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BACKGROUND:
This thread is a follow-up to the project thread made by James7 and a continuation of his project. James has been offline since april this year, and i get it he has moved and has limited access to the internet. Before he went offline, i took the task of reterraining the map for him, something that took somewhat larger proportions and ended up with me recreating many of the systems and adding new unit and custom made models for them and all the others. Unfortunately, my computer got accidentally reformated, and much of my process was lost.
Now, almost everything has been recreated from scratch - using heightmap tools and photoshop, i have managed to render a 99,9% accurate depiction of the world map, packed with new exclusive models and mechanics - something i am about to present here.
Even though the map is now completely made by me and Vuormalainen (who made our awesome website, among other things), i still consider it as James project and concept, and he will be co-credited in the loading screen. Until he returns, i will be leader of this project and manage this thread, and i hope my work will be enjoyed.
Thanks.
SUMMARY:
WW2: World in Flames is a strategy based map taking place in both theatres of world war two. Your goal is to conquer the opposing teams using air, ground, and naval units authentic to those used in the historical war.
The game is bound by a timeline that progressively unlocks new units and researches, although diplomacy will be mostly up to the players, with some dictation from the "public relations" system, which handles standings between nations and adds penalties to players who, for instance, ally an enemy with whom they have been at war with for a long time.
After the timeline has passed 1945, the game will theoretically continue into the cold war.
Playable factions:
Soviet Union
Great Britain
Italy
Germany
Finland
Imperial Japan
USA
China
Minimap:
FEATURES:
Introduction:
*Intuitive round-based combat spanning through the largest war in human history!
*Experience the full world war era with two theatres, featuring both the Pacific and the European war!
Mechanics:
*Bridges
Bridgeheads will need to be controlled to maintain your natural front lines. These can be occupied but not controlled - Fortify your bridges to break the enemy offensive!
A bridge across the Mekong river, somewhere in the Cambodian jungle
Many cities are divided by a river, such as Paris. This produces a natural protection towards the German front.
Many cities are divided by a river, such as Paris. This produces a natural protection towards the German front.
*Capturable Watchtowers
Claim watchtowers to provide vision and protection for your troops.
Watchtowers are indestructible, and is captured when it's hit points reaches 20%. This causes any units housed in it to eject and leave room for your own soldiers.
Units can fire while inside the tower, which can room 4 units each.
German armor mobilising across the Alpes.
*Realistic aircraft fuel range and movement system!
Air units requires fuel, and will automatically become uncontrollable and return to the nearest allied airfield once they run out of gas. All aircraft also move in realistic ways, constantly moving and taking smooth turns when ordered to a new location. A carrier will virtually be a moving substitute for an airfield, though unable to produce it's own units and unable to transport heavy bombers.
*Factories
Factories are present near most cities, and cannot be destroyed, only captured. Factories can be reissued into two different facilities; Tank Factories and Research Facilities.
*Historically accurate timeline
The game follows a multiboard-shown calendar that displays the current date. As time goes, new techs will become available at the appropriate date - Medium Tanks becomes available in 1940, Tank Destroyers in 1943, and V2 rockets etc. in 1945. This is to create a natural flow in the game, and to introduce players to the basic units first and then escalate, to reduce the learning curve.
*Visual transport system
Units inside transports turn up as visible attachment on those, as eye-candy
The same will apply to aircraft on aircraft carriers.
*Special ammunition properties
Armor piercing rounds have a slight chance to actually penetrate the armor of a tank and deal internal damage based on which direction the attacker is firing from.
A shot fired from the rear has very high propability of penetrating the armor, while one from the front will most likely just glance off and deal normal damage. If a bullet penetrates the rear, it will have a chance to wreck the engine, disabling the tank until repaired by an engineer.
A direct shot from the side also have a small propability of triggering the ammunitions storage of the tank to explode, dealing massive damage and reducing both the damage and attack rate of the tank until repaired.
A light or medium tank that has already taken a couple of shots will likely be finished off by this.
Each tank also have it's own armor rating, which is a variable used in the calculation to increase or decrease the likeliness of a shell penetrating. For instance, T-34 medium tanks have positive armor rating, while shermans and light tanks have negative armor rating.
