That was quite the busy month we had in January, and I had a bad cold right at the time I was supposed to upload all this stuff, so apologies for the unwanted delay…!
We have mostly worked on ironing out bugs and introducing our view system, while implementing thoroughly combat systems aboard ships and visual effects too. That might sound a bit surprising considering views & visual effects are not usually an important part of the wargamer’s toolkit to a good experience. Yet, in the specific 3D environment of TFA, they remain central to the enjoyment of the game, and a fair companion to any After-Action Report minded playthrough. Let’s see why.
The View System
Our view system is sticking to a few cardinal rules in its design which, hopefully, will satisfy the expectations of most, whether you use it for your in-game enjoyment or as a tool for a video or picture-based after-action report.
The views should give you as much freedom as possible when it comes to picking an angle
They should be easy to navigate using a few keys, in an intuitive fashion, while making good use of the mouse without hampering gameplay functions
They should help with focusing on a given unit from your current PoV with handy padlock options
They should be fully interactive during pause as long as pause is a thing in your realism settings, and obviously will be as such when used in the future replay system
The first video below gives you an idea of the basic PoVs one can pick for any naval or air unit, on either side. Basically the different views are:
A default Orbit view around the selected unit
A Front view, at bridge-level for a ship, and above the engine cowling or the nose for an aircraft)
A Left side and Right side view, which also works for the vulture’s row on a carrier
A Rear view, which will puts you on the stern of a ship or the backseat of an airplane
A Chase view, which will allow you to follow dogfights & the action in general with a cool head bobbing effect
