[i]Dear Fans, Dear Followers, Old & new, Welcome back![/i] So, the few last months were seemingly calm on Steam, but don’t worry, the pot was still being stirred, with much to tell you about. We advanced on many fronts, alternating between them as we were implementing this, improving that, correcting bugs along the way. We cannot really list everything we did during that time, and some others are probably better showed than told. Just to give you an example of what our days are made of, here’s a sample of a normal week these days. Work just doesn’t stop. But it brings along progress, pushed by rigorous testing. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/4b6eb3fc91d1174e5c40d1a8370a74f6b7946175.png[/img] At the end of the day, you will get most of this in a gameplay format soon enough – the videos and the screens we will be sharing today are probably enough of a testament to our steady pace, and those who have been following us for some time already will certainly be able to appreciate it better than anyone. Please just remember that everything you’re seeing in this update is work in progress, and that every visual and mechanic is subject to change further (for the better!). [previewyoutube=7a0gs-4xVzA;full][/previewyoutube] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/14eab4c71413f81de04026be7b862447698fa511.png[/img] [h2]Surfing birds[/h2] Now as for the features themselves, we worked a lot on the seaplanes lately, as an important addition to the larger game’s environment. [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/8f1f9fd6946d05af87494843df6c30901519f324.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/653d19c73bb7fb4bd219a3901e2e4d9cf19c2460.jpg[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/5073d1cda4fcf77ed3589a9fe3eea86251de0e95.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/ab0fda1bbaf069b97a06b75d24cf162de904ac16.jpg[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/feed337681fe17b60865ac78bbda317d51e542bd.jpg][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/29e823f48903a8a1882c238413da855082d4bfc0.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/05ecf3951ea2c12e2dae6ece952d11ea1ef36f9d.jpg[/img][/url][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/2964170e60f551eb98b15e1f5f26fb4db8de555b.jpg[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/b2a77e8e646b0449b1edf5c0b156affd7060dcf8.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/0f94ed632ce0dc53d7dcc8cfed491db8b869c1f3.jpg[/img][/url] Cruiser and Battleship seaplanes were a crucial asset in carrier combat, or naval combat in general. On both sides, they obviously accomplished a number of tasks that normal aircraft from carriers were either unable or too precious to accomplish themselves. As the American player, you will be very much welcome to use your SOC Seagulls & OS2U Kingfishers – and the few Supermarine Walrus inherited from your Australian allies. They can be tasked with patrolling the skies above your force as part of the standing Inner Air Patrol, guarding you against submarines. They are also a prime choice when it comes to search and rescue efforts, especially when recovering the aircrew from the drink proper is needed. Unfortunately, even if they can still do that job in time of need, their speed and range do not make them ideal platforms for naval search – unlike their Japanese counterparts. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/9ed64dd3630e0c4bf5b47e5c0035c63565536dba.jpg[/img] "Indeed, more often than not, the first sign you might have from a Japanese force nearby is a Jake flying into radar range. Make no mistake, they will most likely spot you before you can spot them, as these small airplanes are detected late, if at all, by your radar operators. But once they are on your scope, the hunt is on. Make sure that any snooper you come across pays the ultimate price for having snitched on you...!" [previewyoutube=gVChszHtsFE;full][/previewyoutube] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/14eab4c71413f81de04026be7b862447698fa511.png[/img] [h2]That’s a lot of damage, second round[/h2] As mentioned in our previous update, we did dedicate some time to damage modeling. We’re not finished yet, obviously, but let’s say we’re halfway there. Different types of impact decals (still in their work in progress state, of course) and damage have been implemented. As it has been the case all too often lately, I’ll let Lexington explain the whole thing, as the old lady bore the burden of experiencing the pain for the greater good. [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/59b085475173fc0c68eedeca490d965fcd699bd8.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/d466af44f608ae3e7349fca354042d3393a37cc2.jpg[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/1ed51a54bfcc96cfeb9d16689d0d3ac24036180e.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/b93ec51071fc8a2a169bc44165ad59babbee28e9.jpg[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/16a7845082cb6299d97ba5158b44208aa5f70b1c.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/cd7b10cb7023ef9eded24035e76e3a5958161601.jpg[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/558516756281aecbaf20286fc6b42e5c76c41023.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/947dd6d6329401e8873d9ae76933eae546ecc32f.jpg[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/9ec15977d0fcd9ef0e316beeb78d3e8819091344.jpg][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/2fa41cc1acc9a61317c68b2fa579c249078c9a69.jpg[/img][/url] Lexington, as a test bed, has suffered many woes to help us develop our external damage model. As you can see it here, on Yorktown this time, damage of all sorts exists: some of the projectiles in the picture above exploded or bounced without penetrating the deck – a common occurrence for the lighter high explosive bombs in the Japanese arsenal – and left a mere scratch on the flight deck. Others, upon exploding, penetrated the deck and affected the lower level (in this case, the hangar deck). Finally, some, owing to their fuze, cleanly passed through the wood and steel, stopping only on a lower level – if they stopped at all before reaching the armored belt [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/9f6c6e45f3e974ead4c1c3b5829aa9f9cdce655d.png[/img] I need not highlight further, I guess, the potential of this tech in-game, as it will make any scenario unique the moment a projectile hits your precious flagship. The same way the angle of impact and resulting penetration value are dynamically calculated based on the characteristics of the projectile, so are the explosion delay (based on the fuze setting) and the blast range, along with the chances of a fire – chances which will increase if fuel or ammunition are within said blast zone. [previewyoutube=8h_yBzsPOKI;full][/previewyoutube] As for the rest, we still have to add sinking effects, oil, and possibly debris left and right, and we’re nearly there. Still, there’s some soul to it already, even in this early stage. Decals seen above are mostly placeholders; they were here to test the functionalities. The final game will improve in this department too, among many others. