New S^3 Mod "All Uniforms" in development (feedback is welcome)

[Lt.Havoc]

Nice work on those Uniforms, they are well done. I am not sure if the professor needs his own symbol but I am open for suggestions there.

 

The plot is shaping up nicely. So far we have several players:

 

1. Soviet Union (their military and MGB?) still stitching their post-war wounds, with severely reduced population and half of the country in ruin.

2. "Wolf Pack" striving to resurrect the fallen Reich with the assistance from influencial German refugees hiding oversees, some uber technology and the virus. Germany is in ruin, paying reparations to the Soviets and occupied by the allied forces.

3. Professor Gurukov, a psychologically fractured scientific genius, an idealist turned sociopath, attempting to kill the world population with a deadly virus if they don't wise up and live in peace.

4. Thor's Hammer remnants staying under the radar but still hoping to regain power using some sort of technogical advantage to offset their dwindling numbers.

5. Sentinels a clandestine mercenary organization doing good? things for (so far) unexplained reasons.

6. Western Intelligence (keeping an eye on the "bad guys", relying on assimilation of the anti-communist, anti-Soviet German intelligence agents into their ranks in hopes to setup an effective intelligence network in S.U.?, assisting in Germany's recovery and being the forefront of anti-soviet resistance)

7. The player who is after the money with no obvious agenda?

 

Is that all so far?

 

Yes that is all so far. The difference between THO and Die Wölfe is, that THO wants to rule the whole world, at any cost. Die Wölfe just want to rebuild the German Reich and get rid of the occupation forces, so basically how it was before the war. There are of course things that overlap, like the use of technology etc. However, THO has the better tech, because they where the ones that came up with the Panzerkleins and they still have lots of them, Die Wölfe do not have this luxury, that is why they have to steal technology.

 

THO still has a modest industry that backs them, Die Wölfe only have finical and logistic support by their overseas companions. The style of operation is also different, THO often uses brute force and high-tech, Die Wölfe are operating more like commandos and try to stay hidden if possible.

 

It is possible that we could introduce some western hardliners that want to use Die Wölfe for their own goal as well, but that would be all in the background. I would say that pretty much all sides would try to exploit Wolfpack simply because they are made up of professional German soldiers and intelligence officers that know their way around. Would be very tempting for some elements within the CIA to try to get them to actually topple Stalin.

 

About the whole hate towards the Germans: that was most likely all propaganda. The Soviet Government did their darn best to paint western germany as a imperialist puppet of the USA and exploited what certain German right-wing politicians said to its fullest. Its true, we did had a lot of "Revanchist" in the 50s and 60s that felt that the Western Allies and the Western German Goverment was too soft with the Soviet Union and the DDR, but these where a minority.

 

As I said, the cooperation between Die Wölfe and the professor has nothing to do with the official stance of the Soviets regarding Germany. The professor just wants to use them to fulfill his insane plan.

 

I think I did mention why Sentinels where created and what motivation they have. The Sentinels could very well been created during the meeting of 3 veteran officers of WW2 who where now without a job but knew that Thors Hammer still existed. You have the ex-SAS officer, Major Daniel Haig, the ex-OSS Agent Colonel James Withbourne and the ex-Abwehr Oberst Günhter von Kesseling who all met in Switzerland, tasked with creating a Shadow Army that should fight the sinister organizations in a post war world that head towards the Cold War.

 

Using their extensive ties to Intelligence Organizations and backed by powerful and influence figures of government, military and business, of both sides of the Iron Curtain (because they want to keep the balance of power) they managed to build up a potent force to deal with THO. I would also say that all these 3 officers would have been approached by the CIA/MI5 and asked if they would not like to create such an organization to keep the peace. They basically had a mission again and they took it.

 

So yeah they do it because they want to finally live in peace and know how fragile it is. It is something worth fighting for. The player joins them because he is in the same position or because of other reasons. I mean he just got discharged from the Army service or has been on the losing side of the war and has no real perspective, expect we give the player a whole different motivation like that THO or Die Wölfe killed the players loved ones or friends, maybe he was even a prisoner of them and now wants revenge or something. There are many ways to go here.

[Ecthel013]

Professor's guards logo

I don't think a unique logo is necessary, though I don't mind them having one. Since he's a biologist and they're assigned to protect him/his research, I think a shield with a skull and crossbones symbol (the biohazard symbol we all know wasn't made until the 60s, though I suppose that can be used if anachronisms are fine) on it might be appropriate.

