New map - Freight
This is the first update for a new map, called Freight.
Freight is a smaller map than the rest of the maps in Grunt1914 and was designed specially for close quarters fighting. Shotguns, sub-machine guns and pistols will work best here, with rifles and machine guns having to take the back seat on this one.
Freight has an assortment of crates, boxes, barrels and containers varying in sizes strewn about the area to provide cover for grunts in the heat of battle. The map is as the name suggests a stockpile of goods and weaponry stored away for the troops in the field.
This update includes all the weather options for the map, with clear, rainy and snowy conditions available.
The map is due to change in the coming weeks based on player feedback.
Interface update - main menu previews
In this update the main menu and specifically hosting of matches is altered extensively.
You can now see an image of the map when selecting it and there are icons indicating whether you are playing in clear, rainy or snowy conditions.
The login name is also now saved so that it isn't necessary to type it in every session.
There was some confusion among users when selecting maps before, this update aims to eradicate that issue.
This feature is due to be altered further going forward.
New weapon - Lewis gun
This is the update for a new gun, the Lewis gun.
The Lewis gun is a classic in world war folklore and history, making it a must have for Grunt1914. The gun is of English origin and was mass produced in England during its early lifetime in 1914.
Using advanced cooling techniques the gun has a 47 round pan magazine. It has a incredible RPM of 600 in Grunt1914 and does allot of damage over a short period!
Using this new weapon you are sure to become the ultimate run and gun grunt out there on the battlefield! Heavy style!
Functionality improvement - ammo stations
In this new update ammo stations are introduced to the game.
These are placed randomly and strategically around the map and are there to naturally provide the players with more ammo when they run out of bullets. Combat can be fast and brutal and munition stocks usually drop fast in the heat of battle.
They are intractable by simply walking near them, they then add a certain amount of ammo to your gun's available munitions.
The stations are destroyed when depleted but re-spawn to the same location every 10 seconds once destroyed, ensuring the battle rages on!
Functionality improvement - advanced graphics options
In this update the advanced graphical selection and choices are vastly improved and expanded on. With this update all major post processing features that are used within Grunt1914 can now be tuned.
These settings include Ambient Occlusion, AntiAliasing, ScreenSpaceReflection, MotionBlur, Bloom, ChromaticAberation and Vignetting. These all affects performance and fine tuning the settings will get each player the experience they desire in terms of quality vs. performance.
This update aims to improve the experience for players that have difficulty running the game at maximum settings, by providing many more options to select or deselect.
At the bottom of the graphics settings menu there is a ""performance bar", this shows the player what the current state of quality vs. performance is - represented by a color slider. All advanced settings are color coded to represent its level of performance. AmbientOcclusion for example is very intensive so its red, whereas Vignetting is very light, and is then green as a result.
This feature is due to be altered further going forward.
New weapon - Hotchkiss M1914
This is the update for a new gun, the Hotchkiss M1914.
The Hotchkiss M1914 is a lesser known weapon in world war history, making it an interesting addition for Grunt1914. The gun is of French origin and was mass produced for the French military for use in overseas colonies.
Using gas cooling techniques the gun has a 30 round strip magazine. It has a massive RPM of 550 in Grunt1914 and does medium damage over a short period.
This is a great weapon for all round use on the battlefield. Its effective for close, medium and even long ranged combat with its overall ammunition capacity and effective fire rate.
New feature - melee combat
Melee combat has now officially been added to the game!
Melee combat is the newest and a very exiting addition to Grunt1914! They can be used by being selected as a weapon slot.
This update includes two melee weapons that can be used at any level. The update introduces the possibility of a range of weapons that might be bought into the game in the near future.
In this update the two weapons that are made available are :
- The M1916 Shovel
- The M1829 Artillery sabre
This update will allow for many new ways to play the maps in the game with any game mode, and will lead to some tense and exciting battles!
