Test Fix for Crash-on-Launch
In this CTB build we are pushing out a potential fix for a crash on launch which has been affecting some players. We encourage players who have been experiencing this crash to download the CTB, and provide feedback on their experience with the stability of this build so that we can verify the effectiveness of this fix before pushing it to the Live game.
In internal testing the fix we are pushing out to the CTB has shown to be very effective in solving our most common launch issue, however there are additional crashes not addressed by this fix which we're still working to resolve. If the CTB client continues to crash on launch please be sure to send in BugSplat reports so that we can address any issues not resolved by this fix.
Skirmish Changes
After hearing community feedback on Skirmish and analysing data since the release of Rising Storm 2 we have made the following changes to Skirmish, which we are trialing on this update to the Community Testing Branch:
New Skirmish-Specific Roles
Several new and reworked roles have been added to the game, which should hopefully address any balance issues between the various factions in the game. Some highlights of this are the removal of the Scout's MD82s, and lowering the number of rounds RPG men start with to one. Here is a full chart of the new Skirmish roles and their loadouts:
Playercounts and Squads
During this round of CTB testing we would like to try out Skirmish at both higher and lower playercounts, including 6v6 and 12v12. There will be servers running both high and low playercount servers. We have also made changes to the HUD to allow for higher playercounts in Skirmish games.
We have also made changes to the way the Squad system works when playing Skirmish, so that an entire 6-man team can fit into one Squad, or in the case of 12v12 games, the entire team will be split into two squads per team.
Changes to the Skirmish Timer
Skirmish rounds now start with two minutes on the clock, and an increased maximum timer of three minutes, increasing the benefits of capturing objectives quickly.
Changes to Firebase
We have re-worked the US spawn area in Firebase, moving it slightly closer to the central playspace and added cover along the Northern edge of the map.
Match-End XP Bonus
Now, when a player completes an entire match of Skirmish they will receive a points bonus, scaled depending on the number of rounds that player participated in. This bonus will also apply to the larger-scale game modes, not just for Skirmish.
New Skirmish Map: VNSK-Riverside
A new arena in which to play Skirmish! VNSK-Riverside takes the three Eastern-most objectives of Song Be and turns them into a new Skirmish area designed for slightly larger player counts. This is in an alpha stage, and does not include any of our planned aesthetic changes, so please evaluate it based on gameplay alone and feed back through the usual channels.
Operation Forrest: Territories
In addition to the changes to Skirmish, we are including a work-in-progress version of VNTE-OperationForrest for 64 players. This includes entirely new objective areas and a new "stormy" aesthetic, with a raised water level to the Supremacy version of the map released with the 1.05 Bushranger Content Update. Any and all feedback is valuable here, since the map is still in the early stages of development.
And you can join us on Sunday during our test event: http://steamcommunity.com/games/737230/events/3374753149393237880
In this CTB build we are pushing out a potential fix for a crash on launch which has been affecting some players. We encourage players who have been experiencing this crash to download the CTB, and provide feedback on their experience with the stability of this build so that we can verify the effectiveness of this fix before pushing it to the Live game.
In internal testing the fix we are pushing out to the CTB has shown to be very effective in solving our most common launch issue, however there are additional crashes not addressed by this fix which we're still working to resolve. If the CTB client continues to crash on launch please be sure to send in BugSplat reports so that we can address any issues not resolved by this fix.
Skirmish Changes
After hearing community feedback on Skirmish and analysing data since the release of Rising Storm 2 we have made the following changes to Skirmish, which we are trialing on this update to the Community Testing Branch:
New Skirmish-Specific Roles
Several new and reworked roles have been added to the game, which should hopefully address any balance issues between the various factions in the game. Some highlights of this are the removal of the Scout's MD82s, and lowering the number of rounds RPG men start with to one. Here is a full chart of the new Skirmish roles and their loadouts:
Playercounts and Squads
During this round of CTB testing we would like to try out Skirmish at both higher and lower playercounts, including 6v6 and 12v12. There will be servers running both high and low playercount servers. We have also made changes to the HUD to allow for higher playercounts in Skirmish games.
We have also made changes to the way the Squad system works when playing Skirmish, so that an entire 6-man team can fit into one Squad, or in the case of 12v12 games, the entire team will be split into two squads per team.
Changes to the Skirmish Timer
Skirmish rounds now start with two minutes on the clock, and an increased maximum timer of three minutes, increasing the benefits of capturing objectives quickly.
Changes to Firebase
We have re-worked the US spawn area in Firebase, moving it slightly closer to the central playspace and added cover along the Northern edge of the map.
Match-End XP Bonus
Now, when a player completes an entire match of Skirmish they will receive a points bonus, scaled depending on the number of rounds that player participated in. This bonus will also apply to the larger-scale game modes, not just for Skirmish.
New Skirmish Map: VNSK-Riverside
A new arena in which to play Skirmish! VNSK-Riverside takes the three Eastern-most objectives of Song Be and turns them into a new Skirmish area designed for slightly larger player counts. This is in an alpha stage, and does not include any of our planned aesthetic changes, so please evaluate it based on gameplay alone and feed back through the usual channels.
Operation Forrest: Territories
In addition to the changes to Skirmish, we are including a work-in-progress version of VNTE-OperationForrest for 64 players. This includes entirely new objective areas and a new "stormy" aesthetic, with a raised water level to the Supremacy version of the map released with the 1.05 Bushranger Content Update. Any and all feedback is valuable here, since the map is still in the early stages of development.
And you can join us on Sunday during our test event: http://steamcommunity.com/games/737230/events/3374753149393237880