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Developer Diary | Art & Achievements

Hello, and welcome back to the last Developer Diary for Arms Against Tyranny!
I’m CreamGene, HOI4’s 2D artist and since I am here, you guessed it, it's time to talk about art!

I once again get an opportunity to talk about what happens on the Art Front during a HOI4 production and I’m excited to share with you some of the things that have been in the works. Both challenging tasks as well as funny ones, of course. I know I usually showcase the how-to when I do loading screens when I get these opportunities, but I think you can find the two latest descriptions from earlier dev diaries to be adequate if you need to know the “how-to-think”. But I’ll show some small step-by-step just because I can.

Loading Screen​
It started with our Game Designer Bradley, or as you know him as well, Corax, who already had a vision for what he wanted. He wanted two different ones. One of the Finnish Winter War, with Finnish soldiers watching Soviet troops, make their way through the frozen marshlands. And one with the sinking of the Blücher. And I got to choose which one to do. Of course, I chose explosions because I hate myself that's pretty cool. I drew explosions before, but never like this so I thought it could be a nice challenge… if I could pull it off.
I was provided with reference images of the ship and the place as well as a video clip of the event from the movie The King's Choice. Even if it’s a reenacting of the sinking of Blücher it still is a pretty cool scene to draw inspiration from.
So let's speedrun this demonstration!
1. loadingscreen.png

2. loadingscreen.png

3D elements put together! Renders made by our 3D artist @Slurpen_Paradox (because if I can avoid hard surfaces, I will).
3. loadingscreen.png

Here, the paint-over progress has started. …… trust the process.
4. loadingscreen.png
After a loop of feedback and paint-overs, it finally starts to look like something more interesting than just a dark blob where it started. Just some more tweaking and adding texture as well as some action and it’ll be done.
5. loadingscreen.png

And here we are! I hope you’ll enjoy the new loading screen for Arms Against Tyranny!


Here is also the winter-themed one (tho I can’t take credit for it) made for AAT. [Art made by @the_real_timor]

5.5. loadingscreen.png

The Joint Focus Tree​

We also wanted to do something new for a Joint Focus Tree when the discussion of a joint Nordics was a must. So now the idea phase starts.
  1. How different should it look?
  2. How much of different shapes will still make you think “Focus Tree”?
  3. Will it look good together as a tree?
  4. How do we best portray the different ideologies for each outcome?
So now some thumbnailing of ideas happens as well as the thought “Is just the naming bar enough to change?” The answer is ‘no’. Of course, we wanted to go full out when we had this new idea.
6. joint focuses.png

So when we realize that we want to make the actual focus icons mirror the ideologies we have a new question “What would a joint focus tree even look like? What would have to change to make it stand out?”
So I started to make up the shape language for what each ideology would feel like. It ended with a bunch of experiments that you saw @CarloPDX showcase in the Joint Focus Tree Dev Diary

7. joint focuses.png
Yeah… I didn't feel anything out of these.

We landed on these types of shapes in the end!
The communist one is in line with sharp angles, red and gold, and feeling very industry.
The democratic one with its very simplistic design and a retake on the metallic swan.
And the monarchist one, in Sweden at least, we call the moose the “King of the Forest” so we thought it would be fitting to have a King represent all the Nordics with pompous decoration and gold details.

8. joint focuses.png



A small selection of the communist branch icons;
9. joint focuses.png



A small selection of the democratic branch icons;
10. joint focuses.png



A small selection of the monarchist branch icons;
11. joint focuses.png


Portraits​
And now I think it's important to show off some of the fancy portraits that have been added for the Nordics!

The amount of art that needs to be done for each DLC varies but something that stays true, and heavy is Portraits and Focuses. These are easy to outsource in bulk and to offload the strain of getting all the art done for each DLC on time, we send these types of art tasks to an outsourcing studio.

We occasionally have to pick up these types of tasks as well in-house but that’s usually when Content Designers realize they need a leader for a last-minute polish task and a path they forgot would do with an actual portrait of the historic person instead of a generic one. Safe to say, it's impossible to plan for every leader there will be for their specific country. I know I wouldn't be able to think of everything beforehand, and that's why I can’t stress enough that to get a successful art-filled launch, communication is key.

