*** Project folio: 'Wheels of Steel'.
*** Start date: 26 March 2005
*** Completion status: 45% (updated 5 June 2008)
*** Vehicles intended for final release:
1. British Transport: AEC Bus - Complete
2. British AA: AEC AA - Complete
3. Soviet AA/Armor: Austin MkII - ~99% Complete
4. British Armor: British MkIV - 0% Complete
5. French Armor: FT17 - 0% Complete
6. German Armor: A7V - 0% Complete
7. French Armor: StChamond - 0% Complete
Listed below is a diary of entries for this project, in order from earliest to most-recent
Entry 26 March 2005: All driveable vehicle stock will soon receive a large revamp and update to the latest and greatest HMW standards and eventually released in a 'pack-add-on'. I have decided to start from the top, and the AEC Bus has received several updates and improvements in line with the project's promise. Much optimisation of the polygons, and OpenPlane code has been carried out. Many new features for the vehicle are currently under consideration such as rifle-wielding passengers and droppable supply boxes. The vehicle itself is also undergoing a great visual improvement while still improving frame rates and reducing system load. Stay tuned for more updates and releases! Below are some pictures of the progress:
End of entry.
Entry 30 July 2005: Work is progressing, albeit slowly on the "Wheels of Steel" project. The AEC bus is the 1st vehicle in the pool to be receiving a complete overhaul and it is turning out nicely. Below is the engine that's going into the AEC bus, it has been modelled with realistic ancilliaries such as generator and the oil pan. Damage modelling has been kept realistic here, as the oil pan in particular can be shot off (with dire consequences obviously) and the radiator can get damaged and spring water leaks, resulting in loss of engine power. See the image below:
End of entry.
Entry 29 December 2005: It has simply been TOO LONG since the last update and for that I apologise; life is what gets in way of your plans sometimes or something like that. Anyway, without too much more blabber I'm happy to report that the 1st vehicle that was due for a complete overhaul as part of this project, has now been completed!
The AEC Bus is what I am speaking of, and I will be releasing it in Beta form on this website no later than the end of this weekend. Currently I believe the vehicle is at quite a good state of completion and I do not like to release unfinished material so I feel a little uneasy calling this upcoming release a "Beta" but I will anyway. I will make a habit of release each vehicle one by one as I complete them for the WWI Ground Pack; that way I can receive feedback on each one before I go ahead and package them all up for final release in the WWI GP.
Stay tuned I will have the AEC Bus release available from HMW within a matter of days! And I look forward to any feedback you may have. Please remember to visit the WWI forum at www.openplanesim.com on a regular basis also!
Just for clarification, here is a list of ALL the vehicles due for full revamp and inclusion in the WWI GP; please note that this list is not final, more vehicles *may* be added if time allows, however none of the vehicles listed will be removed. At least 7 vehicles will be released in the WWI GP.
End of entry.
Entry 1 January 2006: AEC Series WWI GP pre-release BETAS are ready! Download here. PLEASE READ READMES FOR MORE INFORMATION. Enjoy!
End of entry.
Entry 3 June 2006: I'm happy to report that work is now progressing on the Austin MKII armoured vehicle! I managed to spend over 5 hours of solid effort on it today and managed to get quite a bit done; It is now sitting at approx. 65% completion and will be receiving more and more attention over the coming days; Below is a pic of the progress. Obviously, optimisation is the key here as well as improvements in all other ways possible. Hopefully a BETA release is not too far off!
End of Entry.
Entry 2 October 2006: Work continues on the Austin MKII. Majority of the core elements of the vehicle are complete, along with the texture-mapping which means a final skin can now be made for the vehicle. Interior work remains, along with some damage modelling work. Once a final skin has been made for the vehicle, BETA release should become imminent. Please stay tuned!
End of Entry.
Entry 14 August 2007: Long time no update! Lots of goings on in the real world have hampered my modding efforts (as always unfortunately). Good news is now I'm engaged! :o Does this mean more free time? LOL. In any case, work continues on the Austin MKII! An awesome final skin (in 1024 x 1024 resolution no less!) had been kindly created by "Recon3" late last year. Interior has very recently been finalised also. Damage modelling work has now begun and once this has been completed a BETA release should not be too far off! As always, please stay tuned!
End of Entry.
Entry 5 June 2008: Long time no update (again)! Again, unfortunately there has not been much time for mods as of late due to Real Life. Happy to say though that Damage modelling for the Austin MkII has been completed along with lower level LODs and various other minor little things that needed doing. Thus, I'm happy to say that BETA release is imminent! Please stay tuned!
End of Entry.
Entry 14 June 2008: I'm pleased to announce the Austin MkII BETA! This beta is dated 14/06/2008 and includes all necessary files within the download archive to operate. The vehicle comes with all lower-level LODs and a full damage model - turrets can be shot off, the engine cover can be shot off, revealing an engine which can also be put out of action.
Please note: You will need the NATIONs add-on and the Somme terrain installed with SDOE in order to use the training mission included with this vehicle. Otherwise, you are free to create a new mission of your own including this vehicle. Also, patch 1.6.0.6 (or later) is recommended. You may download this BETA here. ENJOY! And please report feedback here! I welcome bug reports or anything else you come across which may not look quite right!
End of Entry.
