Command & Conquer: Dawn of Tomorrow teaser thread

[Kilkakon]

That I did! Animation's all done and working

[Nyerguds]

Hee, that map, used like that, reminds me of Syndicate

[X3M]

AWESOME!!!AWESOME!!!AWESOME!!!

 

Finally the whole world in TD style.

[Kilkakon]

Gah sorry for not thanking you guys earlier. Ever since CNCNet moved its domain I've not received any email notifications so I have to check everything manually.

 

Thanks for the positive feedback I noticed there's a few stray pixels I'll need to clean up (XCC seems to butcher the palette slightly, somehow) but I should be able to address that. Next update I should have some territory coloured in for you guys to see what you think~

 

I've had a few delays due to some legal problems I won't go into detail here. If they don't get resolved I'll have to switch to finishing my website redesign earlier rather than later.

 

 

[Kilkakon]

Though my life is currently nothing but trials and tribulations, thank God I can keep carrying on.

 

I've got 2 things to share with you guys. I'll start with the most exciting, a new building idea I had. I was inspired to make this on a lunch break today as there's one thing that always bothered me with my current building set: the civilian power plant, which is also used by Russia. it's the blue one in this screenshot:

 

As you can see it's the Red Alert one recoloured blue. While this is fine and a nice touch, it bothered me that I was using the advanced Red Alert power plant and the regular one on different factions. Doesn't make sense thematically. Replacing the power plant with something new is a tricky task. It still has to scream Red Alert, as I really want to tap into that nostalgia factor, it being on the Russian faction.

 

While this is still WIP, I think this is on the right track. I've made this by modifying the Ore Refinery and adding a few things.

 

 

What do you guys think? Cool? Not cool? Any ideas on how to make it even awesomer? Opinions on the colours? I want it to fit the RA look and feel like a power plant without it being the same building. If that makes sense. Hopefully. :laugh:

 

The other thing I can share is this:

 

 

This is the current idea for how the world map will look at the start of the first campaign. My problem is that Russia and USA really have no reason to expand! XD The map will mainly be tracking the player's progress I guess. Feel free to throw feedback on this one as well.

 

Hope you like guys!

[cn2mc]

About the Soviet-style power plant, maybe make the chimneys a few pixels taller? Add a heap of coal stacked in the corner perhaps? Outside staircase on the SW wall? IDK.

 

The thing is, IRL these buildings aren't that dark a shade of grey. Many are actually brownish tinted, or orange/yellow, etc. They also have more metal elements on facades. You got the general look spot on in the part under the chimneys, although I woundn't want to work in those offices. Maybe try out a few different textures for the rest of the building?

[Messiah]

for me I like the newer one, great job!

 

so the russians both have the regular and the advanced power plant and other sides only have only one of them?

for the russians it's quite weird to have two totally different looking power plants, I suggest to add a new design for the adv power plant too.

 

I wait for the release!

[Kilkakon]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions guys! I've done some more work on the power plant, incorporating your suggestions slightly, making the chimneys a bit taller and adding a pipe to make the building more complete-feeling. I did try another colour palette but I couldn't find anything I liked, so I've stuck with this. Fixed the shading, fixed the remaps, made a damage frame. Here's some screenshots!

 

Russian power plants standing proudly in a Russian military outpost

 

Civilian-owned Power Plants in the middle of a city

 

These Terrorist Power Plants have fallen into disrepair.

 

so the russians both have the regular and the advanced power plant and other sides only have only one of them?

Thanks Messiah This means I've succeeded in making a Russian-looking power plant. The Advanced Power Plant is only for the Company of Answers.

 

Here's a breakdown of power plant by playable faction:

[Kilkakon]

I've gone ahead and done the cameo and the buildup animation. The new building is now complete!

 

 

 

Hope you guys like!

[AchromicWhite]

Love it man, all this stuff looks absolutely TOPS!

