UW is alive. Despite the radio the silence, weve been working on the game the entire time.
What was planned as a handful of upgrades became a deeper system rework. In hindsight, it was an overly ambitious task and regretfully caused the unwarranted delays with updates. The silver lining is that UW has improved gameplay and more content. One example of what weve been working on is revamping the old levels. Heres a comparison between two levels:
Other things we have been developing include:

• New guns and items
• New levels.
• New worldmap
• Many combat systems revamped
• Character ability system
• Improved AI
• And plenty more

[ 2025-04-21 08:12:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, soldiers. We apologize for how long Its been since weve posted anything, but rest assured weve never stopped working on UW. Without further ado, let us declassify development progress.

Active Abilities

Some might have seen Zuhras kick ability before in our twitter post. Were expanding ability systems so that each character feels unique in their role. Every character will have one or more active abilities and many passive abilities. Most active abilities are powerful enough to turn the tides of battle, but the uses are limited. Hence careful planning will be crucial.

3D World Map

The world map is being overhauled from 2D to 3D. You will be able to see landmarks of locations and view the landscape of the world.

New Event System

The previous text-focused event system is being replaced with a more dynamic version that is more character focused and displays the events through visuals.

Enemy Divisions

In the real world, each military division has their own history and culture. We aim to reflect this aspect into the enemies you will encounter in UW. Each division will have unique equipment and traits that will showcase their identity in combat.

New Items

More weapons and pieces of equipment are being added to the game. An additional equipment slot is being implemented for brand new accessory items.
Details on each topic will be divulged in future update posts. Stay tuned!

[ 2024-03-11 09:08:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

This patch focuses on all the reported crashing bugs. Some bugs were hard to reproduce but we attempted to fix all of them. So if you encounter any crashing bug, repeating or not, please report the bug to us! We read all the bug report via emails so please keep send them. Thank you for all the bug reports! Follow us on Twitter and Discord

[ 2023-01-15 13:55:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Howdy, fellow survivors of 2022. Are you enjoying your Christmas break? We've been working on yet another backend reconstruction which is why this update took such a long time. We believe it was a necessary step to tackle sooner than later. There won't be any more big backend changes in the future and we'll be working on more content related tasks (weapons, levels, events, etc).

Tank

The tank has now returned to the game! Many elements of its design have been changed since its original iteration, aiming to make the tank easier to use tactically. Were still tweaking the balance of all tanks, so expect to see some changes in future.

Movement System Rework

(old left, new right) One of the backend changes was overhauling the movement system. With the old system, you often had to pixel-hunt to find the right position that provides cover for your units. Sometimes units struggled to move to their destinations and there was no way to climb or vault over obstacles. With the new grid layout, you can easily find a node that provides cover. Theres no more pixel-hunting or units trying to move to the same position. You can now vault over short obstacles to effectively flank your enemies! This change improved many other aspects of the game such as tanks running over destructible objects.

Expanded story content

Weve added a few additional cutscenes to wrap up the first section of the game. To accompany the extra story content, we have two new levels! Both of which feature vastly different gameplay from the earlier levels.

Misc Changes

• Store Repair & Storage : You can now repair your equipment at any store, for a price. It cost slightly more than if you were to repair it yourself with maintenance tools and spare parts during camping. These slots also serve as a local storage space where you can leave some of your items behind.
  
• Console command key is changed from f12 to f3 to avoid Steam taking screenshots every time you access console menu.
• Balancing : We removed different ammo variations of each type (ex. Full Power Ammo having multiple versions) since it was a hassle to manage them in inventory. Bunch of other item stats are adjusted and they will continue to change until we find a good balance.
• Many bug fixes : Thanks to your bug reports! Please keep telling us if theres an issue with your playthrough.

