Isn't the pigeon on the game poster?

Ok the movie is a comedy and the game is not related to it.

Will the game have comic elements or is it totally serious?

If already done where are the story details, or an outline for the game?

"The pigeon was also the most hated part of the trailer. "

I loved it. Without the pigeon it would have been far too close to looking like a pro-Nazi trailer.

The people who hated it also tended to be the people who were upset that this was a comedy film, which wouldn't be the target audience for Iron Sky.

The pigeon was also the most hated part of the trailer. Looking through comments on Youtube most thougt it to be out of line with the look of the trailer and a cheap joke. I didn't mind it.

Whether it's a penguin or a pigeon, be careful to include it in a more subtle way.

Lee:

Try to understand that the game will be totally different then the movie. So why put something that is in the movie, in the game.

Yup

I think they want a distinct identity for the game as it's more of a prequel to the film rather than the game of the film, hence all the penguin suggestions... :)

Why not use the chosen patch super impoded on the left hand side of the antartica in the current logo, (http://www.wreckamovie.com/system/production_pictures/0000/0841/background_ironsky_testing.png?) without the iron sky text, the eagle and the Operation Highjump text on it as one of the proposals of the logo of the game?

Using the Task Force 68 is possible, yes.

And yes, we are aware of the myriad of conspiracy theories concerning Nazi UFOs: we actually do some research here, believe it or not :) We are not, however, taking them at face value: in our game, Operation Highjump is not sent to Antarctica because of a suspected Nazi base, but because of the very same reason they were sent there in real life, too. Our American protagonists bumb into the base pretty much by accident. So if you are afraid that we are suggesting there's something fishy going on in the US Navy, historically or otherwise, then let me assure you: we are not very pro-conspiracy, either.

Are we still using the Task Force 68 to at least keep things that real. The person does not matter, I gave you a name idea with rank, and I think the Cat Patch would be fine since there is not real patch for Task Force 68 since it is Classified, mainly.

Currently you are making a game off a Conspiracy Theory. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Just wanted to inform you on that.

In a sentence, we feel there are more people who might get offended, were we to suggest that a real person was, for example, used as a guinea pig in secret Nazi experiments. To continue with another sentence, if we were to make sure that all historical facts are correct, we'd be having much bigger problems already at our premise: after all, it suggests that the Third Reich is alive and well at the Moon. Also, we don't know what kind of people the participants of the mission were, so basically, they would anyway end up being made-up. Therefore, using a made-up crew crashing a made-up plane is much more sensible.

I think it's also clear why we might be able to use that oh-so-cute cat patch: because the game is based in an alternative reality. It may well be that in our very own 1947, the patch used for the operation represents a badass kitty hovering over the Antarctica. Of course! After all, we are aiming for verisimilitude, not reality.

Markus: "So just invent a "secret section" operating under Task Force 68 and use the cat as their symbol?"

If you read what I posted earlier, it would just be insulting to me and many other soldiers to make up a Division, rather then using the real division, real unit, real company that performed the Mission.

Matt: It is Navy, not Coast Guard... ;)

I would also go with the second option. Task Force 68 (CTF 68) was under the Sixth Division (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Sixth_Fleet).

I'd go with option number 2 of Matti's choices. This would first of all acknowledge the people that participated, but on the other hand wouldn't even accidentally name any names that really existed.

On the other hand, if we use a real name, our fancy new mascot and patch will have been all for naught. So just invent a "secret section" operating under Task Force 68 and use the cat as their symbol?

Kris: Your words were not disrespectful, don't worry about it.

I wouldn't worry that much about Legal Problems. If you look at the most famous war game, Call of Duty, there are many characters that could represents people in real life. But you do not not see people threatening legal action. I think things will be fine.

Plus, I was suggesting names for a Main Character, one of them based off a friend of mine, and he is perfectly fine with it.

Mein Freund (My Friend) - Matthew Hayes
My Character Name - Jason Hayes

The Main Character is American as everybody knows.

"I would personally find it insulting since I serve the same Armed Forces that took part in the Operation."

I'm very sorry if I implied something disrespectful, that certainly wasn't my intention.

I think it's brilliant that someone like you is involved with this project. :)

"Since this was a real operation,"

Well, that's precisely what makes me nervous. Once real events are used in an otherwise fictional story, there is the risk of people involved in those real events taking offence at something fictional.

