Developer Diary 266 - Discussion

[Jason_Williams 27690]

For those that think tanks aren't for you  I get it, but remember, if our partners turn a nice profit with TC, they will be more willing to build other projects for us including aircraft. DigitalForms took on this "new" thing with us and took an even bigger risk than we did and they built some really terrific models and did mountains of research on hard to find topics. It would be great if the IL-2 community fell in love with their work like we have. I'm doing my best to support their hard work and make TC something cool and entertaining. Plus TC has forced us to focus on some new tech and techniques that also benefit our flight side that otherwise may have not occurred. 

 

Everything goes on sale eventually, but if you can afford to jump into it now (it's actually on sale now), both 1CGS and DF appreciate it.

 

Jason

 

 

[[N.O.G.F]Leon_Portier 428]

  

Lovin TC !

[JG5_Schuck 346]

Nice work,

I would be interested to know if you are going to make the ground any rougher (not just the visuals)?

I remember a time where you used to get stuck in the mud/snow, and taking off dirty was all but impossible.

Now  it seems you can take off and land on just about anything, and collisions on multiplay servers from people not using the runway are common place,

and are an immersion killer!

Thanks

 

Keep up the good work......

[Noisemaker 116]

19 minutes ago, Jason_Williams said:

For those that think tanks aren't for you  I get it, but remember, if our partners turn a nice profit with TC, they will be more willing to build other projects for us including aircraft. DigitalForms took on this "new" thing with us and took an even bigger risk than we did and they built some really terrific models and did mountains of research on hard to find topics. It would be great if the IL-2 community fell in love with their work like we have. I'm doing my best to support their hard work and make TC something cool and entertaining. Plus TC has forced us to focus on some new tech and techniques that also benefit our flight side that otherwise may have not occurred. 

 

Everything goes on sale eventually, but if you can afford to jump into it now (it's actually on sale now), both 1CGS and DF appreciate it.

 

Jason

 

 

I've loved what I've experienced so far with TC, but we're missing a SP campaign engine, and we're limited to the scripted campaign (Aside from Tigre's amazing work) which doesn't include half of the tanks now available unless we play MP.  This need to be quickly addressed if you want sales of TC to take off.  That and infantry, but one step at a time...

[IckyATLAS 716]

Very nice video where we can feel the heat of the battle. To be honest tanks are not my cup of tea but we need them for our global battles, and they were an important player in WWII. So the better they are modeled and animated and made available in the editor as static objects the happier I will be. Just a reminder that this is true for Ships too.

The idea being that every graphical effect or terrain improvement developed in Tank Crew will apply retroactively to all the previous BOX modules is just excellent news. My investment in Tank Crew was worth the money. And if some improvement are to be made on terrain maps, please do not forget to also correct the bug with the sea elevation on Kuban maps.

[-RS-Nolly 52]

It's been mentioned above already, but the ability to take off and land certain A/C from fields would be fantastic... po2 for a start, but even some others.

[[APAF]VR_Spartan85 413]

4 hours ago, migmadmarine said:

The pariscopes have some major drawbacks though, such as you cannot see your own vehicle through them at the moment, so I don't think having the refraction in the 190 while not being able to see your own nose would be a step forward. 

I have, (not over a terribly long distance mind you) and you do rock quite a bit in the hatch, but at any speed I don't think there is any true way to keep yourself really steady. Your brain is pretty good at toning down the rocking effect when processing your vision to my understanding, so perhaps that is part of why it looks so pronounced.  (You'd be amazed how much an M5 stuart bucks even on a paved parking lot when you turn or hit the brakes.)

But wasn’t that the whole “Bar” argument? That the refraction eliminated that interference with the pilots view to around the nose?   Also that the 190 model had to be specifically modelled in game to work around this?

[migmadmarine 353]

27 minutes ago, [APAF]spartan85 said:

But wasn’t that the whole “Bar” argument? That the refraction eliminated that interference with the pilots view to around the nose?   Also that the 190 model had to be specifically modelled in game to work around this?