For our next update, we plan on expanding and refining the gameplay experience. Replacing the procedurally generated levels with new handmade levels. Expanding the equipment roster. Entirely new and improved event system. Potentially classes and abilities added. We plan on getting the next update out sooner rather than later. As a small dev team, things take time. We hope you have a happy new year!
Follow us on Twitter and Discord

[ 2022-12-29 17:57:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes

• TG-923 Muzzle flash effect related crash: Fixed
• TG-919 World map camping UI crash: Fixed
• TG-921 Deselecting members during random encounters removes them from story missions, too: fixed
• TG-916 Add tooltip to Tankette mission

Check out our public issue tracker

[ 2022-05-01 16:17:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thank you again for the bug reports! With this patch, while we'll still fix bugs as they are found, we're transitioning our focus towards v0.8.1 content. Changes

• Slightly increased small caliber ammo loot spawn rate post-combat
• Small adjustment in random enemy encounters so that you have a chance to encounter slightly bigger enemy when full squad size.
• Jamming probabiliy adjusted slightly so it starts jamming at 85% (instead of 90% durability) and the highest jamming chance is reduced from 50% to 45%

Fixes

• TG-912 Crash when using flamethrower : Fixed
• TG-913 Crash with DoTween : Fixed
• TG-910 Crash "Firearm.CheckBulletHit.spawnBullet NullReferenceException" : Fixed
• TG-894 Crash when Grenadier dies (when dropping bandolier loot) : Fixed
• TG-846 Soldier getting stuck or being able to squeeze inside rocks : Fixed
• TG-908 Ankuwa having an invisible obstacle
• TG-906 Typo in UI : Fixed
• TG-853 Random encounter dfficulty adjusted
• TG-911 Missing items in bribery event : Fixed
• Ammo icons look different per type similar to how they look during combat (ex. full-power ammo is rotated to the left and intermediate ammo is rotated to the right)

[ 2022-04-29 07:56:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

We were able to track down some tricky bugs thanks to detailed feedback. Thank you so much for all the bug reports! Fixes

• TG-855 Unit alert indicator doesn't disappear : Fixed
• TG-876 Crash when tank hull hits 0 HP/ammo cook off occurs : Fixed
• TG-877 Unit health & status icon UI stick on screen after combat end : Fixed
• TG-878 combat result screen info inaccurate : Fixed
• TG-880 Worldmap node crash : Fixed
• TG-881 Crash "Cannot end combat on an invalid tank handle" : Fixed
• TG-882 Crash "ItemSlotUI.IsHoveringSlot NullReferenceException" : Fixed
• TG-883 Japanese font throwing numerous warning messages : Fixed
• TG-884 Crash "Combat.DoUpdateLogic NullReferenceException" : Fixed
• TG-885 Crash "UIEquip3D.OnDestroy NullReferenceException" : Fixed
• TG-886 Crash "AIHelper.GetNodesInRegionLayered IndexOutOfRangeException" : Fixed
• TG-888 Can't repair MGs : Fixed
• TG-894 Grenadier throwing error on death "ItemManagementException : Tried to move item" : Fixed
• TG-895 Crash "NodeRenderer NullReferenceException" : Fixed
• TG-896 Janky tank physics improved. Now units can't collide with tanks.
• TG-899 Crash "CurrentlyHasObjectiveText() NullReferenceException" : Fixed
• TG-901 Crash after Bragg takes damage during tutorial : Fixed
• TG-903 Re-entering control area causing crash : Fixed
• TG-905 Player can change stance during opening : Fixed
• Swapping weapons during combat resetting ammo in one of the weapons : Fixed
• Small cutscene fixes

