Devblog #159

Hello everyone! Today, we’ll be revealing the contents of the next free update, “Content update 6,” and the upcoming Talvisota update.
Over the years, among the almost 60 updates that we have released, the most important ones have been the 4 Community Updates and 5 Content Updates. This will be the 10th major update to the game. This time, we also update the Talvisota DLC.

[h2]Talvisota[/h2]
The Talvisota DLC will see a considerable upgrade. We will add a vast amount of new units, new human models, and one additional single-player campaign mission to the Finnish forces.
The quality and optimization of the new Finnish human models will match those of the previously updated models for the USSR and Germany, as well as those for the USA.
The new human models were developed with support from the community. A big thank you goes to @Sandels_FI for sharing his time to work closely with us over the past months, sharing his vast knowledge on this particular topic.



We’ve also created a new single-player mission for Talvisota; it will feature Simo Häyhä in an action-packed mission that will make you feel the horror and freezing cold of the Winter War.

The update includes 18 new vehicles, over 400 new human models, 38 new headgear pieces with their variations, and new Swedish weapons, voices, and units. The time has come for the Swedes to reinforce the Finns.

[h2]Conquest[/h2]
This update brings the first set of improvements and new features to Conquest, with more planned in the future. It will be a long road for our small team to take Conquest to our final vision, but today, you will receive the first set of new features and essential optimizations.

[h3]Persistent Maps[/h3]
Currently, when playing a battle at a specific location in the Operation, the game map is randomly changed each time a new battle occurs at that location.



Now, each location of the Operation map will always be a single map. It will still be randomized when the operation is first created, and after that, the maps remain the same for each location.

This change enables us to add a new feature: Persistent Maps.

Persistent Maps means that entities that were built or destroyed in previous battles remain in place and are added to in each subsequent battle on that same map. For example, Conquest will now remember building destruction, knocked down and destroyed trees, craters, destruction stamps, player-built fortifications like foxholes and tank traps, destroyed vehicles, and more.

Before 1st battle

Start of 2nd battle


Before 1st battle

Start of 2nd battle

Persistent Maps is supported in CooP as well. You'll see a small percentage number next to non-host players when they join CooP lobbies of maps with saved destruction (players will auto download the map changes to avoid desync, and the new percentages show download progress).

[h3]Operation Completion[/h3]
We have added a new option to Conquest that appears when you complete any operation.

Previously, after winning an operation, you would be given the choice to either end your campaign and start a new one from scratch or continue your campaign in a special 'unlimited' operation that does not allow for any progression on the operation map.

Now, the new feature allows you to choose what your next operation will be while keeping your current units and progression.



This means you can continue playing with your unit force endlessly, from one operation to the next. This feature paves the way for future improvements we would like to bring to Operations.

[h2]Environment[/h2]
Throughout Content Update 6 and beyond, we will be releasing a partial rework of the “Ostfront” environment assets. Over the last 10 years that we’ve been working on the game, the level of detail and technical complexity of our models has advanced dramatically. The time has come to update Ostfront to the standards of our Western Front assets. We will be doing so gradually, as our small team is spread thin among multiple fronts. In this update, you will get a select few higher-quality models and textures for some important assets.

[h2]Anti-Aircraft weapons[/h2]
An important breakthrough was made with anti-aircraft targeting. We identified the cause of the issue where AA guns would aim at but not fire at enemy aircraft, and have subsequently fixed it. This has been a long-standing issue we have investigated many times, and thanks to a key piece of information from a community-provided bug report, we’ve managed to find the cause and address it.

[h2]Optimization[/h2]
The update comes with several changes that improve general performance; the extent to which these will affect performance will vary from user to user, but you should expect an improvement.

Conquest
Several optimizations have been made for Conquest. These optimizations reduce the amount of memory Gates of Hell consumes when playing Conquest. Testers reported reductions varying anywhere from 10%-50% in memory usage depending on their settings. These improvements also have a bonus side effect of reducing the load times into a Conquest battle.

Vegetation
We have replaced several “Ostfront” vegetation assets that were detrimental to performance with more optimized versions.

Human Models
The new Finnish human models and headwear use over 1GB less space on disk than before, and they reduce the amount of memory needed when playing a battle that includes the Finnish faction.

[h2]Visuals and video options[/h2]
We have also taken the time to address other rendering issues. Ambient Occlusion has been improved with better Horizon-Based Ambient Occlusion parameters. The video option presets were tweaked to give a better image. A new video option, “Maximum (32+GB),” has been added, further improving the game's visuals. However, it requires 32GB of RAM or more to operate stably.

[h2]Animations[/h2]
That’s not everything; we will also bring new animations to the game. We’ve made several improvements, implemented new features, and created new animations using Motion Capture.





The new animations take advantage of a new randomization feature. Soldiers will run and walk differently from one another, perform different variations of animations, to create more natural and immersive gameplay.



Another new animation feature is the additive animation system. This allows multiple animations to play simultaneously without overwriting one another. With this new technology, we’ve implemented a system that makes soldiers flinch when a bullet or blast hits them.



[h2]Open Beta[/h2]
Content Update 6 and the Talvisota update are now available in open beta.
To join the beta, you only need to switch your game to the beta version. Later, when the beta becomes the live version, you don’t need to do anything at all to reverse the process.
If you want to participate, go to your Steam library, right-click on the game, select properties - betas - open beta. You can switch back to the current version at any time, using the same process.
We will release the update when the open beta has proven to be stable.

For the full Changelog click HERE

[h2]Finest Hour[/h2]
The development of the Finest Hour DLC continues in parallel, and we’ll be sharing a bit more of its contents in future blogs, so stay tuned.

That’s it for now; what will be your favorite addition from this update? Let us know in the comments!

[h2]Did you know?[/h2]

• The release of “Ostfront”, our very first game, happened on June 11th, 2021
  
• Data shows that the community doubled in size after the release of the “Talvisota” DLC
  
• Today, the average number of concurrent players is around 5 times higher than in 2021
  
• Christoffer Weiss, one of the voice artists for the “Talvisota” DLC, starred in the movie “Beyond the frontlines”, a great movie about the continuation war.