So, here is a small selection of historical figures we would like to showcase beforehand!
12. FIN portraits.png

13. NOR portraits.png

14. SWE portraits.png

15. DEN portraits.png


Focus Icons​
With the same principle as the portraits for HOI, these are easier to outsource in bulk, and therefore the majority of them, tho far from all, are done through outsourcing.
We usually try to make as much as we can in-house for these but we need to prioritize our workload to fit our schedule the best we can.
We always estimate all our tasks beforehand so whatever we know we can’t manage in-house will be shipped to outsourcing.

And once again, a small selection of some of the nicest looking Focuses for AAT.
16. FIN focus icons.png

17. NOR focus icons.png

18. SWE focus icons.png

19. DEN focus icons.png


3D Art​
Even if I am not in charge of the 3D art (in fact that's entirely @Slurpen_Paradox’s domain) I will of course show off some of the models that have been made for this DLC

First of all, let’s enjoy some high-definition renders showing some of the models up close:
20. INFANTRY_DISPLAY1.png

These guys have dressed up for today's fashion show!

21. TANK_DISPLAY1.png

A mix of old and “new” (maybe new is too strong of a word here).

22. TANK_DISPLAY2.png

You need to be ready to fight against air and land attacks.

23. TANK_DISPLAY3.png

Okay, maybe that’s enough land vehicles for one Dev Diary.

24. PLANE_DISPLAY1.png

In other news, here are some planes!

25. PLANE_DISPLAY2.png

..more planes!

26. INFANTRY_DISPLAY1.png

Ready to fight against tyranny!​

Here are some in-game screenshots showing some of the models in action (using some fun camera angles of course!):
27. SWE_trucks.png

They see me rollin’!

28. Danes.png

Danish militia models in fighting stance!

29. Finn.png

These guys are deadly in snowy conditions!

30. Ships.png

Norway has some ships to defend its coast!

31. Norwegians.png

Things are heating up!

32. GER_night_comic1.png

33. GER_night_comic2.png

Thank you @Slurpen for the 3D renders!

Let's be real, you’ve been waiting, you’ve been scrolling, you’ve been sighing through this DD. Go ahead. Don't be shy. Scroll down some more.
Finally! I would like to present the achievements of Arms Against Tyranny!


Achievements

Sápmi, United by the fire
As Sami, own and control every Sami core.
34. sapmi united by the fire.png


Norway Jose
As Norway, own and control every Mexican core
35. norway jose.png


Pinot Noirway
As Norway, own and control the state of Burgogne
36. pinot noirway.png


Cheese your fighter
As Norway, with Peder Jarlsberg as coutnry leader, own Telemark, Glouchestershire, Normandy, Lombardia and Holland
37. cheese your fighter.png


Med Plutonium 2…
As Denmark nuke Sweden.
38. med plutonium 2.png


Everything is Awesome
As Denmark, get Maximum Welfare Spending after January 1st 1941 without being puppeted or capitulating
39. everything is awesome.png


The Danelaw
As Denmark, conquer England.
40. the danelaw.png


Vinland
As Iceland, conquer Newfoundland.
41. vinland.png


Brexit
As communist Iceland, make Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland rise up against the United Kingdom.
42. brexit.png


Two Arms Against Tyranny
As Finland, capitulate the Soviet Union while having a 2 country faction with another Nord
43. two arms against tyranny.png


Uralic Brothers United!
As Finland, have Hungary, Estonia, Sapmi, Karelia, Mari El, Udmurtia, Komi, Ostyak-Vogulia, Yamalia, and Nenetsia as subjects.
44. uralic brothers united.png


Lone Wolf
As Finland, form Greater Finland and own every core and claim without having ever joined a faction.
45. lone wolf.png


No One Crosses the Finnish Line
As Finland, do not loose any core state before 1944.09.19, with the USSR going Communist and Finland not being Fascist or Communist
46. no one crosses the Finnish line.png


Danzig Queen
As Sweden, own Danzig.
47. danzig queen.png


Caramelldansen
As Sweden, puppet Japan.
48. caramelldansen.png


The return of the King
As the exiled King of Gotland, retake mainland Sweden.
49. the return of the king.png


Satisfactory
Have at least one MIO per category at level 10+.
50. satisfactory.png


Cod Wars
As Iceland, capitulate the UK
51. cod wars.png


The Magic School Bus
With the Per Albin Bus, drive to Cape Town
52. the magic school bus.png

We all hope that you’ll enjoy the up-and-coming DLC, Arms against Tyranny, and along the way have fun and feel challenged with the new content and achievements we have added, as well as enjoy the latest models and art!

