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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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Oh trust me; I'm excited for the achievements. But I'd also LOVE to see the 2D artwork for the unique infantry equipment if you have any you'd be willing to share?

And yes, I am that sicko who loves opening up my logistics tab and seeing all the different guns I've captured so this is very much necessary for my enjoyment of the game lol.
 
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It is a damn shame the outsourced portraits vary so much in quality from previous portraits from the game. They also look strangely AI modified using the Stable Diffusion technology. The picture provided shows one such portrait created by this AI.
image (3).png


Earlier dev responses reassured us that there was no AI involved with the process. Can you confirm or deny this?
 
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Hello, can't wait to grind those achievements away! Great DD!

One question: multiple streamers sponsored by Paradox to show off content for AAT have mentioned that the game runs quite a bit faster/better. Has there been optimization improvement?
 
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Some of these achievements look hard (brexit) but carameldansen is just cursed, I love it.
 
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The models look great! Will Denmark have bicycle battalions? If so do they have a specific model? And will the Finish ski troops have a skiing animation?
 
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Can I get bonus points for achieving the original Med Plutonium... as democratic Sweden, while in the same faction as Denmark? In either case, I love how Denmark now has two achievements for being evil in Sweden, plus what currently must be the most wholesome achievement in the game.

I wonder if I can pull them all off in a single run?
 
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Thanks for sharing, great loading screen art. But to do it justice, please allow interface to fully render on 4K displays: it's a pity all these nice drawings look blurry, because they get upscaled when seen on a 2160p screen...

19 achievements is huge for a DLC, looks like I'll have to fight my way into the 100% achievements. Again. :D
 
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Fulmen said:
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:

View attachment 1028521 View attachment 1028520

This is colourised, but it's very good:

View attachment 1028529

View attachment 1028528

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.

View attachment 1028531 View attachment 1028530

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.

View attachment 1028536

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

View attachment 1028539

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. :)
Click to expand...
Fulmen said:
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:

View attachment 1028521 View attachment 1028520

This is colourised, but it's very good:

View attachment 1028529

View attachment 1028528

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.

View attachment 1028531 View attachment 1028530

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.

View attachment 1028536

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

View attachment 1028539

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. :)
Click to expand...
This portrait I found from this website (https://www.kungligaslotten.se/ur-arkivet/svenska-regenter/2018-02-20-gustaf-v-1907-1950.html) shows his eyes are supposed to be blue
 

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Fulmen said:
View attachment 1028528

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.
Click to expand...

These two portraits are used as generic Finnish General / Division Commander portraits. I believe that the portraits of Siilasvuo, Raappana and Susitaival have already been showcased in the Finnish DDs.
The guy to the left is Paavo Paalu, a Division Commander who I read about and considered adding to the game during my research, but that didn't make it in in the end.
To the right we have an unknown (to me) second leutenant for whom I found a pretty cool reference picture so we used it as generic portrait too.
There are a total of 7 Finnish Generic Army Leaders and 3 Generic Navy Leaders.
 
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Madlycat said:
This portrait I found from this website (https://www.kungligaslotten.se/ur-arkivet/svenska-regenter/2018-02-20-gustaf-v-1907-1950.html) shows his eyes are supposed to be blue
Click to expand...

Thanks, not surprising. With a quick Google image search I also found this just now. It's an unfinished oil painting of Gustav V from 1938 by Bernhard Österman (1871-1938):

Screenshot_20231007_095453_Chrome.jpg


Hope the image size is fine on the PC (posting on the phone). If not, will edit it later.

It's in the public domain. Here's also the link to it: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gustav_V,_av_Bernhard_Österman_-_Sörmlands_museum_-_SLM7057.jpg

ManoDeZombi said:
These two portraits are used as generic Finnish General / Division Commander portraits. I believe that the portraits of Siilasvuo, Raappana and Susitaival have already been showcased in the Finnish DDs.
The guy to the left is Paavo Paalu, a Division Commander who I read about and considered adding to the game during my research, but that didn't make it in in the end.
To the right we have an unknown (to me) second leutenant for whom I found a pretty cool reference picture so we used it as generic portrait too.
There are a total of 7 Finnish Generic Army Leaders and 3 Generic Navy Leaders.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Yeah, Siilasvuo, Raappana and Susitaival were showcased already. I wondered if maybe there was a change in portraits, but your reply cleared that up.
 
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Fulmen said:
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:

View attachment 1028521 View attachment 1028520

This is colourised, but it's very good:

View attachment 1028529

View attachment 1028528

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.

View attachment 1028531 View attachment 1028530

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.

View attachment 1028536

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

View attachment 1028539

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. :)
Click to expand...
Dunno who this guy is but he looks extremely good regardless of eye colour :)
 

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Why so many achievements for Iceland? The one Nordic nation that didnt get any updates and its still going to be using a generic focus tree or am I missing something?
 
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