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  1. #1
    Jake Armitage's Avatar Artifex
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    Icon2 tDD devlog (2022)


    Hey guys,
    as part of the tDD team
    (to tell the truth... I haven't done a single thing for the mod as for now...)
    I'll probably keep posting dev updates in TWC too

    - devlog done by elijy, tDD Community Manager -







    Modelling



    Ah, modelling!
    The heart of the mod.
    Who doesn't like to see new shiny armors and axes, spears and - dwarven faces?!
    Yes!
    January 2021 will be known forever as the month in which the Sons of Durin awoke, for the Dwarven faction of Erebor got a full overhaul of its roster. Our loyal developers Froostie and fuzzyhdog have been working nonstop in their forges, to bring to life the children of Aule - with solid help from ScouseSicario.

    The Tier 1 Dwarven Company in all its glory! Their mighty beards (do not pull them!) and their fearsome faces were developed by ScouseSicario and Froostie respectively.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Tier 2 Mattock Warriors, by Froostie. Mattocks resemble the mining cult present in the Iron Hills for many lives of men. It is a sacred weapon to the dwarves, both used for hewing stone, and hewing skulls.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Tier 4 Iron Guards, by fuzzyhdog. The final overhaul of the most notorious Dwarven unit as seen in The Battle of the Five Armies, reshaped by Froostie to fit the new dwarven body!
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    And finally, the one unit you've seen all over Froostie's streams. Tier 4 Ered Mithrin! The Dragon-Slayers of Ered Mithrin stand in defiance of the winged usurpers, the last remnants of Morgoth's foul beasts
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    But what would the Dwarven Lords be without their goblin foes? Early work has begun on the Goblins of the Misty Mountains as well! Haganaz - whose name you might know from the splendid work he did on the UI in the latest 0.3.5 release - has been meddling in the breeding of orcs and has prepared a few assets just for your eyes to see.

    Kill the dwarves with rust!
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Animation



    Progress with our first custom beast - the troll - is always being made behind the scenes. We are currently reworking the whole skeleton, rigging and animations that we prepared for you in the past, as our knowledge on the matter is getting better and better!
    So no previews on that today, I'm afraid, but rest assured - you will see a troll in the mod very soon!



    Mapping


    This has not been the best month for mapping... If you take out Dale! Behold the capital of the Kingdom of Dale, the great city of the men of the North and a symbol of friendship between them and the Dwarves of Erebor. This siege map is fully functional, although the Gates of Erebor are being worked on, but they will be ready in no time for everyone who wants to re-create the Siege of Dale or the Battle of the Five Armies, either in singleplayer or in multiplayer.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 






    Architect
    ure



    Almost no work has been done on architecture during the month of January, but we are sure some more assets will sprout up in due time. In fact, the Gates of Erebor are being worked on right now, by none other than the Dwarf-Lord himself, Froostie!



    Audio


    As you may very well know, the mod is going to be fully customized with audio from the Lord of the Rings. Characters will have voices and orc units will scream and roar after their enemies! To do this, in the past, many people volunteered to work on the enormous spreadsheet of audio files. No more! FrogSucker has been working on a special tool that can transcribe game audio to readable text, which is going to make our work significantly easier.



    Balancing



    The next release will hold some joyful news for our balancing as well, as we set out to make battles run and feel much smoother than in previous versions. Units will behave more naturally and more according to what you expect them to do - be it in combat, when shooting missiles (also - faster rate of fire for all archer units!), or when they are moving into formation.
    Moreover, a brand new system for unit sizes and unit health has been developed. This will make Elven, Dwarven and elite Dúnedain units feel a lot more unique and greatly diversify the gameplay for factions of different races. Elves and Dwarves now have considerably fewer numbers, but are a lot harder to kill, whereas Orc factions are now considerably stronger if they manage to use their numbers well to flood the enemy.
    On top of all this, we have developed a brand new system for morale. Totally routing the enemy will become a far more relevant tactic in Rise of Mordor.



    Campaign



    Where is the campaign?! Do not be hasty, nor hopeless, for our campaign is thoroughly being worked on as you read this log! Recently, our team has been turning their heads on roads, rivers, cliffs and beaches, to ensure that every dusty and remote angle of Middle Earth is properly represented on our map.


    Our most recent video on Gondor and its future mechanics.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw0w...ature=emb_logo


    Custom Middle Earth campiagn Map
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob_Ch5HTVw4&t=365s




    Miscellaneous


    Similar to other development logs, January was rife with new concept art - all made by our phenomenal Maeron and Edred.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 















    Follow developments here:

    Discord
    ModDB
    Nexus

    Download current version (custom battles only) here:

    ModDB
    Nexus







    Until we meet again,
    elijy and the tDD Team
    Last edited by Jake Armitage; April 10, 2022 at 01:21 PM.

