Friday Update September 13th 2013 - Drivable vehicles and something extra ;)

[Mysticpuma]

Today is a very short video and a couple of pictures.

The video shows a very short clip (sorry, found a bug that curtailed some of the work :( but I promised this footage, so it is what it is!) that shows some footage of ground based action from the drivable vehicles feature we are currently (slowly) working on. It's really not perfect but does add a new perspective to the arenas of play ;)

Video:


https://vimeo.com/74415644

https://vimeo.com/74415644

Thanks to 92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P) of the 92 (East India) Squadron for helping me with this ;)

And here's one more bonus. A couple of pictures showing a real step forward, that is paving the way for many more features to come ;)

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Cheers, MP

[trooph]

Omg! Sweet!

I guess that the release day is moved somewhere closer to October.. :)

Keep up the good work! that Ubot looks awesome!

[Continu0]

again... JUST FANTASTIC!

[92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P)]

Playing around with the vehicles is a hoot.

It's very basic at this stage, it's not "world of wanks".. cough, I mena tanks (damned typos)..... but it is fun.

[Mysticpuma]

42594260

Updated original post with some more WIP images of Subs and shipping ;)

Cheers, MP

[RedToo]

Excellent again!

RedToo.

[Continu0]

are those ships totally new objects made by TF?

[Mysticpuma]

Yes. All new objects ;)

[selev]

Looks fantastic !... glad the matelots are getting in on the act !!

[RAF74_Buzzsaw]

are those ships totally new objects made by TF?

As Mystic says, yes, new objects... :o)

And there are other new things besides objects which I won't go into detail about right now since they are top secret hush hush hush... :~D

[Clown]

Every Friday new surprises and I think you're on apex, but... You guys are fantastic, please keep up excellent work. Huge thanks from all of us!

[archer11]

Thanks guys! You brought a very big grin into my face! You are absolutely fantastic!

[Pato Salvaje]

WOW!!

New objects... this open a whole new world!...

Maybe Aircraft carrier in the future??... ;-)

[DUI]

Are the new ships already imported via your self-programmed tools you were speaking of in an earlier Friday Update? Meaning import tools that can handle ships as well as other objects... like planes, for example..?

As nice as the new ships and drivable vehicles are - it would be a shame if the upcoming patch would be delayed due to these (non-critical) WIP features.

[Mattias]

As nice as the new ships and drivable vehicles are - it would be a shame if the upcoming patch would be delayed due to these (non-critical) WIP features.

:salute:

Work on different areas of the patch is done in parallel and it will be released as soon as we are ready with the fundamentals; flight and damage models :thumbsup:

Cheers/m

[Sandy1942]

It cool!!! :thumbsup: Submarines will plunge? Whether the submarine will be able to send radio messages? Convoy detection for example.

[gorman]

This looks great just imagine the possibility of having anti-submarine patrols!

One thing bothers me though. It is nice to have new objects, but do you know if the Hurricane's rate of turn, that is percieved by many full-time Hurricane pilots as not historical, has been or is going to be looked into to confirm that its RoT is or is not wrong?

[92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P)]

Thi
One thing bothers me though. It is nice to have new objects, but do you know if the Hurricane's rate of turn, that is percieved by many full-time Hurricane pilots as not historical, has been or is going to be looked into to confirm that its RoT is or is not wrong?

The hurricane is the subject of dedicated attention. Fear not.

[gorman]

Great news, I shall fear not :D

[Tinus]

Sounds are stunning, sub is great, thx MP and TF!

[ATAG_Colander]

A note on the drivable vehicles:
They are SO MUCH WIP that they can't even be considered alpha state. TF has been back and forth deciding between releasing or not. It was decided to release them as they are so much fun even in their current FULL OF BUGS state.
Of course, this decision can change again several times before the release.

[Wulf]

Umm ...... what is the purpose of controllable vehicles? And if this is all WIP stuff, should we assume that the "late August early September" release date date has now been 'relaxed' somewhat? Is there a new target date?

[92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P)]

Umm ...... what is the purpose of controllable vehicles?

fun.

[ATAG_Colander]

Umm ...... what is the purpose of controllable vehicles?
Fun. Even in their current Pre-Alpha stage they are fun, even if is only to get out of a plane for a while.


