Onward News

Hello everyone!

The long awaited update 1.8.8 is here! This update features a rewrite of key game systems to make the game more stable and future-proof, so that we can build on a better foundation going forward. The rewrite includes areas of the code that control player lobbies, game modes, and many other aspects of the game. We’ve included only a selection of bugs and changes in the changelog: over a hundred bugs have been fixed in this update and some new content has made it in as well.

Night Time Shooting Range
Are you ready to prepare for night time operations with your fire team? The new night version of the Shooting Range will allow you to train your skills in the dark. When setting up for Shooting Range in single player or multiplayer, you will now be able to choose a day or night setting.


Audio Systems
The second major change to feature in this update is further improvements to the audio systems. We’ve rebalanced our audio volumes, we’ve improved the way volume decreases over distance and we’ve added new sounds for footsteps and a selection of weapons, with more to come in the future.

Video of Sound Updates

We’ve included a more detailed changelog below. Stay on the lookout for 1.8.9 in the coming weeks!

-- Changelog
Audio

• Added verification steps to check for correct settings
  
• Audio volumes rebalanced
  
• Audio attenuation distances tweaked
  
• Custom global audio can now use the indoor/outdoor ducking system
  
• Added new Custom Content audio events
  

Gameplay

• Fixed a bug where if players drew a lot on the whiteboard the game could crash on Oculus Quest
  
• Fixed several instances of lobbies crashing and kicking players back to the main menu
  
• Fixed an issue in Uplink where the round would sometimes not end after the Uplink was sent successfully
  
• Forgive or Punish buttons for team killing have been moved to the tent, allowing players more time to punish team killers
  
• Removed a small rogue collider around players’ necks that could unintentionally block bullets
  
• Evac choppers’ landing locations have been adjusted slightly so they are more easily accessible
  
• Bushes in Suburbia Day have been adjusted so that visibility is more consistent between the PC and Quest versions of Onward
  
• Quest players can no longer spawn on dead fire team leaders after pausing the game through the Oculus menu
  
• Collision boxes for the trucks on Shooting Range have been adjusted so players can no longer get stuck
  
• Fixed an issue where some players were returned to the menu after completing Basic Training, instead of moving them on to Intermediate Training
  
• Fixed several collision issues leading to inconsistent or incorrect results
  

Weapon & Utilities

• Fixed a number of issues where objects would be incorrectly blocked or visible in front of or behind smoke grenades
  
• When ejecting magazine from gun, velocity of gun is now taken into account
  
• C4 can now be deactivated by fire from a Molotov cocktail
  
• Fixed an issue where if the player had C4 and a Molotov cocktail on their vest and the Molotov was shot the C4 would float mid-air
  
• Fixed an issue with the MP5 where the bolt could not be closed after emptying a magazine
  
• Fixed an issue where grenades could do damage through solid floors
  
• Fixed an issue where the gun sight would float above the MK18 in the tent if the M203 grenade launcher was equipped to the gun
  
• Fixed RPG rocket fins sticking out on Quest
  
• Fixed an issue where players could shoot through the Riot Shield if it was in a lowered position
  

Custom Content
Released a new custom content sdk: v2.0.9
https://onwardthegame.com/doc/OnwardCustomContent_SDK_v2.0.9.unitypackage
Updated the Custom Content Guide
https://onwardthegame.com/doc/CustomContentGuide.pdf
Updated the Custom Content Lightmapping Guide
https://onwardthegame.com/doc/OnwardLightmapping101.pdf

Known Issues

• Players will sometimes spawn inside the table in the Shooting Range day and night maps
  
• We’ve temporarily removed support for bHaptics vests for Oculus Quest and Quest 2 users
  
• Oculus players may encounter a black screen (audio can still be heard) when loading in or out of the tent. Restarting your game will fix this issue
  
• One evac zone in Subway still needs to be adjusted to be able to complete the game mode
  
• When playing One in the Chamber, multiple players can spawn on top of each other
  

Hello Everyone!

As you may have guessed when we announced that we were joining Oculus Studios back in late April it’s been a crazy month of May for us. It was heartwarming to see the largely positive response to the news! We, like you, are excited for what this means and the future opportunities we will have. That's for the future, back to current events: we've been working on 1.8.8 for a long time, and we're excited to get it into your hands very soon. The release of 1.8.8 also clears the path for more frequent updates with more content and new features for you to enjoy.

