Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront News

Dear community members!
The Open Beta playtest is over. Did you like our demo? Did you have some fun?
We want to thank everyone that took part; there was very useful feedback, and it’s now time to use it and prepare for imminent release.
In this update we want to tell you about what to expect from the release, and about what happens after.

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We are in this for the long term. We are confident that we will be able to develop and improve Call to Arms: Gates of Hell for years to come and we feel the community will support us in achieving our goals.
In part, this is based on the detailed feedback we got from the community during the open beta. We have tackled the most important issues, such as fixing crashes, improving pathfinding, and fixing other issues that were found. For multiplayer improved the fog of war experience among other things. We will continue to improve after release.

“Release Roderick” (Pontius Pilatus)


In our initial version, you get the following:

• 2 Training missions
  
• 10 SP missions
  
• 18 Conquest maps
  
• 20 MP maps
  
• 180 vehicles
  
• Mid and late war multiplayer settings
  
• Switchable 1P and 3P views for vehicles
  
• 3P view for infantry
  
• One multiplayer gamemode (Battle Zones) with fully customisable settings
  
• Editor
  

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After release, we will continue updating the game by fixing bugs, adjusting game balance and preparing large content updates.

Infantry and realistic squad overhaul, uniforms changing by season, additional missions and much more are among the updates to expect after release.

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As we have announced, we will be developing a number of modules to add new factions, each with their own history, equipment, campaigns and new features. These will be paid expansions. Work on the next module has already started. It’s important to get a head start, so we don’t take too long between new releases. We will keep you posted on progress of course.

• The quickest way of asking us anything is our official Discord server. We have a very helpful community.
  
• You can read about our methods in the blog on our Company website.
• You can still check the meta game questions and answers HERE.

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Dear community,

We have updated the beta with some of the upgrades we've been working through before our upcoming release, which will come much closer than you think. Some very needed improvements will also arrive with the release package as they need more time.

Some of these changes came from your feedback! I hope you have enjoyed this ride with us thus far and we'll be around listening to your feedback until the last day of the beta. See you on the battlefield!

• Added rifle grenade ammo for rifle grenade squad assistant.
  
• Standadised win score at 1000
  
• Fixed crew type on 4.7cm pak
  
• Fixed crash when hiding UI at end of match (Ctrl + Alt + Shift + D)
  
• Reduced price and CP of kubel MG
  
• Reduced capture weight of German pioneers from 6 to 4
  
• Reduced health of tank crew
  
• Reduced human double click speed from 19kmh to 18kmh
  
• Reduced building supply cost for hedgehog, barbed wire, barricades
  
• Removed grenades from tank commanders
  

• Fixed numerous crashes on co-op.
  
• Fixed tanks spawning on fire or other mishaps
  
• Fixed AI issue with starting on Easy difficulty
  
• Improved Attacking AI to not have a CP limit. Units should attack more in groups/waves instead of a trickle
  

• Various improvements to maps
  
• Fixed dcp_pinsk environment settings to use summer weathers instead of spring(snow)
  

• Added new pathfinding model for wheeled vehicles, they won't get stuck on small slopes nor they will bug out and stop mid-route. Their route will be calculated at once and displayed on the minimap correctly (even if it's a long one) after ordering the movement.
  
• Improved vehicle mobility formulae and responsiveness
  
• Improved detection and spotting rules (fog of war delay still needs to be fixed, but after a unit is spotted the rules for re-fogging are now more intuitive and streamlined).
  
• Improved HDR shading
  
• Improved Panzer V Ausf. A
  
• Improved German officer cap to show infantry colour.
  
• Improved various infantry model textures
  
• Improved AI when shooting on the move.
  
• Improved crash FX for aircraft
  
• Increased rifle grenade HE accuracy
  
• Increased blast damage of 132mm bm13 rockets (katyusha)
  
• Increased bullet damages at range by ~10%
  
• Increased Vehicle component break sound volume
  
• Increased human chassis rotation speeds
  
• Fixed german officer specular texture
  
• Fixed flares from disappearing when hitting trees
  
• Fixed LOD position on bm13_studebaker
  
• Fixed spelling of "Battalion" in localization
  
• Fixed third person control for blitz3_6_flak30
  
• Removed blastwaves from muzzle to prevent units from damaging themselves
  

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Dear community,

One week has passed since the start of Phase 2, but we collected a lot of feedback and a lot of improvements and fixes are underway. We have decided to update the test with some of the changes that have been finalised last week. As you can see, the work is going at full speed. There is still plenty of work going on to address all of the feedback, and the entire package of changes and new additions will arrive for the release.

