Welcome back, everyone! Or should we say "Guten Tag!"? Today we release another large patch for Battle Cry of Freedom, introducing an all-new Era and Score system, several new Confederate Regiments as well as the Prussian Faction for the Age of Napoleon mod.
Battle Cry of Freedom - Important Changes
As usual, we will go over some of the more important changes and additions in detail. You can read the full changelog at the bottom of the Blog Post.
New Confederate Regiments
This Patch sees the introduction of not just one, but TWO brand new Confederate Regiments which will even out the previously lacking Confederate roster. The Confederates now also have access to Confederate Frock Coats of different shades and patterns as well as a bunch of new buttons and brass insignia.
First up is the 20th Georgia Infantry Regiment. Equipped with mostly Grey and Butternut Frock Coats and Trousers, as well as a small selection of Royal Blue Pants, the 20th Georgia will stand out from the rest of the Confederate Infantry Regiments. The 20th Georgia is equipped with a number of different Firearms, such as the 53 Enfield, the 55 Springfield as well as the French Fusil MLE 42.
The second regiment is the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment. The 15th Alabama is most famous for being the opposing force of the 20th Maines stand on Little Round Top at Gettysburg. Although the 15th Alabama lost the engagement there, they will still make an excellent addition to the game.
The 15th Alabama is mostly equipped with Butternut Richmond Depot Vests and Butternut trousers, as well as a smaller number of Frock Coats. What makes the 15th Alabama so special is their weapon selection, for they carry a large number of different weapons, such as the 53 Enfield, 61 Springfield, the 35 Springfield Conversion, and the Fayetville Rifle.
Score System
We have introduced a brand new Score System to the game. Players will now accumulate score points for any positive (or negative) actions they perform in the game. The Scoreboard will now default sort players by score. This also means that support classes, such as Musicians, Flag Bearers, or Artillerists will get Score points for helping friendly players. Assists are now also a thing, and players will get bonus scores for various other actions they perform.
Here is a full list of the Score Points players can gain:
- Killed Enemy Player: 20
- Assist in killing enemy player: 5
- Die while in line bonus is active: 2
- Assist by helping load the cannon before it killed an enemy player: 5
- Healing friendly players: 1 per hit
- Your bot kills enemy bot: 2
- Your bot kills enemy player: 10
- Player kills enemy bot: 5
- Captured a Capture point: 30
- Neutralized a Capture point: 15
- Destroy Object (Environment damage): 10-100 (Depending on what object it is)
- Play music while friendly player finished reload: 3
- Hold flag while friendly player damages another player in melee: 3
- Officer gets score when friendly player executes order: 2
- Player gets additional score when following order: 2
- Finish any cannon reload stage: 1
- Got killed by lightning: 100
- Captured intel: 30
- Returned intel: 15
- Grabbed intel: 15
- Killed enemy player in friendly capture zone: 3
- Killed enemy player in enemy capture zone: 2
- Build a sapper prop: 5-1000 depending on what prop it is.
- Get a kill with a silly weapon: 2
- Get a headshot: 10
- Bonus whenever a friendly player uses your bot stations for heals etc: 1
- Kill someone with the environment: 20
- Stun a player in melee (E): 2
- Perform a chamber in melee: 3
- Blocked incoming melee attack: 1
- Teamkill: -20
- Team hit: -5
- Fire a flare at night: 2
- Fire a flare at day: -10
- Place an order (Cooldown 30 sec): 4
- Vote in polls: 5
Additionally, instead of just ending a round when it's over, we have added a small UI that shows the 5 best players of the match and allows players to type something in chat and/or check their own Score for a few seconds before the round ends and the map changes. So better step up your game, so you can make it to the top 5!
Officer Order System
We have reworked the Officer Order System from the ground up, to be more accessible and user-friendly, while at the same time providing more features. One of the most requested feature was the ability for officer to draw lines and give orders on the ground. With todays patch, this feature has been fully implemented into the game.
