Tanks in Company of Heroes 3 will get dynamically filthy

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Much like yours truly doing yard work, they'll get red from clay, black from the fields, and dusty from roads.

The developers over at Relic have released a new video running through new artistic changes for Company of Heroes 3, and their attempts at authenticity and fidelity in the upcoming World War 2 RTS. The dev diary video posted to YouTube discusses making tanks dirty, putting the right patches on soldiers' arms, and making sure that when things blow up they blow up real good but also real correct.

Complex vehicle shaders, specifically, will now change the appearance of tanks based on the environment they move through. "The type of dirt that you would see on the terrain is the type of dirt that will appear on your vehicle," says principal artist Kristian Bourdage. Damage will also be more dynamic, with bullet and shell impacts being in the correct locations. 

Another system allows specific soldiers to appear with the patches and insignia, as well as helmet and other equipment, that matches the historical division they're assigned to.

"We watched reams of World War 2 documentaries, read some books, technical diaries, just to try and get a sneak peek at what does this weapon look like when it fires," said senior artist Michael Mussellam. All of that was done with the goal of making explosions, gunshots, and smoke look as they would have in real life.

Company of Heroes 3 is set to release this year as the latest in Relic's World War 2 RTS franchise.

Jonathan Bolding
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Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.