Beyond The Wire News

Our brand new customization and progression system will be arriving this summer with Operation III so we thought it was time to preview this new feature! The development team have reworked player stats and how your contribution to a round is scored, building a brand new framework to introduce new actions and statistics that will be tracked and saved across sessions, feeding directly into your progression.

[h2]Scoreboard[/h2]

The first items to address are the new scoring system. Players will now gather points across three categories that are broken out further into specific actions. Scoring points for a variety of actions will contribute to the three tallied scores of Objective, Team and Combat.

A second addition to the scoreboard are the Awards given to the top players of the round. Medals are awarded for achieving “Best in Class” for various actions. From Most Melee Kills to Most Revives, our awards system will cover the main aspects of combat.

[h2]Combat Record[/h2]

Once the round has ended you will see a new End of Round screen which breaks down the three categories of score. With our new system introduced players will be able to see new stats such as KDR, Grenade Kills, Construction Score and more! This expanded scoring system means different section types and roles get the recognition on the scoreboard they deserve, as well as opening up the varied routes of progression and unlock trees.

While this is the first introduction of our new system you can expect tweaks and additions as development progresses.

[h2]Progression[/h2]


Leveling works by gaining experience at the end of a round, with rewards given for ranking up. The experience that contributes towards your leveling is weighted towards your teamwork-oriented actions, not your kills or your 'Combat' actions. Note that players leaving a round before it ends won’t receive rewards.

The top players of the round will also be displayed so if your efforts were vital to winning the round - you'll be able to boast about it!

[h2]Customization[/h2]

Player customization will come in the form of cosmetics which will be historically authentic items. These items will be categorized by Faction, years of use, and the role it can be equipped on. This means when you load into a level the faction and year associated with the map will determine the uniform you will deploy with! (pickelhaube confirmed?!)

The unique cosmetics will be unlocked by completing progression tree tasks for particular roles, such as completing certain tasks as Assault or NCO. Others items will also be unlocked from ranking up.

With this system being built from scratch the initial release will be the first prototype that we will continue to improve and expand on the throughout development. We have plans to include rewards for events and specific incentives when the system is in, so expect some timed exclusives in the future!

Keep your eyes up Soldier, we have even more previews for Operation III on the way!

[h2]Gameplay[/h2]
[h3]Changes[/h3]

• Increased global sway factor from 0.1 to 0.25
  

[h2]UI[/h2]

• Fixed incorrect loadout image for FR Assault 02
  

[h2]Known issues[/h2]

• Assault objectives can appear alphabetically out of order in the HUD
  
• Reloading field cannons will sometimes cause a light glare to show up briefly
  
• Damage radius of field cannons will sometimes cause players to not be killed immediately
  
• Some surfaces do not show impact effects. Damage should still apply
  
• No. 20 Rifle Grenade equip animation not properly lined up
  
• No. 20 Rifle Grenade uses placeholder sounds
  
• VOIP widget role icon is not being displayed correctly
  
• Switching Audio quality in the options menu will cause a crash. Please restart the game to prevent that from happening.
  

[h2]How to fix common crashes[/h2]
If the game is crashing when launching the game or during gameplay and a error message shows up that reads

Easy Anti-Cheat Unknown file version (WireGame\Content\Paks\pakchunk-windowsnoeditor.pak)

make sure to verify your game files through Steam
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335

[h2]Note for AMD FX CPU users[/h2]

AMD FX users will have degraded performance due to issues with the audio system. We’re still investigating possible solutions, but here’s a workaround:

1. Open following file:

C:/Users/YOURUSERNAME/AppData/Local/WireGame/Saved/Config/WindowsNoEditor/Engine.ini

If the file doesn't exist, create it.

2. Add following lines at the end:

[script/engine.audiosettings] bDisableMasterEQ=True"
[Audio] bDisableMasterEQ=True

The latest edition of our development recaps is due and we have lots of development progress to share. While work has continued on various aspects of Operation III some short term projects have also been on-going, with this month’s recap showcasing the progress being made on the project in June.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Canadian Expeditionary Force[/h2]

The CEF character models are close to completion now with the recently finished haversack tying the Canadian uniform together. Loaded with the equipment needed for expeditions Beyond The Wire, the CEF will be well prepared for the conflict on the Western Front.


[h2]Vimy Ridge[/h2]

Set dressing for this new map is well underway, with the field of battle starting to gather a striking atmosphere. Trench linings, fallen soldiers and burning tree assets have been added to the level making a visible difference to the map.


[h2]Vieil Armand[/h2]

The second map arriving with Operation III features a snowy, mountainous stronghold which will provide a unique experience. With a brand new biome featuring new weather types, this rocky environment will be a welcome addition to map rotation.


[h2]Textures[/h2]
With Vieil Armand sitting atop a mountain the team have been testing a new snow texture which is shown here being blended into the environment. With this being the first introduction of a snowy environment we’re excited to see players fight for this intimidating fort.


[h2]Updated Uniform Material[/h2]

Aiming for more realistic cloth shaders to increase the visual fidelity of characters, our art team have worked to implement new master material for cloth uniform and equipment pieces.

