This is the first look at the new characters and weapons available with the Confrontation Cold Front DLC pack!

New Special Forces

With the purchase of the DLC, players will have access to a new Special Force group: the Russian Spetsnaz (SPZ).
For this Force, we created two highly detailed heads as well as a light, medium and heavy variant of their own torso and leg armor. Additionally, the Spetsnaz have their own camouflage pattern, headgear and unique voice-over.
During the Character Art research development for the DLC, one surprise discovery was the amount of American made gear that equips foreign armies. From backpacks, to armor, to helmets and camo, each of our selections are based on real load outs from the modern battlefield.

New Arctic Mercenaries

Mercenary characters have been completely updated for the SOCOM: Confrontation Cold Front DLC. Featuring new Arctic setting heads and bodies in a variety of styles, these new characters are available in light, medium and heavy armor. In addition, new camouflage and headgear has been added to the assortment of items available for Mercenaries.

Weapons from left to right:
Character 1 – M82A1A + Thermal Scope + Bipod 3
Character 2 – 552 + Foregrip + Suppressor 1
Character 3 – VAL + Thermal Scope
Character 4 – 9mm SUB + Red Dot Scope + Suppressor 2

New Weapons

Specifically for the DLC, we are offering the AG-94 assault rifle, available exclusively for the Russian Spetsnaz. Players will also have access to the Commandos’ fast-firing AK-107 and the Mercenaries’ covert VAL. In addition, Specialization CE Weapons are available exclusively to owners of the SOCOM: Confrontation Cold Front DLC. (see below).

Command Equity/Specialization Weapons

Another addition to the DLC is the Command Equity (CE)/Specializations feature.

With this feature, each player can select one weapon class as their Primary Specialization and another as their Secondary Specialization from the list of available weapon types. By Specializing in a weapon class, players will gain statistical bonuses in three categories that are significant to the type of weapon they Specialize in.

· Specializations for both Primary and Secondary Weapon Classes

· CE Points earned in Ranked games from Kills and Kill Assists

· CE Rewards in the form of unique CE Weapons and Attachments

By collecting enough CE points, players can earn unique CE Weapons and Attachments

The Dutch Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) and the Italian COMSUBIN are two Special Forces new to Patch 1.60. For each new Force we created two highly detailed heads as well as a light, medium and heavy variant of their torso and leg armor. Additionally, the new Forces have their own specific camouflage patterns, headgear and unique voice-overs. In developing the character art for 1.60 and DLC, accuracy and realism were the main focus. A good portion of the character development time was spent researching military forums, reference images and watching videos to build up a solid concept.

Dutch KCT
Weapons from left to right:
Character 1 – SR-25 + High Scope + Bipod 3
Character 2 – 417 + Foregrip + Acog scope
Character 3 – AK-74 + GL36
Character 4 – 417 + Suppressor 2 + Laser sight

Italian COMBUSIN
Weapons from left to right:
Character 1 – SPAS-15
Character 2 – MK48 Machine Gun + Front Grip
Character 3 – AK74 + Medium Scope + GL36 Grenade Launcher
Character 4 – HK5 SD + reflex scope + laser sight

New Weapons

For Patch 1.60, we created two new primary weapons: the 417 assault rifle for the Dutch KCT and the SPAS-15 shotgun for the Italian COMSUBIN. Four new weapons will be available to all players: the 9mm Sub and M82A1A for the Mercenaries and the AK-74 and SR-25 for the Commandos. It’s interesting to note that all these weapons were built by one artist. This approach to weapon creation is beneficial for consistency but challenging for the artist since researching reference textures and photos is a lengthy process.

The team has been working hard on all the new content and we can’t wait to get it up on the PSN for you! Watch this site or the SOCOM blog for the full details coming soon!

Unlike Blizzard, however, battles on Vigilance take place shortly after snowfall , the sun shining brightly through the clouds. Distinct red and blue building colours are used to aid the player’s navigation throughout the level.

All of the great sniper locations have been retained in Vigilance. Players can use explosives to expose secret passageways throughout the level in order to gain a significant tactical advantage in certain game modes. We have also brought turrets back to Vigilance and made them more effective in controlling choke points on the map.

We carried over many other aspects of Vigilance that fans will appreciate such as birds that have been placed throughout the map to provide a bit more life to the often quiet streets. We have also retained some of the somewhat quirky aspects from previous iterations of the map such as a bicycle that lies in the middle of map that has no collision.

The biggest art challenge we faced with Vigilance in updating to PS3 from PS2 was giving the different sides of the level some uniqueness to aid orientation. During the formation of buildings, terrain and other details, it was easy for a user to lose his way in the back alleys of this little town. This issue was solved by iterating on the red and blue color coding of buildings mentioned previously, and adding unique props.

Lower side of the Village- showing the Rubble Fires and view to the Church Tower.

Upper side of the Village- showing the crossing of the destroyed bridge and Water Drainage.

Aerial view of the Village- lots of great hiding places to remember.

]]> http://www.slantsixgames.com/2009/11/16/vigilance/feed/ http://www.slantsixgames.com/2009/11/06/confrontation-cold-front-map-preview-1/ http://www.slantsixgames.com/2009/11/06/confrontation-cold-front-map-preview-1/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:14:59 +0000 admin http://www.slantsixgames.com/?p=505

As previously mentioned, Slant Six Games and Sony Computer Entertainment of America are pleased to announce Cold Front, the first downloadable expansion pack for SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation!

Over the next few weeks, Slant Six would like to share some production notes with you regarding some of the new maps and shed a little insight on how these maps came together.

This week we are featuring Blizzard: a classic map from SOCOM 1 and 2 that has been updated with HD graphics and effects. In order to enhance the player’s experience with this perennial favorite, we opted to make the weather a key gameplay aspect.

The calm atmosphere of previous iterations of the map has been completely reworked with visibility now being hindered by the constant flurry of snow and winds that pound against your character.

The biggest challenge we faced with Blizzard in updating to PS3 from PS2, was working with open terrain, and in turn, wide open sight lines. Balancing the blizzard effects, vegetation, and open terrain to achieve the right amount of visibility among the characters proved an interesting challenge.

We have included three of our favourite Blizzard screenshots below:

Dredge frozen in ice.

View through the snow filled trees.

Bird’s eye view of Blizzard-the best way to plan your attacks!

Thanks again to all of you who continue to write and give feedback. You’re patience and support (and even the ranting and stomping of feet) is important to our efforts here. The team is hard at work on a 1.5 update that will continue to improve the online play experience, as mentioned at the official SOCOM blog. Now stop reading and go get that 1.42 update!