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A new Dev Diary and one last message before the end of the year

Before we get to the dev diary, we wanted to thank each and everyone of the many, many thousands of testers who took part in the closed beta.

It was a terrific experience for us and seeing so many people enjoy multiplayer games while sharing their opinions on the game in the private beta channels only reinforced us with the conviction that Broken Arrow is going to be a great game.

The closed beta ends today: as mentioned before, we’ll be back in January with the intention of opening a public demo. We’ll reveal the actual date in early January.

We have one last dev diary for you for 2023, so enjoy the read and enjoy the holidays.

[h2]Dev Diary #7 - A sense of detail[/h2]

Today’s dev diary will be focussing on the development team’s attention to details: the game is overflowing with nice visual details at every level and it is our intention to showcase that.

Textures and models
The first thing you notice when arriving in the hangar which serves as background for the main menu is how detailed the vehicles look.
Each vehicle from the good old classics to the most unknown prototypes or the newest machines barely in service have received the same attention. Blueprints and in-depth photographic research are used to be as close to reality as possible.

Customizable elements also received a lot of attention to make sure they are perfectly compatible with the rest of the vehicle.
If you move the camera around and zoom a bit more you will notice even more details like the cockpits of the planes, the weapons they carry and the pylons holding them.
Helicopters are not to be outdone, with a level of customization equivalent to the planes.
Here is a MH-60M IDAP of the special forces equipped with laser guided rockets DAGR and stinger anti-air missiles.
When switching to the infantry tab you will notice that soldiers’ equipment vary from one squad to another to show their role, and each soldier is slightly different from the next with different body sizes and variations in their equipment.
The weapons carried by infantry and mounted on vehicles also received particular attention.


Animations
Time to launch a battle where all these units will come to life.
Here are just a few of the little things you can notice when you zoom in on the battlefield.

The 2K22 Tunguska is a short range anti aircraft vehicle equipped with guns and missiles. As in reality they can move independently. The unit is also equipped with a radar that can be deployed to increase the detection and firing ranges, it also allows it to intercept cruise missiles.


The 2S1 Tulpan is a heavy 240mm mortar. The shells are so heavy that it’s impossible to load them from the muzzle like other mortars, so instead the tube is lowered and the shells are loaded from the breach by a crane after each shot.


ATGM stands for Anti-Tank Guided Missiles. They are generally stored in tubes that also contain the cable used to guide them. Once the missile has reached its target the tube must be replaced.
Here, a konkurs missile fired from a BTR-90 reloaded from the hatch of the turret.

A Bradley carries 2 ready to launch ATGMs on the side of the turret. Once both missiles are fired they must be replaced using the rear hatch.


In some tanks, empty shell casings are simply dropped at the bottom of the compartment and discarded later. But vehicles with autoloaders generally include an ejection mechanism.
In the game you will see the casing being ejected by the autoloader just like in reality. Autoloaded tank guns are generally slower to reload than their manually loaded counterparts but have the advantage to maintain a steady rate of fire even when the crew is shocked.


The Derivatsiya is a BMP-3 chassis equipped with modern sensors and a 57mm gun shooting airburst rounds very deadly against slow flying aircrafts. It also provides efficient fire support against infantry.
The recoil of the gun is animated, the ejection hatch opens after each shot as a shell casing is ejected and bounces on the ground.


Speaking of recoil, the movement induced by each shot has an effect on the suspension of the unit dynamically depending on the power of the gun and the orientation of the turret. Vehicles in water also swing dynamically with the waves and the recoil of their weapons.



You have the possibility to activate the afterburner on planes that can do it in reality. When you do, flames spout from the engine, a thick smoke forms behind the plane and when the sound barrier is reached you can see and hear the sonic boom effect. In addition, on planes with variable-sweep wings this is accompanied by the animation of the wings switching to supersonic mode.


Some units like the S-300V need to be deployed before becoming operational. This cooldown is accompanied by the animation of the deployment.

Iskander-M deploying its 2 ballistic missiles before shooting. This unit can also be customized to carry cruise missiles instead in which case it is named Iskander-K


Finally the internal parts of the vehicles are modeled and their doors are animated. You can see the infantry filling the compartment when entering in a vehicle or helicopter.


Maps
Broken Arrow's maps feature dense, detailed urban areas that rival city-building games.

But suddenly the battle rages on and the enemy leaves you no respite. Bombs fall from the sky and hit a high riser which collapses from the impact.



That's it for today, we hope you enjoyed the dev diary. Merry Christmas and happy new year, see you in 2024.

Last chance to get in the closed beta

Back on November 16 we started our closed beta for Broken Arrow and it's been a real ride so far.

Many thousands of testers have tried the game, offering invaluable feedback and playing countless matches. As the holidays break approaches we're about to wrap it up, but not before one last big wave of invites.

Tomorrow afternoon (roughly at 4 pm GMT) on Friday 15 December, we will be sending our biggest wave of invites up to date. It is our intention to invite all those who have applied to the beta and haven't been able to get in yet.

Furthermore, if you haven't applied yet, you're still in time to do so: head to our website and fill our sign-up form, last chance to do it. When we send our wave of invitations make sure to check your e-mail inbox (and make sure to check both the Spam and Promotions folders, depending on your spam filters) and the My Page section of our website.

As usual, remember that if you are accepted in the closed beta you'll be under NDA and you won't be allowed to divulge information about the game, show it outside the private beta channels or stream it anywhere.

[h3]Server stress test[/h3]

We want this weekend to see the high peak of activity on our servers and really put them to test. We ask the current testers and all the new ones who are going to be invited tomorrow to engage in multiplayer matches over the course of the weekend, from December 15 to December 17.

When we release the game we want to ensure everyone across all regions of the world has a smooth and lagless multiplayer experience, and making sure we reach that goal is the reason behind this stress test. If you can help us out and test the limits of the servers that would be great.

[h3]End of the closed beta... and a surprise for January[/h3]

Next week on Wednesday 20 December we will be closing down the closed beta as both Slitherine and Steel Balalaika get a break for the holidays... but no worries, we'll be back in January with a big surprise for you.

In January we will be opening a public demo on Steam so that everyone will be able to play it as well as post content online and stream the game!

The Broken Arrow beta has begun

The Broken Arrow beta has begun.

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As thousands of testers start facing each other in multiplayer matches, the developers are hard at work for a 2024 release. This testing phase is specifically designed for multiplayer and we’re looking forward to receiving the feedback from everyone who was accepted in the beta.

If you haven’t been receiving any invites to the beta yet, don’t despair. We aim at increasing our pool as we proceed in the testing phase, so make sure to check your inbox.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1604270/Broken_Arrow/

Broken Arrow’s beta starting on November 16 - Sign-up now

We’re well aware of the huge anticipation surrounding Broken Arrow.

Dozens of thousands of fans have been patiently waiting for the beta. It was originally meant to start a few months ago, but we decided to wait a couple of extra months. You can never be too careful.

Well, the wait is (almost) over. The beta of Broken Arrow will begin in ten days, on November 16.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Can everyone get in?

For now the beta will be a closed beta, meaning that everyone can apply for the beta but we reserve ourselves the right to handpick those who will be given access.

How do I get in, then?

It’s simple, you can apply here. You will need to register a Slitherine account (which is free) and fill the form. Due to the sudden influx of traffic, the website might temporarily be unavailable. If it happens please bear with us, it will be back online soon. If you are having technical issues with signing up for the beta, please reach out to our customer service at [email protected]

How do I know if I am chosen?

Slitherine’s producers will reach out to you by e-mail, the same e-mail address you used for registering your Slitherine account. The e-mail you receive will contain all the information you need to access the beta version of the game and on how to provide feedback on it. Furthermore, you might be selected even after November 16, as our team will look into adding more and more testers as the beta progresses.

Can I stream the beta?

Absolutely not. Everyone who gets in the beta is automatically under NDA. We’ll have options for making versions of the game available to all (players and reviewers alike) at a later date.

New trailer for Broken Arrow & message from the devs

We’re back from WASD x IGN where we were able to showcase the latest version of the game with a playable mission. We were delighted to meet some of the Broken Arrow fans, as well as to introduce the game to many new players.



We have some big news today!

First off, as promised, here is a new trailer featuring Deck Customization!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Let us know what you think in the comments section.

Furthermore, we just updated the screenshots on the store page, so let us know if you spot the new ones!

We also have a message directly from the devs, who want to give you an update on how development is going and what we can expect in the next couple of months.

Greetings Friends!

It's been a while since we brought you news about Broken Arrow, but rest assured radio silence is a sure sign that the team is working tirelessly, at least in our case. 😁

We are working on a beta version. The closed beta will start in the next couple of months and will feature multiplayer, unlike the demo released in February. The ability to play single player mode will also remain.

You will be able to sign up for the closed beta a little later.

We want to create a complete and polished gaming experience from the very beginning, so we are currently holding an internal testing, finalizing some details and of course creating a server infrastructure to handle many thousands of players simultaneously. Testing is designed to help us balance the game so that players feel they have a certain role and are not overwhelmed. It is planned to try out several game modes, from time-tested to truly bold and innovative.

Let us remind you that we set the task of creating matchmaking to be as fast and efficient as possible, so we are introducing one main multiplayer game mode and several secondary ones available in user lobbies.

Since the February demo we have improved the interface, made huge strides in optimization and stability, especially in 5v5 online matches with a large number of units, carried out balancing and improved ergonomics incl. airstrikes and aviation.

We initially distributed our efforts in such a way that in our game there was no bias in any direction and there was a balance between the popular single player and multiplayer. For the lion's share of players who avoid multiplayer we have prepared several ways to have fun, from full-fledged atmospheric single player campaigns to cooperative modes with high replay value.

The first two campaigns for the USA and Russia will be available on an initial release and will take place in the Baltic states. The list of campaigns will expand.
The Scenario Editor, which we use to create cutscenes and campaigns, will be available to players so they can create and share their own videos, scenarios, and campaigns.

Additional campaigns are planned as DLC and will come with new nations (and specializations for existing nations) and maps.

Regarding the release we think that we’ll get the clearest picture from the results of closed beta testing. Of course, we want to release it as soon as possible, but primarily do it in such a way that 4 years of our efforts are not in vain and the game reveals all its potential.

Thank you for your support and see you soon on the battlefields!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1604270/Broken_Arrow/