Modern Naval Warfare - Navy Log Book #4 - The Development Process

Ahoy there! In the last month's Navy logbook, we explored the personal side of our developer team, answering questions and offering introductions to our vibrant community. In this months logbook, it's all about diving into the depths of Modern Naval Warfare’s development and showcasing a few of our latest efforts.

The team, though small, packs a mighty punch. They are now like a well-oiled machine, constantly sprinting forward in the development of Modern Naval Warfare.

Starting off, we figured it would be nice to show off some of the modeling work being done. Our artists have been hard at work designing ships and we have some pretty nice renders to show you today.

This model is currently a work in progress and may not represent the finished product

Besides these beautiful new ship models, we also figured you would like to hear about the actual in-game process of firing shipboard weapons. In Modern Naval Warfare this launch is not just a simple "press button - missile fires", but a very involved process with multiple in-game factors occurring.

Let us consider a scenario where you are tasked to launch a BGM-109D Tomahawk missile. You receive the mission order and all the plans via satellite communication. Following the directives, you position the submarine 200 miles east of the Paracel Islands.

Moving to the Fire Control station, you select the missile in the vertical launch tube, start the fire sequence and patiently wait for all the lights to turn green before pressing the launch button.

Excitedly, you rush to the periscope to witness the missile emerge from the surface. Within seconds, the booster falls away, and the missile vanishes into the hazy morning, commencing its journey to the target.

But hold on a moment! While this 20-second event may seem straightforward, it's the culmination of months of rigorous research, coding, testing, and meticulous 3D and VFX work.

Let’s start. The AGM-109D Block III (TLAM-D) used for this mission was meticulously crafted and textured by our dedicated 3D team. The stunning engine exhaust and contrail plume were skillfully created by our VFX experts.

The development of the flight model involved a lot of research on missile flight and control, a long and meticulous debugging process (often accompanied with a lot of laughing) to accurately account for the aerodynamics and physics laws governing the missile's trajectory including considerations for weight, thrust, drag, fluid dynamic and more.

To ensure the missile stays on course between waypoints an Inertial Navigation System (INS), Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM), and DSMAC (Digital Scene-Matching Area Correlation) models were also developed. Yes, in contested environments with GPS jamming, the missile will use the DSMAC to realign the navigation system.

Finally, upon reaching the point of impact, a complex process activates the warhead following the mission orders inputs (axis of delivery, altitude, ….). The missile's terminal attack mode, whether it's a pop-up maneuver, a sub-munition dispersal or a direct attack mode, dictates the outcome. This could mean a powerful detonation for a single strike or, in the case of dispersing BLU-97s, a series of smaller explosions. Each explosion is meticulously designed and executed by our skilled VFX team, adding a touch of realism and intensity to the simulation. As always, we all love big Boom!.

I know you're eagerly anticipating some videos and more screens, so let your wishes be granted!

NOTE: All media presented are works in progress and don’t necessarily represent the final product.

Here's a sample of the works of the 3D and texturing artist

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Video of the simulator flight model (work with aircraft, missiles, ….), at the end, a little blooper. It happens when some flight parameters inputs are incorrect.
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Videos of the VFX artist. Since he got an Oscar, he got to have TWO videos (but only this time!)
Underwater Explosions
Watch on YouTube
Atmospheric Explosions
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As you've witnessed in this logbook, the effectiveness and dedication of our development team are paving the way to deliver the most realistic consumer simulator of Modern Naval Warfare to date.

While I hope your craving for simulator development insights has been partially satisfied, I understand you're hungry for more, but that's all for today!

So, stay tuned for another exciting update next month!