Kinda, but the issue with periscopes as modeled is even when you elevate your head to a place where you should be able to see your own vehicle, it is impossible. If they implimented the periscope solution on the 190, if you elevated your head as far forward  and up as it could go, and looked through the front glass, you would be able to look through where the nose should be. With TC this issue is best demonstrated by the KV-1s, from the commanders forward periscope you should be able to see your the turret roof and the gun barrel when elevated, but you cannot.

[Jason_Williams 27690]

Stop with the 190 Bar discussion please. Has nothing to do with this DD.

 

Jason

[Luftschiff 391]

I wasn't expecting a DD this week! Glad to see the project moving forward.

Edited November 28, 2020 by Luftschiff

[Drum 31]

TC is cool, and that's coming from a guy old enough to dislike the word...  Heads up for the il-2's though!  😉

[Spinnetti 18]

I've had it for a long time. Its really awesome, but still feels like an alpha to me. AI is useless, and it may just be my lack of education on how to do, but given there's a whole crew, I'd like the crew to run the whole mission. Travel, setup for shots whatever.. Then I can hop from station to station to take over when I want to, or just play one role and let the game do all the other roles. I also don't know how to see what killed me when I die.. always a mystery - I'd like a replay function from any camera angle to show what happened - like most racing sims provide. Also kinda bummed no Jagdpather (would love to see some Kettenrand and a lot more infantry too).... eventually?

[=621=Samikatz 587]

12 minutes ago, Spinnetto said:

I'd like a replay function from any camera angle to show what happened - like most racing sims provide?

 

There is already a record function to make replays you can watch from any angle at any speed. You have to activate it manually as the files can become extremely large

[Avimimus 674]

2 hours ago, Luftschiff said:

They're not discussing the 190 bar, they're discussing the periscopes in tank crew. 

 

I'd understand some trauma on the part of the devs though... it has been.. what 17 years during which that debate has taken place? I think I got tired of it about 15 years ago... can't imagine what'd be like to be dev.

[JG51_Beazil 586]

1 hour ago, Avimimus said:

... can't imagine what'd be like to be dev.

A thick skin and a stiff upper lip methinks.

[[APAF]VR_Spartan85 413]

4 hours ago, Jason_Williams said:

Stop with the 190 Bar discussion please. Has nothing to do with this DD.

 

Jason

sorry wasn't trying to hijack the topic. was just trying to say how tech has really improved and tank crew features, as mentioned, have contributed to aircraft in many ways. 

[LachenKrieg 311]

12 hours ago, Sneaksie said:

All maps.

Will this update also address issues like invisible objects/walls on the non Tank Crew maps? And if not, can you say whether this is something that is being considered?

[Wolfpack345 48]

I was not sure I would really enjoy driving tanks but I have to say I have really come to love Tank Crew! 

Glad to see new features rolling out. The effects look great!

[Jason_Williams 27690]

1 hour ago, [APAF]spartan85 said:

sorry wasn't trying to hijack the topic. was just trying to say how tech has really improved and tank crew features, as mentioned, have contributed to aircraft in many ways. 

 

I know, but others will probably and it always gets ugly. I'd rather just skip this topic right now. 

 

Jason

[Ouky1991 621]

Always good to see improvements to the core graphics effects👍. Are there any plans on adding new tech, like far water reflections (not only clouds but land too) and far shadows (mountains casting shadows)? Lack of these effects is most noticable on the Kuban map, while it would surely benefit even the flat ones.

[Boomerang 511]

Awesome improvements, really assists with bringing the battle field alive. Enjoyed seeing the aircraft in the footage as well, it's a great way for the unknowing to see this is also a huge part of the interactive entertainment. What will folks hunt for I wonder? There is plenty to choose from, that's for sure!

Thank you

[CCG_Pips 1143]

There is no doubt about the quality of DIGITALFORM's work.👍

However, without the release of new allied materials (US and British), players will not have the opportunity to vary their games (mainly on Bondeplatte et future Normandy maps) and after a while, this could quickly get boring.
In addition there is some lacks in improvements, such as the possibility of recovering the combat post of a killed member crew or the improvement of tank resistance when they are hit by a shell.

