Greetings Troopers!
It has been a while since we have released any development based news updates, what with the recent Campaign event reports and all. So we thought it was high time that we kept you up to date with what we've been up to over the Summer.
As you all know, the main thrust of our development this year is geared towards us finally releasing our much sought after Battle of Hoth map. Our development resources are currently quite thin on the ground, so we hoped to make as good a use of the Summer break as possible to get dev team members back on the case and get some solid work done for this hotly anticipated map. It oddly keeps you quite cool working on snow related assets in these hot months. Despite all the work that has been done there is still quite a way to go, our concept for the gameplay is solid, we know what needs to be done, have our tasks set out ahead of us, and we know we have a potential hit on our hands which will be well worth all the hard work that we've put into it.
Today I'd like to reveal a few of the key locations that we have been working on over the Summer. People who have been following us for a while might remember that the last development based report we released involved the model for the AT-AT Walker cockpit, so it seems only apt that we follow on from that with a few shots of the AT-AT Walker Troop Bay. This is one of the compartments that is housed within the body of the mighty Imperial walker. It is here that you, as passengers will sit awaiting deployment via high speed cable winch to the icy tundra below.
With the art assets for the AT-AT Walker complete, we move across to the other side of this wintry battlefield, and take a look at the development of the Rebel stronghold, Echo Base. The layout for this complex asset was finalised long ago, people who took part in the pre First Strike 1.4 Beta way back in 2008 may remember its testing debut. Recently we have had our artists chipping away at this mammoth task, adding detail and texture to base's layout. First up, a location you have glimpsed before in previous reports about Hoth development, the Command Centre. This is now fully realised and integrated into the base as a whole.
Finally we have a brand new asset, the Medical Bay. A location we've gone to great pains to get as accurate as possible, iconic for the Luke Skywalker Bacta tank scene, and his subsequent recovery. Not to mention THAT KISS. "Dude! That's your sister!!"
I think you'll agree that now with the addition of detailing and texture breathing vibrant life into them, that Echo Base is really starting to look the part, and we look forward to allowing you to explore these labyrinthine halls and get blasting some enemy scum.As I've mentioned before, our resources are thin, and development of this great map is going slower than we'd like. If you have skills with the Battlefield engine in coding (vehicle coders would be of particular use), or are artists who'd like to contribute their modelling or texturing skills to what could potentially be the best computer game representation of this most iconic of Star Wars battles, don't hesitate to get in touch with us here:
To wrap up this update I'd like to announce that we'll soon have some exciting news regarding an imminent First Strike release. Nope, not Hoth just yet, but something we think you're going to really like, so keep your sensors peeled for that.
Until next time,
See you out there Troopers!
Just because of this, I know the force is strong within you.
Will there be some small earthquakes from explosions (the ground shaking) and some falling snow? Just like in the movie?
I think it'll be a good effect if it's possible to make.
It's possible, like how they make water fountains, kind of the same animation right?.... Right??? *scratches head* also there should be a large screen shake as the walkers take each step depending on their distance.
I think you could have snow drift down occasionally, but I'm pretty sure you can't have explosions cause it.
Unless you have scripted explosions, then you just have to time the falling snow to the explosion.
Of course you won't see the explosion, you'll just hear it and feel it (shaking ground, falling snow). There's no need to make an actual explosion, just to have some effects.
For instance, the server decides that there should be an explosion in a given area, sends a seed number to the players and then the game generates the sound, the pseudo-random locations of the falling snow (everyone would have the same location because of the seed), the distance from the epicenter would determine the strength of the ground shake, etc. I think it's doable, although it could require some coding and special effects at the very least (a lot of coding if you ask me).
Sorry, I didn't explain it good enough last time.
P.S. It's gonna be even better if the falling snow creates a temporary white smoke screen (or should I say snow screen?) which will obscure the the vision. And if it's closer to the epicenter, a couple of big chunks of snow and ice will fall if they hit a player would either kill or hurt him.
Just to add something - you'll experience the effect only while underground in the Echo Base. And I don't think it's necessary to have an actual explosion above the ground (in the epicenter).
P.S. It would be cool if the same effect is added to grenades and other explosives, e.g. a player throws a grenade in one of the Echo Base corridors, the thermal detonator explodes and creates the same effect (earthquake and falling and potentially dangerous snow) but on a much lesser scale.
Glad to see you enjoying the update. Regarding explosions and ground quakes and the like, it is not something we're really looking at, in general we'll be looking at some ambient effects such as sound and perhaps particle effects to create drifting snow and the sound of a battle in the distance. To be honest we're more looking at getting the fundamental building blocks of the map before looking at minor details such as this. That being creating the more detailed art assets such as those above, and the gameplay mechanics of the map. Once those are nailed down, then we'll look at this stuff. Basically baking the cake well before worrying about the icing,
Epic update, looking forward to the new soonish update too tho :D
I have no idea why, but the screenshots you're showing make it seem to me like you're attempting to make the AT-AT Walker into a walking variant of vanilla BF2142's Titan. Is that so, or are you utilizing other tricks (i.e. 'teleporting' the player to a hidden portion of the level and using some complex render-to-texture techniques for the windows)?
Not so much, we're more looking at making the AT-AT Walker a very cool heavily armoured and armed mobile spawn point, so these interiors are more about immersiviness on the Walker. Though that said, with the Troop Bay you'll be sat in a slot for the most part, but you'll also be able to walk around in that area, and it will appear on any static Walkers that we may have. There will be no combat as such aboard the Walker itself.
So, the walker will be static? What is the problem? Can't animate the walker? Can't move CPs? Another problem?
No, they are mobile, hence the mobile spawn point element that I mentioned earlier, but in some maps you might want a static version to represent a parked Walker, like on Endor Strike Team for example.