|
|
Never poke a dead horse with a stick - unless your are sure it is dead
Kettch, September 19 2011 17:48:21
So by popular demand I decided to put up a news post regarding the situation at Iron Europe. Many of you guys are having the same questions towards us, so I decided to make a mini FAQ to set some things straight. And as always thanks for the interest in our mod, and keep the feedback coming.
Is Iron Europe dead?
The mod is defiantly not dead ;)
So when will we see new media from Iron Europe?
Soonish™
The Heroes Of Stalingrad SDK will be released soon and with that we will be able to get things really rolling, which also means we can show much more and cooler stuff :)
Do you still need help?
Yes, we appreciate any help we can get. Modeling, animating, coding and mapping skills are preferred but you even can help us by telling others about the mod. And don't forget you can learn all these skills ;)
When will the mod be released?
When it is done, it is simple as that.
Hope that answers a few questions and see you soon ;)
Little Update from IE
CrazyThumbs, April 30 2010 18:46:23
We’ve been awfully quite for the past few months, and it’s about time your heard something from us. Firstly, we are going to forgo the monthly update schedule (as you’ve probably noticed by now). Instead we will be doing fewer but larger updates, one every few months. The main reason being, is that we have a bad month every now and then which makes for a bad update. So instead we’ll be pooling a few months work into some nice big updates which you guys should really enjoy.
To soften the blow we’ve included the musical score for IE, courtesy of our new composer Obrekat.
As always we’re looking for more members. Currently we are looking for the following,
-3d Modelers: Experience with, 3ds Max, Maya, Modo, Zbrush, or another 3d modeling program is necessary. Experience with normal mapping is a plus.
-2D/Texture Artists: Photoshop (or other image editing program) experience needed.
If you meet the requirements and are interested in helping out, come to our forums and fill out an application, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
February Update
Kettch, February 02 2010 21:17:07
Well it's about that time again, another update from the IE team.
This month we have a couple things to show you. First, we have an announcement about the website. The Iron Europe site is getting a bit of a face lift. Our members Miro! and Tech have been working it for the past couple of weeks now and we hope to have it ready soon.
Next we have a couple of renders to show you. Please note that everything you see here is a work in progress. There's always the possibility for us make something better, so weapons you see now might be reworked later on.
Here we have the Cricket Ball Grenade (redone),
And the description that will accompany it in-game,
"The No. 15 Ball Pattern grenade, more commonly known as the Cricket Ball grenade, was introduced in 1915. Due to the shortage of grenades the No. 15 was a simple design allowing for ease of production.
The fuse was friction ignited and had a lead cap to prevent it from getting wet. In order to arm the grenade, the lead cap would be removed and the fuse would be lit, either by the standard method of striking the fuse against an armlet, or by the less traditional method of lighting it with lite cigarettes or pipes. The thrower then had 5 seconds to get rid of it.
The grenade itself was judged to have to much explosive powder and being too big overall. And while the Cricket ball served well in drier theaters of combat, on the Western Front the lead cap proved insufficient to protect the fuse from the damp conditions, leading to many unusable grenades.
The No. 15 quickly fell into disfavor, and while it had limited success in some theaters, its brief run was replaced by the famous Mills Bomb."
-CrazyThumbs
And, to wrap it up is a little something I have a feeling most of you will like, The SMLE Mk III.
That's all we have for this month, stay tuned for the next update.
Holiday Update
CrazyThumbs, December 31 2009 17:26:23
Hello again and welcome to the Iron Europe Holiday Update. Some of you may have noticed that we did not have any update on December 1st, but this is because we wanted to save up something nice for around the holidays.
This month we have a special media release by one of our members Javex.
Javex, our sound guy, has produced some great sounds for Iron Europe, so he made a little video to show them to you, so watch and enjoy:
I hope you liked this update, so stay tuned for next month!
Iron Europe and the UDK
CrazyThumbs, November 24 2009 16:07:57
Just a small announcement to make regarding Iron Europe and the UDK, written by me an Ekoms on behalf of the IE Team.