And if this is all WIP stuff, should we assume that the "late August early September" release date date has now been 'relaxed' somewhat?

Is there a new target date?
The vehicles will not be fixed for this release. It would take too much time and there are other pressing issues.
WIPs shown in Friday updates are not necessarily part of the next release. Is they can be just an overall progress update.

Release date for the current release is not set on stone. There are many big and little bugs that need to be corrected. Some take a minute, some can take weeks. Then, after each change, all needs to be tested again.

The process is:
Beta testing is done to find bugs and issues. Bugs and issues get corrected. Another beta testing is done, etc..etc.. until all release issues have been ironed out.

[ATAG_Ribbs]

As Mystic says, yes, new objects... :o)

And there are other new things besides objects which I won't go into detail about right now since they are top secret hush hush hush... :~D


Your such a tease!.. Buzzsaw! haha

[hnbdgr]

Fantastic work by TF , congrats. My only worry is that as with all ambitious projects, stuff keeps getting added and release date deferred... I know it's been mentioned you guys want to do it in one big lump rather then several little pieces, but keep in mind a lot of people are waiting for that visibility patch more then anything else...;)

[heinkill]

Congratulations on very nice progress, especially on the subs/new shipping object(s).

I only recently discovered that torpedos are actually modelled in the game but for the He115 only. Obviously it would be great to get them working with your new sub so that it could attack other shipping, but also it would be fantastic if we could one day see a Beaufighter VIc or TFX with British 18" torpedo.

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I think I once saw a post from Vasiliy (VasOK) that he had modded a Sunderland to be able to carry a big range of weapons including depth charges/mines, but that he wasn't happy with it because the weapon racks were only visible internally, and did not deploy correctly ie were not visible on the outside of the aircraft.

I admire this perfectionism, but as a game player who is not obsessive compulsive, I would be happy with eg torpedos or depth charges/bombs/mines implemented in the same way that they currently are on the He115 ie they just drop out of a closed bomb bay. Maybe I am alone on this?

Having subs in the game, and adding British torpedos or mines to the loadout of one of the RAF heavy fighters/medium bombers, would make for some fun mission scripting eg "Mission objective: a friendly convoy is under attack from an enemy submarine. You must sink the submarine and lose no more than 30% of the convoy."

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[Mattias]

Fantastic work by TF , congrats. My only worry is that as with all ambitious projects, stuff keeps getting added and release date deferred... I know it's been mentioned you guys want to do it in one big lump rather then several little pieces, but keep in mind a lot of people are waiting for that visibility patch more then anything else...;)

:salute:

Yes, if we were to add new things at this beta testing stage we would never get it ready for release :D We are not adding any more content since several weeks back, just refining FM/DM and correcting bugs :thumbsup:

Cheers/m

[92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P)]

stuff keeps getting added and release date deferred... e...;)

TF are welcome to correct me - I'm not a member of TF.

The release is NOT being deferred by "adding new stuff".
Release is awaiting the primary/ core elements which are;
1. Flight Models
2. Damage models
3. Graphics fixes and stability.

Whatever state the "add-ons" are when the core elements above are ready, that's the state they will be released in.
Resources are NOT being diverted from the core elements, to the "add-on" extras.

[Mysticpuma]

Honestly speaking, we do appreciate that everyone who is interested in this work wants it released. Trust us, we want to clear the decks to work on some of the new projects that are being advanced behind closed doors (n CloD of course), but as we test, we find new bugs and the last thing we want to do is release a new feature that will cause big issues.

Also, we do this in.our spare.time, not as part of a.paid team who can dedicate a day/week/month to fix one or multiple issues, so if one of the team spots an.issue, they can't just pop across an office and point it out. It has to be detailed,.messaged to the other team members and then dealt with when they have time. Then tested again.
The thing is, and please understand, this has to be done on our part for fun. Although the end result is a serious patch with a huge amount of work behind it, we do this as a hobby and for our personal enjoyment. When it gets challenging, that's when it is enjoyable, because the elation of fixing something that is broken is the reward or payoff for the hours invested. If it was released early or nearly finished there would be so much negative feedback that it would be counter productive for you, us and to our future of the project because we'd have the impression of not being appreciated and then thinking 'what's the point as the community don't appreciate what we have done'.
So we don't want that situation and we have to make sure that what we release will vastly improve everyone's experience of the sim rather than alienate them.
To give an example without specifics, last night I was preparing the video of vehicles in action. Then a bug reared it's head and I had to scrap.multiple takes, angles.and footage. That's why the video is short and to the point rather than a little more elaborate. So that bug is now reported, being worked on and hopefully fully fixed for the next video update.
But think about that though. Everything looks great and then from nowhere a bug popped up. If that hadn't been caught it could have been a real big issue. It's a nasty one! So, beta work continues to try and make the next patch as close to perfect as possible for looks , features and stability.
Work is being looked at already for Patch v5.00 but all at the same time as this (v4.00) prepared for general release.
It is in the final stages, it wont be next week, but when it is ready you'll know that it should be as stable and feature packed as possible and we have had fun creating it!

