Iron Harvest News

Iron Harvest ChangeLog 12: Demo and Fixes

[h3] Greetings Harvesters,[/h3]
to the twelfth of our regular post-release updates. This week we add a feature that will calm many manic mech commanders and add a host of general changes and fixes. Like an infantry squad that’s just spotted a crate drop falling from the sky, let us get right to it.

[h2]Cancellable Upgrades[/h2]

We’ve all been there. You’re in the heat of battle and you decide to make that investment to upgrade your production buildings and start kicking out the big boys! But then the tide of battle suddenly changes and you need those resources elsewhere. Or maybe you simply miss-clicked.

Well now, panic no further, you can cancel that upgrade order for a full refund. This is another implementation we’re happy to make in response to player Feedback.

[h2] Free Demo Extended [/h2]

This past weekend has seen many mechs mangled and marauding. Due to the recent popularity we have decided to extend the Free Demo until January.
You’ll find it on Steam here,

With all that’s happened, happening and coming since release, now is a great time to join the Harvest. We’re also extremely proud and thankful that our players are responding so well to our weekly updates.

Thanks to everyone who has left us a review. This really greases our gears and keep this mechanized monster going.

[h2]General changes: [/h2]

In “Drop Zone”, a Radar Pulse now highlights the drop-zone location upon the mini-map when a drop lands or another player is currently collecting it.
Fixed exploit, where the infantry-ability "Battle Cry" would stay active indefinitely while inside a building or transport-unit.
Fixed "Battle Cry", medic-heal and many infantry-hero-abilities not correctly updating their cooldown while inside of a building or transport-unit.
It is no longer possible to track units through the Fog of War using queued attack commands.
Unconscious heroes are no longer selectable when using Box/Drag to select multiple units.
Several banners now have a better fit over faceplates, making them look considerably better.
Removed dark backgrounds behind faceplates in the main menu and cosmetics screens so that faceplates with transparency and unconventional shapes look better.
Adjusted some mechs so that they correctly display their retreat icon when fleeing.
Adjusted scaling of the Tactical-Map for a few Maps to improve the accuracy of icon-positioning.
Flattened the player starting area on the 2v2 Crash Site map to prevent levitating buildings.
Fixed general missing textures.
General Flamer VFX fixes.
Added more “You-In-the-Game” Backer portraits to the roster of those available for public use via coins in the shop.
New cosmetic skins added to the shop for purchase with awarded coins.

[h2]Balance changes: [/h2]
The ESL tournament continues and continues to offer a great source of balancing data. Similar to the last tourney, we love to see what solutions players come up with to contest the meta that has been established over the weekend.

Therefore, we’ll refrain from making balancing changes this week and keep observing. This will provide us a better foundation to make changes that are more solid and long term oriented as well as minimized disruption to players preparations.

[h3]As the year closes we plough on towards revolution. Vodka for Christmas?[/h3]

Next week: Shared matchmaking will improve queue times between games.

[h3]Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on: [/h3]

Our Official Discord Channel! Facebook
Twitter
Reddit Instagram

Devs are also streaming on Twitch!

Free Demo Weekend, Sale and Tourney Begins!

[h3]Enjoy mech stomping goodness this weekend with a Free Demo![/h3]
Starting November 25th and ending December 1st, all interested players can join the battlefield via a free public demo

The Demo will feature:

A sneak peek at the thrilling campaign missions.
Skirmish and Challenge Maps: Players can take on the A.I. alone or in co-op with a friend.
Competitive Multiplayer: Players can challenge each other in thrilling toe-to-toe battles on either 1v1, 2v2 or even one 3v3 map!

[h3]And if you like what you play the game is also 20%off![/h3]

[h3]Feeling confident?[/h3]

Iron Harvest has teamed up with ESL to bring you another pro tournament with 5000 Euros in prize money up for grabs

[h3]Click Here To Enter The Tourney[/h3]

Fall Tournament schedule:

Qualifier 1: Saturday November 28, 2020
Qualifier 2: Sunday November 29, 2020
Qualifier 3: Saturday December 5, 2020
Qualifier 4: Saturday December 12, 2020
Finals: Saturday December 19, 2020

Mega Mech fans, 2Sk3tchy and RedRupee will be Streaming the games

All particpents will also unlock a Ivory cosmetic for the iconic Grimbart mech.