Just to give an example of what I'm afraid of:

There was a famous Finnish cartoon series called "Mämmilä" which was based on a real town in Finland, but with fictional characters and storylines. Unfortunately one of the cartoon's more disreputable characters was somewhat similar to a real life person in the real life town, and they threatened legal action against the artist.

Supposing one of the 100% fictional characters in the game turns out to be somehow similar to a real life member of that same unit, and that person takes offence at something in the game? Having a fictional unit number might perhaps help to shield the game from such risks?

Operation Highjump (OpHjp) is still mainly Classified Information. The US Military still to the day claim that the Operation was:

1. to train personnel and test material in the frigid zones

2. to consolidate and extend American sovereignty over the largest practical area of the Antarctic continent

3. to determine the feasibility of establishing and maintaining bases in the Antarctic and to investigate possible base sites

4. to develop techniques for establishing and maintaining air bases on the ice, with particular attention to the later applicability of such techniques to operations in interior Greenland. (where, it was then believed, physical and climatic conditions resembled those in Antarctica)

5. to amplify existing knowledge of hydrographic, geographic, geological, meteorological and electromagnetic conditions in the area.

Jani: There is a such thing as the 105th Airborne, but it is easy to get Units Mixed up like you said. 101st Airborne is the famous WWII Airborne Fighting Force.

Chris: I don't think it will cause legal problems. Many game use real units. Since this was a real operation, I feel it would be more rude and disgraceful to make up a unit. I would personally find it insulting since I serve the same Armed Forces that took part in the Operation.

Matt: The actual Division/Unit involved was Task Force 68 (CTF 68)

http://www.navyfliers.com/operation-highjump.html

Matti I would strongly advise inventing a fictional unit, to avoid legal problems or anyone being offended?

Oops. I got the airborne number wrong. It's supposed to be homage to Band of Brothers, but in that series it's 101st airborne.

And upon further review i'd go with the black cat, too, but maybe would change the yellow to a little lighter tone to make it stand out.

Why, thank you! ;)

Ah... well. Nice job with the Mascot Artwork (Patches).

TBH I did not "pick" any myself. Jani used the 105th in his nose art shot, and I just went along with it since we did not have any official numbers from the production leaders anyway. ;)

Yeah...

BTW Angela, nice to use the 105th Expeditionary Airborne!

Fair enough Spencer. :)

But like Matti says, the Americans didn't know there were any Nazis there, I think the plot of the game has them stumbling on the Nazi base accidentally.

Matt: They had them, they were just experimental at the time. Soldiers in Alaska used them, but they were not popular at the time, so that is why you may have not heard of them. I'm not arguing saying you should use them, I was just telling you that the US had them.

Kris: I said, WWII Era, that means around the time of WWII (including 2 years after WWII).

Spencer, this game takes place in 1947, two years after WWII ended.

Wait... if you wear Black... then it just makes it easier for the Nazi's to spot you if you are wondering around. The United States did have White BDU's back in the WWII Era.

If it's a black jacket I would actually go for the dark brown one:

http://www.wreckamovie.com/system/shot_medias/0000/3969/OH_HAT_10.jpg

"It seems like the Americans didn't have white snow uniforms back then, and, anyway, the war was over and the operation was (allegedly) focused on training and surveying."

Hey, that's a really interesting point: they weren't (knowingly) invading the Antarctic, so it would make sense that they would wear non-white uniforms to make it easier to find people who got lost.

They would only have worn white if they knew the Nazis were there.

IMHO, if they are wearing black jackets, that would be one more reason to use the black cat rather than any colored versions... ;)

The Black Cat would look best on American BDUs (Camo)

I like the dark grey, partly because it implies night / stealth etc.

I'd go with option numero tres. That pink one. Or the light gray one.

A light color makes the cats' teeth and nails stand out.

The black one is cool, too.

When in doubt, respect the designer's opinion!!

The best colours also depend on the rest of the uniform, which we haven't seen yet. Maybe the context would help us to choose the best version?

Jani, I have uploaded a brown sample. And an orange one, too...