[h2]Animations[/h2]
Colt–Browning M1895 Reload
The Colt–Browning M1895/14, nicknamed "potato digger", will be released with the Canadian Expeditionary Force and has recently had the reload animations blocked out. We'll be taking a deep look at this machine gun and the rest of the Operation III arsenal closer to release so standby for that detail.

HMG animation
Heavy weaponry has also had some attention this month with a slight change in how the first person camera behaves while panning. Gunners operating heavy machine guns will now notice added movement emulating the weight of such items.

Berthier Bolting Animation
It's been a while since we showcased the Berthier model but it is on the way with bolting and reload animations now complete. You'll be seeing the Berthier shipped to the frontline in the coming months, with the Harlem Hellfighters taking this French rifle as their main firearm.
Berthier Reload Animation

[h2]Weapons[/h2]
There's a host of weapons that have been worked on in preparation for future releases with weapons for both the Entente and Central Powers expected. Check out the new firearms and melee weapons at various stages of completion below!

Enfield Mk.II Revolver

British Pattern 1908 Cavalry Sword

German 1873 Artillery Saber

Trench Morningstar

Karabiner 98 AZ

M1918 BAR

MP18

Jam Tin Grenade

As always stay posted for the next months progress and get ready for some exciting blogs that are on the way. See you in the trenches Soldier!

[h2]Gameplay[/h2]
[h3]Changes[/h3]

• Reduced global sway factor from 0.65 to 0.1
  
• Increased round duration on Frontlines from 45 mins to 60 mins
  
• Updated Commander Abilities
  
  • Removed time-cooldown on all support abilities
    
  • Reduced passive income on command points from 1 per 2 seconds to 1 per 3 seconds
    
  • Altered cost of support abilities to
    
    • HE Artillery - 200
      
    • Chlorine Gas Artillery - 120
      
    • Smoke Artillery - 80

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed British Vickers Mk1 using the incorrect weapon model
  

[h2]Maps[/h2]

• Updated all Assault layers to include more objectives per sector and decrease by one in the next sector
  
  • Reworked Ansoncourt Assault GER vs FR
    
  • Reworked Ansoncourt Assault USA vs GER
    
  • Reworked Cantigny Assault GER vs FR
    
  • Reworked Cantigny Assault USA vs GER
    
  • Reworked Chateau-Thierry Assault GER vs FR
    
  • Reworked Chateau-Thierry Assault USA vs GER
    
  • Reworked Combles Assault FR vs GER
    
  • Reworked Combles Assault UK vs GER
    
  • Reworked Poelcappelle Assault FR vs GER
    
  • Reworked Poelcappelle Assault UK vs GER
    
  • Reworked Sechault Assault FR vs GER
    
  • Reworked Sechault Assault HHF vs GER
    
  • Reworked Sechault Assault FR vs GER
    
  • Reworked Zonnebeke Assault FR+UK vs GER
    
  • Reworked Zonnebeke Assault UK vs GER
    
  • Reworked Zonnebeke Assault GER vs FR
    

[h2]UI[/h2]

• Added auto scroll to role hint
  
• Fixed role hint widget not disappearing
  
• Fixed “Lorem ipsum” default text
  
• Fixed role hint not respecting user setting for not displaying it
  
• Fix sector count displaying in Firefight game mod
  
• Fix join button text not changing color properly
  

[h2]Optimization[/h2]

• Fixed server crash when calling in artillery
  
• Fixed view flickering when changing stance
  
• 
  

[h2]Known issues[/h2]

• Assault objectives can appear alphabetically out of order in the HUD
  
• Reloading field cannons will sometimes cause a light glare to show up briefly
  
• Damage radius of field cannons will sometimes cause players to not be killed immediately
  
• Some surfaces do not show impact effects. Damage should still apply
  
• No. 20 Rifle Grenade equip animation not properly lined up
  
• No. 20 Rifle Grenade uses placeholder sounds
  
• VOIP widget role icon is not being displayed correctly
  
• Switching Audio quality in the options menu will cause a crash. Please restart the game to prevent that from happening.
  

[h2]Note for AMD FX CPU users[/h2]

AMD FX users will have degraded performance due to issues with the audio system. We’re still investigating possible solutions, but here’s a workaround:

1. Open following file:

C:/Users/YOURUSERNAME/AppData/Local/WireGame/Saved/Config/WindowsNoEditor/Engine.ini

If the file doesn't exist, create it.

2. Add following lines at the end:

[script/engine.audiosettings] bDisableMasterEQ=True"
[Audio] bDisableMasterEQ=True

It's Summer Sale time and Beyond The Wire will be going on it's biggest ever sale! Running from June 24th through to July 8th, the summer sale is a big one for games and we're joining the fray - with a mighty 50% off during this time. With this reduced price players can pick up the game and join the battle for the Western Front for just $17.50 / £13.90 / E14.99! With Operation III due to be released this summer, bringing new factions and a new progression system, now is the perfect time to pick up Beyond The Wire!