Hearts of Oak: Conquest of the Seas

[mikeydmc]

Hearts of Oak: Conquest of the Seas is a non-commercial PC game that is to become the historical seafaring game to end them all!

Check Back for updates we try to do them weekly

Fun, realistic gameplay on land and at sea, set during the Age of Sail, will provide extensive free play, exciting scripted storylines and intense multiplayer scenarios.
Our goal is to allow anyone interested in the era to be able to live their dream!

The gameplay will be similar in style to Akella's Storm Engine-based games that we are known for modifying, but we intend to take it further and offer more freedom, immersion and authenticity. The player will assume the role of a captain and have full command of their crew, being able to delegate tasks and give orders in the heat of battle. Dynamic hand-to-hand combat will make boarding enemy ships and capturing forts a fast paced, hectic experience. Whether you want to enlist in a navy, lead an honest merchant life, or resort to piracy, Hearts of Oak will offer many hours of gameplay.

Using the power of CryEngine, and the knowledge and talent of our artists, the game will deliver stunning visuals worthy of tomorrow's PC hardware. You'll be able to explore a vast open world filled with highly detailed locations, ships and characters.

Weekly Updates

We will be trying to make weekly updates to show you what we have been up too.

I do not writes these updates just help them work well on this site so some of the images and video links don't work right on this site and some updates are in multiple parts do too image limits, so you can click on the links to view them or you can see them in their original form at: http://www.indiedb.com/games/hearts-of-oak/news

Update 1-3 page 1

Update 4-6 page 2

Update 7 page 3

Help Wanted!

At this time, we are looking for more volunteers who could fulfil any of the following roles:

- Character modellers (we still don't have any!)

- Other 3D artists

- User Interface artists

- Texture/shader artists

- Engine programmers/scripters

If you're interested in joining our team, please visit our recruitment forum and introduce yourself: Piratesahoy.net
If you are unable to join our team, you can still help by spreading the word! If you know anyone with the skills we need, please do point them in our direction.

Check out our official game site

for more videos and pictures:

http://heartsofoakgame.com/

Early Images Nothing Final

http://media.moddb.com/images/games/1/20/19616/Editor_2014-01-15_15-32-50-44.jpg

http://media.moddb.com/images/games/1/20/19616/screenshot0013dej2m.jpg

Edited April 2, 2015 by mikeydmc

[mikeydmc]

Hearts of Oak Weekly Update 1

For whatever reason some of the the picture didn't work properly and two videos so click links to view them

A lot has been done on our historical seafaring game Hearts of Oak over the past few months. And it is now time to start sharing our recent progress. Look forward to a new article each week!

Welcome to the first edition of our new Hearts of Oak weekly progress articles!

Each week, we will bring you a summary of the latest development news, including work-in-progress screenshots and in-game footage, along with a more in-depth look at featured content.As this is the first general update in several months, there's too much progress to cover in one article, so this week we'll stick to some of the highlights of recent development.

Engine Development

An impressive amount of progress has been made in the engine itself over the past few months, and lead developer Captain Murphy has been steadily producing some excellent video logs to illustrate this work.Today we'll focus on three videos in particular (all footage is pre-alpha):

- Battle damage and sinking

This video demonstrates a simple damage system that causes ships to list and eventually sink when taking damage from cannon balls. At the moment, a ship will tilt in a random direction when taking enough damage, but eventually we plan to make this dependent on where the ship would be taking on water when its hull is breached.

- Gun sound effects and ballistics

Here you can see the latest sound effects applied to cannon fire and damage, thanks to a generous donation of sound files. The video also touches on improved sinking effects and shot ballistics. You'll need to take the wind direction into account when firing!

- Animating gunport lids

Here's something you don't see in many seafaring games: opening and closing gunport lids! Each lid is hand-placed, hinged and animated by the modeller, and this information is fed into the engine to create the awesome effect you see in the video.

3D Models

There are several sub-categories of 3D assets to cover here, so below we'll list various types of assets, what they're called and who made them.

Architecture

- Twilight of the Sun King models; (credit to original modellers)
Moddb.com

Thanks to a very generous donation, negotiated by Radetzky, we have acquired a large selection of buildings and other models that were originally intended for the cancelled Mount and Blade mod "Twilight of the Sun King".

These are good quality models that will be incredibly useful for populating the game world early on, and we are very grateful to the modders involved in this donation!

