Ravenfield News

Hey everyone, and sorry about the radio silence lately!

I've been taking some time off development, but now I'm back with regular updates again!

This update adds a dialog system to the game. The dialogs will be mainly used in the conquest mode (which obviously isn't available yet), but I figured I should spend some time working on this feature and get your feedback on its first iteration. This means the gameplay changes in this update are very light, but you should look forward to some of the upcoming changes that are hinted at in this update ;)!

Right now there are two dialogs available in the game. The first one will automatically pop up, but the second is hidden in the game. Make sure you check out the new roadmap page for some hints to find it!



The roadmap was added to give a more clear picture of what remains to be added into the game before it leaves Early Access. I want to keep adding features to the game after it leaves Early Access too, so don't get discouraged if your favorite game suggestion isn't on the roadmap, it might be added later down the line anyway!


Full change log:

- Added dialog system
- Added roadmap menu page
- Fixed some minor issues when loading modded maps/weapons
- Added some weapon modding features allowing modders to create more realistic weapons with simulated chambered rounds and mag drops.
- For sure no secrets!!!


To anyone a bit sad that this update doesn't contain more gameplay updates - sorry about that! I'll make sure to update the beta branch with new gameplay elements as soon as possible, so be on the look out!!!

Finally, Ravenfield has now been on steam for exactly one year, and I'd like to thank everyone for the massive support for the game! Thanks to you, I can work full time on the game without any worries which is super exciting! Thank you!


Enjoy this update!

/SteelRaven7

This update is mainly about the new map - Coastline!



Coastline is probably the most ambitious Ravenfield map to date, and focuses on close quarters engagement and verticality with the battle raging from sea level all the way up to the mountain ruins.



This update also introduces new features such as the Configure Flags option, allowing you to customize a map's flag layout before starting the game!



Full EA8 Change Log:

- Added Coastline Map
- Added Configure Flags option
- Significant AI changes:
> AI will now acquire new targets much faster, giving them a quicker reaction time and challenge
> AI now has a Close Quarters mode where they automatically take cover when under fire.
> Improved AI's CPU load so it's more spread out, meaning less frame drops/stutters caused by AI.
> Misc AI fixes

- Added ladders (Press use key to enter them)
- Added water volumes, allowing maps to have lakes/etc on other heights than just the ocean water level.
- Added alternate path AI hints, letting map makers hint the AI on how to spread out in a level when attacking capture points.
- Added damage zones
- Added speed limit zones, letting map makers hit the AI on what speed to traverse special zones in a level.
- Added configurable-per-flag AI defense strategies for map makers.
- Added one way level neighbors
- Player only takes balance damage from getting hit by AI (still needs some tweaks, but it's better than just insta dying!)
- Added cloud
- Strictly no ET activities allowed


Hotfix 1:

- Looks like the ET activities have been contained... for now...


I hope you'll enjoy this update!

/SteelRaven7

This update is mainly about the new map - Coastline!



Coastline is probably the most ambitious Ravenfield map to date, and focuses on close quarters engagement and verticality with the battle raging from sea level all the way up to the mountain ruins.



This update also introduces new features such as the Configure Flags option, allowing you to customize a map's flag layout before starting the game!



Full EA8 Change Log:

- Added Coastline Map
- Added Configure Flags option
- Significant AI changes:
> AI will now acquire new targets much faster, giving them a quicker reaction time and challenge
> AI now has a Close Quarters mode where they automatically take cover when under fire.
> Improved AI's CPU load so it's more spread out, meaning less frame drops/stutters caused by AI.
> Misc AI fixes

- Added ladders (Press use key to enter them)
- Added water volumes, allowing maps to have lakes/etc on other heights than just the ocean water level.
- Added alternate path AI hints, letting map makers hint the AI on how to spread out in a level when attacking capture points.
- Added damage zones
- Added speed limit zones, letting map makers hit the AI on what speed to traverse special zones in a level.
- Added configurable-per-flag AI defense strategies for map makers.
- Added one way level neighbors
- Player only takes balance damage from getting hit by AI (still needs some tweaks, but it's better than just insta dying!)
- Added cloud
- Strictly no ET activities allowed


Hotfix 1:

- Looks like the ET activities have been contained... for now...


I hope you'll enjoy this update!

/SteelRaven7

You can now drive/fly/walk around in your favorite vehicle in Ravenfield - Vehicle modding is out! Why not give one of the several available jets a whirl and take out some bandits?



To try out a vehicle mod, simply find one on the Ravenfield Workshop and click subscribe. Now start the game, and choose the vehicle mod you want in the Vehicle Switch menu found in under Instant Action! Some custom maps even come with special vehicles regardless of if you have a vehicle mod installed or not.

Also, the AI now carries the Scalpel weapon with lock on missiles. Don't forget to deploy flares (Default key X) when you get a lock on warning, it could save your life!