Resources:
There are two main resource types in WiF: Oil, and Currency.
Currency is gained periodically through capturing cities and is given periodically every 2 minutes. In unlocked alliance mode, allying an old enemy will cause a penalty to your income for some time.
Oil is gathered similar to gold, capturing oil refineries that are scarcely spread around the map. Each country starts with at least one refinery, and the resource is required more or less for all mechanized units that has an engine. This is to create more focused points of interest, and strategical targets to make the game more dynamic. All in all, oil will also take the role of "tech resource", as upgrades and exotic units are heavy on this resource.
An oil refinery at the Finnish coast
Units:
Each faction gains control of different units accurate to what they would have in history. This means that Americans use Sherman tanks, Russians use T-34's, and the Germans panzer tanks. There are different minor tweaks to the different units to give them character, German tanks are for instance slightly stronger than others, but also take more time and resources to produce and have slower movement speed than their allied counterparts.
There are three tank classes in the map; Light, Medium and Tank Destroyers.
Light Tanks are fast scout tanks, which fires explosive rounds which deal shrapnel damage to organic targets in an area around the point of impact. Light tanks are most useful in the early game against clustered infantry, but with their light armor they are very susceptible to units with armor piercing damage. In the late game they are used simply for filling out the ranks with a fast hitting unit to combat the enemy's AT-guns and soldiers.
Medium Tanks are very versatile main combat tanks, armed with both a tank cannon firing explosive rounds, and a mounted machine gun dealing normal damage, for fending off infantry.
The main cannon, as it does not use armor piercing rounds, is mostly useful for killing light armoured vehicles, such as troop transports, AA-guns, AT-guns(although they make quite a fight), and light tanks. it does reduced damage to tank destroyers, but in numbers of at least three, medium tanks can take down those aswell.
Each faction has an own upgrade for their medium tank. The germans have their HP-upgrade, soviets have their 85mm barrel upgrade (increased range and damage), and americans have their Calliope launcher upgrade.
Tank Destroyers have a larger gold cost than other tanks, but comparably lower oil cost, due to the simple construction of tank destroyers and the lack of a turret. All in all, tank destroyers are not as exclusive as you would think of them to be - they use armor piercing ammunition which only pays off against armored units such as the light or medium tank; a lone tank destroyer can kill several light tanks with little damage taken, and quite a few medium tanks as well.
Although, due to the slow fire rate and the very focused damage, the unit is in fact relatively weak to infantry units. A group of infantry can eventually take down a tank destroyer with few casualties, because of how little damage the armor piercing shells deal to infantry.
Apart from the different tank classes there are also other mechanized units to use on your quest for world domination, for instance Half-tracks, which are used as troop transports and also come as a separate Anti-Air variant with a flak gun on top.
Finally, there are light Anti-Tank Artilleries that are used to take down large armored vehicles, especially tank destroyers. While being basically just a tank gun mounted on wheels, it only takes a couple of tank guns to take out a lone tank destroyer. But for the same reason as the tank destroyer, the AT-Guns are suspectible to regular infantry. Besides the factor of it using armor piercing ammunition, the AT's are also not armored, which makes them very vurnerable to explosive attacks, and can in fact be taken down by a mere light tank, if taken by surprise, due to the light tanks superior firing speed. On the other hand, since AT's don't use an engine, they have no oil cost, and are quite dispensible on the battlefield.
Recently, i have also added mobile Artillery units, which are light armored siege units, carrying a howitzer cannon with exceptional long-range firing capabilities. They are very effective against Heavy Armored units, since those often have very light armor on the top to reduce total weight. Obviously, they are also very effective at taking down enemy entrenchments from a safe distance.
Due to their minimum firing range, the main weakness of the artilleries are Light Tanks. Those deal very little damage from the siege shells, and can sneak up within the minimum fire radius of the artilleries and quickly take them out. The artilleries are quite expensive, but generally very weak and poorly armored, so it is best to keep them well guarded as you advance.
Armor and Damage types:
Light Armored
Used by: Light tanks, Destroyers, Troop transports
Weak vs: Explosive
Strong vs: Shock, Normal.
Medium Armored
Used by: Medium tanks, Cruisers
Weak vs: Explosive
Strong vs: Shock, Normal.
