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Games Discussion / Re: Modern Naval Warfare
« Last post by Asid on Today at 12:03:53 AM »
Modern Naval Warfare - Navy Log Book #4 - The Development Process
Tue, 30 April 2024




Ahoy there! In the last month's Navy logbook, we explored the personal side of our developer team, answering questions and offering introductions to our vibrant community. In this months logbook, it's all about diving into the depths of Modern Naval Warfare’s development and showcasing a few of our latest efforts.

The team, though small, packs a mighty punch. They are now like a well-oiled machine, constantly sprinting forward in the development of Modern Naval Warfare.

Starting off, we figured it would be nice to show off some of the modeling work being done. Our artists have been hard at work designing ships and we have some pretty nice renders to show you today.

This model is currently a work in progress and may not represent the finished product



Besides these beautiful new ship models, we also figured you would like to hear about the actual in-game process of firing shipboard weapons. In Modern Naval Warfare this launch is not just a simple "press button - missile fires", but a very involved process with multiple in-game factors occurring.

Let us consider a scenario where you are tasked to launch a BGM-109D Tomahawk missile. You receive the mission order and all the plans via satellite communication. Following the directives, you position the submarine 200 miles east of the Paracel Islands.

Moving to the Fire Control station, you select the missile in the vertical launch tube, start the fire sequence and patiently wait for all the lights to turn green before pressing the launch button.



Excitedly, you rush to the periscope to witness the missile emerge from the surface. Within seconds, the booster falls away, and the missile vanishes into the hazy morning, commencing its journey to the target.

But hold on a moment! While this 20-second event may seem straightforward, it's the culmination of months of rigorous research, coding, testing, and meticulous 3D and VFX work.

Let’s start. The AGM-109D Block III (TLAM-D) used for this mission was meticulously crafted and textured by our dedicated 3D team. The stunning engine exhaust and contrail plume were skillfully created by our VFX experts.

The development of the flight model involved a lot of research on missile flight and control, a long and meticulous debugging process (often accompanied with a lot of laughing) to accurately account for the aerodynamics and physics laws governing the missile's trajectory including considerations for weight, thrust, drag, fluid dynamic and more.

To ensure the missile stays on course between waypoints an Inertial Navigation System (INS), Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM), and DSMAC (Digital Scene-Matching Area Correlation) models were also developed. Yes, in contested environments with GPS jamming, the missile will use the DSMAC to realign the navigation system.

Finally, upon reaching the point of impact, a complex process activates the warhead following the mission orders inputs (axis of delivery, altitude, ….). The missile's terminal attack mode, whether it's a pop-up maneuver, a sub-munition dispersal or a direct attack mode, dictates the outcome. This could mean a powerful detonation for a single strike or, in the case of dispersing BLU-97s, a series of smaller explosions. Each explosion is meticulously designed and executed by our skilled VFX team, adding a touch of realism and intensity to the simulation. As always, we all love big Boom!.

I know you're eagerly anticipating some videos and more screens, so let your wishes be granted!

NOTE: All media presented are works in progress and don’t necessarily represent the final product.

Here's a sample of the works of the 3D and texturing artist




Video of the simulator flight model (work with aircraft, missiles, ….), at the end, a little blooper. It happens when some flight parameters inputs are incorrect.




Videos of the VFX artist. Since he got an Oscar, he got to have TWO videos (but only this time!)

Underwater Explosions




Atmospheric Explosions




As you've witnessed in this logbook, the effectiveness and dedication of our development team are paving the way to deliver the most realistic consumer simulator of Modern Naval Warfare to date.

While I hope your craving for simulator development insights has been partially satisfied, I understand you're hungry for more, but that's all for today!

So, stay tuned for another exciting update next month!


2
Games Discussion / Re: Headquarters: World War II
« Last post by Asid on Today at 12:03:46 AM »
Headquarters: World War II: Update 1.00.03 is out Now
Tue, 30 April 2024



Hello everyone!

We keep working to process all of your feedback and ideas and use this information to plan our future updates accordingly. For the first few updates our main focus remains on the key issues, but we plan to have much more quality-of-life improvements later down the road.


