Beyond The Wire News

Welcome Soldiers!



Following on from the reveal of Passchendaele we now move the front over to the second map in development, Argonne. To offer a different experience in-game we decided to explore the setting of the Argonne which will demand a change in approach to the battle, given the environmental factors of a forest location. While not being completely accurate to history, we aimed to deliver a different feeling that would break up the barren look of no man’s land that featured so heavily during WW1.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was part of the final Allied offensive of World War I and was one of the attacks that brought an end to the War. With over a million American soldiers deployed to the front, it was the largest operation of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I.




Ranging from the dense woodland of the Argonne Forest, sprawling, extensive trenches and engulfing shell craters, the Argonne will be one of the most diverse environments in Beyond The Wire. Featuring 1km² of playable area, players will need to be alert to the enemies movement to prevent surprise assaults from all sides.



The level is designed for players to traverse a variety of environmental challenges before converging on an opening between the tree lines where a downed aircraft and huge craters make for a tough grind to push back the enemy. The open land is ideal for machine gun cover to assist the friendly charge but this opening will be well contested as teams try to claim a foothold beyond their lines.



The dense forest gives some opportunity for sections to move outside of the trench networks on their advance, but safety can only be partly guaranteed inside the well-established trenches, which have been largely untouched prior to the offensive. Moving through the trenches carries it’s own risks though, with underground bunkers and high walls hiding threats around each corner.



Flanking routes are available to the North and South for any assault squad looking to surprise the enemy. Gully’s and thick tree lines offer some concealment for those manoeuvres, however, teams will need to concentrate their forces at the centre to ensure strategic positions are held in order to support the advance.




Join us later today at 11 AM PST / 6PM UTC for a developer livestream where we will take an extended look at the Argonne with creative director Bruno and level designer Maurice!

Not long after announcing the Beyond The Wire we presented the first look at some of the firearms that will be featured in Early Access. Development is moving rapidly now and we have some more weapons to showcase for you. Coming in hot off the supply train are more armaments that you will be facing when heading out Beyond The Wire.



[h2]MG-08[/h2]

The Germans were among the first to realise that a good heavy machine gun must not only have good performance, but would need to be mounted to unlock it's full potential. The MG 08 lafette could fold into a sled for quick transportation across the ground. In design, it was more complex but quite comfortable in use and better prepared for trench warfare than some competitors. Like all relatives of the Maxim machine gun, the MG 08 was extremely reliable and ideal for positional warfare - operators only needing to refresh the water coolant and keep ammunition replenished. During the Great War, the MG 08 was often modified with small gun shields, armour for the cooling jacket and muzzle cones to reduce the visibility and brightness of the bursts.






[h2]Ruby Pistol
[/h2]
A large order of these pistols from different contractors gave impetus to the development of the Spanish arms industry, but due to the difference in the quality of manufacture, batches of the same pistol from different manufacturers could actually differ significantly, up to non-interchangeability of magazines, barrel length, and the like.



A large number of samples produced were of low quality and wore out quickly, which produced unsafe breakdowns. However, batches of Ruby pistols that were produced by qualified workers, with the right technology, proved to serve very well during both world wars.






[h2]Lange Pistole 08[/h2]

In 1913 German artillery crews were equipped with modified P.08 pistol which featured an enlarged barrel and a holster that could be used as a stock, transforming the pistol into a carbine for self-defence.



In 1917 it was supplied with extended 32-round magazines and earned fame through the eager use by German stormtroopers. A powerful, reliable pistol with a comfortable stock and a capacious magazine was a very dangerous enemy for the Entente soldiers, who opposed mainly with revolvers or small-calibre, self-loading pistols.







Keep those eyes out for future updates on weapons, Soldiers!

We’ve been hard at work and heads down over the past few weeks, making good progress on some very cool and exciting things for Beyond the Wire. As some may know, our Community Manager BLITZ has recently taken some well deserved time off and will be back with us soon. In the meantime, we wanted to thank everyone for their patience, and share an update with you all regarding our development progress. Drumroll please…

We’re very excited to announce that the second Closed Alpha phase will start later this month!

