Generals! We have some good news! Prototype Vehicles are almost ready to roll out, so instead of releasing them in [i]Q3[/i] as initially announced, we will launch them in [b]Q2[/b]! Yes, the Prototype vehicle pack will be dropping soon, and you’ll find some juicy details below. But first, a small disclaimer: When our latest DLC comes out, Expansion Pass 1 will become a dynamic bundle. This means that you will get a discount for any DLCs from the Expansion Pass you already own. Good news for any holdouts! But, this also means the preorder bonuses will no longer be available in the bundle, so choose timely. And now, for the juicy bits: Hello generals! My name is [i][b]Slurpen[/b][/i], here again to talk about 3D art for Hearts of Iron IV. This time, I’m also joined by [b][i]Mordred Viking[/i][/b] (aka Gareth), who is one of our content designers on HoI4. We are here to bring you a closer look at the new vehicles in the Prototype Vehicles Unit Pack, as well as some fun facts along the way! These are vehicles from a time when the arms race was in full force, and any means of getting the upper hand on the enemy was a battle within itself. Many vehicles were designed to improve on existing concepts, others were meant to tread new ground, and some were created purely out of desperation. Some of these prototypes were never built or fully developed, others reached the battlefield and were even successful to various degrees! In some cases, we will never know what the final designs may have looked like. This is, however, my favourite part of this pack! We have had to look at the original blueprints to give you our illustrations of what these vehicles would have looked like had they been fully produced. I hope you have as much fun looking at these designs as we had making them! These vehicles make for some fun topics of discussion. I have included the names of each one, so feel free to read up on the history of each one. We had a blast doing this ourselves! Mordred Viking and I will make brief comments on our personal favourites as we go along! Here are the high-res close-ups of these vehicles: [i]*The Modra Revolving Tank was designed with a rounded rotating hull that would deflect incoming projectiles. *The “Grasshopper” was a tank designed to combine the newly developed helicopter designs with the power of a tank. However, this design was swiftly dropped due to a multitude of design issues. *The Czech Skoda SK 13 was the German answer to the looming fuel shortage towards the end of the war. This vehicle was actually coal-powered.[/i] [i]* The “Praying Mantis” was an experimental machine gun carrier prototype that was tested for use in the British Army. At a glance, it looks quite futuristic, even though it’s anything but from the crew's point of view. Its fighting compartment can pivot up and down to lower its profile or shoot over terrain! * The Jasquet Articulated Tank is a caterpillar-like tank designed to move over the trickiest terrain. Part of the idea is that if one cabin loses traction, the others would help push it along over hills and other obstacles thanks to its “bendy” design.[/i] [i]* The Giacomini Entrenchment is an interesting design that sticks out among other tanks. The tank features an entrenchment mechanism in the front. The design is unique, and the designer’s identity and nationality remain quite mysterious.[/i] [i]* Water was always going to be a barrier to a proper tank blitz, and it’s remarkably difficult to get a tank to float properly. How about just turning it into a submarine instead? The Biemmi Naval Tank, stealthy and practical! * So-To Anti-Tank gun carrier. It’s a moving hull with a cannon on top. Why overcomplicate things? * The Moto-Guzzi Semovente is a tank that features two tracks that can move up and down completely independently from each other. This enables it to move forward along sloped terrain![/i] [i]* I want a tank with a big gun. I said a BIG gun! The 2B1 “Oka”. Perfection. * The “Cobra” Light Cross Country Combat Vehicle (quite a mouthful), this vehicle featured multiple designs with different types of armament. This is our illustration featuring the four large caliber cannons![/i] [i]* The M-V-Yoh is an American tank with a very interesting design. A crew member would sit inside the back of the turret and man the small MG on top. If you look closely you may also have noticed that there are backup tank tracks inside of the main tracks. These would provide friction if the main tracks would break.[/i] We also included some interesting plane designs for the people who prefer air combat! However, we can’t guarantee that all of these planes are safe to fly.. [i]* Belyayev DB-LK is a plane that is designed for people who don’t want to fly alone! This design features two cockpits as well as gunner seats in the back! * Bachem Ba 349 Natter, The pilot in this aircraft would be launched into the air, and the plane would steer itself for a short period of time. After that, the pilot would take control of the aircraft and fly as close to the enemy as possible in order to launch multiple rockets into the enemy aircraft. This aircraft did not feature any landing gear, so it was up to the pilot to eject from the aircraft once the mission was complete![/i] Let’s wrap things up with a taste of how some of these vehicles look and behave in-game: Can this thing really fly? [i]The mantis stalks its prey..[/i] [i]Rockets away![/i] [i]It’s a caterpillar! It’s a snake! No.. It’s.. a tank?![/i] [i]Don’t let your dreams be dreams![/i] That’s all for now! Thank you all for joining us through this brief look at some of these crazy and cool vehicles of the past. I hope you have as much fun using them as we had making them! Until next time, generals!