Here are the key changes in the 1.00.03 update:

Fixed one of the most common crashes that could also be one of the main reasons for LIVE games crashing at some point.
Fixed AI behavior being sometimes affected by the wreckages of destroyed units. (Now it no longer prevents AI from attacking in some situations.)
Improved support for 4K monitors (disabled option that caused the image to look sharpened on High-Resolution monitors and caused flickering of image when the camera moved if Motion Blur was on)
Improved Chinese localization
Fixed glitch with unit camouflage in multiplayer
Fixed HQ skills (Eg. Dive bomber) showing incorrect damage value. (You would hit for 4 damage, but see 1 Damage displayed etc.)
Fixed the issue where the player could not deselect the HQ skill with a left mouse click if the mouse cursor is outside of the playable map area.
Fixed crash that happened during unit renaming, if you enter (/\*_-=+<>,.&^|`~) symbols and press the Esc button.
Fixed unit customization - the “Apply to all” button not working correctly in Multiplayer for all players.
Fixed player coloring on units not being displayed in the unit preview.
Fixed building destruction sounds not working for Random generated and Editor maps.
Fixed Fog of War not updating when the unit is unloaded from a Transport vehicle.
Improved support
Fixed glitch when selecting several save files and empty slot remaining selected.
Fixed glitch where minimap would be replaced by a placeholder during post-game review.
Fixed glitch with extra placeholder ability being displayed in the unit info on the 8th USA map.
Various UI fixes
Various localization fixes

Adjusted some limitations and default values for the Skirmish and Multiplayer settings:
1) Default Victory Points number increased - 40 -> 50 victory points
2) Maximum Victory Points value increased - 100 -> 200 victory points
3) Default turns limit increased - 10 -> 25 turns
4) Default turn timer increased - 30 -> 120 sec
5) Default starting prestige increased - 1000 -> 2500
6) Minimum starting prestige limit reduced - 1000 -> 500
7) Maximum starting prestige limit increased - 5000 -> 30000
8) Maximum Bias value increased - 120% -> 160%*

*Note that the Bias settings are not functional at the moment and we will address that in the next update.


Fixed the Esc button not closing the Credits screen.
Fixed windbreak (tree line) being displayed in Editor incorrectly.
Added company logos to the Main menu.

In this update, we fixed an issue that prevented AI from moving around the map in some situations. We are still checking how AI behaves after all the fixes - and so far we have not seen it sit idly by during our tests (but got a report from the beta branch player on Discord). So, if you run into any game where AI is still not moving actively around the map - please let us know, as we are still gathering data and trying to pinpoint the potential issues.

We have a lot of important fixes and improvements coming up, so stay tuned for future updates. Right now, the plan is to keep delivering weekly updates until everyone is fully happy with the technical state of the game, and then focus on larger but less frequent updates.

Please, keep sharing your thoughts on Discord, Steam community, and Slitherine forms.

See you soon!

3
Games Discussion / Re: Rule the Waves III
« Last post by Asid on Yesterday at 12:27:45 AM »
Rule the Waves 3 History Series Episode 4 - The Second World War: 1939-1945
Mon, 29 April 2024



Rule the Waves 3 Episode 4 is out now. The Second World War saw the carrier usurp the battleship as the king of battle, radar allowed ships to detect targets beyond visual range, and the first use of remotely guided weapons. It began with biplanes and ended with jet aircraft. Find out some of the key naval warfare innovations of 1939-1945




Special thanks to Drachinifel for lending his voice to this project.

This series will wrap up with Episode 5 later in May, next month.
4
Games Discussion / Re: Starship Troopers - Terran Command
« Last post by Asid on Yesterday at 12:27:40 AM »
Urban Onslaught DLC - Closed beta testers wanted
Mon, 29 April 2024



Calling all troopers! Closed Beta Testers Wanted.

Prepare for battle as we gear up for Closed Beta testing of the Urban Onslaught DLC in the upcoming weeks. This is your chance to influence the future of Starship Troopers: Terran Command and help us test the quality and stability of new units, maps, and features.