As most of you are aware, the Unreal Development kit (UDK) has been released for public use. We have heard some comments that we should switch over to the UDK. To avoid any confusion about what the Iron Europe team will be doing, we are making this announcement:
We will continue to mod for the unreleased Heroes of Stalingrad. It is in our best interests to proceed as planned due to the similarities in our game designs. Having our own release, though nice, would only create more work for us than necessary. We would have to build more assets, write more code, and do more research than is possible within an acceptable time-frame for a team of our size.
Also, we all love the RO franchise and the community and feel a bit of loyalty to TWI for giving us such an awesome platform to build off of.
11th November Update
Kettch, November 12 2009 13:13:09
Originally posted by Crazy Thumbs:
We skipped our normal schedule in order to have our next media release today, Veterans Day. IE Team Member Javex wrote a nice piece to get it started.
"Hello everyone,
As you may or may not know, today marks the 91st Anniversary of the Armistice in Europe, bringing about an end to The First World War.
Since that day, people around the world continue to mark November 11th as a solemn reminder of the sacrifices of the young men and women who went overseas to preserve freedom for their people. And those that still uphold those values today, and are overseas as we speak, fighting for you. Putting their lives on the line.
Let us not forget the sacrifices of these brave men and women. Please, if you know anyone who is currently serving, or has served in the armed forces overseas, honour them. Use this one day to show them how much you appreciate the privileges and freedoms you have today, that they defend.
Lest We Forget... "
-Javex
Work continues as normal for IE. October and November have been good to us so far. We have two new members to introduce, Miro! as he's known around here, is our new texture artist, and our other new member is WillB, who's work you can see a bit below.
First up we have a new character model to show you guys,
As you can see, this will be our German MG crewman for our 1915 maps.
We try to take as much care as possible when it comes to uniforms. They're much more complicated then they first appear, especially the German ones, Different tunics for Prussia and Bavaria, different cuffs and button arrangements.
There's also the fact that uniforms changed some much after the first year of the war, and continued changing in some cases.
So getting the uniforms correct is a long process, we've got tons of information to process, organize, and then give to the modelers and texture artists.
But we're trying to make IE as accurate as possible. So if you notice anything inaccurate, tell us.
We also have a very nice static mesh to show off,
This is the British 18 Pounder. I have to say that it won't be a usable, but it's still nice to look at. You'll see one or two of these lying around in some of our early war maps.
That's all for us now, stay tuned for the next update, and by the way, we're still looking for members so if you want to help out feel free to drop off an application.
Iron Europe level design process
cheesemcboots, November 12 2009 13:10:30
Originally written by cheesemcboots:
Hello again
This news post is to give some understanding as to how real world design skills and programs can give greater detail for video games. To illustrate how we would go about using real world skills to give concepts to our mappers, I have chosen to design a small, Belgian street scape. This map is a very linear, Red Orchestra capture and spawn type scenario. The British Expeditionary Forces will spawn near the front of the street when the Germans have not captured anything. As the map progresses and the Germans capture more and more buildings, the British get pushed back to the other end of the map, where they will have to defend a larger, more significant building. The below image is a sort of inspiration piece collected before conceptualization began.
This map, however early into its conception, may not even be made for the game. Again, this is just showing our process. The first image is a concept drawn up in an architectural 2d program and modified in a popular graphics application.
The image below is a 3d model that used the 2d image as a reference.
What the above image shows us is a sense of scale and proportion. Below is what happens after we play with proportion even more. Note that each block would usually represent one building with one or multiple stories.
The following image is taken from the players perspective.
The image below show what would happen if you play with atmospheric effects and added scale defining details (granted its very low fi but its only a simple model). Imagine if you will its a sketch but only 3d.
The image below is an example of possible color and texture usage.
This image demonstrates how the real world design program can create mapping references. This image shows what some of the buildings may look like.
Moving further along in the process, it is good to take stock of what static meshes will be required. the following two images demonstrate some that would be good to use for a map like this.