You've really nailed that 'nostalgia' feel, even on your new structures; well done

[Inq]

I've gone ahead and done the cameo and the buildup animation. The new building is now complete!

 

 

 

Hope you guys like!

 

Looks great! Top work, indeed. 

[Nyerguds]

That build-up looks suspiciously like a certain Red Alert 1 building

 

How does that look ingame? The remap at the top of the chimneys seems really bright to me...

[Kilkakon]

Thanks guys! I'm glad you all love it!

 

Annnnd after some poking on Skype, Nyer forced me to tweak the damaged frame of the powerplant a bit. He demanded saggage! And here it is:

 

I also put the original one back in for use in campaign maps, like this small Company of Answers installation located in Ukraine:

 

In other news I've also made two videos, for the remaining two faction logos. I've yet to upload them but will give you guys a preview soon~

[Kilkakon]

Hi there guys--sorry to be out of touch. I've been working on the mod and a new site for it but I had to go dark for a bit while some nonsense blew over. But I'm fine and almost ready to unleash the new site complete with all the C&C pages you guys can geek over.

 

While working on the pages today though I noticed a bug in the way I was assigning factions the various helicopters, which means I'll need to re-evaluate the Apache helicopter. I wanted to give it to Japan, USA and Russia, but looks like I can only give it to Russia. This gives me the opportunity to give it a more fitting name for Russia as well as try out something a bit... new.

 

Thing is, I'm not sure what would be best! So I decided to make a few different tests and threw them together into a video for you guys to check out. Have a look and let me know what you think of each of them~ My hunch is the anti-tank shells or the ballistic charges, as the honest john missiles seem a tad overpowered and steal the role of the SSM Launcher, but figured it'd be a cool vid anyhow.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElpWtJzYYX4

 

Enjoy boys! :laugh:

[ROB]

I watched the video. Seems you're right about the honest john missile, especially if that faction already has the SSM launcher. Machine guns on aircraft's also seem useless to me. I think the decision would depend on what other air units the other factions have and what sort of weapon is really needed for balance. Maybe if that faction does not already have an artillery unit, the ballistic explosives would be the best choice. If there is already an Orca with hellfire missiles or a similar unit, the tank shell weapon would seem redundant to me, regardless of who owns it. It's also probably unrealistic that a player would attack SAMs with a helicopter even if the weapon is effective. Im not sure if C&C mechanics differ much, but in RA I find any AP warhead launched from an aircraft to be generally ineffective against moving targets. I'm leaning towards the artillery shell weapon. Maybe a fifth option could even be a HE missile if you wanted accuracy opposed to a ballistic shell. Any weapon with a HE warhead I think would be the best option, seems to be the most "useful". Even against moving targets with heavy armor the spread of the HE warhead with high enough damage should do more damage that a missed AP shot.

[MattAttack]

I likes the tank shells the most, personally.... I found it a bit unique.  I do however, remember messing with the stats like 20 years ago and finding SAM missiles pretty brutal, so maybe experiment with that.  IIRC they WILL hit ground units and I think they were pretty devastating.

[Kilkakon]

Thanks for checking out my vid guys and giving some feedback!

 

I think we can rule out the first and fourth prototype designs, the 4th seems like a worse version of the regular Apache, and the first obsoletes the SSM launcher (which I'd rather not do). I'm leaning towards the tank shell one--Russia is obsessed with anti-tank, to a fault (their only anti-infantry is the SSM launcher). I think that's cool~

 

If you guys want I could do more video updates to show bits off of the mod as I move towards finishing the more obscure areas of the thing.

[Kilkakon]

So after a surprising amount of work I can report that I've gone with the tank-shell option for the helicopter. I then had to rearrange both of them and swap the graphics to get the right helicopters on the right sides... factions can be such hard work haha! The end result is that US, Japan and Company will have the Longbow equipped with AP rockets and Russia (and Tomorrow if they get access to a helipad) will have the Hind equipped with tank shells. I've reduced the health of the Hind and made it marginally more expensive to try and balance things out, as it is more accurate.

