Dogs Of War Vu
Sim/Strategy/War => Games Discussion => Topic started by: Asid on December 11, 2020, 01:11:26 AM
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Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom — is a (hi)story-driven turn-based strategy set in the WW2 period. It offers refined wargame mechanics, story-rich gameplay, and modern 3D graphics. Lead the Allies troops in two campaigns, defending your homeland and freeing the European continent!
Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/)
Official forum (https://steamcommunity.com/app/1381850/discussions/)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/StarniGames/search?query=Strategic%20Mind%3A%20Fight%20for%20Freedom)
Single-player
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom | Teaser-Trailer
https://youtu.be/V0mCzsHTWz8
About
We live in a country where the people own the Government and not in a country where the Government owns the people.(c) Winston Churchill
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1381850/extras/teaser.gif?t=1607515562)
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom — is a (hi)story-driven turn-based strategy set in the WW2 period. It offers refined wargame mechanics, story-rich gameplay, and modern 3D graphics. Lead the Allies troops in two campaigns, defending your homeland and freeing the European continent!
SEE WW2 FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
The game has 2 campaigns: British one features fully historical battles, while the US one has historical operations up to the defeat of Germany and also features a number of alternate history battles against the USSR afterward. It is created with great care and attention to historical details by a team that is passionate about WW2 history.
IMMERSE YOURSELF INTO THE STORY
Watching cinematics before and after every operation you can almost feel that you are indeed a participant of the unfolding epochal events. Moreover, numerous primary and secondary objectives allow you to explore every battle in detail.
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.(c) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
MEET THE TOP BRASS
The gameplay is plot-driven and features many historical personalities such as Winston Churchill, Bernard Law Montgomery, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and others.
WELCOME THE SUCCESSOR
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom is the fourth installment in the Strategic Mind line of games. The first one — “Strategic Mind: The Pacific” — was about naval warfare during the Pacific War, while the second one — “Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg” — was telling the story of the European theater from the German perspective. The third one — “Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism” tells the USSR story in WW2. Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom will feature two Allied campaigns (led by the British and the US) across Europe and Africa, with alternate history ending, after the historical one. As a part of the Strategic Mind franchise, it will retain many features of the series along with adding new content and features to the existing variety.
When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.(c) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
KEY FEATURES:
• Command ground, air, and naval forces with the emphasis on the land battles.
• Enjoy the modern 3D graphics brought by UE4 engine with detailed models of all the units, day/night cycle and weather effects.
• Play two plot-driven campaigns: the British and the US one.
• Upgrade and customize your troops by leveling them up and selecting skills that best suit your strategy.
• Provide your troops with additional equipment for each operation according to your strategy and the war theatre.
• Receive a number of awards throughout the game and get access to unique HQ skills, which you can learn to increase the efficiency and synergy of your troops.
• Acquire various new units out of 10 different classes. All units and equipment are available at the historically accurate time periods.
• Capture trophies and employ some of the enemy`s most advanced units against him in future battles.
• Explore various “what if’s” to see what could have happened if the Allies continued the war against USSR following the Operation Unthinkable line of thought.
• Immerse yourself into the story by watching over 60 minutes of cinematics, and listening to in-operation dialogues with full VO.
• Enjoy the benefits of our “no in-game purchases” policy.
• Defend the pillars of Freedom and Democracy in Europe from totalitarian regimes.
All the greatest things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: Freedom; Justice; Honour; Duty; Mercy; Hope.(c) Winston Churchill
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Units in Fight for Freedom | Part #1
Thu, December 10, 2020
British bomber: Short Stirling
Stirling was the first British four-engined strategic bomber. It was designed by the Short Brothers company.
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The model was successful and remained the British heavy-bomber of choice until newer models became available in 1943 and its role in strategic bombing raids started to diminish.
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In the game
The Short Stirling aircraft will serve as a strategic bomber and will be summoned by the “Air strike” HQ skill:
(https://media.giphy.com/media/2ctmyZLOEgHjvOUbeL/giphy.gif)
We will keep posting new units that will appear for the first time in the Strategic Mind series, so stay tuned!
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Units in Fight for Freedom #2
Thu, 17 December 2020
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Matilda II: close support variant
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(Matilda II Mk is on the left)
Matilda II Mk. 4 close support tank was a refitted variant of Matilda II Mk. 2 heavy tank, armed with a 75 mm howitzer.
