The new Dev Diary #143

Highlights:

• The next community update for Call to Arms-Gates of Hell will feature a full rework of the German faction’s models to the same, if not better, standard as the U.S. models which will also be receiving an improvement to their RAM and VRAM usage.

• Besides human models, there will be more in the next community update. Release has yet to be scheduled; we’ll tell you more about it in future blogs. In the meantime, as we have mentioned before, work on the next DLC has already started. We’re not ready to announce it yet, but we will tell you as soon as possible. So far, we are full speed ahead to fulfill our plans for 2024 and 2025. Stay tuned!

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

• First published September 1, 1969
• 327 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

The United States government is given a warning by the pre-eminent biophysicists in the country: current sterilization procedures applied to returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere.

Two years later, seventeen satellites are sent into the outer fringes of space to collect organisms and dust for study. One of them falls to earth, landing in a desolate area of Arizona.

Twelve miles from the landing site, in the town of Piedmont, a shocking discovery is made: the streets are littered with the dead bodies of the town's inhabitants, as if they dropped dead in their tracks.

The Shining by Stephen King

• First published January 28, 1977
• 659 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

Some Highlights:

>Content Update 5 will be the largest free update we have introduced so far, giving every Ostfront player a reason to come back and play. It will not only add to the original “Ostfront” package, but to “Talvisota” as well!

>You will have noticed that in multiplayer, when vehicles get stopped or destroyed, it could take a second before these units would be shifted to the correct position, due to what is called “position lag”. We have Improved the netcode to address this. Another important issue that has been improved on is the so called “inventory desync” that would sometimes occur.

>Content Update 5 will go live around the time when we’re ready to publish the Liberation DLC, which (currently) means this will happen before the end of the year. The exact moment will be announced at some point, together with a detailed list of contents in the shape of a change log.

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

• First published April 26, 2016
• 320 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square-shaped hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved - the object's origins, architects, and purpose unknown.

But some can never stop searching for answers.

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top-secret team to crack the hand's code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the relic they seek. What's clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unravelling history's most perplexing discovery-and finally figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

• First published October 17, 1975
• 483 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

'Salem's Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. That summer in 'salem's Lot was a summer of homecoming and return; spring burned out and the land lying dry, crackling underfoot. Late that summer, Ben Mears returned to 'salem's Lot hoping to cast out his own devils and found instead a new, unspeakable horror.

A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved.

All would be changed forever--Susan, whose love for Ben could not protect her; Father Callahan, the bad priest who put his eroded faith to one last test; and Mark, a young boy who sees his fantasy world become reality and ironically proves the best equipped to handle the relentless nightmare of 'Salem's Lot.

This is a rare novel, almost hypnotic in its unyielding suspense, which builds to a climax of classic terror. You will not forget the town of 'salem's Lot nor any of the people who used to live there.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

• First published December 27, 2005
• 318 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-- and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine--and what he will become is far stranger.

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

• First published June 21, 2012
• 336 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

1916: the Western Front. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong and the wind in the leaves in the trees. Where have the mud, blood and blasted landscape of No Man's Land gone?

2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Cop Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive - some said mad, others dangerous - scientist when she finds a curious gadget - a box containing some wiring, a three-way switch and a... potato. It is the prototype of an invention that will change the way Mankind views his world forever.

And that is an understatement if ever there was one...

Another dev update, and rough release date below which is pretty soon

> We are going flat out at the moment and progress is very good. The release of Liberation gets closer every day! As we have stated before, and as you can see on the Liberation store page, we will release the Liberation DLC before 2023 ends. The roadmap on our website used to mention that we planned to release in Q3 of 2023, and this has gotten many people excited assuming it would be coming in September. It also contains a statement which tells you it’s subject to change. It is our tool to let you know our broad plans. We have updated the roadmap to reflect the reality we are predicting for release in 2023. If anyone asks you, tell them to follow our development updates for official predictions.

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

• First published November 1, 1986
• 164 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

In a quiet house on a quiet street Frank and Julia are having an affair. Not your ordinary affair. For Frank it began with his own insatiable sexual appetite, a mysterious lacquered box- and then an unhinged voyage through a netherworld of imaginable pleasures and unimaginable horror… Now Frank - or what is left of Frank - waits in an empty room. All he wants is to live as he was before. All Julia can do is bring him her unfulfilled passions… and a little flesh and blood…

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

• First published September 10, 2019
• 422 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

When the van door slammed on Offred's future at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her--freedom, prison or death.

With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.

"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in." --Margaret Atwood

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher

• First published July 14, 2020
• 340 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, joins the White Council's security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago--and all he holds dear?

• Fixed timing issue with ejected shells on automatic small arms (new tag added to semi_auto rifle weapon preset)

• Fixed issue with some trees not having obstacles thus causing vehicles to path into them when they should go around

• Updated volumes on trees to extend slightly through ground so they fall more consistently on contact

• Updated CH localization

Conquistadorio: Prologue

• Price : Free
• Release Date: September 8, 2023
• Developer: Morion Studio
• Gameplay: Kyle on Youtube
• Steam: Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2553960/Conquistadorio_Prologue/

!

