Over The Top: WWI News

Hey guys!
We are excited to announce that the public December Playtest for Over The Top: WWI is now live and will last from the 4th till 9th December 2024!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

It's been a while since our last playtest, and we're excited to share all the new additions and improvements we've made. With a change-log spanning hundreds of entries, we’ll spare you the full list here and instead highlight the most noticeable and impactful updates to Over The Top: WWI!

Here are the key changes of this playtest:

[h3]Campaign Gamemode[/h3]
The main focus of this playtest is to put our newly implemented Campaign Gamemode to the test. Currently available exclusively in multiplayer, this mode will eventually also make its way to the single-player.

• Fight for Territory: In Campaign Mode, both teams battle to capture and hold a series of territories. The team with the most territories at the end of the campaign will win the campaign.
  
• Dynamic Map System: Each territory is represented by a unique playable map. Once a map has been fought over, it can’t be selected again for one round - but it can return to the rotation later.
  
• Persistent Destruction: Campaign Mode isn’t just about capturing territory - it’s about changing it forever. Craters, player-dug trenches, destroyed trees, and even demolished buildings persist across battles. As the campaign progresses, maps transform from lush landscapes into the desolate hellscapes that define WWI.
  
• Time and Atmosphere: Maps will now feature random times of day, so prepare for the challenges of nighttime combat or the eerie glow of dawn. In the future, we also plan to add dynamic seasons and weather - imagine waging war in snow-covered trenches or icy wastelands.
  
• Battle Stats: After each battle, detailed statistics will be displayed, including the number of shells fired, vehicles destroyed, and more. Relive the intensity of each fight with these in-depth post-match summaries.
  
• We Need Your Feedback: The Campaign Mode UI is still a work in progress, and we want to hear from you! Your input will help us refine the experience, so please let us know what’s working well and especially what needs improvement.

[h3]Class System Rework[/h3]
Following feedback from the previous playtest, we observed that the Mechanic class was underutilized and lacked effectiveness. To address this, we’ve replaced it with the new Armoured Class.

This class is built for resilience, featuring steel-plated armor, heavy helmets, and face masks. While the Armoured Class sacrifices speed - it is unable to sprint - it excels in durability: it takes significantly lower damage to the upper body and head.

Additionally, the wrench from the Mechanic class has been reassigned to the Rifleman class, where it can now be unlocked, ensuring it remains accessible.




[h3]New Uniforms[/h3]
The British faction has been outfitted with a number of new Scottish Uniforms. In addition to the rifleman class, both the British Stormtrooper and Engineer now have access to Scottish uniforms.




[h3]New Map[/h3]
We've introduced a new map to the game: Alpenflugplatz. This map boasts rugged, mountainous terrain, complete with winding tunnels and narrow paths cutting through the rocky landscape. At its heart lies a German airfield, surrounded by open space - perfect for players to dig their own trenches.






[h3]Reworked Vehicle Physics[/h3]
All wheeled vehicles have been upgraded with an entirely new physics system! Say goodbye to the days of awkwardly floating vehicles and overly bouncy, unrealistic suspensions. The new system delivers smoother, more realistic movement, enhancing both the visuals and the feel of vehicle handling on the battlefield.

[h3]Motorbikes![/h3]
In addition to the new vehicle physics we have also added motorbikes with sidecars...

[h3]Reworked Perks and Troop Menu[/h3]
We’ve reworked all perks to make them more unique and impactful. These changes aim to enhance gameplay variety and strategy, but your feedback is invaluable—let us know what you think!

Additionally, the troop menu has been revamped for clarity and convenience. Descriptions are now more concise, and weapon stats are displayed directly within the menu, eliminating the need to navigate into each weapon's customization menu.

[h3]Other changes[/h3]
There are hundreds of smaller and larger changes and additions we’ve made, so we highly recommend jumping in and checking out the game for yourself. Your feedback is crucial to us, so please share your thoughts on our Discord or the Steam Forums. The more detailed and frequent the feedback, the better we can refine the game.

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The December Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will start on Wednesday the 4th of December and will end on the 9th of December.

Please keep in mind that the game is still in alpha and a number of features have not yet been implemented. There will be bugs and performance issues as well unfinished gameplay.


If you are interested in participating in the Playtest, you can register for it from our Steam Store Page. Once registered, you will be notified once the Playtest starts.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2778610/Over_The_Top_WWI/

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield very soon!
/Flying Squirrel Entertainment

We are excited to announce that the next public alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will from the 4th till 9th December 2024!

