Recent Posts

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Games Discussion / Re: Starship Troopers - Terran Command

« Last post by Asid on Today at 05:48:24 AM »

More rockets and giant scorpions
Thu, 2 May 2024



Greetings, troopers,

Welcome back to our development update! If you haven't heard yet, Closed Beta signups are now open! And that's not all; we're thrilled to unveil some new units and improvements to our editor tools. Let's take a closer look at what's new.

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

Ravager

Our Federal Intelligence has unearthed a menacing evolution of the Scorpion Bug, now known as the Ravager. This formidable foe is larger and more lethal than its predecessor, capable of launching explosive projectiles that inflict significant area damage. Armored units should exercise extreme caution; when critically damaged, the Ravager sheds its tail and shifts to a melee combat mode, wielding its massive pincers that can easily penetrate armor.




Rocket defense: M23 Cloudburster

To counter the new Arachnid threats, Federation research has developed the M23 Cloudburster. This versatile machine is armed with a missile launcher system and features two operational modes to maximize combat efficiency: stationary for defensive tactics and mobile for dynamic strikes. It is specifically designed to tackle swarms and execute precise long-range attacks against formidable adversaries like the Ravager and the monstrous new Tanker mutation (featured in a future post).




Fleet Liaison update

We've upgraded the default attack capabilities of the fleet liaison unit. They now call in precision air strikes on designated targets, significantly extending their engagement range and enhancing their role in providing crucial air support. They are now a very effective counter against Scorpions.




Streamlined editing tools

All the scenarios in the game are crafted using our custom in-game editor (which is fully integrated and accessible within the game itself!). For this DLC, we're embracing a new level of verticality, incorporating a broad array of assets to construct towering buildings and skyscrapers. We have made improvements to the editor’s selection tools, making it more intuitive to select, modify, and fine-tune elevations and prop variations.




As of this week, we've opened sign-ups for Closed Beta testing of the Urban Onslaught DLC. This is your chance to experience the new content firsthand and influence its development.
Sign up for the closed beta here. https://www.slitherine.com/beta/starship-troopers-terran-command-urban-onslaught


Do your part and remember to wishlist the DLC now! Keep an eye out for further updates!

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Games Discussion / Re: Starship Troopers - Terran Command

« Last post by Asid on Today at 05:44:05 AM »

Sneak Peek: Urban Onslaught DLC
Thu, 18 April 2024



Attention, troopers, listen up!


Our team is hard at work crafting new missions, props, and units for the upcoming Urban Onslaught DLC. The initial missions are nearing a stage where we can start closed alpha testing. As we continue our efforts, we'd like to offer you a sneak peek at the new environments featured in the DLC, along with some visual improvements we are implementing.

New environments

The upcoming “Urban Onslaught” DLC will introduce a range of exciting new environments. Set in a metropolis overrun by Arachnids, players can expect to explore various locations within the urban landscape. You will fight your way through towering skyscrapers, rooftops, construction sites, sewers, shopping streets, underground parking garages and more. Get set to defend the city and protect its civilians from the advancing Arachnid threat!




Dropship visual refinements

Refinements have been made to the visual presentation of dropships. Each dropship now has improved landing and take off animations with a more natural flight path. Furthermore, a new drop pod has been added to facilitate the deployment of larger units like the M11 Marauder or the upcoming Hover Autocannon unit. Larger squads, such as the Mobile Infantry, continue to be transported by the classic DR4-Viking, while smaller squads utilize the efficient DR8-Skyhook for deployment.




Turret pitching

Among the improvements implemented in both the base game and DLC, turrets now have the ability to pitch up and down. It's a subtle change to the turret visuals that adds character and is used by several of the new units coming in the DLC. For example, the Hover Autocannon featured in the video below has a central turret platform designed to engage airborne threats effectively. A new set of defensive turrets will also be available in the DLC, which will be explored in an upcoming post.




Underground radio stations

In this DLC, we're emphasizing expansive open maps, providing players with greater autonomy in choosing their own units. Given that several missions occur underground, we've introduced the ability to purchase units via underground radio stations. Moreover, players can now call in reinforcements from these stations, mirroring the mechanics of above ground scenarios.




We are starting closed alpha testing in the next few weeks. If you'd like to participate in alpha testing the new missions alongside developers in a live stream, you can sign up here: https://www.slitherine.com/beta/starship-troopers-terran-command-urban-onslaught
Keep an eye out for further updates!

3

Tacview / Tacview 1.9.4 beta 2 is available Now

« Last post by Asid on Yesterday at 12:01:28 AM »

Tacview 1.9.4 beta 2 is available Now

Download: HERE

•   Release Date: Mon, 29 April, 2024
•   Operating System: Windows® 32-bit / 64-bit
•   File Size: 778.2 MB

Release notes

FEATURES & CHANGES

•   ADDED Option to display the event that triggered the playback pause in the 3D view
•   ADDED Support of PilotEyeGaze* properties for professional simulators
•   IMPROVED CSV files support
•   IMPROVED Mach speed handling over 80km of altitude
•   IMPROVED GPX tracks without altitude can now be imported (at 0 ASL)
•   IMPROVED Eastern Mediterranean Front theater v3.2.1 for Falcon BMS 4.37.3
•   IMPROVED DCS World Channel, South Atlantic, Normandy and Syria terrain and runways

FIXES

•   FIXED Charts with distances on horizontal axis were not working anymore (regression)
•   FIXED RecordingTime property was improperly set during the import of some files
•   FIXED scale of Hawker Hurricane


Restrictions

To run a beta version, you need a product key. Feel free to have a look at the features comparison to know which edition is the best for you if you are interested in buying Tacview.

Please note that even if we are doing our best to produce a high quality product, beta versions usually contains known and unknown bugs, may crash, or have some features disabled because of work in progress. This is why, it is suggested to download and install beta versions alongside the latest official release (not over it). That way, in case of problem, you can simple launch the latest stable version to continue your work...

4

Games Discussion / Re: Modern Naval Warfare

« Last post by Asid on May 01, 2024, 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!

5

Games Discussion / Re: Headquarters: World War II

« Last post by Asid on May 01, 2024, 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
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!

6

Games Discussion / Re: Rule the Waves III

« Last post by Asid on April 30, 2024, 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.

7

Games Discussion / Re: Starship Troopers - Terran Command

« Last post by Asid on April 30, 2024, 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

8

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

9

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.

10

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.