Matilda II tanks, in general, had very solid armoring, making them almost unbeatable to early German and Italian tanks. Their 45 mm gun was decent, but not very powerful.
The Matilda II Mk. 4 variant fitted with a 75 mm gun was created as a close support tank.
In the game
As the British did not have the dedicated Assault gun units, but rather refitted some of the tanks with howitzers, we will add a series of close support tanks as Assault guns class, but with a gun range of 2. Basically, the tanks like Matilda II Mk. 4 will be placed under the Assault gun category but will retain many tanks’ features making them a hybrid between Tanks and Assault guns. We are still working on the exact details, but that is our line of thought so far.
Let us know in the comments what you think about this idea. As our long-time users know, we are reacting to your feedback and do our best to implement the best of players-generated ideas and solutions.
We will keep posting new units that will appear for the first time in the Strategic Mind series, so stay tuned!
With best regards
Starni Games team
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Fight for Freedom Demo is now live!
Tue, 22 December 2020
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Christmas presents for you
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Hello, guys! Christmas is on us, and Santa is very busy sorting out all of his presents to deliver them on time, especially when the pandemic is disrupting air transport and logistics. Yet, you should not worry - we have approached Santa beforehand and arranged a timely delivery of Christmas gifts to all of our players in advance.
Today, Santa delivered all the goodies we have in store for you.
Free keys
Santa has chosen 12 players who were very active and helpful to the community and offered us feedback on certain issues helping us fix critical bugs, or just were generally very friendly and supportive to other community members. Santa gives free Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom keys to:
🎁 Problem Solver
🎁 Liberty-kun (◕‿◕)
🎁 Steevodeevo
🎁 7TH MANEUVER CORPS
🎁 Wolf1455
🎁 Asura-223
🎁 Jurand36
🎁 MatthewT
🎁 Storm Eagle
🎁 Foxador
🎁 BrGGR
🎁 bcnkor
We will send you the keys through Steam private messages. The game will become available at the full release date in Q2 2021❗
Free demo
Santa had a very tough time choosing whom to give keys, as there are many more people who helped us a lot with the fixes and further game improvement. Santa cannot give the keys to everyone, but he offers everyone to play the free Demo of Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom starting today and wishes all of you Merry Christmas.
Where is the demo?
You can find and download the demo at the Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom store page:
What is the state of the Demo?
This is an early Demo that will later be updated to better represent the final game. Currently, it has the first operation of the British campaign, which is fully playable. It misses VO, has only ENG/RU text localization (DE, CN, FR - UI only), and does not contain new skills, and HQ skills. It also could miss some visual elements. Overall, it provides a stable and solid experience.
Will save files from the Demo be compatible with the Full version later on?
We plan to have the save files compatible so that you can continue playing the Full version starting from 2nd operation and keep your troops and progression. Yet, there is a small chance that the compatibility would be lost due to some unforeseen changes.
You can help Santa gather wishlists for a Christmas gift to the Starni Games team here:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 🎄
Starni Games team
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The gameplay trailer is now live! 🎉
Wed, 23 December 2020
Watch the latest Fight for Freedom trailer 📽
Hello, guys!
Watch the first gameplay trailer for 'Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom' on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/wWvKdLDLbh8
The trailer was more about the key gameplay features, so many of you already know most of it. However, we plan on creating one more gameplay trailer in a few months that will delve into the plot and tell you more about the operations covered in the game.
❓ What do you think about the trailer? Let us know to help us improve.
Also, do not forget you can play the free Demo, more details below:
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom AnnouncementTue, 22 December 2020
Fight for Freedom Demo is now live!
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1381850/announcements/detail/2947008580377942578
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Starni Games team
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Units in Fight for Freedom #3
Thu, 24 December 2020
Bristol Beaufighter
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The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often called the Beau, was a multi-role aircraft - primarily heavy-fighter. Developed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the UK. It was used as a long-range heavy fighter, bomber, torpedo bomber and night fighter.
Beaufighter was a very successful aircraft that entered the war during the Battle of Britain. It was relatively slow by fighter standards but could carry more weight, which allowed for the installation of powerful armaments and radars.