If you're ready to join the ranks, sign up now using the link below.

JOIN THE BETA HERE
https://www.slitherine.com/beta/starship-troopers-terran-command-urban-onslaught

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Games Discussion / Re: Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic
« Last post by Asid on April 29, 2024, 12:21:46 AM »
Report for the Community #94
Sun, 28 April 2024

Greetings, dear comrades of the Soviet Republic and all the fans of our game around the globe.

It's been some time since our last report, and as we approach the final stages of development, our focus has shifted more towards refinement and preparation for the final release. Consequently, our updates will become less frequent, but rest assured, our commitment to improving the game continues unabated.



Full story
Report for the Community #94 https://www.sovietrepublic.net/post/report-for-the-community-94

6
News / Announcements: SB Pro / Re: CodeMeter Runtime 8.10 released
« Last post by Asid on April 28, 2024, 05:01:51 PM »

New:
Country-specific Licenses
CodeMeter licenses can now be issued on a country-specific basis. The software manufacturer can use a positive or negative list to specify that licenses are not available in certain countries. The location of the license or the license server itself is relevant here. This allows export restrictions to be enforced or markets to be separated, for example.




7
Racing / Richard Burns Rally, openRBRTriples Release Trailer
« Last post by Asid on April 28, 2024, 04:58:34 PM »
openRBRTriples Release Trailer
Apr 25, 2024



openRBRTriples is a true triple screen implementation for Richard Burns Rally, created by torttuP.

It's based on the openRBRVR framework. You can find more information and access the GitHub repository here: https://github.com/Detegr/openRBRVR

This project will be released as open source after its initial launch and will soon be available on RallySimFans.

Video created by Mister Arek.

8
Games Discussion / Re: SAELIG
« Last post by Asid on April 28, 2024, 02:51:03 PM »
Update 45.6 - Fixing bugs, improving lives
Sat, 27 April 2024



It's time for another small update. Hopefully this is the last small update before I do another big one.

- Sometimes people would freeze during combat, hopefully they shall no longer do this.
- You can now give items to your workers while they're at work.
- Fixed a bug where archery targets would not work.
- If your payer is working or sleeping when you save a game, they will continue to do said tasks when you load back into the game.
- When you go inside your pet horse will now go away and find somewhere to graze, instead of standing near the door.
- Your horse will no longer follow in front of the player.
- Reduced the wage at markets making it a less desirable job for the AI. Have also reduced the max market workers.
- Fixed a bug where chopping firewood at a wood block would stop after each successful chop.
- When declared an outlaw while renting, you will now lose said rental. Previously the rental would bug out.
- Added a new slider to options to control camera rotation speed.
- Fixed a bug where one of the rooms in the Alehouse was inaccessible by characters.
- You can now view building info on Bunkhouses, which will show you everyone who lives in said Bunkhouse.
- Employees in the hire menu are now sorted by skill rather than distance.
- Children will no longer waylay carts that have drivers who have weapons.


Thank you as always for all the support. This has been a very long journey for us all, but SAELIG continues to live!

Now to start in update 46.

Cheers,
Atorcoppe.

9
News / Announcements: SB Pro / CodeMeter Runtime 8.10 released
« Last post by Rinix on April 28, 2024, 02:50:37 PM »
CodeMeter 8.10
Release Date: 2024-Apr-23
Operating Systems Windows, Linux, Mac OS X
Download Windows (126.09MB): Click Here

New:
Country-specific Licenses
CodeMeter licenses can now be issued on a country-specific basis. The software manufacturer can use a positive or negative list to specify that licenses are not available in certain countries. The location of the license or the license server itself is relevant here. This allows export restrictions to be enforced or markets to be separated, for example.

Features:
FB85056: CodeMeter License Server: CmWAN: When accessing a license via CmWAN with CmAccess2(), the dedicated server can now be specified without the associated login data. If no login data is provided with the call, CodeMeter License Server uses the login data stored in the server search list.

FB93606: CodeMeter License Server: The references to OpenSource licenses are no longer explicitly listed in the documentation. Instead, the OpenSource document is installed as a single document during installation. The documentation contains references to the storage locations. The current OpenSource document is also available on the website.

