Operation: Harsh Doorstop News

In the coming months, we are planning to launch the largest update for Operation: Harsh Doorstop that we have ever released. Our team believes that this version truly represents our original mission to create a "Project Reality 2" experience for our community.

The upcoming development blogs (starting with this one) will cover the immense amount of content coming to Operation: Harsh Doorstop and further detail our roadmap to the full release of our game.

[h2]Join Our Community[/h2]

• Join our Discord
• Support us on Patreon
• Upgrade to Supporter Edition on Steam

First, I strongly recommend that you watch the latest development update on my Youtube channel. This video details a large number of the upcoming features and content featured in our imminent update.

[previewyoutube]Full development blog video detailing all information related to the upcoming update.[/previewyoutube]

Now, let me provide an exhaustive list of all features and content that players will experience in our upcoming update.



[h2]Vehicles[/h2]



[h3]World War I Transport[/h3]



[h3]World War II Vehicles[/h3]



[h3]Cold War Era[/h3]



[h3]Modern Combat[/h3]



The primary feature coming to Operation: Harsh Doorstop is official support for vehicles. While we've had a "Vehicles" test modification available on Steam workshop (created by developer Yoshi), the official vehicle system will enable all mod creators to create their own vehicles for any faction.

The initial version will include:

• Light transport vehicles
• Spawn points for all vehicle types (tanks, aircraft, etc.)
• Era-specific vehicles with unique handling characteristics

[h2]Logistics[/h2]


[h3]Logistics Vehicles By Era[/h3]



Players will be able to transport ammunition and other supplies to the battlefield. While the initial version will be streamlined, we'll add complexity over time based on player feedback and usage patterns.

[h2]Weapon Stabilization[/h2]



[h3]Mounting Systems[/h3]



Inspired by the Red Orchestra 2 weapon stabilization system, players will be able to:

• Mount bipods on horizontal surfaces
• Mount lighter weapons on vertical surfaces
• Use passive stabilization near any solid surface

[h2]Construction[/h2]



[h3]Era-Specific Emplacements[/h3]







The new construction system will allow players to deploy:

• Forward outposts
• Rally points
• Various infrastructure elements

All deployments will require a logistics truck. While the initial version includes basic emplacements, future updates will expand to include:

• Mortars
• Machine gun emplacements
• Anti-tank gun emplacements
• And more

[h2]Reviving[/h2]



Medics will now be able to revive wounded players using era-appropriate medical items like epi-pens. We are also working on overhauling the bleeding and healing systems for increased realism and gameplay depth.



[h2]World War I Factions[/h2]

[h3]German Army[/h3]



[h3]United States Army[/h3]



[h2]World War II Factions[/h2]

[h3]German Forces[/h3]



[h3]United States Forces[/h3]



[h2]Vietnam War Factions[/h2]

[h3]North Vietnamese Army[/h3]



[h3]United States Forces[/h3]



[h2]Modern Forces[/h2]

[h3]Russian PMC[/h3]



[h3]US PMC[/h3]





[h2]Saint Quentin[/h2]



[h2]Omaha Beach[/h2]



[h2]Tan Binh[/h2]



[h2]Al Dhakir[/h2]





[h2]Early Access to Expansions[/h2]

Supporters get early access to our upcoming expansions before they release on Steam. Join our Discord, or become a Patreon supporter, to receive Steam keys for:

• Operation: Fallen Eagle (UE5 Prototype)
• Operation: Gothic Serpent
• Operation: Hyrcania

[h2]Unreal Engine 5[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3090490/Operation_Fallen_Eagle/

Work has begun on an Unreal Engine 5 version of "OHDCore" codenamed Operation: Fallen Eagle. This prototype will serve as our testing ground for the UE5 migration, allowing us to explore new features and capabilities without disrupting the main game.

Operation: Fallen Eagle will include:

• A complete rebuild of OHDCore in Unreal Engine 5
• An experimental new multiplayer game mode
• Advanced visual and technical improvements
• And more to be announced

While we're keeping most details under wraps, we'll be working closely with our supporters to test and refine this prototype. If you're interested in being part of this prototype process, you can become a supporter on Discord or Patreon.

Why a separate prototype?

Operation: Harsh Doorstop will remain on Unreal Engine 4 until we're confident that UE5 can deliver the performance and stability our community expects. Creating a separate Unreal Engine 5 prototype allows us to:

• Safely experiment with UE5's new features
• Maintain stability of the main "Operation: Harsh Doorstop" UE4 branch
• Test more radical gameplay changes
• Get direct feedback from our supporters

More details about Operation: Fallen Eagle will be announced soon. Join our Discord or become a Patreon supporter to stay updated on all our progress.

