Holdfast: Nations At War News

Holdfast: Nations At War has been updated! There’s going to be plenty of bug fixes amongst other minor additions coming in this one. Come have a read at our latest blog post to keep abreast with our on-goings.

We'll remain on the lookout for any issues that may occur.

Check out the full change log below.



Changelog 41 - Game Version 0.36.7200.32417

Game Polish ● There’s now more leeway for players to move about while a surgeon is healing them. It will not immediately cancel it as a player moves away.

● Improved the surgeon’s healing animation.

● Rockets, round shot and grapeshot assist and kills now contribute towards your leaderboard standing and soldier rank.

● Reduced the damage dealt when standing on a campfire. You’ll be instantly killed should you try to make your way into a larger fire. We’re looking at you good fellows unfairly rising through the ranks with the surgeon class.

● You can now see the server your Steam friend is playing on through your Steam’s friend list.
» You may need to restart Steam to be able to view this new addition.

Server Administration ● Server administrators now have the option to enable a command which restricts game play to first-person view.
» rc set forceFirstPersonMode true or false

Bug Fixes ● Solved an issue with older ATI graphics cards crashing when the spawn button was pressed on. The game will now launch using a different DirectX for the graphics cards players reported issues with.
» For these older cards, the terrain will appear to be white once launched using an older DirectX. We will push a fix towards this in a future update.
» If you’re still experiencing issues with crashes upon clicking the spawn button, please be sure to make this known to us on the #bug-reports channel on our Discord.
» https://discordapp.com/invite/holdfastgame

● Experimental fix towards an issue which causes players to get stuck while loading the map.
please be sure to make this known to us on the #bug-reports channel on our Discord.
» https://discordapp.com/invite/holdfastgame

● Solved an issue which caused the game to freeze and only show a black screen on launch due to missing pre-requisites.

● Solved a recurring exception which caused framerate to plummet when a player was carrying an object.

● Solved an instance which caused players playing with the surgeon class to be unable to reload.

● Solved an issue where some of the images present in the spawn menu appeared white when a spawn point becomes full.

● Solved an issue with missing localisation for the Korean, Japanese and Chinese languages on the leaderboards.

● Solved an issue which sometimes caused nameplates of enemy players to show.

● Solved an issue which sometimes caused player nameplates while in spectate to show.

● Solved an issue which sometimes caused nameplates of players who already faced their end to continue to show.

● Solved an issue where nameplates would flash when switching between spectating players.

● Solved an issue which prevented leaderboards from populating and player medals from showing.

● Solved an issue which caused soldier rank medals in the game to be offset by one. You would have received your first medal upon gaining the 6th rank instead of the 5th.

● Solved an issue where you could sometimes be unable to see yourself on the leaderboard.

● Solved an issue with white squares appearing in the leaderboards that are supposed to be representing medals.

● Solved an issue where the highest soldier rank medal wouldn’t show.

● Solved an issue that caused soldier rank progress to sometimes not be accounted for while playing on the Melee Arena game mode.

● Solved an issue with an incorrect set of medals showing next to the player’s name for both his leaderboard standing and soldier rank.

● Solved an issue where the leaderboard would show the player’s Steam name instead of the custom name set from within the game. You can now represent your regiment in the leaderboards without having to change your Steam name.

● Solved an issue where the leaderboards would display multiple players as [Unkown] instead of their custom name.

● Solved an issue which caused increased leaderboard loading times.

● Improved the reliability of the Steam friend minimap tracking pointer. In the game, your steam friends show in yellow on the minimap.

● Solved an issue where sometimes the extended leaderboards view showing the Top 100 players would not display the correct results.

● Solved an issue where the player’s playtime wouldn’t show on the leaderboards.

● Solved an issue where sometimes the extended leaderboard button would become unresponsive.

● Solved an issue with underpopulated leaderboards not loading correctly.

● Solved an issue with achievements which required progress not to function.

● Solved an issue with the 'Conscientious Objector' achievement still being awarded if the player killed someone using a cannon.

● Solved an issue where the destroyed guns aboard the 50-Gun Frigate would produce an invisible collider making it difficult for the crewman to move about on deck.

● Solved an issue which allowed players to go inside one of the ruins present on Fort Schwarz.

● Solved an issue with textures on the spawnable Martello Tower prop.

● Solved an issue where one of the rock slabs on Desert Ruins was missing a face.


Changelog 42 (Hotfix) - Game Version 0.36.7200.35090 ● Solved an issue which was causing the server to get stuck after the map loads.


