Beyond The Wire News

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

After revealing Château-Thierry, our February update is ready to ship! Featuring a brand new map, new weapons, gameplay changes and many fixes and improvements, Update 0.9 is live now!


[h2]Gameplay [/h2]
[h3]New[/h3]
- Added Assault and Frontlines layers for our new map, Chateau-Thierry.
- Added the ability to wind-up a melee attack by pressing & holding LMB, and releasing it by releasing LMB. Does not apply to affixed bayonets.
- Added deployable duckboards to Rifleman role

[h3]Changes[/h3]
- Improved overall weapon handling
- Improved pistol weapon handling
- All spawn points now use a global wave timer, respawning the entire team at the same time. Players who get a spawn penalty will be pushed to the next wave.
- Reduced Rally Point placement penalty from 30 seconds to 20 seconds
- Reduced fall damage multiplier from 100 to 50 & Increased safe fall speed from 650 to 750
- Reduced stamina consumption when focus aiming
- Placement of deployables will now get canceled when getting wounded or incapacitated
- Exiting emplaced weapons during a reload will stop the reload animation
- Rally Points can now be placed when nearby section members are in an emplacement
- Bayonet attacks will now interrupt rifle bolting
- Emplacements can no longer be dug down when a player is on them


[h2]Fixes[/h2]
- Fixed Rally Point nearby enemy radius being greater than 5 meters
- Fixed grenade damage not affecting players if the terrain was slightly blocking the impact point
- Melee weapons no longer cause damage on the initial wind-up
- Commander abilities no longer register teamkills
- Inactive capture zones no longer block Rally Point placement
- Commander abilities no longer register teamkills
- Chlorine Gas kills will now be properly attributed to the commander
- Fixed melee not working on Shooting Range
- Fixed stamina bar not being depleted completely when focus aiming


[h2]Weapons[/h2]
- Added RSC Fusil Automatique M1917 to the French Assault role
- Added Colt-Vickers 1915 to the AEF MG section
- Added M1882 Officer’s Sabre to all Infantry Section Leader and Commander roles
- Added Mk1 Trench Knife
- Added Sharpened Spade melee weapon
- Added French Nail melee weapon
- Added M1916 Trench Knife


[h2]Maps[/h2]
- New map: Chateau-Thierry
- Reworked various areas on Frise
- Various bugfixes on Shooting Range
- Various bugfixes on Cantigny
- Various bugfixes on Ansoncourt
- Various bugfixes on Zonnebeke


[h2]Art[/h2]
- Enabled Runtime Virtual Texturing (better blending of objects with terrain)
- Adjusted character jog animation to stop more smoothly
- Fixed various environment assets using non-PBR values
- Improved visuals of wet clothing on rainy maps
- Improved visuals of various tree assets
- Improved visuals of various wooden assets
- Improved visuals of Cheval de Frise assets


[h2]UI[/h2]
- Updated main menu background
- Fixed revive screen showing the name of players who were incapacitated while trying to revive
- Added map icon for Field Phone that appears for commander and signaler
- Added inventory count for Field Dressings and Sandbags
- Reduced low health post processing effects


[h2]Optimization[/h2]
- Disabled cloth simulation on all windmill assets and disabled animation on damaged versions
- Reduced terrain resolution on Frise and Ansoncourt
- Optimized visuals and performance of sandbag assets
- Optimized grass textures
- Optimized falling leaves visual effects by converting them to GPU particles
- Optimized trenches on Zonnebeke
- Optimized burnt tree assets
- Optimized Fokker Dr. I assets


[h2]Miscellaneous[/h2]
- Fixed various server and client crashes
- Fixed players being able to glitch out of the map boundaries when placing a Rally Point close by
- Fixed Field Cannon collision disabling the ability to lean
- Fixed German Ammo Bag not behaving like other ammo bags
- Fixed Binoculars showing ammo count
- Fixed equipment and weapon becoming invisible when player is on an emplacement and it’s being dug down
- Updated bayonet attack and charge screaming sounds


[h2]Known issues[/h2]
- Some wooden assets may have red textures
- Ground textures show black dots / artifacts
- Switching Audio quality in the options menu will cause a crash. Please restart the game to prevent that from happening.

