we will just leave this right here…..
I was working on lighting for the Tanker Ship map and decided to do a screen grab. This is straight from the editor, pasted into PS and saved out. 🙂
Enjoy!
Some new weapon renders
We have been doing a lot of work on networking and AI lately and that stuff is kind of hard to show off until its done. Though Phil has been doing a good job of posting AI progress in the forums. 🙂
So why not show off some weapon work we have been doing!
The sniper rifle that will be in the Early Access is the M14 EBR and here is the current progress on the high poly version:
And for the Light Machine Gun in the Early Access we will be including a Mk46 MOD 1. Here is the in game asset rendered in engine:
The Mk46 will also make its debut in the official 1009 Operator Edition build coming soon. Thanks for all the support we have received to this point… it is GREATLY appreciated!
A quick peek
About a month ago we showed off one of the early stages of the TankerShip map that is currently available in the Ground Branch Operator Edition. The map is massive and will allow us to actually utilize 3 unique playable spaces, each with various day/night/weather combinations making for a map that provides lots of replayability over various MP/Coop modes. The goal for Ground Branch is to get as much replayability out of our content as possible and this is a step in the right direction. Over the last few weeks, the engine room area of the map has gone through an initial art pass so we thought we’d share a few screenshots!
We are working hard to get us closer to Early Access, but while you wait why not pick up the Operator Edition and help support the project! www.groundbranch.com/store
Progress update
We have been pretty busy since launching our Tech Preview and opening the groundbranch.com store just over a month ago so its a good time to give an update on where things are at.
The biggest news is Ground Branch is playable with a simple multi-player deathmatch game mode(more modes coming soon) using a dedicated server, direct ip connect or over a LAN! We have implemented our first pass of the Server Browser using Steam for our online connectivity and we already have plenty of current Operator Edition users hopping on 24/7 dedicated servers and having a good time. Videos of play sessions are coming soon.
If you want to join in the fun and see how Ground Branch is shaping up, all while helping to fund this awesome project, then hit the store and buy into the Operator Edition and get access right away!
Its still early and multiplayer is in its early days, but Operator Edition players are really enjoying themselves and fully embracing where Ground Branch is heading. Its a game where people find themselves just hanging out sometimes. Here are a couple forum comments that jumped out at us:
“We were just hanging in the ts, watching e3 coverage and walking on the map.
at some point we figured out we could launch each other by jumping into one another. so we worked on our technique for a while.
there were actually 8 and probably more people on the server at times.
again it was fun” ~ MissVerstanden
“….. I had a blast. It is a bit like Arma, but smoother and less clunky and controls that make sense. The lean works better and more natural than I expected. You’ll see me leaning on every corner.” ~ Psychomorph
At BlackFoot Studios we pride ourselves in our community involvement and are getting valuable feedback from those that have downloaded the Tech Preview as well as those that purchased the Operator Edition. It’s always great to see players do things in the game that weren’t specifically thought of, but yet fully support and validate the core concept of what Ground Branch is all about………..
“so… i somehow killed myself by shooting my guy in the foot” ~ chicken_slayer
Something like shooting yourself in the foot doesn’t usually happen in games, but its a realistic side effect of how Ground Branch is built. You better keep muzzle awareness and trigger discipline or something bad might happen!
Now to show the Early Access map #2 from the Trello board… Its a giant tanker ship! Lots of area to cover and a design that poses some unique tactical challenges is sure to test your skills.
It is currently in the “blocking out” stage to define the overall space and is getting some decent playtesting time by our Operator Edition users. One of my favorite quotes from the forums:
“That tanker ship! That’s exactly what we need for early access, good work. Looks wide and dense at the same time, can’t wait for the interior compartments. RS tanker ship pales in comparison to it.” ~ Psychomorph
So that’s it for now. Things are moving along nicely so why don’t you join in the Operator Edition fun!
-Team BFS
Ground Branch AI collaboration
As everyone knows, good AI is essential in a tactical shooter that includes Single Player and Coop modes. We have taken a big leap forward in achieving that goal for Ground Branch with the addition of Phil Carlisle (zoombapup on the forums). BlackFoot Studios will be collaborating on developing both a friendly and enemy AI solution for Ground Branch and Unreal Engine 4 in general. Phil brings a vast work history and knowledge and we look forward to working with him to bring the world of Ground Branch alive!
Phil Carlisle has been making games for more than 20 years. Initially as programmer on the multi-million selling Worms series of games for Team17. Then as an indie developer using a variety of engine technologies. During his time as an indie, he has written chapters in books such as the AI Wisdom series, the Game AI Pro series and has written and published academic work in a number of books and conference papers. He also served as CTO for a startup AI company focussed on emotional AI characters and user-centric AI programming tools called StoryBricks. More recently Phil has been contributing to the AI knowledge base for Epic’s newly released Unreal Engine and has been finishing up his PhD work on Digital Actors. Phil’s personal goal is to empower game designers to create believable characters by creating easily usable tools that drive more dynamic characters in much the same manner as a director drives an actor’s performance.
Phil plans on charting his progress with forum posts and videos, so please check him out in the BFS forums!
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