• Added session view Chat
  
• Added new model to game and multiplayer: Gaz-AAA 72K
  
• Added Zis-5 into MP to replace Gaz-AAA (more capacity)
  
• Slowed down the accumluation of points from captured flags to increase total game time
  
• Increased DP cost of Doctrine unit Panzer38t_g (15 to 20) and increased cooldown time (240 to 300)
  
• Increased standard resources from 2500 to 2800
  
• Reduced cost of armoured cars
  
• Reduced cooldown time for Airstrikes in Doctrines in MP (480 to 240) (cooldown = time to rebuy)
  

• Added fuel trucks to both nations research tree
  
• Increased GlobalMaxCP. Allows for more units in the veterans section (reserve)
  
• Increased ammo points (AP) earned for wins
  
• Increased attacking AI CP limits so they can field more units at any given time, when player is defending
  
• Increased point collection rate when player controls all flags as defender in Conquest: 20min game instead of 25min
  
• Fixed crew count for flak36
  
• Fixed cost of sdkfz_flak18
  
• Fixed humans spawning on fire and uncontrollable
  
• Fixed vehicles that had been burned from fire or engine destruction from being recoverable and spawning in next match on fire/setting crew of fire.
  
• Fixed scripts that were causing all vehicels to spawn sandbags shortly after mission start
  
• Fixed pz38t_A CP for conquest
  
• Reduced MP and CP cost of Kubelwagen variants
  
• Reduced cost to repair vehicles. Should be closer to the cost of buying a new vehicle.
  
• Reduced cost of T37a
  
• Removed mining teams from AI bot buy menu
  
• Removed tier 1 infantry from AI Bots menu after first few rounds (partisans, osttruppen, etc)
  
• Removed ability to crew enemy AI defender MG empalcements to prevent them from being captureable.
  
• Removed medics from bots buy menu in conquest
  

• Updated explosion sounds from HEAT shells
  
• General sound mixing and adjustments
  
• Fixed Sdkfz 10 w/ Pak38 to have rotate sound
  
• MG 34 & 42 sound revision
  
• MG Interior sound adjustment
  

• Many minor fixes for most maps: tex mods, terrains, some pathing
  
• DCG Pinsk: fixed pathfinding and ocean issues.
  
• Updated environment/weath setting's sounds to match on-screen FX (i.e. Rain)
  

• Added veterancy icons 6-8 for unit icon small
  
• Updated bt2 icons
  
• Updated cursors
  
• Updated Veterancy icons for conquest
  
• Updated localization for A19 cannon (mid doctrine)
  
• Fixed human at rifle icon for conquest
  
• Fixed roman numeral from VI to IV for stage 4 icon in conquest
  
• Fixed several localization issues
  

• Added better randomization to off map artillery barrages
  
• Added RUS V3 Voice Lines
  
• Added fire damage radius around flamethrower stream
  
• Added armor volumes for T34 Hull MG and Driver hatch
  
• Added support for BR-350B 76mm shell (aphebc2)
  
• Added support for HEAT HL/A/B/C shells
  
• Added APCR ammo to sdkfz8_flak18
  
• Added blitz truck engineering version x and xx models
  
• Added sandbags to all Mortars and DSHK AA stand
  
• Fixed net code sync with fire damage on ground and object
  
• Fixed net code sync with humans being revivable from bullet death
  
• Fixed net code sync with vehicles crews being killed from damage to vehicle
  
• Fixed syncing of various interaction events for multiplayer/coop
  
• Fixed shell casings from howitzers and guns to dissapear in fog of war
  
• Fixed rotation of LOD's for shell_cannon_auto
  
• Fixed flamethrower containers to on the back of humans
  
• Fixed portraits
  
• Fixed obstacles for several cannon x models
  
• Fixed firing angle/gravity for bm13 (katusha) so it can fire its full range even on varying terrain
  
• Fixed localization for soviet MG ammo
  
• Fixed visual bug with IL2 destroyed model
  
• Fixed goliath crater spawning
  
• Fixed awkward line on dust fx
  
• Fixed stug3g not being able to reload main gun, when MG gunner is told to hide/close hatch
  
• Fixed vehicle engine sound still playing when engine toggled of while moving
  
• Fixed armor for t26_39 turret
  
• Fixed Auto Cannons HE shell to cause as much damage on a direct hit to human health as AP ammo does. (It was causing only blast damage before)
  
• Fixed 20mm_flak30 sometimes not wanting to fire after reload or ammo type switch
  
• Fixed fences to be destructible by auto cannon HE shells
  
• Fixed pz1B enumerator problem after repairing turret
  
• Fixed vehicle view for kv85
  
• Fixed pz4 variants enumerator "direction of numbers"
  
• Fixed pz35t x and xx model winter textures
  
• Fixed dshk_stan armor, volumes, components, break/repair animations
  
• Fixed panzer4f2 Hull and Coax MG's being reversed
  
• Fixed sdkfz8_flak winter texture
  
• Fixed direction that sandbags built by cannons face. Still have rotation issue on uneven ground.
  
