Hearts of Oak News 16th June 2014

[Armada]

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.

Today we're mainly focusing on music, but we've also got news on both engine and website development.

Engine Development
- Wwise non-commercial sound license
Following the upgrade to the CryEngine Engine-as-a-Service (EaaS), it's now necessary for us to use the Wwise sound system for the game.
The free version bundled with the engine has a limit of only 200 sounds, which would quickly become a problem for our game due to the scope we're aiming for.

Therefore, @Captain Murphy has been in talks with Audiokinetic to negotiate a non-commercial license for Wwise, which will lift the 200 sound limit and allow us to pursue our non-profit goals for the game.
We are pleased to report that they have now granted us this license, so the main drawback with the EaaS has been addressed!

Website Development
- Brand new look for HoO site
In case you weren't aware, we have an official site for the game over at http://www.heartsofoakgame.com which is constantly updated with the latest news, videos, images and more.
This site is meant as a companion for the PiratesAhoy! forums, and presents all the Hearts of Oak news and media in one place.
Some of you may have already visited the site, but until now it has only had a temporary design. That has now changed as we're redesigning it to look more professional and easier on the eyes.

The design is meant to be consistent with the minimalist aesthetic that we're planning to use for the game's interfaces, and which is already represented in the logo itself.
Below you can see a design concept by @Ashinokami, upon which the new website is based, which demonstrates this aesthetic very well:

Spoiler: Show image

The website design is still a work in progress, so please do visit the site and let us know what you think!

Music
To give you a taste of what's to come, we're regularly showcasing an original track, produced by one of our talented composers.
This week we've got a brand new track from @Flannery called "The Tale of the Gall-Gaidhel", which is a rough sketch at this stage.
You can listen to it below, and then check out his comments on the track:

The Tale of the Gall-Gaidhel sketch.mp3

The piece is a very Gaelic inspired piece, with some elements of Norse folk music - which is intentional - hence why it is called "The Tale of the Gall-Gaidhel".
The Vikings who settled down in Dublin (and western Scotland & the Isle of Man) - and who embraced the Gaelic language and culture - essentially became known as the "Gall-Gaidhel".
Translated it means Norse-Gaels or Foreign-Gaels (but only used on Gaelic speaking Norsemen).
These people (as so many others) are seafaring ancestors to many a soul who sought fortune in the Caribbean later on.

Also, much of the more common music in America (folk music) from the colonial era has its origins in medieval Celtic music (Irish/Scottish/French).
(Not talking about the classical music here, as this was reserved only for the rich and privileged.)

There will be a "tavern" version of this as well later on, without the orchestral parts in the background.

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 soon!

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 still 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!

 

[Hylie Pistof]

I've been playing too many old games. The Storm engine only supports 10 sounds, and I have a game from 1998 that only supports 16 sounds. 200 sounds isn't nearly enough?

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.

And there I was thinking only religions persecuted people..............

 

[Pieter Boelen]

The Storm engine only supports 10 sounds

Wha? There's a LOT more in there than 10!

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.

And there I was thinking only religions persecuted people..............

Professional composer has to be able to defend his rights if necessary.

 

[Armada]

I think the 200 sound limit refers to the total number of sounds we can use, rather than the number we can use simultaneously.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

Only 200 sounds in total? That is small. And yes I was talking about 10 simultaneous sounds.

Sometimes even I don't get my humor.

Religions persecute people up to burning them alive.

Corporations prosecute people up to taking everything they own including their freedom.