Once again we thank you for your support and until next time, may good health be yours.

We’re working on the next update.

- Anvil Game Studios

Sound the drums of competitive fervour as the latest update sees a release! Better your standing in the class-based leaderboards and rise through the ranks as you gather battlefield experience. You’ll be awarded medals for your honourable feats and achievements to distinguish yourself from the rest.

Come decorate yourself with Steam achievements! There are 50 of them to unlock in this release. Have a read of our blog post for all the details.


Excitement and revel as those good folks in the rank and file, artilleryman, skirmishers, crewman, those playing a support role as well as the ones in high-command strive to better their standing in the newly introduced class-based leaderboards.

Particularly good at playing your preferred class? We’ll surely be seeing your rise to the top! Score you’ve accumulated after the round ends whilst playing with one of the many classes that make up for Holdfast: NaW’s selection will be put towards bettering your standing in the leaderboards. You’ll also have a few medals to show for it.




Leaderboard medals are awarded based on a particular bracket you fall under. As you reach your way to the top 500, you’ll gather your first bronze medal followed by a silver medal once you make it to the top 100 and eventually the prestigious gold medal should your standing reach its way to the top 25. Amongst those distinguished few that made their way to the top 3? You’ll similarly be rewarded with a unique decorative medal specific to your standing.

Show-off your honourable feats to those good men standing shoulder to shoulder. These medals will be displayed right next to your name whilst playing the game.

Awarded Medals

Bronze Medal - Standing +500



Silver Medal - Standing +100



Gold Medal - Standing + 25



Top Tier - Standing 3rd Place



Top Tier - Standing 2nd Place



Top Tier - Standing 1st Place




Soldier your way through the field of battle and rise through the ranks! You’ll gather experience based on how well you did during a match. Start by picking one of the many classes to join the fray and advance through all 50 ranks.

Staying true to Holdfast’s core design, you will find no unlockable firearms or melee weapons that otherwise provide an advantage over other players locked behind the soldier ranking mechanic.




There’s a total of 9 medals you can gather through soldiering. Similarly, these will also be displayed next to your name while playing. It’ll certainly be quite the sight to see those good fellows well decorated.

Awarded Medals

Bronze Medals - Soldier Rank 5, 10 & 15



Silver Medals - Soldier Rank 20, 25 & 30



Gold Medals - Soldier Rank 35, 40 & 50




Player scoring has undergone balance changes. Musicians and flag bearers will see an increase in score they gather by playing a supportive role indicative of their class, infantry officers gather more score while issuing orders to the rank and file and a variety of other related additions.




Up for hunting a few Steam achievements? There are 50 ones to unlock all of which vary in difficulty. Humourful references to community ongoings, legendary works of art and more. Take a look at all the achievements you can gather below.

Holdfast NaW - Steam Achievements




Rest assured that the team is hard at work developing more game-play focused updates. In the next major update, Holdfast will see the introduction of one of the most community-requested features. I’m pretty sure you can guess what’s next in line from our rather subtle hint below.

It’s been months of hard work but it is nearing ever closer. You may also be seeing a new map being introduced leading to the release of the next major update.




Looking for a good bunch of fellows to play the game with? Do join our Discord! Linebattle events where players are encouraged to play in formations relevant to the Napoleonic era are hosted by the community through the week. Discord is also a great place to be to stay in touch with the game’s development. Feedback is always greatly welcomed.

If you’re a fellow in the ranks of a regiment, go declare your enlistment. Through this, you can gather access to the ‘Field Camp’ where regimental specific discussion ensues. We look forward to seeing you there!

https://discordapp.com/invite/holdfastgame



Here’s the full changelog for all the bug fixes and additions we have undergone in this update.



Changelog 38 - Game Version 0.35.7196.27294

Game Features ● Leaderboards. Better Your Standing. Good folks in the rank and file, artilleryman, skirmishers, crewman, those playing a support role as well as the ones in high-command strive to better their standing in the newly introduced class-based leaderboards.
» You can view the leaderboards by clicking the button present on the main menu or by pressing the ‘Esc’ key during a match.
» Expand the leaderboard to show the top 100 fellows by pressing the arrow button next to each class.
» Class-based leaderboards are respectively split into 'Class' and 'Melee Arena'. You will only be able to better your standing in the 'Melee Arena' leaderboard by playing on the respective servers.
» You require a minimum of 10 players on the Army Front servers for your score to contribute towards bettering your leaderboard standing or soldier rank advancement. Naval Warfront servers only require 6.

