[WIP] Westwall -- a World War 2 total conversion mod

[Alex150201 894]

 

Haha, it probably won't appear in the first release. :) I definitely think it would be a fun item to visit along with some other things like the Panzerwurfmine. So, maybe one day. 

 

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Time for an update! We've got two new previews for you:

To start off, we wanted to give a glimpse at the M3A1 high poly that RedPheonix has been diligently working on. He has put a lot of time into it and we believe it has paid off!

 

 

The second batch of assets we wanted to show was the family of Model. 39 grenades as it exists in Westwall--both concurrent production variants of the Eihandgranate will be available, along with versions fitted with the rare fragmentation sleeve. In order to further increase the grenade's versatility, we have included the Wurfkörper 361 adapter that allows the grenade to be fired from the Sturmpistole.

 

 

That wraps it up for now! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more previews.

 

 

Lovely mate. Really good looking Grease Gun

[duckhunter55 10]

This mod shows a lot of promise! hopefully everything goes well and you got full support from me!!!

[gurdy 479]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Hello everyone and welcome to another Westwall update. Most of you have probably noticed the larger time gaps between updates--thankfully, this is because Westwall is growing and we are busier than ever!

 

Today we wanted to show off the finished M3A1 Grease gun. When in-game, you will have the choice between a version with the regular magazine and a version with a dual-stacked "jungle mag". If you would like to take a peek at the model, it is viewable on Redpheonix's ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/ZdvER

 

 

As always, we are seeking skilled individuals who can contribute. If you think you have what it takes, check out the sticky post on Westwall's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/westwallmod

 

 

Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

[stephsen 79]

hell this looks incredible...

[Alex150201 894]

Beautiful model! I love the taped magazines, I think you are the first or one of the very few mods to have such an idea. Will the "jungle mag" version have a faster reload or is it just for the looks? It would be a shame to drop 2 mags when you only shoot one.

[adanteh 58]

Great job. Maybe some of the many WW2 mods can share some overlapping assets, which could save you a ton of stuff to make. Please post progress on the Garand as well. 

[Alex150201 894]

Great job. Maybe some of the many WW2 mods can share some overlapping assets, which could save you a ton of stuff to make. Please post progress on the Garand as well. 

Yep I would love to see an M1 Garand too!

[Redphoenix 1539]

Beautiful model! I love the taped magazines, I think you are the first or one of the very few mods to have such an idea. Will the "jungle mag" version have a faster reload or is it just for the looks? It would be a shame to drop 2 mags when you only shoot one.

 

Interesting idea. We think about it.

 

Great job. Maybe some of the many WW2 mods can share some overlapping assets, which could save you a ton of stuff to make. Please post progress on the Garand as well.

  

Yep I would love to see an M1 Garand too!

Yup, the whole Garand family is next on my list.

[Alex150201 894]

 

Interesting idea. We think about it.

   

Yup, the whole Garand family is next on my list.

Awesome! You guys are beasts! We are here to support you every step through this.

[gurdy 479]

Hello everyone--I hope everyone is having a nice Sunday. We have two new weapons to show! The first is the Tellermine 43. For now it will be available in a dark yellow paint scheme with an optional winterized variant.

 

 

The second piece we wanted to show is the 3kg Sprengbuechse, which will function as the main demolition charge of the German forces. In the render it is shown with a 7.5 second B.Z.E. 39 fuze.

 

 

That's all for now! Have a great day!

 

EDIT: I've been informed that the "Nachbildung" text is incorrect for the top of the Tellermine--I have corrected this.

[Alex150201 894]

Yay more progress!

[Redphoenix 1539]

This time it's me doing a little update. It's just really tiny. I promise!

While not beeing on my workstation and only left with my old and dusty laptop, I can only work on small things. So I decided to go for some barricades. The most known one is probably the "Tschechenigel" - a construction made of 3 steel bars, welded and screwed together to stop advancing tanks. The Germans used it all across Europe, with and without concrete feet.

No more history for now, here are two pics:

 

 

 

 

 

But don't be fooled: Behind the scenes, there is A LOT of interesting stuff going on! So stay tuned for more updates.

 

 

Probably next sunday.

 

 

ps: Yes, the placement of all screws are actually realistic, that means: every bolt is secured with two nuts, and they are realistically placed on each side of the metal plates. Also, all the metal bars have realistic measurements.

[Alex150201 894]

This time it's me doing a little update. It's just really tiny. I promise!