As previously announced we are looking to host a couple of public Playtests prior to release of Over The Top: WWI, so that we can find bugs, get feedback and tweak gameplay well ahead of the official release.

The next alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will start on Wednesday the 4th December at 16:00 CET and will end on the 9th December at 10:00 CET.
Please keep in mind that the game is still in alpha and a number of features have not yet been implemented. There will be bugs and performance issues as well unfinished gameplay.
The playtest will feature a number of new features, such as the new campaign gamemode, improved vehicles physics, new classes, weapons and more!

If you are interested in participating in the Playtest, you can register for it from our Steam Store Page. Once registered, you will be notified once the Playtest starts.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2778610/Over_The_Top_WWI/

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield very soon!
/Flying Squirrel Entertainment

The September Steam Playtest has ended. We want to thank you all for showing up in such great numbers and testing the game with us. Your help is greatly appreciated! Please feel free to continue posting feedback and suggestions on our Discord or Steam Forums.

Over the next few days we will be evaluating the feedback and FPS stats collected during the game. Some of you have asked when the next test will be. We currently do not have a date set, but expect one within the next 2 months or so. There are some pretty big changes coming up, so these might take longer to implement.

We have also created a survey with a couple of questions. It would be great if you could fill it out. All questions are optional, so feel free to fill however many you like.

https://forms.gle/VoiWvg2DPir2Ys7w8

If you have missed the playtest and want to be notified when the next one is about to happen, go to the Storepage and click on "Request Access"

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2778610/Over_The_Top_WWI/

We will keep you up-to-date on future playtests and other announcements! Thank you!
/Flying Squirrel Entertainment

Hey guys!
We are excited to announce that the fourth public Alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI is now live and will last from the 6th till 9th September 2024!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Since the last playtest, we've primarily focused on improving FPS performance. This has been a challenging task, but we hope the optimizations we've made have significantly enhanced the game’s overall performance. Now, we need to test these changes to ensure we're on the right track, enabling us to continue refining the experience.

For this playtest, our main focus will be on tracking player FPS. We've integrated automatic telemetry to monitor FPS during gameplay, allowing us to gather valuable data. After the playtest, we’ll analyze this information to determine the best direction for further development.

To ensure accurate comparisons, we won't be adding any new maps for this playtest. Introducing new environments could skew the performance data, making it less useful. We understand this may be disappointing, but it’s a necessary step in the game's development process, and there’s no way to bypass it.

Despite the focus on performance tracking, we’re still introducing some new and updated content. You'll find balance adjustments, numerous bug fixes, and new uniform unlocks to explore. Even if you participated in the previous test, we encourage you to check out the latest changes and provide your feedback.

Here are some of the key changes in this playtest:

[h3]FPS Improvements[/h3]
The primary focus of this playtest is to test our performance improvements. We have implemented numerous improvements across various systems in the game to deliver a smoother and more responsive experience.

[h3]Upscaler[/h3]
If you're GPU limited, you may want to try out the FSR 3.1 or XeSS upscaling techniques we've integrated, with XeSS being the preferred option due to its superior quality. You can enable upscaling in the Video options. This may provide significant performance boosts at the expense of some graphical fidelity.

Please note that both the upscaler and the new anti-aliasing (AA) are still experimental, which might result in unwanted behavior and ghosting artifacts. XeSS tends to produce fewer artifacts, which is why it is the recommended upscaler in Over The Top: WWI.

[h3]New AA techniques[/h3]
We have enhanced the Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA) technique, resulting in noticeably fewer jagged edges. Additionally, you can now enable FSRAA and XeSSAA, which deliver great AA results - especially XeSSAA - while incurring minimal performance costs. We encourage you to try them out!

[h3]New Uniforms[/h3]
The British faction has been outfitted with a variety of new uniforms, including authentic officers' garb, backpacks, and haversacks. Additionally, the Black Watch Highlander uniform is now available for unlock.



[h3]Randomly Generated Maps[/h3]
We have implemented the first version of randomly generated maps into the game. We might randomly switch to them every now and then, but they will not be in the map rotation for now. Still very experimental. It will be interesting to see how they play.

[h3]Weapon Accuracy[/h3]
We have introduced several new systems that impact gunplay, particularly for automatic and semi-automatic rifles and pistols.

