Spring RTS Engine

Been working on the infamous t-34-85:


890 polys right now

Awesome. Shaping up nicely.

Indeed.

So I'm working on a map. My largest yet. I *just* finished the preliminary layout and heightmap. Next step will be to add detail to the texture map, such as roads and paths, then work out metal layout and then add features. I want to add a couple of small villages in key locations for tactical importance.

The map is based in Italy's rocky foothills along the roads to Rome, which the Allies had to contend with (bitterly) in mid-late 1943. The Allies, made up of American troops in the West and British in the East (along with Canadians, Free French, Poles, South Africans, Australians, New Zealenders, Indians, and a host of almost 30 different nationalities), struggled to gain every inch in the treacherous terrain, which was well-defended by some of the best German divisions available. For most of 1943 the fighting in Italy was at a stalemate with the Allies barely gaining any ground. The terrain was so formidable and the Germans' defense so strong that the Allies skipped them almost entirely, sending an amphibious armada up the western coast of Italy to land behind German lines from the sea, at Anzio and Salerno. Because of this ingenius tactic the Allies were able to finally throw the German divisions off balance and, despite the numerical superiority of the Germans, were able to finally drive them back to Rome and continue towards the Alps in early 1944.

Here's the layout (red = mountains; impassable for vehicles, except those little red dots near the center, which are destroyed vehicles):



Players will start in either of the four corners. Wheeled vehicles will essentially be limited to the roadways (they look large in the layout but won't be quite that big), while tracked vehicles can go off-road in the valleys. The terrain, with its tight bottlenecks and limited access, can be easily fortified with anti-tank guns and artillery hiding behind the hills. Players will have to advance with infantry, securing vital access points and strategically important locations, before armour can be used safely.

Here's a WIP pic:



Map size is 18x18 -- heavier artillery (the Allies in Italy called it the "Anzio Express" after troops in Anzio spent weeks within range of German artillery) will be able to reach halfway across the map, requiring players to move out and secure ground lest their bases be bombarded from a distance. The foothills will be dominated by infantry and will provide excellent fields of fire for defensive positions. As for Control Points, I'm thinking of giving each starting location one or two points, having one or two points in the smaller center valley, and 2-4 points in each of the larger valleys (in the North-West and South-East). Although maybe i will concentrate them in the center valley.. because of its location, anyone who controls it will effectively be able to rain artillery down anywhere in the map, making it probably the most important location in the game. Either that, or a no-man's land. I tried to make the map interesting whether 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4, with lots of different routes and tactical possibilities. Well, we'll see.

Started graphics and feature placement. Roads still need quite a bit of work. I'm having trouble making them look real.

Maybe more trees to fill out the valleys. I wish I had more greenery to go with. Grass and Spring trees = suck.

I'd be interested to see the planned CP distribution.

Also, if this is a 1944-specific map, I'd love to see some custom metal patches suited to 1944.

Seeing as you could probably do a flare with coloured smoke with the new GAIA stuff, that could work; alternatively, I was thinking an abstracted cross, as if the 'real' world had been superimposed with a sort of map indicating important areas, like this or this.
Perhaps there is a more specific military location.

Alternatively, you could even name the choke points which could be interesting, like this. I'm not sure how well that would work with ground textures and deformation; but it would really get the idea of command points as strategic/territorial reflections across.

So, instead of just having a metal patch where you stick a flag on your map, you give it a name like "Crossroads", "Town Centre", "Hill 342", etc.

What I'd like is for some method to make those little messages pop up.. the ones ontop of the column of light, or whatever. You know what I mean. Like when you choose your start position. I'm very weary of painting a giant red X on the map.

As for metal distribution. I'm going to start off by giving every starting point a single CP; each of the longer valleys will have two each, one in the south and one in the north; and the center will have a single point.

I want to test it, then maybe change it. I worry people may take the closest valley and bunker down there, so I might switch the large valleys to one CP and the middle to two or three, just to keep people fighting over something more central.

or you could make the central spots give more resources?
country crossing has pro roads, although they wouldnt suit 1944..
the map looks pro :)

Very nice map, but I am confused:

Are CP Points for the flags, or are they geos?

From the zoomed out screenie the raods look like rivers

Command Points = metal patches (ie: you build flags on them)

Technically, they are "Strategic Locations", and what you earn from them are "Command Points". Sort of like "Metal Patch" vs "Metal".

Alright...

At 7:18 AM this morning I "broke first ground" modelling the Sd.Kfz. 250...

5 hours later, at about 12:30PM, it was finished and ingame! Raaaah!

What the deuce... an incredibly bizzare vehicle to be sure.

Bizzare but AWESOME!

I'll dub it a five-sixths track... lol

Six sevenths.

Well, that's if you count all of 'em...

That's not so bizarre... seen it before on pictures and in other games. The Maus and that one other thing were pretty cool.

Any plans on experimental units/super weapons? I think that 80 cm railway cannon called Schwerer Gustav is interesting.

Although...

• Rate of fire: 1 round every 30 to 45 minutes or typically 14 rounds a day
• Accuracy: 20% (10 out of 48) of shells fell within 60 m of target point. Worst error was 1 shell landing 740 m from the target point.