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Broken Arrow News

What we're working on

[h3]What’s coming next?[/h3][p]We love our passionate community and want to assure you that we are closely monitoring the feedback you’ve been sending, and we’re committed to making meaningful improvements. Your voice matters, and we’re not ignoring it. Our development team has been working tirelessly to address the most common and pressing issues that have been raised.[/p][p]As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and open communication, we’ll be adopting a faster-paced communication approach. We aim to keep you better informed on the progress of development and share updates regularly so you can follow along every step of the way.[/p][p]
Our goal remains clear: to continue improving Broken Arrow, refining its features, and engaging with the community. We encourage you to keep sharing your feedback as it helps guide our decisions and priorities.
[/p][h3]What we’re working on right now[/h3][p]Anti-Cheat System
We recognize that fighting cheating is a top priority, and we’re treating it with the urgency it deserves. Our team is actively focused on improving this area and ensuring a fair experience for everyone:[/p]
  • [p]After the imminent release of patch 1.09, we will only ban people using cheats outside of the solo campaign. This allows us to reduce the number of appeals and focus on multiplayer cheating.[/p]
  • [p]We have already expanded the team with an additional person dedicated to the management of cheating reports and appeals in case of false positives.[/p]
  • [p]More than 5000 accounts have been banned from playing in multiplayer since the launch of the game because they were caught cheating.[/p]
  • [p]We are developing better tools to analyse players' statistics and spot anomalies.[/p]
  • [p]Regularly update the cheat database to counter the latest cheating methods that are being invented to circumvent our protections.[/p]
[p]We’ll provide further details as we continue to progress in this area.
[/p][p]Advanced Telemetry
We are improving our tools to collect and analyse data about players' behavior to help us make decisions about multiplayer balance, track cheaters, detect anomalies, etc.
[/p][p]Leaver’s penalty & surrender option
Both of these features have been highly requested, and they are being worked on. We will introduce:[/p]
  • [p]A surrender option to give teams more control over their matches[/p]
[p][/p]
  • [p]A penalty for players who leave mid-game without using the surrender option[/p]
[p][/p][p]Improved customer support ticketing solutions to improve the speed of our feedback to your support requests. This has priority as we don’t want to let our players down, so while it’s not directly impacting the game, it will definitely impact your experience of interacting with us.[/p][p]If you have any questions regarding the game, you can now contact us through a dedicated support channel at [/p][p][email protected]
[/p][h3]Balance[/h3][p]We greatly appreciate all your feedback on faction balance. Balancing is not a one-time fix - it’s an ongoing process that requires careful tuning, patience, and deep analysis of gameplay data.
[/p][p]Our goal is to create a fair and rewarding environment where each faction has equal chances to win. We will continue working on balance adjustments based on stats, internal testing, and your input.
[/p][p]Expect new balance changes aimed at improving balance and strategic depth in the upcoming patch.
[/p][h3]Server Stability[/h3][p]We’re actively working to improve multiplayer stability and connection reliability. Ongoing work includes optimizing the reconnect system so players no longer need to restart the game after a brief connection loss.[/p][p]We want your multiplayer experience to be as smooth and hassle-free as possible.
[/p][h3]What’s Coming with Update 1.09?[/h3][p]Our next patch 1.0.9 will contain the following elements:[/p]
  • [p]A balance patch[/p]
    • [p]A reduction of the active protection systems efficiency.[/p]
    • [p]A reduction of damage for the incendiary munitions.[/p]
    • [p]Various changes to make the Russian Coastal Troops specialization more attractive.[/p]
    • [p]Various changes to rebalance the interest of some over and under performing units.[/p]
    • [p]Fixed: Several autocannons didn’t have enough angle to shoot targets located right next to them.[/p]
    • [p]Fixed: vehicles stopped turning their chassis toward the enemy when using some of their weapons, even if the weapon didn't need the help of the chassis to reach its target.[/p]
  • [p]New presentation of the lobby creation pop up window to better show the different types of lobby that can be created.
    [/p]
  • [p]Option to restart campaign missions and scenarios in the escape menu.
    [/p]
  • [p]Plus various fixes, we will provide the full list when the patch releases.[/p]
[p]Thank you for your continued support and feedback. We’re dedicated to delivering a game that you can enjoy, and we’re excited to take the next steps together with the community.[/p][p][/p][h3]What is missing[/h3][p]We know that there are many other areas of improvement, community requests, suggestions, and more. We are listening and we keep working to improve your experience. We are looking forward to keeping you updated on our current and future work, so if you don’t see the changes you’re looking for in this list, rest assured, we have more to come, and we’ll let you know as soon as we have news.[/p][p]
[/p]

New Broken Arrow update seemingly fails to fix faltering RTS game

Realistic RTS Broken Arrow has had a rocky launch. Despite opening to rave reviews on Steam, a host of technical and balance issues have caused its ratings to sink into the "mixed" range. Widespread cheating in multiplayer modes, a lack of penalty for players leaving in the middle of a match, and unbalanced enemy AI are among the most widespread complaints. A new update seeks to address a number of the community's concerns, but does not seem to go far enough.