[h3]Enjoy![/h3]

Dieselpunk RTS Iron Harvest will get its first DLC next month

The Iron Harvest developers have been working hard at improving their mecha Company of Heroes-like RTS game ever since it launched at the beginning of September. Patches have been rolling out week-by-week, following a strict monthly roadmap schedule, and December's will culminate in the game's first bit of paid post-release content: the Rusviet Revolution expansion.

This small add-on will be out on December 17, and will add four new single-player missions centred around the mysterious Rasputin. It will tell a tale reminiscent of the Russian Revolution that happened in our own history. All of the missions will be playable in co-op, and this pack will be free for Kickstarter backers and anyone who bought the Digital Deluxe edition.

Other improvements coming as part of December's roadmap include being able to cancel building upgrades, and a shared mapmaking pool. So far in November the team have added in a new 1v1 map called the Dark Forest, the ability to form a group and matchmake together, as well as a counter to barbed wire.

Read the rest of the story...

DevBlog #32 - New Game Mode, Updates, DLC News and Much More!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]New “Drop Zone” Game Mode
[/h2]

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s, it’s a . . . crate, and we need it for the war effort!

Today, we introduce a new Game Mode called "Drop Zone" to the world of 1920+.
In "Drop Zone" players race to collect stockpiles containing Victory Points as they are air-dropped across the map. The first player to collect enough Victory Points wins!

Multiple stockpiles can drop simultaneously and they take time to collect. Protecting dropped stockpiles, while securing future drop zones, is the key to victory.

Drop Zone will be available on all existing skirmish/multiplayer maps and can be played in Ranked, Quick, and Custom matches.

[h2]New Season Tree To Unlock[/h2]

Today also marks the end of the 1st Iron Harvest Season. Mech Commanders have returned from the battlefield with all manner of trophy’s and rewards.

Season 2 begins with a whole new set of goodies to unlock.

The Ranked Ladder will also be reset. Congratulations to all these Commanders for making it to the top of the board.

All in the top 15 will receive a “Season 1 Elite” title to honor your labors on the battlefield.

Everyone whose completed their placement matches will also receive a “Veteran” title and faceplate cosmetic.

We’ve saved all Season 1 player info and this may be available in the future for display.
[h3]Season 2 beings, what rewards will you reap?[/h3]

[h2]New Rusviet Revolution DLC[/h2]

Over 100 years ago the real Russian revolution came to a halt when the red forces won the final battles at the Krim. However, the alternate history of 1920+ has never seen this kind of revolution . . . until now.

December 17th marks the day the Rusviet people will raise up against the Tsar. Players will follow an additional story line over the course of four new single player maps, shedding some light on the mysterious Rasputin.

New Rusviet revolution add-on story line will explore the mysterious Rasputin over 4 new single player, but COOP-able, maps.
It releases December 17th!
These missions will be free for all Kickstarter Backers and Digital Deluxe owners.
For everyone else, the “Rusviet Revolution” will be €3,99 through Steam, GOG or Epic Games Store.

[h2]ESL Fall Tournament[/h2]

Once again KING Art Games and ESL have teamed up to bring competitive RTS gamers another Iron Harvest tournament. Players will compete for prizes totalling up to 5000€!
All playing participants will receive the Grimbart “Ivory” cosmetic skin and a Title for their player profile.

[h3]Click Here To Enter The Tourney[/h3]

Fall Tournament schedule:

Qualifier 1: Saturday November 28, 2020
Qualifier 2: Sunday November 29, 2020
Qualifier 3: Saturday December 5, 2020
Qualifier 4: Saturday December 12, 2020
Finals: Saturday December 19, 2020

Mega Mech fans, 2Sk3tchy and RedRupee will be Streaming the games

“He’d be camouflaged, if only he’d stop shooting for a second!”

[h2]Free Demo Weekend
[/h2]

Starting November 25th and ending December 1st, all interested players can join the battlefield via a free public demo on Steam, GOG and Epic.

The Demo will feature:

A sneak peek at the thrilling campaign missions.
Skirmish and Challenge Maps: Players can take on the A.I. alone or in co-op with a friend.
Competitive Multiplayer: Players can challenge each other in thrilling toe-to-toe battles on either 1v1, 2v2 or even one 3v3 map!

