PR:WW2 Mini-Update #2
Posted: 2014-12-16 21:22
[R-COM]Arc_Shielder has an announcement for you:
Hi guys, we're back and happy to announce that WW2 is back into PR starting on the 26th! More information about this please click HERE.
Until then, take a sneak peek of what we prepared for this Alpha Release.
With the task to replace the iconic level Operation Overlord, Rabbit crafted a level that feels more natural and accurate than its predecessor. The US team will naturally have it tough. The obstacles are multiple and extend along the beach, which makes a hard route for the LCVPs and Sherman to land precisely on the sand. Then the americans will have to face the strategically placed Paks and bunkers as they cross completely exposed. And once they figure out the location of the beach exits, they'll have to blow up the anti tank wall so that the M4 Sherman can go inland. Once the team is past this stage, then they'll have to take the battle to the village and farming fields. By then players will realize that the amount of detail put into this level far surpasses only the beach.
All in all it makes for a very exciting experience and one that we're proud to have been recreated by an excellent level designer such as Rabbit. The beautiful scenery is a trademark of his that won't go unnoticed, whether you're walking alongside the beachhead or looking for enemies to shoot at. We're glad to have him onboard and looking forward to the other PR:WW2 projects that he is committed to.
Anti-Tank Wall
The "L bunker" provides an excellent cover from high ground, with a very clear view not only on the beach and the beachhead, but also overlooking the narrow passage that leads inland for vehicles. There's 2 of these bunkers positioned on opposite ends. The US team will have to take the decision to either go up to high ground and take over the L bunker located in the west. Or take the fastest way through the passage under a hail of bullets and possibly risking the M4 Sherman in the process.
The Tobruk bunker is the ideal defensive asset for this scenario. In a game that will possibly be one of whack a mole for the americans once on the beach, the germans within can safely crouch with very minimal chance of damage. These bunkers combined with the lateral placed Paks will force the americans to adopt the strategy to run across rather than attempting to kill the enemies in such very well concealed locations.
Ratface is on a note similar to KaB. He's undoubtedly another driving force in the past few weeks. He is also constantly active and generally fast in providing buildings that are so much needed to portray french scenery. He even went as far as creating building add ons to "dress" other generic buildings we have since Project Normandy days. Ratface is focused in delivering more enterable buildings to the mix and we hope over time that will be appreciated by the players. Omaha Beach only using some that he has completed so far and it is something that we will fully cover in the next update.
Improving the US Army and Wehrmacht looks wasn't an easy task to begin with. With a good dose of restrictions (both on geoms and UVs), Mineral and InsanityPays can very well be proud of their achievements. The players that came from Project Normandy will certainly feel the difference kicking in their teeth when experiencing the final result. The player models look much better and more distinguishable of the era (and respective theater). These little details make all the difference and we're glad that both Mineral and InsanityPays saw that too by spending a lot of time and effort on this.
How to include an amphibious version of M4 Sherman in Omaha Beach was a discussion that took many pages in our forum. Eventually we came to the conclusion that the Deep Wading Gear was the best solution gameplay wise and the easiest to implement. Ratface modeled and from then on, both him and CTRifle shared the finishing.
When Normandy campaign was set forward allied tanks were given waterproofed hulls and air intake and exhaust vents to allow them to come ashore from shallow water. Tall ducts extended from the engine deck to above the turret top and they needed to stay above water. The front duct was the air intake for the engine, the rear duct vented the exhaust.
This armored asset will prove to be valuable for the ground troops as it will not only draw most of the Paks and handheld ATs attention, but it can also provide a curtain of smoke. Mats made the inside detail (HUDs) and M42 Zwilling PR-ified it coding wise. It feels more raw, powerful and real than compared to the previous version. The crewmen will certainly feel the adrenaline kicking in when amidst the chaos and a heavy weight of responsibility that their actions might determine the team's fate. 3 friends can team up and take seats as a driver, turret gunner or hull gunner.
Animations
Of course an update couldn't be done without showcasing some of the goodies that only KaB is able to deliver. It's never too much to emphasize how helpful he has been and how happy we are to have him in our team. Not only the made some new animations for the STG-44 and TNT models, but also tweaked a lot of weapons so that they could be functional and presentable for the Alpha. There's certainly more on the way under his belt that we're excited to showcase in the near future.
Coding & Sounds
Being coder is not an easy role and they often are not highlighted enough in gaming development. M42 Zwilling and Mats appeared out of nowhere since a couple of months ago to help us out and they rightfully deserve credit in how they willingly PR-ified the minimod. There's still much more to cover but they've been doing an intensive work on this field so that we could all enjoy the Alpha.
It goes without saying that AfterDune deserves credit for the installer. He spent huge chunks of his time on it despite being a very busy man. As the founder of the project and a jack of all trades, this minimod couldn't stand on its feet without him.