  2. #2

    Default Re: RoM devlog 01 - January 2021

    Oh dear, looks like I'm going to need to buy Attila!

  3. #3
    Mr.Jox's Avatar WHY SO SERIOUS?!
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    Default Re: RoM devlog 01 - January 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by makanyane View Post
    Oh dear, looks like I'm going to need to buy Attila!
    Lol, I hope you will. I remember using your and wilddog's tool so many years ago damn. I asked wd several years ago whether he will be interested in making campaign map tools for newer Warspace games but he refused, maybe now you guys are more interested. We've reverse engineered all the files already, only lack time to completely finish the tools

  4. #4

    Default Re: RoM devlog 01 - January 2021

    Yeah, impressive, these reliefs. I hate good luck to you.

  5. #5
    Araval's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: RoM devlog 01 - January 2021

    Cool stuff!

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    Jake Armitage's Avatar Artifex
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    Default Re: RoM devlog 01 - January 2021




    Du-bekâr! Khazâd ai-mênu!


    The new update is upon you! Rise of Mordor Open Alpha v0.4.0 is finally available for everyone!
    This time it all comes with a special cinematic trailer made by the amazing Roose_B - Nedim Can Incebay.

    Watch it and follow the links in the description to download the update!

    https://youtu.be/52RLrvle2qw

    Last edited by Jake Armitage; June 10, 2021 at 07:11 AM.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: RoM devlog 01 - January 2021




    Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!
    Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter!
    Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered,
    a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!
    Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!



    A big lie? Or a thunderous and unexpected surprise? You, shall be the judges of that. But no matter now, the ROHAN UPDATE IS HERE!

    We hope you will all enjoy this secret update, a surprise we all, as a Team, were very excited to share! Enjoy ALL the units of the Rohan roster made by HighOnTea
    and the wonderful video made by Roose_B - Nedim Can Incebay

    ... and so much more!


    The download links are in the description of the video!


    https://youtu.be/eIOqV12hfUA


    - elijy, tDD Community Manager -
    Last edited by Jake Armitage; April 10, 2022 at 01:38 PM.

  8. #8
    Jake Armitage's Avatar Artifex
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    Default Re: RoM devlog (2021)





    UPDATE CONCERNING THE CAMPAIGN MAP


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlffIINsWC0


  9. #9
    Jake Armitage's Avatar Artifex
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    Default Re: RoM devlog (2021)





    We cannot get out. They are coming!

    The new update - version 0.6.0 - or "Drums in the Deep" is out!

    This is a major update and our first public step towards the campaign, with loads of new maps, the Middle Earth battlemap (a priority for the campaign),
    a fully fledged Goblins of the Misty Mountains faction, new units for Isengard and the Easterlings
    and... TROLLS!

    Go watch the trailer and download the update through the launcher or through the link in the description




    https://youtu.be/YSBtEZN0wig


    - elijy, tDD Community Manager -
    Last edited by Jake Armitage; April 10, 2022 at 01:37 PM.

  10. #10
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    Default tDD devlog (2022)







    HOW TO INSTALL THE DAWNLESS DAYS
    UPDATED TO VERSION 0.6.0


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mxqu4Mmdws

  11. #11
    ♔Greek Strategos♔'s Avatar THE BEARDED MACE
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    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)

    Very impressive work, buddy!
    Keep it up

  12. #12
    -=Justinian=-'s Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)

    Thought I was going crazy when I couldn't find this mod anywhere. I see the corporate overlords got to it. Glad the name change suffices for continued dev!
    "It's good to be king"

  13. #13
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    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)






    Gameplay and text written by Maestro (TDD Design Lead)
    edited by elijy (tDD Community Manager)










    Hello there!

    Welcome to our fist Development Log, called "Dwarves of the East".

    Since we have been asked to leave ModDB, we haven't been able to publish any kind of DevLogs.
    But from now on, you can expect to see here, from time to time, shorter and much more interesting updates on the progress of the mod.


    One word before we begin.

    We know that you haven't seen much in terms of content from The Dawnless Days: the truth is that we have taken some much needed rest after the 4 huge releases that took place last year
    and we have used this time to move into more complicated parts of our work, such as architecture, map-making and of course, the campaign.
    While work has been going on the latter, we still have no concrete news to give you: but rest assured, work has been done.



    Without further ado, let's begin our tour of the East!







    During these years, we have been troubled by Ered Luin as a faction, both for problems in lore and gameplay design. However, we are keen to have at least two Dwarven factions in our mod. The Dwarves deserve it, as do all their fans!