[ 2022-04-26 04:16:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes

• TG-856: Bug reporter now tries to send entire log file in compressed form

Fixes

• TG-824 Tween crash: Hopefully fixed
• TG-836 Field manual fatigue and hunger indicator incorrectly explained: Fixed
• TG-844 Crash when switching to melee while reloading: Fixed
• TG-857 Field manual spelling mistakes: Fixed
• TG-859 Abandoned factory event crash: Fixed
• TG-860 SniperRifle.OnDestroy crash: Fixed
• TG-863 Dropped enemy weapons not appearing in loot: Fixed
• TG-864 Camping character portrait update crash: Fixed
• TG-865 "Buffer too small" crash: Fixed
• TG-867 Unit holograms missing heads: Fixed
• TG-869 Tween crash (IndexOutOfRange): Fixed
• TG-872 Waypoint doesn't display unit direction arrow: Fixed
• TG-873 World map UI windows stay open after loading: Fixed
• TG-874 Crash when footstep sounds are played after combat is over: Fixed
• Small cutscene fixes

[ 2022-04-24 00:31:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• TG-851 Squad never grows beyond Bragg and Zuhra: Fixed*
• TG-825 Tankette mission game over: Fixed
• TG-826 Mouse cursor disappears during combat results: Fixed
• TG-829 Tankette fight happens too early: Fixed
• TG-833 Bragg's pistol missing in airfield cutscene: Fixed
• TG-840 Crash when story and random events happen during the same turn: Fixed
• TG-847 Combat results text overlap on ultrawide monitors: Fixed
• TG-850 Crash when ending a game with a grenade: Fixed
• Cutscene post processing really messed up: Fixed
• Cutscene eye animations not working: Fixed

* Sadly the fix doesn't work retroactively and a new game has to be started for the rest of the squad to join.

Attempted fixes

• TG-824 Tween crash: Couldn't reproduce, attempted fix
• TG-827 HID crash: Attempted workaround (it's a longstanding Unity bug)
• TG-845: Grenade throwing crash: Can't reproduce, attempted fix

[ 2022-04-23 03:07:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update contains a visual upgrade, with brand new high quality character models. Alongside the new models is a revamped story and completely new cutscenes! We hope that these changes help you become more engaged in the world of UW.

Pricing

0.8 contains less content than the full game, which is why the EA will initially cost $9.99. Early backers of UW will receive extra content in future as compensation for the price dip. You can read more about future pricing and future content here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/831110/view/3210511728810861413

Known Issues in 0.8.0

We put a great amount of time and effort into the development of 0.8.0. However, while me made sure that the game is playable, we did not have the time to address some of the less critical issues. Here's a list of what we're currently aware of:

• VN text auto play speed cannot be adjusted
• Performance issues in some cutscenes
• Audio doesn't fade out at the end of cutscenes
• Character lighting sometimes rough during cutscenes
• Bunker level still uses some placeholder textures
• Blue cover indicator sometimes glitches out (doesn't happen for everyone, restarting the game seem to fix it)
• Tanks sometimes flip on their sides
• Enemies sometimes spawn inside of rocks

We're currently in the process of setting up a public bug tracker here.

Beyond 0.8.0

Aside from addressing the aforementioned known issues, the plan is to focus our efforts on making UW feature complete before we add more story content. We want to rectify some long-standing gameplay issues such as the camping/squad management portion of the game being a bit of a chore and the controls being clunky at times. We'll keep you posted about future updates here on Steam, on Twitter and on Discord. We want to thank you for your continued support! As usual, were open to hear your ideas, thoughts and questions. (Preferably via our Discord server). https://store.steampowered.com/app/831110/Unconventional_Warfare/

[ 2022-04-21 21:23:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

After months of hard work, were finally preparing the release of UW 0.8. This is the update weve been teasing for quite a while, with the new models and the main storyline. Firstly we want to apologize for the lack of regular development updates. Weve been pouring all of our efforts into preparing update 0.8. It will be released April 21st.

Early Access Release

Due to various circumstances (like our joke deadline becoming a real possibility), UW will enter Early Access with the release of 0.8. This means well start selling the game a bit earlier than we have hoped for. Were well aware of the problems that are associated with Steam Early Access, such as games stuck in perpetual development hell and entirely abandoned projects. Well do our best to avoid following those negative examples of Early Access releases.