● Leaderboards. Medals. Leaderboard medals are awarded based on a particular bracket you fall under. Show-off your honourable feats to those good men standing shoulder to shoulder. These medals will be displayed right next to your name whilst playing the game.

● Soldier Rank. Battlefield Experience. Soldier your way through the field of battle and rise through the ranks! You’ll gather experience based on how well you did during a match. Start by picking one of the many classes to join the fray and advance through all 50 ranks.
» You can view the ranks of your soldiers through the leaderboards.

● Soldier Rank. Medals. There’s a total of 9 medals you can gather through soldiering. Similarly, these will also be displayed next to your name while playing. It’ll certainly be quite the sight to see those good fellows well decorated.

● Scoring. Game Balance. Player scoring has undergone balance changes. Musicians and flag bearers will see an increase in score they gather by playing a supportive role indicative of their class and more.

● Steam Achievements. Decorate. Up for hunting a few Steam achievements? There are 50 ones to unlock all of which vary in difficulty. Humourful references to community on goings, legendary works of art and more. Take a look at all the achievements you can gather below.
» Holdfast NaW - Steam Achievements

Bug Fixes ● Solved an issue which caused players to be pushed back when jumping aboard a moving ship.

● Solved an issue which caused players to get stuck ramming or loading a cannon.

● Solved an issue which prevented players from opening the spawn menu user interface when a ship was sunk by the enemy faction.

● Solved an issue which allowed infantry officers to stack ‘fire at will’ and ‘fire’ firearm accuracy bonuses.

● Solved an issue which caused special characters from various localised languages on enemy player name plates to show.

● Experimental fix towards an issue which causes interaction icons indicators to stretch throughout the map.

● Solved an issue which broke subsequent Army Battlefield and Army Assault map rotations if a greater or lesser number of spawn points where present and using spawn overrides.

● Solved an issue which allowed server administrators to slay a player which was already dead.

● Solved an issue which caused other players to disappear when looking at a specific area on Fort Salettes.

● Solved an issue with invisible rock models on Snowy Plains 2 (L).

● Solved an issue with invisible gabions on King George.

● Solved an issue with invisible rocks on Fort Winston.

● Solved an issue with one of the pillar models missing a face on Desert Ruins.

● Solved an issue where the background appeared to be cut-off on Desert Plains 1.

● Solved an issue with the church door override props always spawning sideways.

● Solved an issue with the door1 props always spawning sideways.

● Solved an issue which allowed gates on Fort Salettes to be openable while playing as the attackers on the Army Siege game mode.

●Solved an issue which allowed gates on Southsea Castle to be openable while playing as the attackers on the Army Siege game mode.

● Solved an issue with floating barrel props on Palisade Arena.

● Pianos are no longer destructible.

Game Polish ● Hiding behind partially built Chaevaux De Frise (L) will no longer make you impervious to shots from firearms.

● Reduced the number on infantry spawns on Fort Salettes gatehouse while the Army Siege game mode is playing.

● Several maps have received amendments to prevent players from capturing points from obscure locations on the Army Siege and Army Conquest game modes.
» Fort Christina - Fort Flag = You can only capture this flag from the top of the blockhouse.
» Fort Salettes - Gatehouse = You can only capture this flag from ground level.
» Fort Salettes - Cellar = You can only capture this flag from the cellar itself.
» Fort Salettes - Tower = You can only capture this flag from the first floor upwards.
» Fort Schwarz - Fort Flag = You can only capture this flag while atop the tower.
» Balamor Bay - Tower Flag = You can only capture this flag from atop the fortification’s base.
» Fort Imperial - Fort Flag = You can only capture this flag while standing at the very top of the fort.
» Martello Tower - Tower Flag = You can only capture this flag from inside the tower.
» Martello Tower - Shipwreck = You can no longer capture this flag without going ashore.
» South Sea Castle - Fort Flag = You can only capture this flag from the first floor upwards.
» Fort Winston - Fort Flag = You can no longer capture this flag from atop the walls.

● Increased the number of Infantry Officers playable on the Melee Arena game mode.

● Blocked a few pathways on the walls present on Fort Arena to prevent players from running around in circles unnecessarily delaying the round.

● Players can no longer enter inside the towers present on Watchtower Arena.

● You will now find the kill streak announcer present on the Army Deathmatch game mode.

● Several amendments to the top bar user interface while playing the Army Deathmatch game mode.
» It now shows neutral flags instead of faction-based ones.
» Flag to the left now tracks the kills you’ve gathered.
» Flag to the right now tracks the player that has gathered the most kills while excluding yourself from the equation.

