[R-DEV]Mineral PR:BF2 Lead Designer



Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 8,299 Belgium Belgium

PR:WW2 Mini-Update #4

Hi guys, we're back and happy to announce that WW2 is back into PR starting on the 28th! More information about this please click



It's been quite a long time ever since the Alpha event and we are looking forward for this one to be just as successful. The long interval obviously had its downs in terms of productivity but it was also an exceptional year for many of the members in our team. In the past few months we have picked up the pace and are happy to show you the fruits of our hard labor. This release will solidify the foundations for PR's integration and we are looking forward to complete that step as soon as possible. Please give feedback to help us through.



With no more delay, here's a peek of what we prepared for this Beta release.



MAPS

OMAHA BEACH





For more pics please click on the image above.

The main highlight of the past Alpha event went through a serie of changes that significantly altered not only its face but gameplay as well. It will be noticeable for players that were present in the Alpha event that the brightness and color tones are quite different. Rabbit took upon himself to lower the dense vegetation covering the ridges for better performance. That change also brought along a change of scenery. There are more vivid colors as well as a brighter lightning that will allow the Wehrmacht to spot the americans easier. To those players that complained about not being able to overlook the beach from the trenches, Rabbit also took upon himself to make that a reality in a few of them. However, remember that the trench system was meant to walk to the defensive emplacements safely and therefore it is not something you should look for when playing for the Wehrmacht. Be wise: there are plenty of bunkers around, a red looking Hotel with great firing holes in its attic (in the middle of the passage) and mortar pits for complete american annihilation. If all of those roles are taken, then it is upon you to supply the team with much needed ammo throughout the round. There is never too much of it!



Helpful Tips & Highlights



If you don't want to keep yourself in the dark when jumping in to your first round, then here is a list of very informative bits that you have to know!



(please click on the bolded words for images as they will serve as a reference to the description)



- Victoria Troopships - The US Army base this time around will feature transport ships rather than docks. The US Army will spawn in the Victoria ships and from there the players can go down the ramps that lead to the LCVPs and DWG Shermans.



- LCIs and LSMs - Once one of the WN flags is capped by the US Army (which can be seen in the right top corner of the image - the flags south of the beach), a respective group of LCIs and LCUs will spawn in the shore. The more WN flags the US Army caps, the more they are rewarded with forward spawnpoints and vehicles.



- Pickup Kits (MG42, MG34 & AG) - Near each Tobruk Bunker the Wehrmacht will have a their disposal a pair of kits for additional damage. Each pair will contain either a MG42 or MG 34 kit and an Assistant Gunner kit. The latter fits a role that is a mixture between the Spotter and Rifleman kits in PR. This kit is equipped with binoculars to guide the MG as well as an ammo can to further assist him.



- Map Border Hugging - In the previous release a lot of players complained that the beach landings would often be concentrated on the most western side objective. In order to prevent this, Rabbit added a Pak and an enterable 3 floor building to prevent these tactics to ever occur again.



- New Bunkers - These new bunkers made by Ratface allow better movement and firing angles than the improvised ones from the Alpha release.



- Mortar Pits - There hasn't been any change since the Alpha but we feel that it's in the interest of the players to reinforce their existence and need. These mortars can be found in pits along the trench system and if used wisely with the logistics squad then it will prove to be a colossal obstacle for the americans to overcome.



- Anti-tank Wall - The Anti-tank Wall will be an obstacle of the greatest importance for the DWG Shermans to take the fastest route inland. To take it down in one blow then it's very important to have an engineer nearby. The wall's positioning was slightly altered since the Alpha version according findings of real life references.



- Water Rise - The shallow water in the Alpha is no longer present. The LCVP drivers will have to carefully watch their way to the beach as lowering the ramp before the obstacles will result in a turkey shoot.



- DWG Sherman Smoke Rounds - The Sherman have smoke capability that can be used to the US Army's advantage when landing on the beach.



Layers

AAS STD





This AAS version is the narrowest of the two and will condensate the fighting to a thick frontline.

