Tracks, Chasis, Turret, Gun, Equipment and Misc.
Each is their own object, each has their own texture sheet. We interchange these parts to allow for maximum re-use, and more importantly to programmtically allow for change... So most tanks, vehicles etc are fully customised. This also has huge performance gains as we cache the common parts and textures to give us a far greater speed increase.
Characters work in the same way. Each unit is merely a Uniform and Boots, as those were the standard kit. We then mount Head & Hands, Badges, Insignias, Ranks etc (yes they are 3D models, but given they only add around 10 - 20 tris and allow us to dynamically create every possible unit, its worth it. Then we add the gear. The player can remove every piece of gear, or add more and more gear. Our animation structure is tied directly into the physics, so adding more weight, slows down your unit, and affects the animation...
Now you apply this style of thinking to all of 1944 development what you have is an increddibly flexible game structure/system
This is something that will definately be appreciated.
With regards to historical accuracy, we are depicting the Jewish Community, French Community, Polish, Canadian, Eastern Block Countries, Australian, New Zealand, UK, America, Germany etc
The fact that we cover all nations and all different ethnic groups have gotten us significant praise from various communities. Its not American Centric, Germans are not just depicted as Nazi's, but rather as Nazi's and the remaining majority of armed forces that happen to be fighting for their country, not the beliefs of a few.
We are careful to make sure that everything we do is at very least backed up with fact, at least this way we have a far better standing.
On a sidenote it's not about denying history, it's the opposite that created the law, glorification and reduction of the magnitude of crimes done.
I know Return to Castle Wolfenstein had an extra media pack with the Nazi symbols in it removed for German distribution - the game was made with that in mind.
I don't remember seeing any Swatikas in other games??
very little is changed but it saves ALOT of problems
That said, I do have a german newspaper back home in Ireland where Hitler was posted on the front page, it was the first time he appeared in any german publication since the war. So some headway is being made in the arguement.
We are not promoting Nazi's nor are we glorifying any nation in a biased way. We are simply taking the facts and presenting them as best we can.
nothing worse than a programmer trying to pimp someone elses art.
I post in public to get another set of eyes on content, especially on the content that I am paying for. As a programmer it helps to get other artists crits on content, while I can spot things there are certain things that I simply dont have an eye for.
I can see some people's point about how this will be excluding the german audience. Although I'm sure it would be a nice gesture to the folks from Deutschland to once done with everything, to later go back and make a texture change, I know the work would be tedius to do. However, looking at it from a sales standpoint, you now have opened it to another group of people thus increaseing the chance to make a profit.
Of course, if you can actually get the german government to allow it, then Bravo!
By the way, I've sent you a PM.
The artists post in their own respective forums. Most just post what they develop to the researchers, who tell them exactly what is right and what is wrong.
I post in public to get another set of eyes on content, especially on the content that I am paying for. As a programmer it helps to get other artists crits on content, while I can spot things there are certain things that I simply dont have an eye for.
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I see your point but its far too much in one go
M3A1 Ready for Ingame (Normal & Spec Map, rigged for Physx controls)
Turntables
http://www.1944d-day.com/images/tanks/M3A1/turntables/M3a1.mov
(15 megs)
Images
MG for ontop, with custom fitting ( you can mount it onto a tri pod, or simply rest it on another object your call)
best luck !