I am excited to finally announce the release of the very first product in the Modular Soldier series - the Jaeger Female customization pack.
A little over half a year ago shortly after the public release of MetaHumans I reached out to the UE4 Marketplace staff to inquire about what it means for asset creation. With Epic setting a new standard for character creation in indie game development, I saw it as an opportunity to finally expand into modular character assets - something that has been requested of me for a few years now.
Just as I've done with the Modular SciFi Series over the past several years in creating an ever expanding library of assets, I aim to do the same and more with customizable MetaHuman armor, clothes, accessories and weapons.
Starting with the Tall/Feminine/Normal body type, this new series will build upon the foundational product by continually adding next gen extremely customizable assets for indie developers to utilize in their projects.
This includes for example helmet variations, different armor types, accessories such as footwear, prosthetic limbs or thematic equipment for specific unit types - and so much more. The possibilities are endless.
Utilizing the new Manufacturer system, developers will be able to identify which products are thematically designed to work with each other as more products are added.
This isn't to say you can't mix and match other manufacturer products, but this allows me to design armor or equipment with a distinct style or identity that can be attributed to the same source if you desire. Complete with optional manufacturer decals and logos, you can give your projects another layer of detail with branding.
Customization in Modular Soldier is segmented between two types - armor/clothing and accessories. The former makes use of the typical skeletal mesh and master pose system.
Elements are divided based on categories such as footwear, belts, thigh gear, chest, back, joint plates, etc. Each of these areas represent where you can expect to see further additions down the line as more designs and equipment are created.
In the case of the latter, accessories, this can include things such as magazines, grenades, tactical equipment, or weapons. These take advantage of custom sockets for easy modularity when designing your soldiers.
Weapons will be another integral element in this new series. We begin with a few equipment types, smoke/frag grenades and a couple melee options. Going forward this will also begin to include ballistic weaponry.
My goal is to not only provide an extreme amount of modular customization with regards to the attachments for any upcoming guns, but also animation where necessary to give indie devs everything they need to create functional and modular weapons in their projects.
This not only ensures maximum customization, but also gives you the ability to pair design with functionality if, for example, you were making a military game with an attachment system and wanted to really change the look of your gun depending on what players choose. Expect to hear more about that later though as we move into that phase of the new series.
This is only a small preview of what Modular Soldier: Jaeger Female offers, and a small tease of what's to come. To learn more about Modular Soldier head on over to the new Hub to discover more, see 4K screenshots or view footage of the assets.
If you're still on the fence or have any pre sale questions about the product, feel free to drop by the official support Discord Channel and hit me up about any questions you may have!
In the coming weeks and months I will be sharing more work in progress updates for the next installment in this new series. Be sure to follow me on Twitter or join the aforementioned support Discord Channel to be the first to know of upcoming packs and to provide feedback for future offerings!
With that I'd like to thank all of my customers for the support over the last nearly 8 years. At the end of the day I design these products for you, to help bring quality customizable content to indie devs building awesome content whether it be games, film or any entertainment experience.
I'm excited to begin this new chapter of modular MetaHuman assets. This inaugural release is only the beginning!