AAS LRG





In the LRG layer there is one more objective to stretch the teams and the potential to explore gaps with precise flanking or overwhelming assault maneuvers. It also have a higher number of tickets than STD for longer rounds.

CARENTAN





For more pics please click on the image above.

This map started to gain shape right after the last release of Project Normandy by the hands of Bad1n. His concept was of an inaccurate portrayal of the Battle of Carentan due to the limitations in assets available at the time. Regardless, the map was well balanced in flag distribution and it had the potential to become a new Brecourt Assault (that was the most popular map at the time). However, months after the map was abandoned and it took some more time until it reached the hands of Rabbit that quickly after was passed on to Arc_Shielder. The latter saw a lot of potential for a generic portrayal of WW2 and underwent through extensive work to redo everything from scratch and call it his. The sketch of Bad1n's concept was still there, but everything else was shaped to give birth to a map that better fit the quality standards that PR:WW2 is now in its power to accomplish. It is no surprise that Cafe Normandie had to be made as an iconic location that every WW2 enthusiast is a fan of. Players will also have a lot of fun crossing the bridges for bottleneck fighting and even a Bunker Hill that older players will find somewhat similar to the one in Brecourt Assault. The city will be the major highlight as enterable buildings are now the norm rather than an a exception. The map is highly entertainable with its dynamic layers and fine attention to detail.



Layers, Helpful Tips & Highlights

Carentan requires a step by step through each layer to be well informed of how it plays out.



(please click on the bolded words for images as they will serve as a reference to the description)

AAS STD





In this layer the germans are completely on defensive mode supported by 1 spawn delayed Pz IV against 1 Sherman and 1 M8 Greyhound Scout. They have full control of all flags and the US Army will have to face a bleed right at the start. Despite the easy time in capping the first flag (that can no longer be cappable by the Wehrmacht), the US Army will then face the toughest challenge when going up against the Flak 8.8. Each one is positioned in the german side of the river in

The Wehrmacht will have 4 temporary rallypoints that will act as a frontline to the north and east of Village flag. There is also 1 rallypoint to the north of each Flak 8.8.



AAS ALT





This concept is the complete opposite of the STD layer as it is the time for the germans to attack. They are supported by 1 Pz IV and 1 sdfKz 231 against 1 spawn delayed Sherman. There are 2 flags set in the outskirts of Carentan in which at least one of them have be made neutral to stop the bleeding. Due to the density of means to do damage on the Wehrmacht the two flags should act as a compensation to the tickets lost until that moment. From there on the Wehrmacht have to cap the city and face 2 Zis-3 positioned in the southern exit and western exit (through the secondary road). The US Army will start the round with 4 temporary rallypoints that will act as a frontline to the west/southwest of the 2 bleeding flags. There is also one rallypoint behind each Zis-3 emplacement.



AAS LRG





This the classic balanced approach of the two factions with the same number of assets and a neutral flag in the middle.

Skirmish INF





This layer focuses in the dual capping to simulate a frontline and spread the teams in such a narrow area. The US Army beside the main base will have another spawnpoint located nearby Cafe Normandie to the west.

Skirmish ALT







A more extended version of the INF Layer in the city flag and its outskirts. A more extended version of the INF Layer in the city flag and its outskirts.

Skirmish STD





This layer takes the fighting for the control of one bridge that start as neutral in the beginning.

MERVILLE





For more pics please click on the image above.

This level was inspired on the British Parachute Troops to overtake and seize the battery operating in Merville. This complex was assaulted from the south as one out of many missions committed by this Regiment in Operation Tonga. Even though this british faction is not in the works, Bad1n decided to go forward with this project and redesign a fictional scenario with the US Army instead. The faction will have the support of logistics and an IFV in 2 different AAS layers. The map offers wide open fields, a few yet important ditches to take cover as well as different little locations surrounding it to extend the battlefield. Cautiousness is the key word for the americans if they want to successfully take the battery to themselves. The use of smoke and clever use of the elements will have to be essential elements if the team wants to succeed. The germans in their turn, will do their best to take advantage of their defensive emplacements.



There are more ideas in the works for this level, but for the time being we give you an AAS feel of it.



