July Edition
Introduction
>Things are shaping up!
Welcome back to another update from the Modding Hub community! With so many new community members getting into modding and industry veterans stepping in to create high quality content for Squad one can say that modding for Squad is shaping up nicely. Over the last couple of months we have seen many great projects and a lot of new talents showcasing their work on our Discord server and the official forums. Now it’s time again to recap the last month and see what the community has been up to.
Before we celebrate the awesome content some of you guys have created we’d like to thank each and every community member for their continuous support, whether it be helping out new guys to get started or share experiences with like-minded modders.
Also a huge thanks to the Developers for stepping in and explaining details and giving guidance when it was needed. It is great to see that the community and the Devs are working hand-in-hand to make Squad an even better game than it is now.
Community Projects
>Tutorials
Official Weapon Exporting & Animation
by Chuc
“Hi modders, Chuc here.
In this series of tutorials we'll be exporting weapons and animations from specifically 3DSMAX, and learning how to set up a typical weapon using the current system available in the Squad SDK.
Going into the future as Weapons themselves are given a rewrite, as well as changes to the animation system get launched, the methods and specifically authoring will need to change. But just for now if you are really keen on seeing your weapons perform in-game and using the current system, please follow this guide.”
Chuc, the lead animator at OWI, has been kind enough to create a weapon exporting and animation tutorial which will help you export and set up your weapons correctly within the Squad SDK. It’s highly detailed and full of examples / screenshots! A big thank you to Chuc!
Forum Link:
http://forums.joinsquad.com/topic/22572-tutorial-weapon-exporting-animation/
Community Projects
>Total Conversions
Post Scriptum
by Periscope Games
“Post Scriptum is a WW2 modification for the acclaimed tactical shooter SQUAD. Players will relive the events of ‘Operation Market Garden’ across the fields and towns of Holland. This massive Allied assault consisted of a coordination of the British and American Airborne to capture key bridges while the British XXX Corps moved to reinforce them through Highway 69.”
http://postscriptumgame.com/what-is-post-scriptum
I think it’s safe to say that Post Scriptum: The Bloody Seventh looks amazing. The visual fidelity of the WW2 assets is absolutely astonishing. It’s safe to say that we can expect great things coming from Periscope Games who are known for working on quality games and mods such as Project Reality, Traction Wars, Day of Infamy and Invasion 1944.
There are so many screenshots these guys provide on the website that The Wrench would explode. So please check out their website to keep track of their progress. In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful trailer.
Trailer:
Community Projects
>Blueprints
Arsenal
by Dealman
“This is a little something I've been working on while needing a break from studying. With the release of V7 I was kind of bummed out that we couldn't really try any of the new weapons in the firing range unless we kept changing maps.
So I decided to download the Squad SDK and try and implement a kind of arsenal allowing you to equip any weapon you'd like with ease. The interface is but a placeholder, this is a very early WIP and I'm not very good when it comes to interface design to begin with.
I'll be looking into changing the way it works so instead of having multiple M4 entries, you'd have one for the M4 with its various configurations. Same for example the RPG-7, you'd select RPG-7 and then you can choose either ammo.”
What a great addition by Dealman, I certainly hope the devs look into integrating this feature in someway!
Preview:
Community Projects
>Factions
KLMK Uniforms
by Marv
Marv is bringing back one of the most classic Russian camos known to men. With more content like custom headgear coming, the KLMK camo will be a great alternative to the Digital Flora we have in-game right now.
Community Projects
>Maps
Al Basrah Remake
by ChanceBrahh
As teased by Chance himself, he has been working to get the beloved Al Basrah map from Project Reality to Squad. It is safe to say that his progress is amazing. The variety of the map allows a multitude of gameplay options. Whether it be firefights in open fields or clearing the main town from bad guys, in Al Basrah there’s something for everyone.
Forum Link:
http://forums.joinsquad.com/topic/22225-al-basrah-squad-remake/?page=2#comment-245368
Normandy Map
by Oakleyhidef
We’ve already seen the great progress Oakley has made over the past couple of months. This time he’s showcasing his new Landscape Materials as well as his new Fog Settings to even create a more immersive environment.
Island Environment
by Marv
Marv has been working on a Pacific Island map that includes abandoned buildings and planes from World War II.
3-Kings
by EliteLurker
EliteLurker is back to show some more progress on his 3-Kings map. It’s safe to say that his map is shaping up nicely!