Heavy Armored
Used by: Tank destroyers, Heavy tanks, Battleships
Weak vs: Armor Piercing, Siege.
Strong vs: Shock, Normal, Explosive.
Unarmored
Used by: All infantry units
Weak vs: Shock, Explosive.
Strong vs: Armor Piercing.
Reinforced
Used by: Structures.
Weak vs: Siege, Shock.
Strong vs: Armor Piercing, Normal.
Ground Armor Chart:
in this section, you will find some of the different armored ground classes as represented by the different nations.
Germany:
*Panzer I Light Tank
The Panzer I uses dual turret-mounted machine guns to fire deadly exploding slugs at it's enemies. While having a slightly faster attack rate, it does not have the same direct damage as the soviet and US equivalent.
*Panzer IV Medium Tank
Being the most produced german tank in all of WW2, the Panzer IV was a common sight on the European battlefield. Having both a coaxial mounted machine gun and a pretty decent gun turret, the medium tanks serve as a kind of MBT's in this map. This tank also comes with an upgrade to hinge a second set of armor on top of it to slightly increase it's hit points.
*Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer
The Jagdpanther tank destroyer was based on the incredibly successful Panther tank chassis, and is a hard target for any allied tank. Like all tank destroyers, it has a longer attack range, but is limited by it's slow movement speed.
*Tiger I Heavy Tank
In 1943, the German player has the option to make a special upgrade at his research facility - the ability to produce a new unit called "Heavy Tank". The research is time consuming and expensive, but can give an edge on the battlefield. The Tiger Tank has the armament of a Tank Destroyer and a hull-mounted machine gun for infantry combat. The Tiger does not replace the Panzer, and is very expensive to produce and requires a lot of oil, not to mention it takes longer to construct than a Tank Destroyer. It will, however, provide a significant boost to your ranks. Being very slow, the Tiger is best used in defensive roles or as a spearhead in beach landings.
*Sdkfz 251 Armored Troop Transport
The Sdkfz is, although poorly armored, is a fast and cheap unit good for scouting and for protecting your soldiers from the deadly shrapnel caused by a light tank volley. They are also e
*Sdkfz 251/17 Flak Battery
Somewhat sturdier than the other flak carriers, the Sdkfz 251/17 is a formidable and powerful anti air vessel at a slightly higher cost.
USSR:
*T-26 Light Tank
Oftenly dubbed as the most succesful light tank in the 1930's, the T-26 was the first of its kind to use a tank gun instead of a machine gun for it's turret. Due to this, the T-26 fires at lower attack speed, but higher damage, in the map. The DPS is about the same.
*T-34 Medium Tank
The T-34 has all the properties of a good tank design - it's sloped armor, low profile, and wide tracks made it one of the most priceworthy tanks in the second world war. In the map, it has slightly reduced build time, compensated by a lower hitpoint value.
*SU-85 Tank Destroyer
No info yet
*ZIS-5 Light Transport Truck
i'm not sure if ZIS is the name of the mounted gun or the truck (the truck might be a GAZ), but this is however the russian transport class unit. Due to the lack of mobilization in the early soviet union, trucks like theese were oftenly reissued into troop transport of gun carriages.
EDIT: Checked it, the truck is called ZIS-5.
USA/Britain
*Stuart Light Tank
Light and versatile; the M5A1 Stuart was crucial to the victory in the pacific war due to it's ability to make it's way through the roughest terrain.
*Sherman M4 Medium Tank
Although weak, the cheap and simple construction of the Sherman tank allowed it to be produced at a very quick pace.
*M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer
The M18 hellcat was the closest thing the allied forces got to a tank destroyer - it houses a large caliber barrel on it's iconic turret and acts pretty much like any other tank destroyer in the game.
*M3 Armored Troop Transport
no info yet. But the model kicks ass.
*M7 Priest Self Propelled Artillery
The M7 priest is the most heavily armoured artillery in the game, which comes at the cost of a lower movement speed. The two loaders are not present in this shot but can be seen in more recent images of the model.
