Hello everyone,
Today, we’re pleased to announce the release of an all-new Alpha update, containing the biggest balance changes in War of Rights history, thanks to our recently introduced statistics tracking feature. Today’s update also includes major visual and audible improvements to the environments of War of Rights.
Work on the greatly anticipated Update 200 is still ongoing and we cannot wait to share more details about it with you in the near future, that being said, let’s dive into the specifics of today’s update below!
Skirmish Balance Overhaul
A month ago, we introduced stat tracking features to the game via a hotfix and we have now gathered enough of a pool of matches, allowing us to take the first steps towards a more equal and competitive War of Rights. Today’s initial balance overhaul is built on the collected data of 959 recorded Skirmish matches from the past month, all containing at least 100 players on the server from both public and organized/passworded rounds. The objective for today’s Skirmish Balance Overhaul is to come as close as possible to an average 0-0 ticket score (the hidden, determining factor for the 4 morale stages Battle Ready, Engaged, Taking Losses & Breaking) for the two factions at the end of each Skirmish round. A few Skirmish areas, such as Pry House and Piper Farm, were surprisingly close to even already; the vast majority of Skirmish areas, however, were in need of rather major adjustments.
It is worth noting that an average even 0-0 ticket score at the end of a specific Skirmish area does not necessarily mean that an average 50% win/loss chance of each faction is guaranteed. There are multiple factors at play in this, such as the strength of the end game events (Final Push and Last Stand), and thus we expect to continue to tweak these on a per-area basis. In short, players should expect much closer games on average from a morale stage standpoint.
As new metas form, and new features are introduced/tweaked, we’ll of course continue to balance the game with every major Alpha update going forward.
Balance & Environmental Pass Patch Notes
- [p align="justify"]Added the first major balance pass based on tracked server data. This will be an ongoing process as the game and metas evolve.
- [p align="justify"]Overhauled all tree and bush models in the game with bigger, more realistic leafed branches, resulting in better optimization as well as more accurate branch bending in stormy weather conditions.
- [p align="justify"]Overhauled the bending settings of all trees, bushes and cornstalks.
- [p align="justify"]Increased the visual fidelity of the grass up-close in-game.
- [p align="justify"]Overhauled the user interface screen shown once a player becomes a casualty in-game, now containing more descriptive comparisons between the three formation states (In Formation, Skirmishing and Out of Line), as well as informing the player what caused his incapacitation.
- [p align="justify"]Major game audio code pass, resulting in much more localized and reactive sounds based on your surroundings in-game. Also added new sounds to the forests, fields and interiors of the game.
- [p align="justify"]Added the 16th Connecticut Infantry, a new playable regiment to the game, replacing the 9th New York in the Hill’s Counterattack Skirmish area, Antietam. Organized in Hartford, Connecticut on August 24, 1862, the men of the 16th Connecticut had all of about three weeks to train in the fundamentals of drill and to get acquainted with army camp life. They did so, at least initially, without uniforms, tents, rifles, or even a Colonel to command them. On September 16, 1862, the men in their freshly issued uniforms loaded their muskets for the first time. They expected their regiment to be held in reserve during the coming battle. The following day, however, the 16th Connecticut had the immense misfortune to be the leading unit struck by the veteran regiments of General A. P. Hill’s late afternoon counterattack. They were so green, it is reported the flag bearer forgot to uncase the colors. In any case, after agonizing minutes of chaos under crossfire, the regiment broke.
Overhauled the Springfield M1842 musket with a new model and texture using a 3D scan of an original musket as its base.
Overhauled the Mississippi M1841 rifle with a new model and texture using a 3D scan of an original rifle as its base.
- [p align="justify"]Overhauled the player interpolation code of the game - in short how the delay between player positions on the server and the clients is shown, resulting in less players getting seemingly stuck on objects such as fences or interiors of houses, running in place, and teleporting forward after a while.
- [p align="justify"]Fixed the double bayonet visual issue while the attachment animation is playing.
- [p align="justify"]Fixed the broken spawns of Crecy’s Cornfield Skirmish area, Drill Camp.
- [p align="justify"]Possibly fixed a crash when interacting with artillery pieces.
- [p align="justify"]Re-enabled the previously announced feature of server slot reserving, allowing the player to reconnect to the server at the last location had he previously suffered a disconnect as well as bypass having to wait for a new server slot to open up on a full server.
- [p align="justify"]Brought the weapons closer to the head of the player when they are aimed for a clearer sight picture.
The point of contention icons now get more and more inaccurate the further away from them you are in-game. This is an added feature to avoid players mindlessly hitting the exact area of the point using the icon as a guide.
Balance Changes
Antietam
East Woods Skirmish: USA from 137 to 149
Hooker's Push: CSA from 100 to 122
Hagerstown Turnpike: USA from 124 to 135
Miller's Cornfield: USA from 118 to 134
East Woods: USA from 112 to 130
Nicodemus Hill: USA from 147 to 174
Bloody Lane: USA from 137 to 146
Pry Ford: USA Final Push time from 208 to 178 seconds
Pry Grist Mill: USA from 124 to 150
West Woods: USA Final Push time from 152 to 132 seconds
Dunker Church: USA Final Push time from 244 to 224 seconds & CSA from 100 to 107
Burnside Bridge: CSA from 97 to 111
Cooke's Countercharge: USA from 115 to 143
Otto & Sherrick Farm: USA from 137 to 159
Roulette Lane: USA from 100 to 127
Hill's Counterattack: USA from 115 to 135
South Mountain
Garland's Stand: USA from 137 to 158
Cox's Push: USA from 127 to 163
Hatch's Attack: USA from 127 to 138
Anderson's Counterattack: USA from 120 to 151
Reno's Fall: USA from 120 to 138
Colquitt's Defence: USA from 145 to 168
Harpers Ferry
Maryland Heights: USA from 149 to 175
River Crossing: USA from 130 to 158
Downtown: USA from 110 to 138
School House Ridge: USA from 140 to 193
High Street: USA from 116 to 147
Bolivar Heights Camp: USA from 110 to 145
Shenandoah Street: USA from 120 to 145
Harpers Graveyard: USA from 115 to 124
Bolivar Heights Redoubt: USA from 105 to 158
Washington Street: USA from 120 to 140
Drill Camp
Alexander Farm: USA from 137 to 159
Crossroads: USA Final Push time from 244 to 214 seconds & USA from 137 to 145
Smith Field: CSA from 120 to 128
Crecy's Cornfield: Not rebalanced due to spawn issues
- [p align="justify"]Larsen Homestead: Not rebalanced due to spawn issues
South Woodlot: USA from 125 to 153
Flemming's Meadow: USA from 137 to 154
Wagon Road: USA from 137 to 171
Crossley Creek: USA from 137 to 162
Union Camp: USA from 125 to 156
Pat's Turnpike: USA from 120 to 157
Stefan's Lot: USA from 120 to 136
Confederate Encampment: USA from 137 to 156
That's all for now. We look forward to be joining you on the fields of glory as we continue to monitor and update the game balance in an effort to achieve an even more exciting and competitive game for you all.