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/14eab4c71413f81de04026be7b862447698fa511.png[/img] [h2]The devil is in the details[/h2] Mentioning the damage decals brings us to another topic we can talk about: skins and markings decals. When put together, they provide Task Force Admiral and scenario designers with the tools needed to somewhat accurately represent the air groups featured in the game. If you guys join us on our Discord, we can discuss features like these in more detail. We have already shown an example of what it entails, with the SBD currently integrated into the game. [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/fe93ba1eb01cc9817a197911d32f8dc2713aebdc.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/3f676a3d490b257fcca4c292cf6314b20e7170b0.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/aae3bd2dfed2d048d7791422278837128b10641b.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/be7e7dfe3fe5cbe908f99be0f0fdd42f39800d22.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/3561f27b587b3873edb95ff4add42b85de68209d.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/5a6fb9a0060f4b3808244f562a2efbebdf9a5f15.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/750dbdac2e5d6bce48950954fd4bfe891b1831db.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/5e363dd8a7cdb5ba89b7c938b482132537c94854.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/5aab365c87fcc49e71bb76241ae7f3f46714d5ab.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/2a298e41f0a627176cef4b9214d4d5579dcd006e.png[/img][/url] [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/918a1733bd4ac7d4a295db875502372e8fd6466d.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/2f9e5ab5ad50a3cb02794285313c9f000ba43859.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/0c5bc338b939d80c3d53ccdd61d7555878fea9e0.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/ce536af02d70cb4f8f15a7d2ab838e9d380c75fe.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/6462335bb99bf7f6863b1eb6c3a4f5d5a37dab0d.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/e16f9d48873d3bb1c2b6cc53d8f022e357625978.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/b0e6eeafd8209204c4989aae714af9e127966295.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/222b2b0d0b1f11431109975f83e56882f0e537b0.png[/img][/url] To simplify things somewhat, let’s say that skins are what an aircraft would wear, and the decals are the little pins and other accessories you’d add to your outfit. When combined with dynamic numbers, we can accurately reflect the extremely diverse paint schemes the US Navy went through between January and August 1942. This includes variations in roundel size, red dots, LSO bands, and flashy red and white rudders. The same goes for squadron badges for those who had them. So don't worry, we have you covered on this one. [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/f9247dc09971a04ad96644f9736ea4435a130ecd.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/aa0a463a918dfd2858106facf576d7d4750907f9.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/4652b4d5ed58af3863b3b33ec99855607644906c.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/70c31f35bdb55e535415fe6152af843801c88c5c.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/569042a73aa941f65146c22e9627023e4d224a12.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/c1e254330df5be9256d220031c4c55f137fdb763.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/09da1be13f98dec935828407b0c8ba8b67272c08.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/02c940d4517b0a76dca9884fc512d753799516a5.png[/img][/url][url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/6d6ec73b698a47b94982ee1d702a21bb94a2e717.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/85c92eac4dd6352f2620e11e687b7a5752371e65.png[/img][/url] The system is made so that it offers a flexible platform that can be easily enriched by your own work if need be, whether you need them for a specific scenario or a good joke. Hopefully, we will find a proper way to have you share your contents with little hamper, but practical solutions in that regard will have to wait for us to deliver you with a game first! [previewyoutube=Oe3bmNS80Go;full][/previewyoutube] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/14eab4c71413f81de04026be7b862447698fa511.png[/img] Finally, we would like to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support throughout our journey. Your presence and enthusiasm have been instrumental in keeping our team motivated and energized as we strive to make our dream a reality. Knowing that there are people out there who believe in us and our vision has helped us to push through the tough times and stay focused on delivering the best possible game. As we move forward towards the release of our game, we want you to know that your support will continue to be a crucial part of our success. Your feedback, encouragement, and excitement keep us going, and we are truly grateful for every single one of you. We can't wait to share our game with you and hope that it lives up to your expectations. Fear not, as our goal is now within sight, we’re not going to give up just yet. Cheers and stay safe! The Task Force Admiral Team [url=https://discord.gg/xyWqGak][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/e80ee0a9741f654567f884e9bb163776ad9a13d8.png[/img][/url] [url=https://twitter.com/DrydockDreams][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/3a1e97f2cf149c6dd4fa9c243f434178f5232067.png[/img][/url] [url=https://www.facebook.com/TaskForceAdmiral/][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/6e6ba1996ebbeab842854775398d296eecd31ac6.png[/img][/url] [url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv_rxX8PnLOVt77K3FaIPnw][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/afce089fb35fc0312b165cb1f1e7be638fc2e063.png[/img][/url] [url=https://space.bilibili.com/478394397][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37689795/6e999aff3471cd2fac37ccbdc0082a1a8a2634a3.png[/img][/url]