    After a team-wide consultation and discussion, we decided to do as follows:

    - To cut Ered Luin as a playable faction, though leaving room for sub-modders and for us to develop a Dwarven faction in the area in the future if there is a desire to.
    Ered Luin will still receive a handful of units both in their and in Erebor's AOR roster

    - To add two Orocarni factions

    - To already release both Orocarni factions at least upon 2nd release, preferably first


    There are many reasons why this decision was ultimately taken. From a lore perspective, Ered Luin’s basis is exceptionally frail, accounting for the destruction of Nogrod and Belegost and exodus from the area to Khazad-dûm and later to Erebor. From a gameplay perspective, Ered Luin’s potential gameplay opportunities are too weak to justify their inclusion in spite of lore problems. Ered Luin is far removed from any real enemies, which would force us to either bend or break the lore even further by allowing wars between unlikely enemies, or make the campaign heavily script-based.
    On the other hand, the Orocarni Dwarves have much better gameplay prospects, greater lore credibility and with more room for creative ideas.
    This makes the Orocarni Dwarves a significantly better candidate as TDD’s second (and third!) Dwarven faction and why we have taken the view that they should replace Ered Luin as in our mod.







    Yes, but talk about the O-R-O-C-A-R-N-I !

    There are four known Orocarni Houses:

    the Ironfists
    the Stiffbeards
    the Blacklocks
    the Stonefoots


    These clans are subject to much speculation, fan-fiction and rumour. Nonetheless, it appears the Ironfists and Stiffbeards were likely on good terms, whereas the Blacklocks were with the Stonefoots. Furthermore, it is said that Orocarni Dwarves aided the Longbeards in their struggles against the Orcs of the Misty Mountains in the late Third Age. The Ironfists are rumoured to have rendered most aid. We know there are canonical theories by Tolkien that some Dwarves were tempted and persuaded to join evil. Opportunism, greed or ignorance would be likely culprits in this respect as known weaknesses of Dwarven character typically exploited by the Shadow.




    Faction icons made by Don Maeroni



    Based on this limited information we have,
    we have chosen to split the Orocarni faction into two, for a grand total of three playable Dwarven factions, including Erebor.
    These two Orocarni factions will be split as such: the Ironfists & Stiffbeards on one hand, and the Blacklocks & Stonefoots on the other. Both factions will start neutral to all their neighbours and to each other. However, the Ironfists & Stiffbeards will be on good diplomatic terms with Erebor, whereas the Blacklocks & Stonefoots will have agreeable relations with the main Easterling clans. As such, it is not a given that either side should go to war with the other, or that one coalition of clans is always to follow a path of good where the other is to follow evil. But, it will give some definition to the two different factions and, for us, some guidance as to how to design their rosters.




    The most recent Campaign map starting positions, with the Orocarni all to the East



    The player can start a campaign as either coalition.
    If he chooses to play as the Ironfists & Stiffbeards, he will start in the northern ranges of the Orocarni. These lands are safer from Easterling strength and further away from Mordor, but their starting position is weaker than that of the Blacklocks & Stonefoots with only two minor settlements for starts. On the other hand, the Blacklocks & Stonefoots start with three settlements, one of which is the heart of the Orocarni Mountains and very much the capital of all Orocarni Dwarves. Thus, they are more dominant, but positioned closer to Shadow’s main strengthbase.

    Neither clan coalition starts allied or at war with anyone.
    The player has freedom to shape his own campaign and strike where he likes.
    However, given the starting setting, it may prove wise for the Ironfist & Stiffbeard player to remain on good terms with Erebor, whereas it may prove harder to do so for the Blacklocks & Stonefoots given their proximity to the Easterling and Mordor heartlands. Opportunism inclines the latter to instead side with the Easterlings and with Mordor and seize a chance to take full control over the Orocarni Mountains through force, perhaps ultimately challenging Erebor itself.




    Concept by Maeron



    Regardless of the player’s choice,
    it seems that conflict among the Dwarven Houses of the East is hard to avoid.
    Careful diplomacy is required to maintain, although ideological differences, opportunism or even coercion from neighbours are likely to lead to war in the Red Mountains among the Dwarves. However, if control over the mansions of enemy clans is secured and hostile leadership of the opposing coalition removed,
    it will become possible to recruit military units of the other clans into the ranks of the player’s own clan.
    The player’s own clan’s units will likely be more widely available, but the other coalition’s units will no doubt be a welcome addition to the player’s armies.
    This is because each clan has a different style of warfare.




