The Development Process
of a Hand Weapon - PTRD Anti-tank Rifle
Welcome to another Battlegroup 2 update!
In this update, we are showcasing our PTRD
anti tank rifle that will be used by the Soviet forces. Our bipod
system will be featured on all anti-tank rifles, to help with
realism as well as gameplay and balance.
Before that we'll like to show the process
for getting an object into game. We plan on doing this every once
in a while for various pieces of equipment so our fans can get
a sense of what goes into actually developing a weapon.
1. References
First, our modellers use either real life
references or photographs from the internet. Google is a great
reference for material, as well as gunpics.net. Collecting proper
reference pictures can take a few hours.
2. Modelling
As our modellers gets the basic shape
of the PTRD, they will post their works of progress in our small
arms section of the forum. Our resident small arms expert, Majestic
Moose (AKA Hotshot), then points out any flaws and they are
corrected. This back and forth process usually takes a few days.
3. Unwrapping
After being given the final OK by Moose,
it is sent to one of our various unwrappers. Here the PTRD is
given UV coordinates, which basically means that each face is
flattened out onto a map inside 3D Studio Max that will resemble
the texture. As it is unwrapped, the unwrapper makes sure to
use a checker pattern to eliminate any texture stretching that
may occur. This is a vital step, as any texture will look horrible
if it is stretched to any degree. After exporting the texture
(generally 1024x1024 for handweapons), it is sent to the skinner.
At this point the object is ready to go into game, so it is
also sent to the person who will export the weapon into the
editor and game. Unwrapping is an easy skill to grasp, but patience
is needed. The time it takes to unwrap something varies on what
it is, and the skill of the unwrapper.
4a. Skinning
Skinning (Texturing) is a skill that usually
develops after a few months. Our skinners skin their texture
into the appropriate area of the map, while making sure they
know what face they are skinning by selecting the face they
want to skin and seeing where it is on the texture map. Skinning
can take a few hours or a few days depending on what it is.
4b. Exporting
While an object is being skinned, the
weapon is exported into the game for the animator. After resizing
the PTRD to be the proper length, the scene is set up with the
proper hierarchy and is exported. The weapon is given a "backbone"
of coding so it can be used ingame. It is then ready to be animated.
This step is fairly fast and can be done in under 10 minutes.
5. Animating
Before this step begins, the animator
finds out how the weapon is held, fired, reloaded, and they
basically try to learn how the weapon worked. When this is done,
the scene is set up and progress on the animation is made. After
many hand movements in front of the monitor, the animators will
want to see how it looks so far. They then export the animation
and look at it within the editor. The animator will also edit
the necessary code, such as fire delay for grenades, reload
time, and the animation.inc files. Creating proper and accurate
1P animations averages at about 5 to 7 hours over the length
of a day or two.
6a. Sounds
After step 5, videos of the animations
are sent to the sound developer. Here they are given accurate
sounds for reloading, firing, and anywhere else that they need
it. This step is usually a lengthy process, as the sounds must
be made or recorded.
6b. Coding
After the animation is complete, the PTRD
is handed over to Moose to be given the proper firing deviation,
recoil, and handling one would expect in real life. Thanks to
the Battlefield 2 editor, this process is now much quicker than
it was in Battlefield 1942
7. News Posting
PTRD
Caliber: 14.5mm
Length: 78.7in (2m)
Weight: 38lb 2oz (17.3kg)
Barrel: Eight grooves, right hand twist
Feed System: Single shot
System of Operation: Rotating bolt, hand operated
Muzzle Velocity: 1,012 MPS
Penetration: 40mm at 300m
Two anti-tank rifles were employed by the
Red Army during WWII. The Degtyarev single shot PTRD and Simonov
5 shot, semi automatic PTRS. Both were designed after receiving
the task to develop anti-tank rifles in the shortest amount of
time possible around a 14.5mm cartridge. One month later the rifles
were tested but neither was substantially better than the other;
therefore, both were adopted in 1941. Contrary to the belief that
anti-tank rifles were completely useless, lightly armoured vehicles
did not suddenly disappear, and the rifles were able to prey on
them. The PTRD appeared simple, but it was actually rather complex.
The barrel was allowed to recoil into the stock and during this
process, the bolt rode on a cam which rotated it and then unlocked
it. At the end of the recoil stroke, the bolt was held in place
while the barrel moved back into its position. As the barrel moved
forward away from the bolt, the breech was opened and the shell
ejected. A new round could then be inserted and the bolt manually
closed.
That is all for today's update. Join us
in our IRC channel on Gamesurge (#BG42mod) or on our forums to
discuss this update. We are always looking for skinners and modellers
to join our team. So if you have the ability, contact us through
our forums.