Pricing

Since 0.8 will have less than a third of the content of the full game (more on that later), we dont feel comfortable charging you the full price just yet. However, lowering the price will result in us undercutting what our Kickstarter backers paid. While it was never our intention, we understand that this might be perceived as us being unfair towards those who supported UW early. Were in an unfortunate situation, but we still aim to do right by everyone. After much deliberation, we decided on the following course of action:

• For the final release, were targeting ~$20 (this might change in the future)
• The initial Early Access price will be $9.99
• The Early Access price will be raised to the final price once we feel it has enough content to justify the expense
• All Kickstarter backers (including at the lowest tier) will receive all future DLC for free*

*We have some additional content planned for after UW leaves Early Access. This isnt just cosmetic DLC, but also a major expansion on characters, with new gameplay mechanics and experiences.

The Release Schedule Going Forward

Not everything has made the cut for the upcoming 0.8 update. A few cutscenes and missions, as well as a plethora of gameplay and graphics improvements are not yet ready. Those were moved to update 0.8.1. This will be a major update in which we want to make UW feature-complete. Heres an overview of the release schedule going forward: [table] [tr] [th]Version[/th] [th]Content[/th] [th]Free Demo[/th] [th]Early Access[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]0.8.0[/td] [td]New character models, new story[/td] [td]x[/td] [td]x[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]0.8.1[/td] [td]Finish story act 1, feature-completeness[/td] [td]x[/td] [td]x[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]0.9.0[/td] [td]Act 2 of the story[/td] [td][/td] [td]x[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]0.9.9[/td] [td]Act 3 of the story[/td] [td][/td] [td]x[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]1.0.0[/td] [td]Full release, leaving Early Access[/td] [td][/td] [td]x[/td] [/tr] [/table] In simple terms: The free demo will end after act 1 of the story. The Early Access version will receive story updates one act at a time until it is complete. Both versions will get minor stability patches as needed.

Update 0.8 Sneak Peek

New Character Models

New Environments

New Cutscenes

We want to thank you for your continued support! As usual, were open to hear your ideas, thoughts and questions. (Preferably via our Discord server).

[ 2022-04-12 03:55:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Crash when swapping generic items with items in tank ammo slots

[ 2022-02-10 17:59:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Crash when trying to use a weapon backpack that's stored inside of another backpack
• Fixed - Axis invert settings not being saved (this one is for you, Kitsune)
• Fixed - Item tooltip invisible in pre-brief

[ 2022-02-09 21:03:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Crash when agent fails to find a path
• Fixed - Crash when retrying combat
• Fixed - Time UI not being visible after reloading combat
• Fixed - Missing armor item texts
• Fixed - Missing skin for the Colt Monitor for Zuhra
• Fixed - Player received items that weren't meant to be loot
• Potential Fix - Crash related to looting items
• Improved - Reset time scale to 1.0 after reloading combat

[ 2022-02-08 17:38:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Crash when dying while healing
• Fixed - Crash during lone soldier event
• Fixed - Potential crash in error handler
• Fixed - Wrong behavior when leaving tank while inside ReachArea
• Potential Fix - Reported crash during combat

[ 2022-02-07 17:48:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Being able to move to locked, but visible nodes on world map
• Fixed - Aim tooltip still showing in combat results screen
• Fixed - No rewards for random encounters
• Fixed - Unit related crash after combat
• Fixed - Crash when loading refugee camp fight
• Attempted Fix - Tank related crash during combat
• Attempted Fix - PooledBase crash during combat

[ 2022-02-06 13:46:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Crash when changing equipment when Katya leaves your squad
• Fixed - Crash related to Ankuwa guard towers

[ 2022-02-05 15:28:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Getting stuck after winning a random encounter or random event fight
• Fixed - Crash when loading combat after setting a character to use only melee
• Fixed - Email bug reporter not sending all information

[ 2022-02-04 20:42:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

The 0.7.3 update for the demo took longer than expected (as is tradition). This is in part due to some tasks taking longer than we anticipated and in part due to us reorganizing our release schedule. Aside from fixing bugs which have been reported, we added quite a few new features. Note: A lot of code has changed and as a result the old save files are not compatible with 0.7.3. We apologize for the inconvenience, but there was no practical way to make this update backwards compatible.

