Modding Support in Battle Cry of Freedom news

Hello there! Welcome to another Developer Blog for Battle Cry of Freedom. This week we will be talking about something that is very near to our hearts: modding support.

Modding Introduction

As many of you are probably aware, Flying Squirrel Entertainment was originally formed from the team behind the "Mount & Musket" modification for Mount & Blade: Warband, to make the official expansion for the same game: “Napoleonic Wars”.

All of us are former (and active) modders, having created mods for a number of games, such as Mount & Blade, Arma, Holdfast, the Total War Series and more. Modding is very important to us and we would like to provide our players with the ability to modify as much of the core games content as possible.

Our goal is to hopefully achieve a fully moddable experience within the next year. To achieve part of this goal we have already created a fully functioning in-game Scene Editor, that runs both offline and also in real-time while playing on a server. You can read more about our Scene Editor in this: Blog post.

Uniform Modding

One of our newest features is the ability for players to modify and create their own uniform and character models. The new system allows modders to modify all the existing models included in Battle Cry of Freedom, such as hats, backpacks, leathworks etc..

For this purpose, we will be providing modders with access to ALL of the uniform and character models currently included in the game, with future game updates adding more. At release modders therefore will have access to 5041 uniform models to play around with.
In addition, the system also allows players to create their own character models, for example creating aliens, astronauts or other full conversion modifications.

To evaluate the moddability and feasibility of the current system we worked together with several modders to create the first full conversion mod for Battle Cry of Freedom. Christopher Mauro provided us with a set of awesome looking WW1 German and British Character models. We then asked popular Holdfast modder ApexPhantom to prepare the models for animations and optimize their textures by combining them into one large texture Atlas.

Suffice to say, they did a wonderful job, as the characters look fantastic.

To complement their work, we then took 3 days out of our busy schedule to create several WW1 themed assets. This also served as a good opportunity for us to evaluate the current modularity of the code back-end; an important step towards full moddability by modders who do not have access to the source-code of the game.

Feature Showcase: World War One

In the short timeframe from Friday till Monday, we were able to create a large number of new features and assets. As a thanks to our community, all of these features will be included in the base game at launch for free. Since some of these features are quite unique, we thought it would be good to cover them in a little bit more detail.

Renault FT-17

One of the most advanced Tanks in the war, with a turret that could rotate 360 degrees, and an engine compartment at the back, the Renault FT-17 was a small but maneuverable 2-man Tank that saw active service during the first World War.

In the game, the Tank has two crew spots, one for the gunner, and one for the Driver. Although slow, the Tank provides excellent protection against all kinds of small arms fire and even heavy machine guns. It requires 5 rifle grenades, or two High Explosive Shells from the QF 13 Pounder to destroy the tank.

The Renault FT-17 can drive over small trees and will destroy any fences or small destructible objects in its path. It can even crush through walls! Players should watch out, because getting under one of those Tank tracks can be deadly.

The Tank is equipped with a French Hotchkiss machine gun that can fire accurately up to several hundred meters. The Scope in the gunner's turret helps align the shots.

Ordnance QF 13-pounder

The Ordnance QF 13-pounder was a small and light British Artillery Piece that could be quickly moved in and out of position. Although obsolete by the end of the First World War, the QF 13-pounder remained in service as an infantry support weapon.

In the game, the QF 13-pounder can fire Shrapnel Shells, High-Explosive Shells, Chlorine Gas Shells and White Phosphorus to cover the advance of friendly infantry.

Players who find themselves in a cloud of Chlorine gas will slowly suffocate unless they are wearing a Gas Mask, which only special Classes can equip. Chlorine Gas Moves is heavier than the air, which means that it will sink down into enemy entrenchments. However, it also travels with the wind, so gunners need to make sure that the wind is not going to carry the gas towards their own entrenchments.

Maschinengewehr 08

The Maschinengewehr 08 was the standard heavy Machine Gun of the German Imperial Army during WW1 and was based on the original design of Hiram Maxim.

In the game, the gun can be picked up by players and transported elsewhere. Ammo boxes are 250 shots, and players can choose between both regular and tracer ammunition.

240mm Mortar

Mortar design leading up to and during the First World War changed drastically. Previously only used for Sieges, the nature of Trench Warfare required all new mortar designs.

The mortar featured in the game is of Russian design, and basically identical to modern day mortars. It will be able to fire massive 240mm High Explosive Shells, Chlorine Gas Shells, White Phosphorus Shells and Illumination Flares.

And lastly, here is a full list of the new features.

List of new Features

Artillery and Tanks
- Usable 13 Pound QF Gun
- Usable 240mm Mortar
- Usable Heavy Machine Gun
- Usable Renault FT-17 Tank
- Shrapnell, High Explosive, Illumination, White Phosphorus and Chlorine Gas Shells
- Regular and Tracer ammunition for MG

Infantry Weapons and Ammunition
- Gewehr 98 and Bayonet + Sniper variant with scope
- Lee-Enfield Mk3 and Bayonet + Sniper variant with scope
- C96 with and without attached stock
- Webley Revolver
- Bergmann MP-18
- WW1 German “Goerz” Binoculars
- Trench Shovel
- 8 Different Trench Knives and 6 Trench Clubs
- Lee-Enfield Rifle Grenades

New Features
- Drivable Tanks with Turret and Drivers
- Chlorine Gas and White Phosphorus Shells
- Breech-loading Quick Fire Guns
- Machine Guns
- Illumination Flares
- Gas Masks
- Sniper and Artillery Scopes
- Rifle Grenades
- Submachine and Semi-Auto Guns
- Bolt-Action Rifles
- Barbed Wire
- Custom Shouts and Trench Whistle support

Other
- Corrugated Metal and Barbed Wire Scene Props
- Decca Trench Gramophone with 11 Songs.
- 4 Community-made Trench maps by Wilfried, Hoot, Toxic Shadow and Links.

Stay tuned for future updates here or on our Social media, as we have a lot more content coming in the near future. We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield very soon!

Flying Squirrel Entertainment