Imperial japan:
Type 95 Ha-Go Light Tank
*Chi-Ha type 97 Medium Tank
*Panzer I Light Tank
The Panzer I uses dual turret-mounted machine guns to fire deadly exploding slugs at it's enemies. While having a slightly faster attack rate, it does not have the same direct damage as the soviet and US equivalent.
*Panzer IV Medium Tank
Being the most produced german tank in all of WW2, the Panzer IV was a common sight on the European battlefield. Having both a coaxial mounted machine gun and a pretty decent gun turret, the medium tanks serve as a kind of MBT's in this map. This tank also comes with an upgrade to hinge a second set of armor on top of it to slightly increase it's hit points.
*Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer
The Jagdpanther tank destroyer was based on the incredibly successful Panther tank chassis, and is a hard target for any allied tank. Like all tank destroyers, it has a longer attack range, but is limited by it's slow movement speed.
*Tiger I Heavy Tank
In 1943, the German player has the option to make a special upgrade at his research facility - the ability to produce a new unit called "Heavy Tank". The research is time consuming and expensive, but can give an edge on the battlefield. The Tiger Tank has the armament of a Tank Destroyer and a hull-mounted machine gun for infantry combat. The Tiger does not replace the Panzer, and is very expensive to produce and requires a lot of oil, not to mention it takes longer to construct than a Tank Destroyer. It will, however, provide a significant boost to your ranks. Being very slow, the Tiger is best used in defensive roles or as a spearhead in beach landings.
*Sdkfz 251 Armored Troop Transport
The Sdkfz is, although poorly armored, is a fast and cheap unit good for scouting and for protecting your soldiers from the deadly shrapnel caused by a light tank volley. They are also e
*Sdkfz 251/17 Flak Battery
Somewhat sturdier than the other flak carriers, the Sdkfz 251/17 is a formidable and powerful anti air vessel at a slightly higher cost.
USSR:
*T-26 Light Tank
Oftenly dubbed as the most succesful light tank in the 1930's, the T-26 was the first of its kind to use a tank gun instead of a machine gun for it's turret. Due to this, the T-26 fires at lower attack speed, but higher damage, in the map. The DPS is about the same.
*T-34 Medium Tank
The T-34 has all the properties of a good tank design - it's sloped armor, low profile, and wide tracks made it one of the most priceworthy tanks in the second world war. In the map, it has slightly reduced build time, compensated by a lower hitpoint value.
*SU-85 Tank Destroyer
No info yet
*ZIS-5 Light Transport Truck
i'm not sure if ZIS is the name of the mounted gun or the truck (the truck might be a GAZ), but this is however the russian transport class unit. Due to the lack of mobilization in the early soviet union, trucks like theese were oftenly reissued into troop transport of gun carriages.
EDIT: Checked it, the truck is called ZIS-5.
USA/Britain
*Stuart Light Tank
Light and versatile; the M5A1 Stuart was crucial to the victory in the pacific war due to it's ability to make it's way through the roughest terrain.
*Sherman M4 Medium Tank
Although weak, the cheap and simple construction of the Sherman tank allowed it to be produced at a very quick pace.
*M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer
The M18 hellcat was the closest thing the allied forces got to a tank destroyer - it houses a large caliber barrel on it's iconic turret and acts pretty much like any other tank destroyer in the game.
*M3 Armored Troop Transport
no info yet. But the model kicks ass.
*M7 Priest Self Propelled Artillery
The M7 priest is the most heavily armoured artillery in the game, which comes at the cost of a lower movement speed. The two loaders are not present in this shot but can be seen in more recent images of the model.
Imperial japan:
Type 95 Ha-Go Light Tank
*Chi-Ha type 97 Medium Tank
AT-Guns:
Since AT-Guns doesn't count as vehicles, they get their own category in this list.
infact, the speed of the AT-Guns give them an important role as infantry support unit to give simple cover for infantry squadrons against tanks.
Their main weakness is their low HP and suspectability to explosive damage, hence a good strategy is to let the cheap soldiers catch the damage while the AT-Gun fires from a safe distance.
Germany
PaK 40:
USSR
ZIS-3:
USA/Britain
Ordnance QF Six Pounder:
Minor Allied/Minor Axis
Bofors 37mm:
The bofors is used by finnish, polish, and yugoslavian forces.