Officers can now open their order screen by Pressing the "Mouse 3" Key. This will open a small window displaying all the possible orders an officer can give. Upon selecting one of these orders with either the mouse or with the corresponding 1-8 Keys, the officer can place the order in the area he wants to give the order at.
Friendly players in the Area will get buffs and will get extra score points when executing the order. For example, the "Hold Line" order will give players extra score points whenever they kill an enemy player while standing in Line.
Melee Changes
The melee system has seen a major overhaul. We have completely reworked the Bayonet Up- and Down-Swing animations and fixed various smaller issues with the Melee System. In addition, we have adjusted Chamber Timings, Stun Timings, and attack lengths. We have also worked on fixing some of the Player-Desync that has been occurring during melee fights and hope that it should happen much less frequently now.
Bot Improvements
In Commander Battles, if a player leaves the server mid-round his AI-Soldiers will now regroup themselves with another player's company, temporarily boosting his numbers. This should hopefully fix the issue that a player that leaves the game mid-round will throw off the balance of the game entirely since his AI-Soldiers are no longer being commanded by anyone.
In other game modes, Rogue Bots can now be rallied by using the "Follow Me" (F1 > F1) command. Rallying Rogue Bots will put them under your command, just like in Commander Battles.
New Maps on the Official Servers!
We have added a number of new maps to the official All Modes and Commander Servers. Join a match to check them out! Big thanks to our Community for producing these absolutely fantastic maps!
Prussia has arrived on the battlefield! Less than a month after the release of the Age of Napoleon modification for Battle Cry of Freedom, todays patch officially introduces the Prussian Faction to the game.
Prussia is fully voiced and even has its own musicians that play historically accurate tunes.
All Uniforms in the Mod are customizable, although the customization options are not as extensive as in the base game.
Prussia will be a great addition to the game and will be fighting alongside Great Britain against the French Empire and their allies.
The following regiments will be included:
- Westpreussisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 6
- 1te Garde-Regiment zu Fuß
- Ostpreussisches Jäger-Bataillon
- 2te Kompanie, Brandenburgische Brigade
- 4te Kompanie, Mansfelder Pioniere
The new Era System
In Battle Cry of Freedom Admins can now choose from one of the 4 Eras included in the game.
Napoleonic Wars - American Civil War - World War One - Future Space Warfare
Since the game now has more than one Era in the game, we have decided to rework the way that players/Admins can choose between the various different Eras in the game.
We have reworked the system entirely to be as user-friendly as possible. Admins can now decide to play a certain Era in either the map rotation in the ServerConfig.ini or they can change the Era from the in-game Admin Panel, when changing the map. What this means is that from now on, all maps can be played on all Eras and that Admins no longer have to fiddle around with the Server Settings and Map Settings to play a certain Era.
We have coded the system in a way that makes it very easy for us to add more Eras to the game, so if any of you guys have suggestions or want to see your own mod added to the game, feel free to approach us!
World War One
For those of you who are either new or don't remember, the World War One Era has been in the game for a while now. It features two factions, a number of different rifles and ammunition, usable Tanks, Machineguns, Mortars, Quick-Fire Guns, Poison Gas, and more.
Read our previous Blog Post HERE to check out what it's all about.
Future Space Warfare
Players playing the Space Era will now see themselves fighting for either NASA or Roscosmos, trying to secure valuable resources on the Moon and Mars.
The new Era will feature a number of unique Plasma-based Weapons, such as Plasma Pistols, Rifles, Knives, and Swords. Additionally, Astronaut officers have access to Jetpacks, which allows them to fly for a very short distance.
Astronauts will also have access to Hoverbikes, extremely fast-moving vehicles that hover over the terrain and allow for fast transportation from point A to B.
Large Scale Linebattle Event - June 26th 9:00PM CET
We will be hosting another large-scale Linebattle Event.
The Event will take place on the 26th June at 9:00 PM CET (3:00 PM EST).
