You know, the main advantage of working in game development is an opportunity to work while playing. Now when you are on the edge, trying to punish those guy from the game design department or testers which constantly reel up your artillery on your poor tank tracks ( yes, you know, what I mean), screaming with anger and helplessness or beating yourself on the chest in a moment of triumph… And when someone asks you, what the hell is going on and why so much noise is generated from your room, you’d usually continue playing quietly... But Oh, no, this time you proudly and emphatically say - I’m testing!
Those who are about to test salute you! (с) Оbiriron
Today we will tell a little about how the Soldiers: Arena closed alpha is going on. At this time fifteen people working on our testing plantations, collecting harvest of bugs and suggestions. As mentioned earlier , in the beginning we were more interested in playtests rather than in testing in the full sense of the word. Now tests with group Alpha (let's call it so) have become a permanent part of the development process, familiar and very useful part, I’d say. We constantly receive feedback from players on each embedded feature and each change of the in-game balance, which is great.
Now we feel that it is time to add more people. And the first thing we’ll do is write to the guys, who left their requests here . In the near future we plan to invite 15-20 people more, but will do this gradually. Foreshadowing questions, we respond immediately that we base on the data that you specified in the questionnaire, while selecting. There are no secret department of selection and growing the super-testers, it's all rumors. In that building we have... eeee... cafeteria. Ignore the sign board.
We thank the guys for their help in testing, finding bugs, and for their wishes and requests ( some of them are damn prolific and it can not but gladden). To all other now part of the testing concerns moved to Alpha-team and the work goes even faster. We are wildly happy that, even in the raw pre-alpha form the Soldiers: Arena gameplay is causing so many discussions amongst testers. Sometimes you decide to relax on a Friday night, and on Saturday morning more than 500 messages of skype skirmishes are awaiting for you. On topics ranging from the behavior of the infantry AI during shelling, movement, or firing and ending with the reaction of tanks to the hit of different types of shells. And all this with passion, resentment and drama, worthy of the Aeschylus pen. What other proof is needed to understand that the course is set up correctly?
We said earlier that we want to expand the number of fortifications and now implement the engineers into the game, which we are testing now, amongst other things. We are looking for bugs, check how they complement the gameplay of the different commanders. Now they can put anti-tank hedgehogs, breastworks, barbed wire and dig trenches, but in the future we are likely to add some work. They are cool and make the game for artillery commander more comfortable increasing his survival rate even without proper help from teammates. At least you have a chance to protect yourself with the hedgehogs and barbed wire from the advancing enemy. And moreover they are greatly expanding the role of supporting commanders in the game, but we’ll tell more about them at some later stage. Now you’d better look how they were tested.
As you can see, we're not just playing games, we are also making patterns of anti-tank hedgehogs and doing other incredibly important things.
And deploying mines... Turn back, Dorothy! This is not your yellow brick road.
Finally, we invite you to warm up your imagination and suggest a funny name for the last screenshot. Here are a few options from us.
Lifetime barricade .
There will be no problems with Capulets if we’d have one!
Germans take too much time making perfect lines of things.
DevDiaries #30: Some like it heavy
I’ll take the category “Tanks over 30t”
Hi, friends. In the first diary of this year, we will talk about the role of the heavy tanks on the battlefields of Soldiers: Arena. How, where, and why you can use them. Do you think that size matters? Do you like when the enemy is separated from you by the biggest distances and by thicker armor? Would you like to have a guarantee, that you’ll have enough time to shoot after the enemy noticed you? My friend, this evening is my gift to you! In the capable hands heavy tanks take a place of honor at the top of the hierarchy of combat vehicles. In incapable hands - useless knocks with gunfire on the bottom of the cesspool of life, a magical place where all unrealized opportunities find their rest.
Try to joke about Freud NOW!
As we said earlier, the units in Soldiers: Arena performed on the battlefield roles as close as possible to the real ones. The basic tasks of the heavy tank in the Second World War, as well as in the game are: breakthrough the fortified defensive positions of the enemy, fire support of medium tanks, fight the enemy tank forces at long range. In other words, these heavy guys can annihilate everything in their path both movable and stationary. Heavy Tank, as a Swiss army knife - has a tool for every situation. A pair of machine guns to stack the enemy infantry in sheaves. The main weapon of serious caliber to open enemy tin cans from a safe distance. Perfect armor to hide, when laughing at the enemy.