Starting late 1940 many Beaufighters were equipped with radars for night operations and proved to be a very effective counter to the German night raids. Additionally, it was often equipped with air-to-surface missiles.
In the game
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Like other long-range fighters in the game, Beaufighter has 60 fuel instead of the usual 40. That allows it to operate across larger distances and be less conservative with skills like Afterburner or Overwatch breakthrough. In that regard, it has a similar role to the German Me-110 series. At the same time, it is better at attacking ground targets and could be used successfully in the ground attack aircraft role. You can also equip it with air-to-ground missiles.
(https://media.giphy.com/media/9ggnVRTTnLgNI7GD0Z/giphy.gif)
We will keep posting new units that will appear for the first time in the Strategic Mind series, so stay tuned!
With best regards
Starni Games team
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Watch the Developer's Gameplay #2: Fight for Freedom Demo
Mon, 4 January 2021
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Hello, guys!
We hope that you had a great time during the holidays. To make the beginning of the new year even better, we offer you to watch the 2nd episode of the Developer’s Gameplay series on our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/UXGzR3ZuaBQ
In today’s episode, we play the Free early Demo of the upcoming Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom. We hope that this episode is both a good introduction to the series for newcomers and has some insights for more experienced players. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
You can also play the Free Demo, it is available here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850
In the next episodes, we plan to get back to playing Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism and discuss some more in-depth questions and mechanics. We might also play some of the previous titles at some point. Let us know, which playthroughs you are more interested in and which questions you would like us to answer.
The winter is not over yet, but the Winter Sale on Steam comes to an end 🥶
You have one last day to save up to 80% on all of our games. Don't miss the chance:
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Units in Fight for Freedom #4
Wed, 13 January 2021
British cruiser tanks
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Unlike the sluggish and heavily-armored infantry tanks, the concept of “cruiser tanks” was designed around speed and mobility. In many ways these are the UK’s answer to the Pz III, with equivalent armaments and similar overall performance. Some early “close support” variants even came armed with a howitzer, fulfilling the combat role of an assault gun.
The Cruiser Mk III A13 was built for speed and armed with a QF 2-pounder. It was designed to swarm the enemy, and had poor armor - something the crew had to be mindful of.
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Cruiser Mk IV was a hasty course correction - so hasty many models were shipped straight to the frontline, often with some parts missing. It fared poorly against thick German armor, but quickly became a soldiers’ favorite in Africa, where its speed and good climate adaptation made it deadly when facing lightly armored Italian tanks.
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Crusader II kept the speed and the 2-pounder cannon, but boasted additional protective panels on its sides, and much thicker front armor, offset by the powerful Nuffield Liberty Mk.III engine. This machine came into use in 1942, just in time for the major battles in North Africa.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34062974/cbf33103288253bc261dea04eb0c56838c7608e9.jpg)
In the game
The сruiser tanks’ high mobility is reflected by the high movement points, but their defense is mediocre. Still, it is a force to be reckoned with, especially early into the war. Their armament provides decent Soft attack and mediocre Hard attack capabilities.
Crusader II
(https://media.giphy.com/media/MBaapeSJEI7Il8o44x/giphy.gif)
The Cruiser Mk III A13
(https://media.giphy.com/media/2uuA9DgY9nBpJK82F9/giphy.gif)
Coming Soon
With best regards
Starni Games team
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Developer's Gameplay | Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom Demo
Jan 21 2021
Watch the gameplay and meet the devs!
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Hello, guys!
Join us on February 3th 10 am PST/7 pm CET when our Lead game designer of the Strategic Mind series Oleksandr will present the Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom early demo with commentary, explaining the game mechanics and telling more about the game development process.
Do not forget that you can also play the Free Demo, which can be found on the Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom store page. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/
📽: Watch the Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom gameplay trailer
https://youtu.be/UXGzR3ZuaBQ
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Units in Fight for Freedom #5
Thu, 21 January 2021
British dive bombers
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The screaming Stuka remains one of the most recognizable images of the Second World War. They were as much of a sensation at the time - faced with the enemy dive bombers, the British immediately wanted their own.