Here's a small sample of the many buildings they have allowed us to use:

http://media.moddb.com/images/articles/1/159/158286/auto/1399674754havre1-3491738.jpg

http://media.moddb.com/images/articles/1/159/158286/auto/1399674755mb15.jpg

http://media.moddb.com/images/articles/1/159/158286/auto/1399674755mb30f.jpg

- Tavern; SinKing & Giony

A highly-detailed tavern including full interior, modelled by SinKing, with further work done by Giony. Check out this video which shows a walkthrough of the building!

- Small hut; SinKing

A simple hut with a thatched roof.

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/cabana_alpha-jpg.15202/

- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Guadeloupe (WIP); Ashinokami

A beautiful French cathedral from 1736.

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/untitled-jpg.14059/

Islands

- Jamaica height map detailing (WIP); RobinPC

RobinPC has recently been bringing our height map of Jamaica to life, starting to cover it in foliage and dense jungle areas that will all be explorable in the game.

http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/20/19616/155p2dl.jpg.png

http://media.moddb.com/images/articles/1/159/158286/auto/301heea.jpg.png

Expect to see more scenery added to this island soon, especially once we start getting a proper harbour set up!

Ships

- HM Bark Endeavour (WIP); ODemuth

Hearts of Oak team 3D artist ODemuth has been building a highly detailed model of Captain Cook's bark Endeavour. The ship was built as the collier Earl of Pembroke in 1764, and was purchased into the Royal Navy and underwent alterations for his voyage in 1768. Her feats of exploration under Cook's command have made her famous, and as a result plans of her have been reproduced in high detail. She makes an excellent representative merchant vessel of the Seven Years' War era.

WIP images:

http://abload.de/img/035rfk6g.png

http://abload.de/img/040aybkf.png

http://abload.de/img/0425fb87.png

http://abload.de/img/052k5jkw.png

Here's a great video showing a test for the rudder animation:

We're still investigating the best way to run animations like these in-engine, so this might end up looking slightly different in the game.

- HMS Superb and unnamed Indiaman (WIP); Alex Connor

Two fairly similar looking ships on the surface...

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/princessroyal02-jpg.16370/

... but below is a great image showing the difference between the boxy hull profile of an Indiaman (left) and the more rounded profile of a warship (right).

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/princessroyal03-jpg.16383/

This difference in hull shape will have interesting effects on a merchant ship's handling compared to a warship in the game.

- Nuestra Senora de la Santisima Trinidad (WIP); ZarethPL
That's quite a name to get your head round! The famous Santisima Trinidad fought at Trafalgar, and was the Spanish flagship for many years. This version is how she would have looked when launched in 1769, and although not bearing her record-breaking armament of 140 guns until 1802, she's still a fearsome warship!

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/stern-jpeg.14804/

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/stern2-jpeg.14805/

Weapons

- 10ft brass sea-service 32pdr; Killick

This is an English gun, built to 1719 regulations, and cast in 1723. It was designed by the former Danish Artillery officer Borgard, who had affected widespread changes in the British artillery system.

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/render11-png.16597/

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/render12-png.16598/

- English 4pdr for HMB Endeavour; ODemuth

A beautiful gun that was carried aboard Captain Cook's Endeavour.

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/4pdr_1-png.14718/

It even has the crest of King George III on the gun barrel:

http://www.piratesahoy.net/attachments/4pdr_4b-png.14744/

Music

To give you a taste of what's to come, we'll showcase an original track each week, produced by one of our talented composers.

This week, we present "Post Captain's Lullaby", composed by Flannery.

Ever wondered what the Hearts of Oak development video intro and outro music is? It's a theme based on a period piece of music and reimagined in Flannery's own style.
The name is a working title, but you can listen to the full song (not final quality) here:

Post Captain's Lullaby (MP3)

Flannery has composed a significant number of tracks for the game, and although many are still sketches and not final quality, they're still worth showing off as a sample of the kind of style and atmosphere of music that we're aiming for in the game.

COPYRIGHTS

This music is the property of D'laymusic - Norway, and Christian "Flannery" Tornholm-Lehn. It is protected under copyright law, which if violated might lead to legal persecutions.

Stay tuned for more original music next week!

Top Contributors

Back in January, we started a new reward scheme to recognise the most devoted, hard-working members of our development team. I felt it would be appropriate to list those that have received the Top Contributor award so far, and what they've done to deserve it:

Wedori - For providing multiple extremely-high-quality models for tests within CryEngine.

Flannery - For writing professional, varied music and making the original Hearts of Oak Development Trailer

Their contributions have been invaluable to the game's development, and we hope to give out more of these awards in the coming weeks!