[h2]Operation: Gothic Serpent[/h2]

As our previous expansions (Overlord, Michael, and Rolling Stone) near completion, we're excited to announce our next major expansion: Operation: Gothic Serpent. This expansion will feature the iconic "Black Hawk Down" conflict, complete with Delta Force and Somali Militia factions.

Get early access to Gothic Serpent by supporting us on Discord or Patreon

[h3]Delta Force[/h3]



[h3]Somali Militia[/h3]



[h2]Operation: Hyrcania[/h2]

In response to overwhelming community demand, we're also developing Operation: Hyrcania - an expansion featuring modern Russian and United States forces in contemporary eastern European environments.



Get early access to Hyrcania by becoming a supporter on Discord or Patreon

[h2]Expansion Model & Campaign Missions[/h2]

Our expansion model remains unchanged: Supporters get early access during development, and once completed, the content becomes free for the entire community.

However, many of our expansion owners have expressed a desire to have something exclusive after the expansion content is completed. While I was initially hesitant about this idea, after extensive discussions with our community, I believe we've found an appropriate solution that aligns with our values.

[h3]Campaign Missions[/h3]



For those who have supported the development of Operations Overlord, Michael, and Rolling Stone, we're creating exclusive campaign missions. These missions will be set within our existing free maps but will offer unique experiences through:

• Carefully crafted objectives and narratives
• Enhanced replayability through dynamic scenarios
• Optimized for single-player and co-operative gameplay (but full compatibility with multiplayer servers)
• Special mission variants for each expansion map

While campaign missions weren't part of our original development scope, we wanted to create something meaningful for the supporters who have made Operation: Harsh Doorstop possible. This is our way of saying thank you while maintaining our commitment to keeping core gameplay content free for everyone.

These missions won't be included in the immediate update, but we'll share more details about their release timeline soon. They will be exclusively available to owners of their respective expansions, and we intend to include additional campaign missions with all new expansions going forward.

[h2]Development Roadmap[/h2]

We are now approaching 90% completion of our originally planned features, viewable on our official roadmap. Following this coming update, our remaining major features for Operation: Harsh Doorstop's full release include:

• Armed vehicle support (tanks, etc.)
• Weapon variants
• Loadout customization
• Lots of bug fixing and polish

Our roadmap for 2025 currently looks like this:

1. Complete remaining core features (armed vehicles, loadout customization, etc)
2. 6-12 months of polish and preparation for full release
3. Tentative full release in late 2025 (out of early access)
4. Post-release updates focusing on adding new content in addition to a potential UE5 migration

However, please remember that all timelines (as always) are subject to change.

This project has been a massive undertaking, requiring significant personal sacrifice and dedication from the entire team. However, the last few playtests have confirmed to us that we are finally reaching our ultimate goal of creating a true (and free) Project Reality experience. While there's still work ahead, we're now closer to achieving that ultimate goal than ever before. This progress has energized our entire team to push harder than we ever have.

Thank you for your enduring support throughout this journey. You've stuck with us this far, and I'm looking forward to showing you all the hard work we've been doing. I can't wait to see you on the battlefield.

Join our community:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1517200/Upgrade_to_Supporter_Edition/

• Discord
• Patreon
• Steam Supporter Edition

Sincerely,
Bluedrake42
Project Founder

Hello everyone, I have some news.

We are now in the final phases of preparing our update for release. In the coming months we will be organizing playtests to track down every bug and outlying issue to ensure that this upcoming update is as clean and functional as it can possibly be.

Here is our most recent playtest, which you can watch on Youtube.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

If you are interested in joining our upcoming playtests, please consider joining our Discord server. Our playtest times are posted there, and we also post daily updates showing the progress we've made on developing the game further.

Our next playtest is currently planned to be on Friday at 4PM EST. If you are interested in attending, please consider becoming a supporter which will give you access to the "developer build" servers:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1517200/Upgrade_to_Supporter_Edition/

The playtest will be live on Youtube.

This is the first version of the game that truly feels like a spiritual successor to Project Reality, and I believe you all will be extremely happy with the work we've been doing.

Looking forward to seeing all of you on the battlefield.

Welcome to the forty-ninth devblog for Operation: Harsh Doorstop. In this update, we will be reviewing the work that the team completed in the month of August 2024.

Character and Weapon Model Updates

Several of the 3CZ4V existing factions received a variety of new weapons and kits: the Gulf War US soldiers received an M249 SAW (which is currently using WIP/placeholder animations), an M14 w/ Redfield scope, a CAR15, and 7CCJN the MP5A3,



the Insurgents QKT0D received an AKMS,


and the WW1 Germans 3YL7J received a G98 w/ a Luxor scope. Each faction also received distinct Marksman and Sniper kits with the associated weapons being moved into each.