American-made A-31 Vengeance had all the weaknesses of a dive bomber - a dire need for a fighter escort, and a reliance on local air superiority - but made up for them by being rugged, dependable and, according to some accounts, simply “a lovely aircraft to fly”. They did not fare well in the battle of Britain, but won their glory in Burma, where, safe from overwhelming flak fire, Vengeances were used to conduct numerous bombing raids on the Japanese supply lines and military infrastructure.
A-31 Vengeance Mk. I was the first model ordered, with the initial order of 200. A-31 Vengeance Mk. II had only minor differences, while A-35B Vengeance Mk. IV boasted a more powerful engine, and an increased bomb load.
A-31 Vengeance Mk. I
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A-31 Vengeance Mk. II
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A-35B Vengeance Mk. IV
https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/38607672/9a1c47e3caca2dd78c903b2235f4f94a3224955c.jpg
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In the game
The Vengeance series will be the only Dive bombers available in the UK campaign. Unlike ordinary Tactical bombers, Dive bombers deal mostly Lethal damage, not allowing the enemy to restore wounded at the end of its turn. Thus, it is more effective if you want to deal permanent damage to the enemy troops. Although, other bombers that deal mostly Nonlethal damage, could be better for making the enemy surrender and taking prisoners, instead of outright annihilating the enemy troops.
With best regards
Starni Games team
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Units in Fight for Freedom #6
Thu, 28 January 2021
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British Churchill heavy tanks
While the Churchill was the heaviest tank deployed by the British, it began as an infantry tank design. Sluggish, heavily armored and only lightly armed, it was not unlike the WWI-era British tanks, and so quickly proved to be obsolete when facing the modernized German army.
Extensive modifications began, and while visually the versions differed very little, internally the late models barely resembled the initial design. At 25 kph, it was still a slow tank, so its main merits were the armor (up to 150 mm in the later models) and the 6-pounder turret.
Churchill II
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Churchill II, armed with a 2-pounder, was overall relegated to the second line.
Churchill III
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Churchill III was a major step up. A 6-pounder gun made it capable of not only surviving enemy tanks, but taking them out as well.
Churchill IV
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Then, Churchill IV fixed the problems of the predecessor, and became the most widely-deployed model in the series.
In the game
(https://media.giphy.com/media/du1xGUboi5pk6QM5ei/giphy.gif)
At 5 hexes per turn, the Churchill is even slower than the Soviet KV, but its armor can take a beating. It can effectively combat most of the vehicles, unless facing another heavy tank.
With best regards
Starni Games team
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British Anti-Tank Guns
Thu, 4 February 2021
Units in Fight for Freedom #7
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Where German engineering was known for its quality, the British had to make do with ingenuity. Few vehicles demonstrate it better than Deacon and Archer.
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At the start of WWII, most of the British artillery was towed - with the advent of mobile warfare it became a disadvantage that had to be quickly resolved.
Deacon
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Deacon was the result of the simple solution: mounting a QF 6-pounder on the standard AEC Matador chassis. It only saw action in North Africa, where it was both well-suited for the landscape and sufficient in tackling inferior Italian armor.
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(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/38607672/210473a5d13cc927900a5450a345d4cf426c949a.jpg)
Archer
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Archer was a massive 17-pounder gun mounted on a Valentine infantry tank… except facing backwards.
Valentine had poor reverse speed, and for a tank killer the ability to quickly relocate was more important than implacable advance - thus, a backwards-facing gun on a low-silhouette vehicle allowed Archer to move quickly, stay in cover, and destroy most contemporary vehicles with one shot of its powerful 17-pounder.
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(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/38607672/ee192894bb86c4ce738fcf512350e10912cd6cfb.jpg)
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/38607672/970bb4b73323bab2e676f0923d8ffd18ff3901af.jpg)
In the game
Those of you who have played our previous titles are sure to know that the mobility of an anti-tank gun is paramount to its effectiveness. Slow and clumsy towed guns are nearly useless in offensive action, and could be of use only in defense. Thus, having mobile anti-tank units allows the British troops to improve their offensive capabilities.
(https://media.giphy.com/media/dz9wOnU5czzh2v8K0W/giphy.gif)
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British tactical bombers
Wed, 10 February 2021
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Units in Fight for Freedom #8
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At the time when hundreds and thousands of war machines are in production every day, iron and steel can be more precious than gold. Then, the wooden de Havilland Mosquito comes in, and manages to outdo them.