FB90810: CodeMeter License Server: The license tracking log files are now compressed in zip format during the configurable rotation of the log files. The compression can be deactivated via a profiling switch if required. CodeMeter WebAdmin and CmBoxPgm can now read and process both compressed and uncompressed files.

FB78836: CodeMeter License Server: CmCloud: A CodeMeter license server running as an application with user rights can now use CmCloudContainer. The credentials of the CmCloudContainer can be temporarily imported using cmu, for example, and the imported CmCloudContainer is then available until CodeMeter license server is terminated. This means that CmCloudContainers can be used with normal user rights, e.g. in container environments, such as Kubernetes.

Bugfixes:
FB95593: CodeMeter Installer: Windows: Following the switch to 64-bit installation programs from version 8.00, the entry for the installed CodeMeter Runtime version in the registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\ WIBU-SYSTEMS\CodeMeter\RuntimeVersion) was no longer written. This is now also written again for 64-bit installation programs and thus enables the installed version to be recognized by other (installation) programs.

FB95134: CodeMeter Runtime Installer: Windows: During the update installation or uninstallation of CodeMeter Runtime, you may be prompted to close Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer is then closed via the Microsoft installer mechanism. After the end of the installation process, Windows Explorer is often not restarted successfully.

FB92999: CodeMeter Installation: Linux: The detection and warning due to missing support of the CPU of SSE4 was faulty and also displayed this warning on some systems with SSE4.

FB93017: CodeMeter License Server: On some systems, CodeMeter terminated immediately after starting. This was caused by checks for the use of typical debugger functions. However, as these functions can also be used legitimately, the detection in CodeMeter has been adapted.

FB92926: CodeMeter License Server: Windows: In individual cases, the DNS name could not be resolved quickly enough on the client, which resulted in incorrect handling during the access control.

FB81239: CodeMeter License Server: If the system time on a system is set to a date before 1.1.2000, a crash occurred when a Context File was created.

FB93640: CodeMeter License Server: CmActLicense: When reprogramming user data to empty user data, these were not changed for Universal Firm Code, i.e. the content was not deleted. This is now possible again.

FB95759: CodeMeter License Server: The query via CodeMeter core API, e.g. with CmGetInfo(), only returned the start of the Usage Period with a delay.

FB88570: CodeMeter License Server: Linux clients with domain identifiers were not resolved correctly during the list check of License Access Permissions. The determined user information is now correctly distributed to the internal fields on the Linux client. In addition, there is a mechanism on the server side that corrects any incorrect user information that arrives there. This means that it is usually sufficient to update CodeMeter on the server in order to perform the check correctly.

FB82071: CodeMeter License Server: Windows: The use of group access control rules in Active Directory Forest is now supported under Windows. For this purpose, the required user information is transferred from CodeMeter on the network client to the CodeMeter license server on the network server. The queries required for the check are then sent to the Active Directory on the network server. This allows users to access software whose group is not directly managed by the Active Directory controller responsible for this server. both the client and the server must be updated to version 8.10 in order to use this functionality.

FB96036: CodeMeter License Server: When borrowing a Product Item with Module Item, a NameList was required for the license provided by the Module Item when using the Named User NameList access control. The borrowed Module Item license now works like the Product Item without NameList.

FB95726: CodeMeter License Server: macOS: The discontinued Preference Pane was not uninstalled during an update installation.

FB90688: CodeMeter WibuCmNET.dll: If special characters were contained in a file name specification for remote activation, characters were cut off at the end. Now the complete file name is retained again.

FB95656: CodeMeter Control Center: In the remote activation wizard (CodeMeter Field Activation Assistant, CmFAS), some text appeared in English due to a technical localization error in the Japanese localization.

FB94751: CodeMeter WebAdmin: Under Windows, the default setting for communication between the CodeMeter library and CodeMeter License Server, which was changed in version 8.00, was not adjusted in CodeMeter WebAdmin. The setting for these communication properties displayed in the "Settings | Extras" area has now been adjusted so that the shared memory, which is no longer activated by default, is no longer checked.

