Thanks gents
A little update. We're really close from going public and announce the game proper, but I thought that you'd enjoy a little sneak peek.
Unfortunately videos still have issues - instead I'll make screenshots of their cover and you'll just have to click on them to watch them.
We were busy with designing the sound in-game sound engine, so that we might finally leave the world of silence. That was a lot of work under the hood, naturally it is not super graphic, but if you have working ears and a good sound system, I am pretty sure that you'll appreciate the difference
Here's the contents, taken from our den at Grogheads. Enjoy and don't hesitate to leave a comment, it's always much appreciated - even when it hurts! ^^
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We are *that* close from announcing the game and launching the website, but as Robot said you sure are entitled to a little additional update before everything goes live.
As of late we were not very loud as most of the work was done under the hood, providing the engine with all the perks one would expect from a modern game - starting with actual sound. I must say the result ain't half bad, but naturally I am a bit biased. I'll let you judge by yourselves.
Here's our test-bed of a TBD and its twin-wasp roaring, with our sound engine tech in motion.
As you can see, that's true 3D sound right there. It changes with the distance, changes with your viewpoint, and it's real, variable stuff that follows the actual regime of the plane's engine.
The TBD itself is now our reference as our future standard for planes (at least Allied planes) in terms of art and details. Its livery is a fine reproduction of a VT-2 mount from Lexington. You might have seen it last year when the late and unfortunate Paul Allen and his team found Lady Lex at the bottom of the Coral Sea. Here is a reference:
Here are some in-engine views of the work in progress from a few days ago, with work done on reflections and materials.
Our 2D artist is not only good at painting pixel planes and beautiful dioramas, he is also in charge of the portraits gallery. The family is getting bigger everyday. We will eventually have 30+ portraits, most of them depicting actual officers historically involved in carrier combat back in 1942. A cookie for anyone you'll be able to identify in there (except for the fourth chap, whose destiny is to be our kind default sailor-guy, and whose face was originally randomly generated).
Meanwhile, our 3D artist has been very busy with modifying our plane models in order to optimize them further and set a standard for future integration. Like our 2D artist, he has been working on the TBD to produce the original basic texture mapping that will be used as the reference for paintjobs.
Still, he still found some time to work on a few ships - here's a Benson and a very early WiP shot on a PT-Boat, two very common visitors you might come across between Lunga point and Florida island.
We also started the in-game integration of the Flag Plot space. As you might remember, the Flag Plot is to be the main hub for the player, from which he/she will be allowed to access all stations (2D map, maneuver board, ouija board, pilot roster, the air ops board, etc...) by clicking on it or using keyboard shortcuts. It is expected to eventually look like the original concept art, and we only just started processing the larger chunks of the scene into the game proper. Our dev is also working hard on the lighting, as it will have a real effect on the overall feeling and mood. Here are some shots, including concept art, research, light tech business & some of the very early furniture being placed around the room.
First, this is the result of the research and immense talent of our 2D guy. I can't emphasize again enough how blessed I am to have people like him and the rest of my team by my side in this adventure, for it is quite the thrill to marvel at how much creativity and work they seem to put in everything they do.
Here is some basic lighting work:
Of course, the in-game 3D part itself is super WiP, textures and final models are still to be done. But, hey, at least, in two years from now you might be able to say "I was there before it looked cool!"
And, last but not least, our sound engine now also includes environmental effects. You will find below, yet again, a very early attempt at making it work, with the sound of the ocean, of the ship, and flight deck announcements (we'll feature the boatswain's call, the P.A. and even the bugle) all packed in one short video. Again, nothing too big or fancy, all of these are placeholder sounds and might look like very small progress, but it is coming together, step by step. Let's hope we can go the distance, but so far... so good!
In the meantime, enjoy the view and the mood, and see you soon! :coolsmiley: