RISK: Global Domination News

[p]Greetings Generals! Big news this month:[/p]

• [p]Update 3.19 is live with quality-of-life improvements and Streamer Mode[/p]
• [p]Update 3.20 is coming soon with changes to blitz dice and our first community-designed map pack[/p]
• [p]Tournaments are thriving with winners announced for our Dune Last Chance tournament.
  [/p]

[p]Let’s dive in 👇[/p][h3]
Update 3.19 is live![/h3][p]3.19 dropped earlier this week with block lists and the new, improved Streamer Mode. You can read the 3.19 release notes here.[/p][p][/p][h3]Update 3.20 is coming soon[/h3][p]This one’s big. Here’s what’s in the pipeline:
[/p][p]🎲 Balanced Blitz Dice Rolls[/p][p]We’ve reworked Blitz Dice based on community feedback - now losses in blitz mode should be more predictable especially when making large rolls. There’s a lot to cover, you can read about it in our deep dive from earlier this year.
[/p][p]🗺️ Community Map Pack (New!)[/p][p]Four all-new maps designed by RISK players from the Community Discord Map Design Contest they held all the way back in 2023.
[/p][p]We’ve worked with the original creators to bring them to life - and they’re some of our best maps to date.
[/p][p]Here’s a sneak peek at the box art.
[/p][p]Stay tuned to our socials. We’ll reveal each map in the coming weeks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Tournament News[/h3][p]If you're interested in participating in RISK tournaments, check out Friends of Risk and join the Community Discord. Note: Friends of Risk is fan-run and not affiliated with SMG Studio or Hasbro.[/p][p]
Past Tourneys[/p]

• [p]RISK x Dune: Part Two - Congrats to the winners.[/p]
  • [p]1st - nise[/p]
  • [p]2nd - Math[/p]
  • [p]3rd - Boyd muad'Dib Atreides (a very fitting name 👀)[/p]
• [p]Zombies World Championship - congrats to Carter8786 for becoming the first ever Zombie World Champion![/p]

[p]Ongoing Tourneys[/p]

• [p]3v3 RISK World Championship [/p]
• [p]Blitz 1v1 World Championship [/p]

[p]Upcoming Tourneys[/p]

• [p]Party in Pangaea - Signups close August 1st.[/p]
• [p]The RISK 2v2 Random Tourney - Signups close August 4th.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Creator Corner[/h3]

• [p]GameMeneer and JeremyFrieser teamed up on Twitch and showcased some entertaining gameplay. [/p]
• [p]Check out CG Plays playing on Ligny from the Napoleon Battles Map Pack.[/p]
• [p]Kylted took on Alcatraz, delivering high quality and educational content.[/p]
• [p]Bunz teamed up with VampireChicken in the 2v2 tournament showcasing her strategic plays alongside.[/p]
• [p]We also had another 2v2 team showcase from WithTheGoodHair and Mallorielynne[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Community Roundup[/h3]

• [p]I love this custom map of Risk North America on Reddit.[/p]
• [p]I want to hear more about how this Game of Thrones Risk extension works.
  [/p]

[p]On that note, if you could have one collab between Risk and another IP, what would it be?[/p][p]
Let us know down below, or stay connected on:[/p]

• [p]Discord[/p]
• [p]Facebook[/p]
• [p]Insta[/p]
• [p]X[/p]
• [p]TikTok
  [/p]

[p]Until next time,[/p][p][/p][p]SMG Studio: Team Risk.[/p][p]
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[p]We’re entering the final stages of our long-planned network overhaul: a complete rebuild of Risk’s multiplayer backend. This update is designed to:[/p]

• [p]Improve game stability and recovery[/p]
• [p]Shut down most forms of cheating[/p]
• [p]Lay the groundwork for future multiplayer features[/p][p][/p]

