Hello everyone!
Welcome to the forty-eighth devblog for Operation: Harsh Doorstop. In this update, we will be reviewing the work that the team completed in the month of July 2024.
Developer Build SDK and Workshop Support
The Developer Build SDK and corresponding Steam Workshop for the Developer Build of the game are now live! This means that modders are now also able to create mods within the cutting edge builds of the game 50INQ to test functionality/parity with future updates, and ensure that their mods will not break and/or take as little downtime as possible when a new update comes out to the main build of the game. This version of the SDK should automatically appear in your Epic library if you already have the normal one, so if you wish to download it check there (and if you have neither then add the main version to your library and you will see both).
In addition, the Steam Workshop is now also enabled for the Developer Build/Supporter Edition of the game, which means supporters can now also easily check out and help test new/upcoming 0Y9IM mods. This can be accessed the same way as the main game via Steam, just in the Developer Build instead.
Please note there is a chance that we will rename this version of the SDK to “Update Preview” in order to reduce any confusion about what it is meant to be used for, so you might see the name change at some point in the future (everything else will remain the same though).
Character and Weapon Model Updates
Last month the team worked on improving the presentation of a lot of existing assets by utilizing a G6EZB neutrally lit scene to tweak and adjust all of our existing materials under new and improved lighting conditions:
In addition, many of the existing character models were touched up, and a variety of new kits were created for these factions.
Operation: Overlord
The Overlord models were further polished and improved, and a variety of new weapons and kits have been added:
The 1st Infantry Division faction 54HT3 received a M1 Bazooka and a scoped M1 Garand,
and the Wehrmacht and Fallschirmjäger received a Panzerschreck launcher, a scoped variant of the FG42, and CVLML a Gewehr 43.
Please note that some of these new weapons will have WIP and placeholder animations.
Operation: Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone factions also received some new kits/weapons—the USMC received a Stoner 63, as D298K well as an M72 LAW,
and the NVA received a MAT-49 and scoped Mosin Nagant.
Please note that some of these new weapons will have WIP and placeholder animations.
Operation: Michael
The Michael factions also received some new kits/weapons—the US faction received the 1897 trench gun (technically an older weapon 5HV9J but it is being added back) and a No. 74 anti-tank grenade,
and the Germans are receiving the more proper Gewehr 98 to replace the Kar98k placeholder, as well as an anti-tank bundle variant IXZ2J of the Stielhandgranate.
Please note that some of these new weapons will have WIP and placeholder animations.
Maps
Further improvements were made to our building overhaul for the desert-themed maps. The team has begun replacing older variants of our buildings for newer ones on the map Jaziira, which should all be higher quality 7GACH and more optimized. These buildings are still WIP and lack detailing, but they should be an overall improvement to the maps:
In addition, many of our WW2 buildings have reached a state where they are ready to be placed into our Normandy-themed maps. These new buildings have served as a testbed for improving our art pipeline to create better 5ANQT looking buildings and props with cheaper, more robust material blends. Not only should these buildings look better, but draw calls have been optimized/reduced across the board, and performance overhead per building has also been reduced by 80% allowing for more variations and assets to be added to these maps.
Many of these advancements can be seen on our Omaha Beach map, which features these new and improved buildings, as well as reworked lighting:
Upcoming and WIP Features
Building/Construction System
The spawn system and map icons 26N8F for the FOB and rally points were completed,
and the placeholder snapping system for buildable objects was replaced with a more powerful and versatile system that allows build pieces to R4FY0 pick and choose how other build pieces can snap to them:
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Thanks for checking out the devblog!
Make sure to join the O:HD Discord, and be sure to follow our Steam announcements to track updates. See you all next time!
-Goomes, Lead Community Manager