We hope you enjoyed this news post and we also hope you know how a greater understanding and appreciation of our design process. Making a mod is not easy but it is fun at times. Making real world buildings is an extra step that the Iron Europe team are taking in order to achieve true historical accuracy and realism. We hope are player can one day join a server and if its not populated, simply marvel at the buildings and environment that has been created for them.
September Update
Ekoms, September 03 2009 21:53:19
Hello everyone. It is time again for another Iron Europe progress report. We are all still working hard getting the bulk of the content for the mod fleshed out. As always, our research department has provided us with some terrific readings about WW1. First up, we would like to show you a map description for the first battle of Ypres, in Gheluvelt, Belgium. This will be one of the first maps we release and promises for some interesting firefights.
First Battle of Ypres: Gheluvelt, Belgium
The time is 14:00, 31 October, 1914:
The second stage of the Battle of Ypres has already begun.
Eight days have passed since the fighting at Langemarck. The Imperial German forces have continued to assault the British lines each day in their attempt to achieve a breakthrough at Ypres.
These have been days of intense combat: the German infantry begin their assaults as early as 5:00a.m; the fighting lasts until about 6:00pm when both sides are exhausted, but on some days evening attacks are ordered, and the fighting does not end until 2:00am. The Germans possess superior numbers of men, which allows some of their troops to go in reserve and rotate, which maintains a level of freshness to them.
The Imperial German Army has now shifted the focus of its assault from the northern Bixschoote-Langemarck-Zonnebeke sector of the Ypres Salient to the eastern central Gheluvelt sector and the Messines Ridge in the southern sector.
The Chief of Staff of the Imperial German forces, Erich Von Falkenhayn, has assembled a specially chosen assault army called Army Group Fabeck, a conglomeration of General Von Fabeck’s XIII Army Corps, the German 15th Army Corps sent from the River Aisne, the II Bavarian Division, and the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division.
This is a powerful force: five Divisions of experienced soldiers and one Division of wildly enthusiastic Bavarian students and other Bavarian Freiwillige volunteers.
Army Group Fabeck commenced its assault on the Gheluvelt-Messines sector of the Ypres Salient two days ago on October 29; the Kaiser himself has visited the frontlines to encourage you to victory.
An Order of the Day was issued on 30 October, 1914:
. . .The breakthrough will be of decisive importance. We must and therefore will conquer, settle forever with the centuries-long struggle, end the war, and strike the decisive blow against our most detested enemy.
The blow has been struck.
Finally, this morning, between 11:30am and noon, after thousands of heavy German casualties sustained since the Battle of Ypres commenced on October 19th, the British line has broken in front of the village of Gheluvelt, located about four miles east of Ypres on the Menin Road.
The English have abandoned their trenches and are in retreat towards Ypres.
Several companies of the 245 Reserve Regiment and the 16th Bavarian (List) Reserve Regiment have taken the church in the eastern section of the village and the grounds of Gheluvelt Chateau.
You now have captured the majority of the village, except the Chateau itself and the other buildings on its estate.
If you can capture the Chateau and the other estate buildings and hold these positions, Gheluvelt will be completely in German control, and with Ypres being only four miles away, reinforcements can be moved up and the final advance on Ypres will begin.
But the young men are in a celebratory mood now that the British have been defeated.
The Chateau Grounds have taken on a festive atmosphere; everyone is laughing and joking, shaking hands, and slapping each other on the back. Some of the volunteers are drinking from wine bottles captured from the Chateau.
You hear your artillery to the east fire a fierce barrage of shells; everyone ignores it.
"They're just firing at the retreating British," one Saxon student soldier snickers, "run away, run away, run away!" and a roar of laughter breaks out among the gang.
An officer casually states that you should capture the Chateau, and wait for the arrival of reinforcements, when all of a sudden you hear insults and curses from the hedgerows on the northern edge of the Chateau.
It's the British!!!
Copyright 2008 Gamburd USA
Our 3d and 2d artists have been hard at work to recreate the soldiers and weaponry of WW1. Seen below is the British Expeditionary Force Officer, 2nd Lieutenant, 1914-1915 provided by Benzie:
The officers unit description has also been provided to you by our research department for your reading enjoyment.