Heavy tanks are available near the end the fighting. They are, though similar to each other in the game style, not the same. They have different speed, weight, caliber, armor, and methods of use. For example, a Tiger is more convenient to place it as a rhombus so to ricochet projectiles, because of its “square” armor. In addition, it is one of the few heavy tanks available in the middle of the game, and when used properly, it could destroy half of the enemy forces before they could understand what is happening. Heavy tank has armor so it is perfectly suited for the role, even if it sounds punning, of the "tank" on the battlefield. As long as you distract the enemy with your tracked monster, destroying along the way the entrenchments and squashing with caterpillars their resistance and pride, your comrades could capture another part of the map or destroy the enemy, while hiding behind your armor. They are simply more tenacious and give you a chance to catch a couple of shells and not die. But...
We have the Red Flower for this tiger too!
Hey Hey! Soldiers: Arena is not only about tanks! - you might say. And you're damn right. There are quite enough games about tanks. You will always have something to counter any units in the game. So purchased KV-2 or Pershing couldn’t guarantee the victory. And heavy tanks have enough minuses. They are less maneuverable and more visible than lighter tanks. They are extremely expensive to manufacture and appear in the late game mostly. And purchasing T-29 or so, you need to be more careful than usual. If it is destroyed - you probably can’t compensate the loss. Even worse, if the tank crew will be killed and the tank will be stolen - such an advantage may turn the tide of battle. And, you know… the women with the bell shouting “SHAME!” and so on. Those who focuses on heavy tanks should not forget that when it comes to their turn - the game can already be played.
Heavy, as well as other tanks are vulnerable against the artillery. The only difference is that you need one hell of a cannon to correctly ‘scratch the paint’ off the Tiger. Howitzers, minefields and other heavy tanks ( and even some medium ones with the proper game style ) can leave you in tears over the broken toy. And we should not forget about the infantry. A couple of at-grenades, bazooka shots or a casual Panzerfaust squad will argue that they are not invulnerable.
Action? Give me two!
By the way. We have added a first-person mode for some units ( so far only for tanks and self-propelled guns ) and the level of enjoyment from the tank gameplay has increased enormously.
Smoke, soot, and the sailors with grenades running out of the corner became even livelier. Of course standard direct control mode has remained. We will not write a lot about this. You’d better look at our cool super-serious graph with the results of the research on this topic. Everything is very clearly described there.
And in the end a couple of interesting facts about Tiger, render a new model which you can see just above.
The 56-calibre long 8.8 cm KwK 36 was one of the most successful models of tank guns of its time. In British wartime firing trials, five successive hits were scored on a 410 by 460 mm (16 by 18 in) target at a range of 1,100 metres (3,600 ft).
In terms of money "Tiger-I” tank cost was more than 800,000 Reichsmarks ( a monthly salary of about 7,000 workers ). Labor intensity of the production of one tank was near 300 000 working hours, which is equivalent to a week's work of 6000 workers. These figures were known by the tank crew because they were carefully placed in the manual.
The manual for Pz.VI was a bit unusual. To interest the tank team to read the it ( in fact no one likes to read boring tutorials, huh? ), Guderian gave the green light to the creation of Tigerfibel. This manual contains in addition to the boring diagrams funny diagrams too, interleaved by erotic illustrations and jokes. It is good soulful guide, as we think! You can see the full Tigerfibel here . Have a nice day and happy reading!
DevDiaries #29: Results of the year.
Hi, friends.
We are people too, so the desire to draw a line under the ending year is close to us. Therefore today's blog is a trip into the past year plus a couple of words about our plans for the future. Anyone who has followed the development from the beginning, knows that our steam game page was created in December, 2015. So a year of work on Soldiers: Arena coincides with the calendar year up to a couple of weeks.
A lot has happened this year. In December, 2015 Soldiers: Arena was a remake of the Men of War multiplayer with some "extensions". We created new animations, tinted the sky, fixed cameras and worked on special effects. In other words, smartened the game. Plus we did some changes in the engine in order to set up the game for the needs of the Steam platform. We didn’t want the repeat of a history with GameSpy, but there was not the slightest sense in making of our own “BWPlay” or “Arena. net”.