This will be the perfect opportunity to stress-test our Server again- We managed to reach 500 players last time. Our Server can now theoretically hold up to 750 players, however, we do not know where the current practical limit is, so we urge everyone to attend the event! Let's find out how many players we can get on the Server before it starts to be noticeable!
Any Regiment is welcome to attend! Pre-Event Signups can be done here: CLICK ME
The Rules for the event can be read here.
Community Campaign Event - Every Saturday Starting June 25th 8:00PM EST
We are happy to announce that the 8thVA and Thomas Legion are starting an 1863 Grand Campaign Civil War Event 8pm EST/1am GMT on Saturdays starting June 25th!
The Campaign Event will allow each team to decide how to win the American Civil War by picking where to attack and how to gain territory. The campaign map will include Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and parts of Pennsylvania with many modded maps to represent these areas.
Each team takes turns deciding what tile to attack and how to achieve ultimate victory. The map contains 38 tiles each with its own unique terrain and perks.
Each Saturday an hour-long battle occurs to determine if a tile is taken or successfully defended. The map includes the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Southern Pennsylvania. Each team has a limited amount of Artillery and Sharpshooters, make sure to use them carefully! Capture the enemy colors to gain points! Bonus cards are also a feature, these can be earned in specific battles and allow for various hidden actions!
Event includes
- An active decided staff of Admins who will happily answer any questions.
- The ability to choose where to attack and plan your grand campaign.
- Team communication and strategy.
- Admins that listen to your personal feedback to improve the event.
- The chance to play Artillery and Sharpshooters.
Learn more: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KvP7D44AwLbJ0TYBUXvB6oOLZux0CtYeRTr_nYyIjmk/edit?usp=sharing
Battle Cry of Freedom - Full Changelog
New Features:
- Added Icons hovering over the Bot Ammo, Heal and Revive Areas, indicating what they are.
- Added new Bayonet Melee Up and Down Stab Animations.
- Added a dropdown in the map selection for which era to play. Can play any era on any mode and map.
- Added a dropdown to the Profile menu to switch between eras.
- New Officer Order System! Officers can now place lines on the floor and players gain score points from following orders.
- Added era to the map rotation settings.
- Added the following new Factions:
- Prussia to Napoleonic Era
- Roscosmos Space Forces to Space Era
- NASA Space Forces to Space Era
- Triple Entente to World War One Era
- Central Powers to World War One Era
- Added the following new Regiments to Confederate States:
- 20th Georgia Infantry Regiment
- 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment
- Added several different hats to the CS Infantry.
- Added Artillery Spawners for Space and World War One Eras.
- Added new Killlog Icon for getting killed by Poision Gas.
- Added Jetpacks that let players jump 4 times as high as normal.
- Added Usable Hoverbike.
- Added Usable Heavy Plasma Gun and Ammo.
- Added the following new weapons:
- Blue and Red Plasma Knife
- Blue and Red Plasma Sword
- Blue and Red Plasma Pistol
- Blue Plasma Rifle
- Space Binoculars
- 20th Georgia Regimental Colors
- 15th Alabama Regimental Colors
- Added the ability to rally rogue bots with the “Follow me!” command.
- Added server setting to disable all chat.
- Added “Duplicate Gear” function in profile menu.
- Added a client-side only option to make your Commander Battle Bots use your selected gear items. (Does not apply to weapons) These items are not synced with other players.
- Added a button to Limber Chests, allowing you to order your Bots to grab the cannon ammo you selected and load it.
- Conquest and Commander Conquest are now playable on Random Maps and will spawn Capture Points on the map.
- Added ability for Admins to define 5 custom rules that will show up where the game mode UI is.
- Added “Flip Sides” command in the change map menu. This will swap the Team spawns and change the era accordingly.
- Added a separate auto aim down sight option for pistols.
- Added 19 new Banners.
- Added a Score System to the game. Players now accumulate scores for various actions they perform during the Round.
- Added option to hide score pop-ups.
