Hello Tank Commanders!
Welcome back to our dev diary series for Call to Arms: Panzer Elite. In our last dev diary, we unveiled our Component-Based Damage system, showing you how every shot can impact individual parts of your tank. Now, prepare to dive deeper into the mechanics of how those devastating hits are delivered.
To understand the impact of your shots, we first need to look at the different Hit Outcomes that can occur the moment your projectile strikes. A simple hit won't guarantee results; for your projectile to inflict meaningful damage, it must successfully penetrate the enemy's armor. A successful hit on an enemy vehicle can lead to several outcomes:
Blocked: Shots can be blocked outright by thick armor, failing to deliver any destructive force.
Ricochets: The laws of physics are unforgiving on the battlefield. Depending on the impact angle and the slope of the armor, projectiles can bounce off a tank's surface, harmlessly deflecting into the air. This emphasizes the importance of understanding enemy tank armor layouts and angles.
Penetration: Only a successful penetration can truly inflict damage. When a projectile hits armor with sufficient force and at a favorable angle, it will penetrate the armor, allowing its destructive power to unleash havoc on internal components and crew.
Before we dive into the details of penetration physics, let's first examine the various Ammunition types available. Choosing the correct ammunition for the situation is very important. Call to Arms: Panzer Elite features various projectile types, each with unique characteristics and intended uses. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses will be crucial. Here's a breakdown of the ammunition archetypes and their subtypes:
Experience true vehicle realism. Every armor plate on every vehicle is individually modeled with its own volume, thickness, and material type. This means your tactical decisions matter: a shot aimed at a weakly armored side will behave completely differently than one deflecting off a heavily sloped frontal plate.
When a projectile strikes a sloped armor plate or hits at an angle, the effective thickness of armor it must penetrate increases. This is a fundamental principle of tank design, known as Sloped Armor. The effective armor thickness is calculated using the impact angle relative to the armor's perpendicular angle. The shallower the impact angle (i.e., the more sloped the armor is relative to the incoming projectile), the greater the effective thickness.
Penetration Physics
A projectile's ability to penetrate armor is determined by its penetration capacity. This capacity is influenced by several factors, including:
Projectile Type: As detailed above, different ammunition types have inherent penetration capabilities.
Projectile Velocity on Impact: The further away a target is, the lower the projectile's impact velocity, and thus, its penetration capacity.
Projectile Diameter: A larger diameter projectile generally carries more kinetic energy.
Impact Angle: This is crucial. Even the thickest armor can be overcome if struck at a favorable angle, while a highly sloped plate can deflect rounds that would otherwise penetrate.
If a projectile's penetration capacity is greater than the effective armor thickness, it penetrates. Upon successful penetration, the armor's thickness is deducted from the projectile's remaining penetration capacity. The projectile then continues its trajectory, potentially with a small deflection due to the impact. It can then proceed to penetrate internal components like the fuel tank, ammo rack, or crew members, or even penetrate the hull again if it still possesses sufficient penetration capacity.
In this and our previous dev diary, we've laid out the foundational elements of combat in Call to Arms: Panzer Elite, from the component-based damage system to the intricate details of penetration physics. Understanding hit outcomes, the different ammunition types, the realistic modeling of vehicles’ armor, and the factors influencing projectiles penetration capacity will be key to mastering the battlefield. We are confident that these systems will provide challenging yet rewarding gameplay.
We're incredibly excited for you to experience the depth of our damage and penetration systems firsthand. Stay tuned for more dev diaries as we continue to refine and expand Call to Arms: Panzer Elite.
Our next entries will highlight our realistic and visually impressive environment destruction system and much more!
Happy Tanking!