Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful day off (hopefully with some good food)!
I know it has been some time since the last update so I wanted to give a brief account of what’s been going on.
Openworld
It was clear from your overwhelming votes (on Discord) that the vast majority of you want an open-world game. And so, without further ado, I started working on the open world. I decided it would be best to start out with this now rather than adding it on later. In fact, I am very happy to say that the work required to get this on Early Access is mostly complete!
Tiger 1
Most things required for Early Access are now complete but we are still working on damage, repairs, and rearming. Most likely these will be simplified for Early Access and will continue to grow during EA.
AI Vehicles
Basic AI for Early Access is now complete and they will evolve with development during EA. Also, please do keep in mind that AI (NPC units) will be minimal at EA launch but you can expect to see more vehicles, infantry, and air units in the future.
Bases/Skills/Unlocks
The way you progress through the open-world grand campaign is by securing “sectors” (I will go into more detail on this at a later date). Each sector will consist of a base (or bases and outposts) and capturing and holding these will give you access to abilities such as calling in air support or artillery strikes. This feature will greatly extend with other complimenting features and missions. Keep in mind that at EA, that thing will vastly improve and new abilities will be added with time.
AI Tank Crew
Tank crew is something that still needs to be worked on but most likely you will see a basic form of AI at the EA launch.
Damage Model
I have decided to start out with a somewhat simpler damage system (similar to World of Tanks). Just to be clear, shells will bounce and not penetrate depending on the angle. Hover AI will still be able to damage your hull with splash damage (think of this as stress/shock damage). Making damage ultra-realistic would, well, make the tiger invincible as nothing would really be able to hurt you. After all, this is a game.
All and all, the majority of things we need for Early Access is complete. You will begin to see more frequent updates in the coming weeks. Also, I still need to do a playtest session with a small group (hopefully soon)!
I want to be fully transparent, you should expect Early Access to last for a while as there is still work to be done. However, I aim to add new content every few weeks so you always have something new to play.
Thank you very much for your support so far. I really appreciate those of you who have been patiently waiting for this!! I really do mean it! The clock is rapidly ticking down towards EA!!