[h2]Change Log 11[/h2]

We also updated the game with various changes and improvements:
General changes

Skill Rating (SR) gained or lost after a Ranked Match is now based primarily on your opponent's (hidden) Match Making Rating (MMR). Winning against more skilled opponents grants more SR compared to winning against less skilled opponents.
Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Master Division have received tweaks to their thresholds. It should now be easier to reach these divisions.
5 more mechs now have skins, bringing the total to 12. All 12 mechs now have 1 skin for sale by default. Also new additional skins can be unlocked for many of these mechs through the Season Tree, achievements, and levelling up!
The maximum Player Level has been expanded by 10 and the maximum Faction Level by 5 for each faction. These levels grant exciting new rewards such as new portraits, titles, frames, and unit skins!
Fixed an issue in Multiplayer lobby that caused game settings to not be displayed for joined players.
Fixed an issue that caused an invite to a friend to be accidentally sent twice when clicking on the name multiple times.
Fixed an issue whereby the tooltip of the player leaving a party stayed open.
Fixed that players appeared to not be in a match session after they became host once their party leader left a game lobby.
Improved checksum check for multiplayer matches.
Fixed the issue that GoG players were not able to invite other players from their friend list.
Fixed an issue that caused the build menu of engineers to stay open once they picked up a different weapon or died.
Fixed icon positions of the tactical map on “Deserted Tracks”
Fixed an issue that could lead to a situation whereby the Polanian Campaign Mission “To the Rescue” could not be completed.

Balance Changes

Last week we unleashed a variety of balance changes, and so this week we will continue to collect data and gauge the effect these have had on gameplay. With players already practicing for the ESL tournament, it would also be unfair to disrupt their preparation with changes. The Tourney offers another excellent opportunity to gather feedback on balancing.

[h2]November’s Highlights[/h2]

[h3]Party Invite System[/h3]

You Mech Commanders like to Party. You’ve told us many times, and now we are excited to offer it. You can now form a Group/Party of up to 3 people and queue for quick, ranked and custom matches.

Of course, you’re likely to be matched with a same sized group, but it is also possible for a 3 person Group to be matched against a 2 person Group and a Solo player. Any combination is now feasible! You can even add A.I. to fill empty slots.

Remember, communication is always overpowered, and so you’re welcome to use the voice channels found by clicking here in our Official Discord Server.

[h3]New 1v1 Map “Dark Forest”[/h3]

Saxony is home to many majestic and wild forests. Despite the ever-present encroachment of man, these places are still filled with mystery and myth.

But you’ll find more than folklore here.Deep within this sparsely populated area, the Kaiser’s finest engineers have been working in secret on a cutting-edge hydroelectric dam.

This potent alternative to oil would be an incredible asset to the commander who can conquer the woodland's twisted paths and crumbling castles.

[h3]Destructible Barbed Wire [/h3]

In response to player feedback about the awkward use of barbed wire, especially on narrow bridges, we are happy to have now added this counter

[h2]December's Roadmap[/h2]
We continue to collect your feedback and respond to it as best we can. November was very successful with many fan approved additions. We’ll continue this and December is likely to end the year on a high. Here’s what you can look forward to:

Week 1: Building upgrades will become cancellable.
Week 2: Shared Matchmaking pool for quicker game queue times.
Week 3: The people of Rusviet will rise in Revolution. New DLC campaign missions!
Week 4: Holiday Season.

[h3]Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on:[/h3]
Our Official Discord Channel!

Facebook Twitter Reddit Instagram

Devs are also streaming on Twitch!

Iron Harvest ChangeLog 10 : Party Invite and more!

[h3]Greetings Harvesters,[/h3]

Welcome to the tenth (!) of our regular post-release updates. Today’s update allows you to create groups and enter matches with your friends more easily. Keep reading for details on many general and balance game changes.

[h2]Group Invite Available![/h2]

Hey Mech Commanders, you like to Party? ;)
This has easily been the No.1 request from you and we are excited to offer it now. You can now form a Group/Party of up to 3 people and queue for quick, ranked and custom matches.
Of course, your likely to be matched with a same sized group, but it is also possible for a 3 person Group to be matched against a 2 person Group and a Solo player. Any combination is now feasible! You can even add A.I. to fill empty slots.

By forming a party your are also now able to play COOP with up to 3 players.

So grab some loyal commanders, choose your faction, and “hav-at-em”.

Remember, communication is always OP, and so you're welcome to use the voice channels found by clicking here in our Official Discord Server.

A massive shoutout to the PartyMechs who helped us road-test and QA this feature during the past week. You guys make the emperor proud!

[h2]More Dynamic and Responsive Infantry Combat[/h2]
Following your feedback, we continue our commitment to improving infantry responsiveness and combat aspects of the game. We’ve now implemented a new system so that units start shooting sooner after being given the command. As well as this, we’ve added more dynamic Shoot & Run variations to all relevant soldiers. Check it out.

