Guns of Icarus Alliance and its glorious co-op is finally here with lots of contents and meaningful factional warfare!

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Inside, you’ll find 5 completely unique game modes, 7 maps covering numerous biomes, and 14 different enemies with specialised strengths and weaknesses for you to learn and overcome. This has been a long long road, and we thank you for your support from the bottom of our hearts. Through the hurricane, the fire, the ddos attack, the server malfunction, seeing our AI planes crash into mountains, rough balances in early testing, you’ve been with us through thick and thin, and it means the world to us. Also want to thank everyone who helped us, from translations, building websites and wikis, to traveling with us at shows, donating equipment, and giving us invaluable feedback, we could not have gotten anywhere without you. This ambitious project was all consuming for nearly the last 3 years, and we poured everything we had into it, building complex AI combat and director from scratch.  We’ve definitely made a bunch of mistakes and learned a lot along the way.  We’re really proud of the work, and we think you will be as well. Below is all the amazing contents you can play TODAY!

Factions with New Ships and New Guns!

Many new ways to experience the game, many new ways to take control of the skies. When you turn on Guns of Icarus Alliance, you’ll find your chance to earn new tools of destruction and new ships to put them on. You’ll unlock your factions ship and weapon first through your faction reputation. You can unlock ships and weaponry of all remaining factions by joining them or staying put with your own faction, which will take a bit longer. The Fjord Baronies bring the stalwart Crusader and Seraph Tempest Missile Launcher, capable of firing off a devastating swarm of missiles. The Order of Chaladon created the speedy, yet deadly Shrike and the Kalakuta Gas Mortar, able to disable multiple enemies in a suffocating cloud. The Mercantile Guild put their graceful sails to the sky with the Magnate and harness the sun’s wrath with the Aten Lens Array. The Anglean Republic offers a beast of a ship – the Corsair – and the Februus Weaponized Coil that turns multiple ships’ components to slag.

You’re Special and Now You Have the Abilities To Prove It!

Like specials, especially super violent ones? In the heat of combat and in the most dire of situations, every player, every crew member, would have the chance to be the hero and save the day.  In Guns of Icarus Alliance, you can unlock and equip special abilities as you gain personal progression. Once you earn them, you can unleash them in any mission.  To name of few of the awesome powers you get to unlock use via player progression: Oversurge Ram Ability Speed forward with a massive surge and demolish enemy ships with a powerful ram. Take reduced damage as you shred your foes! Air Horn Draw attention from all the enemies around, saving vital objectives and valued allies. Extremely valuable for clutch situations to change the enemy forces’ plan. Cataclysm Rounds Double your damage and blow apart your enemies in a concentrated volley. Now’s your chance to focus fire and cause extreme damage. Static Turret Deploy a weapons turret that demands enemy attentions and puts out damage. Nows your chance to even the odds with your own deployable weapons platform.

The Factions Fight!

Choose your side The battle is being waged right now! As soon as you turn on Guns of Icarus Alliance, you are taking your first step into a war that spans a million players. Take your time to choose your side from the scheming Merchants to the scientific Angleans, honorable Baronies, or ecological Chaladons. Each side has different objectives and provides a different challenge on the map. You’ll need to get your resources, take control of the map, and conquer the world! Complete Contents List:   Ships: Unlockable through faction progression/reputation.

• Baronite Crusader: It supports 2 heavy and 4 light weapons onboard and great for broadsides.
• Chaladonian Shrike: If features a streamlined layout capable of carrying 2 heavy and 2 light weapons. It is also maneuverable and versatile.
• Mercantile Magnate: It supports 2 heavy and 4 light weapons and can charge or broadside.
• Anglean Corsair:  It is a hulking beast of a ship carrying 3 heavy and 3 light weapons. It is highly durable and powerful but with a more complex layout.

Weapons: Unlockable through faction progression/reputation.

• Seraph Tempest Missile Launcher (Baronite):  Capable of firing off a devastating swarm of missiles. Once you fire the missiles, you can move your mouse to guide them.