Anyhow, by all means, please feel free to experiment with these if you have time and ideas. :) I posted some black&white versions here:
http://www.wreckamovie.com/shots/show/5347

The sad thing is, no matter I keep trying all these colored version, I still feel that the black one is my favorite. Because it looks like these:

http://www.washingtonartillery.com/patch%20WA%20773rd%20WWII.JPG
http://www.tomcattersassociation.org/images/Fighting%2031%20Patch.jpg

Unless of course, we change the yellow background into something else... for instance to achieve something like this (which by the way originally inspired my drawing):

http://www.f-14association.com/memo_patch_f14_l.gif

As for the number... I think we'll need one Matti or another to tell us which they intend to use in their storyline. But that's easily edited. So no concerns at least on that front. ;)

How about a light brown cat? Lighter color makes the cat stand out when viewed from a distance.

The overall design is great!

It really doesn't matter whether there are 4 or 6 colors - as long as it looks right (no gradients or any other fancy stuff).

The 105 airborne was taken from Band of Brothers, i think... So you might need to change it to whatever outfit went to the Antarctic.

Edit: Added a light gray version. To be honest though, I still prefer the black one I posted in the other shot: http://www.wreckamovie.com/shots/show/5315

Pink definitely does not work on the yellow background... and I really would like to keep the yellow background as it seems to be very appropriate when it comes to era-specific military patches...

As an additional "excuse" to support my cause, I can only quote the fact that a lot of military patches do not follow such logo rules as demonstrated by several examples visible on http://www.av8rstuff.com/

I see there tons of "logos" which include at least 5 or 6 different colors.

As for the nose art, that was even colorful according to google images. With just as much shading and details as the person painting it was able to achieve, to the point its quality could be comparable to a full-color illustration.

Yeah, well, I am am aware of the color rules for logos, but I admittedly ran completely out of ideas for other options. Perhaps you would like to try some yourself? One of the reasons I had made the black version of the cat was to have less colors, too, as I couldn't find any cat-color that looked right. Pink just looks too naked and weak, at least IMHO. And I cannot imagine any military unit wanting to be represented by a pink shaven pussy-cat. :P

The three star top hat works, but the color scheme doesn't.

You really need a better color for the cat - and i know it's hard - You can only have 4 colors max in a logo.

The middle one gets my vote.

Yip, that's my second most favorite. I just kinda like the black one most because it makes the cat looks much more threatening... and I like evil kittens. Meeeow! :P

The grey one with the traditional "uncle sam" colours (red, white, blue) is the best IMHO. :) Well done.

No worries, Matti. The colors are being fervently and extensively discussed in these pages, anyway. So I am confident that we will eventually achieve "perfection", sooner or later. ;) Enjoy your tea and have a good day! :)

Cartoon look is totally authentic for American forces in the 1940s. Just found a whole blog devoted to this topic:

http://toonsatwar.blogspot.com/

For example they had cartoon tortoises on tank division patches. Angela's cat fits a parachute regiment just as perfectly.

Thanks Markus, I am very glad to see we agree. Your opinion counts a lot to me, as I did try hard to make this patch look right. :)

Liking the 2nd cat most. True Uncle Sam colors and it's nicely balanced with those colors.

Also, it looks just like the real deal, no problems with the cartoony look. Just look at the things they painted on airplanes back then =).

Edit: Plus, this one is definitely better than the grey one due to the panther-reference

By the way, in case anyone was wondering, my personal favorite amongst all the variations I posted is the black cat no. 2 - the one wearing a striped hat.

Edit: I have added a zip with the Photoshop source file, in case anyone wants to play with it. Just PM me for the password! :)

OMG... just noticed it's past 3:00am... eeek! Nite nite everybody! *blush*

The second cat even in this one is closest to the true-to-the-era look. The parachute in US-colors is the best option.

I would only change the tophat to the yankee-style I already liked in the black patch shot. That way the picture has a very even and stylish coloration. Could you maybe add one of those so we can see whether or not it clashes with the parachute too much?
If it indeed does clash, then the traditional black tophat with stars is good too.

Also, don't like the other colors than black either. Only the gray one *might* work if for some totally bizarre reason you couldn't use black. This goes for the other colors in the colorful patch -shot too.

Edit: I added the pink cat and a lighter gray version. Had to keep the black hat though - the "Uncle Sam" colors do not seem to work in combination with the colored parachute. I personally am not fond of the pink version of the cat, but perhaps anyone feels otherwise? Is this getting any better?

Have to agree on that. It is an amazingly cool slogan. :D

I think i got the 105 division name from the Band of Brothers, so change it if you have to.

But the slogan "we always land on our feet" is one of the coolest ideas i've had on WAM.

