Dev Diary - Prototype Vehicles Unit Pack

[Kosaki MacTavish]

Currently they're available to their "main" country of use/purchase. In this case Netherlands. Could expand that to DEI fairly though I think, but the US might be a bit of a stretch.

The tanks would, uh... finds its way.

Van Mook willing.

 

[Duke_Dave]

Currently they're available to their "main" country of use/purchase. In this case Netherlands. Could expand that to DEI fairly though I think, but the US might be a bit of a stretch.

Well the Netherlands was the main thing.

 

[xRMGx]

No, Paradox, that's a bad Paradox! *Cartman voice*

 

[mecanojavi99]

Currently they're available to their "main" country of use/purchase. In this case Netherlands. Could expand that to DEI fairly though I think, but the US might be a bit of a stretch.

Could we get a list of:
- The countries that get each vehicle
- What do they represent in game (Ligth Tank, Medium Tank, Tank Destroyer...)

 

[Krey_Lollipop]

I for one have definitely made some of these already lol. Especially the Giacomini, that has always been my go to for when I have leftover IC but can't be bothered to field proper tank divisions. Nice to finally get graphics representative of what my tanks actually look like.

Really the only thing missing are buildable post-WWII tank museums and this would have been a full-fledged expansion for me. Nah, jk. It still is a bit sad though to have all these models but not be able to show them properly without breaking history too much. Maybe it'd be nice to have teeny versions of them driving around experimental facilities?

 

[ZeDoctor1918]

This was announced along with GoE back in October(or whenever it was - time hasn't been the same since COVID). I don't see how this could be true even if we assume that actually we're all evil.



I won't argue the timing has been an issue here. But timing doesn't release us from an obligation to release something we've openly announced.

You aren't obligated to release this early either, which makes the poor timing in this case completely self inflicted given the reception of GoE after the latest patch could be described, at best, as the bare minimum. This tells me that whatever internal review was claimed to have happened didn't accomplish anything, and the team just hoped the negative feelings had passed. Which is a shame.

 

[lo24681]

eh, I think it does make sense to try and release it ASAP, that way they can get this expansion pass behind them, and not have this last bit hanging over them.

 

[DiegoMaxum]

O i Pan Paweł no wiadomo

 

[blacksmith]

Currently they're available to their "main" country of use/purchase. In this case Netherlands. Could expand that to DEI fairly though I think, but the US might be a bit of a stretch.

If this is a purely graphical pack with no gameplay impacts, why not allow any nation to use any model? Feel free to put a little flag saying who the model historically belongs to, but why force a player to play a specific country to use a unit model they want? Fielding a large number of helicopter tanks as *any* country is already a bit of a stretch.

 

[goodcigar]

Is this actually adding modules and stuff to the Designers or is this just 3d models?

 

[SherlockWolfenstein]

I think the core thing that HOI4 has always provided is flexibility. If you want to play a more or less historical game, tick historical focuses and play a historical playthrough. If you want a bonkers playthrough and have the Habsburgs fight Senor Hilter and Alf Landon, then by all means go ahistorical.

The main thing is that there is always a immersive, historical run you can do if you want to. I don't care whatever fantastical content is added, as long as it doesn't impede on that historical game.

 

[$ilent_$trider]

And still folks tell us that adding so many machine guns to a tank design is unrealistic

Only if those folks aren't Orks...

 

[International_Spying]

Quite wacky looking models, but i want to know where they'll actually be. Are they alternate skins for your tanks, planes, and special projects?

 

[EpikEnei]

Generals!

We have some good news! Prototype Vehicles are almost ready to roll out, so instead of releasing them in Q3 as initially announced, we will launch them in Q2! Yes, the Prototype vehicle pack will be dropping soon, and you’ll find some juicy details below. But first, a small disclaimer:

When our latest DLC comes out, Expansion Pass 1 will become a dynamic bundle. This means that you will get a discount for any DLCs from the Expansion Pass you already own. Good news for any holdouts! But, this also means the preorder bonuses will no longer be available in the bundle, so choose timely.

And now, for the juicy bits:

Hello generals!
@Slurpen_Paradox here again to talk about 3D art for Hearts of Iron IV. This time, I’m also joined by @MordredViking , who is one of our content designers on HoI4. We are here to bring you a closer look at the new vehicles in the Prototype Vehicles Unit Pack, as well as some fun facts along the way!

These are vehicles from a time when the arms race was in full force, and any means of getting the upper hand on the enemy was a battle within itself. Many vehicles were designed to improve on existing concepts, others were meant to tread new ground, and some were created purely out of desperation. Some of these prototypes were never built or fully developed, others reached the battlefield and were even successful to various degrees!

In some cases, we will never know what the final designs may have looked like. This is, however, my favorite part of this pack! We have had to look at the original blueprints to give you our illustrations of what these vehicles would have looked like had they been fully produced. I hope you have as much fun looking at these designs as we had making them!

These vehicles make for some fun topics of discussion. I have included the names of each one, so feel free to read up on the history of each one. We had a blast doing this ourselves!
Mordred Viking and I will make brief comments on our personal favorites as we go along!