We greatly appreciate those who not only participated in the first Alpha wave, but also took the time to fill out the feedback forms. This feedback has been extremely helpful in identifying which parts of the game are the most enjoyable so far, as well as which gameplay elements require additional iteration.

We’ve spent the past 1.5 months working to both address feedback we’ve received and add polish. We’re incredibly excited to show Alpha players what new features and new content has been added, as well as explain fixes and tweaks that have been made to the Alpha version of BTW.


[h2]How Do I Get Access To The Closed Alpha?[/h2]

If you were part of the previous Beyond The Wire Closed Alpha, you don’t have to do anything additional to get access to it once it goes live again. You’re already in!

If you signed up for the Closed Alpha but haven’t received a successful invite yet, please keep an eye on your email inbox - we will be inviting an additional wave of testers in the next few days! We’re looking forward to getting even more of you into the game.

If you didn’t have a chance to sign up for the Closed Alpha in the first wave, not to worry! Sign-ups are now OPEN again! While we will still be prioritizing those that signed up in the initial wave, we wanted to give new folks a chance at securing a spot as well. We love that so many people are on the hype train with us!

[h2]CLOSED ALPHA SIGN-UP[/h2]
https://signup.playbtw.com/closed-alpha-signup

[h2]What’s Next for the Community?[/h2]
We will be hosting additional livestreams in the coming weeks to showcase parts of the game you all have been excited to learn about. We also have more devblogs in the works that go into detail about gameplay and technical aspects that are unique to Beyond The Wire.

In the meantime, please make sure to wishlist Beyond The Wire on Steam, if you haven’t already. This helps us tremendously, as it grants us additional exposure on Steam. You can add us to your Wishlist here. Thank you!

Now, we couldn’t let you head into the weekend without some eye-candy, which is why we want to share with you a work-in-progress version of the Passchendaele minimap. Let us know on Discord if you’ve spotted something interesting!


Click to view high-resolution version

Until next time, and stay posted Soldiers!

In our last developer blog, we showed off some of the classes and roles that players will be able to pick up when heading out Beyond The Wire. And in order to get the maximum effectiveness from these roles, teams will need to gel their units together to make a cohesive fighting unit able to take on any challenge on the battlefield.



The make-up of a force will have huge implications for their success on the frontline, and each battlefield will have its own trials that must be overcome. So for this week’s instalment, we’re revealing how the roles that players choose fit into the broader scope of the team and what different section types will be available during Early Access.





[h2]Command[/h2]

Responsible for leading their forces to victory, the command section has access to call-ins from HQ that will give their side an edge in any engagement. Whether calling in a smoke barrage to provide concealment for advances or raining down artillery to puncture a defensive line, the commander is responsible for the overall strategy of his team and has the tools to break the stalemate of trench warfare.


[h3]Loadouts available:[/h3]

• Platoon Commander
  
  
• Signaller
  

[h2]
Infantry Section[/h2]

A frontline section that makes up the core element of the team. This unit has the flexibility in loadouts for whatever the task at hand is, whether being the spearhead of an advance or the mainstay of critical defence points. Players will need to complement their infantry units with others to create the base of their fighting force.


[h3]Loadouts available:[/h3]

• Infantry Officer
  
  
• Rifleman
  
  
• Medic
  
  
• Light machine gunner
  
  
• Grenadier
  
  
• Assault
  

[h2]Machine Gun Detachment[/h2]

A small unit tasked with establishing fixed fire positions to suppress and wreak havoc on enemies in the open. With the ability to deploy a heavy machine gun emplacement, these sections will be tasked with covering friendly charges towards the enemy line through tremendous firepower and will be one of the main components of an organized defence. Unable to be moved easily, players must be wary of positioning and ensure they have friendly support to cover their flanks


[h3]Loadouts available:[/h3]

• HMG Crew NCO
  
  
• HMG Crewman
  

[h2]Artillery Detachment[/h2]

No army is complete without the support of powerful industrialized artillery. The artillery detachment is responsible for deploying and manning powerful artillery pieces as well as building defensive fortifications. Like the machine gun detachment, the artillery gunners will need some protection from roaming enemies in order to maintain this superior firepower.