From The Devs’ Desk
To give a quick recap and update of the roadmap we set out in the previous sitrep: Update 1.8.8 is coming out soon, and we’re currently tackling the final list of issues before we send a build over to Unit 51 for testing and ultimately release it to you. Update 1.8.8 will focus on a rewrite of key game systems to make them future-proof and increase their stability so that we can build on them going forward. On top of that, Update 1.8.8 includes a night version of the shooting range map and a lot of bug fixes, including a fix for the crash on Quest that happens when there is too much writing on the white board.

After 1.8.8 is released, we intend to release two more updates in quick succession: update 1.8.9 will feature the Abandoned map in both day and night variants, and Update 1.8.10 will see the release of the Turbine map, also in day and night variants.

As Abandoned is coming together we want to share a few teaser images with you.

Abandoned is situated in a Siberian forest close to a lake. With several Soviet-era buildings and factories, VOLK has repurposed these facilities in order to assemble weapons and vehicles. A MARSOC Chinook has been shot down and looted by VOLK militia. With months’ worth of gathered intelligence, MARSOC is well prepared for an offense to take out this facility. A recon mission was cut short when a Chinook transporting MARSOC troops was shot down over an unmapped forest. The remaining Marines have gathered near an abandoned industrial complex. Intelligence has confirmed VOLK forces in the area.



But that’s not all to look forward to: although we’re not sure yet if it’ll be ready in time for 1.8.9 or if it will be released with 1.8.10, we are working on improving our weapon systems, adding the ability to perform an HK slap and speed reloads for weapons that realistically support such specific interactions. At the same time, we will also remove bolt release buttons from weapons such as the MP5 which do not have these features in real life. A full list of what guns will be getting these features will be made in the patch notes when the feature is released.

HK-Slap Speed-reload

Our plans for the longer term also remain unchanged: we’ll be working on Shadowmask Lighting to improve graphics on PC, all new and improved animations for characters, a friends and party system to quickly join up in a game with the people you want to play with, and a progression system to keep an eye on your battlefield performances! It’s a bit early to talk about any of these in detail, but definitely keep an eye on future Sitreps for the juicy details.

Community Center
Summer Fun is coming! We are gearing up for a Summer Community Contest so be on the lookout for more details soon.

This month we want to highlight a member of our community, SGT SCRUFF, who has been providing some fun Onward videos on his YouTube channel. Not only does he highlight some great sniper shots and gameplay, but some great moments within their community of players. This video in particular gave us a few laughs.

We have a couple new custom maps that have been added to the workshop area as well.

Offshore Platform by Tatoskok
Volk has seized a deepwater offshore drilling rig! MARSOC must take back control of the facility. Failure will result in the long term disruption to the world's energy supply.

Paradise by Koiz
MARSOC has been deployed to this South American town to remove a Volk cell and restore freedom.


That's it for May's Sitrep, and as always: stay frosty!

We have just pushed a small change for PCVR players. After the launch of 1.8.7.3 there was a bug causing some players to not load into the game or lobbies correctly. This was known in the community as "being invisible” or "ghosting". We wanted to make sure we acted quickly and got you back to playing.

This issue has been fixed. Please make sure you update to the latest version of the game. If the issue continues please reach out to the Community Managers.

We are excited to announce that Downpour Interactive is joining Oculus Studios. What was once a one-man operation and passion project has blossomed into a studio of people who work together to bring you the best VR tactical shooter. Onward will stay the studio's focus as we continue to grow and expand and continue to bring you quality gaming and experiences.

For more details please refer to the FAQ on our website which includes a message from our founder Dante.

Downpour will remain largely independent at Oculus, with Dante at the helm and all developers at their posts. In most ways it will be business as usual. Please review the FAQ for more details and Dante’s message.

https://onwardthegame.com/

Hello again everyone!

Update 1.8.7.3 for Onward has just been released: this patch adds an anti-cheat system back into Onward. Although we usually like to talk about details, the nature of the patch makes that a bit harder this time around.

This patch affects the way Onward launches on Steam: by default it will now use OnwardLauncher.exe instead of Onward.exe. To prevent the Steam client from creating an error you will have the option to launch the game in a ‘standard’ and a ‘legacy’ mode, where legacy is meant for people who cannot immediately update the game. Launching the game in legacy mode is meant to be used only if you’re on version 1.8.7.2. After you’ve updated to 1.8.7.3 launching in legacy mode will mean you won’t be able to access multiplayer games. If you use a shortcut to launch the game, you should update it accordingly after applying this patch.

For Steam users who are running version 1.7, the legacy mode will be available to you as well.

Stay frosty!