Small update + units preview

Hello all

Development has been kind of slow due to real life issues taking precedent, but I did manage to create some new assets.

First off, we have 2 vehicles for the NWO faction, as was voted on. I did hope to get more done in time, but the nature of their design makes them a bit more difficult to cobble together than those of the other 2 factions.

First off, we have this heavy support vehicle, which I am dubbing the Terminator for now. This vehicle will be multi-role, using a customization system where its main weapons can be replaced with other weapons for a cost (similar to Dawn of War's vehicles, though they can be replaced back and forth indefinitely as long as you have the money, instead of being a single-time upgrade). Upgrades include the general-purpose gatling gun version depicted above, as well as a scanner version that can detect stealth enemies and can disable targeted enemy mechanical units and vehicles, and an anti-aircraft version with multi-SAM launchers.

Also note that these vehicles will always come equipped with 2 frontal mounted cannons, regardless of what upgrades you equip.

Unfortunately I can't really show the transformation/upgrade process now, since the engine currently doesn't support it. Add that to the bucket list of all the little engine coding changes that need to be made.

Next we have a more simple unit. The Light Tank will form the backbone of NWO tank forces, being lightly armored but fast, and equipped with a chaingun on an oscillating turret. It won't stand up to heavier armor, but makes for a good anti-infantry, anti-light vehicle and and air-craft, as well as for recon.

Unfortunately that's all the NWO vehicles I've been able to finish. I do want to get some mecha units in - I have plans for a light anti-tank mech that is small enough to function as sort of a heavy infantry (it can even go prone to reduce damage), as well as an artillery mech. One issue though is currently, the engine doesn't support a key graphical change I'd need for mechs to look correct. While it can support running/walking animations for vehicles, and for turrets, there's no support for making the turret bob up and down when moving (or moving and firing for that matter). So when I do eventually get to adding some mech units, they will look a bit strange, at least until I get that "bobbing" feature in.

Oh, I suppose I did get this infantry guy working. Say hello to the Light Machinegunner.

Of course this isn't all for this update; I've decided that, since content creation is slower than I'd like, I'm going to be doing a bit of stream-of-consciousness unit creation, where I just make stuff that looks cool or interesting without putting much thought into balance or where they fit on the unit roster. So here's a few more Empire units:

Now, I assume some of you - especially veteran RTS players - may be thinking it's a waste of time to create random units that aren't really balanced, aren't thought about too much, and might not make it into the final game, and why I'm seemingly wasting time doing this.

Well, there is a specific function to these "stream of consciousness" units, in that they won't figure into the typical faction unit rosters. Instead these units will feature as sort of bonus "hybrid" tech units you can build by capturing enemy production facilities. Unlike in other games - particular the Command & Conquer games - where you are allowed to capture almost any enemy building and produce the enemy unit types that you normally don't have access to, DORF will work a little bit differently. Instead of simply being able to produce the exact same types of units as the enemy factions, you will instead get access to unique "hybrid" units that combine the technologies and tactics of both sides. In the case of the above units, these are what happens when an Empire player captures a war factory belonging to the Warband faction, as represented how these vehicles clearly have the riveted armored look of Imperial vehicles, but constructed out of civilian vehicles and random junk. So a tractor becomes a heavy armored tank with a fixed cannon and a ton of turret blisters, a semi truck becomes a battle bus with multiple gun turrets and a flamethrower, and the Empire will utilize tactics in the style of Warband, such as light attack vehicles like jeeps and motorbikes or using stealth infantry, something they typically don't have in their roster.

Other examples of this that I haven't yet created assets for might be an inverse situation - a Warband player capturing Imperial production structures - and being able to build hybridized versions of their units. Perhaps something like an Imperial Heavy tank, but with its turret lopped off and replaced with a large bunker for holding infantry and its main cannon replaced with a heavy flamethrower, or a Tesla device removed from its normal tank hull and placed onto a supercharged tractor, giving it the speed of a normal Warband unit but with the advantage of the Tesla weapon that that faction normally does not have access to.

With these hybrid units as a concept, I can give DORF a ton of units, without worrying too much about screwing up the balance since many will be gated off until you capture enemy facilities, which of course will be very tricky to pull off.

That's all for now; again, apologies for the seeming slow process, but keep in mind this is still very much a part-time endeavor for Tovl and I. Hopefully if this Patreon page takes off, I'll be able to dedicate myself fulltime to DORF.