 

I did toy with the idea of having both helicopters available for CoA, and making one of them anti-infantry... but it would mean having to give Russia a pointless tech structure and I think it might have been a bit weird. Ah well I like what we have going for now.

[Nyerguds]

I think that in reality, there are practical concerns about mounting a tank cannon on a helicopter...

 

Your signature image 404's, btw.

[Kilkakon]

Hopefully the tank cannon is recoil-less haha--otherwise might end up like the hover tank from Sergeant Bilko

 

Thanks for the heads up. That image must have been sniped when I was cleaning up my junk folders. I'll restore it shortly.

[Inq]

I think that in reality, there are practical concerns about mounting a tank cannon on a helicopter...

 

Hopefully the tank cannon is recoil-less haha--otherwise might end up like the hover tank from Sergeant Bilko

 

Largest Calibre I can think of the top of my head is a 30mm cannon. (Mi24P)

 

I think it would really be the weight issue (heavy ammunition/auto loader/recoil system/larger thicker barrel& breach) rather than the actual stress of firing on the airframe.

 

In your mod timeline it could be Russia has only recently acquired missile/rocket motor technology? Would explain the large oversized SSM missiles.

If rockets & missiles were not "invented" I'd imagine a large Calibre, low velocity gun would be most suited for a helicopter... Think 152mm Sheridan gun with a fat HEAT warhead rather than a high velocity 105/120mm Abrams gun.

 

Plenty of helicopters used grenade launchers in the Vietnam era too. It could be an upscaled 40mm.

 

As for the Sprite its self, it would be extra work but Holloweye made a rocket pod hind, you could shade the pods black and it would perhaps look like cannons - Might be cool? 

 

http://sprites.openra.net/ Page 11

[Kilkakon]

Hey thanks for the link. I thought all the RA sprites went away, I had no idea where they went, haha.

 

Cool to know my helicopter isn't totally a silly concept. I think the suggestion you made isn't bad, just would be a little too large--those tubes are bigger than the mammoth tank barrels!

 

I'll keep thinking about helicopters and see if there's more that can be done. Having a siege helicopter for Company would be great, if there was a way to make a new helicopter...

[Inq]

Hey thanks for the link. I thought all the RA sprites went away, I had no idea where they went, haha.

 

No problem! It would be cool to have a functioning database of community sprites  - Unfortunately You can't upload to that one currently.

 

*update*

 

Just because I was curious to find out... this is the largest gun mounted on a helicopter I could find...

It's a 30mm bushmaster 2. So thats bigger than the gun on the M2 Bradley (the light tank)

It fires the same sized rounds as the GAU-8, the A-10's infamous gun.

It's on a Seahawk helicopter because they were testing it to shoot sea mines not tanks.  :laugh:

 

As for a seige heli, I don't know how restricted you are for adding new units/shps but there is a cobra shp here: http://www.sleipnirstuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16939&highlight=cobra

probably not ideal, but would at least look unique...

[Nyerguds]

The gun that's on the Bradley in real life isn't a tank gun though; the vehicle is actually an APC. C&C uses a modified Bradley with a heavier gun. Both of those you mentioned are machine guns, btw, not actual tank guns.

[Kilkakon]

I guess I just have to rule that my mod's arsenal is slightly fantasy in that while a lot of the technology exists, not all of it has come together in real life the same way it has in the mod. I imagine my Tank Hunter unit has a similar issue (very fast light tank with dual light cannons).

 

Cool pic though, and thanks for the digging. It's fun! :laugh:

 

If I could add a new helicopter I might make something up myself, sorta like the Osprey but with orca style enclosed rotors (mainly due to C&C only having the one option for helicopters). Depends if Nyer can work his magic or not I guess, haha~

 

*goes back to working on C&C thing he hopes he can show soon*

 

EDIT: the Cobra's not bad either