Movement Accuracy: Firing weapons while moving will now significantly increase sway and reduce accuracy. This has been fine-tuned on a per-weapon basis, meaning some weapons handle movement better than others. For example, carbines experience only a minor accuracy penalty, whereas Light Machine Guns suffer a more substantial reduction in accuracy.

Burst Firing: Weapons should now be fired in short bursts. Continuously firing full-auto weapons will cause their accuracy to deteriorate over time, while firing in short bursts will prevent this issue.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will start on Friday the 6th of September and will end on the 9th of September.

Please keep in mind that the game is still in alpha and a number of features have not yet been implemented. There will be bugs and performance issues as well unfinished gameplay.


If you are interested in participating in the Playtest, you can register for it from our Steam Store Page. Once registered, you will be notified once the Playtest starts.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2778610/Over_The_Top_WWI/

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield very soon!
/Flying Squirrel Entertainment

Hey guys!
We are sorry for the short notice, but we are excited to announce that the fourth public Alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will be from the 6th till 9th September 2024!

Since the last playtest, we've primarily focused on improving FPS performance. This has been a challenging task, but we hope the optimizations we've made have significantly enhanced the game’s overall performance. Now, we need to test these changes to ensure we're on the right track, enabling us to continue refining the experience.

For this playtest, our main focus will be on tracking player FPS. We've integrated automatic telemetry to monitor FPS during gameplay, allowing us to gather valuable data. After the playtest, we’ll analyze this information to determine the best direction for further development.

To ensure accurate comparisons, we won't be adding any new maps for this playtest. Introducing new environments could skew the performance data, making it less useful. We understand this may be disappointing, but it’s a necessary step in the game's development process, and there’s no way to bypass it.

Despite the focus on performance tracking, we’re still introducing some new and updated content. You'll find balance adjustments, numerous bug fixes, and new uniform unlocks to explore. Even if you participated in the previous test, we encourage you to check out the latest changes and provide your feedback.

Here are some of the key changes in this playtest:

[h3]FPS Improvements[/h3]
The primary focus of this playtest is to test our performance improvements. We have implemented numerous improvements across various systems in the game to deliver a smoother and more responsive experience.

[h3]Upscaler[/h3]
If you're GPU limited, you may want to try out the FSR 3.1 or XeSS upscaling techniques we've integrated, with XeSS being the preferred option due to its superior quality. You can enable upscaling in the Video options. This may provide significant performance boosts at the expense of some graphical fidelity.

Please note that both the upscaler and the new anti-aliasing (AA) are still experimental, which might result in unwanted behavior and ghosting artifacts. XeSS tends to produce fewer artifacts, which is why it is the recommended upscaler in Over The Top: WWI.

[h3]New AA techniques[/h3]
We have enhanced the Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA) technique, resulting in noticeably fewer jagged edges. Additionally, you can now enable FSRAA and XeSSAA, which deliver great AA results - especially XeSSAA - while incurring minimal performance costs. We encourage you to try them out!

[h3]New Uniforms[/h3]
The British faction has been outfitted with a variety of new uniforms, including authentic officers' garb, backpacks, and haversacks. Additionally, the Black Watch Highlander uniform is now available for unlock.



[h3]Randomly Generated Maps[/h3]
We have implemented the first version of randomly generated maps into the game. We might randomly switch to them every now and then, but they will not be in the map rotation for now. Still very experimental. It will be interesting to see how they play.

[h3]Weapon Accuracy[/h3]
We have introduced several new systems that impact gunplay, particularly for automatic and semi-automatic rifles and pistols.

Movement Accuracy: Firing weapons while moving will now significantly increase sway and reduce accuracy. This has been fine-tuned on a per-weapon basis, meaning some weapons handle movement better than others. For example, carbines experience only a minor accuracy penalty, whereas Light Machine Guns suffer a more substantial reduction in accuracy.

Burst Firing: Weapons should now be fired in short bursts. Continuously firing full-auto weapons will cause their accuracy to deteriorate over time, while firing in short bursts will prevent this issue.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will start on Friday the 6th of September and will end on the 9th of September.

Please keep in mind that the game is still in alpha and a number of features have not yet been implemented. There will be bugs and performance issues as well unfinished gameplay.


If you are interested in participating in the Playtest, you can register for it from our Steam Store Page. Once registered, you will be notified once the Playtest starts.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2778610/Over_The_Top_WWI/

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield very soon!
/Flying Squirrel Entertainment