 

Sentinels

To quote the Major in charge (refreshed my memory through watching a Let's Play on YouTube), the Sentinels are:

"A private organization that employs Special Service war veterans with a knowledge of the terrorists (Thor's Hammer) and their global intentions. The Allies are currently too busy dividing up the postwar world to notice that Thor's Hammer wasn't destroyed in the North Sea. So, we've been hired to pick up the slack."

 

That said, we don't have to strictly follow S3's portrayal of the Sentinels, so we can go with Lt.Havoc's version or another one entirely.

 

Player Character's motivations

In S3, the player character is apparently mistaken for a Sentinel and kidnapped along with Boris (an agent for the Sentinels) by thugs working for Thor's Hammer. Once they break out and reach the Sentinels' HQ, the player character is offered a job and accepts, stating they "could use the money".

 

For the mod, though, I think it would be a good idea to let the player choose their motivation in the opening, if possible. Perhaps something like a short "Choose Your Own Adventure" sequence before the actual game starts up or a dialogue tree during the first mission?

 

Cold War rumblings

If we're still going with the "alternate World War 2 which lasted longer than in real life" background, I think the Western Allies would still be dealing with the immediate aftermath of WW2 and thus too busy to gear up for this version of the Cold War, though I could definitely see individuals within their intel agencies secretly providing support for anti-communist organizations (see below for an example).

 

US involvement

Rather than one unified agenda, I think it would be more interesting and realistic to have several different groups within the US, each supporting a different faction and with their own agendas:

1) The US government would be officially be opposed to "Die Wolfe", as they have attacked personnel from the US and its allies. They'd also still be allied with the Soviet Union, though they distrust each other and are competing to grab up Germany's best and brightest, as well as their tech.

2) In the OSS/CIG/CIA, an officer suggests to his superiors that the US should support "Die Wolfe" to provide a check on Soviet influence. Meanwhile, another officer suggests "hiring" the Sentinels to bring down "Die Wolfe", as they may spark another war, which no one can afford this soon after the last one. The latter may also know of Thor's Hammer, so the real purpose is to get the Sentinels enough resources to counter Thor's Hammer's next move.

2.1) Regardless of which one receives official (but secret) support (or if both suggestions are rejected), the rejected officer gathers people who agree with them and provides as much help as they can to the organization they support under their superiors' noses, because they feel the threat they're facing is the greater one.

2.2) The organization that does receive official support gets funding and equipment as long as they primarily act against the Soviets ("Die Wolfe")/"Die Wolfe" (Sentinels).

3) Thor's Hammer and the Soviets would have double agents within the US, providing information (and resources, in the former's case). The former may also have collaborators in the industrial and commercial sectors.

3.1) The Professor would probably have triple agents within the Soviets' spy network.

[Lt.Havoc]

Well, Ecthel013, I thought we could leave the end of WWII ambiguous so that the player can decide himself if it went longer or not.

 

Blunter, say when can we estimate a release of Version 2 of the uniforms mod or are there still more uniforms you want to make? Also Ecthel013 is right, the Biohazard warning symbol was created in 1966, however, before that the skull and cross bone symbol was used and the Radiation Hazard Symbol exists since 1946. Most Hazard suits back in the day had no symbols whatsoever. Its too bad there is no suited model in Silent Strom that would pass off for a WWII NBC suit.

[BlunterII]

I haven't started importing anything yet. Don't want to rush it. Probably a week or so left till I start that.

Just yesterday discovered some serious texture inconsistencies with the Eichenlaub muster uniforms. It took me a while to correct them but everything is good now - got them fixed.

 

Anyway, I made several new ones today.

 

Added German Peadot Soldier uniform. That's the one that pointed me to the shoulder straps not aligning properly (they all share the same model). Check it out:

 

 

The game already had an "Elite Soldier" who had somewhat similar pattern. I think Tounushi's texture Lt. provided looks much better though.

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I've wanted to do something with the Major's uniform for a while (and also the NKVD visor cap). Creating a white outfit was a bit of a challenge. Here is the result:

 

 

I didn't add any decorations (except the sleeves) or insignia. I think he is pretty festive looking already without anything else.

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(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[BlunterII]

Now, there was a prison leader model in Sentinels. I attempted to convert it into something useful (border patrol uniform is a working title).

 

 

The collar was a pain but I managed to split it into two parts with some shading. Added zippers and pockets, and a blue stripe on the side of the pants.