Vacancies

We currently have a few high-priority vacancies that need to be filled, to help us make further progress on the game:

- Character modellers (and other 3D artists)

- User Interface artists

- Texture/shader artists

- Engine programmers/scripters

Remember, we're a volunteer community and we can't make this game happen without your help!

Do YOU have the skills and the enthusiasm to fill one of these roles? Head on over to our recruitment forum and introduce yourself!
Do you know someone else that might be able to help? If so, please point them in our direction!

That's it for this week's progress; be sure to join us again next week for more updates!
Don't know what the Hearts of Oak project is? Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

*Please note that while we're aiming to post a new article each week, we can't always manage this, but we will post articles as regularly as we can!

 

Edited June 25, 2014 by mikeydmc

[mikeydmc]

Hearts of Oak Weekly Update 2

World Map concepts, Spanish gold, a behind the scenes look at a musical composition and more await you in our latest article...

Welcome to another edition of our Hearts of Oak progress articles!

Each week*, we will bring you a summary of the latest development news, including work-in-progress screenshots and in-game footage, along with a more in-depth look at featured content.We've got a couple of new items to share this week, along with a few more from recent months that we couldn't fit in the previous article.

Engine Development

- World Map prototype; Captain Murphy and Armada

This is a basic concept for a functioning world map for the game, which could be used to travel quickly between islands.Using a high-resolution image of a contemporary Caribbean map, we were able to create a scene much like a chart table in a cabin... just a bit bigger!

In this video, we show off some placeholder 'tokens' which could be used to represent the player's ship and other ships on the map, as well as a fort model.The idea is to change the ship model depending on the type and size of ship it represents, and the token bases will have different colours to represent the nationality.

3D Models

There are several sub-categories of 3D assets to cover here, so below we'll list various types of assets, what they're called and who made them.

Architecture

- Fort tower; Wedori

Here's an excellent stone tower perched on the end of a harbour pier, complete with a spiral staircase.

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/160/159362/auto/screenshot0001pcrzr.jpg

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/160/159362/auto/screenshot000364pky.jpg

- Warehouse; Wedori

Alongside the tower above, here is a highly detailed warehouse featuring a full interior. That's a lot of barrels inside...

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/160/159362/auto/screenshot0004n8o7g.jpg

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/160/159362/auto/screenshot00028uq9a.jpg

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/160/159362/auto/screenshot0007g2qez.jpg

 

[mikeydmc]

Hearts of Oak Weekly Update 2

part 2

Terrain

- Beach textures; Wedori

Using some clever material settings and textures, Wedori has been busy working on some realistic beach textures that bring the landscape to life.
These create the illusion of depth and immense detail without wasting polygons, to make a flat surface seem rough and weathered.I think you'll agree the results speak for themselves:

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/160/159362/auto/screenshot0007efsz4.jpg

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/160/159362/auto/screenshot0003ogsyz.jpg

Ships

- Endeavour progress; ODemuth

ODemuth has been doing a lot of work on the interior of his Endeavour recently, and below you can see a cut-away section of the ship that shows off the details he's managed to include so far.The captain's cabin in particular has been given a beautiful floor!
http://abload.de/img/06234jbj.png

http://abload.de/img/061s1s79.png

Scenery

- Coins; Wedori

Gold! Yes, these are accurate 3D models of gold coins; Spanish escudos, to be precise.Below is an image from a modelling program showing several eight-escudo coins:

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/160/159362/auto/screenzpay7.jpg

For a larger image showing half, 1, 2, 4 and 8-escudo coins in the engine, click here.And did you know: the term "doubloon" comes from the Spanish "doblón" (double), referring to a two-escudo coin.

Music

To give you a taste of what's to come, we're showcasing an original track in each article, produced by one of our talented composers.Last time, we showcased "Post Captain's Lullaby" by Flannery, and this week we've got a little more about what inspired the track and how it was made.

This YouTube clip of a performance by "The Itinerant Band" was discovered by Post Captain, and shows the original tune:

Flannery recently contacted the band to find out what the tune was called, and here's an extract from their response:

 

Quote:

The tune being played is called "Childgrove." It is an old English country dance tune, dating from around 1701. It was originally published as part of an ongoing collection of dance tune books published by John Playford and his descendants titled "The English Dancing Master."
The Youtube video rendition was an adaptation of an arrangement that we recorded on our CD "The Road Out of Town" and you can hear a clip of the full recording on our distributor's site here: Cdbaby.com

Below are Flannery's thoughts of this piece of music, and how he composed his own unique version of it:

Flannery wrote:

I immediately fell in love with the theme of it, and the whole dramatic and theatrical aspect of it grew instantly to the idea you have heard so far.
I plan to make it a little longer, and I have a few other themes that will intertwine with what is there now - but that's how it all came to be.