Just a little more patience....we are keeping that dream alive :)

Cheers, MP/TF

[RAF74_Buzzsaw]

Salute

Everyone needs to cast their minds back to the release of TF 3.0 and subsequently TF 3.01.

TF 3.0 was a relatively bug free release, it only required minor fixes in TF 3.01, and then people have been able to play the mod for six months without encountering a lot of issues.

We are simply trying to live up to those standards for TF 4.0.

There is no point in the public having to install patch after patch because the first one wasn't done right.

Understand also, this patch is 2 Gb, the first was 1/2 a Gb.

Re. the vehicles:

Aircraft are, and always will be central to CLIFFS OF DOVER. Playable vehicles, ships, etc. are simply icing on the cake. They give the players an option to explore another dimension of the game, and a means to add complexity to online play and wars.

You can play the mod, and never jump into a vehicle or man a gun and you will lose nothing.

On the other hand, you have that opportunity if you choose.

And vehicle work really doesn't take away from other development, everything is going forward in parallel, with many different streams underway at the same time.

Cheers Buzzsaw

[Sandy1942]

Your scrupulousness in questions of quality of work causes respect! Thanks and good luck to you.

[superman]

It cool!!! :thumbsup: Submarines will plunge? Whether the submarine will be able to send radio messages? Convoy detection for example.

You do realize that it will be totally unrealistic unless we also get a working simulation of the enigma machine, and the ability to intercept and decipher those radio messages. Imagine the endless fun of spending days or weeks deciphering a message on a simulated "bombe" and then go out to bomb a submarine at the right coordinates. :-)

Otherwise everything looks fantastic. Cant wait!!!

Cheers

[oneeyeddog]

Thanks for the Friday Update and thats to all the folks who are working on the upcoming patch. S!

[Sandy1942]

You do realize that it will be totally unrealistic unless we also get a working simulation of the enigma machine, and the ability to intercept and decipher those radio messages. Imagine the endless fun of spending days or weeks deciphering a message on a simulated "bombe" and then go out to bomb a submarine at the right coordinates. :-)...
I meant transmission of messages about detection of the opponent as it does a radar. Like it: "the convoy is found. AG09 square. Course 90". :)

[Roblex]

WOW!!

New objects... this open a whole new world!...

Maybe Aircraft carrier in the future??... ;-)

It has been mentioned elsewhere that they are planning to add HMS Illustrious though there are no promises about timescales. I have a fascination with carriers that seem to take no account of my inability to land safely :D


Aircraft are, and always will be central to CLIFFS OF DOVER. Playable vehicles, ships, etc. are simply icing on the cake.

...but surely a carrier is more of the the former than the latter ;-P

[gavagai]

:salute:

Work on different areas of the patch is done in parallel and it will be released as soon as we are ready with the fundamentals; flight and damage models :thumbsup:

Cheers/m

We are pining for the LoD fix, Mattias. Other things pale in comparison to actually being able to see other aircraft. Sorry to be so impatient! ;)

[ATAG_Jeepy]

So impressed !
-childish anticipation here :-)

~S~ TF !

[hnbdgr]

Thank you Mattias, Mysticpuma and Philistinestyle, I appreciate your detailed answers, I was just being a bit impatient is all:))

i've stopped playing around a month ago for a couple of reasons 1.my benq has been sent away for a while 2.I thought I'd wait out until the 4.0 to get back into the game and enjoy it all the more for it.