(Note to self: own Bump 10/0.5)

 

And a soldier:

 

 

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Keep ironing out the plot, folks.

Your ideas sound very interesting, can't wait to start working on putting the scenario together.

Just give me some time to wrap this baby up first, ok.

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(to be continued)

[BlunterII]

Moving along. Next is the Professor's Desert guards. After all he's got to have subsiduaries around the world (or at least a small task force operating in arid climates).

I found a nice texture (also Tounushi's original) and decided to give it a try. Have a look:

 

 

(Officer and Soldier)

 

The skull hazard symbol comes as a seperate "orders" (insignia) material and can be modified, removed, etc. without having to redo the whole sleeve. I'll probably need to add a pocket under it, for the skull to look more natural. Hmmm...

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(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[BlunterII]

Here is another one of Tounushi's textures in action (moderately modified, of course). I think his idea of adding rusty spots on top of various shades of gray is working. Blending in different urban environments filled with brick and stucco just got so much easier. Here is an officer saboteur:

 

 

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and a soldier:

 

 

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(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[Lt.Havoc]

Hey not bad at all. I just hope you asked him for permission to use these camos, I at least did that with his camo packs.

[BlunterII]

Hey not bad at all. I just hope you asked him for permission to use these camos, I at least did that with his camo packs.

Thanks, Lt.

 

Regarding the permissions: I just sent him a note (had to register for that). Judging by his interractions with others on devart board he doesn't mind his works being used for various mods. We'll see.

 

I think Tounushi is a talented artist with good imagination and deserves the recognition. (I mention him everytime I'm knowingly using any of his works, the camo pack you mention included once I realized it was his design).

 

I hope he is going to be reasonable - I would really like to avoid drawing all those myself in order to circumvent any potential Copyright claims whether substantiated or not. It'd take me much longer to redo all of them though (probably a day or two for each).

 

I guess we'll have to wait and see...

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(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[Lt.Havoc]

Well, I dont think he minds, I did ask him about using his camo pack and all, he just said he would like to see images of your work and what you are doing with it, it would also be nice to credit him in the readme file or something. But it is better to be save then sorry you know?

[BlunterII]

Well, I dont think he minds, I did ask him about using his camo pack and all, he just said he would like to see images of your work and what you are doing with it, it would also be nice to credit him in the readme file or something. But it is better to be save then sorry you know?

 

Sure. I provided him with a link to this thread. I guess he'll let us know if he minds.

 

Anyway, I thought the UK saboteurs didn't have any desert versions - so I decided to make them. Take a look:

 

 

and here is a soldier:

 

 

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(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[Lt.Havoc]

Well they sure look good, but I am always irritated by the camo berets. Would a red beret not work better or simple tan one? I mean both the urban and desert variants by the way. Also what desert camo did you use? Another Tounushi creation I presume. Just keep in mind when using these camos that they should not look too modern day seeing that we are in 1948 even if we are in a alternate universe.

 

Oh btw, if you have a DA account now you can actually upload these images to there under the Games Category if you want.

[BlunterII]

All right, I think I am done with UK saboteurs. Here is what we've got so far:

 

 

Desert, Urban, Denison Smock, Arctic, Default.

I switched the berets to red and made a tan one as you requested

 

I am finishing up Sentinel Female Desert Uniforms and will post as soon as I am done.

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(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[BlunterII]

The Sentinel female desert outfit is ready now. The texture was a pain especially the legs but I figured out the mapping. This one comes with shorts instead of leather pants, a cap or a beret of the same color. The gloss is gone, the sleeves are shorter, the arm muscle tone idea was "borrowed" from the German Grenadier Female model. Here they are:

 

 

Officer and Soldier. The soldier (on the right) is equipped with the fabled "Sea Devil".

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The texture I used for the UK desert saboteur was not Tounushi's.

As for the devart site: the XP computer I am doing most of the silent storm modding on doesn't communicate with that site very well. It constantly gives me errors, freezes up, etc. Probably an IE 8 problem.

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(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[Lt.Havoc]

Nice uniforms, I really like them. So where did you find the desert textures then? Also sucks that you cant use DA. I can use DA just fine so if you would give me permission, I could go and post the images of your uniforms at my DA account and submit them to the CamoClub group. It would also nice for promoting this mod and all. So if you have time, maybe do some high-res screenshots that I could upload to show the uniforms better. So let me know what you think.