- Added a “Best Players of the Match” UI at Round-End, giving players time to check their own Score and compare themselves to the the best players of the match.
- Removed O and P Keybinds and instead added a UI to select various Roleplay Animations. (Default “K) (More Animations will be added later).
- When a player leaves a Commander Server mid-round, his bots will be re-assigned to other players.
- Added backgrounds to cap/spawn names and their distances to improve readability.
- Added a number of new maps to the All Modes and Commander Servers.
- Added a server setting for the max amount of rogue bots you can command using the "Follow me" order.
Changes and fixes:
- Increased drag of Buckshot Ball by 1.7 times, thefore making it drop to the floor sooner and be less effective on range.
- Removed Buckshot and Buck and Ball from all AoN Officer Classes.
- Slightly increased sway of the Whithworth Rifle without Scope.
- Fixed that Regiment Staff of the Palmetoo Sharpshooters did not have access to the Whithworth Rifle without Scope.
- CS Infantry Officers now have access to more Swords and Sabres.
- Union Zouave Officers now have access to more Swords and Sabres.
- Fixed that British Rifle Grenades could be fired more than once.
- CS Infantry now has access to CS Hardee Hat Crushed Grey.
- Maybe fixed that sometimes destroyed trees don’t fall over.
- Reduced bullet penetration values of some Saplings/Bushes, making it easier for bullets to pass through foliage.
- Removed the collider of the limber-pole on all limbers.
- Fixed that Deathmatch spawns (For Duel Gamemode etc.) were broken on custom maps.
- Reduced accuracy and weapon reliability of the Flintlock Pistol for AoN.
- Fixed that Compass Score UI would write into a 2nd line when going over 6 letters.
- Improved FPS performance of Zouaves.
- 13-Pound Quick Fire Ammunition and Machine Gun Ammunition can now be picked up and carried around.
- Added more security to prevent spawns from breaking.
- Changed some code to try and prevent bots from walking off map.
- Fixed a number of bugs with the killfeed.
- Increased the maximum number of people who can spawn on forward spawns via server settings.
- Made 350m size maps default in the change map menu.
- Players will now turn invisible when using Tanks, instead of crumpling up into a ball.
- Round ending should no longer kick you out of the UI.
- Fixed an issue with bots using an object when you spawn on them.
- Hitting sprint or reload button again will now cancel reload.
- Going from hold position to follow me will make your bots stop using a cannon.
- Fixed various language string mistakes.
- The “Back” button in the Profile Menu now says “Home” instead.
- There is now a 15 second cooldown for placing sapper spawns.
- Server now logs damage to enemy players.
- Fixed a bug with bots on map reset/change not being cleaned up properly.
- Fixed a bug with auto assigned bots and no players on Server causing the server to reset.
- Fixed a bug with server settings and KotH medley settings.
- Buff and auto admin player loops are done faster now, making them more up to date.
- Optimized code regarding the animator, hopefully improving performance.
- Salute and parade rest keybinds were changed to “none” by default.
- Mute players UI was moved to “P” by default.
- Changed the chamber timing window to make chambers slightly harder to pull off.
- Reduced the time the lower attack can do damage in the end of the stroke.
- Order arms now cancels an attack properly.
- Reduced the maximum angle you can chamber.
- Reduced getting hit stun duration slightly.
- Reduced desync issues in Melee.
- Made blocking and chamber blocking angle more accurate and also resolved an issue that sometimes you could chamber someone from behind.
- Made that queued future attacks get canceled if you block.
- Made spectator cam rotation move the same speed independent of frame rate.
- The Camera, when changing to same map, now goes back to the starting position.
- Poll panel for bots will now allow to vote 0 bots.
- Fixed a bug causing rogue bots not to take damage.
Are you interested in attending huge organized Linebattles with hundreds of players? Then join our Discord and enlist with one of the Regiments (Clans) hosting organized events!
Thank you!
/Flying Squirrel Entertainment