Time passed and the number of "extensions" was growing. It became clear that we can give players a new gaming experience. Make multiplayer richer, and strengthen the role-playing component and teamplay. Add more hurricane action and we’ll have ... well, not the remake of the Men of War, that’s for sure. So we decided to do a full multiplayer game, which we wanted and we all deserved. It was in June, 2016. Oh, how many beautiful sleepless nights happened ever since! Let us recall how it has gone:
We have created a system of character development and, in fact, the characters to develop. Now we are testing and fixing them. And as soon as we will be confident, that the only the cosmetic changes had left - we’ll tell you in detail how to level up your commander.
Okay, we have commanders now. Next we created the "hangar", which is mentioned in the diary about the tanksman. There you can choose the perks and additional equipment for your troops, form a "deck" of the units for the next fight and so on.
Further, it was necessary to choose the monetization model. We selected free-to-play. This is a risky step and unusual concept for our games, but we are sure that the most appropriate. There were a lot of issues with implementation, but most of them have already closed and we started the tests. All you have already noticed the test "Gold" on the shop page :)
We have created a new gamemode and multiplayer maps that underline the gameplay to which we are going. And the new co-op mode ( we’ll tell about it later ) with the transcendent level of epicness and a number of maps for it are ready! Now we write and design training missions, both informative and interesting. So young beardless rookies that come to our community will stay with us forever.
Move from global to local. We added lots of new features. Now you can entrench and strengthen positions ( it works only with infantry now, but we plan to introduce the possibility to place and build other fortifications, such as the breastworks, artillery foxholes, hedgehogs, barbed wire, etc.). Now we are testing the new engineer troops. And you know what? They are awesome! Medics rushed into the gameplay and have forever changed the infantry tactics. And much more.
We made a number of additional edits. Connected backend ( statistics server ) for the game, for keeping statistics of games, commanders and so on. Connected the ability to record and view replays, without leaving the game. Backlight for units, visualization of commands, icons, revision of the visibility and detection units in the fog of war and much more.
Changing some of the sounds. The sounds of small arms are now even more "juicy and metal." We continue to change and create animations: movement, shooting, reloading weapons, melee fight, death, mine laying and digging trenches, transit animations and many many others.
Work is humming on new models. We have almost two hundred of units for three game factions, which need to be remodelled. And don’t forget about small and heavy weapons, projectiles, entourage, flora, buildings and other. Plus we are introducing to the game about thirty fully new units. Part of them are modifications of the existing, but most of them a new in the series: cannons, tanks, self-propelled guns and some infantry.
And another huge piece of work on the balance. This is the invisible but terribly time-consuming part of the workflow. Edits-tests-edits and so on.
At the end of the year we started the public (although closed for now) alpha test, and we needed to prepare for it urgently adding some new functionalities and fixing it for testing through the Steam.
If desired, this list could be greatly expanded, but we do not want to turn the diary into the design document and making it impossibly boring. We are confident that next year will be even more interesting. Follow our diaries in 2017 in which we will talk about things that mentioned today and things that are closely guarded secrets for now.
We, the Best Way team, wish all of you the strength and energy to realize your dreams in the next year and hope that you wish the same to us! Happy New Year, friends!
Merry Christmas, guys and girls!
Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images
About the 29th Diary
Hello, friends!
The next DevDiary will be released on 29, December.
Good luck!
DevDiaries #28: O nurseman, where art thou?
A wise physician, skill’d our wounds to heal, is more than armies to the public weal. - Homer
Hello friends. Despite the the New Year is still far away, gift cannon is already firing. Today's Diary is about the embodied desires and implemented requests. Who ordered the medics? Here the are.
You can take these guys to the team, while playing for any of the commanders. The hospital is needed by everybody, right? Defeated infantrymen have a chance to stay alive with them. In the case of being knocked unconscious by wounds this icon will appear above it. Well ... perhaps not. Icons and models are "work in progress" ;)
By clicking on it medic, assistance will be on it’s way. Icon will change.