• Kalakuta Gas Mortar (Chaladonian):  Capable to disable multiple enemies in a suffocating cloud.  Mouse to fire, then right mouse to detonate the cloud at anytime.
• Aten Lens Array (Mercantile):  Hold down mouse to fire it.  The longer you can train and sustain fire on a target, the more damage it does. Once you start firing though, the gun is locked into place, so you’ll need to communicate with your pilot in order to deal maximum damage.
• Februus Weaponized Coil (Anglean): It is capable of turning multiple ships’ components to slag.  If there’s a cluster of enemy ships or planes nearby, the lightning from the coil would strike a primary target and then scatter to hit multiple components and targets.

Game Modes:  

• Infiltration (2-4 ships): In this asymmetric game mode, one ship is designated as the VIP, and it CANNOT die! If the team can escort the VIP ship to infiltrate and destroy all the enemy outposts and then escape at the end, it wins.  If the VIP dies, the match is lost.
• Defense (1-4 ships): Go out into enemy territory to destroy 3 enemy advance drills while keeping your base alive against enemy assaults. After all 3 enemy drills are destroyed, then survival against the final onslaught for 5 minutes for victory.  If the your base is destroyed at any point?  Defeat.
• Assault (1-4 ships): Locate and destroy enemy outposts and a final base (3 objectives total) for victory.  The entire team shares a pool of lives, and if that runs out the match is lost.
• Search & Destroy (1-4 ships): There are 5 waves and an objective to complete for each wave. Complete them all to win.  The entire team shares a pool of lives, and if that runs out the match is lost.  Beware of the boss!
• Intercept  (2-4 ships): Chase down the enemy convoy ships that are carrying cargos before they destroy all your outposts.  Grab the cargo that you wrestled from them and deposit the cargo back at any of your outpost.  Deposit all the cargos to win. If the enemies destroy all your outposts, the match is lost.

Maps:  

• Defense: Devil's Eye, Voyager's Cove
• Search & Destroy: Drowning Wastes, Burning Valley
• Assault: Parous Glen, Seas of Alleron
• Intercept: Thornholt Crest, Oblivion Approach
• Infiltration: Blood Narrows

Special Abilities: These are unlocked through player personal progression:

• Piloting:
• Oversurge Ram: Remove engine safety mechanisms for an intense boost in forward speed causing your ship to slice through unarmored enemies like a hot knife through butter while taking less damage yourself.
• Engine Stabilization: Install temporary stabilizers on engines that repairs them over time for 15s.

• Tar Bomb: Unleash a plume of highly caustic gases behind you to damage enemies.
• Air Horn: Draw aggro from enemies, except for highly determined convoys, within 500m radius, for 2 min.
• Enhanced Envelope: Balloon will heal over time, resist flechette and fire damage, and have reduce vertical drag and increased vertical speed.
• Rushing Drift: Ship will gain increased movement abilities to help travers great distances and side drift around enemies at the cost of less fine control.

• Gunning:
• Concussive Blast: Unleash supercharged balloon gases in the direction you are looking to push enemies that are within 600m back with extreme force.
• Proximal Detonation: Reload all weapons with specially outfitted rounds that have 3x AoE burst size and will automatically detonate when near an enemy. Shoot into groups for maximal effect.
• Cataclysm Rounds: Engage auxiliary power to all guns and double their damage output for 18s.
• Lightning Draw: Activate rigged ship mechanics to quickly reload all guns with 75% increased clip size.
• Mine Ejection: Hoarded mines are hurled out from the ship in the direction you look at, 400m away. Mines will automatically detonate after 2m.
• Gigaton Blast: Deploy devastating fiery burst that will melt the armor of enemies that are in your line of sight and within 500m of your ship.

