News W3D Weekly #8 - 12/08/2021

[OWA]

Welcome to the 8th edition of W3D weekly! It's a bit later in the week than usual, but we've got some good stuff to show off!  

Interim Apex@ Kaskins  posted an update for Interim Apex recently which adds a plethora of new vehicles and rebalances a large amount of the game. head to the thread below to check out the full list of changes and updates!

Also, please join me in congratulating both @ Kaskins  and @ dblaney1  for becoming fully fledged @Staff Moderators! This prestigious title is coveted amongst all W3D Developers.  

W3D Engine - Scripts 4.7 Update 1

Just in case you didn't see it last week, Scripts 4.7 Update 1 is now out! If you're a Renegade player or a server owner, head on over to the thread below and grab the update!

Upcoming EventsTiberian Sun's 22nd anniversary is coming up and to celebrate it, we've been asked to host a Reborn Game Night! Join us for some Banshee flying and Titan stomping on the the 19th of August at 7PM GMT! Here's a link to some more details!

Red Alert: A Path Beyond

This week's update comes from @ Ice  on the new Artillery model that's being assembled! 

It's no secret that our current artillery model remains one of the oldest vehicle assets in the game, and has really been showing its age next to our more recently updated vehicles:

Several replacement models had been worked on by different artists over the years, but none ended up being implemented, and so the increasingly ancient artillery model soldiered on as most other vehicles progressively received shiny new models.

Back in May, @ ChopBam ran a poll on what the best replacement would be, between two primary contenders:

Results were mixed. On one hand, A's large boxy rear was at odds with the open style of the classic unit, and the gun barrel was too small. The model also had too many details which led to an excessive polycount. On the other hand, B's gun barrel was too big, while the large spade on the rear didn't fit the style of the classic unit or the gameplay of the APB version. The model also seemed somewhat unfinished and had some notable clipping issues.

In the end, although both models looked quite nice in their own right, neither was ideal for our needs, and so we went back to the drawing board to combine the best aspects of both into a new design. Given the game's alternate-universe setting and the ambiguity of the available source material, we decided to get a bit creative with it. 

Here's a sneak peak, along with some of our sources:

In the spirit of classic C&C nostalgia, the new model is now based primarily on the ingame sprite, with details selectively taken from both the cameo model and the Remastered version, all combined into something unique that feels like a more faithful interpretation than either A or B above. 

Red Alert 2: Apocalypse RisingThis week we gave the Conscript a new weapon because we were finding that he felt a bit too bland as a unit. We took some inspiration from Red alert 3 and now the Conscript has a Molotov Coctail that he can throw. This deals damage over time in an area, so it's perfect for flushing out deployed infantry and denying passage through corridors. Just watch out, because it does deal damage to you if you throw it too closely to your feet!

By making this, we were also able to create this horrifying display masterpiece of 6 Mama Romonovs spinning on a merry-go-round.

More important content to come next week. 

That's it for this week!Tune in next time for some more excellent W3D content!

[blurb]Welcome to the 8th edition of W3D weekly! It's a bit later in the week than usual, but we've got some good stuff to show off![/blurb]

Spoiler

 

 

 

[Gummiel]

New Arty looks really nice, much better yeah than either of the 2 initial poll options

[Nodlied]

I still really prefer the B variant of the artillery. It feels a lot closer to both the game and the thing we have ingame now.

[NodGuy]

41 minutes ago, Nodlied said:

I still really prefer the B variant of the artillery. It feels a lot closer to both the game and the thing we have ingame now.

Same here. I would remove the thing at the back that stops movement when firing because it seems unnecessary (it wouldn't be used anyway) but otherwise it is my favourite out of what we've been shown. The one chosen looks too closely to the remastered version in my eyes, and sadly they got a bunch wrong when compared with the OG units so I'm not the biggest fan of them and it does look a bit toyish.

But hey, I'm happy as long as whatever we get is still good at receiving V2 rockets.

[Killing_You]

Personally, I liked A a bit more, but the new design is probably the best version yet. Definitely fits the aesthetic of most of the Allied vehicles we have now.

[Guard55]

I am a big fan of the sneak peak model. Great job on everyone that brainstormed and worked on it!

[Chad1233]

I prefer the B version to because it's more like the real thing which is what the old model was going for unlike the newer one which is based off the weird Remastered version and WW's ancient CGI model (Which it was modeled after the M107 abet poorly :P). Though the tracks arch down at the back on the B version for some reason and I can't find it doing that in the side profiles here: https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/US/M107-self-propelled-gun.php

Edited August 15, 2021 by Chad1233

[Killing_You]

2 hours ago, Chad1233 said:

I prefer the B version to because it's more like the real thing which is what the old model was going for unlike the newer one which is based off the weird Remastered version and WW's ancient CGI model (Which it was modeled after the M107 abet poorly :P). Though the tracks arch down at the back on the B version for some reason and I can't find it doing that in the side profiles here: https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/US/M107-self-propelled-gun.php

That's because B was a hybrid between the M110 and the Mk F3 155mm, which was a '60s era French artillery piece: 

[Chad1233]

29 minutes ago, Killing_You said:

That's because B was a hybrid between the M110 and the Mk F3 155mm, which was a '60s era French artillery piece: 

