First here is the video showing all the destruction variations:
For each tank, we create about 100 different static mesh pieces, that allow us to break the tank up in whatever way we want. And here are the first few animation we had.
Tank spitted in half. The pieces are pushed along the ground, blowing up dirt and soil and leaving big scars trail on the ground.
Tank hit and pushed back then its own ammo compartment explodes. This create a delayed explosion that let player have time to notice it and this amplify the satisfaction when you destroy a tank.
A brutal hard hit make tank explode instantly. Small parts violently flying out fast while big parts goes relatively slow help player recognize the tank shape when it explodes.
And finally when tank hit by machine guns, individual parts fall off and physically simulated. The rest of the tank with missing parts still moving and animated correctly.
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