[calantlar]

NIce saboteur uniforms

[Space Voyager]

My vote goes to sentinel. Uniform and what's in it.

 

I know, shallow of me.

[Ecthel013]

I often find myself wondering who originally designed the female Sentinel uniforms, in-universe and out of it.

[BlunterII]

Nice uniforms, I really like them. So where did you find the desert textures then? Also sucks that you cant use DA. I can use DA just fine so if you would give me permission, I could go and post the images of your uniforms at my DA account and submit them to the CamoClub group. It would also nice for promoting this mod and all. So if you have time, maybe do some high-res screenshots that I could upload to show the uniforms better. So let me know what you think.

 

Thanks, Lt. I don't remember where I found the desert texture. It was some free texture floating on the web.

As for promoting - absolutely! I can't promise any high-resolution screenies (the PC I am doing it on can only manage 1024x768, it's old) but I will try to do more close-ups.

 

 

NIce saboteur uniforms

 

Thank you, I am glad you liked it.

 

My vote goes to sentinel. Uniform and what's in it.

 

I know, shallow of me.

I often find myself wondering who originally designed the female Sentinel uniforms, in-universe and out of it.

Well, since there is some interest in these models and uniforms, here are some more:

 

 

I thought I'd give Helen's model a try. It shows a bit less skin this time after all it is a winter uniform.

Brown leather, little sweater (for modesty and warmth), white fur, thigh high boots, pokets, zippers, and a large diamond with an "S" on it.

 

 

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(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[BlunterII]

And the Female Sentinel Soldier Uniform:

 

 

Added even more straps, buckles, etc. I might have to work on the bump texture a bit more though. Hmm...

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Modesty and propriety above everything else. One can appreciate the fine fabric on that close up above.

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And here one can easily spot pockets and buckles. All modestly placed on firm surfaces.

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Now, I have one more Female Sentinel outfit in mind...

 

(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

[TokyoRose]

This is fantastic! I reinstalled S3 on my machine after five years, and then I stumble across this. Excellent stuff!

 

Two questions:

 

1) Is it possible to use only the uniforms? Back in 2008, KoMik helped me create a custom script for my character attributes and I don't think it would agree with the rest of your mod.

 

2) I've always liked the German Male Scout uniform, the German Male Sniper uniform, the German Male Soldier uniform, and the U.S. Soldier uniform, but I hate the headgear (a mask and hood with branches for the Scout uniform, and the helmets for the Soldier and Sniper uniforms). Could you modify those four uniforms so they have no headwear?

 

Thanks again for this great addition. I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses. And I love those UK Saboteur uniforms. Awesome!

[BlunterII]

This is fantastic! I reinstalled S3 on my machine after five years, and then I stumble across this. Excellent stuff!

 

Two questions:

 

1) Is it possible to use only the uniforms? Back in 2008, KoMik helped me create a custom script for my character attributes and I don't think it would agree with the rest of your mod.

 

If he did it through scripts - there shouldn't be a problem.

 

2) I've always liked the German Male Scout uniform, the German Male Sniper uniform, the German Male Soldier uniform, and the U.S. Soldier uniform, but I hate the headgear (a mask and hood with branches for the Scout uniform, and the helmets for the Soldier and Sniper uniforms). Could you modify those four uniforms so they have no headwear?

 

All right, I can do that. The scout's mask can be removed easily (I already made it appear only when wearing that uniform, not permanently attached to one's face), as for the branches - well, I'd have to use the German agent model for that (it is identical to the scout except for the hood and the fake vegetation).

 

Thanks again for this great addition. I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses. And I love those UK Saboteur uniforms. Awesome!

Thanks and you are welcome

[TokyoRose]

Thanks Blunter

 

When do you think 2.0 will be released? I want to start a new campaign, but not without your mod.

 

Edit: One more question. Do you know if there's a config file somewhere that would allow me to rename my S3 characters? I've always wanted to give them G.I. Joe-style codenames.

[calantlar]

 

 

And here one can easily spot pockets and buckles. All modestly placed on firm surfaces.

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Now, I have one more Female Sentinel outfit in mind...

 

(to be continued)

 

~Blunter~

 

Wow that is one nice combo .... good job

[TokyoRose]

I think I found a little bug.

 

Using Kate, I tried to equip the Allied Sniper uniform, the Axis Scout uniform and the Axis Sniper uniform. All three changed her hair style (but not her face).