What's new in 0.7.3

Improved Cover System

We made improvements to UW's cover system to reduce the amount of pixel hunting and micromanagement. Characters will now snap to nearby cover when the cursor is close to it. On top of that, groups of characters will automatically align themselves along walls with a single click.

Move Order Holograms

When the game is paused, you'll now see a hologram that visualizes where units are moving to.

Squad-Based Rationing

Up until now, rationing required you to specify the amount of rations each character gets individually. This quickly became a chore that would only get worse in the future, as more characters will join your squad. We're discussing how to address that and rolled out a preliminary change. Rationing is no longer configured on a per-character basis. So far, the underlying mechanics haven't changed. It's just that you have a single slider and the game will automatically divide your rations after every turn. The rationing and camping mechanics will be improved in the future, but for the time being, this will do.

New Class System (Preview)

In the future, the game's RPG mechanics will receive a big update. We have finalized the characters' skill trees and added them to the game. Keep in mind that they're not yet functional. The preview also features the new UI style that will be rolled out in the future. As of now, the game has a lot of ancient UI that is in dire need of a redesign. This will be done gradually during future updates. The previews can be accessed from each character's old class menu. Just click the yellow text that says "Click Me".

New Content

We have added new enemy types and smoke grenades to UW. There's not much more to say here, other than that there's more to come, still.

Small Things

• Fixed a bunch of bugs that have been found
• Improve melee combat
• Improve RNG to make it harder to do save scumming
• Improve loading and loading screens (so there are fewer long hangs while loading)
• Improve saving/loading system

Behind the scenes

Code Cleanup

There has been an ongoing effort to rewrite and improve much of the old code which has been giving us trouble. With the release of 0.7.3, almost all of the worst offenders have now been eliminated. There are only a couple of things left to do:

• The way we handle unit animations and equipment during combat
• The old class system (which is still in use)
• The VN dialog code
• Our procedurally generated combat level code
• The old UI

Work on some of these has already started.

Where are the new character models?

We've been showing off new character models for a while now. So where are they?

We're pleased to announce that 0.7.3 is the last 0.7 update for the Unconventional Warfare demo. The work on 0.8 has officially started!

In fact, it started a while ago. While some of us put the finishing touches on 0.7.3, others have already been hard at work for 0.8. As a reminder (and for the uninitiated): 0.8 will feature the new character models we've been showing off, as well as the actual story of UW. The story you've seen up until this point was a mere placeholder. Here's a sneak peek of three new locations that are being worked on.


Thank you for your support! Please continue to share your ideas with us and feel free to ask us any questions you might have (preferably via our Discord server).

[ 2022-02-03 00:31:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Swapping flamethrower with weapon causing crash
• Fixed - Enemy spawning inside a rock in basecamp
• Manual save is disabled during combat for now. You can still use autosaves to load to recent combat.

For 0.7.3, we'll think of a solution for saving during combat. It would be too big of a change to add in a small patch.

[ 2021-09-21 16:36:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixed - Trying to change scene during loading causing crash
• Fixed - Incorrect rationing text below slider
• Fixed - Game objects enabling not waiting for scene loading completion
• Fixed - MG08 spawning in Testing Ground (Should only be visible in weapon backpack)
• Fixed - Changing stance (disabling movement for duration) causing crash in Testing Ground
• Fixed - Player items and equipped backpack being added as combat loot causing crash sometimes
• Filtered versions of items in Testing Ground item creator
• Reduced unnecessary (terminal) logs

Some more crashes weren't reproducible. We added attempted fixes, but we couldn't verify that they had the desired effect.

