We have 15 new screenshots and 4 renders up today of Joint Task Force, Mithis Entertainment's modern warfare RTS.

We also have diary from game developer Kristoffer Waardahl for you to read that explains a bit more about the game. Click 'Full Story' to read it.

Welcome backto the JTF dev diaries!
Things are moving on at high speed in the Joint Task Force workshop – but I though I'd start off by shedding more light on the goodies I talked about last time before I unravel more cool stuff…so let's begin with...

THE MAPS
Since our goal is to evolve the way RTS games are played without actually changing the RTS feeling, the first logical stop was the battlefield itself. I already mentioned map sectors – so what are they? The JTF battlefield is a dynamic environment where the maps expand as you play. As new mission objectives are given, new map sectors are opened each time to keep you on your toes – you'll never know where to go next!
The action in the game takes place in gorgeous locations all across the globe, so expect a very diverse combat environment, from caves and jungles to suburban areas. Besides being graphically different, each area is a different challenge – the enemy behavior changes to reflect their home ground, so at each area you'll have to adapt your

TACTICS!
One of the most important aspects of the game, the tactics you choose will play a huge difference in your game. Whether you are an armor nut preferring to mow down your foes under tank tracks or an infantry grunt, relying on steely nerves and fast maneuvers, you're spoiled for choice in Joint Task Force.
A lot of important choices are made right at the beginning of each battle… go for vehicles or infantry? Deploy now, or scout ahead? Equip the men with extra weapons, or go for scavenging? These are but a few of the decisions you'll have to make.
With the dynamic air deployment in the game, you don't need a "home base". The helicopters transporting your infantry to battle can land anywhere on the map, giving you enormous tactical freedom. Of course, the choppers can only carry infantry and light vehicles, but infantry is a force to be reckoned with in the right terrain!

INFANTRY
Since JTF is regularly a vehicle-heavy environment, we were faced with quite a challenge to make infantry interesting and worth playing with – usually in games like this the "little guys" often end up in the background or as "first-tier" units, which are seldom used later on. Drawing on personal army experiences in the team and consulting with a professional mercenary were just some of the steps we took to integrate infantry the right way in our game.
First of all, we had to decide on which unit types to include. Everyone has their favorites of course, but it was also important to give them a clear role to play. We decided to have JTF Rangers (the basic "soldier" ), SF operators (masters of stealth, demolition and mayhem in general), Marksmen (long-range killers), and two supporting units, Medics and Combat Engineers.

In order to keep a reasonably realistic gameplay, we decided to make infantry pretty fragile but very versatile. They are fully customizable with gear, from C4 to Stinger AA missiles to cover a wide scope, but their primary advantage is their ability to hide and maneuver.
Infantry can enter buildings, narrow alleys and other hard-to-access places. They can also hide in high grass; take cover behind wrecks or in buildings. This not only helps them staying alive, but since tanks have trouble spotting infantry you're good to set up nice and sneaky ambushes given the right environment. Sneaking is also a slow but sure recipe for getting close to the bad guys and deliver a nasty C4 surprise.

The AI is also designed to look out for the men; there's nothing worse then having to baby-sit your units because you know they'll just look stupid and get mowed down if left unattended. The AI detects threats just like you would, and moves soldiers behind cover or into concealment if there's anything nearby. Failing that, they'll do their best to engage the target, but don't expect miracles if you're facing off with a T72 MBT with a few assault rifles! : )
That's all for now folks – keep checking back to the next installment which will deal with heroes, special weapons and more!

- Kristoffer Waardahl