[p]After years of internal development and testing, we’re ready to take the next step: real-world testing. The first closed beta will begin in August/July for a limited group of international players.[/p][p][/p][p]This will be a small group - if you signed up for beta access earlier this year, we will be running a much wider playtest later in the year and will be contacting players about that soon. [/p][p][/p][p]This beta build is based on v3.16,  so it won’t include recent features like Secret Missions or the new Map Select screen. The goal here is to test the core networking under real player conditions.[/p][p][/p][p]It’s taken a while to get here - this overhaul was first roadmapped back in 2019 - and it’s been a bumpy road since then with delays, technical hurdles and global pandemics. That said, hitting our first beta is a major milestone. [/p][p][/p][p]Not much, and that’s the point. This is a backend upgrade, so games should feel largely the same. You may notice:[/p]

• [p]Fewer disconnects and crashes[/p]
• [p]More secure, cheat-resistant matches and less hackers[/p]
• [p]More recovered games, with faster recovery times when a player drops[/p]

[p][/p][p]One area we’re still fine-tuning is input responsiveness. Server-side validation can introduce slight delays - especially for fast-fingered PC users - but it’s key to preventing exploits. We’re working to strike the right balance between responsiveness, security and maintaining an even playing field between mobile and PC players.[/p][p][/p][p]Risk’s current system relies on the host’s device to manage the game, which creates all kinds of issues. If the host drops, the game can be lost forever. Worse, with the right tools, players can tamper with game state or intercept packets in flight between clients.
[/p][p]The new system runs on authoritative servers, removing that dependency. This means:[/p]

• [p]Better security and stability[/p]
• [p]Recoverable games[/p]
• [p]Protection against most known hacks and packet manipulation
  [/p]

[p]Server-authoratative games also open up possible future features that we couldn’t explore otherwise. After the network overhaul we can explore long requested features like:[/p]

• [p]Asynchronous games[/p]
• [p]Multiplayer save slots[/p]
• [p]Better spectator modes[/p][p][/p]

[p]We underestimated the complexity early on. The original plan was to put the whole team on it and move fast - we soon realised that would mean halting all other Risk development.[/p][p][/p][p]So we changed tactics. This year we’ve kept a small, dedicated team focused on the overhaul while others worked on features like Secret Missions, new UI updates, block lists and future content we’ll be announcing in the coming months.[/p][p][/p][p]That slowed the overhaul down but it kept the rest of the game moving.[/p][p][/p][p]Now, with the core work behind us and real player testing ahead, we’re closer than ever to shipping this major upgrade.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for your patience. You can still sign up to express interest in our betas here.
[/p][p]Team@SMG[/p][p]
[/p]

[p]In 3.19, we introduced several new tools and features to reduce unfair play and improve the overall quality of your RISK games. [/p][p][/p][p]The highly requested blocklist is now available to all players. [/p][p][/p][p]We’ve heard stories of players using their friends list as a defacto block list. Now all players can block users from both the pregame lobby to the postgame.
[/p][h3]Navigating Block lists[/h3][p]Home screen, press friends panel icon at the top right (where arrow points) [/p][p]Within the Friends panel, tap on any player's avatar to add, remove and manage players between your Friends and Blocked lists. All players currently on your blocked list are displayed within the “Blocked” tab. Your block list may already be populated, these are people you have reported in the past. This means if you report someone, that player will be automatically added to your block list.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Block lists (like Friends lists) will currently block up to 500 players - when you add more after this they will replace your oldest blocked accounts. We’re exploring solutions to increase this number which would likely land in 3.20. [/p][p]
[/p][h3]Block players from the pre-game lobby.[/h3][p]Additionally, more options have been added to the pregame screen by tapping on a player's avatar. Doing so reveals a mini-menu with options to View Profile (Non-Ranked games only), Report, Block, or Mute the chat of the chosen player. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Block players from the post-game screen.[/h3][p]You can now block players directly from the post-game screen. On the “Add New RISK Friends” screen, select the red block icon under the player you want to block. Then, confirm by selecting the green tick. You can still send friend requests from this screen too.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Blocked players are banned from your pregame lobbies[/h3][p]Blocked players cannot enter your hosted lobbies and will be flagged regardless of whether they are hidden behind a persona if they join a non-hosted lobby you are also in.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [/p][p]If you have any more questions on how to use block lists, feel free to reach out to us by submitting a support ticket or reaching out to us on social media:[/p]

• [p]Facebook[/p]
• [p]Instagram[/p]
• [p]X[/p]
• [p]TikTok[/p]