[ 2021-09-20 13:47:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Yet again, an update took longer than we expected. We wanted to use this update to clean up some old, messy code to make our job easier in the future. As these things go, it cascaded into us having to rewrite a substantial amount of code. This is the reason for why this update took us so long. Some construction sites remain for the next two updates, but the bulk of the code cleaning has been finished.

Here's what's new in v0.7.2:

New Weapon Stats

We've reworked the entire item system of UW. This affects all types of items, but you'll notice the biggest differences in how weapons and ammo work.

• Each item type can have multiple different variations and tiers
• Additional stats to differentiate each weapon and ammo
• Ammunition provides stats like base damage and range for compatible weapons
• Different weapons use different types of ammo

The primary motivation for this rewrite was to make it easier for us to add new items to the game. Please tell us what you'd like to see and we'll see if we can add it. Also, please let us know whether managing the different ammo types (and the respective tiers) is annoying. During our internal playtesting sessions, we found that it might be a bit too much micromanagement.

Deployable Weapons

As shown in our April update post, we've added new deployable type weapons. These are bigger weapons (for you) such as a heavy/medium machine gun or a mortar.

• Deployable weapons fit in the backpack slot instead of the weapon slot
• They need to be deployed before use, which makes the carrier vulnerable for the duration
• You can use normal weapons while carrying deployable weapons but they're heavy and will slow you down

New Inventory System

You'll need to think more carefully about how your squad carries items with the new inventory system.

• Most items are limited to specific types of inventory slots now
• Equipment, weapon and ammo slots can only contain items of the respective types
• General purpose slots that can contain any item require the character to equip a backpack
• Accessing items in the backpack during combat will take time and leaves you vulnerable

And More

• Weapon maintenance is more important now as firearms can explode in a soldier's face when neglected for too long
• You can now select who you want to deploy during random encounters
• Tanks can cook off when damaged or heated, setting off ammo in its inventory
• You can access more cheat codes from terminal (F12). Type "help" to view available commands and cheats

Whats next?

We've shifted around tasks from the previously posted milestone and moved some of the ambitious yet non-essential tasks out of the list. We might bring some of them back later. Our goal is to focus on what's important first to make playable v0.8 first.

v0.7.3:

• New combat objectives
• More than just kill everything, survive x waves and reach place on map
• New world map quest management
• Improved cover system
• No more pixel hunting to get characters behind cover
• Automatically align multiple characters with a single click
• New enemy types
• Melee (minor update not too different from current melee)

v0.7.4:

• Class system
• Possibly more

[expand]
It's not like I want you to play UW or anything![/expand] Thank you for your support! Please continue to share your ideas with us and feel free to ask us any questions you might have (preferably via our Discord server).

[ 2021-09-19 20:37:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

There were many bugs in v0.7.1 and thanks to you, our backers, we were able to release this hotfix soon. Your bug report (and feedback) helps us greatly in improving UW, so please keep sending them to us.

This patch(v0.7.1.1) has following fixes:

• #809 - v0.7.1 Imon mine final combat issues
• #801 - Some fences & obstacles can be walked through
• #811 - Footprint with wrong scale & rotation
• #812 - GameUI scene camera overriding another camera
• #813 - Missing scripts warnings removed
• #814 - Flamethrower throwing error when firing
• #815 - Weapon animation getting stuck when using machine pistol and flamethrower
• #816 - Units getting stuck under Imon mine bridges & stairs
• #817 - Bayonet attack causing error
• #818 - Damaging incapacitated enemy throwing error

We're fixing game breaking bugs first. Other bugs will be fixed in the next patch or included in the next update. You can find a list of reported bug here : [url=https://tree.taiga.io/project/duke-uw-duke-sniper/issues]https://tree.taiga.io/project/duke-uw-duke-sniper/issues If you don't see any bug you encounter that's not in the record, please let us know! Thank you again and enjoy the end of 2020!