● Removed obsolete centre screen text from showing during the end of round screen while playing on the Army Deathmatch game mode.

● Changed the winning condition of the Melee Arena game mode so it enables teams to make a comeback. Victory is now determined based on the team which first reaches a set number of rounds.

● Several amendments to the top bar user interface while playing the Melee Arena game mode.
» It now correctly tracks the winning team.
» It now correctly represents the maximum number of rounds.

● Solved an issue with the match duration being displayed incorrectly in the end of match screen while playing the Melee Arena game mode.

● Solved an instance where the maximum player respawns parameter would break the Melee Arena game mode.

● Solved an instance in which the round start countdown timer would flash shortly after the round reset in the Melee Arena game mode.

● Solved an instance in which the wave spawn timer would be displayed whilst spawning in the Melee Arena game mode.

● Prevented double kills from occurring inside spawn locations for fresh spawns in the Melee Arena game mode.

● The battle timer is now visible for spectators in the Melee Arena game mode.

● The end of round score now displays for longer in the Melee Arena game mode.

● Removed the respawn timer displayed in the death screen whilst playing the Melee Arena game mode as it served no purpose.

● Solved a rare occurrence which caused the Army Assault game mode to end early.

● Disabled the wave spawn timer on the army Assault game mode. Players should spawn in instantly.

● Slays from Administrators and player suicides now correctly count towards the enemy team in the Army Assault game mode. This sometimes resulted in the top bar displaying incorrect information.

● In the Naval Assault game mode, the out of time winning condition was changed to count the number of ships sunk instead of the ships that remain alive.

Map Editing ● Implemented a command that copies the position and rotation of the player automatically to the clipboard. You will no longer have to get position then rotation and typing everything over manually to the server configuration file to place object overrides.
» Make use of the following command: get details

● Players can now spawn green and blue screens through overrides.
» bluescreen
» greenscreen

● You can now make use of more spawnable objects during your map editing endeavours.
» Palmetto_1
» Palmetto_2
» CoconutPalm_1
» CoconutPalm_2
» MusketStack
» CrateLong_Red
» CrateLong_Brown


Changelog 39 (Hotfix 1) - Game Version 0.35.7196.286 ● Solved an issue when the round resulted in a draw which could halt the server.

● Client-side optimisations to reduce framerate spikes. We'll be working more on this.


Changelog 40 (Hotfix 2) - Game Version 0.35.7197.2161 ● Solved an issue which resulted in players being unable to spawn or join the round.

● Pushed more client-side optimisations towards instances where players experienced a sudden drop in framerate.


Know Issues - Upcoming Fixes ● Players sometimes don't see medals while playing the match or are unable to open the leaderboard.

● Launching the scoreboard will cause a spike in framerate.

● We're currently looking into these issues. All of the data throughout your play-session is being logged and accounted for. You will not lose any progress.


Once again we thank you for your support and until next time, may good health be yours.

We’re working on the next update.

- Anvil Game Studios

Another update hits the BETA! Better your standing in the class-based leaderboards and rise through the ranks as you gather battlefield experience. You’ll be awarded medals for your honourable feats and achievements to distinguish yourself from the rest.

Come have a read of our latest blog-post for an insight on the new gameplay features to come.


Excitement and revel as those good folks in the rank and file, artilleryman, skirmishers, crewman, those playing a support role as well as the ones in high-command strive to better their standing in the newly introduced class-based leaderboards.

Particularly good at playing your preferred class? We’ll surely be seeing your rise to the top! Score you’ve accumulated after the round ends whilst playing with one of the many classes that make up for Holdfast: NaW’s selection will be put towards bettering your standing in the leaderboards. You’ll also have a few medals to show for it.



Leaderboard medals are awarded based on a particular bracket you fall under. As you reach your way to the top 500, you’ll gather your first bronze medal followed by a silver medal once you make it to the top 100 and eventually the prestigious gold medal should your standing reach its way to the top 25. Amongst those distinguished few that made their way to the top 3? You’ll similarly be rewarded with a unique decorative medal specific to your standing.

Show-off your honourable feats to those good men standing shoulder to shoulder. Even though this functionality is not yet fully present in this BETA, these medals will be displayed right next to your name whilst playing the game before this update sees a full release.



Soldier your way through the field of battle and rise through the ranks! You’ll gather experience based on how well you did during a match. Start by picking one of the many classes to join the fray and advance through all 50 ranks.