Last but not least, XB38L we are working on incorporating the M240B:

Vehicles

18 additional vehicles (including 2 tanks) have T3JZD been incorporated and setup for driving:


In addition, our lead programmer also took 45L5L the time to refactor several components of the vehicle framework in order to make it more forward-looking and modder-friendly. This includes the “scaffolding” for different types of vehicles to be implemented in the future, including 4-wheeled, N-wheeled (separate from 4-Wheeled as it excludes features like Ackermann steering correction), tracked vehicles, fixed A9FCL and rotary winged aerial vehicles, and boats. Please note that this does not necessarily mean that all of these types of vehicles will automatically work out of the box, but rather that it will be possible for us (and modders) to be able to distinguish and differentiate between 2X69X these types of vehicles so that they do not conflict and/or overlap with one another—the actual physics, mechanics, functionality, and so on (beyond just the basic transport ground vehicles that we are bringing in initially) would still need to be developed if someone wanted to bring in another type of vehicle in this list.

Animations

More unarmed animations were created, and are 55ACT beginning to be implemented:

Objects, Models, and Textures

[h3]Foliage[/h3]
We also created some new foliage and vegetation for use on our Normandy-based maps, such as Omaha Beach and Carentan:

Upcoming and WIP Features

[h3]Medical System[/h3]
There is not a whole lot to share here at the moment, but the team is currently discussing internally how we want to approach a first revision of the existing placeholder medical system (which right now only 0EYA9 involves bandages and a basic med bag that both restore HP). Features/mechanics currently being discussed include but are not limited to bleeding, downed states/going unconscious, how we want to handle a basic revive system, drugs such as morphine and epinephrine, and more. On the topic of revives, please keep in mind that because this system will inevitably involve many technical aspects like networking and replication, physics, ragdolls, and so on, that the very first iteration of the revive system will probably be quite basic while we get those systems 36YV4 working properly from a technical perspective (for instance mechanics like dragging probably won’t be in right away, and the actual process for getting up a downed/unconscious soldier will likely be a simple system such as walking up and holding F, or walking up and using a bandage). That being said, just the basic feature of being able to administer buddy aid and bring back downed friendlies we feel will be a huge advancement for the overall gameplay loop, and so we would like to get something like this into the game sooner rather than later.

—

Thank you for reading this month’s devblog!

Make sure to join the O:HD Discord, and be sure to follow our Steam announcements to track updates. See you all next time!

-Goomes, Lead Community Manager

Discord Bluedrake42 Youtube O:HD Youtube Twitter

Welcome to the forty-eighth devblog for Operation: Harsh Doorstop. In this update, we will be reviewing the work that the team completed in the month of July 2024.

[h3]Developer Build SDK and Workshop Support[/h3]
The Developer Build SDK and corresponding Steam Workshop for the Developer Build of the game are now live! This means that modders are now also able to create mods within the cutting edge builds of the game 50INQ to test functionality/parity with future updates, and ensure that their mods will not break and/or take as little downtime as possible when a new update comes out to the main build of the game. This version of the SDK should automatically appear in your Epic library if you already have the normal one, so if you wish to download it check there (and if you have neither then add the main version to your library and you will see both).

In addition, the Steam Workshop is now also enabled for the Developer Build/Supporter Edition of the game, which means supporters can now also easily check out and help test new/upcoming 0Y9IM mods. This can be accessed the same way as the main game via Steam, just in the Developer Build instead.

Please note there is a chance that we will rename this version of the SDK to “Update Preview” in order to reduce any confusion about what it is meant to be used for, so you might see the name change at some point in the future (everything else will remain the same though).

Character and Weapon Model Updates

Last month the team worked on improving the presentation of a lot of existing assets by utilizing a G6EZB neutrally lit scene to tweak and adjust all of our existing materials under new and improved lighting conditions:


In addition, many of the existing character models were touched up, and a variety of new kits were created for these factions.

[h3]Operation: Overlord[/h3]
The Overlord models were further polished and improved, and a variety of new weapons and kits have been added:


The 1st Infantry Division faction 54HT3 received a M1 Bazooka and a scoped M1 Garand,


and the Wehrmacht and Fallschirmjäger received a Panzerschreck launcher, a scoped variant of the FG42, and CVLML a Gewehr 43.


Please note that some of these new weapons will have WIP and placeholder animations.

[h3]Operation: Rolling Stone[/h3]
The Rolling Stone factions also received some new kits/weapons—the USMC received a Stoner 63, as D298K well as an M72 LAW,


and the NVA received a MAT-49 and scoped Mosin Nagant.


Please note that some of these new weapons will have WIP and placeholder animations.

