Developer Diary

Update #4 Developer Diaries Posted

October 4, 2017

In case you missed it, two developer diaries have been posted under the Media tab. These showcase everything from shooting and ammo mechanics, bullet penetration, variable damage due to distance, bullet ricochets and more. Development continues, with AI and animations already starting. I'm hoping to wrap up the player mechanics by the end of the year and focus on creating the core gameplay loop by the start of next year.

Update #3 Video Reveal End of Month

August 21, 2017

I'm happy to say that progress has been going better than I could have hoped. By the end of this month I intend to post a video overview of what has been accomplished thus far. The first order of business has always been player mechanics first, things like shooting, weapons, pickups etc. Obviously these are the foundations of any good FPS, and I look forward to sharing these details with you in the next few days.

Update #2 Weapon Accuracy

July 25, 2017

Lately I have been working on implementing weapon accuracy, another key component to ToV. Normally, not having a team to help with programming is a bit of a hindrance but in this case, it has allowed me to work through several different versions of implementation and thoroughly test each one. There are numerous mechanics at play which all work towards contributing to weapon accuracy; there's the common things such as the caliber of the weapon, your stance, your rate of movement, but also other things such as suppression, fear, and your health. Getting all of these systems to work together in a balanced manner has been, and continues to be, the greatest challenge.

At the same time, I'm also spending a bit of time learning about particle systems in Unreal Engine 4, and applying them to the weapon mechanics. Overall, these updates contribute to the overall feeling of using your weapon, be it by the accuracy of your weapon, or the particles and dynamic lighting from shooting your weapon. I aim for there to be a feeling of mastery of your chosen weapon, and that it is not merely a tool you'll toss aside for the next one lying around.

Though progress seems painfully slow, the process has been immensely enjoyable and I still am just as committed to seeing Tale of Valor through to the end as I was seven months ago. Thank you for all the continued support!

-Matt

Utilizing Paid Content?

April 11, 2017

Update #1 Weapons Nearly Complete and What’s in Store

March 11, 2017

Greetings all,

The year has started off busy as I obtained a new job and was forced to relocate, and then got married and moved into our new house. However, things have settled down at this point and work on Tale of Valor has resumed in full swing once again. At the beginning of the year updates were made to weapon stats and I was able to finalize the 10 weapons which will be included in the game. Picking the proper weapon will be crucially important in Tale of Valor, and currently, there are two Allied weapons, the M1 Garand and M1A1 Thompson. These weapons, and all future ones, have accurate rates of fire based on their real life counterparts. Though not yet implemented, weapons also have weight which will affect your player’s movement speed.

Due to taking a programming first approach, there are no 3D models of the weapons, and no distinguishing features that separate the two weapons. They are implemented through their behavior and functionality; the visual appearance of being the weapon will come at a later point. (If you are an artist and interested in contributing to this work, please contact me at taleofvalor@gmail.com)

However, the most crucial gameplay element of ToV is that weapons do variable amounts of damage at different ranges and when penetrating through different materials. This is being implemented through an actual projectile being spawned from weapon, not a hitscan as many shooters do. This functionality is being worked on currently and I would estimate it to be about 60% completed. There were some minor difficulties in objects which can be penetrated (such as drywall or wood) which has caused a bit of a delay. Nonetheless, progress continues.

What can be expected in the coming weeks and months?

Short term: I was able to prototype a version of variable damage and penetration values over various projectile ranges so that is currently what is in the books first. Then there will be modification to determine the scale of the game in relation to what distances engagements will happen. Currently all projectile and weapon data is based directly off of real life counterparts but it is a bit unreasonable for players to engage targets at 300-500 meters! Finding a proper scale to balance out simulation vs fun factor will be crucial.

Long term: I hope to have an in depth video reveal of the game and what to expect in roughly 3-4 months.

Thank you all for the continued support, please connect with us on social media for the latest updates!

Introductions, and what to expect

December 1, 2016

Hello, and welcome to the first of many updates on the development of Tale of Valor. I have been inspired to create a first person shooter, full of the features that I feel have been overlooked by today's AAA game publishers. Today's markets are filled with games with selling point adjectives of, "open-world" and "play to your style" in an attempt to make games accessible and easily consumed. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of depth of the gameplay and hence, games have become increasingly cinematic, but arguably much less memorable than they used to be.

With Tale of Valor, I'm seeking to build a first-person shooter that brings some of that depth back. However, it is important to note I'm not seeking to build a mil-sim tactical shooter either. Tale of Valor is heavily inspired by old-school FPS games like Medal of Honor and the original handful of Call of Duty games. Story plays the most crucial role of the game, and you'll find that the pacing will be rather different from shooters you're used to playing. You will not be a one man army stopping the Nazis single-handedly. Rather you will have a role within your squad, and frequently utilize small unit tactics to survive. A brief glimpse at some of the features you can come to expect are:

• A material based penetration system - no more hiding between wood, sheet metal or other penetrable materials. There is no safe space in war.
• No automatic regenerating health - rather you will have a limited number of medical kits to patch your wounds.
• No dual primaries - I aim to combat the typical loadout of WWII FPS games of a Garand and MP40 combo by accurately modeling the number of weapons and ammunition typically carried by soldiers. Your weapons and the role that you play is up to you, but there will be consequences regardless.
• Accurately modeled damage system - taking damage to various locations on the body will have adverse effects on your capabilities whether not being able to sprint, difficulty reloading or aiming weapons, or bleeding out due to unpatched wounds
• Class based single player experience - you'll pick your own specialty after finishing basic training. Your loadouts and weapons you are most proficient with will be affected by your choice.

I intend to provide updates any time there are milestones completed or there is progress worthy to be shared. As the new Google Sites is updated with more features I will be adding blog commenting capabilities to discuss the game, and potentially forums further down the line. Thank you for following the development of Tale of Valor. Please connect with us on social media and let us know what you're looking forward to the most!

-Matt