Monthly Archives: April 2019

Development Status #73

4 Replies

Dear Mechanics!

Welcome to our seventy-third Development Status update.
Let’s get straight to business.

Art Progress:

We wrote a nice PDF with instructions of how to make Custom Assets and how to put them to the game.

With this manual you will learn how to prepare files such as tank camouflage, decals, posters to your warehouse which can be used in Customization Panel.

Also you can learn how and where to put your own audio files like music to be played in the Radio.

This PDF Manual as well as attached files will be stored in same place as your game is installed with next demo build update. But you can preview it right now!

Download TMS Custom Assets PDF v0.1

From the new in-game stuff we have improved the layout in the mailbox.

For easier reading we added different colors for example for finished, active or failed contracts.

One of the new things is also the ability to hide the legend.

Code Progress:

Last week wasn’t very busy – getting back to work after Easter is a hard job. We’ve made good progress to clean reported bugs, yet we still need at least a week.

If you have any suggestions, ideas or questions share it with us! 🙂

TMS Official Discord server – https://discord.gg/HPbJj9y

TMS Official Feedback Tracker
http://tankmechanicsimulator.com/redmine/projects/tank-mechanic-simulator-feedback/issues

Or write to us at contact@degenerals.com

Have a good weekend and see you next week!

DeGenerals

Development Status #72

7 Replies

Dear Mechanics!

Welcome to our seventy-second Development Status update.
Let’s get straight to business.

Art Progress:

Yes, this beauty joined our growing tank collection. We are currently working on implementing PzKpfw IV Ausf. G tank to the game. Can’t wait to run the engine and test it on a test drive.

The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_IV

Our little tribute to Polish black and white TV series called “Four Tank-Men and a Dog”. In the TV show, the tank crew was driving the T-34/85 called “Rudy” (Ginger) with the identifying number “102”.

New posters has been delivered to the warehouse. You might of course still choose them in workshop, office and museum.

One of the member of our community ThatFryedMaus  suggested on our TMS Feedback Tracker a poster with KV-1 as being captured and used by Germans.

The Germans used Beutepanzers to gain insight into enemy technology and to augment its own armored forces. Beutepanzers were usually repainted to sport distinctive national emblems and unit insignia in order to reduce friendly fire from other Axis forces.

source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beutepanzer

Code Progress:

New tank loading process is finished. With next update we’re pushing this new process, so all feedback is welcome 🙂

Next week won’t be fruitful with new mechanics – we’re going to spend it to fix ALL reported bugs – so prepare for an update in upcoming weeks 🙂

If you have any suggestions, ideas or questions share it with us! 🙂

TMS Official Discord server – https://discord.gg/HPbJj9y

TMS Official Feedback Tracker
http://tankmechanicsimulator.com/redmine/projects/tank-mechanic-simulator-feedback/issues

Or write to us at contact@degenerals.com

Have a good weekend and see you next week!

DeGenerals

Development Status #71

2 Replies

Dear Mechanics!

Welcome to our seventy-first Development Status update.
Let’s get straight to business.

Art Progress:

We added a compass to the extraction missions. A very helpful tool which can be used to find the direction. By default, by pressing (K) the key.

Compass

Code Progress:

First week of the total revolution in tank models loading is behind us. Why is this so important task?

The 10 tanks we have currently in the project, up to this point, were always loaded and held in memory. Both tank model versions, the one for the workshop and the one for test drive. This was very simple way to work with the tanks, without the need of loading them later.

But this creates a problem with memory management, 10 workshop and 10 test drive tanks that are constantly loaded require lot of RAM. Right now we’re receiving lot of complaints, that the game takes too much RAM. What is going to happen if we add another 10 tanks?

That’s why we need to fix this issue ASAP, although this is a delay in our plans. Deleting tanks and unloading the models when they are not needed is the only way to save RAM and allow us to add more tanks.

If you have any suggestions, ideas or questions share it with us! 🙂

TMS Official Discord server – https://discord.gg/HPbJj9y

TMS Official Feedback Tracker
http://tankmechanicsimulator.com/redmine/projects/tank-mechanic-simulator-feedback/issues

Or write to us at contact@degenerals.com

Have a good weekend and see you next week!

DeGenerals

Development Status #70

11 Replies

Dear Mechanics!

Welcome to our seventieth Development Status update.
Let’s get straight to business.

Situation Report:

A new demo version has been uploaded, version 0.9.27. Check readme file for changelog.

From this week on, while waiting for the premiere, we’re going to show each week a module from the game – for example, how the assembly/disassembly system works.

Wrench Pistol

It’s one of the most useful upgrades available in Tank Mechanic Simulator. There are two types of screws in TMS:

  • rusted screws – marked by red color require special tools to be disassembled (hammer, angle grinder or wrench pistol)
  • movable screws – marked by green color, player can interact with them without special tools

If a part is blocked by rusted screws, the player needs to use:

  • Hammer – hit and forget
  • Angle Grinder – cut and forget
  • Wrench pistol – aim and unscrew

The wrench pistol can be unlocked in the upgrade panel (one of the big tool boxes in the workshop). When unlocked, player can unscrew rusted (red) screws by right clicking on them. No additional tools required.

See the video below for a quick presentation.

Wrench pistol in action

Quad speedometer

Art Progress:

We are working on the development of new content to the game. One of it are new tanks extraction missions. Here are some work in progress screenshots.

We are not stopping and we’re still working on adding other amazing tanks to the game.

PzKpfw IV Ausf. G – Work in progress

Can you guess what tank is it? 🙂

Code Progress:

Since less and less bugs are being reported, we can switch the focus a bit to implementing more suggestions and improvements.

Our plan for April in coding departament:

  1. Tank models loading – instead of loading all tanks at the beginning of the game and keeping them in memory (RAM), we’re going to load only tanks required currently. By saving RAM memory, we’re sacrificing the load time between switching Workshop scene rooms -> for example:
    1. Player has 3 tanks, each is a different type, one inside workshop, two in the yard
    2. When player moves from workshop to yard:
      1. The workshop tank is not disabled (like it is now), but it is completely destroyed and unloaded from the game.
      2. The yard tanks are being now loaded in from the game files, spawned and initiated properly
  2. Tank modules interchangability – the player should be able to switch a gearbox or an engine between tanks, as a whole (not single elements).
  3. Firing range prototype

If you have any suggestions, ideas or questions share it with us! 🙂

TMS Official Discord server – https://discord.gg/HPbJj9y

TMS Official Feedback Tracker
http://tankmechanicsimulator.com/redmine/projects/tank-mechanic-simulator-feedback/issues

Or write to us at contact@degenerals.com

Have a good weekend and see you next week!

DeGenerals