Also Il2 BOS will be coming out as a closed beta hopefully next month ( no source, just guesstimate) so I really want to do get back to Clod before BOS is out:)

Either way it looks like you're about to release it fairly soon and I would like to thank you for your hard work, I fully understand it's being done in your spare time. Mysticpuma your response convinced me to throw a few gold coins atag's way tonight as a minor token of appreciation. I'm looking forward to the patch!

[hnbdgr]

the broken image links are smileys, not sure what's happening there...

[Tettric]

This is great, but I do have a question...
Will I be able to drive a train?!
Ever since I saw the first drive-able vehicles videos on Luthier's channel it has been a longstanding ambition of mine to drive a train in CloD (preferably with 109s in the surrounding area XD).

[RAF74_Buzzsaw]

This is great, but I do have a question...
Will I be able to drive a train?!
Ever since I saw the first drive-able vehicles videos on Luthier's channel it has been a longstanding ambition of mine to drive a train in CloD (preferably with 109s in the surrounding area XD).

Anything is possible given time... but the question is priorities for our coders.

Driving a train doesn't change a lot from the AI driving it... Forward/Backward... You are still on the same track.

Certainly we know players can man AAA weapons on the trains, that can be done relatively easily, although that is behind getting players able to man ship weapons properly and multiple weapons on the same object.

[Wulf]

Salute

Everyone needs to cast their minds back to the release of TF 3.0 and subsequently TF 3.01.

TF 3.0 was a relatively bug free release, it only required minor fixes in TF 3.01, and then people have been able to play the mod for six months without encountering a lot of issues.

We are simply trying to live up to those standards for TF 4.0.

There is no point in the public having to install patch after patch because the first one wasn't done right.

Understand also, this patch is 2 Gb, the first was 1/2 a Gb.

Re. the vehicles:

Aircraft are, and always will be central to CLIFFS OF DOVER. Playable vehicles, ships, etc. are simply icing on the cake. They give the players an option to explore another dimension of the game, and a means to add complexity to online play and wars.

You can play the mod, and never jump into a vehicle or man a gun and you will lose nothing.

On the other hand, you have that opportunity if you choose.

And vehicle work really doesn't take away from other development, everything is going forward in parallel, with many different streams underway at the same time.

Cheers Buzzsaw


Thanks (Mattias and Mystic as well) for the clarification. I'd certainly been under the impression (incorrect as it turns out) that the patch content had been expanding exponentially and that this was resulting in a blowout of the timeline. It's good to know this isn't the case. From my own narrow selfish perspective the issues are, aircraft visibility, cloud opacity, flight model fidelity, damage modelling and visual effects. Everything else falls into the category of 'nice to have' but certainly not a deal-breaker. The ability to undertake night operations is a case in point. Would I try this; yes possibly/probably, once or twice anyway but I really struggle to imagine this as anything other than a one night wonder, especially if the gameplay is modeled on the unsophisticated equipment and techniques employed during the early war years. Certainly it is very hard to imaging any great enthusiasm for this type of flying online.

[Skoshi_Tiger]

My two big questions about drivable vehicles is how do we get them over the Channel so I can park them at the end of the enemy strip, and will the defending guns react to my presence? ;)


Seriously though, Thanks for the update and all the hard work!

[ATAG_Colander]

My two big questions about drivable vehicles is how do we get them over the Channel so I can park them at the end of the enemy strip, and will the defending guns react to my presence?

With a lot of patience.

[Wolf]

Anything is possible given time... but the question is priorities for our coders.

Driving a train doesn't change a lot from the AI driving it... Forward/Backward... You are still on the same track.

Certainly we know players can man AAA weapons on the trains, that can be done relatively easily, although that is behind getting players able to man ship weapons properly and multiple weapons on the same object.

Ships, building, bridges and train models are completely separate to the next patch and are in no way to influence the release date. If any models are ready and tested independently to the upcoming patch and then tested with the proposed patch and all works out then they are in. So all the work on bug fixes and improvements are separate again to the new models. This way nothing is held up in patch releases. Given the size of new ship models ext.. to be released it may come out in a patch on its own between patch 4 and 5. who knows...

Priority for the ship builder at the moment is just to have a completed template model that paves the way for many new ships by a couple of good modellers who have models ready to go but require the knowledge and naming and importing knowledge that our ship specialist already has.

To give you a little idea. I am told the Ship builder has the template (the Sub with working guns) 95% complete.