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

New RTS game Broken Arrow struggles on Steam as players speak out on cheating

Broken Arrow review - realistic RTS has big problems, but it's still good

After fan feedback, Broken Arrow dev immediately fixes RTS game's skirmish mode

Update 1.08 - Changelog

[p]This update focuses mainly on stability improvements, anti-cheat improvements and fixes to the most major known issues and errors. We are also happy to bring new PvE scenarios.[/p][p][/p][h3]New features and content:[/h3]
  • [p]Ability to change map size in Skirmish and Custom lobbies: the map is determined automatically, but you can override that according to your preference;[/p]
  • [p]New PvE scenarios for 1-3 players on Kaliningrad and Ruda maps;[/p]
[h3]
Balance changes:[/h3][p]We are closely monitoring the evolution of the best performing strategies and their counters. The situation is still evolving so we don’t want to add lots of major changes simultaneously, so we have decided to start with this change first:[/p]
  • [p]Reduced sprint cooldown from 60 to 30 seconds for every infantry/recon infantry unit.
    This modification will deeply impact the balance by giving infantry the ability to use one sprint charge to attack a position and sprint away when artillery starts raining. It also allows to disengage more easily when overwhelmed by vehicles;[/p]
[p][/p][h3]Stability and network:[/h3]
  • [p]We have fixed most cases of memory leaks, which were followed with crash-to-desktop situations;[/p]
  • [p]Reconnect functionality received multiple important fixes, both on server and client side; we will continue our work on this subject in the future;[/p]
  • [p]We have applied tweaks and improvements to our Matchmaker in order to provide better game experience for everyone;[/p]
  • [p]Numerous fixes and improvements;[/p]
[p][/p][h3]Anti-cheat improvements:[/h3][p]This update improves the anti-cheat system, which will now be more efficient in detection.
The team has also been expanded with new members dedicated to thoroughly reviewing all cheating reports, ensuring fairness in the ban process. With this added expertise, we’re confident the staff will be even more efficient in detecting and addressing cheaters.[/p][p][/p][h3]Plans for the near future:[/h3][p]First of all, let us reassure you that we plan to further improve our game by fixing known issues and solving problems that were highlighted by our community as well as bringing new content and making the overall game experience better for everyone.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Currently we want to highlight these fixes, features and improvements, but note that this list is not exhaustive:[/p]
  • [p]Fixes and improvements for Co-op scenarios synchronization;[/p]
  • [p]“Surrender” feature for multiplayer games and progressive penalties for leavers;[/p]
  • [p]New UI screen for scenarios;[/p]
  • [p]QoL improvements for single-player scenarios experience;[/p]
[p][/p][h3]Full list of changes:[/h3][p]Added:
Added option to change map size in Skirmish and Custom lobbies. The size is changed automatically based on the number of players by default but can be forced in the additional settings of the lobby;[/p][p]Added game servers in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia (We’re monitoring the amount of players from all over the world and dynamically adding new servers accordingly. Full list of currently available game servers geolocations in GLOBAL region: US West, US East, Hongkong, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia);[/p][p]Added portraits for Baltic states vehicles;[/p][p]Added swimming animation for ground troops (where applicable);[/p][p]Added PVE 1-3 Kaliningrad scenario (tower defense style);[/p][p]Added PVE 1-3 Ruda scenario (tower defense style);[/p][p]
General fixes & improvements:
Fixed multiple CTDs (crash-to-desktop) due to memory leak issues;[/p][p]Fixed memory leak issue on our server infrastructure. This should increase overall multiplayer stability.[/p][p]Fixed multiple cases of “Reconnect to battle” button not appearing;[/p][p]Fixed multiple cases of “Player.log” file consuming excess amount of space;[/p][p]Fixed an issue with Campaign menu being stuck;[/p][p]Fixed an issue when players may have empty map without playable zone/capture zones/spawn points after loading to the game (in both: single player and multiplayer);
Fixed an issue when players may have 99/99 units in a deck after loading to the game;[/p][p]Fixed an issue when player may get disconnected from game server with corresponding error message;[/p][p]Reduced max FPS cap from 300 to 144;[/p][p]Fixed an issue with dropdown options being unclickable in some cases;[/p][p]Fixed an issue in the reporting system which prevented showing the correct player’s profile upon clicking (this was a UI issue only).[/p][p]Adjusted matchmaking system in order to minimize games with big difference in elo rating between teams;[/p][p]Adjusted matchmaking mechanism to be more accurate while looking for a more suitable (ping-wise) game server. Please be advised: turning on VPN, “connection boosters” and other proxy-like solutions may in fact lead to worse multiplayer experience.[/p][p]Fixed an issue with transferred units movement interpolation;[/p][p]Fixed an issue where some input devices (joysticks, gamepads, racing wheels, vJoys, some particular mouse and keyboards) may interfere with options selection on UI.
Fixed an issue with displaying incorrect date:time format in various in-game messages;[/p][p]Fixed “Flares! Flares!” achievement not counting;[/p][p]Fixed an issue when player wasn’t able to override anti-overkill with his AA by clicking RMB on a desired target;[/p][p]Fixed an issue when Steam workshop scenarios were incorrectly initialized in some cases;[/p][p]Fixed CIS region servers popup screen overlap;[/p][p]Fixed incorrect “ready up” UI sound;[/p][p]Rebinded default camera rotation button from LCTRL to MMB;[/p][p]Fixed mission unlock conditions hints on Campaign screen being misleading;[/p][p]Fixed M712 Copperhead VFX looking like a cluster round;[/p][p]Adjusted 127mm gun VFX (Arleigh Burke);[/p][p]Adjusted mortars and howitzers impact VFX life time;[/p][p]Fixed MC-130H having no model under certain circumstances;[/p][p]Fixed Tochka-U’s missile texture being pink;[/p][p]Adjusted parachute animations;[/p][p]Fixed CAAT Tow marines' pose with M240;[/p][p]Fixed an issue with S300V/S350/S300PM deployment animation being stuck resulting in missiles being fired directly into the ground;[/p][p]"Bay of winds" zones capture time adjusted from 30 to 15 seconds to match other maps;[/p][p]Various fixes for weapons icons;[/p][p]Various localization fixes.[/p][p]

Campaign fixes & improvements:[/p][p]“Blackout” mission:[/p][p]Fixed mission being stuck in some cases.[/p][p][/p][p]“Show time” mission:[/p][p]Fixed time-related medal could not be earned;[/p][p]Fixed the case of players being stuck if they fail the bombing runs too many times.[/p][p][/p][p]“Peacekeeper” mission:[/p][p]Fixed mission’s intro cutscene not scaling correctly for 4K resolutions.[/p][p][/p][p]“Self Service” mission:[/p][p]The timer for the final stage has been increased to 20 minutes (it was 5 minutes by default);[/p][p]When bringing supplies to Cap. Batalin, he will now give you 2 helicopters right away instead of adding them to the reinforcements.[/p][p]
[/p][p]“Papers please” mission:[/p][p]Fixed cases of invisible units appearing in the mission;[/p][p]Improved balance of pre-placed equipment at the storage base;[/p][p]Various improvements to the behavior of allies and enemies;[/p][p]Enemy attack pattern on the HQ has been slightly improved;[/p][p]Fixed an issue of mission stuck due to losing HQ zone;[/p][p]All units received appropriate camouflage (winter).[/p][p][/p][p]“Operation Cold Harbor” mission:[/p][p]Various improvements for each difficulty level. Player now has slightly more resources and units;[/p][p]The behavior of attack waves from Narva has been improved;[/p][p]Fixed a bug when pilots could have been detected prior to secondary mission pops up.[/p][p]Minor improvements to Batalin's movements;.[/p][p]All units received appropriate camouflage (winter).[/p][p]
“Forbidden waters” mission:[/p][p]Various improvements for each difficulty level. Player now has slightly more resources and units;[/p][p]Improved AI behavior.[/p][p]
“Broken arrow” mission:[/p][p]Various fixes for voice overs;[/p][p]Fixed a bug when the Green Light Team was able to capture the last objective (Bennett Plan).[/p][p]
Balance:[/p][p]Reduced sprint cooldown from 60 to 30 seconds for every infantry/recon infantry unit.
Fixed mistake in base price of CAAT TOW 110 =>100 this could result in deck value being inconsistent;[/p][p]Spetsnaz GRU Verba option: added a second Verba launcher to balance the interest of this option with the two others;
Ingenery-Shturmoviki price 60 => 70;[/p][p]Fixed optics value for Skrezhet with Zu-23M + Igla to detect helicopter further away;[/p][p]Fixed TOS-1 rear HEAT armor value being inferior to kinetic armor;[/p][p]Fixed A-222 Bereg howitzer having lower reload times in mixed loadout.
[/p]

On the matter of cheating and bans

[p]Since launch the development team has been working hard on the anti-cheat system, in order to ensure that the multiplayer environment is safe, fair and fun to everyone.[/p][p]We have been monitoring reports and more than 2000 players have been banned on suspicion of cheating since launch.[/p][p]Unfortunately, after internal analysis of the logs and a review of the banning procedure, we've observed some cases where false positives may have occurred in the process, and while we have made every effort to ensure fairness, we cannot fully guarantee that some players haven't been banned unfairly. It is also the reason why we have been quiet in the past few days, we were undergoing a rigid and serious analysis of our internal processes.[/p][p][/p][p]For this reason we have decided we are going to review all cases of bans which might be the result of false positives or result of human error from our staff.[/p][p][/p][p]There have also been cases of players banned from multiplayer for having cheated in single player. Our system cannot differentiate between single player and multiplayer at the moment, so while we wouldn’t object to use of cheats in single player in normal circumstances, we cannot allow them right now, as it wouldn’t be a simple change.[/p][p]We don’t take this decision lightly, but it is the only right thing to do in this case. Rest assured that there is only a very small % of players affected, but our aim is 0 false positives - there can’t be any doubts.[/p][p]We apologize to those who have been banned unfairly.

Rest assured that we remain determined to stamp out cheating in all its forms. [/p][p]
Update 1.08 includes improvements to the anti-cheat system, and the team has been expanded with new members dedicated to thoroughly reviewing all cheating reports, ensuring fairness in the ban process. With this added expertise, we’re confident the staff will be even more efficient in detecting and addressing cheaters.[/p][p][/p][h3]Update 1.08 released tomorrow[/h3][p] Tomorrow on July 11 we are going to release update 1.08. We are aiming at releasing it at around 9 am GMT, so hopefully we’ll be punctual. As usual, we will accompany the update with a post and a detailed changelog.[/p][p]Please note that we will take the servers down in order to deploy the update. Estimated downtime: 15 - 25 minutes.[/p][h3]
Community Call[/h3][p][/p][p]Broken Arrow has players from all over the  world. We come from many different countries and cultures, and we all have different sensibilities. All of us need to be more understanding and tolerant towards everyone. It is a game and we are here to have fun.[/p][p]Stop accusing different nationalities of cheating, or having assumptions that different nationalities are more prone to cheating than others. That is simply not the case.  Simply put, the proportion of cheaters is globally the same in every country, but some countries have more players than others.[/p][p][/p][p]We must be clear on one point: we do not accept or tolerate any form of racist language or behavior. We are one big family and we want people to enjoy Broken Arrow and to feel at home in the Broken Arrow community, no matter where they are from or who they are. [/p][p][/p][p]This is our call to the community: cheating makes things harder for everyone. [/p][p]Cheaters are only making things harder for the developers, as they need to put more time into that rather than focussing on new additions.[/p][p]Cheaters are only making things harder for the staff, as they are putting a lot of time into ensuring that cheaters get banned.[/p][p]Most importantly, it makes the game not fun for people who play multiplayer. [/p][p]If you love Broken Arrow, consider this and please help us by contributing to creating a healthy environment for everyone.[/p][p]
[/p]

New RTS game Broken Arrow struggles on Steam as players speak out on cheating

Before it was released on Thursday June 19, Broken Arrow was one of the most wishlisted strategy games on all of Steam, and with good reason. A rival to Warno, and spiritual successor to the classic World in Conflict, it serves as a more realistic, more challenging alternative to Command and Conquer, an RTS where - supposedly - tactics truly matter. But all has not gone well for Steel Balalaika's debut. Despite tens of thousands of daily players, Steam reviews for Broken Arrow have gradually grown more critical, citing problems with unit balancing, multiplayer settings, and, most significantly, online cheats. Now, the pseudo milsim's overall rating has dropped from 'mostly positive' to the far-less-auspicious 'mixed'.


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

Broken Arrow review - realistic RTS has big problems, but it's still good

After fan feedback, Broken Arrow dev immediately fixes RTS game's skirmish mode

New, realistic RTS game Broken Arrow is finally here, but players face a problem