FB94928: CodeMeter WebAdmin: CodeMeter WebAdmin could no longer display an evaluation of the license tracking data.

FB90688: CodeMeter WibuCmNET.dll: If special characters were contained in a file name specification for remote activation, characters were cut off at the end. Now the complete file name is retained again.
10
Games Discussion / Re: UBOAT submarine simulator UBOOT
« Last post by Asid on April 27, 2024, 11:13:03 PM »
Full Release Dev Log #4: New Ports, Kiel Canal, Explosion physics
Tue, December 19, 2023



Upgraded tools, VR edition

Dear captains,

We are back with another dev diary. This time, we will dive into polishing, quality of life improvements, as well as several world upgrades we were working on.

Kiel & Kiel Canal
Kiel was completely reworked to look more like the historic port. There is also Kiel Canal present next to it that extends to Brunsbüttel and after entering the canal, it's possible to quickly travel to the North Sea.

This addition makes it much more comfortable to operate from Kiel, since it's no longer necessary to travel all around the Jutland Peninsula to participate in The Battle of Atlantic.




Brest
We've added two new French ports to the game, in which it's possible to dock. First one is Brest. In this port, U-boats dock at barges that move vertically with the tides. There is an old castle present near the docking area, as well as the historic tower.

It's possible to build a submarine pen in here, like in the other French ports. It's a convenient port to operate from, as it's the closest French port to busy traffic areas on the North Atlantic.




Marseille
Another French port is Marseille on the Mediterranean Sea. The large structure seen on the screenshot is the Marseille Transporter Bridge. It was built above the entrance to the port and was one of the engineering marvels of the turn of XIX and XX centuries that sadly no longer exists due to war.

The addition of this port was a part of our larger efforts in this update, to add more content to the Mediterranean Sea to make it a more interesting area of operations.




Explosion physics
Sailors on the enemy ships now fall or sometimes even are thrown away off the deck when your torpedoes explode. It makes the torpedo hits much more convincing.



It was something we always wanted to implement, as it was an immersion killer when there was no proper reaction modelled on the enemy crew. It required extra care to do it right. It's something that could easily affect the performance and stability of the game, if not carefully optimized, considering the number of sailors present on large convoys.


Upgrades to interface tools
There are major quality of life improvements coming to the tools in the user interface. It's now possible to drag the tools, as well as keep several of them open at once. It's a long standing request from the community that we are happy declare as done.

We've also added a completely new chronometer tool, which no doubt will prove to be useful on many occasions.




Underwater upgrades
On popular request, underwater environment is now much brighter than it used to be, which coincides with a more realistic look. It's now also possible to use periscopes deeper under the water and use it to look at the enemy ships passing above, depth charges or mines on the seabed.




UBOAT: The Silent Wolf VR
We also have an exciting news about a second UBOAT game in the family, developed by a friendly studio, Titan GameZ. The game has multiplayer capabilities and is designed for VR platforms. It was currently published for Oculus Quest, but there are plans to bring it also to PC VR headsets.

The studio has put their hearts into this title and it's our utmost pleasure to recommend it to you! You can read more about the game and if you decide so, also buy it, by following this link:

UBOAT: The Silent Wolf https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/uboat-the-silent-wolf/4028925843825801/




Release date estimate
Our current estimate to finish this work is March - April 2024. The main thing that extends the development time right now, are interior models for the new playable U-boats, that will be introduced in the Full Release Update. You can read more about them in this dev diary https://steamcommunity.com/games/494840/announcements/detail/3740860043618362780?snr=1_2108_9__2107

While our artist is busy finishing the new U-boats, the rest of the team, among other things, gathers feedback on the forum, so if you have something you always wanted added or changed, feel free to post. It's important to us, to make you satisfied with the upcoming release.

Also, we still have much more to share about the upcoming update and will soon in the upcoming dev logs.

Using this opportunity, we also send you our best wishes of great holidays and a Happy New Year! ✨ Have a good time in the upcoming weeks and see you in the next diary.

Yours,
DWS


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