Ah so it's based off the AMX 13 chassis. It's a pretty good model but I'd prefer to be just use the M107 chassis.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Chad1233

[Ice]

3 hours ago, Chad1233 said:

I prefer the B version to because it's more like the real thing which is what the old model was going for unlike the newer one which is based off the weird Remastered version and WW's ancient CGI model (Which it was modeled after the M107 abet poorly :P). Though the tracks arch down at the back on the B version for some reason and I can't find it doing that in the side profiles here: https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/US/M107-self-propelled-gun.php

It's also important to remember that it's an alternate universe, so things aren't gonna be the same as in our world. In the case of the artillery, there are simply too many visual differences with the WW model for it to be an actual M107/M110, and it's better to embrace these differences as a product of the alternate timeline, rather than going the rather unimaginative route of simply copying something from our world. The goal is to look like the in-game sprite first and foremost, and augmenting that with whatever details we can get from other sources.

(For what it's worth, I agree that the Remastered artillery is... weird in several ways, which is why relatively few details were taken from it lol)

[Chad1233]

14 minutes ago, Ice said:

It's also important to remember that it's an alternate universe, so things aren't gonna be the same as in our world. In the case of the artillery, there are simply too many visual differences with the WW model for it to be an actual M107/M110, and it's better to embrace these differences as a product of the alternate timeline, rather than going the rather unimaginative route of simply copying something from our world.

The people at Westwood weren't exactly the greatest at accuracy in the modeling department (CGI modeling was time consuming and cost a lot of time to render) which I said was more than likely based on the M107 it just wasn't well made since it's lacking a lot of detail and inaccuracies. Even then I don't think it was that important to them to make the Artillery look exactly like it since it was just gonna be a tiny sprite in-game anyway.

Westwood just lazily reused it from C&C1 anyway. lol

Edited August 15, 2021 by Chad1233

[Nodlied]

3 hours ago, Killing_You said:

That's because B was a hybrid between the M110 and the Mk F3 155mm, which was a '60s era French artillery piece: 

The B model is literally an M110 with return rollers. There's nothing F3 155mm about it.

 

2 hours ago, Chad1233 said:

The people at Westwood weren't exactly the greatest at accuracy in the modeling department (CGI modeling was time consuming and cost a lot of time to render) which I said was more than likely based on the M107 it just wasn't well made since it's lacking a lot of detail and inaccuracies. Even then I don't think it was that important to them to make the Artillery look exactly like it since it was just gonna be a tiny sprite in-game anyway.

Westwood just lazily reused it from C&C1 anyway. lol

They literally meant it as the M107/M110.

 

The M107/M110 also fits the Allied aesthetics much better as well than the unholy combination of a Chaffee, Crusader SP, Panzer III and a KV-1 that is the new/C model. It feels too WWII ish whilst the B model fits the Allied aesthetic of end cold war US army.

[Killing_You]

We're overlooking one of the most important questions here.

Will the new Artillery have a little bit of side-to-side pivot for the barrel?

[Chad1233]

15 minutes ago, Nodlied said:

The B model is literally an M110 with return rollers. There's nothing F3 155mm about it.

 

They literally meant it as the M107/M110.

 

The M107/M110 also fits the Allied aesthetics much better as well than the unholy combination of a Chaffee, Crusader SP, Panzer III and a KV-1 that is the new/C model. It feels too WWII ish whilst the B model fits the Allied aesthetic of end cold war US army.

Speaking of the cold war asthetic I don't know if you seen my earlier topic here:

The Westwood staff during a early Q&A in February even said RA1 takes place in the 70s which puts the Allies more modern units like the Abrams and Apaches and Soviet double barreled T-72's into perspective even though some of them were quite early prototypes at the time but being a alternative time line I could see them put into service earlier due to the war. Though in retail they seemed to of scrubbed any mention of this since Stalin would be so old by then which could of been the reason. :P

Edited August 15, 2021 by Chad1233

[Ice]

9 minutes ago, Killing_You said:

We're overlooking one of the most important questions here.

Will the new Artillery have a little bit of side-to-side pivot?

Yes, it's quite capable of this. 

 

7 minutes ago, Chad1233 said:

Speaking of the cold war asthetic I don't know if you seen my earlier topic here:

The Westwood staff during a early Q&A in February even said RA1 takes place in the 70s which puts the Allies more modern units like the Abrams and Apaches into perspective even though they were quite early prototypes at the time but being a alternative time line I could see them put into service earlier. Though in retail they seemed to of scrubbed any mention of this since Stalin would had been so old by which could of been the reason. :P

Practically all sources specifically place RA1 in the early 1950's. Even RA2 (which itself explicitly takes place in the early 1970's and 20 years after RA1) confirms this.

[Chad1233]

8 minutes ago, Ice said:

Practically all sources specifically place RA1 in the early 1950's. Even RA2 (which itself takes place in the early 1970's and 20 years after RA1) confirms this.

The Q&A was done when RA1 was 2 months in development of course they had a long time to change that but you can't ignore the fact there is left overs of this idea when you look at the tech each side has, then it starts making a lot of sense. Also they said they were mixing 1940s-1980s tech for balance in it.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Chad1233