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Made of the non-strategic spruce and balsa, Mosquito multi-role aircrafts were highly praised by the British pilots and their German adversaries alike. They were good for reconnaissance flights, precision bombings, or interception, and their losses were the lowest among the RAF bombers - a testament to their speed and maneuverability.
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Armed with four 20mm cannons and as many M1919 Brownings, Mosquito could combat aerial targets as well as ground ones.
Mosquito IV
Mosquito IV was primarily a night bomber with a maximum speed of about 600 kph.
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Mosquito VI
Mosquito VI was the most mass-produced model of the war, a versatile aircraft with an improved engine and even higher speed as a result.
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Mosquito IX
Mosquito IX was a later model, even faster than its predecessors, and capable of carrying externally-fit 4000 lb “block-buster” bombs.
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In the game
The Mosquitos play the role of long-range bombers, with Mosquito VI being fighter-bomber — a bomber with high air combat capabilities, able to fend off the enemy fighters much better. They have 60 Fuel against the usual 40, allowing long-range raids against the enemy positions and rear supply areas.
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Map creation process in Strategic Mind: from an idea to a game-ready scenario
Fri, 12 February 2021
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Developers' Diaries #11
Hello, guys! Today we will tell you in detail about the whole scenario creation process. To illustrate it we will use footage taken during the creation of the 5th scenario of the US campaign in the upcoming Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom — Western Allied invasion of Germany.
The following article is brought to you by Alex Marchenko, Lead Level Designer at Starni Games.
Stage 1: Creating a PSD file
Every level development starts with the Narrative Designers making research about a chosen operation. After studying different maps of the region (war plans, geographic maps, river maps etc.), they are making a PSD file with all hexes, where terrain types are marked with different colors.
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- Terrain design in a PSD file.
After designing the terrain, the Narrative Designers put different symbols on separate layers indicating: roads, infrastructure, units, objectives and other tips for the Level Designers team.
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- PSD file with all the marks. Well, almost all.
Additionally, Narrative Designers create a larger version of the map that includes territories outside the combat zone — hex grid, but which are still visible. We do not want our maps to be cut off abruptly at the edge, so we put considerable extra effort to create additional terrain around the operational area to allow a gradual fade of the visible area into the fog.
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- Full level. Play Zone (operational area) is marked by the red rectangle.
Stage 2: Importing a PSD file to Unreal Engine. Heightmap creation and import
Now Level Designers make an empty level in Unreal Engine, using a sample with pre-set world settings.
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- An empty level in UE4.
Read on..... (https://steamcommunity.com/games/991810/announcements/detail/3021322043425719446)
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British recon vehicles
Thu, 18 February 2021
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Units in Fight for Freedom #9
In 1938, the British government issued a call to design a new army scouting vehicle. The results included not only one of the most successful recon vehicles of the WWII, the Daimler Dingo, but also its up-armed and up-armored cousin - Daimler Armoured Car.
Daimler Dingo
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Daimler Dingo saw action comparatively early - on mainland France in 1940, and remained in service throughout the entire war and beyond. It was deployed on every front where the British Expeditionary Force had fought, and proved itself to be fast, reliable and easily maintained. With a height of only 1.5 meters, it was also incredibly stealthy. A combat engineer vehicle, a scouting car, or a command vehicle - the Dingo excelled in every role.
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Daimler Armoured Car
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Daimler Armoured Car kept most of the Dingo’s virtues, but also added a 2-pounder cannon - a fearsome caliber for a vehicle this small, which led to it being classified as a “light wheeled tank”.
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In the game
In the British campaign, one of the unit classes that you can assign your HQ unit to will be the Recon. Additionally, one of the HQ skills makes all Recon units provide bonuses to the nearby units due to intel they gather. So, having powerful Recon units is an extremely good addition to your army.
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British Artillery
Thu, 25 February 2021
Units in Fight for Freedom #10
The Bishop
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A tall metal box with a 25-pounder sticking out of it, placed on the Valentine tank chassis - even its lofty name couldn’t redeem the Bishop.
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The Bishop was a hasty British attempt at making the 25-pounder-gun howitzer self-propelled - and like anything hasty, the attempt was largely doomed from the start. Due to awkward construction the gun’s maximum angle was sharply reduced, and its effective range was effectively halved compared to the towed variant. It forced the troops operating it to resort to trickery, such as building ramps to elevate the whole front of the vehicle to improve the firing arc.