 

Otherwise it's a great game and I play about 8-10 hours a week on the tanks. 🙂

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by CCG_Pips

[Missionbug 457]

The new features look great, I really do need to take some time to investigate what T.C. has to offer, I have had it long enough.

 

Thank you very much for the update guys really appreciated, I have to say though that the star of this particular DD is the film from =HH=Pauk, awesome.

 

Take care and be safe.

 

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

 

 

[=RvE=Windmills 335]

I'm still unclear on what the gameplay for this is supposed to be. This seems perfect for RTS style command and control type gameplay, wasn't there some talk of being able to control and command an AI unit at some point? Frankly I don't care that much about personally being able to control the tanks, but focussing on commanding AI seems very cool and I think would be awesome for MP gameplay.

 

How does it play in MP in general currently? What style of missions are available, how does it interact with air? Is it just sandbox mostly? Have notable MP servers actually integrated playable ground units into their missions?

[CCG_Pips 1143]

52 minutes ago, =RvE=Windmills said:

I'm still unclear on what the gameplay for this is supposed to be. This seems perfect for RTS style command and control type gameplay, wasn't there some talk of being able to control and command an AI unit at some point? Frankly I don't care that much about personally being able to control the tanks, but focussing on commanding AI seems very cool and I think would be awesome for MP gameplay.

 

How does it play in MP in general currently? What style of missions are available, how does it interact with air? Is it just sandbox mostly? Have notable MP servers actually integrated playable ground units into their missions?

On Finnish Server, we drive our tanks, we fight (no AI control), using the main gun our MG.....

 

We fight other human controlled tanks or AI tanks...........It is really fun and more and it's more stressful than planes on some points !!!!

 

We are a lot playing tanks and enjoying !!! 🙂

[1stCL/rudidlo 128]

18 hours ago, Sneaksie said:

All maps.

Non Prokhorovka maps suffer from invisible obstacles, usually at the edges of forests and meadows, which cause tank and crew damage. Will be they fixed with this update?

1 hour ago, =RvE=Windmills said:

This seems perfect for RTS style command and control type gameplay, wasn't there some talk of being able to control and command an AI unit at some point?

There are two scripted campaigns in the game where you can give orders to whole platoon.

[=RvE=Windmills 335]

21 minutes ago, 1stCL/rudidlo said:

Non Prokhorovka maps suffer from invisible obstacles, usually at the edges of forests and meadows, which cause tank and crew damage. Will be they fixed with this update?

There are two scripted campaigns in the game where you can give orders to whole platoon.

 

Any videos of this? Is it more of a vague giving directions to AI or actually being able to give them movement commands/waypoints and explicit instructions on stances/who to attack etc? How many tanks are in a platoon?

[dburne 2646]

All very impressive!

[DD_Arthur 2834]

A platoon would normally be three or four tanks.   We ran a squad event last weekend with ten guys per side with the option of flying aircraft too. It was basically a capture the flag mission within the town of Veghel on the Bodenplatte map. We ran it as a dogfight mission over ninety minutes on our server. The combination of player controlled tanks and aircraft was great fun. We’re doing it again next weekend 😍

[BlitzPig_EL 3159]

 

I ran a coop mission I generated with SYN_Vander's mission generator (tank version) last night as a test.  There were only two of us last night so we crewed the same Sherman and ran the mission.  It's really cool to be in the commander's position in the turret, and have aircraft fly overhead. A Stuka (AI) came towards us and we both thought it was going to attack, but it was already trailing smoke and it made no effort to attack us. I took a couple very speculative shots at it with the M2, but it was too far away really.

 

Great stuff to see, and hear, from this perspective.

Edited November 28, 2020 by BlitzPig_EL

[Deacon352nd 45]

I’ve made a number of missions for my group that had both human driven tanks and human piloted planes in combined operations against AI. They were great. Now that the Kuban North Africa mod had been installed by us, we are starting a Tunisian Campaign. The Tank Crew is great and adds so much to the sim. Thanks for developing and continued expansion of it. 

[LachenKrieg 311]

3 hours ago, 1stCL/rudidlo said:

Non Prokhorovka maps suffer from invisible obstacles, usually at the edges of forests and meadows, which cause tank and crew damage. Will be they fixed with this update?

