Heads down! Sniper!
I'd like to again thank you for being loyal soldiers in the Brass Brigade. As some of you may know, I have teased the forthcoming sniper rifle update for a bit and I am glad to say that they have finally arrived! Alongside these highly lethal rifles comes a host of other tweaks, bug fixes, and updated controls to further refine your gameplay experience. Without further a-do, let's dive into the world of sharpshooting.
Did someone ask for Pvt. Jackson?
Sniper Rifles
The No. 4 and a break in the trees is all a sniper really needs...
The US, Soviets, Germans, and British have had new sniper rifles added in this update. Each army has either one or more classes that comes equipped with a weapon that has a telescopic sight.
Aiming in 3rd person (left) vs aiming in 1st person (right) with sniper rifles
In order to use the scope, you must first switch to first person mode and then aim as you normally would. Aiming in third-person mode zooms in over-the-shoulder just like normal; this was done to make close-combat a viable option with these sniper rifles for the player. Taking out targets at a distance naturally takes a bit more deliberate aim, and thus, affords you the ability to switch to first person and then aim with the scope. As with all weapons in Brass Brigade, the bullets are affected by gravity, and you will have to lead your shots if your target is far enough away from you. Sniper rifle bullets also leave a slightly more noticeable tracer effect through the air to help you locate enemy sharpshooters. But beware - sniper rifles are extremely powerful and their shooters are fairly accurate.
Sniper Bots
To complement these new weapons, bots that wield sniper rifles have unique behavior. While they may still be caught in the middle of tense firefights and have to fight their way out like any other soldier, they prefer to find advantageous positions throughout the battlefields. They take up positions typically on high perches, on ridges, in tree lines, or towards the edges of the combat area.
A Soviet sniper covers the "Wrecked Plane" flag on "Ponyri Apocalypse" from afar.
They cover an area for a bit and then rotate to a different area; good snipers don't stay in one spot too long. So keep your eyes open and watch for their distinct tracers, they are crack shots and try to hide in vegetation and other bits of cover.
A German sniper stays behind at Arnhem to counter-snipe.
Refined Mouse Movement
To further refine the sniping and general shooting in Brass Brigade, some new mouse options have been added to the Controls menu. These include...
- Mouse Smoothing Toggle. This controls whether or not the mouse movement is filtered and smoothed. Originally, this was on by default, but you can now disable this if you wish. It results in snappier, raw mouse movement.
- Scope Sensitivity Multiplier Slider. This slider controls by what multiplier your sensitivity is multiplied with when aiming through a scope. Typically, you want smoother movement when zoomed in so much with a scope, so you can adjust this until you are happy with the relative sensitivity of being scoped vs. unscoped.
First Person Mode Weapon Stuttering Fixed
In previous builds, when having switched to first person mode, the player's weapon model could "stutter" or "jitter" back and forth. This was caused by a de-sync problem between the timing of when the camera would update its position and when the player model would update its position. This has been corrected and now the camera and player are synced once the switch from 3rd person to 1st person finishes. You will notice that first person mode will feel crisper and more responsive here compared to its first implementation.
Map Visual Iterations
Omaha Beach Tweaks
- Omaha Beach and Kursk have received some visual tweaks, mostly with regards to their skyboxes and lighting. Omaha Beach has switched from an orange-ish morning to a more hazy morning, to better reflect most people's perceptions of the battle.
- There is a new capture point right below the bunkers called "The Shingle" which starts neutral. The allies can usually capture this quickly, which gives them a little bit of breathing room and helps get them off the beach.
- There is now a way for the player and bots to get up the cliff from the far right side.
- Allies now have 2 tanks that are available for them in Higgins boats.
Kursk Tweaks
- Kursk has had a significant change from it's pale blue sky to a dark sunburst red-purple with a bit of distant fog added.
Other Map Tweaks
- Port En Bessin - One of the capture points in the town has been moved closer to the British spawn to improve timings and the ability for the British to hold part of the town.
- Anzio - Day 1 - Allies now have 1 tank that is available for them in a Higgins boat.
Wrapping up...
There are other quality of life improvements in this update too, such as updated weapon icons at the spawn menu (such as unique pictures for the M1928 Thompson and M1A1 Thompson, for example). Bullets that fly close to your head will make a snapping sound. The sniper rifles have new sound effects and there have been other goings-on under the hood. I am still looking into giving the player the ability to command nearby troops and tweaking the AI overall. I am also interested in exploring more special abilities for the different classes. These are next on my list of things to do, but the exact details of how they might work remain to be seem. That's game-dev for ya! Until then, I hope this update will make your experience even better!
Spread the Word!
If you've enjoyed Brass Brigade, please leave a review on the Steam Store Page - they do help! And please spread the word to your friends, communities, and anyone else who you think might enjoy playing Brass Brigade. My ability to continue bringing you updates and content is driven by my joy in seeing people play Brass Brigade and talking about it with fellow soldiers. Drop by our Discord if you want to chat!
Until next time,
Henry K,