The dark cat just doesn't work. It is a good idea to try it, but still no.

I'd go with this, with 3-star a top hat:
http://www.wreckamovie.com/system/shot_medias/0000/2721/cat_parachute2.jpg

This would be the insignia for the division, not the mission.

Anssi - how would you tune the colors? I used bright basic colors since i wanted the parachute to have American flag colors, and they are visible from a longer distance than more tuned down ones.

For a shoulder patch, all the lines should be thicker, and the cat's body and face should be a bit simpler. I can do the parachute easy enough, but the cat is a lot of Illustrator work, so i'll do it only if it's absolutely necessary.

I still intend to do some extra color tests... although I've been a little busy lately with many other shots. But It's going to happen, sooner or later... ;)

As far as I can see, you're fine with the current design.
Might want to remove some detail though for a shoulder-patch.

Here's a site with a decent amount of WW2 U.S. patches:
http://www.angelfire.com/md2/patches/branchI.html
-there are some quite comical looking ones in the Airborne,
and under 'other small units/other units' especially 98th FAB:
http://www.angelfire.com/md2/patches/images/afab98.jpg

The colors are almost great. And there should be some. Think about the Screaming Eagle of 101st (in Band of Brothers) http://327infantry.org/shop/images/se_decallg.jpg and some other real life insignia.
About the Uncle Sam version...I'm not so sure about it. Maybe too comical?
About the general idea: Perfect! Great job Angela ja Jani!

Glad you like it, Angela. Some people are stingy about their ideas and shots, but you're right, collaboration is the name of the game.

I like how the cat seems to jump right on top of the enemy... I wanted to make it so that it works easily in a round badge. And it has a pretty nice 40s mascot look to it. Still thinking about the coloring of the cat...

Do whatever you want with my shots. If you want a different version of a certain logo for example in PSD format with all the layers, I can put it up on my webpage for download (The Operation Highjump logos have 15+ layers and take 100-200Mb...).

Jani, of course I do not mind, this is what WAM is about - working together. ;) I had been thinking of implementing a parachute as well, but I had not come up with anything that looked right... it seems you solved my problem. So when I am done with the round badges I may just as well be the one re-working your version of my logo in the end. (giggle)

Thumb up for the great idea!

Emperor suits better :D. I could see about making a 3D model from this concept when acceptance is achieved :D

That's great, and it looks a lot more sinister than the previous penguin too. :)

Sure, will be working on it! This may force me to shift forward the cat logo . and the soft drinks/wine logos, but I guess you're willing to cope with that :). Drawing as fast as I can... but unfortunately there's a rather boring real job that keeps me from doing it all day! ;)

Edit: Added zombie belt version, edited the logo on the helmet as advised by Kris, and added bullet holes as suggested by Jani. Everybody happy now? ;)

@Dario: Hail LinuSS!!! XD

PS: I've added, again on request, a version with armband. Although I personally would go for the one with belt but without armband, since I personally find it a bit "too much." But it is a matter of taste, I suppose.

@Kris: Looks like Linux logo, maybe we can call it LinuSS :-)

Ahaa... that's pretty good. :)

Edit: How about a cross-strap-belt? Also, he looks a bit more angry now... ;)

One of these:

http://www.thehistorybunker.co.uk/acatalog/pick3.1.jpg

I suppose he doesn't have to be a Nazi so much as a German. Maybe have a WW1 helmet with a spike on it? (shrug)

Hmm, I guess this penguin looks just a little bit too "cute and cuddly" to make a good nazi. Will be thinking of a way to change/improve that...

I like it, nice design.. But it somehow doesn't look 'nazi'. Propably it's the scarf that looks rather British to me.

I like the helmet, though! The helmet could be used to indicate his moods (low on the eyes when angry, tilted back when happy, sideways when in doubt etc.

The zombie penguin is great. Maybe there could be a bullett hole or schrapnel on the helmet..

Edit: Added a zombie version... brraaaaaains!!

I think he/she needs a name... any suggestions?

Looked round Google a bit. Yes, they definitely had mission patches in 1947 (though they weren't called mission patches in those days). Apparently their history in the American forces dates back to the first world war.

This would definitely look nice as a patch on clothing. Did they use mission patches in 1947?

I love the 1940s feel these have... :)

The helmet one is better in black and white, but maybe if we see them in colour it might be different?

Edit: Added cylinder-hat version.