There are two scripted campaigns in the game where you can give orders to whole platoon.

 

2 hours ago, =RvE=Windmills said:

 

Any videos of this? Is it more of a vague giving directions to AI or actually being able to give them movement commands/waypoints and explicit instructions on stances/who to attack etc? How many tanks are in a platoon?

In addition to what 1stCL/rudidlo said, you can also command a platoon of tanks from the Quick Mission Builder's skirmish mode. There are two command menus that you can access when you are in the commander's position using either the "Tilde" key, or by pointing with the mouse and clicking the LMB. There are quite a few commands available that cover formation, movement, and attack. You can give these commands to either a single tank in your platoon, or the entire platoon.

[Blitzen 892]

20 hours ago, Jason_Williams said:

No not yet, but hit Esc and choose Station Notes for detailed info that helps learn the tanks. They really aren’t that hard to learn, but each station has unique attributes to learn. More sophisticated tutorials will come eventually.

 

Jason

Jason, this was a good tip,but may I ask you or someone else who might know; i could not find an answer on how to designate or for that matter disable the main gun and/or coaxial gunner AI.I find in some scenarios /missions the AI gunner is up & operating as I man either the driver or commander seat. The AI gunner seems to be deadly accurate. In other missions the AI gunner is not operational which I may find out just a little too late for my own safety. So what gives?

( I’m still trying to figure out if the other tanks under my command really obey my “movement”and/or “ fire “directions and/or commands?)

BTW I agree with some of the other people here in looking forward to a Campaign option....

[Fisheye 12]

Lovin TC! I don't know any other tank simulator with this quality! And the work on on it continuous! Thanks to the team for that!

 

 

And there is a lot of ccoperative team work when playing TC. More team work compared to sorties with a plane!

[LeLv30_Redwing 390]

19 hours ago, FlyingNutcase said:

=HH=Pauk has made some amazing aircraft vids but I really feel like the Tank Crew vids (incl by another guy) are missing a certain atmosphere that would pull in more interest (including mine). Honestly they seem too gamey.

May I humbly offer my assistance and gently push you closer to purchase decision?

https://youtu.be/M28G1ZQzYfc?t=417

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by LeLv30_Redwing

[LachenKrieg 311]

3 hours ago, =RvE=Windmills said:

 

Any videos of this? Is it more of a vague giving directions to AI or actually being able to give them movement commands/waypoints and explicit instructions on stances/who to attack etc? How many tanks are in a platoon?

Here are two videos that try to demonstrate use of the command system. The first video shows the secondary command system being used to control a single player tank. The video was made a few months ago, and when giving the attack command from certain angles, the main gun could rock back and forth, but I think one of the recent patches has addressed this.

 

The second video shows the secondary command menu being used to control a group of 4 Panthers and 3 Pz IVs. The command menu was used to move the groups more than 9km and knock out 25 targets without the player firing a single shot.

 

 

 

 

[Thad 1628]

Perhaps some aspiring tankers need to got out of their cots in the barracks and into the battlefields to learn, practice with and employ the supplied tank and tank platoon controls effectively. 

 

Just a thought. 

[randybutternubs 52]

Or, perhaps, the developer can note what people are saying and improve their product.

Which I'm sure they'll do so the mocking comments for people pointing out valid issues are a little undue...

Just a thought. 🙄

Edited November 28, 2020 by randybutternubs

[Thad 1628]

7 minutes ago, randybutternubs said:

Or, perhaps, the developer can note what people are saying and improve their product.

 

Those of us that have been here for a long time know that the developers do note what we report about things and have changed and improved things innumerable times based upon same.

 

Your statement displays your obvious ignorance about the developers history with its players input.  

[Sky_Wolf 85]

Here's a thought as to TC sales: The developers sponsor a once-a-month multiplayer event with player-controlled tanks and aircraft that involves the following:

-an 84 player server with a ratio of tanks-to-aircraft for each side of 21-to-21 (or something like that)

-detailed mission briefings, flight plans, etc. provided to Allied and Axis sides (like Friday Night Bomber Flights)

-participants must have a copy of TC (along with the appropriate BoX product) to play