PaK 40:
USSR
ZIS-3:
USA/Britain
Ordnance QF Six Pounder:
Minor Allied/Minor Axis
Bofors 37mm:
The bofors is used by finnish, polish, and yugoslavian forces.
Infantry classes:
There are currently three infantry classes available for each nation: Engineers, Flamethrowers, and Soldiers. Each of the three main faction has their own base infantry model, and here there's also a few perks present - German, american, and british soldiers have slightly higher hit points than Soviet and Japanese - though the latter cost less resources and build time. here follows a short chart on the three different classes.
Soldier:
Abilities: None.
Role: main combat unit.
Weapon: Smg.
Engineer:
Abilities: Repair, Plant Tank Mine, Construct
Role: Sapper, basic construction unit.
Weapon: None so far, might get a rifle or something.
Flamethrower:
Abilities: None.
Role: Anti-infantry unit, also good for taking out structures and fortifications.
Weapon type: Flamethrower (Shock damage).
Aircraft Classes:
Tactical Bombers
Weapon type: Armor Piercing bombs.
Role: Airborne artillery, used to take out tanks and ships.
Strategic Bombers
Weapon Type: Siege bombs.
Role: Main bomber craft, takes out structures and fortifications.
Fighters
Weapon Type: Normal (machine gun).
Role: Anti-Air dogfighting craft.
Ship Classes:
SCREENSHOTS
This category features some of the screenshots and WIP images that has been displayed in the thread throughout it's half year in existence.
How can i support this project?
Check out Vuormas post on how to add the WiF logo to your signature here!
Please give feedback and ask questions, and i will try to improve the presentation after best of my ability. Please visit our website at www.worldinflames.se!
Weapon type: Armor Piercing bombs.
Role: Airborne artillery, used to take out tanks and ships.
Strategic Bombers
Weapon Type: Siege bombs.
Role: Main bomber craft, takes out structures and fortifications.
Fighters
Weapon Type: Normal (machine gun).
Role: Anti-Air dogfighting craft.
Ship Classes:
Destroyer
Armament: Depth charges, basic naval guns. Has sonar.
Role: Sub hunter.
Weak VS: Battleships, Cruisers
Cruiser
Armament: Naval tun turrets, Flak Cannons.
Role: Used as your regular ship class, proves basic defense towards air attacks.
Weak VS: Submarines, Battleships.
Battleship
Armament: High caliber, armor piercing naval gun towers. This is the only ship that can fire on land units (only buildings and vehicles).
Role: Like the Tank Destroyer among tanks; used to take out most other naval vessels.
Weak VS: Tactical Bombers, Submarines.
Carrier
Armament: N/A
Role: Serves as a maintenance and fueling point for airplanes. Carriers also increase your airplane cap.
Weak VS: Everything
Submarine
Armament: Dual torpedo chambers (armor piercing).
Role: Battleship killer, harassment craft
Weak VS: Destroyers.
Armament: Depth charges, basic naval guns. Has sonar.
Role: Sub hunter.
Weak VS: Battleships, Cruisers
Cruiser
Armament: Naval tun turrets, Flak Cannons.
Role: Used as your regular ship class, proves basic defense towards air attacks.
Weak VS: Submarines, Battleships.
Battleship
Armament: High caliber, armor piercing naval gun towers. This is the only ship that can fire on land units (only buildings and vehicles).
Role: Like the Tank Destroyer among tanks; used to take out most other naval vessels.
Weak VS: Tactical Bombers, Submarines.
Carrier
Armament: N/A
Role: Serves as a maintenance and fueling point for airplanes. Carriers also increase your airplane cap.
Weak VS: Everything
Submarine
Armament: Dual torpedo chambers (armor piercing).
Role: Battleship killer, harassment craft
Weak VS: Destroyers.
SCREENSHOTS
This category features some of the screenshots and WIP images that has been displayed in the thread throughout it's half year in existence.
How can i support this project?
Check out Vuormas post on how to add the WiF logo to your signature here!
Please give feedback and ask questions, and i will try to improve the presentation after best of my ability. Please visit our website at www.worldinflames.se!
Attachments
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. Lol that guy smoking, is a special animation?