If all goes well, and doctor won’t get shot, he will deliver the casualty to the hospital.
With the medics in your team you have a chance to return a valuable unit to fight another day (eg. bazooka-guy or sniper). Medical detachments do not need to be controlled separately. Just give the order to evacuate the wounded. Medics know what to do.
But there are some restrictions on the use of the physicians so as conditional as well as unconditional.
Over time, the injured unit will die and could be resurrected only by the most skilled clerics ... uh ... wait ... Actually. The dead don’t need medics.
Medics can only be called on your territory. If your soldiers died in the enemy field you firstly need to capture it.
You can save only your own units. Not the allied or enemy soldiers. We haven’t got enough medications even for our own guys!
Everyone is mortal! Even the most valuable units are not worth saving, if that means throwing medics into the meat grinder. You’ll lose both.
Before the unit can return to the front to avenge his wounds, some time has to pass. Our medics are great, but not miracle workers.
When we implemented the opportunity to pull units to the rear with the ability to recall them again, we decided not to stop and develop the idea further. So now units in Soldiers: Arena can at any time during the battle you can order your units to retreat. And if they can move, they’ll do so. Unit (no matter tank, infantry or artillery) will leave the war zone and go to the rear. After a while, he will be available again.
This gameplay mechanic offers a number of opportunities.
You can redeploy units from one flank to the other, bypassing the hearths of especially fierce fightings, without worrying that your squad will rest in a minefield or meet the enemy squad (unless you have the enemy squad in the rear ... but you know, that’s a different story).
Do you have the holes the size of a fist in your tank armour? Full-back and you could return after repairing, jolly good.
Did you shoot all the missiles, threw all grenades or installed all the mines? Retreat and replenish ammo.
And the most cheerful part: you can retreat not only with your units, but also with captured ones ;) Trophy tanks? Gimme some more!
DevDiaries #27: closed alpha started
Hi, friends!
New DevDiary straight from our DevHearts is already here! As we promised, closed alpha testing has begun before the end of the quarter. And it is both joyful and anxious since we’ll get the first feedback. We recruited about ten alpha-testers (at this stage we need very few) and in due course we’ll add a couple more. Now it is more important to get a general impression of the basic gameplay, rather than finding all bugs.
Our games are quite complex, and we are proud of it :) But the tough side of hardcore games is that if you didn’t listen the lecture course by your friend about how to dominate in the game session - well , it is likely that you will enter the game and just die. Then again ... and again and again. As it should be, you are not in Disneyland, son. But the defeat should be understandable. In a case with MoW games ... you continue to suffer until someone says to you: Buddy, direct control was invented for a reason. And sometimes even longer. Previously, it was singleplayer part of the game, where you could pass through the gentle tutorial, then you could struggle in the campaign and only after go to the multiplayer session and feel your helplessness. There will be no singleplayer in Soldiers: Arena. Tutorial is therefore present and it is fun and interesting, but how to lure the player into it? And then , does anyone beleive that the classic run-of-the-mill player who comes into the multiplayer game, expecting fierce PVP, sees the "Tutorial" button and speaks to himself: "Oh hell! There is a training part here! I’d rather play into it"?. We don’t know such people. Tutorial is needed the most for the guy who already realized that this game is what he wants to play, and wants to understand it! So now we're focusing on how to make the game understandable to the beginner, without affecting its hardcore-part.
That is why in a closed alpha there are only a few people from the community. Now we need to understand if the core gameplay of the game is clear for the newcomer. After all, it’s better to change something in the gameplay now if needed.
And in order to make this chilly evening (for us, at least, it is so) more cozier… Here is the brand new render of the 5 cm leGrW 36 straight from the loving hands of our modellers and some facts about it.
1. The Rheinmetall-Borsig AG was the company that manufactured this technically advanced, but too tricky piece of equipment. It manufactured tractors among other things. Uh ... wait ... no, it was tanks ... But since under the terms of the Versailles Treaty there were some limitations as to producing tanks in Germany, they called them ( for the purpose of conspiracy ) «Kleintraktor» ( ger. "Small tractor"), Grosstraktor (ger. "Big tractor") etc. Although Kleintraktor sounds like a new book about the adventures of Karlsson-on-the-Roof, it was still the light tank VK31.
