It's been another hectic two weeks since the last update. This update does not add much, but it does pave the way for something much larger: the complete overhaul of the AI system. 

This update finally reimplements the Springfield Trapdoor rifle into the Early Access Development Map, complete with some new animations. This update was also supposed to replace the infantry model with one that fit the game, as the current model is just a generic WWII soldier model that I downloaded from Mixamo. However, since many of the third-person animations are taken from Mixamo, I had to try implementing them with the preexisting infantry model. This proved troublesome, since animations were completely broken upon importing them into Blender. Below is pictured some of the chaos I had to deal with. The reason for the weird animation is because I made the infantry models in an "A pose" where the arms are angled slightly downwards. Mixamo only reads models in the traditional "T pose", so the arms are completely offset and broken when animated. I tried adjusting the model to work with a "T pose" shape, but it clearly wasn't working as intended. Since the model has some major problems as is (including missing some historically important details), I knew I was going to have to completely rework these models. As such, I have decided to postpone the replacing of the generic WWII models for the time being to focus on the AI system. Afterwards, I'll rework the infantry models to be more detailed, accurate, and configurable with Mixamo animation before reimplementing them into the game.

In the original version of the game, the AI were quite unfair in how they detected enemy units. Essentially, each soldier had a reference list of all the enemy soldiers on the battlefield and they would periodically pick the closest one and attack it. This meant that taking cover or attempting to use stealth tactics was completely impossible, since all the soldiers knew were everyone was at all times. This update fixes that by now giving infantry units a "field of view" that only detects enemy units that are visible to the soldier. That means that other units or the player can hide behind cover without being seen by that soldier. In addition, there is a new mechanic that infantry soldiers use to prioritize who they are attacking. Instead of attacking whoever is the closest, soldiers now rank visible soldiers by priority. There is a list of "aware" units, that the soldier can see but is unable to attack. Then there is the "threatened" list, which comprises of units that could be dangerous to the soldier, but that the soldier is not currently attacking. Finally, there is the "attacking" unit, which is the one unit that the soldier is actively attacking. If the soldier is not attacking anyone, the soldier will pick someone from the "threatened" list, if applicable. 

Currently, there are no enemies on the development map, so soldiers will simply run to the nearest flagged objective. In the future, behavior states will be implemented that will allow the soldier to attack, hide, and obey orders in an intelligent way. This update also fixes a few bugs, such as the footstep SFX not being played in 3D (in other words, effected by distance and other environmental attributes) and not allowing players to select troops that were under objects such as roofs or trees. Just as before, all of the changes added to this update (including bug fixes) are only playable in the Early Access Development Map and not the preexisting three maps. Once the AI system and the new infantry models have been implemented, these changes will be merged into those maps.

This was a short update, but it will pave the way for something much bigger. :)

You can download Version 0.1.114 on the Itch.io page for free. If you have any feedback you want to share, please do so on our community Discord server (https://discord.com/invite/p8CA9qXgCN). Thanks and enjoy the update! This development log post is also available on the Venomic Games website: https://venomicgames.com/?p=657 .