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Become Jules Verne and adventure into the dangers that hide in Hemera, a fantastic parallel world built from his own imagination. Explore, solve puzzles and unlock the most coveted secret of the mighty Atlantis.

There are 4 levels in which you will understand the backstory of the Conquistador and get the answer to why he went on the quest.

• Plot: You are about to embark on a search for the missing item and find it.

• Puzzles: Inventive and challenging puzzles will help you spend many hours solving captivating logical riddles.

• Graphics: A distinctive hand-drawn artistic style will allow you to enjoy a unique and charming aesthetic.

• Sound: Ambient sounds, background music, and character-specific sound effects will further immerse you in the game.

• Dialogues: Conquistador relies on non-verbal storytelling. So, no long and boring dialogues - only expressive animation of characters and the surrounding environment.

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Devs posted an update. I posted some of the highlights below.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1128860/view/3684562604963787185?l=english

>After carefully analyzing your feedback, that we’ve gathered throughout public playtests, and running some additional QA rounds, we’ve made a tough decision to postpone the release of Men of War II to next year.

>At this point, Men of War II is content and feature complete and includes 3 narrative and 2 historical campaigns, Conquest and Raid dynamic campaigns, each playable in 4 variations of competing nations, 15 PvP and 8 PvE multiplayer modes with over 20 maps and more. The dev team has been working tirelessly, but it’s a lot of content and features to polish, especially given that BestWay employees have to deal with difficult conditions in their home country of Ukraine. We simply need more time to fix bugs before we release the game. Thank you so much for understanding and for your continuous support of Men of War II !

Eragon by Christopher Paolinio

• First published June 1, 2002
• 503 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

One boy... One dragon... A world of adventure.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.

Grave Descend by Michael Crichton

• First published April 1970
• 158 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

From the creator of Jurassic Park and ER

Leagues below the sparkling blue water of the Caribbean Sea lies the mysterious wreckage of the Grave Descend. Protected by a wall of coral reef and blood-thirsty sharks, the corpse of the sunken yacht has been deemed unrecoverable by every diver in the world. Until James McGregor is offered a shot at it.

For McGregor, a thirty-nine-year-old diver with a long history of unsavory salvage jobs, it’s his last chance at a big payday. But the more he learns about the wreck, the more questions he uncovers—because none of the survivors are telling the same story. How did the ship really sink? What was its cargo? And why is this whole project starting to feel like a suicide mission?

The Godfather by Mario Puzo , Robert Thompson

• First published March 10, 1969
• 448 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

The Godfather—the epic tale of crime and betrayal that became a global phenomenon.

Almost fifty years ago, a classic was born. A searing portrayal of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and their powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honor. The seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and the allegiance to family—these are the themes that have resonated with millions of readers around the world and made The Godfather the definitive novel of the violent subculture that, steeped in intrigue and controversy, remains indelibly etched in our collective consciousness.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

• First published July 12, 2022
• 176 pages --- On Sale At:
• Amazon
• B&N
• Kobo ---

Synopsis

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

Devs just posted info about a new update, its about 67 MB

Change Log

• Fixed rocket launcher ammo desync when unit gets killed while reloading

• Fixed human unit state desync after unsuccessful boarding of vehicle

• Fixed Mosin M39 normals

• Fixed Sdkfz250a_11 missing 1st person view

• Fixed ables for vehicle windows

• Fixed damage_process_pierce for AT Rifles (order listed is important)

• Fixed randomized crew_shock time so that it would not add a small amount of time when shock time should be 0

• Fixed a couple of fallen_tree entities to break when contacted by cars and armored cars

• Fixed some normal map issues with the tiles ground texture

• Fixed wood_bridge_205 material

• Fixed localization redefinitions

• Fixed total tank crew count for T50_fin in MP

• Fixed T50 and T50_fin having 1 crewmen leave when spotting enemy

• Fixed obstacles class for several _industry/environment entities

• Fixed crash related to test mission file in 2v2_tikhvin map folder

• Fixed pathing around cliffs on MP Jarven, Reka and Karvola

• Updated overhead squad icons for vehicles

• Updated log bridge textures and added winter texmod

• Updated yellow band to icon above humans carrying Soviet HE rifle grenade (Same icon as AT rifles)

• Updated flag_stick to be destructible

• Updated crew of cars/trucks to be targetable test before only gunners were targetable

• Updated german soldiers with k98_grenade_launcher to have it in hand and spawn and it comes preloaded with HEAT shell instead of HE

• Updated conquest scripts to use bot spawn points for logics

• Increased accuracy for light mortars

• Increased zeroing accuracy for all mortars by ~%10 after multiple shots

• Reduced turn radius for tanks so AI will stop and neutral turn less often

• Reduced cost of terrain type in pathing formula so units can leave roads more often