Engineering:

• Component Disruption: Unleash a massive energy burst in the direction you’re looking that will disable the components of enemies within 600m.
• Salvo Neutralizer: Generate a field in the direction that you are looking that will neutralize all incoming fire and prevent harm to the ship for 60s.
• Static Turret: Deploy an unmoving weapons platform in the direction you’re looking that will target enemies. Drone will last for 90s.
• Combustion Dampener: Release fire dousing chemicals from rigged valves to extinguish all fires, and apply fire immunity and 15% damage reduction to all components for 30s.
• Mechanized Rebuild: Engage special machinery to instantaneously rebuild all components and repair them for 375 health over 30s.
• Advanced Dynabuff: Special machinery automatically applies standard, but 15% more powerful, Dynabuff enhancement to all components for 2m.

Player Progression: Players will be able to unlock all new powerful Special Abilities to use in Alliance via the Old Dog achievement tracks.  We know that dealing with hordes of enemies is a new and exhilarating experience that will put you on the edge of your seat, so we created ways for you to deal with the increase in enemy targets. By playing winning matches as each class, you will begin to unlock the abilities for each class.  You will be able to activate a powerful ram with your ship, increase the power of your guns, and even create protective barriers around your ship. Play.  Experiment.  Find what works best for you and your crew! Faction Progression: Joining a faction means you will be fighting for what your faction believes in, whether it be scouring the lands for ancient technologies or reclaiming promised lands.  Your chosen faction will reward you with elaborate costumes, hats, weapons, and airships themselves for your undying loyalty. You can switch between factions whenever you choose, at the cost of losing 20% of your current reputation, in order to unlock each faction’s unique items.  Or, if you absolutely cannot betray your chosen faction then there are ways to unlock these items and still stay with your original choice. Prestige System: Our player level cap is 45, but that doesn’t mean it stops there any longer.  After surpassing level 45, you will be automatically entered into the Prestige system where you will be rolled back to level 1.  You will gain additional signifiers to let others know that you completed player progression once, twice, or even three times over so that your time spent in the game is not forgotten. Newly Added Steam Workshop Items:

• Raider Mask, Goggles M/F
• Whisker’s Beard, Goggles M
• Masque Mortuaire, Goggles M/F
• Boiler Hat for the Industrious Chap, Hat M
• Compass Rose, Decal   free to all players
• Stray Dagz, Decal
• Passionate Cake, Decal   free to all players
• Dapper Dame’s Top Hat, Hat F
• Boiler Hat for the Enterprising Lass, Hat F
• Mantis, Decal
• Mutton Chops, Goggles M
• Frostflake, Decal  free to all players
• Golden Earings, Goggles M/F
• Posh Penguin, Decal   free to all players
• Mark of the Reaper, Decal
• Gear Logo, Decal   free to all players
• Spiderpunk, Decal
• Crowned Tyrant, Decal   free to all players
• Skull and Crossbones, Decal   free to all players
• Top n’ Skull, Decal
• Internal Clockwork, Decal   free to all players
• Satanic Gears , Decal
• Steampunk Clock, Decal   free to all players
• Steampunk Pirate, Decal   free to all players
• Icarus Ex Machina, Decal   free to all players
• The Gentlemen, Decal   free to all players
• Steampunk Squirrel, Decal   free to all players
• Lily of the Valley, Decal   free to all players
• Sky Queen, Hat F   free to all players

Soundtrack: The Guns of Icarus Alliance soundtrack is now available here:   http://store.steampowered.com/app/616130/ And you can also access it through the Guns of Icarus Alliance store page. There are 24 new tracks and 1hr 40min of new music, including the Guns of Icarus Alliance main theme, all the faction themes, and all in-game battle tracks.  All the Guns of Icarus Online tracks are also included in the package.   Enjoy! Changes: Skirmish Balance

• Heavy Clip: -90% jitter (from -70%), -20% Rate of Fire (from -25% Clip Size)
• Heavy Carronade: Upward arc 30 degrees (from 20), yaw arcs 35 degrees (from 25)
• Light Harpoon: 250m/s muzzle speed (from 120), projectile drop 12m/s2 (from 6), vertical arcs 40 to -20 (from 25 to -45), reload speed 10s (from 16), range 600m (from 800), 135 flechette (from 70) and 80 piercing (from 60), 6s attachment time (from 8s)