There’s a total of 9 medals you can gather through soldiering. Similarly, these will also be displayed next to your name while playing.

Staying true to Holdfast’s core design, you will find no unlockable firearms or melee weapons that otherwise provide an advantage over other players locked behind the soldier ranking mechanic.



Scoring for a multitude of classes is planned to undergo further balance before this update sees a full release. Musicians and flag bearers will see an increase in the score they gather by playing their supportive role indicative of their class amongst other changes.

Rest assured that the team is hard at work developing more game-play focused updates. In the next major update, Holdfast will see the introduction of one of the most community-requested features.


Would you like to have a go at what’s to come? Join us in the BETA! Hop in on our Community Discord to do so. You'll find all the details in the #announcements channel. It’s a great chance for you to provide us with feedback before the update sees a full release and help us make sure that everything is working as intended while you’re at it.

Everything present in this BETA is still a work in progress and bugs are to be expected. The end of match screen is currently undergoing a redesign so players can better distinguish their standing in the leaderboards.

https://discordapp.com/invite/holdfastgame




Looking for a good bunch of fellows to play the game with? Do join our Discord! Linebattle events where players are encouraged to play in formations relevant to the Napoleonic era are hosted by the community through the week. Discord is also a great place to be to stay in touch with the game’s development. Feedback is always greatly welcomed.

If you’re a fellow in the ranks of a regiment, go declare your enlistment. Through this, you can gather access to the ‘Field Camp’ where regimental specific discussion ensues. We look forward to seeing you there!

https://discordapp.com/invite/holdfastgame



One again we thank you for your support and until next time, may good health be yours.

We’re working on the next update.

- Anvil Game Studios

Game polish update now sees a full release! Optimisations, user interface amendments, multiple bug fixes, better error handling, gameplay balance and combat additions. We’ve also continued to expand on the selection of spawn-able objects in this update.

Come have a read at our latest blog post for all the details.


Optimisations sat at the forefront of this update’s development as we delved into ways to improve CPU utilisation when a lot of players are on screen. Everything from functions used to animate players, movement, the minimap, name tags, player markers and various other implementations in the game’s ever-growing code base received iterations. Pending that you’re not already limited by dated hardware, you will experience a better framerate.

Towards the same effort, our one-man art department embarked on optimising over 30 game levels that make part of Holdfast’s current map selection on both the naval, coastal and army war fronts to cut down on draw calls.




A good majority of the bugs which saw an introduction due to the massive number of additions in the recent major updates have been tackled. Improving the way on how errors are handled when a player is unable to connect to a game server or otherwise play was also apart of this update’s objective. You will now be accordingly informed if Steam isn’t running before launching the game for instance.

Holdfast: Nations At War is in Early Access and therefore things are still a work in progress. With the massive number of changes and additions we daily undergo to push forward new features, optimisations or quality of life additions, some bugs may indeed slip through the cracks albeit all the testing we conduct.

It would go highly appreciated if you take your precious time to inform us on Discord should you face any issues. We’ll get working on it.

Holdfast Discord - #Bug-Reports




As part of our polishing endeavours, the game’s user interface couldn’t go untouched. New additions to facilitate selection, improve upon design as well as the user’s experience.

You are now provided with the option to auto-join the round, the spawn menu has been restructured to show the attributes tab from the get-go and remain visible as players opt between different class selections, a new launch splash screen, changes to the server browser and multiple other additions.




Up next are the gameplay integrity changes. Guardsmen are no longer always guaranteed to kill other classes in the rank and file with a single strike. Instead, they have been equipped with muskets that have a greater reach when compared to other classes. Due to this integrity change, we have done away with the slight differences in weapon reaches on bayoneted muskets between factions.

Grenadiers now tank less damage when hit by a melee weapon as they had their resilient trait reduced by 10%. Firearm accuracy for the Light Infantry class when crouching and firing has been increased from 10% to 13%. Those playing a support role and carrying a pistol are now provided with a chance to kill a foe with a single shot if they are only a few meters away. If you miss your target, you’ll end up in close quarters without a melee weapon equipped so choose dearly.




Combat mechanics will be seeing changes, bug fixes and new additions in this update. You are now able to quickly bash and stun an opponent through secondary attacks. Kick an opponent while having a sword equipped or your fists at the ready. Similarly, you can push them away when wielding a bayoneted musket, axe, boarding pike or even a flag by pressing the ‘F’ key. Secondary attacks have limited range and are only able to deal upwards to 5 damage.