This feature is due to change in the coming weeks based on player feedback and internal testing.
New weapon - US Bolo Machete M1909
This is the update for a new weapon, the US Bolo Machete M1909.
The M1909 Bolo Machete was designed to aid US soldiers with jungle foliage and heavy bushes that they often struggled to traverse. The machete turned out to become a great fighting weapon too, and was used for both a travel tool and a combat weapon.
It was designed to be carried as an additional melee weapon from its first production in 1909 to its final production in 1915. Only around 17000 were produced making them pretty rare.
This weapon has massive stab damage, with medium charge and swing damage, making it useful as an all round melee option, especially because of its high speed.
Gameplay improvement - advanced sniping and scoping.
In this update the sniping and scoping systems in the game has been greatly altered and overhauled. They are now much more fluent and offer more advanced features.
All the scopes in the game now have their own custom reticles and screen overlays. This makes each one feel unique and enhanced and makes the sniping experience a great one.
Each scope has a different level of zoom available with a different speed.
This feature is due to be altered further going forward.
New map - Crater!
This is the third update for a new map, called Crater.
Crater is a large, open ended sniping based map that can support a massive amount of players due to the surface area and many locations to explore.
This map is largely suited to long range weapons such as rifles or longer range machine guns.The theme is a large desolated quarry that has tons of cover and vantage areas strewn about, providing plenty of cover for both long and short ranged combat battles.
The map supports all the weather conditions, being - clear, rainy and snowy.
This map is quite experimental at this stage, and as of yet it is unclear how players will find the experience. As such the map is due to change in the coming weeks based on player feedback.
New weapon - Kugelhandgranate
This is the update for a new weapon, the Kugelhandgranate hand grenade.
The Kugelhandgranate was a widely used weapon in among German infantry in world war history. This makes it a very interesting yet vital addition for Grunt1914.
This deadly German grenade was designed to cause maximum damage on the battlefield. With a short fuse and a massive radius it is a deadly grenade if used right, but can also be catastrophic if used incorrectly.
Upon explosion this grenade fragmented into between 70 to 80 deadly pieces of shrapnel that would leave soldiers either severely injured or utterly lifeless. Use with care.
Visual improvement - detailed soldier models
In this update the player models have been overhauled and changed in major ways.
Each player model now has a selection of visual improvements added to their character bodies. This includes various props like backpacks, gas masks, clothing, satchels, spades, etc. The textures on the models have also been redone.
This update doesn't add any game-play changes but adds a lot more visual quality to the experience with the added improvements.
New map - Vessel!
This is the third update for a new map, called Vessel.
Vessel is a small sea based map where the players are confined to three war ships in a part of a war fleet. This map is largely suited to short weapons such as shotguns, pistols or machine guns.
The map offers an abundance of cover in the shape of containers, vehicles, props and shipping items. Maneuverability can be tough on the map but once you have the layout figured out it becomes allot easier to become very fluent here!
The map supports all the weather conditions, being - clear, rainy and snowy.
New feature - Classes and class abilities
A completely new class system has been added to the game! This system also brings in new abilities for each class and will change the game massively.
This new system in the game introduces five new classes with each having two abilities. A passive and an active ability.
The active ability allows you to place or use a certain weapon or tool in the game at real-time to turn the tide and secure your victory!
The passive ability gives you the edge in battle by allowing a single trait unique only to your selected class.
These new systems are designed to re-balance the structure and overall feel of the game-play in Grunt1914. These ads to the fast paced and frantic game-play feel that the game has been building towards and allows for some awesome moments of game-play!
The system is still in its infancy and will become better over time as players provide feedback.
Functionality improvement - Ladders
Ladders have now been added to the game, making it possible to reach higher areas with alot more ease than previously available!
To use a ladder simply move close to it and press "F" and the player will climb up the ladder to the destination point.
This feature will change and improve over time in the coming weeks.