Post February Guns of Icarus Alliance Test Session:

• Rename/finalize Alliance mode names from prototype names.
• Retrieve is now Intercept
• Survival is now Search & Destroy
• Lowered smoke stacks on mobile drill
• Objective icon consistency across loading, lobby, and in-match displays
• Particles repositioned on base weak points
• Faction Leader Buff Display on World Map
• Tweaked boss smoke from having sharp edges in particles
• Alliance menu music updated
• Added missing 4-ship map configurations to Search & Destroy
• Ashen Scuffle added to practice maps

Fixes: General

• Loading Screen fixes and adjustments
• MK 2 Flak particles
• Fixed Artemis reload animation when clip gets empty
• Heavy flak's barrel lids pop up without animation
• Fixed other characters not being animated while on helm
• Main screen logo and alliance prompt fixes
• Fixed repeating sound at helm when descending
• Spire: fixed rubberbanding in ladder well
• Junker: fixed rubberbanding between helm platform and engine catwalks
• Connection screen style fixed to be more consistent
• Fixed some memory leaks that could cause crashes on 32-bit systems or after long sessions
• Linux: Fixed several errors that would sometimes cause crashes
• Linux: Fixed draw order of practice arc indicator (no longer renders behind clouds)
• Linux: fixed browser links not working
• Linux: mouse cursor is no longer locked to the center of the screen when switching to other windows
• Fixed missing screen raindrops on some platforms (DX11 and some OpenGL)
• Fixed pipe wrench twitches after swing
• Fixed an issue that could cause two copies of a ship to appear at match end screen

Fixes Post February Guns of Icarus Alliance Test Session:

• Assault: Fixed the base you just killed sometimes remaining marked on the map, while the next active base did not show up on map or HUD
• Fixed Aten Lens Array “impact” sound ignoring SFX setting
• Fixed rebuilding with the Fail-safe Kit starting a repair cooldown
• Fixed match end not transitioning to "team" panel
• Fixed lights and halo misplacements on master bases
• Boss lightning gun muzzle flash sound fixed
• Fixed reflections not actually disabling on some maps
• Textures for the ooze cloud particles on the Shrike smoothed out
• Fixed weird collision FX occurring on the ground after boss dies
• Fixed generic particles that were rotated the wrong way the on Mobile Drill
• Fixed special ability projectiles remaining visible for too long
• Fixed bug in Alliance Training where restarting the barge carrier state would spawn another carrier
• Fixed Faction Leaders being mispositioned in the rankings
• Thornholt Crest: fixed flying through the train tracks on Intercept (formerly Retrieve)
• Tutorial fixes and adjustments
• Fixed missing spawn animation on Mobile Drills
• Fixed Infiltration end-match timer freeze
• Fixed rare case of AI crew not spawning
• Fixed victory banner incorrectly showing on match end in personal tab
• Fixed particles glitch with boss missile launcher
• Parous Glen - Fixed outposts showing transparent in some areas when viewed from beneath on low settings
• Defense - Fixed AI ships and planes not making lane progress under some circumstances
• Fixed dying after killing the boss in Search & Destroy (formerly Survival) counting as a loss
• A player's war chest does not have a deduction from the cost of using 'Marching Band' on the World map interface
• Fixed offset Baronite Carrier missile trails
• Fixed balloon paints not working on Crusader
• Match list shows correct match difficulty
• Fix Baronite Carrier main gun animations
• Attached equipment cleanup sound is cut off too early
• Fixed inconsistent numbering of gun slots’ in ship customizer/preview
• Fixed a bug that caused out-of-sight AI ships to not be recycled properly

PvP:

• Fixed a random-seeming crash in Skyball maps
• Fixed a social tab malfunction
• Fixed class 'covers' on the search for lobby menu opening and closing very briefly when moving the cursor over them

[ 2017-03-30 23:08:07 CET ] [ Original post ]