Beyond The Wire News

One of our first developer blogs after announcing the project was the reveal of the French Republic and the German Empire. With those models being the foundation of our in-game characters, this article will be showing some of the progress on the 3d art for our character models, with new equipment and gear that represents more accurately the challenges and requirements demanded by the frontlines of the Great War.



With multiple player roles utilising many different types of equipment for their task ahead, player models in-game will need to reflect these loadouts. Continuing to consult media and documents from the period our authentic character design will ensure players get the most accurate WW1 experience possible.



The difficulties of trench warfare and the slow years of conflict forced advancement of not just the weapons of armies, but also the equipment and uniform of the frontline soldier. Prolonged engagements, stuttering supply chains and environmental hazards meant the modern soldier had to be much more extensively equipped than earlier.



[h2]French Republic[/h2]

France entered the war with slightly archaic ideas about modern combat, and this is clearly seen in what the soldiers wore. From afar, the French shoulder equipment resembled a pile of junk barely secured by the tight straps. However, it was based on the proven design of the Havresac Mle 1893 (or the Mle 1893/1914 "as de carreau" backpack variant), which was used until the Second World War.



In addition, the Poilu usually carried with them a spare pair of boots and a fabric, semi-rigid pouch in the shape of a bucket which was used to carry bulk goods. This Seau en toile was useful in trench warfare and was often used as an impromptu sandbag.





[h2]German Empire[/h2]

The German soldier met the beginning of the war with a standard backpack and a lot of equipment that he carried with him on the march, but in the trenches or on the offensive, this kit was too bulky and heavy. Later, German soldiers began to use the Sturmgepäck (“assault pack”), consisting of the greatcoat or a blanket, covered by a tent and rolled around a mess tin. This was the minimum necessary equipment used on nights in occupied territory.



The waist belt usually held ammo pouches and auxiliary gear, such as a water flask and a gas mask container. However, the soldiers sometimes changed the location of these things for more comfortable use or wear. The long handle of the Stielhandgranate caused difficult carrying but the slings wrapped around the neck allowed for the grenades to sit against the body and under the arms. The grenades were now within easy reach while still being unrestrictive.




Combining this equipment with the weaponry from each army, Soldiers will be visibly equipped to handle life on the harsh frontlines of the Western Front! We'll be livestreaming later today Friday, 9th October at 11 AM PDT / 6 PM UTC for discussions on our character models with Art Producer and Character Artist Juan, and Creative Director Bruno!

Welcome Soldiers!


Our latest Fields of Battle article presents Frise, a battle from the Somme. With nearly 3 million soldiers fighting on both sides in the battle of The Somme more than 1 million were killed or injured, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

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After a week of heavy shelling to disrupt German defences, the British and French armies advanced on the lines to the North and South of the Somme in hopes of pushing back the enemy. However, the German Empire had dug deep and reinforced their position which slowed the British and French forces, inflicting massive casualties with each day of fighting.



Spanning 1.2km² of playable area, the Frise battlefield features rolling hills, abandoned farm grounds and thick tree coverage that creates diverse biomes to fight over. This wide range of environmental features means Frise will have the most variety of the maps that will be launching at Early Access.



The assault begins with forces having to navigate through marshlands and over shallow rivers before progressing to the open fields of Frise. With many areas being ideal for defensive positions, the German Empire has spent time strengthening during their occupation making the approach from the Entente as difficult as possible.



Evidence of the initial skirmishes can be seen around the map, destroyed landships and burning crops reveal the difficulty ahead for both sides. With plenty of open ground to cover, teams must capitalise on any breakthrough before the enemy can regain their footing and establish rigorous defence lines.



Following the Somme river across the open haybale fields and ruined farm buildings, the map has many obstacles to progress through in order to advance. The remains of the Frise village presents a choke point for the advancing forces as firefights break out over roads and streets. High storey buildings and the surrounding bush must be flushed of any encamped enemies to ensure the position can be reinforced, allowing the village to be utilised as a springboard for the next advance.



With the French and British applying pressure across the front, the rear line of the Germans has been dug in a hurry and without reinforcement or extensive layouts, meaning the low earthen trenches provide just enough cover up to the middle ground.

We took an in-depth look at Frise during a recent developer livestream. Catch up below!

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Development for Beyond The Wire is now motoring along rapidly with weekly alpha testing helping us prepare for launching on Steam later this year. With that release now on the horizon, the team have begun looking at life Beyond The Wire once we're in the Early Access phase and reassessing some of the decisions in several areas. One of the subjects of discussion is level design and the library of maps we are planning on releasing. We have already revealed that the three maps that will be coming to Early Access would be Passchendaele, Argonne and The Somme. Due to our level design being tailored to sizes that promote the atmosphere, immersion and gameplay that we are aiming for, we have decided to make a slight change in direction for the naming of these maps.



The battlefields and front lines of The Great War were on a massive scale, so large that our maps can only depict certain areas that don't necessarily justify the name of the whole battle. Taking this consideration into our plans for environments and playable areas, both current and future, we have made changes to the names of the three maps we're launching with. Our maps are more representative of specific sectors within the larger battle and our naming convention now aligns with this.