2. The mine had such a gentle and vulnerable fuze that it was prohibited to fire the mortar in heavy rain - the mine could explode upon loading.
3. 5 cm leGrW 36 was a compact, lightweight mortar (only 14 kg and 46.5 cm in height) with a good firing rate (experienced team could fire from 15 to 25 shots per minute). But it was considered too complex and intricate by the infantry, mainly because of its sigh system which was hard to master. Partly due to the fact that under the conditions of trench warfare, it did not fulfill its goals satisfactory. Likewise, its production was rather expensive, and it was halted in 1943.
DevDiaries #26: Artilleryman
I do not have to tell you who won the war. You know, the artillery did.
– Gen George S. Patton
Greetings, sir! Just take a look at this insolent asshat! He sounds very positive and all this and that, but I think he missed something! Us, the gods of war! These tankers seem to easily forget that without our support for each meter they advance they would otherwise have to pay twice. With no artillery barrages any assault will be cut to shreds! And, by the way, it’s us, who maintain stability at the front line, and it’s casually us who create a bridgehead for infantry breakthrough! Now is the time to remind this to all of you. And you can choose to whom you wish to remind this more often than not. Forming our request to headquarters, we can focus on several types of artillery, different in their purpose and use in the field. Of course, the choice of tactics and tools is completely up to you, Sire.
To successfully counter the enemy infantry both advancing and defending - you need to focus on the howitzers, mortars and large caliber cannons. So you can always destroy the infantry in shelter, and the shelter itself, if required. In fact, plunging fire weapons are the most reliable means against entrenched enemy. These trench rats will be exposed to a downwards spiral of existential apathy once they realise they have no escape, Sire. And then they probably perish. There are no means, foxhole or building, where our beloved parcels of justice will not reach. And unlike tank or infantry squads, we will hit them from a safe distance. As General Fuller said: "Artillery conquers and infantry occupies."
You can focus on anti-tank and self-propelled guns. Then those so-called "tank aces", will suddenly realise they are no longer at the top of the food chain here. We will complete the instance of their miserable existence, turning the enemy tanks in what they really are - a junk of a grave! While those nincompoop windy wallets driving their tanks are poking for a fight, raising clouds of dust, filling the air with the roar of guns; we are waiting for the right moment. We are waiting to strike and erect a smoking monument to our triumph right there, where his shiny new "toy" was! Undoubtedly, they are more maneuverable. Developing the role of the anti-tank commander you will have to resist the enemy in the whole field of battle, not on a specific part of it. But the choice of correct positioning, and the rightfully accurate first shot - can turn the tide in your favour! We know that in a real fight there is no place for cinematic tank battles. In the real fight against a skilled gunner - the enemy don’t even notice from where his doom came, and he will be no more.
And finally, we can also focus on supporting troops. While our cannons beat the enemy, engineers can strengthen our positions and create fortifications out of sandbags, place antitank hedgehogs, create minefields, dig trenches and so on. Rest assured, once enemy lost the territory, he will not see it again. After capturing and gaining a foothold, we will make any piece of land an impregnable castle. Why chase the enemy, when he himself, sooner or later, will invariably come into our hands.
In the past, the artillery used to be the only force of countering the tank threat. In addition, we were vulnerable and artillery crew survivability was a gamble, and then often were killed if re-positioning didn’t take place. No matter how painful it is, we have to admit it, our brothers in the artillery guild had serious lack of camouflage skills. We spent retraining and our new experts start to work today. Believe me, they will not disappoint you! This is the elite of our troops, ready to destroy the enemy, not only efficiently and massively, but without too much risk for the crew, without revealing their position.
The enemy will only approximately know from where the shell came. More precisely only with the help of officers, special troops and great intelligence service. In addition, our guys have mastered the fire preparation. Artillery crew can produce a few shots with increased speed and go into the preparation mode of fire, reloading and preparing gun. This tactic allows you to destroy the enemy and change the disposition, avoiding retaliation. We were also able to increase the the firing rate of our artillery, and our cannons fire more often than the same tank ones. Firing rate, accuracy, secrecy! I allowed myself to order you a sneak peak with such engraving. These are our main advantages on the battlefield, and our guiding lights!