CreamGene✨
 
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CraniumMuppet said:
View attachment 1028473
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One day there has to be an achievement for Imperial Germany making good on its plana after Brest-Litowks with all the new states and monarchs. We do have almost all as options rn: Poland, Finland are possible and even Lithuania, despite the Emperor vetoing the election initially.
 
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Very, very cool art! The achievements had me sitting there with an open mouth, unable to comprehend how memey it has become, and by god, i love it! Caramelldansen Hirohito, omg....
 
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CreamGene said:
Hello! Sure, here they are

View attachment 1028466View attachment 1028467View attachment 1028468View attachment 1028469
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What beautiful art and achievements.

Does an independent Iceland use any of these medal sets or do they use the default ones?

Also, if a country unites all of Scandinavia/Nordics into one through the national focuses you have shown, do the ship and unit naming conventions of the country you used to unite the states transfer onto unified Scandinavia or do they get new "flavored" naming conventions? (maybe even thematic based on political alignment?)
 
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gauti20 said:
What beautiful art and achievements.

Does an independent Iceland use any of these medal sets or do they use the default ones?

Also, if a country unites all of Scandinavia/Nordics into one through the national focuses you have shown, do the ship and unit naming conventions of the country you used to unite the states transfer onto unified Scandinavia or do they get new "flavored" naming conventions? (maybe even thematic based on political alignment?)
Click to expand...
Thank you :)

Iceland will use the generic set of medals for AAT.

Namelists of ships, units, and characters are still the ones the original country had.
 
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renorp said:
Is it a mistake, or is this a design so that the achievements "No One Crosses the Finnish Line" and "Lone Wolf" have the same conditions?
Click to expand...
Yeah, no one crosses the Finnish line is supposed to be "never loose any core state before _historical armastice date_ sometime in 1945 I believe
 
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KaiserWilhelmI said:
So I take it that Finnish plane models are using the modern roundel rather than the historical swastika symbol that had nothing to do with Nazis?
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No swastikas, even for non Nazi reasons. There are none in British Raj / India / Pakistan content. None for Buddhist nations. None of the early 20th century appearances in the Americas, Japan or Europe. None in the game anywhere.
 
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While I'm not into playing for Achievements I'm always enjoy the puns around them (personal favourite this time: "Everything is awesome") :cool:
The AAT art overall is lovely as usual. Looking forward to the DLC/patch release and hoping for many fixed old bugs and few new ones!
 
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Can anyone identify all those portraits? I see obvious ones like Gustav and Quisling. The women are always interesting, since Paradox likes to give hidden paths for them too.
 
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The portrait artist does otherwise excellent work, but she seems to have a tendency of giving blue-eyed people brown eyes (as a side-note, since she did art for EU4 before, I wonder if she also made the Charles XII portrait for the EU4 loading screen?). As a rule of thumb, if you don't know the eye colour of a Nordic person, assume it's blue. :)

A portrait of Karl Lennart Oesch from 1962 vs. in-game:

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1696609969143.png


This is colourised, but it's very good:

1696613404743.png


1696612882056.png


I'm not entirely sure who these two are supposed to be. Hjalmar Siilasvuo or Erkki Raappana on the left perhaps, and Paavo Susitaival on the right? IRL none of these people had brown eyes. Susitaival's eyes I know for a fact were light blue, as I have colour interview footage of him from the 1970s. Susitaival also wasn't a full general (three lions), but a lieutenant-colonel (two big roses). Also I think the underlining colour on his rank plates should be green, not red, to conform with branch colours. But maybe it's not him on the right.

1696613748081.png
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It's hard to tell, but I think the in-game portraits of Finnish President P.E. Svinhufvud and Stalin's "Finnish marionette" O.W. Kuusinen might also have brown eyes. IRL they had blue eyes. The latter's daughter, Hertta, had brown eyes, but she got them from her mother Saima, who had deep brown eyes. Same with her siblings.

1696614386760.png


Here's a genuine question to anyone who happens to know, did Gustav V really have brown eyes like in the in-game portrait?

1696615019414.png


A very cool loading screen. Reminds me of the "Lahtinen's fate" scene especially from the 2017 movie adaption of The Unknown Soldier. One thing the author could have also done was draw the Russian soldiers with brown budenovkas and brown overcoats, which was the typical uniform of the Red Army soldier in the Winter War. But perhaps it's from the Continuation War, when the Russians had more winter camouflage suits. :)
 
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