 

I had no original name for the piece though - as the YouTube clip never mentions this, and Post Captain himself did not know.
But I kind of like the name I gave it. Even though it bears Post Captain's name, and it felt like a way to give him credit - it also has a more deep, and creative meaning to it I guess...

I just pictured a lone ship sailing - a small naval ship - where its captain (or Post Captain) feels safe in his quarters, and is about to go to bed - blowing out the candle lights...
This is the intro part with only the dulcimer alone. Kind of merry and light on its feet.
But as the lights go out... a dark shadow is barely visible in the wake of the unsuspecting ship... a pirate ship glides out of the mist - closing in on the naval ship.
This is the dramatic tone of the cellos and bassoons - and from this point on the music kind of speaks for itself - it's the chase, being caught, boarded and defeated.
Hence there is a kind of ironic and sarcastic tone in the name "Post Captain's Lullaby".
At least that's how the music comes to me in pictures while I compose. It's writing a story with tones and emotions.

Stay tuned for more original music next week!

Vacancies

We still have a few high-priority vacancies that need to be filled to help us make further progress on the game:

- Character modellers (and other 3D artists)

- User Interface artists

- Texture/shader artists

- Engine programmers/scripters

Remember, we're a volunteer community and we can't make this game happen without your help!

Do YOU have the skills and the enthusiasm to fill one of these roles? Head on over to our recruitment forum and introduce yourself!
Do you know someone else that might be able to help? If so, please point them in our direction!
Please note: this project is NON-COMMERCIAL and so we are not offering payment to team members.

In Other News...

- New Horizons Build 14 Beta 3.2 released!

In case you missed it, fans of our popular mod for Pirates of the Caribbean will be pleased to hear that we have a new update now available.You can download the mod right here: Moddb.com
To read more about the new version and its content, take a look at the release article here.

- GOG campaign for PotC and CoAS

Have you always wanted to play one of our excellent mods, but never been able to get hold of the games needed to make them work?
Well, this might be our best chance at making legitimate digital versions of PotC and CoAS available online.
All you have to do to support us is vote for these games over on GOG. If either game gets enough votes, it might be considered for digital distribution on the site!

To vote for PotC (the game needed to play our New Horizons mod), click here.

To vote for CoAS (the game needed to play the Gentlemen of Fortune mods), click here.

For more information, check out our more detailed article.

That's it for this week's progress; we'll have more updates for you soon!
Don't know what the Hearts of Oak project is? Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
*Please note that while we're aiming to post a new article each week, we can't always manage this, but we will post articles as regularly as we can!

Edited June 25, 2014 by mikeydmc

[mikeydmc]

Hearts of Oak Weekly Update 3

This week we've got some exciting engine news to share, along with some more high-quality 3D models!

Welcome to another edition of our Hearts of Oak progress articles!

Each week*, we will bring you a summary of the latest development news, including work-in-progress screenshots and in-game footage, along with a more in-depth look at featured content.

We have a slightly shorter update this time, but we still have some big news to cover.

Engine Development

- Switching to Engine-as-a-Service

With Crytek's recent release of their CryEngine Engine-as-a-Service (EaaS), we have decided to move over to this service to take advantage of the new features it offers.
In the video above, Captain Murphy explains what's new in the EaaS, what we've managed to move to it so far, and what this means for future development.

This change is bound to spark a lot of questions, so here's a short FAQ that should cover the main points:

Briefly, what is the EaaS?

It's a paid subscription service from Crytek which is available through Steam for 9.90EUR/USD per month. It grants full access to the latest version of CryEngine, the same used to power the Xbox One title Ryse: Son of Rome.

What new features does it have?

The most important feature for us is the ability to release the game as a standalone application that does NOT require the Free SDK to launch.
This means we can keep the game free without the hassle of requiring every player to download the SDK to play it.
As for other features, this version introduces Physically Based Shading and the Wwise sound system, along with various other improvements.

Does this mean everyone on your team needs to pay this subscription?

No. Only the developers responsible for compiling the code into a release will need to pay the subscription. Other developers and artists can continue to use the Free SDK to import their assets and test them in-engine.

Do I need to be a subscriber to play the game?

No. Any version of the game we release, including demos, betas and the final version, will not require the subscription to play.