P.S. Huge thanks to Cule for his help with the English text adaptation)
DevDiaries #25: My house is my castle
Привет, друзья!
Наш 25-й дневник продолжает тему укреплений, которую мы начали здесь и посвящен зданиям в Soldiers: Arena, измененным старым и полностью новым механикам их использования.
Здания в ранних играх серии зачастую не воспринимались как полноценный тактический объект и имели очень ограниченный функционал. В Линии фронта, где местом решающей схватки может стать любая часть карты - захваченное и удержанное здание становится центром игрового процесса.
Ранее вы могли только приказать юнитам зайти в здание и расставить их у окон вручную. Это требовало немалого скилла при сомнительной полезности, ведь эти клики часто можно было потратить на что то более важное. В Soldiers: Arena мы хотим видеть здание, как полноценный оборонительный комплекс, интуитивно управляемый и функциональный. Первым делом, мы добавили визуализацию зон обстрела, чтобы игрок видел куда его юниты могут вести огонь из здания, а где мертвые зоны. Кликнув на здание вы увидите сектора обстрела.
Теперь, без лишней суматохи, вы сможете понять какие фланги нужно срочно усилить, чтобы враг не отобрал здание без потерь.
В дальнейшем мы хотим сделать управление бойцами внутри здания более автоматизированным. Обороняющаяся пехота будет сама выбирать позицию для стрельбы, в зависимости от типа противника. Например, если в поле зрения появились танки, то на эту сторону перейдут солдаты с базуками или пт-ружьями. Против наступающей пехоты встанут на удобные позиции стрелки. Здание станет “управляемым” и ему (точнее юнитам внутри) можно будет дать команду атаковать врага по вашему выбору и к нужным окнам пересядут те солдаты, которые могут наиболее эффективно противостоять этому врагу.
Мы добавляем возможность для пехоты укрепляться внутри зданий. Противник не сможет просто так ворваться внутрь здания с заваленным входом и забитыми окнами. Такая постройка становится настоящим фортом, и обороняющиеся получают больший (в сравнении с неукрепленным), бонус к защите. Чтобы укрепиться понадобиться время, но чем больше юнитов находится внутри, тем быстрее этот процесс проходит. Некоторые вспомогательные юниты (инженеры например) будут делать это быстрее, но для дальнейшей обороны здания их лучше будет заменить, так как по боевым характеристикам они почти всегда проигрывают обычной пехоте. Как и в случае с окопами, хорошо укрепившийся противник может стать головной болью на всю оставшуюся игру.
Но это не значит, что игровая сессия будет сводится только к рытью окопов и укреплению зданий. В Soldiers: Arena вам всегда будет что противопоставить любителю фортифицировать все вокруг. В ранних играх серии легче всего было уничтожить здание, в котором засел враг. И это весело, спору нет! Но теперь у вас будет возможность отправить своих солдат на штурм здания двойным кликом ( или нажать соответствующую кнопку меню ). Солдаты попытаются прорваться внутрь здания и отбить его. Для успешного штурма вам понадобиться численный перевес, ведь у обороняющихся будет хороший бонус к обороне. Не все солдаты одинаково хороши для штурма зданий ( такая же ситуация с обороной ). Например юниты вооруженные автоматами (да и наличие противопехотных гранат сильно помогает) в бою за штурм здания будут намного эффективнее стрелков с винтовками. Пт-ружья и базуки в таком бою практически бесполезны, тем более против специальных штурмовых отрядов (для них такой бой будет не опаснее аттракциона “Комната страха”).
Если оборона или штурм здания пошел не по плану вы всегда сможете отдать команду на отступление, но мгновенно солдаты выйти из боя, само собой, не смогут.
В случае с укрепленным и забаррикадированным зданием функция штурма будет недоступна и вам нужно будет снести какую то стену, организовав место для прорыва. В таком случае и стрелковым огнем можно будет вытеснить противника, так как несуществующая стена не дает никаких бонусов.