[h3]Loadouts available:
[/h3]

• Gunner NCO
  
  
• Gunner
  

[h2]Recon Detachment[/h2]

A small detachment of a marksman and his spotter. These units will be tasked with finding sniper positions in cover to eliminate high-value targets and report on the enemy position. Due to the lethality of this combination, teams will have to make a priority of flushing out vantage points and sniper coverings to ensure the safety of their comrades.


[h3]Loadouts available:[/h3]

• Scout NCO
  
  
• Sniper
  

That is all for this week's instalment, we hope you have a better idea of how teams in Beyond The Wire will line up before the fight. Stay posted for further detail and information, Soldier!

In this instalment of our developer blog series, we will be taking a look at some of the section roles that players will be fulfilling when heading out Beyond the Wire.
With the shocking advancements in destruction and lethality brought on by industrialised warfare, the armies of the world required new strategies and arms to be developed. The structure of armies and units needed to evolve rapidly in order to take on the challenges of the new, modern battlefield.



Sections have the ability to tune their approach to battle by what roles the players select. A section can prioritise support and suppression by focusing on rifleman with some LMGs as fire support, or aim straight for the heart of the enemy and kit all-out for a trench assault. The section’s composition will help you achieve the mission ahead.










[h3]Infantry Officer[/h3]

Responsible for getting his section into the fight with the enemy and coordinating with other sections to capture objectives. This role has access to abilities that contribute to the squad’s effectiveness, by exploiting flanks with re-group positions or guiding his unit’s fire towards the enemy through HUD markers. The infantry officer will also have access to powerful orders that when triggered, affects his nearby section members, giving them temporary improvements.





[h3]Rifleman[/h3]

Carries out the fight with a bolt-action rifle and bayonet. The rifleman is the core member of the section and is able to engage at both range and close quarters. They also have access to resupply crates for squadmates to restock before the next push.





[h3]Medic[/h3]

The medic is responsible for reviving and healing incapacitated soldiers so that they can continue the fight. The medic is able to revive teammates quickly and help them return to full combat effectiveness through field bandages and medical equipment.





[h3]Light machine gunner[/h3]

Equipped with a light machine gun, the light machine gunner is responsible for cutting off avenues of approach and suppressing concentrations of enemies. Far more effective when posted on the bipod, the weapon is extremely unwieldy otherwise and only the luckiest will survive an engagement with these weapons in any other position.





[h3]Grenadier[/h3]

Armed with rifle-grenades, the grenadier is able to clear out hard-points of enemy defences such as bunkers. The grenadier can saturate the objective with fragmentation grenades or clear-out the immediate trench line before the raid.





[h3]Assault[/h3]

Tasked with hurling hand grenades and assaulting enemy positions with close-range weapons. Assault troops are the first to push and clear trench and bunker systems but be wary when crossing open ground as you have a reduced ability to return fire.





[h3]Sniper[/h3]

Armed with rifles equipped with primitive telescopic scopes and responsible for taking out high-level threats to the infantry such as machine gunners or other snipers.





[h3]Artillery Gunner[/h3]

Responsible for deploying and manning powerful artillery pieces as well as building defensive fortifications. These roles require close coordination with teammates to ensure maximum effectiveness.





[h3]Heavy Machine Gunner[/h3]

Deploys heavy machine gun. Unable to fire from any other position than posted, ensure your flanks are secure when operating this weapon as any readjustments to arcs of fire will take up valuable time.










In future blogs, we will go into more detail on how these roles help build the structure of a team but in the meantime, stay posted Soldier!