September Update - Part 2: More THG and 401 (Patreon)

In part 1, we showed some of the latest progress on the structural model for THG. In this part, we'll discuss some of the additional stuff done for THG as well as Project 401 progress. There will likely be at least one more part after this discussing other aspects of what our team is up to.

More Data!

For what seems like ages now, our Executive Producer Matt has been building up the database of objects that need to be made or polished for the entire ship. It grows pretty much every day as more objects are added and more references are bundled up for any potential modelers to tackle. We've also been testing the system with a couple of our volunteers and it seems to work well enough for our needs.

It used to be that if someone wanted to make something, one of the team would need to manually figure out what needed to be made, determine its difficulty, dig up references, and see if the modeler wanted to make it. Now, all of that work is basically getting done beforehand so that a volunteer need only go through the database and select what they think they can do base on the data that's been entered and the filters like difficulty and priority.

More Models!

Work continues, albeit slowly for now, on new and improved models that will benefit both THG and Project 401. Some of these include Marconi equipment, signage, Bridge equipment like a tide indicator, lights, and hooks.

We also have a new, very talented volunteer named Filippo who helped us with an improved Diana statuette model that will likely be used for Project 401. The old/current model was a quick and dirty 3D scan done by Matt and imported by Kyle for temporary use in the Lounge. The newer model was 3D scanned by our researcher Patrick, retopologized by Filippo, and finished/textured by Kyle. It's far from perfect and won't be the final THG model, but we needed it in time for the news of the Diana rediscovery.

More... Body?!

In order to make Project 401 just a bit more immersive, one of the things we wanted to do was give the player a body, so that you could look down and see legs and so on as you walk around. This would be paired with sounds of walking and other effects.

After struggling a bit with various issues, Derek was able to get a basic character working for this purpose. The character is pre-made and might see some additional work done eventually, but it works for our needs. We're also considering a female version people can choose, but that may be a later feature if it's done.

It's worth noting that this work, like probably most of the feature work for Project 401, will also be usable for THG.

More Maps!

One feature we're attempting to bring into Project 401 (and by extension THG) is an actual map you can access and explore in-game to better find your way around the ship and familiarize yourself with its layout. It's still in extremely early stages of development, so we're not willing to show off much yet. The bulk of the work on this has been done by Tyler, our talented programming volunteer from our days working with Ferris State University.

More... Secret?

There's one other small thing being done specifically for Project 401. Can you guess what it is from the image above? It may be something we'll discuss a little more in-depth in a future post...

Just One More Thing...

We could really use more help in various areas. While we're always looking for more modelers, we REALLY need people who can help on the engine and programming side. We also need someone who can help with coordinating a larger team and our volunteers - in fact, this is arguably the most important thing as it's been a struggle for us for some time. In particular, we need someone who can help coordinate tasks, communication, and other things to ensure that things are always moving along and that nobody falls through the cracks.

If you're interested in helping with programming or modeling, and ESPECIALLY helping with team management, please let us know! The management we'd be happy to discuss in more detail with potential candidates. You can contact us via email here contact@vdr.llc

We'll leave it there for now. There may be another post soon showcasing more of the 401 player character, and then another part of the September Update going over a few other things, as well as possibly more elaboration on where and how we could use more help on our team.