Вы можете забросать врага гранатами (в этой тактике особенно важно будет найти слепые пятна в обороне противника), сжечь дотла огнеметчиками, или снести дом вместе с обороняющимися при помощи динамита. Вы все так же можете испортить врагу чаепитие ворвавшись внутрь на своем танке. Или, чем черт не шутит, заказать авиаудар? :)
DevDiaries #24: ZIS-3
“А с позиций отдаленных,
Сразу будто бы не в лад,
Ухнет вдруг дивизионной
Доброй матушки снаряд.”
Твардовский А.Т. “Василий Тёркин”
Привет, друзья!
Наш сегодняшний дневник посвящен легендарной ЗИС-3 и ее месте в Soldiers: Arena. Именно эта пушка была самой массовой в РККА, и одной из немногих, которые с одинаковым успехом применялись и в дивизионной и в противотанковой артиллерии.
Советские солдаты за простоту, послушность и надежность называли ее ласково — «Зося». За скорострельность же (до 25 выстрелов в минуту) иногда аббревиатуру в названии шуточно расшифровывали как “Залп имени Сталина”, а солдаты вермахта прозвали пушку «Ratsch-Bumm» — «Трещотка», потому что звук пролетающего со сверхзвуковой скоростью снаряда, можно было услышать чуть раньше, чем долетал звук выстрела (судя по массовости производства, слышать приходилось часто). ЗИС-3 стала первым в мире артиллерийским орудием, производство которого было поставлено на конвейер. Всего было выпущено 48 016 орудий в варианте дивизионной пушки и еще 18 601 — в модификации орудия самоходки СУ-76 и СУ-76М. Эта цифра делает ЗИС-3 рекордсменом по массовости в истории артиллерии, ведь ни одно орудие в мире, ни до, ни после “Зоси” не выпускалось в таком количестве.
Достигнуть таких показателей получилось благодаря, прежде всего, оптимизации производства. Как напишет позже в своей книге Грабин (главный конструктор) “Конструкция деталей должна быть настолько проста, чтобы их можно было обрабатывать с помощью простейших приспособлений и несложным инструментом. И еще одно условие: механизмы и агрегаты должны собираться каждый в отдельности и состоять из узлов, в свою очередь собирающихся каждый самостоятельно. Главным фактором во всей работе стали экономические требования при безусловном сохранении служебно-эксплуатационных качеств пушки».
И качество сохранялось. До начала 1943 года ЗИС-3 была способна на дистанции огня до 500—700 метров поразить в лоб практически любой образец немецкой бронетехники за редким исключением (например, штурмовое орудие StuG III Ausf F с 80-мм лобовой бронёй). Против более поздних средних и тяжелых танков данная пушка была практически бесполезна при стрельбе в лоб. Но так как заменить ее в нужном количестве не представлялось возможным, она продолжала использоваться и в истребительно-противотанковых частях.
Как мы уже писали ранее, мы стараемся передать в игре основные принципы действия и взаимодействия родов войск, провести параллели с теми ролями которые они исполняли на реальном поле боя. Например существенное преимущество артиллерии перед танками и ПТ САУ, это их “незаметность”. Потому в Soldiers: Arena пушки, пулеметы, и артиллерия, в целом, будут “светится” при выстреле значительно меньше, нежели танки, что даст им шанс против более мобильной техники.
ЗИС-3 доступная, недорогая пушка, которая отлично подходит для начала и середины игры. Большим плюсом данной пушки, является относительная легкость, благодаря чему ее можно перемещать силами расчета. Она так же, как и реальный ее аналог, мало что может противопоставить средним и совсем ничего - тяжелым танкам, но имеет достаточно возможностей втоптать в грязь вражескую пехоту, засевшую в домах, и легкую технику противника. Главной же ее функцией является поддержка пехоты, как в обороне, так и в наступлении. Ведь Soldiers: Arena командная игра и без поддержки в ней не обойтись!
В комментариях под прошлым дневником вы спрашивали нас, будет ли возможность укрепляться у артиллерии? Да! Уже сейчас у нас готовы несколько вариантов фортификаций для пушек. Кроме того, мы хотим ввести в игру больше типов снарядов, но подробнее мы расскажем об этом в дневнике об артиллерийском командире и о том, какой мы видим его роль в Soldiers: Arena.