While not beeing on my workstation and only left with my old and dusty laptop, I can only work on small things. So I decided to go for some barricades. The most known one is probably the "Tschechenigel" - a construction made of 3 steel bars, welded and screwed together to stop advancing tanks. The Germans used it all across Europe, with and without concrete feet.

No more history for now, here are two pics:

 

 

 

 

 

But don't be fooled: Behind the scenes, there is A LOT of interesting stuff going on! So stay tuned for more updates.

 

 

Probably next sunday.

 

 

ps: Yes, the placement of all screws are actually realistic, that means: every bolt is secured with two nuts, and they are realistically placed on each side of the metal plates. Also, all the metal bars have realistic measurements.

Mate the moment you liked my comment I did like last week I knew you were updating us soon!

[domokun 515]

Great attention to detail.
BTW how effective were these as anti-tank traps?

[Steel UK 40]

Great attention to detail.

BTW how effective were these as anti-tank traps?

I seem to remember reading once that the tank traps were designed to roll over as opposed to stop a tank outright. 

 

This meant that as the tank was climbing over them, the armour on the bottom would be exposed and the tank would be vulnerable to anti-tank guns.

 

They weren't very effective at stopping tanks themselves but offered a great deterrent because no tank commander wanted to be the one to get an AP round up the bum.

[Alex150201 894]

I seem to remember reading once that the tank traps were designed to roll over as opposed to stop a tank outright. 

 

This meant that as the tank was climbing over them, the armour on the bottom would be exposed and the tank would be vulnerable to anti-tank guns.

 

They weren't very effective at stopping tanks themselves but offered a great deterrent because no tank commander wanted to be the one to get an AP round up the bum.

I am pretty sure that this is the case because I doubt some pieces of metal bound together would stop a tank that can take down walls.

[warden_1 1070]

The founder of my school was actually responsible for almost 75% of all the earthmover equipment including many of the bulldozers used. These hedgehog tank traps (as we call them here in the states) are actually among the most effective against tanks and vehicles as they always maintain a dangerous position when once they are dislodged from their original location. SO you had to physically remove them from the area rather than just knocking them down. The design is similar to caltrops for horses.

 

The reason you see them paired with barbed wire a lot of the time is not just to deter infantry from using them as cover but actually to get the wire stuck in the tank treads after it ramps up on them.

 

As always, nice attention to detail. :)

[domokun 515]

Awesome replies guys. I only wish that we could actually see details reflected in the game. Given Arma's wonky physics what tank command is going to run the risk of shooting off into outer space? Seriously, in Arma do tanks have less Arma underneath? Equally is barbed wire exist in Arma and is in modelled to slow infantry?

[Redphoenix 1539]

Yeah, he will most probably be kicked away.

 

But the idea with the barbed wire ain't bad, I'll consider adding it.
I also think it would be very much possible to have it damage infantry when standing close to it.

[warden_1 1070]

Considering most tank crews understood how the hedgehogs worked they could just be a static object since the tanks would steer clear of them until they had been moved or another route around them was found.

[adanteh 58]

Having the weight in the model quite high should make it easy to roll over, but I imagine with the tanks they'll just keep roling then without really preventing any movement. There's also the fact that it's a physx object for that, plus needing a lot of them in a mission that might have some influence on performance? Having them as a simple static object is fine as well imo. As for damaging nearby infantry: Not a huge fan, stuff like that usually works really silly in games. Simply creating a larger box around it where the infantry can't go might be best imo (Just like normal barbed wire does it). I really would suggest to not overcomplicate simple stuff like thiat. 

[gurdy 479]

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend! Here are two more grenades for you: the Model 24 and Model 43 stick grenades.

 

The Model 24 model depicts the relatively rare "third-" or "late-type" production grenade. In addition to the Heer and Waffen-SS fragmentation sleeves, a bundled version will available to players.

 

 

The Model 43 model depicts a typical mid-production grenade and has sleeve options as well.

 

[six_ten 208]

 

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend! Here are two more grenades for you: the Model 24 and Model 43 stick grenades....

 

The models you guys keep posting look great. I'd love to see some behind-the-scenes renders to help improve my own skills -- can you show some wireframes, textures, normal maps etc -- maybe even talk a bit about your process, how you create the textures and models?

[gurdy 479]

Sure, I'll try to write up a bit for next Sunday's update! :)

[wsxcgy 1960]

I don't mean to shit on your efforts, but you should look into merging with another mod like War Chronicles, to hopefully bring us closer to a finished and high quality WW2-era mod. I think War Chronicles focuses on the French campaign in 44, by merging with them and maintaining your vision for late war combat, you could effectively represent the entire liberation on the Western Front.