[ 2020-12-26 23:49:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

As we are expanding the backend and frontend of the game in this update, the patch release has been pushed back. However, we're releasing it now before Christmas hoping everyone could enjoy the end(?) of 2020. Thank you for your patience. In this post, we'll introduce what's new in v0.7.1 and what we have planned for v0.7.x updates until v0.8.

Here's what's new in v0.7.1

• Unit hover UI : Hover your mouse over a unit (or pause) to view health, suppression and status info. You can hover over each status icon to get even more info. You'll also be able to see how much damage you're dealing, amongst other useful information.
  
• New weapons : There are 3 new backer weapons added (Colt Monitor, M1903 Air Service, MP 18).
  
• Field of view and Fog of War : A new and improved fog of war is returning to UW. Line of sight now matters more, as you won't be able to see enemies outside of your soldier's vision.
  
• New Camping (prototype) : We're altering the camping system in order to make it more intuitive and less tedious to use. This is an early version that might initially seem barebones, but we'll be building on and improving it over the 0.7.x updates.
  
• Blood is damage : We've removed the hidden damage to blood conversion, so the damage will show as blood in ml. This change was made so it's easier to tell how much damage each weapon does and how much damage it takes to neutralize an enemy.
• Bunch of bug fixes and (possibly) even more new bugs added to wake up the samurai.

As you may recall, we've planned and announced that melee and stealth would be a part of v0.7.1. Unfortunately, while we made progress in them, we couldn't finish it to include in this update. You can see where we plan to add the features in the roadmap below.

Roadmap to v0.8

Here's what we have planned for the next updates until v0.8 which will be a huge update. Please note that the roadmap below includes only key front-end features of each update and some of them may change : v0.7.2 :

• New weapon types (MGs, Lever action rifles, Mortars, etc)
• Equipment revamp & more items
• Better weapon degration system

v0.7.3 :

• Melee
• Aim modes (conserve ammo vs ratatata)
• Allowing selected units to possibly opt out before combat
• Tank revamp

v0.7.4 :

• Class system (prototype)
• New enemy types
• Stealth levels
• Fog of war improvement (additional layer of fog)

v0.7.5 :

• New cover system
• Better unit management(fire groups)
• New camping (final)
• Destructible trees and obstacles.

v0.7.6 :

• Fire improvement
• Gas gas gas! and smoke
• Events & quests management
• Retreating from combat

v0.7.7 :

• Weather system (prototype)
• 3D worldmap
• Combat grading system, improving suppression
• Improve issuing commands

v0.7.8 :

• UI revamp

v0.8.0:

• New character models
• New levels
• New story
• New graphics(rendering tech)
• Weather system (final)
• Improved sound system

Physical rewards

There were some difficulties, including the pandemic, with our production plans for your physical rewards, but they are being worked on and we already have some samples. Take a look :
Please tell us what you think about anything from above and feel free to ask any question about it. We always appreciate your feedback and bug reports. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

[ 2020-12-23 21:37:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

As we've said in the previous posts, most of our efforts have been on the back-end of UW for this version. Fixing and cleaning this will enable us to add more features faster in the future. This is good news but also means that you might not see enough visible changes in the front-end for now. We'll do our best to deliver new features more quickly.

Here's what's new in v0.7.0 :

• Fire system : Grass, bushes and trees will spread fire over time and you don't wanna be near the fire.
• New weapons : There are 5 new weapons(4 of which are our backer weapons) including a flamethrower and a Thompson SMG.
• Automatic error detection & log sender : You will get a pop-up window if your previous gameplay crashed or was problematic. You can also manually send a log file or open log folder via settings menu.
• Testing ground : You can now access the new Testing ground from the main menu where you can test different classes, tanks and weapons of UW freely.
• Minor gameplay changes : including stores having more items, enemies dropping more variety of items, global weapon accuracy increased and more.
• Backend improvements : No visible changes. Will allow better bug tracking & feature addition.