[p]Over and out,[/p][p]– SMG: Team RISK[/p][p]
[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2]MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS 🔧[/h2][p][/p][h3]BLOCK LISTS[/h3][p][/p][p]Block lists are here! Had a bad experience with a player? You can block them from the pregame lobby or postgame screen:[/p]

• [p]Blocked players can’t send you friend requests.[/p]
• [p]Blocked players won’t be able to see any public lobbies you host. [/p]
• [p]You’ll be notified if a blocked player enters a lobby you have joined.
  [/p]

[p] [/p]

• [p]You can manage your block list at any time from the Blocked tab next to your Friends list.[/p]
• [p]Players you report (or have reported in the past) will be automatically added to your block list.[/p]
• [p]Block lists are currently capped at 500 accounts - newer blocks after this will remove you oldest blocked account. We are exploring increasing this limit in the next update. [/p][p][/p]

[h3]ENHANCED STREAMER MODE[/h3][p][/p][p]Streamer Mode has had an overhaul to better improve streamer anonymity by better hiding key lobby information while on stream which should help keep stream snipers out of games. To gain access to the new mode you’ll need to apply for our Verified Content Creator program.[/p][p]*Verified Content Creators will need to re-enable Streamer Mode in Gameplay Settings to get access to the new Streamer Mode.
[/p][h3]LOBBY IMPROVEMENTS[/h3][p][/p][p]We’ve made a few adjustments to the lobby this update to make it easier to set up the perfect game.[/p][p][/p][p]New contextual settings have been added to each player in the lobby. View their profile, report, block or mute players with a click.
[/p][h3]POSTGAME STEP FOR PLAYERS WHO SURRENDER EARLY[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]We’ve added a new postgame step for players who surrender before the match ends. [/p][p][/p][p]Players who surrender before the match ends will now be able to:[/p]

• [p]See their final placement.[/p]
• [p]View the battle points they will receive once the match is over.[/p]
• [p]Block players, send friend requests and like/favourite the map.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS ⚙️[/h3]

• [p]Added a new report type: Stream Sniper for postgame.[/p]
• [p]Improved the UI flow and messaging for some error messages.[/p]
• [p]Dynamic Turn Timers have been more fully integrated:[/p]
  • [p]The battle log now includes information on turn timer settings.[/p]
  • [p]Games can be filtered by turn timer settings.[/p]
  • [p]Delays on mobile attacks have been shortened[/p]
• [p]Among Us maps have had a visual texture pass to improve readability.[/p]
• [p]Europe Advanced has had a visual update to make it clearer Denmark is not adjacent to Berlin[/p]
• [p]Muting all players no longer disables your ability to emote, just don’t expect a response. Feel free to shout into the void.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]BUGFIXES [/h3]

• [p]Playing Secret Assassin shouldn’t change your remembered bot difficulty in future games.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where duplicate territory cards would sometimes be drawn on smaller maps.[/p]
• [p]A visual flickering bug on SPiNG Dice has been corrected.[/p]
• [p]Emotes should no longer be able to appear multiple times in Recent Emotes.[/p]
• [p]Turn Timer settings now cycle in the expected order.[/p]
• [p]Fixed visual bugs in the background of Seagrog’s Fortress, Simple World and Roman Empire. [/p]
• [p]Fixed a missing connection in Charleroi Farm > Dairy.[/p]
• [p]Playing scenarios should no longer try to lead you into the tutorial.[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]That’s a wrap on Update 3.19![/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]But we’re just getting started.[/p][p][/p][p]More quality-of-life improvements and gameplay updates are already in the works for Update 3.20, and we can’t wait to show you what’s next.[/p][p][/p][p]What do you think of 3.19? Drop your feedback and let us know what you’d love to see in future updates.[/p][p][/p][p]Over and out,[/p][p]– SMG: Team RISK[/p]

[p]Hi generals!
[/p][p]We're working on a new multiplayer system and want to make sure our servers are ready for players in all areas of the world. You can help us by taking a quick 2–3 minute survey here.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you everyone.[/p][p][/p][p]Team@SMG[/p]