We’ve also ironed out an issue which caused players rotating and striking to miss their target more often even if they were playing on servers correct to their region and using a stable internet connection. Crouching animations have been changed to help players better distinguish the direction a strike is coming from. Stun timers have also received amendments to incentives players to block after they’ve been struck by a melee weapon and managed to survive the hit.




Those with a keen interest in map customisation will be pleased to hear that we’ve significantly expanded the selection of spawn-able object overrides with the inclusion of over 150 new props! Buildings, fortifications, artillery pieces, rocks, trees, shrubs and more. You’re now able to override and define your own spawn point locations on maps supporting the Army Battlefield and Assault game modes thanks to one of our recent additions.

We look forward to continuing expanding on similar functionality in future game updates. It’s been great seeing event hosts make good use of these features. Rest assured that you’ll be seeing more support from us on this matter. Have a look at our Wiki for a list of spawn-able props.

Holdfast Wiki - Spawnable Props




Looking for a good bunch of fellows to play the game with? Do join our Discord! Linebattle events where players are encouraged to play in formations relevant to the Napoleonic era are hosted by the community through the week. Discord is also a great place to be to stay in touch with the game’s development. Feedback is always greatly welcomed.



Discord has undergone a complete redesign! Are you an officer in command of a crew or regiment? Hop in on Discord to register your in-game clan. With over 12,000 members strong and growing, it’ll surely serve as a great step forward to better your regiments standing and gather new recruits.

If you’re a fellow in the ranks, go declare your enlistment. Through this, you can gather access to the ‘Field Camp’ where regimental specific discussion ensues. We look forward to seeing you there!

https://discordapp.com/invite/holdfastgame



Here’s the full changelog for all the bug fixes and additions we have undergone in this update.



Changelog 37 - Game Version 0.34.7174.32299

Game Optimisations
• Player Optimisations. It sat at the forefront of this update’s development as we delved into ways to improve CPU utilisation when a lot of players are on screen.
  » Optimised functions used to animate players.
  » Optimised player movement.
  » Optimised the minimap.
  » Optimised the name tags.
  » Optimised the player markers.
  
• Map Optimisations. Our one-man art department embarked on optimising over 30 game levels that make part of Holdfast’s current map selection in an effort to cut down on draw calls.
  
• Memory Optimisations. Conducted multiple optimisations to reduce memory.
  
  Error Handling & Bugs
• Game Bugs. A good majority of the bugs which saw an introduction due to the massive number of additions in the recent major updates have been tackled. We are aware that some remain in the game and we’ll be tackling them in future updates.
  » Solved an issue where the charge command didn’t provide a buff which increases melee damage at times
  » Solved an issue where a cannoneer was still able to take control of a cannon when another cannoneer was already operating the piece.
  » Solved an issue where players would take priority over carrying a ladder irrespective of the class.
  » Solved an issue with class priorities when carrying a rocket.
  » Solved an issue which caused extra score gathered from killing a Guard to be shown as support. Players will now receive the correct message informing them of their ‘Guard Kill’.
  » Solved an issue which allowed players to grief teammates by igniting an explosive barrel.
  » Solved an issue which allowed players carrying an explosive to kill their own teammates if they got shot while carrying the barrel. Should you get shot when carrying an explosive barrel, only damage to players in the enemy faction will be applied.
  » Solved an issue which caused the server to crash when playing on the Watchtower Arena map.
  » Solved an issue where gabions and infantry spikes placed through object overrides couldn’t be destroyed.
  » Solved an issue which caused bonfires placed through object overrides not to deal any damage.
  » Solved an issue which allowed surgeons to reload and heal.
  » Solved multiple instances which caused recurring exceptions causing dips in framerate.
  » Solved an issue with weapon racks missing their localisation.
  » Solved an issue which enabled players to clip through constructible earthworks.
  » Attempted fix towards an issue which sometimes caused players to immediately die after they respawn.
  » Solved an issue with a swivel gun clipping through one of the windows present on Linburg.
  » Solved multiple issues with destruction pieces on Balamor Bay’s lighthouse.
  » Solved an issue when dynamic snow was enabled on Sharpton.
  » Solved issues with missing faces on some ruin props.
  » Many more map-related fixes.
  
• Error Handling. Improved the way on how errors are handled when a player is unable to connect to a game server or otherwise play was also a part of this update’s objective.
  » You will now be accordingly informed if Steam isn’t running before launching the game for instance.
  
  User Interface Polish
• You are now provided with the option to auto-join the round.
  