British Expeditionary Force Officer, 2nd Lieutenant, 1914-1915
The officers of the British Expeditionary Force are soldiers in the tradition of the European officer caste, sons of the aristocracy and gentry, for whom the army is a vocation, a career, and often the ultimate field sport.
An Army officer must lead men into frightening and dangerous situations and sometimes make men do things that they never thought they could do. If you show consideration for your men, demonstrate leadership qualities, and set an example of courage, you will command your men's confidence, affection, devotion, and respect.
You must also behave in a fitting, gentlemanly manner when out of action.
However, if you are deliberately unpleasant or oppressive towards your men, or show too much concern for your own safety, or are too eager to take risks and jeopardize your men's lives, or if you act in a cowardly manner in the face of combat, you will forfeit their respect.
Officers do not have to possess perfect character. If you are a strict disciplinarian, other qualities such as courage or leadership can compensate for this or other unpleasant character qualities; youth is also not an obstacle, if you behave in an officer-like manner.
War is like a field sport such as polo or fox-hunting, football or cricket. In playing the game of war, you fulfill yourself and become everything what you have been raised to be.
Copyright 2008 Gamburd USA
Next up we have the Imperial German army machine gunner. This one was provided to us by N!ghtmare. Again, the unit description is provided.
Imperial German Army Machine Gunner
During 1914, a German Army Corps, whether of Stehendes Heer (Standing Army) troops or Reserve troops, consisted of two Divisions.
Each Division, at full strength, numbered 17,000 men.
Each Division consisted of two infantry Brigades; each Brigade contained two Infantry Regiments.
Each Infantry Regiment, at full strength, numbered 3,287 men; within each Infantry Regiment were three Battalions (I-III) with 1,079 men in each Battalion.
Each of the three Battalions had four Companies which were regimentally numbered: 1-4, 5-8, 9-12.
Each Infantry Regiment also had a Machine Gun Company (a 13th Company) which was armed with six MG08 heavy machine guns.
Each of the six Machine Gun Teams consisted of six men: a corporal commander; a first gunner, an assistant gunner and third gunner whose job was to carry the ammunition; and fourth and fifth gunners to carry or drag the gun.
Copyright 2008 Gamburd USA
To follow on from a previous media post, we are showing yet another wip of the early war, Saxon german musketier. This one is from N!ghtmare and textured brilliantly by Ekoms.
XXVII Reserve Corps: 54th Reserve Division, 1st company of the 245th Reserve Infantry Regiment
After the war started, Germany created four additional Reserve Corps; these four Reserve Corps became part of the newly organized Imperial German 4th Army at the beginning of October, 1914.
About 20% of the men in these four new Reserve Corps consisted of young German university and high school students and others, i.e. the Freiwillige, who had enthusiastically volunteered for military service during the first days and weeks after war had been declared.
The remainder of the troops from the Reserve Corps are comprised of a mixture of other personnel recruited from experienced Reservists and Landwehr (2nd Line Reserve), and partly from inexperienced Supplementary Reserve ("Ersatz" Reserve).
Yet, all of these men have not seen any significant combat, and thus are green, inexperienced troops.
The experienced Reservists, Landwehr, and Supplementary Reserve have only trained for two weeks during the last year prior to the outbreak of war.
Since the outbreak of war in August, the university, high school students, and other volunteers, along with all the other regular Reservists, have only received eight weeks of military training; however, the student soldiers are wildly eager and driven by an intense fanatical patriotism and zeal to crush the enemy, and a willingness, if need be, to sacrifice their lives for the Kaiserreich.
The 245th Reserve-Infanterie Regiment is from the Kingdom of Saxony.
Copyright 2008 Gamburd USA
And now for some of the items that will be available to use. First up, we have the always popular SMLE Mk III brought to you by Ekoms.
And, to help you see us coming in the future, we present the to you the British, early war Binoculars.
That is all the progress we have for you at the moment but we hope you drop by our website and say hello. We always love to hear what people think about the mod and are always too keen to reply to any questions you may have. Thanks for reading!
- Iron Europe Team
|
|
|
Forgotten your password?