[h2]General Changes[/h2]
We continue to improve the game with various bug fixes and adjustments. This week we’ve:

Improved save game system to make saving and loading quicker.
Fixed various bugs that broke save games when the save happened under specific conditions. This resulted in the save game file loading only as far as at 97%. If you still have this issue, please contact the Iron Doctor on Discord.
Enabled the Saxonian “Stiefmutter” mech to now properly attack-move when ordered.
Fixed issue where Olga and MG infantry transitioning into aiming stance resulted in issues with infantry they killed.
Fixed a related issue where killed unit models for an infantry squad did not properly die while the squad is entering a structure.
Enabled the Rusviet’s Serp mech ability “Rally Call” now negate suppression and healing effects.
Enabled destroyed mechs to functionally reveal the Fog Of War for a short duration, not just visually
Improved scripting in Polania’s 1st and Rusviet’s 2nd campaign mission.
Made U.I. improvements for game menus as well as in-game.
Improved visualization of destroyed barbed wire and sandbags.
Prevented mechs from breaking Sandbags and Barbwire that are still under construction.
Improved curved sandbag-segments, so it should now be possible to enter cover on both sides of curved sandbags.
Fixed a bug that prevented grenades and sticky bombs from being consistent across saved and loaded games.
Fixed Cavalry Sticky-Bombs so that they always hit their target.
Fixed failed outcomes accidently visually resetting on Saxony’s 1st campaign mission “Welcome to the Mud”.
Enabled resource structures to now play their animations while being upgraded.

Unfortunately, while this is a mech-ton of important changes, the consequence is that saved game files from prior to this update are now invalidated. Overall game progress remains and we apologize for any inconvenience.

[h2]Balance Changes[/h2]

Garrisoned Units: Damage against units in buildings has been decreased overall to create fewer situations in which cover provides far more protection than being in a house or bunker.

Gunner: Are notable for having higher HP than other infantry, this is necessary to help them fulfil their role combating mechs. The perception of this difference is higher than we anticipated and so we’ve reduced their HP slightly to hinder any undesired effectiveness vs. other units. Therefore:

HP decreased from 175 to 150 per model.

Medics: We are now getting to a point where medics are fine without risking their overuse.

Heal cooldown decreased from 50 to 25 seconds.

Barbed wire: Our recent focus on how very high skilled players use barbed wire has unintentionally affected others players use of this tool. Therefore, as a first step to readdress their utility, we’ve reverted their cost.

Iron cost decreased from 15 to 10.

The Rusviet’s, in general, are the least chosen of all our factions and therefore they’ve received some slight buffs.

Groza (Exosuits): Previous movement speed reductions had a large effect on this unit. These changes aim at preventing their “spamability” while making a single squad viable.

Increased HP from 170 to 200 per model.
Increased damage vs. light armor from 30 to 40.
Increased damage vs. medium armor from 25 to 35.
Increased damage vs. heavy armor from 15 to 25.

Ognivo (Flamethrower mech): Contrary to the memes, our data tells us this beautiful mech is still, and has been for a long time now, the most built Rusviet mech. However, it hasn’t been performing in battle as well as its counterparts, often dying before it reaches its target and not fully finishing them off. Therefore:

Increased HP from 600 to 700.
Increased Flame Radius from 3.4 to 4.

Kolokol (Bomber mech): Its low range and difficulty to hit moving targets are now further compensated for by higher damage. Structure damage was also increased to emphasize this factions tendency in lore of destroying buildings. Therefore:

Increased damage vs. light armor from 75 to 85.
Increased damage vs. medium armor from 45 to 55.
Increased damage vs. heavy armor from 30 to 35.
Increased damage vs. structures from 35 to 50.

Erlkönig (Artillery mech): While Polania’s Mocny has been repeatedly buffed, the Erlkönig was neglected. However, their higher range is a factor that should not be forgotten, and so too much change would easily make this mech overpowered. Therefore, for now, we’ve:

Increased damage vs. light armor from 75 to 140.
Increased damage vs. medium armor from 65 to 85.
Increased damage vs. heavy armor from 65 to 85.
It’s been a busy month and yet the best is still to come.

[h2]It’s been a busy month and yet the best is still to come[/h2]

Next week: A brand new game mode “Drop zone” and we begin a new season tree with new perks to unlock.

[h3]Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on: [/h3]

Our Official Discord Channel!

Facebook Twitter Reddit Instagram

Devs are also streaming on Twitch!