Beyond The Wire News

We now shift the focus of the frontline back towards the Somme, and the fight for the Combles valley in 1916. After spending many years as backwater stores, the Combles valley in the north of France was captured by the British Expeditionary Force in late 1916 and helped spring the entente's advance. This new map arriving in Operation Two will introduce the BEF to Beyond The Wire.



Devastated by the earlier barrages, the combles valley now sits deformed and littered with destroyed houses, blasted walls and abandoned land ships. Heavy rainfall has left the ground waterlogged and hazardous, leaving pools of standing water across the field.



The frontline runs across the floor of the valley, with reinforced German firing positions crowning one side. Soldiers will need to take caution when moving at any point on this level due to the inherent risks of attacking uphill.



In addition to the difficulties of the environments, the claustrophobic ruins of the village will need careful attention. Fighting in these areas will carry the threat of hand-to-hand combat as the narrow paths and dark corners converge into tight spaces.



No man's land holds the remnants of the village that previously stood as a base of operations. The standing debris and abandoned trucks provide safety during assaults but beware of hidden enemies trying to cut off routes and paths.



The rear lines of the British show sporadic temporary trenches have been dug out to support the ground gained, with wooden structures and watchtowers quickly erected to support the infantry advance.



Sitting opposite is the formidable German HQ. Elevation, strong defences and steep access make this position a nightmare for attackers. With bullets and grenades thrown down from above, any army assaulting this final position will need all options available.

Stay posted for more detail on Operation Two coming later this week, Soldier!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The next few instalments of our Fields of Battle series will be showcasing the latest maps that will be arriving with Operation Two: For King and Country. The first map we’re attending to is Séchault, an infamous battle from the Meuse-Argonne offensive where the Harlem Hellfighters gained renown.


Premiering the brand new sub-faction sitting under French command, Sechault will introduce the 369th regiment to Beyond The Wire.


Charging through the hills of Séchault shows the difficulties of assaulting such a position. Any advance must be well planned, with elevated firings positions abound, the chalk-lined trenches will have to be utilised during the approach to ensure some level of safety before starting the attack.


The rear lines of the entente show tents with a field kitchen, as well as some benches and a piano, brought in on the nearby railway. Shallow trench lines lead over the hill and down to the frontline, providing safer routes of travel as well as secure positions for artillery and HMG crews to operate.


No man’s land is a crater-riddled field, filled with water and fallen comrades. There are various strong points connecting makeshift trenches which can be used as a springboard to extend your footing in the area. Any remaining trees that stand have been scarred and angled askew from the blasts of artillery shells.


Overlooking the map is the ruined chapel which provides the greatest elevation and vantage point, located at the very centre of the level. This position will be regularly contested as armies battle for the hilltop and chapel remains.


Pushing on through no-mans-land reveals the more established lines of the German Army. Defensive trenches and bunkers converge on the few remaining buildings that have been established as storage areas for ammunition and general equipment.

Stay alert Soldiers, we have more brief's on the way before heading out for Operation Two!

Back in our January Development Recap article, we teased a new section type coming to Beyond The Wire. Given the extremes of trench warfare, engineering sections were often put to task to fortify and entrench positions across the battlefield. With hardcover and protection against enemy fire and the elements being a priority for the armies of WW1, these sections will be vital to any army looking to advance on the Western Front. This new unit will be able to place structures, defensive equipment and various deployable to support their team. Whether the infantry needs an elevated firing position or secured rear positions, these pioneers will create the strong foundation needed for the fight ahead. We’re expecting to implement these new roles in the next update, but expect them to be expanded later in development.

[h2]Engineers[/h2]

A 3 man section tasked with reinforcing and fortifying positions across the battlefield to support the army. With several options of emplacements suiting different scenarios, the engineers will be busy creating strong bases for the infantry to strike from.

[h3]NCO[/h3]

The Engineer NCO will have the ability to construct fortified positions to help create strong defences. These constructions improve as more effort is applied to building it, making the structure more enclosed and fortified with each stage. Note: Engineer NCO is able to build emplacements.



