Update 4.504: Enhanced terrain and muzzle flash effects for improved realism

[LachenKrieg]

The latest patch brings a very welcome boost in realism for the Tank Crew module. Have a look at a real Tiger in motion and pay special attention to the track tension as it moves through turns. There are also plenty of other video's available that demonstrate power takeoffs and traversing rougher terrain, all of which can be reproduced with the Tank Crew model. I could have added more examples of just how realistic the Tank Crew vehicles actually are, like the difference in track tension when making a turn in reverse as opposed to making a turn while moving forward for example, but thought I would leave something for anyone interested to explore on their own. If anyone knows of a more realistic and detailed WWII AFV simulator, I would like to see it!

 

Of course there are always a few things that could be improved on, but I will leave that for another video.

 

 

 

 

 

[LachenKrieg]

I forgot to mention that the terrain roughness was set to max level for the video.

[Eduard_Neumann]

Looks great :D

[LachenKrieg]

I know it's not always easy to tell how accurate, or realistic a simulation is especially a computer simulation where all the user has is sound and visual cues to go by.

 

So to see the physics model in action since the last 4.504 update, I took the 54 tonne Tiger down the slope of a large hill, and to me at least, it appears that the model does respect the effects of gravity fairly well. I remember when I first got Tank Crew, and near the end of one of the campaigns, I went up and came back down a long sloped road on the other side of some railroad tracks and hit a mound of what looked like snow at the bottom that sent the Tiger flying about 45 feet in the air before flipping upside down in mid flight and then landing on its turret. I doubt that a 54 tonne vehicle could generate enough energy to do that given its speed, even if the mound was solid. That issue seems to have been corrected though. As shown in the video, the tank seems to be fairly well planted to the ground. 

 

I would say that the model for crew injuries is also somewhat realistic, or at least present. There is no doubt that the jarring impacts caused by a tank rolling down a hill at high speed like that would leave the crew bruised and beaten, not to mention knocked senseless from all the loud bangs that would accompany each crash. But most of the crashes over the three runs happened with the tank landing more or less even on its tracks, so the jarring would be reduced somewhat by the tanks suspension system. But in the 2nd run, the tank catches a lip just before take off that sends it drifting to one side before impact, and then it hits the next jump at an angle that causes it to almost land on its front before crashing into the flat terrain at the bottom of the hill. I have little doubt that the crash at the very bottom would throw the crew around inside their steel enclosure.

 

But so far, I am pretty convinced with what I am see in this last patch, so again, a big thank you to all those involved. Stay tuned if your interested because there is more.  

 

 

[LachenKrieg]

Another look at the detail included in the Tank Crew module and the last update 4.504. As a WWII AFV simulator, Tank Crew incorporates the necessary elements to offer a very immersive experience, but it is up to each user to decide how to use the module in order to get the experience he/she wants. And the latest update adds yet another layer of information to consider when using the Tank Crew module. In the video, I give some examples of how I enjoy using the module, and point out 3 ways the module could be further improved.

 

 

 

[BladeMeister]

Nice videos Lachenkrieg. I really like seeing the crew's movement when the Tiger traverses some of the bigger terrain bumps. It looks very natural and believable.

Then there is the new physics of the 54 ton Tiger trying to crush the BA64? and ending up on its' lid. I love TC, but there definitely is some more work to be done.

 

S!Blade<><

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by BladeMeister

[LachenKrieg]

21 minutes ago, BladeMeister said:

Nice videos Lachenkrieg. I really like seeing the crew's movement when the Tiger traverses some of the bigger terrain bumps. It looks very natural and believable.

Then there is the new physics of the 54 ton Tiger trying to crush the BA64? and ending up on its' lid. I love TC, but there definitely is some more work to be done.

 

S!Blade<><

 

There is no doubt about it. If you watched the last video where I just barely touch a tree and it knocks me back about 10, feet damaging/injuring the tank and crew would be a good example of the work that needs to be done.

 

But they are off to a really good start, all they have to do is add a little bit of polish and tidy up.

 

It just feels like pulling teeth with some of the issues though. Like the gun lock/settings reset when you change positions. Something I didn't realize before last night was the issue with all the settings changing back to default doesn't just affect the gunner, it seems to affect changes you make in all positions. I set the zoom for the driver's visor, and when I returned after switching to the Commander for a bit, my visor zoom was reset. I have no idea why they have it so that the settings reset each time you change positions. It just doesn't make any sense in a game where you can occupy multiple positions.

[LachenKrieg]

I am being told that it is not clear what I meant when I said drive sprocket speed is modeled for both the turning and non-turning side. So I made another video to demonstrate it better. Hope this is clearer. The Tiger in the video is in 3rd gear making a forward right turn. 39 video frames were counting while the right final drive sprocket made 3/4 revolution, and 33 video frames were counted on the left.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by LachenKrieg

[69th_chuter]

Of course, using the steering wheel there were 16 distinct turn radii, two for each gear.  In first gear the radii were ~3.5m and ~10.5m and in eighth gear they were ~57m and ~170m.  The game doesn't model this or the zero speed turn in place (in reality not recommended).  All tanks seem to share variations on the same driving dynamics (as well as the same five speed transmission).

[LachenKrieg]

Hey @chuter, thanks for your insight. I was always under the impression that the arc of the turn was closely tied to speed, but in terms of a zero speed turn, I think you must be referring to neutral steering because obviously we are able to turn without the need to go forward. I wish they would model that for the Tiger.

 

In terms of driving dynamics between the various vehicles, it is understandably not a very easy thing to simulate, or model on a computer, and I think the makers of Tank Crew have put a very decent effort forward. As a computer simulation, all the developers really have to work with in terms of giving the user the feeling of driving a 20 - 50 tonne tank are visual and audio cues.

 

I don't know about you, but I certainly get a sense of the differences in weight and power between the Pz III M, the Tiger, and the T34 for example. Aside from very different sound profiles, the developers have taken the sense of vehicle mass and power to a level I have not seen in a computer simulation before.     

 

 

[Voidhunger]

3 hours ago, LachenKrieg said:

I don't know about you, but I certainly get a sense of the differences in weight and power between the Pz III M, the Tiger, and the T34 for example. Aside from very different sound profiles, the developers have taken the sense of vehicle mass and power to a level I have not seen in a computer simulation before.     

+1