Layers













The battery is no longer the focus but rather 3 flags surrounding the battery. It's a race against time to cap as many flags as possible and extend the battle across the map. The americans lack the proximity but count with the support of a M8 Greyhound Scout. This layer focus on the fight for the Battery. This flag will prove to be essential to cause the most damage to the enemy despite no bleeding effect being present.The battery is no longer the focus but rather 3 flags surrounding the battery. It's a race against time to cap as many flags as possible and extend the battle across the map. The americans lack the proximity but count with the support of a M8 Greyhound Scout.

RATFACE MODELS



Ratface models have been previously mentioned in the past Highlight but with no full scope of what he was able to accomplish during and after the Alpha. His contribution is increasingly important for the mappers to flesh out a decent portrayal of France in WW2 and the conflict that took place.



BUILDINGS



For more pics please click on the image above.

This new set of buildings allowed for a nice portray of a small city like Carentan and makes any other type of urban settings in France a possibility in PR:WW2 for the first time.



BUNKERS





For more pics please click on the image above.



These new bunkers replaced or reshaped the original improvised models in the Alpha release. A couple of them have ammo rooms and are just generally easier to move around compared to the previous versions. Out of the existing ones Ratface have retextured and optimized them. These new bunkers replaced or reshaped the original improvised models in the Alpha release. A couple of them have ammo rooms and are just generally easier to move around compared to the previous versions. Out of the existing oneshave retextured and optimized them.

CHURCH





For more pics please click on the image above.



This church model was inspired by St Martin's church and a much needed piece either in PR:WW2 or in core PR. This enterable church have 3 divisions in the ground floor together with a 1st floor platforms that provides defensive positions on its sides and front through the small windows. To top it off, the favorite location for MGs or a Sniper, the tower gives the insider a great field of vision over the surroundings. However, to make it so that players do not barricade themselves in the tower Ratface made it destroyable.



This church model was inspired by St Martin's church and a much needed piece either in PR:WW2 or in core PR. This enterable church have 3 divisions in the ground floor together with a 1st floor platforms that provides defensive positions on its sides and front through the small windows. To top it off, the favorite location for MGs or a Sniper, the tower gives the insider a great field of vision over the surroundings. However, to make it so that players do not barricade themselves in the towermade it destroyable.

KaB ANIMATIONS

KaB's main goal for this release was to improve upon the Alpha content as well as introducing new animations for the M7 Launcher. The BAR animations were improved as well having tweaked the model into separate parts so that the handler could move among other fine details.



Enjoy this bit of new Panzerfaust animations.





In addtion to:





M7 Launcher

BAR 1918

K98 Sniper Rifle reload animation

M1 Carbine deploy animation

M1 Garand deploy animation

Thompson deploy animation

MG34 reload & firing animation (with the cooperation of Rhino who smoothed the mag and did an alpha layer on the barrel)



NEW VEHICLES

There are new vehicles that players will enjoy in this Beta release as well as the introduction of proper german camos from the Normandy campaign. Master X and InsanityPays took care of the retextures, Mats and Zwilling did the coding.



M8 Greyhound Scout







Model: Eve of Destruction

Retexture: CTRifle & MasterX



sdfKz 231







Model: Battlegroup Frontlines

Retexture: MasterX



Pz IV F2







Model: Battlegroup Frontlines

Retexture: MasterX



Pz IV D







Model: Battlegroup Frontlines

Retexture: MasterX



sdfKz 251C rear mg







Model: Battlegroup Frontlines

Retexture: MasterX

Rear MG coding: Mats



US Vehicle Retextures by MasterX







German Vehicle Retextures by InsanityPays



Eve of DestructionCTRifle & MasterXBattlegroup FrontlinesMasterXBattlegroup FrontlinesMasterXBattlegroup FrontlinesMasterXBattlegroup FrontlinesMasterXMats



OTHER ADDITIONS Trenches



In the Alpha release the trenches had a bunny hoping effect on players that had to do so from the borders of the model. Now they can just naturally walk through them as Ratface changed its col mesh.