• The spawn menu has been restructured to show the attributes tab from the get-go and remain visible as players opt between different class selections.
  
• Classes, naval vessels, land-based spawn points or factions that are unable to be selected are now being greyed out serving as an additional indication that all slots have been taken.
  
• An all-new launch splash screen.
  
• New functions to facilitate navigation in the server browser along with other additions to improve its looks.
  
• Several changes and additions to polish the main menu user interface.
  Introduced additional tips tackling new game functions, game modes and community-related matters.
  
• Cleaned up the map loading screen interface and implemented new map loading screens that feature up to date graphics. This is still a work in progress.
  
• Improved the looks of the flag and infantry stakes kill log icons.
  
• Players that are experiencing framerate or latency related issues will be accordingly informed through the use of multiple warning indicators. You can disable this through the ‘Game’ settings by looking for ‘Warnings’ under ‘User Interface.
  
• Players can now view the cooldown and duration of each order by hovering on one of the icons present in ‘Attributes’ panel before spawning with the Infantry Officer class.
  
• And multiple other minor additions.
  
  Gameplay Balance
• Guardsmen are no longer always guaranteed to kill other classes in the rank and file with a single strike. Instead, they have been equipped with muskets that have a greater reach when compared to other classes.
  
• Due to the above change, we have done away with the slight differences in weapon reaches on bayoneted muskets between factions.
  
• Grenadiers now tank less damage when hit by a melee weapon as they had their resilient trait reduced by 10%.
  
• Firearm accuracy for the Light Infantry class when crouching and firing has been increased from 10% to 13%.
  
• Reduced the health points of palisade walls and slightly increased the time it takes to build them making them more susceptible to artillery fire.
  
• Those playing a support role and carrying a pistol are now provided with a chance to kill a foe with a single shot if they are only a few meters away. If you miss your target, you’ll end up in close quarters without a melee weapon equipped so choose dearly.
  
• Surgeons now receive more score for their good deeds.
  
• Infantry Officers can now toggle on and off beacons issued through the ‘Reinforce’ order.
  
• Fort Schwarz. Ladders on this map have been moved near the initial infantry spawn location instead of at the back were the artillery resides for the attackers.
  
• You are now able to spawn with the carpenter class on the Crosshills map. Same goes for Desert Ruins when played on Army Siege.
  
• You can now jump over the fences present on Balamor Bay.
  
  Combat Mechanics
• You are now able to quickly bash and stun an opponent through secondary attacks. Kick or push an opponent by pressing the ‘F’ key. Secondary attacks have limited range and are only able to deal upwards to 5 damage.
  » Equip the spyglass by pressing the ‘G’ key or a lantern by pressing the ‘H’ key.
  
• Ironed out an issue which caused players rotating and striking to miss their target more often even if they were playing on servers correct to their region and using a stable internet connection.
  
• Crouching animations have been changed to help players better distinguish the direction a strike is coming from.
  
• Stun timers have also received amendments to incentives players to block after they’ve been struck by a melee weapon and managed to survive the hit.
  
• Solved an issue which caused players to became almost invulnerable to melee strikes if they had their back facing against the wall.
  
• Functions used to determine if a strike has hit the player’s chest or legs have been redesign to improve accuracy.
  
  Object Overrides
• Spawnable Objects. Events. Those with a keen interest in map customisation will be pleased to hear that we’ve significantly expanded the selection of spawn-able object overrides with the inclusion of over 150 new props and customisable spawn points!
  » Visit our Wiki for more on how to make use of these new props.
  Holdfast Wiki - Spawnable Props
  » More information on how to utilise the newly introduced spawn override functionality can be found on our Wiki.
  Holdfast Wiki - Spawn Overrides
  » You will also find a short guide explaining how to make use of this map editing functionality.
  Holdfast Wiki - Map Editing
  » Thanks to Falo for all his hard work on the Wiki!
  
• Introduced two completely empty maps that are perfect to let your imagination run wild.
  » Input the following parameters to play this map on your community server: map_name custommap or map_name custommapnaval
  
  Server Configuration
• Server administrations are now able to teleport players to their location by using the rc teleport player command.
  » Players is able to accept the following parameters: player id, me, attackers, defender or all.
  » Destination is able to accept the following parameters: player id, me, co-ordinates using the usual ‘x, y and z’ format as floating-point numbers.
  