These name changes reflect more accurately the sector that they are inspired by and also gives us room to expand on the frontlines of these three battles with future maps. Having multiple maps portraying these huge battles opens up possibilities for us to explore in the future as our game becomes more feature-complete and Beyond The Wire moves towards full release. All of our future maps will now follow this naming convention and we're looking forward to showcasing these new environments before too long!

Passchendaele will be changing to Zonnebeke.

Argonne will be named Ansoncourt.

The Somme will become Frise.

Frise is the final map we are due to showcase, and we are planning on delivering that very soon so keep the eyes peeled for that developer blog! For the meantime, here is a first screenshot of the map from in-game!






As always Soldiers stay posted for the next update!

In our player roles developer blog, we mentioned orders that Section Leader’s are able to activate which affects nearby section members. This week’s instalment will look at these Officer abilities and how they will benefit a section’s effectiveness in battle. The effects are placed on section members who are within range of their Section Leader when the ability is activated so sections that move together will get the most out of these abilities and will drive the momentum of the battle. With only one ability allowed to be active at any time, Section Leaders are responsible for issuing these orders for the right times and situations.

The Section Leader abilities are the first implementation with the values, durations and cooldowns going through reiteration as we test balancing. We will also be looking at adding additional orders as we move through development, with potential faction-specific abilities coming later down the line.


[h3]Increase movement speed[/h3]


This effect will increase the movement capabilities of the section. Motivating his section to cover ground, an Officer can help ensure his section crosses open terrain quicker to avoid excessive casualties during the advance. While this ability is active, the sections movement speed is increased by 50% for 3 seconds.

Effect: Increased player movement speed

Duration: 3 seconds

Cooldown: 5 minutes



[h3]Reduce damage taken[/h3]


Section Leader’s have the option to support their unit by reducing all damage taken. While this buff is active, the section is able to withstand higher levels of damage beyond normal limits while clinching objectives or holding an overwhelmed flank. Active for 3 seconds, this ability reduces damage taken by 25%.

Effect: Reduces damage taken

Duration: 3 seconds

Cooldown: 5 minutes



[h3]Reduce stamina cost[/h3]


To prevent weariness from the exhausting crossing of no man’s land, Officers can push their section the extra distance to safety. This ability reduces the drain all actions have on stamina. Take the fight to the enemy by being fresh and battle-ready when reaching the opposing trench line. This ability lasts for 3 seconds and reduces stamina cost by 50%.

Effect: Reduces stamina cost of any action

Duration: 3 seconds

Cooldown: 5 minutes



[h3]Increase charge speed
[/h3]


With bayonet’s fixed, Officers are able to boost their section’s sprint speed during bayonet charges. This increased speed allows a unit to close the distance with the enemy en-masse to get within striking range. The charge buff is active for 3 seconds and increases charge speed by 50%.

Effect: Faster sprint speed while bayonet charging

Duration: 3 seconds

Cooldown: 5 minutes



We'll be posting updates on these abilities as we move through development and refine this system. Stay posted for further dev blogs!

For this developer blog, we are showcasing our animations and the gore system that will be featured in Beyond The Wire. These aspects will be central to the experience we’re aiming to deliver and having realistic animations and an extensive gore system will help immerse players into the atmosphere of the war.



[h2]Animations[/h2]

With a priority on realism, while considering gameplay aspects, we have built and tailored our animations to find the balance that best achieves the feeling that players are controlling more than just a camera. Aspects such as inertia gives a physical quality that grounds the animation in the environment and contributes to immersion.  From movement speed to weapon reloads, our team has fine-tuned all aspects to ensure players are able to manoeuvre through the battlefield and engage the enemy while maintaining balance across the various roles that are available.

In order to deliver a realistic look for the characters in-game, we use references from period photographs and video that can give us the starting point for the various poses and stances of soldiers. Our animators, along with our historical advisors, then go through the key poses for each animation to ensure everything is correct. From these points, we blend the poses to ensure a realistic movement is presented in both third-person and first-person viewpoints.

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We have placed initial priority on the first-person animations that players immediately see, but we have also placed emphases on third-person animations so that soldiers moving around you help contribute to the authentic experience. We have implemented a wide range of movements in Beyond The Wire which covers various speeds, stances and traversing obstacles and cover elements. Being able to climb and vault allows players to navigate obstacles and the environment itself, while stance changes let players take advantage of different types of cover and concealment.



[h2]Gore[/h2]

The industrialization of warfare at the turn of the 20th century had devastating effects on the soldiers who fought in this war. In order to deliver a true WW1 experience in-game, we have begun developing an early gore system that will bring these horrors to life. Fragmentation grenades, artillery shells and heavy calibre weapons all have brutal effects on your character and if you cannot avoid these, there is small hope of recovery. The damage to your character will have a direct effect on whether your teammates can revive you to return to the fight. If your character has suffered any dismemberment, you cannot be revived and will need to respawn. This is the first iteration of the system and will be changing as we move through development.

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Note: Gore effects exaggerated for demonstration purposes.

The impact of this system on your character will vary depending on the projectile type and area of the body that’s hit. In addition to player movements, we also have a ragdoll system that replicates the effects of force on the player model. The severity of the ragdoll will change dependant on the projectile type. Our system differentiates based on impact force so players will go from a slump animation after receiving a sniper round, to blown out of a trench from a large artillery shell. Our gore system can be disabled for those players who prefer to play without the system active.

Standby for the next instalment of developer blogs, Soldier!