Soundtrack



Zararoaster Media gifted us with the song "Colossus" which is the map loading theme for Omaha Beach.



To play "Colossus" click here.



If you're interested in more then feel free to visit their page in Soundcloud or Youtube



Magnus H. Tellman in turn gave us permission to make use of his phenomenal work. For the map Carentan and Merville the songs "Aeons Apart" and "Spellslinger" were chosen.



To play "Aeons Apart" click here.



To play "Spellslinger" click here.



If you're interested in more then feel free to visit his page in Youtube or Soundcloud.

New Weapon Models



As previously highlighted in Mini-Update nr 3. Mineral exported 3 new weapon models to replace the Thompson, MP40 and M1 Carbine.



Thompson



MP40



M1 Carbine



Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Enjoy the release and we hope it will be of great enjoyment even in the new year.



We still have more gems hidden in our ark and we are looking forward to showcase them to you as progress moves along. If you're interested in what we're doing then keep yourself updated in our Hi guys, we're back and happy to announce that WW2 is back into PR starting on the 28th! More information about this please click HERE It's been quite a long time ever since the Alpha event and we are looking forward for this one to be just as successful. The long interval obviously had its downs in terms of productivity but it was also an exceptional year for many of the members in our team. In the past few months we have picked up the pace and are happy to show you the fruits of our hard labor. This release will solidify the foundations for PR's integration and we are looking forward to complete that step as soon as possible. Please give feedback to help us through.With no more delay, here's a peek of what we prepared for this Beta release.The main highlight of the past Alpha event went through a serie of changes that significantly altered not only its face but gameplay as well. It will be noticeable for players that were present in the Alpha event that the brightness and color tones are quite different.took upon himself to lower the dense vegetation covering the ridges for better performance. That change also brought along a change of scenery. There are more vivid colors as well as a brighter lightning that will allow the Wehrmacht to spot the americans easier. To those players that complained about not being able to overlook the beach from the trenches,also took upon himself to make that a reality in a few of them. However, remember that the trench system was meant to walk to the defensive emplacements safely and therefore it is not something you should look for when playing for the Wehrmacht. Be wise: there are plenty of bunkers around, a red looking Hotel with great firing holes in its attic (in the middle of the passage) and mortar pits for complete american annihilation. If all of those roles are taken, then it is upon you to supply the team with much needed ammo throughout the round. There is never too much of it!If you don't want to keep yourself in the dark when jumping in to your first round, then here is a list of very informative bits that you have to know!- The US Army base this time around will feature transport ships rather than docks. The US Army will spawn in the Victoria ships and from there the players can go down the ramps that lead to the LCVPs and DWG Shermans.- Once one of the WN flags is capped by the US Army (which can be seen in the right top corner of the image - the flags south of the beach), a respective group of LCIs and LCUs will spawn in the shore. The more WN flags the US Army caps, the more they are rewarded with forward spawnpoints and vehicles.- Near each Tobruk Bunker the Wehrmacht will have a their disposal a pair of kits for additional damage. Each pair will contain either a MG42 or MG 34 kit and an Assistant Gunner kit. The latter fits a role that is a mixture between the Spotter and Rifleman kits in PR. This kit is equipped with binoculars to guide the MG as well as an ammo can to further assist him.- In the previous release a lot of players complained that the beach landings would often be concentrated on the most western side objective. In order to prevent this, Rabbit added a Pak and an enterable 3 floor building to prevent these tactics to ever occur again.- These new bunkers made byallow better movement and firing angles than the improvised ones from the Alpha release.- There hasn't been any change since the Alpha but we feel that it's in the interest of the players to reinforce their existence and need. These mortars can be found in pits along the trench system and if used wisely with the logistics squad then it will prove to be a colossal obstacle for the americans to overcome.- The Anti-tank Wall will be an obstacle of the greatest importance for the DWG Shermans to take the fastest route inland. To take it down in one blow then it's very important to have an engineer nearby. The wall's positioning was slightly altered since the Alpha version according findings of real life references.