September Screenshots

[Amish John]

This thread discusses the Content article: September Screenshots

Thanks for the latest set of great screen shots. My comments:

Really starting to see how this game will be set apart graphically from MMG's TC2M. Looks to be less of the golf course fairway look to the terrain.

The "non-funky" skies really are a big improvement.

Kind of hard to tell in a still shot, but the smoke seems more wispy. Hopefully, it'll linger longer and drift a bit before dispersing.

I like the look of the vegetation along the stone walls.

One recommendation..I'm not an expert, correct me if I'm wrong, but the hoist vs. fly proportions of the federal colors seem more like a modern 3' x 5' flag than the shape of most of the federal civil war flags I've seen which are more square than rectangular. Many were approximately 6' x 6'. I'm more familiar with PA issued colors, some of which had the hoist dimension slightly greater than the fly dimension. If the flag graphics can be revised, it would be more accurate.

I like the uniform mix. Both North and South and from the early screen shots there should be a few more we haven't seen yet.

The rocky ground texture in one of the shots looks nice.

I don't remember seeing any watercourse textures yet, but I always thought that was one area of TC2M that needed some more work. Hopefully, we'll see some improvements in that area.

Are those burning building I see? If so, that's another improvement. Will there be flame animations?

Seems to be a lot of nice sharp detail in the stone walls. Looks good.

Kind of hard to see.. will there be regimental commanding officers?

Can't really tell from stills, but since only a low percentage of soldiers were killed outright, will there be wounded soldier annimations? Either wounded on the ground or walking wounded? How about the occasional soldier hightailing it for the rear.

Will all of the historic farms on the field be represented by appropriate buildings?

The more screen shots we see the more questions we have, but I assume that's a good thing. Anyway, looks like it's coming along great guys.

[tim]

If you look just below the flags on the first and third screenshots you will see the regimental foot officers for Union and Confederate.

All the map and terrain work is down to lots of hard digging by Eric and Derek (sounds like a comedy duo...).

Flags - well I took the proportions from a real Union flag. I'll check them again - being English my eyes go a bit funny when I see colonial flags :blink: .

[Gunfreak]

love the new pics, the sprites look great, and some how seem to have more depth to them

[bedbug]

I appologize for the sky again in the first half of the screenshots.....but be assured Eric has the skys looking fine.

Eric has also made sure of getting rid of the astro turf and splatting the landscape with sweet textures and every kind of building possible.....though I don't see the Flat Iron building (but this battle isn't in New York city....hope I haven't given anything away).

Vegitation-R-Us. Just about everything that should move does; including some of the bracken along the walls and fences.

Gun smoke is as wispy as I can work it without looking freaky....and, yes, that is animated smoke in the buildings...no overt flames, but smoldering away. A major improvement IMO is the ability to move the smoke IN FRONT of the cannon or troops instead of having it eminate from their arm pits.

We've made sprites for just about every occasion, but there are limits to just how much we can reasonably get in. However, be assured this is one great lookin game.

[norb]

I'll take the ones that I know:

Amish John wrote:

I don't remember seeing any watercourse textures yet, but I always thought that was one area of TC2M that needed some more work. Hopefully, we'll see some improvements in that area.

Are those burning building I see? If so, that's another improvement. Will there be flame animations?

Can't really tell from stills, but since only a low percentage of soldiers were killed outright, will there be wounded soldier annimations? Either wounded on the ground or walking wounded? How about the occasional soldier hightailing it for the rear.

Will all of the historic farms on the field be represented by appropriate buildings?

The water will be improved, but it's improved to be accurate. An army marching through a creek, leaves a muddy creek. The burning of terrain objects will be represented (not giving everything away). No decision yet on the wounded, but it has been in discussion. All building are accurately portrayed.

[estabu2]

I want it NOW!!! Ok, done with my little kid rant, these shots look awesome guys. The sprites are looking very sharp and the terrain looks excellent. I like the "V" above the heads of the regiments too. I assume the is part of the commanders troops or command radius of some sort.

Well done!!!

[rebeltim]

great shots!! love the calvary pic, are they four wide? Also the pic showing the burning barns!! :silly: I remember someone asking for burning buildings, very cool. How do they start smoking? Does the artillery need to be firing in that general area for a while before buildings start smoking? If so, that would be very realistic and great job of putting that in the game. I think anyone could spend a lot of time just traveling around the map, they look that good. :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Amish John]

tim wrote:

If you look just below the flags on the first and third screenshots you will see the regimental foot officers for Union and Confederate.

All the map and terrain work is down to lots of hard digging by Eric and Derek (sounds like a comedy duo...).

Flags - well I took the proportions from a real Union flag. I'll check them again - being English my eyes go a bit funny when I see colonial flags :blink: .

The whole teams seems to be doing a really great job.

Ah, yes. Now I see the regimental commanders. I just didn't have a good angle on them.

Looks sort of like we'll have a time machine to go back and tour the field from 14? years ago.

Regarding the flags, something like a garrison flag could have different proportions than regimental field colors, which are not to be confused with the much smaller regimental flank markers or camp colors. At least for the Pennsylvania regiments, the two book set "Advance the Colors" by Dr. Rick Sauers (a friend of mine if I may name drop) is an excellent reference. Not sure if the Penna. flag proportions were specified by the US government or the state government. Since the flags will have such a prominent and conspicuous role in the game I thought it was worth mentioning.

[Amish John]

norb wrote:

I'll take the ones that I know:

The water will be improved, but it's improved to be accurate. An army marching through a creek, leaves a muddy creek. The burning of terrain objects will be represented (not giving everything away). No decision yet on the wounded, but it has been in discussion. All building are accurately portrayed.

You guys are making it awfully hard for us to find things to criticize. Muddy creeks where the troops march through, burning buildings, all historic farms represented, etc. etc. and who knows what other surprises you have in store for us.

Have you implemented column of fours as oppossed to the column of threes in TC2M?

[louie raider]

Amish John wrote:

The "non-funky" skies really are a big improvement.

thanks - i went thru a few different versions to get that sky to behave correctly. basically all the beginning screenshots to the cemetery shot have outdated skies in them. Derek obviously hasn't been playing with the most current map

I like the look of the vegetation along the stone walls.

Isn't it COOL? along with what Derek's done with the corn/wheat fields, they're my favorite parts of the map. i believe he has some rye out there too?

Will all of the historic farms on the field be represented by appropriate buildings?

every single farmstead is being researched and placement of surviving buildings are being cross-checked with satellite imagery. i can't let Derek's work be undermined with randomly-placed buildings on an otherwise good-looking map.