Our latest Fields of Battle article arrives in time for the February update and brings a spotlight to Château-Thierry, the next map to release for Beyond The Wire. Shifting the frontline to the first and second battle of the Marne, this new map is our most geographically diverse to date.


This new field of battle features a variety of small villages, an airfield, farmland, forests, destroyed towns, river crossing, trench lines, ammunition depots, underground bunkers and a large Château situated on the highest point of the map.


Dominating the map is the Chateau, which won't be enterable for this first release as we work on building out the interior. Being a major control point, sections wanting to expand their territory must gain a foothold on the Château grounds before progressing. The large building takes up a capture zone which will need to be defended from all angles if teams are to hold the position.


Entrenched positions and low trenches lead up to the Château, providing cover and elevation to help defend the surrounding area. Entente forces will need to take a dangerous river crossing before pushing through the outer village and on to the Château and will need to call for support from fire support sections to ensure any gained ground is held.


A temporary airfield has been established to help ease the difficulties of resupplying the frontline across land. With this area being critical to the operation of the enemy, forces must prioritise commandeering the landing strip to disrupt the enemies infrastructure. With pitched tents and a secured perimeter making entry difficult, claiming the airfield will carry a heavy cost.


Low stone walls line the edges of farmyards and poppy fields that remain untouched by the shelling, for now. The varying elevation of these fields and outhouses present further difficulties for infantry looking to strengthen the flank.


German HQ is an array of strong points and bunkers interconnected with a shallow trench system. If the German side loses the Château they will need to act quickly to reinforce the area before the Entente forces breakthrough.

Château-Thierry Minimap

With this brand new map just around the corner, we're excited to bring the battle of the Marne to Beyond The Wire. Stay posted, Soldier!

We're excited to reveal that Beyond The Wire will be taking part in this year's Lunar New Year Sale on Steam! From February 11th you'll be able to pick up Beyond The Wire with a 25% discount, meaning the game will cost just £20.84, $26.25, €22.50.



This year's lunar sale will run from 10 AM PST / 7 PM UTC 11th February and last through to the 15th February. With a new update coming this month and Operation Two: For King and Country following soon after, now is an ideal time to head out Beyond The Wire.



Check out some of the latest work done on the project in January's Development Recap, and we'll see you in the trenches!

We return with our new development recap article, this time taking a look at the work done for January. Progress has been made on content coming in February, while parts of the team have been concentrating on changes and addition coming with Operation Two. Check out some of the first bits of info we have for our first major content drops arriving in this first quarter of 2021.

[h2]British Expeditionary Force[/h2]

Weaponry for the BEF is on the way, and we can showcase some of the low poly models recently completed. With many iconic weapons coming with the British arsenal, we’re excited to bring this force to the battlefield.

[h3]SMLE Mk. III*[/h3]
The incremental design evolution from Lee-Metford produced the SMLE Mk. III, kept up to modern standards by various updates.  It was still lacking and was going to be replaced by the P14, until the declaration of war locked in the SMLE as the standard rifle. The BEF entered the conflict with a rifle designed for the new engagements of a WW1 battlefield. With an ergonomic bolt design allowing rapid fire techniques such as ‘The Mad Minute’, the British forces had the perfect platform to halt the advance of the German Empire in 1914




[h3]Lewis Gun[/h3]
Taking an American design and refining for use on the Western Front, the BEF were one of the first to adopt the LMG. Using the same cartridge as the Vickers and with a similar rate of fire, the Lewis Gun is far easier for soldiers to carry, get set up, and use in the attack than the HMG alternative.




Webley Mark VI
The British military officially adopted the Mark VI revolver from 1915 to 1923, with the revolver seeing heavy use during this time. Like most revolvers, the Webley Mark VI held six rounds of ammunition in .445 calibre, making the weapon ideal for trench fighting.




[h2]Combles, Somme[/h2]
Work has begun on the prototyping of the level coming in Operation Two, Combles. This battle from the Somme will be a major battlefield for the BEF and we’ve already started designing the level and creating points of interest. The larger red cylinder represents one of the headquarters. This one overlooks the village (orange cylinder) which features trench networks and tunnels. The smaller red cylinders are fortified firing positions that players can secure and capture going up the hill.