Visual improvement - reworked foliage and nature assets
In this update the nature and foliage assets in the game have been redone and remastered completely.
There are now a lot more variety in foliage with new grasses, bushes, plants, trees and rocks that are scattered about.
This introduces a lot more color and composition into the game's scenes and maps and looks much better and more detailed than it was previously.
These new changes also add and alter the game-play to various degrees, tall grasses that the player can hide in are scattered about, there are different size trees and plants that provide camouflage and many such advantages.
This update provides a big improvement in terms of visuals and game-play changes and enhances the experience greatly.
Visual improvement - reworked arms
In this update the arms have been completely overhauled and reworked.
The arms now have new textures and utilities that are visible on the arms. These are chosen based on the player model that the player has selected.
For example, if you select a ghille suit for your character, your arms will have visible leaves on them as a result. Each character now has its own arms. These include new arms for the American and German teams, for all six characters currently in the game.
This update provides a big improvement in terms of visuals and game-play changes and enhances the experience greatly.
New weapon animations and audio
In this update the weapons are revamped and overhauled with completely new animations and audio.
All the guns now have complete new animations for their shooting, reload and other states. These animations are purely visual but provide a much better experience overall. They all also have completely new sounds for both reload and shooting states. These updates makes the experience a lot better and more authentic.
This update provides a big improvement in terms of visuals and game-play changes and enhances the experience greatly.
New weapon - Nahkampfmesser
This is the update for a new weapon, the Nahkampfmesser.
The Nahkampfmesser is a widely used weapon in world war history among the German infantry. This makes it a very interesting addition for Grunt1914.
This weapon is extremely fast and lightweight, making it a firm favorite among its users. These blades were incredibly sharp and had a high pierce ability because of the sharp tip. Its smaller size also allowed it to be concealed and used as a backup weapon.
This weapon has high stab damage, but low charge and swing damage, making it useful as quick slash melee option. One hits kills are often possible with this weapon, if aimed at the upper body or head region of a soldier.
Game Mode - Hardcore Game Mode
Grunt1914 now has a Hardcore game mode!
This is the most difficult and challenging game mode in the game. In this game mode the player is left without any HUD or in game information that the player would usually have available at their disposal. The player is also unable to see from where gunshots come when being fired on.
In this game mode the player is also left without any abilities that usually are available to the player to select at will. This extra measure makes the game mode more strategic and allot more difficult to excel at.
All of the maps are supported in this game mode, as the mode has no special requirements. Night mode maps are especially difficult on this game mode as spotting player can be very testing to achieve. The objective of this mode is similar to death-match, the player with the most kills when the timer runs out wins, or whoever reaches the score limit first.
New weapon - Fedorov Avtomat
This is the update for a new weapon, the Fedorov Avtomat semi automatic rifle.
The Fedorov Avtomat was used among Russian infantry in the great world war, although with a limited 3000 or so units built - it was quite scarce. This makes it a very interesting and superb addition for Grunt1914's weapons roster.
The Avtomat rifle was designed in accordance to the Chuachat, where the designer, Fedorov - took some ideas and design notes from the larger weapon. This meant that the Fedorov Avtomat was similar to the Chauchat, but much more mobile and lighter, making it an incredibly deadly weapon.
The gun has a high rate of fire and a lightweight structure. This combines to make a very accurate and low recoil rifle that fires primarily in semi automatic mode as to not overheat.
Functionality Improvement - Magnified Sights
Grunt1914 has received a new update that allows players to magnify their shooting and aim down sight view through magnified sights.
This effect has differing properties on different sights, ensuring each sight feels unique. Certain sights can view larger magnifications and others smaller magnifications , it depends on the respective sight and the players needs.
This system doesn't replace the scoping system, this is for sights exclusively. Scopes will still zoom in based on field of view, and will still have much larger zoom ranges.
This system will allow smoother and more intuitive aiming and shooting down sights.
Good job.
Thanks!