Last Saturday six members of the Traction Wars Team gathered (some for the first time!) at TankFest 2015 at Bovington, Dorset, England. The combination of a team gathering and so many tanks, which ranged from the very first (and rather poor) attempts to the current main battle tank serving the British Army, the Challenger II was too good to miss.
Before launching into tales of our armoured encounters we first should attach a health warning to prevent an outbreak of excitement.
Armoured vehicles will not be included in Chapter One: Overlord. Sadly we have to draw the line somewhere on what is included in the first release and it was decided to leave armour out in order to focus on infantry in more detail and reduce the size of Chapter One to shorten its development. It's ironic that we spent the day at an event entirely dedicated to armour but it was too good an opportunity to miss for anyone interested in WW2/Armour as I'm sure you will all appreciate!
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| WWI Mark IV and Replica A7V Sturmpanzerwagan |
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| Fury and Lucy Sue from the 2014 film “Fury” |
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| Tiger I No.131 rumbles around the arena |
The day got off to a great start with our arrival at the venue greeted by a Spitfire Mk XI roaring around us as it climbed, dipped and rolled across the sky to its own unique and special soundtrack - a Rolls Royce Merlin Engine! Suitably enthusiastic we headed into the ground to walk amongst the armoured monsters. There were too many to mention individually but we could not leave out (probably) the most famous tank in the world - Tiger 1 No. 131. It's unusual to be able to get see such rare examples of WWII armour as the Tiger I but to hear and see one on the move is very special.
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| The Tank Museum Show Ground at Bovington, Dorset, UK |
The live action in the arena culminated in a mock battle between US infantry with three Shermans in support vs. German defenders supported by a Panzer III. Opening with a sound of aircraft overhead and smoke, the German defenders put up a fierce resistance to the advancing US troops. Victory seemingly in their grasp the US were put onto the defensive at the arrival of Tiger 131 which was eventually disabled after a moving duel with the Sherman "Fury".
Whilst of course the event was an incredible opportunity to get up close to some of the most iconic pieces of armour in the world, the event was also a valuable opportunity for members of the team to discuss face to face the development of the game, both specifically what’s going on at the moment behind the scenes and planning out in more detail the future features of the game.
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Reflecting on a
King Tiger |
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| Calgobin, SpaceCroissant, General Naga, Mars, brrr & hannibaldinksi |
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| Taking a closer inspection of the Panzer IV. |
At the end of the day we carried out a tactical withdrawal to a local pub to rehydrate and have a more formal development meeting over food. We won't spoil the fun by telling you the details but topics of conversation included; health, immersion, interface/controls, multiplayer interface and (most importantly) ways to speed up the development process & the upcoming schedule of news updates.
We all had a fantastic day and we look forward to sharing with you over the coming months the results of the decisions made during the day.
Some of us have the cynicism of a 75 year old but that's a whole 'nother story!