Here are the high-res close-ups of these vehicles:

View attachment 1287043

*The Modra Revolving Tank was designed with a rounded rotating hull that would deflect incoming projectiles.

*The “Grasshopper” was a tank designed to combine the newly developed helicopter designs with the power of a tank. However, this design was swiftly dropped due to a multitude of design issues.

*The Czech Skoda SK 13 was the German answer to the looming fuel shortage towards the end of the war. This vehicle was actually coal-powered.

View attachment 1287044

* The “Praying Mantis” was an experimental machine gun carrier prototype that was tested for use in the British Army. At a glance, it looks quite futuristic, even though it’s anything but from the crew's point of view. Its fighting compartment can pivot up and down to lower its profile or shoot over terrain!
* The Jasquet Articulated Tank is a caterpillar-like tank designed to move over the trickiest terrain. Part of the idea is that if one cabin loses traction, the others would help push it along over hills and other obstacles thanks to its “bendy” design.
View attachment 1287045


* The Giacomini Entrenchment is an interesting design that sticks out among other tanks. The tank features an entrenchment mechanism in the front. The design is unique, and the designer’s identity and nationality remain quite mysterious.

View attachment 1287046

* Water was always going to be a barrier to a proper tank blitz, and it’s remarkably difficult to get a tank to float properly. How about just turning it into a submarine instead? The Biemmi Naval Tank, stealthy and practical!

* So-To Anti-Tank gun carrier. It’s a moving hull with a cannon on top. Why overcomplicate things?

* The Moto-Guzzi Semovente is a tank that features two tracks that can move up and down completely independently from each other. This enables it to move forward along sloped terrain!

View attachment 1287047

* I want a tank with a big gun. I said a BIG gun! The 2B1 “Oka”. Perfection.

* The “Cobra” Light Cross Country Combat Vehicle (quite a mouthful), this vehicle featured multiple designs with different types of armament. This is our illustration featuring the four large caliber cannons!


View attachment 1287048

* The M-V-Yoh is an American tank with a very interesting design. A crew member would sit inside the back of the turret and man the small MG on top. If you look closely you may also have noticed that there are backup tank tracks inside of the main tracks. These would provide friction if the main tracks would break.​

We also included some interesting plane designs for the people who prefer air combat! However, we can’t guarantee that all of these planes are safe to fly..

View attachment 1287049
* Belyayev DB-LK is a plane that is designed for people who don’t want to fly alone! This design features two cockpits as well as gunner seats in the back!

* Bachem Ba 349 Natter, The pilot in this aircraft would be launched into the air, and the plane would steer itself for a short period of time. After that, the pilot would take control of the aircraft and fly as close to the enemy as possible in order to launch multiple rockets into the enemy aircraft. This aircraft did not feature any landing gear, so it was up to the pilot to eject from the aircraft once the mission was complete!​

Let’s wrap things up with a taste of how some of these vehicles look and behave in-game:

View attachment 1287050
Can this thing really fly?

View attachment 1287051
The mantis stalks its prey..


View attachment 1287052
Rockets away!

View attachment 1287053
It’s a caterpillar! It’s a snake! No.. It’s.. a tank?!

View attachment 1287054
Don’t let your dreams be dreams!​

That’s all for now! Thank you all for joining us through this brief look at some of these crazy and cool vehicles of the past. I hope you have as much fun using them as we had making them!

Until next time, generals!

Man i Hope i will be able to have some tank models as Yugoslavia. i own all armor pacts but still have just crapy basic tank 3d model

 

[Varvs]

Yes (or any of the other non-helicopter models)

If all DLC where like this i would consider buying stuf that looks good to me imo. Just cosmetics in dlc and basegame gets updated mechanics with patches. never gonna spent a nother cent on pdx.

 

[Vissarion Bashkovez II]

If this is a purely graphical pack with no gameplay impacts, why not allow any nation to use any model?

Well, I guess that is because all other models in the game are already limited to specific countries. Would be strange to break those rules for a particular cosmetic pack.

Makes me wonder though: what if the Vehicle Designer showed only country-related model variants by default, but could be toggled to show all models of matching type, giving you an opportunity to design your Congolese tanks after, say, German panzers...

I am suggesting adding transmogrification in a HoI series game... What a world...

 

[Darius Odin]

The nations involved in the pacific need a joint focus. and the Kokoda trail over the owen stanly mountain range does not exist but sure lets make crackpot game models that never existed

 

[xtfoster]

Genuinely who is off topic lol

Well, considering this is a thread about the "Prototype Vehicles Unit Pack", any discussion of anything else is technically off-topic. Even complaining about your personal pet peave not getting fixed is off-topic in this thread.

 

[Kosaki MacTavish]

The nations involved in the pacific need a joint focus. and the Kokoda trail over the owen stanly mountain range does not exist but sure lets make crackpot game models that never existed

We'll get there once GoE is fixed.

 

[withche.07]

We'll get there once GoE is fixed.

Netherlands rework - Dutch East Indies joint focus will be added very likely.
But I also think GoE Iraq needs more content.