[h2]Pioneer Section Deployables[/h2]

The engineers will be affecting the battlefield with these new options for defendable positions. Erecting hardcover and wooden platforms, Pioneers will start to take on an imperative role on the battlefield with these new additions.




[h2]Runtime Virtual Texturing[/h2]

The art team has worked on implementing a new landscape blending technique. Utilising Runtime Virtual Texturing, our art team are now able to better blend and integrate assets placed in the landscape.

Video of how RVT works


[h2]Commander Section Changes[/h2]

Turning attention towards gameplay systems, our design team have iterated on the command section. Up to now, Commanders would be restricted to the telephone placement to interact with the command menu. These commander changes are still in the works but expect them soon.

Video of commander interacting with signaller


[h2]Melee System[/h2]

Also in development are some changes to the melee system. With new weapons coming and more dynamics planned for melee, we continue to review the system to ensure it remains a core feature for the game. Taking onboard the discussions within the community we noticed a need to allow players more control over their attacks and combinations. One strong suggestion which we’re working on including is a new ‘wind-up’ technique, giving players the ability to wind-up their attack so they can time their strikes. Our February update will include a change with bayonet attacks being blocked by bolt racking animations. Next update means players will no longer be caught helpless after firing a missed shot, bayonet attacks will cancel the animation, giving time to redeem your first attempt.

Video of new wind-up attack


We'll be back next week with a Fields of Battle article looking at the next map to release, Chateau-Thierry. Stay posted, Soldiers!

We return to our development updates for 2021 with a new take for updating you on the important work that's been going on behind the scenes! These new recaps will be showcasing more work in progress from across the team, including detailing any gameplay and feature changes. We’ll be delivering these every month to show the progress being made on Beyond The Wire. Our recent article on the road map update showed new weapons coming in February. With this being a hot topic of discussion, we've highlighted this work for the first Development Recap - check out the latest work being completed on the project!

Note: These assets may change depending on project requirements.

[h2]Weapons[/h2]

[h3]Modèle 1897 75mm field cannon[/h3]
The first and third-person animations have recently been completed for the new Modèle 1897 75mm field cannon. The Modèle 1897 will be deployed by the AEF and French Republic artillery crews and replaces the placeholder Feldkanone 96 that has been used by all factions up to now.

First person reload animation video Third person reload animation video


[h3]FRENCH NAIL[/h3]
Taking inspiration from the many references of makeshift weapons, we're bringing the brutal Nail Knife to the trenches! A predecessor to the M1916, French forces would modify bayonet blades to craft make-shift Trench knives.




[h3]M1916 Knife[/h3]
Following the Nail was the M1916. This knife became standard issue for the French forces, giving better personal defence for the French Army when engaged in close-quarters. This design inspired other Entente forces to issue their own variant.




[h3]Sharpened Spade[/h3]
A trench rat's best friend in more ways than one! Entrenching tools like spades were often modified and used as melee weapons, being dangerous in multiple applications. Sharpened edges were a common change, making the shovel both heavy and sharp.




[h3]RSC 1917[/h3]
Coming in our next update is the recently completed RSC 1917. This self-loading rifle has 3 and 5 round capacity magazines, making it one of the first of it’s kind to go out Beyond The Wire. In the theatre diluted with bolt-actions, soldiers carrying a self-loading rifle have a distinct advantage




[h3]Hotchkiss 1914[/h3]
Our French forces will also be receiving their own HMG, the Benét–Mercié. Now fully textured and ready to rip, this popular machine gun will be arriving in our next update in various forms!




[h3]Colt-Vickers 1915[/h3]
And we're almost ready to bring out the first of the British inspired weaponry as well. The Colt-Vickers was an adapted version of the British Vickers Machine Gun used by the AEF towards the end of the war. Again coming with an option of mounts, the Colt-Vickers will be the main HMG of choice for the American forces.




Third person reload animation video


We’ll be discussing these additions and the updated roadmap in our upcoming developer livestream. We’ll be live on twitch next week so stay posted for news on all fronts. See you then!