    Concept by Maeron



    Ironfists are, like their Erebor kin, excellent in holding defensive positions, with a particular speciality in fending of cavalry.
    The Stiffbeards aid their Ironfist kin with excellent skirmishing potential, mastering some of the Easterling’s marksmanship and Dwarven axe-throwing.
    On the other hand, the Blacklocks specialise in offensive warfare, adopting the mace from their Easterling neighbours, supplemented by more traditional two-handed Dwarven axes.
    Stonefoots, in turn, bolster the Blacklock ranks with powerful polearms and pikes, specialising in tightly-packed formations both for attacking and defending purposes.


    You can check their full rosters at
    https://trello.com/b/igTEaPWc/the-dawnless-days-rosters-public



    .



    With the addition of two Orocarni factions, The Dawnless Days strives to increase the representation of the Dwarves in the game, increasing the final number of playable Dwarven factions to three.
    In addition, it strives to rely on Tolkien’s work as much as possible, with any additions staying faithful to his philosophy and style as much as possible.
    Our mod strives to mimic that which Tolkien would have created if he had chosen to develop the lands to the south and east more.
    More than that, we hope to give the player a unique experience with every faction, and the Orocarni factions are unique in their virtually neutral starting position, diplomatic relations and unit roster.
    We are confident both Orocarni factions will play very differently from all other factions in the mod and to be unique experience to Dwarven fans and fans of our mod in general.


    -----


    I will remind you that if you desire to be notified about these DevLogs you should pick the @Followers role clicking on the green reaction in server-rules.
    That said, I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this one, it has been on our minds for a long time! Comments are very welcomed in general-chat!

    See you in the next DevLog folks!
    elijy (tDD Community Manager)



    Follow developments here:

    Discord
    Nexus


    HOW TO INSTALL THE DAWNLESS DAYS
    UPDATED TO VERSION 0.6.0
    (custom battles only - NO CAMPAIGN)


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mxqu4Mmdws






    Last edited by Jake Armitage; July 04, 2022 at 07:52 AM.

  14. #14
    Jake Armitage's Avatar Artifex
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    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)





    Greetings, folks!


    A special announcement for today, as we invite you to join the epic quest by Froostie to make
    a Lord of the Rings mod for Total War: Troy!


    The mod will be very high quality, and we trust Froostie and his new team to make the best stuff ever, same as he does here in TDD!


    The name? It's in the quote!
    See you in their Discord!




    https://discord.gg/nM23CfTQA2



    A disclaimer:

    1) no, Where the Shadows Lie is not a spin off of TDD, nor we are moving to Troy.
    2) Froostie is not leaving the TDD team and will continue to work with us, moreover, there will be a constant exchange of models and assets between TDD and WtSL.


    elijy (tDD Community Manager)
    Last edited by Jake Armitage; July 08, 2022 at 07:04 AM.

  15. #15
    Narf's Avatar Reach for the Stars.
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    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)

    Epic!

  16. #16
    zzzms's Avatar Semisalis
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    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)

    Very impressed!

    The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities.~John Acton, [1877].

    "...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. " ~ Hubert H. Humphrey

    "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Ghandi

  17. #17

    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)

    When I couldn't find this mod anywhere, I began to worry that I was going mad. I see the corporate overlords have already begun. Glad the name change is sufficient for ongoing development!

  18. #18

    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)

    cool

  19. #19
    Jake Armitage's Avatar Artifex
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    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)

    Quote Originally Posted by Alexa Steels View Post
    When I couldn't find this mod anywhere, I began to worry that I was going mad. I see the corporate overlords have already begun. Glad the name change is sufficient for ongoing development!
    yep, not an issue

  20. #20
    Jake Armitage's Avatar Artifex
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    Default Re: tDD devlog (2022)





    Let us finally share a preview of the campaign map tool in all its glory!


    We've left the video untouched, but let me briefly explain what you are seeing:
    while we have cracked how to change the graphical part of the campaign map (woods, rivers, mountains, seas, etc...), our main difficulty stood in how to change the properties of these places, for example:
    while we could add woods, we couldn't give them a proper function as woods, and an army in game would have the buffs and nerfs it would have in the part of the European map of the base game where it stood,
    be it plains or mountains, essentially negating our work.

    This tool, developed by an external team, changes this situation, as it will allow us to give to each area of the map a proper function:
    cities will be transferred, seas shall move and you shall finally be able to play a campaign worthy of this name... in Middle Earth!

    PS: the tool is still being worked on and it is not finished yet.
    I'm sure you will understand that while this is a task that is difficult on its own, everyone has their life to handle, when it's not affected by contemporary issues we all know about


    elijy, tDD Community Manager



    you need to download the video (mp4) from my mediafire (safe link), it's not on youtube
    https://www.mediafire.com/file/8prle...eview.mp4/file



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