Still to complete:
Engine mounting - 3hrs - still to build and test.
Humans populating on the guns - 2 hrs In build phase.
Water wake - 1 hr (was working and needs to just be re-added) - test phase.
Damage collision's 1 week - This is not the destruction of boat. This is all the bits you see fly off as the boat explodes. Currently in build and test phase.
Skins (damage and normal) - 1 week (Ship builder needs a skinner as he is still to learn the art). This is last at the moment and not a concern.

Our Ship model guy is meeting with another TF member in Melbourne this week to share all his knowledge and strengthen the unity to make knowledge sharing and progress faster and better. He hopes to have a team of 3 to complete the finishing touches to the template in the coming weeks.

Once Template is complete and all current models in development are released, there will also be the opportunity for the general public to provide 3ds model ships of quality for inclusion in the game. IF it is of an acceptable standard and era model. The Ship modeller will offer this resource as a permanent position in TF. It is expected that each new model provided should be a 30 day turn around from acceptance to import for testing.

No times or dates to be announced on the above.
:salute:

[Cybermat47]

I don't mean to nitpick, but what's with the square thing behind the U-boat's conning tower? If you get rid of it, you've got a perfect type VIIB U-Boat, the most common type at the time.

[Wolf]

I don't mean to nitpick, but what's with the square thing behind the U-boat's conning tower? If you get rid of it, you've got a perfect type VIIB U-Boat, the most common type at the time.

I am told ;) that the box behind is just am ammo box test. It is not part of the final model. Just used for the template design for target practice. Check different materials, strengths, explosion types and flying debris.
Aids in testing wood v steel for other ships and damage ability (wood v steel decks etc..).

[dburne]

Looking and sounding great guys, looking forward to this next version!

[vranac]

Great news gents :thumbsup:

[Zisi]

It continually amazes me what you are able to accomplish with the engine without access to their source. I'm greatly looking forward to the next release for the lod fix and other things!

[mazex]

Once Template is complete and all current models in development are released, there will also be the opportunity for the general public to provide 3ds model ships of quality for inclusion in the game. IF it is of an acceptable standard and era model. The Ship modeller will offer this resource as a permanent position in TF. It is expected that each new model provided should be a 30 day turn around from acceptance to import for testing.
:salute:

It sound awesome... This game can truly turn into something completely different in the future!

[mazex]

It continually amazes me what you are able to accomplish with the engine without access to their source. I'm greatly looking forward to the next release for the lod fix and other things!

It sure is. In a way it's "unfortunate" that 1C signed that deal with 777 to take over the legacy so they will probably not be easily persuaded into letting the source code away in a "controlled way" like they did with Daidalos? As you still need to buy the game if you don't own it they will still benefit from the thousands of free hours poured in by TF!

[rollingstoned]

ill kiss you right on the face Team Fusion so be careful showing me all this good shit.

[Wolf]

Will there be a Friday update today?

[Mattias]

Will there be a Friday update today?

I believe Mystic has something in store for us today :)

[Mysticpuma]

About 8pm tonight UK time :)

[Skoshi_Tiger]

Mystic, that is just cruel!

Where I am it's late Friday night , my first day on Holidays and I've just come home with a skin full,

And now I will have to wake up at 5:00am local time to see the update!

That is just evil!

;)

[Mysticpuma]

Sorry Skoshi, just need to tweak a couple of things....all for the benefit of the viewers..cheers, MP

[Skoshi_Tiger]

No problems Mystic! The job will take as long as it takes and us viewers can afford to wait.

Have fun!

[Tettric]

Anything is possible given time... but the question is priorities for our coders.

Driving a train doesn't change a lot from the AI driving it... Forward/Backward... You are still on the same track.

Certainly we know players can man AAA weapons on the trains, that can be done relatively easily, although that is behind getting players able to man ship weapons properly and multiple weapons on the same object.

Manning the AAA on a train seems close enough to me!
TF are really doing a great job, it would be nice if full fledged development companies kept up this sort of dialogue with fans but alas 'tis not the world we live in...

[ATAG_Colander]

Manning the AAA on a train seems close enough to me!
TF are really doing a great job, it would be nice if full fledged development companies kept up this sort of dialogue with fans but alas 'tis not the world we live in...

This is fans talking to fans. That is the difference