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G’day Forts Fans!
We hope you had a great festive end to 2022! To get 2023 off to a great start, we are bringing you a big multiplayer update, consisting of four new exciting features: Observer HUD, Streamlined ranked multiplayer system, sprite construction kit and a new Elite HUD paid DLC. Read on!
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Observer HUD
To coincide with the start of the Forts Pro League we have invested some development time in implementing a built-in observer HUD. This new system incorporates customisable stat panels for up to eight human players, combined with team name, avatar and commander readouts. The observer HUD can be toggled on an off as an observer in the lobby of a live game, or in the replay viewer. Now there should be no need to press the F8 key ever again!
Built in Observer HUD allows players to see real-time stats for all combatabts.
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Streamlined Ranked Multiplayer
The second facet of this multiplayer update is to make the process of getting into a ranked multiplayer match a smoother experience. We have reduced friction from the point of electing to take part in a ranked match to the start of the battle. During this time, players will only have to make a choice of commander, having been told of the auto-selected map they are to fight upon. Chat has also been disabled in the console. This should help reduce players opting out or having the opportunity to troll each other, making the whole experience more enjoyable for all involved.
Getting into a ranked multipalyer game is now smoother than ever.
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Sprite Construction Kit
It’s been a while since we have added to the pool of weapon sprites available for modders. With the sprite construction kit we’re giving you multiple weapons, bases, barrels and projectiles for all multiplayer factions. These are supplied in .tga format and are, with the odd exception, ready to slot into existing weapon formats, such as small (MG), tall (EMP), large (cannon) & turret (deckgun). Download them for free here.
Download the [i]FREE palette of new weapons sprites to spice up your modding.[/i]
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Elite HUD
Rounding out the multiplayer update is the release of the new Elite HUD. This fighter cockpit-inspired UX grants players with a whole new graphical upgrade, complete with sound effects, for the in-game HUD, including the main console, reactor readouts, commander gauge and replay panel.
Refresh your multiplayer experience with the new paid Elite HUD DLC.
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https://store.steampowered.com/app/2278070/Forts__Elite_HUD/?beta=0
Supporters will receive a bonus medal to add to their in-game collection, so head over to the store page now and receive a 20% discount for the first week.
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Season 21 Ranked Maps
Forts Ranked Season 21 is already underway. The ranked map pool is as follows:
- Balls
- Hillfort
- Ledge Grab
- Desert Ruins
- Vanilla
- Pillars[/b]
Change list dlc2 26 r13968
Add: Elite HUD DLC
Add: Observer HUD in multiplayer and replays
Add: streamlined ranked UI, see map before selecting commander
Add: SetNamedScreenByZoom, SetNamedScreenByHeight, and DeleteNamedScreen script functions
Add: Language() script function to allow localisation of strings when using AddStrings
Balance: (Spook) remove device construction notice delay
Balance: (Scattershot active) reduce 20mm cannon spread from 0.012 to 0.0108 (-10%)
Balance: (Scattershot active) reduce 20mm cannon deviation from 0.08 to 0.072 (-10%)
Balance: (Armourdillo) remove reflective shields
Balance: (Armourdillo) shields have 20% lower run cost again
Balance: (Armourdillo) shields cost 20% less to build and repair again
Balance: (Hurricane) remove 5% repair cost debuff
Balance: (Caverns, Snow Leopards, Wingman, Wingman 4v4, Vanilla 4v4) wind floors better for lower forts
Improve: Workshop items available in Steam offline mode
Improve: (Shockenaugh) move barrel to the end of the HUD item list for consistent key access to regular devices
Improve: Move medals, and profanity options to new “Online” Options tab
Improve: increase symmetry test threshold to avoid false negatives
Improve: increased resolution of pause menu background
Improve: show ‘away from keyboard’ notice to host in multiplayer lobbies and ranked waiting screen
Improve: reduce mouse movement necessary to be no longer ‘away from keyboard’
Improve: (AlienFX lighting) prevent future attempts if loading or initialisation fails
Improve: when an invite fails a message shows ‘the host quit’ or ‘you are banned’
Improve: change ‘Disable left-click panning’ to ‘Enable left-click panning’ for clarity
Optimise: enable use of compressed DDS textures
Optimise: sparks rendering
Fix: friends can connect to a lobby without password
Fix: Warmup animation state doesn’t trigger when FireDelay > 0
Fix: (dlc2_CreateProjectile) crash when teamId is invalid
Fix: (Eagle Eye) repair resets reload bank
Fix: (Scattershot) error spam when team 1 has more reactors than team 2
Fix: When autodoor is off, foreground struts in front of weapons are still backgrounded
Fix: Control ammo is inconsistent with shield, door and portal behaviour
Fix: (UpdateLinkState) crash when currLink is NULL
Fix: chat HL end tag disabling adds an extra ‘]’ character
Fix: crash when CreateNode and then SnapLink is called in same frame structure destruction
Fix: disconnection message is handled twice, causing unnecessary warning
Fix: (CastRay) doesn’t set values for GetRayHitLinkNodeIdA() and GetRayHitLinkNodeIdB() to return
Fix: memory leak when joining a game in progress
Fix: unnecessary status update messages are sent at load completion, causing traffic and processing
Fix: crash when returning from a featured replay
Fix: degenerate rotation of props can produce an invalid angle
Fix: degenerate generation of tiled props can produce an invalid angle
Fix: props can have invalid angles, causing screen sized rendering
Fix: Alienware LightFX.dll fails to load due to being 32-bit version
Fix: (Lobby Select) lobby highlight touches righthand border and doesn’t cover report button
Fix: RestoreScreen, RestoreSystemScreen, CancelCameraMove and SetViewExtentsByName don’t work for observers
Fix: (Input) update exits prematurely if keyboard fails to acquire
Fix: (Orbital Laser) doesn’t recognise shields that are off as friendly structure
Fix: Profanity filtering can break player name team colouring in chat system messages
Fix: OnKey console spam in Black Gold mission
Fix: (Up & Down 2v2) some internal terrain edges have surfaces
Fix: (No Obstacle) hit with mortar objective isn’t awarded when it goes through a portal
Fix: (Moorings) Side 1 is unable to snap to the top left terrain corner
Fix: (Flotsam & Jetsam, hard) AI build gets stuck
Fix: (Abyss 2v2 MS) map not symmetric
Fix: (Abyss 2v2 MS) some blocks have surfaces outside of view
Fix: (Abyss 2v2) map is not symmetrical
Fix: (Abyss 2v2) some blocks have surfaces outside of view
Remove: obsolete textures
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Make Sure To Join Our Discord
If you haven’t already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps/mods, and receive advance notice of upcoming events.
Cheers,
EWG