• Server administrators can now disallow melee strikes from bouncing off friendly players if friendly fire is disabled.
  » Input the following parameter on your community server to enabled or disable this functionality: friendly_fire_melee_bounce true or false
  
  Graphical
• Improved the looks of the Training Grounds, Sharpton, Caribbean and multiple other game levels.
  
• You will now find more ruins on the Desert Ruins maps.
  
• Camps on Fort Winston are now enterable.
  

Once again, we thank you for your generous support and as always, may good health be yours.

We’re working on the next update.

- Anvil Game Studios

Game polish on all fronts! Optimisations, multiple bug fixes, user interface amendments, better error handling, combat additions and gameplay balance. We’re also making good headway on those long-awaited gameplay features similar to what you’ve experienced in our prior major update releases featuring naval warfare, player-built defence as well as the class system.

Come have a read at our latest blog post. You’ll be able to gather a first-hand look on some of the new features present in this BETA release.


Optimisations sat at the forefront of this update’s development as we delved into ways to improve CPU utilisation when a lot of players are on screen. Everything from functions used to animate players, movement, the minimap, name tags, player markers and various other implementations in the game’s ever-growing code base received iterations. Pending that you’re not already limited by dated hardware, you will experience a better framerate.

Towards the same effort, our one-man art department embarked on optimising over 30 game levels that make part of Holdfast’s current map selection on both the naval, coastal and army war fronts to cut down on draw calls.



Bugs which saw an introduction due to the massive number of additions in the recent major update releases are being tackled and undergoing testing in this BETA. Work on improving error handling when a player is unable to connect to a server is in progress. We’re aware that there are still issues with this system and development will continue in the coming week to flesh things out before release.

As part of our polishing endeavours, the game’s user interface couldn’t go untouched. New additions to facilitate selection, improve upon design as well as the user’s experience. Players are now provided with the option to auto-join the round, the spawn menu has been restructured to show the attributes tab from the get-go and remain visible as players opt between different class selections, a new launch splash screen, changes to the server browser and multiple other additions.



Up next are the gameplay integrity changes. Guardsmen are no longer always guaranteed to kill other classes in the rank and file with a single strike. Instead, they have been equipped with muskets that have a greater reach when compared to other classes. Due to this integrity change, we have done away with the slight differences in weapon reaches on bayoneted muskets between factions.

Grenadiers now tank less damage when hit by a melee weapon as they had their resilient trait reduced by 10%. Firearm accuracy for the Light Infantry class when crouching and firing has been increased from 10% to 13%. Those playing a support role and carrying a pistol are now provided with a chance to kill a foe with a single shot if they are only a few meters away. If you miss your target, you’ll end up in close quarters without a melee weapon equipped so choose dearly.



Combat mechanics will be seeing changes, bug fixes and new additions in this update. You are now able to quickly bash and stun an opponent through secondary attacks. Kick an opponent while having a sword equipped or your fists at the ready. Similarly, you can push them away when wielding a bayoneted musket, axe, boarding pike or even a flag by pressing the ‘F’ key. Secondary attacks have limited range and are only able to deal upwards to 5 damage.

We’ve also ironed out an issue which caused players rotating and striking to miss their target more often even if they were playing on servers correct to their region and using a stable internet connection. Crouching animations have been changed to help players better distinguish the direction a strike is coming from. Stun timers have also received amendments to incentives players to block after they’ve been struck by a melee weapon and managed to survive the hit.



Those with a keen interest in map customisation will be pleased to hear that we’ve significantly expanded the selection of spawn-able object overrides with the inclusion of over 150 new props! Buildings, fortifications, artillery pieces, rocks, trees, shrubs and more. You’re now able to override and define your own spawn point locations on maps supporting the Army Battlefield and Assault game modes thanks to one of our recent additions.

We look forward to continuing expanding on similar functionality in future game updates. It’s been great seeing event hosts make good use of these features. Rest assured that you’ll be seeing more support from us on this matter. Have a look at our Wiki for a list of spawn-able props.

Holdfast Wiki - Spawnable Props (WIP)




Would you like to have a go at what’s to come? Join us in the BETA! Hop in on our Community Discord to do so. You'll find all the details on the #announcements channel. It’s a great chance for you to provide us with feedback before the update sees a full release and help us make sure that everything is working as intended while you’re at it.

Everything present in this BETA is still a work in progress and bugs are to be expected.

https://discordapp.com/invite/holdfastgame



We greatly appreciate your participation in the BETA. Do let us know if you face any issues.

Once again, thank you for your support and until next time, may good health be yours.

You'll be hearing from us again soon.

- Anvil Game Studios