• Fixed smoke grenades blinking light during night
  
• Updated fire fx on burning wooden objects
  
• Updated detection time (reveal time) for enemy units in fog, based on unit type and distance
  
• Updated grenade throw animation to take less time to release grenade
  
• Updated Player AI to be able to use AT-rifles against infantry. Will switch to pistol when in range.
  
• Updated German rifle grenade to have HE grenade preloaded instead HEAT grenade
  
• Updated fx choice for anti-tank rifle grenades
  
• Updated many explosion fx
  
• Updated infantry that have both a helmet and cap, to wear helmet by default.
  
• Updated loadouts of several vehicles for new HEAT or APHEBC shell types or historical loadouts
  
• Updated flag texture
  
• Updated Gebirgsjagers human skins
  
• Updated partizan headwear
  
• Updated partizan headwear textures
  
• Updated other humanskins
  
• Updated tracer fx light intensity during night
  
• Increased slightly AT Rifle accuracy and longer ranges
  
• Increased blast damage for the 300mm nebelwerfer rockets
  
• Increased accuracy of Plane MG's
  
• Increased plane forward vision
  
• Increased accuracy and damage of IL2 rockets
  
• Increased armor for T34 57 & 76 series hull nose on vehicles where it was thicker
  
• Increased base accuracy of sniper rifles to match standard rifles. Adjusted aim shot settings accordingly.
  
• Reduced Soviet 76mm HE blast damage to be more inline with German 75mm HE shell
  
• Reduced resupply cost of small arms ammunition
  
• Reduced mortar accuracy beyond max range to help prevent accurate farshooting in 3rd person mode
  
• Reduced mortar range
  
• Reduced melee range
  
• Removed sound from spheredust_wood FX because it plays way too often when wood logs break
  
• Removed feature that crew of ammo crate would leave when setting crate down. Now they will stay on, until player orders them off.
  

If you haven’t already, this is your last chance to partake in the testing as the beta is on it’s final passages. stagesSteam Store page!

You can join in 2 clicks

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Community-made screenshots from our Discord channel by Kleis, Will G and IvanFrit!

Dear community members,

It is time to release conquest and allow you to test that part of the game as we draw an end to this excellent beta. Your feedback has been plentiful and it will help us polish the game for its release coming up soon.

This version of conquest, like the multiplayer, is limited in the maps available (only 6) to you and other features. It is a taste of what is to come. The fully fledged conquest (with 16 maps, and a lot of new stuff) will be available on the release, as with all the other content. Enjoy the beta update!

You can still join the open beta, this is your last chance as the beta won't run for much longer, it’s available on our Steam Store page!

You can join in 2 clicks


Community-made screenshots by Swonki, diruscze and JägerMan!


Meanwhile, join us on our Discord server, the best place for quick answers to any questions you might have.
Good luck & have fun!

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Dear community members,

The next open beta phase is about to be launched. This is phase 2 of the Call to Arms - Gates of Hell project open beta.

You can still join the open beta by the way, it’s available on our Steam Store page!

You can join in 2 clicks

As we said before, Phase 2 consists of the multiplayer (PvP and PvE) with the upgraded netcode, and we will launch conquest during the weekend too.

Aside from the new areas which now open for testing, we have done significant upgrades to the visuals, sounds and performed a huge number of improvements over the content previously available in phase 1. Such novelties include many new units and models, new uniforms for better 3rd person visuals, and tons of new features, including many of those that the community requested such as increased squad selection sizes.

We are on the final stretch finishing the new soundscape, having finished work on weapon sounds and performing a global QA pass. We are confident it offers you an authentic and immersive sound experience.

Phase 2 of the open beta contains 6 multiplayer maps (full release will contain 20) and will contain 5 conquest maps (full release will contain more than 15!).

New uniforms - HD Link

As usual we include the relevant part of the changelog:

• Enabled multiplayer access for 6 maps, only mid- war period and standard game settings.
  
• Improved netcode
  
• New vehicles, humanskins, weapons
  
• Improved HDR and shader optimization
  
• Improved multiple animations
  
• Improved in-game interface
  
• Improved sounds and sound mix
  
• Increased squad selection size
  
• New special effects
  
• New fog/ un-fog timer logic for vehicles per class
  
• Added human tank gun skill and vehicle veterancy
  
• Many fixes and quality of life improvements
  
• Redesigned tank ranges and support gun mechanics, more about it here

Like with the last update, there’s no action required from you, dependent on your Steam settings.
We hope you will enjoy this phase, which combines phases 2 and 3 as we have previously announced.

Meanwhile, join us on our Discord server, the best place for quick answers to any questions you might have.
Good luck & have fun!