- The shallow water in the Alpha is no longer present. The LCVP drivers will have to carefully watch their way to the beach as lowering the ramp before the obstacles will result in a turkey shoot.- The Sherman have smoke capability that can be used to the US Army's advantage when landing on the beach.This map started to gain shape right after the last release of Project Normandy by the hands of. His concept was of an inaccurate portrayal of the Battle of Carentan due to the limitations in assets available at the time. Regardless, the map was well balanced in flag distribution and it had the potential to become a new Brecourt Assault (that was the most popular map at the time). However, months after the map was abandoned and it took some more time until it reached the hands ofthat quickly after was passed on to. The latter saw a lot of potential for a generic portrayal of WW2 and underwent through extensive work to redo everything from scratch and call it his. The sketch of's concept was still there, but everything else was shaped to give birth to a map that better fit the quality standards that PR:WW2 is now in its power to accomplish. It is no surprise that Cafe Normandie had to be made as an iconic location that every WW2 enthusiast is a fan of. Players will also have a lot of fun crossing the bridges for bottleneck fighting and even a Bunker Hill that older players will find somewhat similar to the one in Brecourt Assault. The city will be the major highlight as enterable buildings are now the norm rather than an a exception. The map is highly entertainable with its dynamic layers and fine attention to detail.In this layer the germans are completely on defensive mode supported by 1 spawn delayed Pz IV against 1 Sherman and 1 M8 Greyhound Scout. They have full control of all flags and the US Army will have to face a bleed right at the start. Despite the easy time in capping the first flag (that can no longer be cappable by the Wehrmacht), the US Army will then face the toughest challenge when going up against the Flak 8.8. Each one is positioned in the german side of the river in West Bridge and East Bridge The Wehrmacht will have 4 temporary rallypoints that will act as a frontline to the north and east of Village flag. There is also 1 rallypoint to the north of each Flak 8.8.This concept is the complete opposite of the STD layer as it is the time for the germans to attack. They are supported by 1 Pz IV and 1 sdfKz 231 against 1 spawn delayed Sherman. There are 2 flags set in the outskirts of Carentan in which at least one of them have be made neutral to stop the bleeding. Due to the density of means to do damage on the Wehrmacht the two flags should act as a compensation to the tickets lost until that moment. From there on the Wehrmacht have to cap the city and face 2 Zis-3 positioned inand. The US Army will start the round with 4 temporary rallypoints that will act as a frontline to the west/southwest of the 2 bleeding flags. There is also one rallypoint behind each Zis-3 emplacement.This level was inspired on the British Parachute Troops to overtake and seize the battery operating in Merville. This complex was assaulted from the south as one out of many missions committed by this Regiment in Operation Tonga. Even though this british faction is not in the works,decided to go forward with this project and redesign a fictional scenario with the US Army instead. The faction will have the support of logistics and an IFV in 2 different AAS layers. The map offers wide open fields, a few yet important ditches to take cover as well as different little locations surrounding it to extend the battlefield. Cautiousness is the key word for the americans if they want to successfully take the battery to themselves. The use of smoke and clever use of the elements will have to be essential elements if the team wants to succeed. The germans in their turn, will do their best to take advantage of their defensive emplacements.There are more ideas in the works for this level, but for the time being we give you an AAS feel of it.Ratface models have been previously mentioned in the past Highlight but with no full scope of what he was able to accomplish during and after the Alpha. His contribution is increasingly important for the mappers to flesh out a decent portrayal of France in WW2 and the conflict that took place.'s main goal for this release was to improve upon the Alpha content as well as introducing new animations for the M7 Launcher. The BAR animations were improved as well having tweaked the model into separate parts so that the handler could move among other fine details.Enjoy this bit of new Panzerfaust animations.In addtion to:There are new vehicles that players will enjoy in this Beta release as well as the introduction of proper german camos from the Normandy campaign.andtook care of the retextures,anddid the coding.Enjoy the release and we hope it will be of great enjoyment even in the new year.We still have more gems hidden in our ark and we are looking forward to showcase them to you as progress moves along. If you're interested in what we're doing then keep yourself updated in our Facebook page for future news.