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Although the Bishop saw action throughout the African and Italian campaigns, few tears were shed when it eventually ended up replaced by the American heavy-hitter M7 Priest.
In the game
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Bishop is a first self-propelled artillery unit in the British campaign with the Gun range of 3, which serves its purpose up until you get access to a better M7 Priest model with the Gun range of 4.
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Watch the Developer's Gameplay #5: Spanish Civil War
Fri, 26 February 2021
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Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg
🔴 Watch the Developer's Gameplay #5: | Spanish Civil War | Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg
https://youtu.be/8AIDJuTxaM0
Hello, guys! This is the fifth gameplay by our team and it features the Spanish Civil War scenario from the Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg. In this episode, we will have a closer look at how the supply system works in the Strategic Mind series.
We plan to cover the first 2 scenarios in all Strategic Mind campaigns, and then make a full playthrough of one of them. Right now, we want the community to vote on which campaign to cover first. The possible choices:
1. Strategic Mind: The Pacific | United States campaign.
2. Strategic Mind: The Pacific | The Empire of Japan campaign.
3. Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg | German campaign.
4. Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism | USSR campaign.
Do not forget to give us your feedback about the game in the comments on YouTube 😉. Leave your questions about gameplay or mechanics — we will record some short tutorials about the game mechanics that are especially tricky to understand.
About Developer’s gameplay series
This is a Developer’s gameplay series by Starni Games. In these episodes the Lead game designer of the Strategic Mind series Oleksandr plays our games with the commentary, explaining the game mechanics and telling you more about the game development process.
👉 Watch all the episodes on YouTube.
🤝 Don't forget to support our upcoming project Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom by adding it to wishlist:
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom is a history-driven turn-based strategy set in WW2. Take command of the Allied forces and protect your homeland and the whole of Europe from totalitarian madness. Form armies. Win battles. Change history.
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British Jet Fighter
Thu, 4 March 2021
Units in Fight for Freedom #11
In 1944, the German jet fighters, albeit deployed in limited numbers, made piston-driven aircraft obsolete. Then, jet-propulsion V-1 cruise missiles rained upon London in thousands, too fast for conventional fighter planes to intercept. By then, the British turbojet fighter project had been years in development, but now it had to go into overdrive.
Gloster Meteor
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Gloster Meteor was the first Allied jet fighter, and by far the quickest plane of its time. It was the only Allied jet fighter to be deployed during WWII, and only towards the very end. But in our alternate history timeline, it will be seeing a lot more action.
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In the game
All jet fighters in Strategic Mind - the German Me-262, the Soviet MiG-9 and the British Gloster Meteor are far superior to all previous non-jet models. So, they provide a very solid boost to your air force capabilities.
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With best regards
Starni Games team
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British Heavy Armored Cars
Thu, March 11, 2021
Units in Fight for Freedom #12
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Armored cars are commonly used for reconnaissance and other deployments that require speed, maneuverability and discretion.
AEC Armoured Car is not exactly the stealthiest recon vehicle. But boy, could it kill an enemy tank.
The heaviest and the most armored vehicle in its class, AEC Armoured Car was conceived as a wheeled tank, cheaper and faster to make than a tracked one. Its powerful engine also allowed for some heavy armaments, and so AEC Armoured Car Mk II was fitted with a 6-pounder gun, while AEC Armoured Car Mk III received a fearsome 75-mm cannon - weapons matching those of the British tanks.
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AEC Armoured Car Mk II
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AEC Armoured Car Mk III
In the game
It is somewhat similar to the Soviet BA-10 and German Puma - a recon car with a powerful gun able to penetrate tank’s armour. So, it could both scout out and ambush the enemy’s armor. Thus, it is a very versatile unit.
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AEC Armoured Car Mk II
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AEC Armoured Car Mk III
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Developer’s Diaries # 13: Voice Over - A Work in Progress
Wed, 31 March 2021
In our previous Developer’s Diaries, we told you about all the difficulties our team faces in the Voice Over production for the Strategic Mind series of games. Today, we will let you know more about the current progress in Voice Over production.