[h3]Operation: Michael[/h3]
The Michael factions also received some new kits/weapons—the US faction received the 1897 trench gun (technically an older weapon 5HV9J but it is being added back) and a No. 74 anti-tank grenade,


and the Germans are receiving the more proper Gewehr 98 to replace the Kar98k placeholder, as well as an anti-tank bundle variant IXZ2J of the Stielhandgranate.


Please note that some of these new weapons will have WIP and placeholder animations.

Maps

Further improvements were made to our building overhaul for the desert-themed maps. The team has begun replacing older variants of our buildings for newer ones on the map Jaziira, which should all be higher quality 7GACH and more optimized. These buildings are still WIP and lack detailing, but they should be an overall improvement to the maps:



In addition, many of our WW2 buildings have reached a state where they are ready to be placed into our Normandy-themed maps. These new buildings have served as a testbed for improving our art pipeline to create better 5ANQT looking buildings and props with cheaper, more robust material blends. Not only should these buildings look better, but draw calls have been optimized/reduced across the board, and performance overhead per building has also been reduced by 80% allowing for more variations and assets to be added to these maps.

Many of these advancements can be seen on our Omaha Beach map, which features these new and improved buildings, as well as reworked lighting:

Upcoming and WIP Features

[h3]Building/Construction System[/h3]
The spawn system and map icons 26N8F for the FOB and rally points were completed,



and the placeholder snapping system for buildable objects was replaced with a more powerful and versatile system that allows build pieces to R4FY0 pick and choose how other build pieces can snap to them:



—

Thanks for checking out the devblog!

Make sure to join the O:HD Discord, and be sure to follow our Steam announcements to track updates. See you all next time!

-Goomes, Lead Community Manager

Discord Bluedrake42 Youtube O:HD Youtube Twitter

We’re thrilled to announce an exciting new feature coming to Operation: Harsh Doorstop: the bipod system. This update promises to bring significant enhancements to weapon handling mechanics. Here’s an in-depth look at what you can expect:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2] What’s New? [/h2]
We are introducing a sophisticated bipod system that allows you to deploy weapons on various surfaces. This new feature enhances stability and accuracy, enabling players to use sandbags, trench walls, and narrow kill holes more effectively.

[h2] Dynamic Camera System Integration [/h2]
Operation: Harsh Doorstop features a unique dynamic ADS camera system which, unlike many other shooters, lets you change your camera perspective while your weapon is shouldered. This flexibility is particularly useful in close-quarters combat, where maintaining accuracy and situational awareness is crucial.

Our dynamic camera system will be preserved when we introduce the bipod deployment system. When using a bipod, you can adjust your camera while mounted to any surface, giving you a strategic advantage in complex combat situations.

[h2] Environment Interaction[/h2]
With the new bipod system, small environmental features such as kill holes and firing ports (which have traditionally been underutilized) can now be adequately used. Deploying your bipod inside of a kill hole (or firing port) will give you a full field of view, and allow you to pivot your weapon inside of the mounting point.

[h2] Weapon-Specific Mechanics [/h2]
The bipod system caters to different weapon types with unique deployment capabilities:

• Pistols: Pistols will not benefit from the same deployment versatility as rifles or machine guns, but they will continue to serve their essential role in personal defense.
  
• Medium-Sized Weapons: Submachine guns and medium rifles can be deployed on both horizontal and vertical surfaces, such as doorways and windows. This versatility provides additional tactical options for medium to long-range engagements and close-quarters combat.
  
• Heavy Weapons: Heavy machine guns and sniper rifles are optimized for deployment on horizontal surfaces. These weapons excel in sustained fire and area control, making them ideal for securing large sections of the map.
  

[h2] Impact on Gameplay [/h2]
The introduction of the bipod system, combined with our dynamic camera feature, will significantly enhance the tactical depth of Operation: Harsh Doorstop. Players will need to adapt their strategies based on weapon type and environmental context, leading to a more immersive and realistic combat experience.

We believe these updates will continue to improve gameplay, making each weapon type more specialized and effective in its intended role. Whether you’re using a lightweight submachine gun or a heavy machine gun, you’ll find new ways to leverage your equipment in diverse combat scenarios.

[h2] Get Involved [/h2]
We invite you to experience these new features firsthand. Supporters can access the work-in-progress build by purchasing the supporter edition of the game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1517200/Upgrade_to_Supporter_Edition/

The free version of the game is also available on Steam for those who wish to join us. Your feedback and support are crucial as we continue to refine and enhance Operation: Harsh Doorstop.

Thank you for your continued dedication to our project. Stay tuned for further updates, and subscribe to our channel for the latest news and content. Your engagement is invaluable as we strive to deliver an exceptional gaming experience.

Best regards,
The Operation: Harsh Doorstop Development Team