As far as sounds are concerned, anders is working on improving a few weapons, as well as M42 Zwilling. Their work have just recently began but it's heading to the right direction and we firmly believe that it's going to add that extra something to in-game ambiance.
See you on the beach!
Until then, take a sneak peek of what we prepared for this Alpha Release.
Omaha Beach
It's fair to say that Omaha Beach was the first stone that set the foundations for post Project Normandy days. Although in present days Rabbit is known across PR, back then he was a level designer with a faint experience in other BF2 mods. This level was not only his first in PR, but also the first being worked upon for PR:WW2. He was very keen on delivering his vision of the D day landings and it's fair to say that the outcome is an exciting one. 
With the task to replace the iconic level Operation Overlord, Rabbit crafted a level that feels more natural and accurate than its predecessor. The US team will naturally have it tough. The obstacles are multiple and extend along the beach, which makes a hard route for the LCVPs and Sherman to land precisely on the sand. Then the americans will have to face the strategically placed Paks and bunkers as they cross completely exposed. And once they figure out the location of the beach exits, they'll have to blow up the anti tank wall so that the M4 Sherman can go inland. Once the team is past this stage, then they'll have to take the battle to the village and farming fields. By then players will realize that the amount of detail put into this level far surpasses only the beach.
All in all it makes for a very exciting experience and one that we're proud to have been recreated by an excellent level designer such as Rabbit. The beautiful scenery is a trademark of his that won't go unnoticed, whether you're walking alongside the beachhead or looking for enemies to shoot at. We're glad to have him onboard and looking forward to the other PR:WW2 projects that he is committed to.
Anti-Tank Wall
- Model: takiwa
- Destroyed version: CTRifle
- Texture: CTRifle
- Coding: Mats
Bunkers
- L Bunker Model: lucky.Boy
- L Bunker Textures: lucky.Boy
- Tobruk Bunker Model: Gracler
- Tobruk Bunker Textures: Gracler
The "L bunker" provides an excellent cover from high ground, with a very clear view not only on the beach and the beachhead, but also overlooking the narrow passage that leads inland for vehicles. There's 2 of these bunkers positioned on opposite ends. The US team will have to take the decision to either go up to high ground and take over the L bunker located in the west. Or take the fastest way through the passage under a hail of bullets and possibly risking the M4 Sherman in the process.
The Tobruk bunker is the ideal defensive asset for this scenario. In a game that will possibly be one of whack a mole for the americans once on the beach, the germans within can safely crouch with very minimal chance of damage. These bunkers combined with the lateral placed Paks will force the americans to adopt the strategy to run across rather than attempting to kill the enemies in such very well concealed locations.
Buildings
- Models: Ratface
- Textures: Ratface
Kit Geoms & Reskins
- Player Models: EoD & BGF mods
- Reskins: InsanityPays
- Kit Geoms Editing: Mineral
M4 Sherman with Deep Wading Gear
- M4 Sherman: Xww2 mod
- M4 Sherman Retexture: CTRifle
- M4 Sherman Vents: Ratface
- M4 Sherman Vents Texture: CTRifle & Ratface
- M4 Sherman Vents Export: CTRifle
- Coding: Mats391
When Normandy campaign was set forward allied tanks were given waterproofed hulls and air intake and exhaust vents to allow them to come ashore from shallow water. Tall ducts extended from the engine deck to above the turret top and they needed to stay above water. The front duct was the air intake for the engine, the rear duct vented the exhaust.
This armored asset will prove to be valuable for the ground troops as it will not only draw most of the Paks and handheld ATs attention, but it can also provide a curtain of smoke. Mats made the inside detail (HUDs) and M42 Zwilling PR-ified it coding wise. It feels more raw, powerful and real than compared to the previous version. The crewmen will certainly feel the adrenaline kicking in when amidst the chaos and a heavy weight of responsibility that their actions might determine the team's fate. 3 friends can team up and take seats as a driver, turret gunner or hull gunner.
Animations
Coding & Sounds
It goes without saying that AfterDune deserves credit for the installer. He spent huge chunks of his time on it despite being a very busy man. As the founder of the project and a jack of all trades, this minimod couldn't stand on its feet without him.
As far as sounds are concerned, anders is working on improving a few weapons, as well as M42 Zwilling. Their work have just recently began but it's heading to the right direction and we firmly believe that it's going to add that extra something to in-game ambiance.
Merry Christmas
A word of appreciation to all of those who have been accompanying our efforts and motivating us to push further. We hope you enjoy the Alpha and remind yourself it for what it is, a basic release destined to not only boost motivation in PR, but also as a token of appreciation for the PR playerbase. Hope you enjoy this Christmas gift. See you on the beach!