Meet the cast - Bob Skinner (UK) doing the part of Bernard Montgomery
While it was especially tricky to assemble the cast for the Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom, since we needed a lot of actors from the US, and especially from the UK. Previously, we had only one person from the UK doing VO work for us, so it is quite tricky to find good fits for all roles, taking accent, age, pitch, and everything else into consideration.
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Here is one of the voice actors working with us, who turned out to be a really good fit for Montgomery and even looks a lot like him ;).
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Of course, it is not easy to fit a perfect fit for every character, but we are doing the best we can considering our budget limitations.
Current progress around 50% recorded - 70 hours (14 days) at the studio
We are right in the middle of recording all the characters, and despite the really tight schedule things are looking quite good so far. Although, even at this point, it is apparent that this is shaping up to be the biggest project of the series in terms of VO volume and complexity.
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Kyiv city being in the “red zone” due to the pandemics, meaning partial lockdown, with the full closure of all public transport being highly possible, does not help. Still, we are doing all possible efforts to keep everything on track. Trust me, that is not easy: some actors have to leave the country soon, some have just come to Kyiv for a couple of weeks, others cannot record during the workdays, and so on and so forth. Still, we hope everything will go more or less smoothly.
P.S. While we were preparing this very post, we got the news that public transport will only be available to people with special credentials - the workers of key facilities, like power plants or food stores. So, it seems the majority of the team will have to work remotely once again. We were working remotely through the last 6 weeks of Blitzkrieg production last year, so that not something new for us, but we remained in the office for the most part throughout last year. So, here we go again.
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Historical Personalities in Fight for Freedom #3: Field Marshal Harold Alexander
Thu, 8 April 2021
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Field Marshal, though General for most of WWII, Harold Alexander was no typical military man. Far from his generally gruff colleagues, Alexander had an artistic strea, being a lifelong painter, and was known for his likeable, if not necessarily agreeable personality. General Patton once said ”an army is a team” - Alexander fit the role of the fair and personable team captain.
In France, North Africa, Burma and eventually Italy, Alexander led the Allied forces through personal charm, persuasion and mediation - an approach that sometimes bordered on manipulation. Some would say it was warranted, however, in an army full of talented but headstrong types.
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Known for Alexander's impeccable manners and modesty, he had established good relations with the key decision makers, like Sir Winston Churchill and Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower. The praise and the criticism usually centered on the same trait, simply observing it from a different angle. While some admired his laissez-faire approach, others faulted him for insufficient oversight; some admired Harold's honesty and modesty, others claimed it was a deliberately cultivated image. Some even framed his usual calm under pressure as complete detachment from combat. Field Marshals Montgomery and Brooke claimed he was “intellectually unimpressive”, though some suspect it was another display of modesty - after all, Alexander definitely had a keen mind for interpersonal relations.
The facts, however, spoke for themselves - Harold Alexander was an incredibly experienced war leader, who fought with equal efficiency in the mountains, deserts, jungles or plains. And in 1945, it was him who accepted the first major surrender of the German forces - a one million-strong group of armies in Italy.
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Developer's Gameplay | Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom Updated Demo
Tue, 11 May 2021
10 Days before the Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom release
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Hello guys! Only 10 days left before the Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom release. The time is running out and there is still work to be done. Yet, our team works very hard to deliver everything on time, and so far we are on schedule. We want the upcoming release to go as smoothly and enjoyable for all the players as possible. We hope that you would be pleasantly surprised by the game quality. We are still implementing some final changes to the cinematics video quality and have some work to do regarding the sound and localization. There are still some minor issues to be ironed out before the release, but the gameplay itself is very solid.
While our team makes all the final preparations for the Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom release, you can play the free Demo we have updated on 8 May. The Demo now includes the first operation of the US campaign - the Normandy landings.
Have you already played the new Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom Demo? What is your first impression? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments and on the community hub.
Additionally, you can watch the new Developer's gameplay episode covering the new Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom Demo content, where our Lead Game Designer plays through the Normandy Landings. As it turns out he is in for a couple of unpleasant surprises ;).
👉 Watch gameplay of the SM: Fight for Freedom updated Demo by the Lead game designer Oleksandr right now.
https://steamcommunity.com/broadcast/watch/76561199070815656?snr=2_groupannouncements_detail_