Have the minimum system requirements changed?

Yes. Here are the latest requirements for the End User (player):
- Operating System: Windows Vista SP1, Windows 7, Windows 8
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, AMD Athlon 64 X2 2GHz or better (multi-core processor is strongly recommended)
- Memory: 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
- Video Card: NVIDIA series 400, Radeon HD 6000 Series or better (DirectX 11 minimum)
Developer requirements for using the SDK are mostly the same, except the need for a 64-bit system with 4GB RAM minimum.

If you still have any unanswered questions about us switching to the EaaS, please let us know in the comments.

3D Models

There are several sub-categories of 3D assets to cover here, so below we'll list various types of assets, what they're called and who made them.

Architecture

- Various buildings; Triglav

Here are some buildings produced by Triglav that are based on photos of real ones on Caribbean islands:

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/161/160243/auto/oSzAnS9.jpg

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/161/160243/auto/IaOE4E6.jpg

Terrain

- Island concept; PianoPolish

CryDev user PianoPolish recently created his own fictional Caribbean island of Margaret, inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean.
We were very impressed by this and have now asked him to join our development team as a level artist. Below you can see a few screenshots of this island with the St Albans in the background:

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/161/160243/auto/screenshot0011cljob.jpg

http://abload.de/img/screenshot0013dej2m.jpg

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/161/160243/auto/screenshot0014fluo1.jpg

You can view the original island here (Warning: image intensive!).

Ships

- HMS Southampton 1757; Bava and Captain Armstrong

Captain Armstrong has been working on completing Bava's HMS Southampton model for Hearts of Oak, which was begun a long time ago for the Storm engine.
The ship was one of two classes of the first British built frigates armed with 12pdrs, rather than 9pdrs.
Being launched in 1757 at the start of the Seven Years War, it was built to counter French 12pdr armed frigates that had been in the French navy for a decade already.

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/161/160243/auto/6.JPG

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/161/160243/auto/7.JPG

http://media.indiedb.com/images/articles/1/161/160243/auto/8.JPG

- HMB Endeavour; ODemuth

ODemuth has made more progress on the cabin of the Endeavour recently:

http://abload.de/img/065uyjyu.png

http://abload.de/img/066ffkp3.png

Vacancies

We still have a few high-priority vacancies that need to be filled to help us make further progress on the game:
- Character modellers (we literally don't have any!)

- Other 3D artists

- User Interface artists

- Texture/shader artists

- Engine programmers/scripters

To apply to join the team, please head over to our Recruitment Forum and introduce yourself.

No formal qualifications are needed; you just need some free time and enthusiasm, though experience is helpful.
Please note: this project is non-commercial and so we are not offering payment to team members.

If you know someone else that might be able to help, please point them in our direction!
Remember, we're a volunteer community and we can't make this game happen without your help!

That's it for this week's progress; we'll have more updates for you soon!

Don't know what the Hearts of Oak project is? Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
*Please note that while we're aiming to post a new article each week, we can't always manage this, but we will post articles as regularly as we can!

Edited June 5, 2014 by mikeydmc

[Thor.]

WOOW that looks really good, I'm interested, is this going to be similar to Bethesda's Pirates of the Caribbean, Open ship looting fun :dance: No programming skills, but you earned a fan instead. :thumbsup:

Edited June 8, 2014 by Thor.

[mikeydmc]

Hey Thor that is exactly what it is going to be like its going to be what Bethesda's Pirates of the Caribbean should have been with better graphics more realistic and tons of features. We are always happy to get a new fan and you can check out our main forum if you want to see more stuff http://www.piratesahoy.net/categories/hearts-of-oak-conquest-of-the-seas.131/

[Thor.]

I will be keeping track of this gem, i hope to hear more if this Awesome rpg :thumbsup:

 

YE matey these graphics look might Eye candy AARRR!!!

Edited June 8, 2014 by Thor.

[Vindekarr]

The main problem is see is using the island from the original Crysis game. Anybody who played Crysis would recognise that mountain(and what's in it), the cove where you first got released into the open world, and the general ecosystem and location itself.

 

You need your own map, or people are going to start asking ugly questions.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Vindekarr

[mikeydmc]

Vindekarr

 

We are planning to make the entire Caribbean open world this is very early stuff here, just so you can sorta get an idea of the look of the game we won't be using Crysis game map, but I'm glad you mentioned that I never thought about that confusing people I don't want to give the wrong impression so I changed some images on the topic post and added the statement: Early Images Nothing Final.

Edited June 9, 2014 by mikeydmc