In addition to these constructions, the Section Leader will be responsible for placing deployable ammo depot’s to resupply general ammunition, as well as rifleman’s ammo bags. Teams need to be wary as the depot will cause an explosion when it’s destroyed. The NCO will also be able to place barbed wire, sandbags and duckboards.



The two remaining roles that make up the section will also be able to affect the battle around them with their own selection of deployables. Engineers have access to building barbed wire and sandbag defences to further embed vital firing positions, as well as portable ladders to help gain access to elevated positions. The Sapper also has access to a Bangalore torpedo, a long tube-carried explosive that can be used for clearing barbed wire and destroying enemy emplacements.

 

[h3]Sapper[/h3]

• Bangalore torpedo
  
• 1x Ladder
  
• 1x Duckboard

Bangalore torpedo video Note: Bangalore is still a work in progress and has a bit of development work still to be done.

[h3]Builder[/h3]

• 2x Barbed Wire
  
• 2x Sandbags
  
• 2x Duckboards

When these engineers arrive teams will be better equipped and more prepared to strengthen and lockdown critical positions. With ingenuity at the heart of this unit players will have interesting options at their disposal, and we’re sure this role will be popular across the board.

We have more articles coming in fast so stay posted Soldiers!

[h2]Welcome Soldiers![/h2]

We have a quick article to update you on the status of our second Operation, For King and Country, which is expected to release at the end of this first quarter of the year. After reviewing our position we have made a decision to delay the release of Operation Two by a couple of weeks. We are rearranging some efforts to ensure the best release possible, taking an extra two weeks to thoroughly test the new content and engage additional marketing efforts for the update.  With this additional time, we can take the time needed to ensure the readiness of this build as we release in mid-April. We're obviously disappointed not to hit the Q1 target, but with For King and Country being our first major content expansion it needs to be up to the standards we've set up to now.

We still have a batch of reveal articles ready to share to stay posted for announcements on our Fields of Battle and Faction Reveal pieces! While you're waiting on that detail, we have been given the approval to share the first footage from the on-going shelling of Sechault, Meuse-Argonne.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Welcome Soldiers!
[/h2]
For this development update, we’ll be detailing the changes coming to the Frontlines game mode with the next update. This is part of the refactoring of our game modes, with Frontlines going through a complete overhaul ready for Operation Two, and Assault receiving an update a little later down the line.

Currently, the game mode is broken up into a number of timed phases. During each phase, a sector of territory with multiple small capture points is contested, and the team that controls the majority of the capture points at the end of the time will win the phase. With this not delivering the gameplay we are aiming for, the new version of Frontlines will play out differently.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Timelapse of the new system.

Frontlines will now be made up of sector’s that contain an odd number of capture points. Teams must capture the objectives to gain victory points, which are earned when a team controls the majority of the capture points within a sector
A phase concludes when a team reaches the required threshold of victory points, at which point they gain control of the contested sector, and the adjacent sector belonging to the opposing team becomes neutral.

Score HUD widget shows each teams victory points, the number of phases won and the objectives held in the current phase.

After a phase is concluded, there will be a timed delay (duration still to be finalised) where the next set of capture points will not be visible on the minimap or UI for either team, in order to give the advancing team a chance to get a foothold in the subsequent sector as the defenders could easily fall back and gain a large advantage otherwise

Note: Frontlines will be tested and the new system modified based on feedback. Some details are subject to change.

Note 2: The number of capture points scales depending on how many players are in the server at the time a phase begins

[h3]Victory Conditions
[/h3]
1. If one team wins 3 phases, that team wins
2. If one team captures the enemy’s last sector, that team wins
3. If the time limit for the round runs out, the team with the most sectors wins
3.1 If both teams own an equal number of sectors, the team with the most victory points in the current phase wins
3.2 If both teams have an equal amount of victory points, the team with the most capture points in their control wins
3.3 If both teams have an equal amount of capture points in their control, the game ends in a draw


We’re excited to see the communities feedback when these changes arrive, and you can expect an additional article in the near future detailing the changes coming to Assault. In the meantime, stay posted Soldiers!