Kunar
by Axton
With Kunar, Axton is really pushing the limits of Mapping. Ranging over 64km2,
or 8km x 8km, Kunar takes scale to a whole new level.
Squad Modding
>Getting Started Guide
If you are new and want to get started with modding Squad, you can read the guide below!
To get the official Squad SDK release please view the step-by-step guide down below. Beware that you now don’t need to download any Unreal Engine version before hand because the SDK already includes the current engine version the game is running on.
How do I get involved in the modding community for Squad?
These are the very first steps you will take to join the modding community of Squad!
- Head over to https://www.unrealengine.com/ and then click the big blue button titled “Get Unreal”.
- Register and create your Epic Account.
- Download the Epic Games Launcher / Unreal Engine 4.
- Download the Squad SDK located in the “Modding” tab on the Epic Games Launcher.
Recommended:
Join us all at the Squad Modding Hub over on Discord:
www.discord.me/SquadModdingHub
You will be able to communicate with fellow modders, ask for help, discuss mods, share ideas as well as interact with the developers of Squad itself! However, please don’t view the latter as an opportunity to swamp the developers with game ideas and what they should do with their game etc, this is a relaxed environment and such ideas should be submitted through the proper channels such as the
Suggestions section on the official Squad forums!
Notes:
When you first launch the Squad SDK it will take a fair amount of time to initialise / compile all the information in order to run the editor. This typically takes anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes and has taken even longer in some cases, it varies depending on your system specifications. Please ensure that you are patient and wait it out!
What do I want to do?
As you may have noticed, Squad is a huge game in terms of variation in content ranging from weapons, characters and vehicles to larger scale elements such as environments. All of this content requires knowledge that can span several disciplines as well as proficiency in external software such as 3D modelling packages (Autodesk 3DS Max, Blender, ZBrush etc) and common game art / design guidelines.
There is a lot to do in the Squad SDK and making the decision of where to start can be the most difficult one, especially for a person with lots of ideas in mind. Personally, if you are someone who has no prior experience in modding or has no game development related knowledge at all, I recommend jumping into the editor and messing around with it for an evening or two to settle down and gain an understanding of the UI and navigation. Explore the existing content for a while and once you’re comfortable enough, you can start deciding on what you would like to sink your teeth into!
Ask yourself what you want to create. Chances are, if you’re being realistic, you can bring whatever idea you have to Squad! Do you want to see different weapons, more attachments, whole factions, various maps that can be fictional or fully based on real world locations, a more in depth medical system or even create your own style of emplacements to build?
What do I need to learn?
In this section I will talk about some of the knowledge you should seek to acquire in order to create the quality content you want to see in-game. First off, to keep it really simple, I will split us all into three major disciplines and note down what they should be looking to learn and what additional software they may need. Please keep in mind that you do NOT need to learn everything, especially if you’re working with a team that has members with knowledge of different areas. It would certainly help, but don’t be pressured to learn it all. Not to mention there’s a lot of helpful people ready to guide you in the Squad Modding Hub on Discord!
Artist
Autodesk 3DS Max & Maya, Blender, Pixologic ZBrush, World Machine, Substance Painter & Designer, Quixel SUITE, Photoshop
- 3D Modeling
- Texturing (PBR)
- Animation
- Lighting
- Material Editor in Squad SDK (Unreal Engine 4)
Designer / Mapper
Unreal Engine 4, World Machine
- Level Design Theory / Principles
- Creating basic landscape materials (Unreal Engine 4)
- Landscape Tools in Squad SDK (Unreal Engine 4)
- Foliage Tools in Squad SDK (Unreal Engine 4)
Programmer / Blueprints
Unreal Engine 4, Visual Studio
- C++
- Blueprints in Squad SDK (Unreal Engine 4)
- Experience with other Scripting Languages helps
All of the software, techniques and knowledge listed is available out there on the internet. Unreal Engine has a vast level of official documentation, artists can find lots of creative tutorials on YouTube for free, designers and mappers have a lot of official Squad content to learn from and explore and programmers and people looking to get into anything technical have the same.
That's it for this recap. We hope that you enjoyed the content and will visit the Squad Modding Hub to join in on the fun!
Squad Modding Hub:
DISCORD LINK
Best regards,
Zeno - Mitsu - R0tzbua
With the help of Igno, P1nga and Assifuah.
Squad Modding Hub,
Management Team