Full EA7 Change Log:

Game:

- Added custom vehicle support available in two flavors:
- Custom vehicle mods can be downloaded to replace vehicles in all levels
- Custom maps can have special vehicle spawners that spawn specific, special vehicles no matter what vehicle mod is loaded

- Added Vehicle Switch menu, accessible from the Instant Action menu
- Text above the vehicle switch button will show you what mod is currently loaded
- Vehicle switch allows you to load specific vehicle mods, or even combine multiple ones!
- By default, the latest downloaded vehicle mod will be automatically loaded into the vehicle switch menu. This behaviour can be toggled in the options menu
- Some minor changes to the handling of official vehicles
- Added support for new types of vehicles, including ones driven entirely by animation (can be used for walkers, turrets on arms? Drivable snakes?!)
- Added support for an in-vehicle repair tool (not available in any vanilla vehicles)
- Added missile lock indicator and sound (available in all vanilla aircraft)
- Added support for flares and similar countermeasures to remove missile lock (available in all vanilla aircraft)
- Added Vehicle Countermeasure (to pop flares) key bind to the options menu
- Added support for weapons to fire from multiple muzzles at once
- AI can now use lock on weapons such as the Scalpel
- Minor changes to how AI drives vehicles and vehicle pathfinding
- Tank now has rolling tracks texture animation
- Improved sound behaviour, the 3d surround sounds should now always lign up properly with the camera
- Added in-world ammo count display that can be used on custom weapons
- Fixed occlusion culling issues on Dustbowl


Mod Tools:

- A slew of new scripts and prefabs for creating custom vehicles
- Added target locking scripts and Scalpel prefab
- Improved the sanity check system to detect potential problems with maps/mods
- Streamlined the export system, so you can export your map or mod by just pressing ctrl+e


Hotfix 1:

- Fixed -nocontentmods flag bug
- Fixed melee weapons bug where the AI could not use them (This would also cause game crashes for a few people)


Known issue:

In very high speed vehicles such as jets, the sound will sometimes become choppy. I'm working on figuring out why this is and fixing this issue.


If you are interested in creating your own custom vehicles, you should drop by the official Ravenfield discord chat where you can find links to the mod tools, and ask any questions to help you get started! The Ravenfield discord server is here: http://discord.gg/ravenfield

My focus will now shift from modding support to creating more official maps and content for the game. The Conquest mode will require several more maps before it will be functional, so this is what I will be focusing on now.


Enjoy this update!

/SteelRaven7

It's time to drop bombs in the new update for Ravenfield, adding this new iron bird:



This update has also significantly improved the handling of ground vehicles, allowing you to more smoothly cruise around the map in your jeep or tank! Other vehicles such as planes and helicopters have also had their handling tweaked, but there's still some work to be done to really nail the feel, so let me know what you think about the changes so far!

Full change log:

- Added Bomb Plane
- Added ability to have multiple, switchable weapons in vehicles (switch between them like you switch infantry weapons)
- Added additional ground attack rocket weapon to the Attack Plane.
- Complete overhaul of car based vehicles (Jeeps, Quads, Tanks)
- Added third person camera to vehicles. Toggle it with C by default
- Added Raven Control game mode parameter - this makes the Raven team start owning all neutral points
- Slightly increased helicopter and attack plane speed
- Rebalanced attack plane machine guns, they now deal slightly less damage so dogfights last longer
- Added armor rating system to vehicles and weapon projectiles. This allows modders to specify what projectiles can damage what vehicles in a much better way.
- Attack planes, Quads and RHIBs can now be damaged by small arms fire.
- Added team indicator stripes on Planes and Helicopters
- Scalpel and Hydra now has lock on sounds/animations
- Plane wings come off when the plane is destroyed
- Slight changes to Archipelago island airfield to acommodate the bomber
- Added support for modded levels to use custom hand models
- Nerfed SLAM-R slightly by reducing its projectile speed and damage.
- Added third person weapon model to the player soldier 3d model so shadows look correct
- Improved character animations when looking around while seated.
- Added vehicle testing level to try out vehicles in a simple way
- Added testing game mode that lets you spawn on any capture point.
- Added fallback code to prevent game crashes related to physics.
- Added a "-noworkshopmods" launch option that disables the loading of workshop mods/maps
- Added a "-nocontentmods" launch option that disables the loading of weapon mods
- Pressing F9 in the spectator camera mode will now take a super high res screenshot and save it in ravenfield_Data/screenshot.png
- A bunch of smaller bug fixes


Hotfix 1:

- Improved Archipelago navmeshes to prevent vehicles (especially tanks) from getting stuck near the island airport
- Tweaked AI car/tank driving so to reduce some wobbly, zig-zag driving behaviour
- Fixed Tank and Quad names showing up as VEHICLE in the squad order UI
- Fixed Tank sliding along the ground when destrotyed


Known bugs:

- The Bomb Plane sometimes causes a physics-related crash. I'm still trying to figure out ways to mitigate this problem.



On top of the changes to official vehicles, this update has also laid the groundwork for vehicle modding which I intend to roll out in the coming weeks. If you want to try custom vehicles out as soon as possible, make sure you keep up with the updates on the Beta branch of the game.

For more information about vehicle modding, you can chat with me and other community members on the official Ravenfield discord server at https://discord.gg/ravenfield


Enjoy this update!

/SteelRaven7