We're already working on v0.7.1 which will be focused around combat improvements including improved melee abilities, better cover & flanking system and more. Here's a sneak peek of bayonet charge that we're working on atm for the v0.7.1.
Again, this isn't included in this v0.7.0 update but I wanted to share that a lot of front-end improvements are coming! Thank you for all the bug reports and feedback. Please keep sharing your ideas with us!

[ 2020-09-28 08:11:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

As we're getting closer and closer to the next demo update, I think this is a good time to share some progress and what we have planned for v0.7 and forward.

Progress report, sir!

["Here are some of the progress we've made!"] One of our backer characters, Kaede, is now in 3D. We've experimented a few variations on her in both 2D and 3D.
She doesn't officially wear glasses but since no one is wearing glasses (yet), our 3D artist, SquareAnon, tested how they look on her. We still have 3 out of 4 limited Colonel tier slots left, so if you're interested in designing and / or adding your own character into UW, like Kaede above, check out the tiers here.
[Bonnie model old vs new] We didn't make a proper announcement, but as many of you have already noticed, we're upgrading all of our 3D character models. This upgrade is a direct result of our successful Kickstarter campaign, so thank you again for your support!
[Katya's gonna be okay, right, medic? .... medic!?] It's gonna be lit! Fire system has been one of the main focus for the past few weeks and is getting close to a presentable state. A simpler fire system that fakes fire could've been easier and faster, but we wanted to make something that's more realistic and that can add more depth to challenge you in combat.
The fire system more or less behaves true to life, with fire realistically catching, spreading and extinguishing. Combustible objects like tress and grass can catch fire and the heat will damage units(and objects) nearby. You can imagine how this can be utilized in combat, especially if the battlefield has a lot of flammable objects.

When's the v0.7 release?

We're aiming to release it in about a month from now, hopefully sooner with some good old industry standard crunch. Despite the long gap since the v0.6.x, v0.7.0 won't have that many new features outside of the new fire system. This is because we've been spending most of our time in fixing the backend of UW. Without going into too much detail, you can consider the backend as a foundation of UW's programming and where most of the bugs came from. We've been working on fixing that so we can fix bugs easily and add new features more frequently. Here's a rough summary of the future release plans (not in any particular order other than v0.7.0) :

• v0.7.0 : Fire system, new weapons, testing ground(where you can try out all items in game), automatic bug reporter, Backend improvements
• v0.7.x : Visual update (new models, effects and rendering tech)
• v0.7.x : AI update (Improved combat AI, different behaviors for enemies)
• v0.7.x : Worldmap update (more events, improved controls)
• v0.7.x : Combat update (melee combat, prone, sneaking, etc)
• v0.7.x : Camping update
• v0.8 : Large content update (more story and related contents)

Some details can change but the general structure of releasing updates will be like this. So that's it for this update. Please feel free to ask us any questions. You can leave them here or in our discord server where you can talk directly with us.
[Jotaro Bragg training his stand] Cheers!

[ 2020-07-08 18:10:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, soldiers of UW(U)!
Thanks to your support, our Kickstarter campaign has been funded and we're excited to work on UW as planned. Until recently, a part of our team has been working on patching the current v0.6.x Steam demo, while the rest has been planning and working on v0.7. After the v0.6.3 release, we'll be mostly focusing on v0.7 and beyond to deliver the next big feature updates to you asap. Further updates to v0.6.x will be limited to only the most critical bugs. Patches for minor problems and balancing issues will have to wait for v0.7.

Early plans (that are subject to change)

So what are our plans going forward? Here is a rough overview over what we have in mind for the future of UW:

Combat

The current combat system is mostly a carryover from the early days of UW. A lot of the game surrounding it changed, and it is about time it too gets updated. Well discuss the finer details of what combat is going to be like its own post in the future. For now, here are some of the main goals:

Cover System

• The cover system has to be more transparent to the player - Am I in cover? Am I flanked? - How effective is it?
• Positioning units has to be more intuitive - No more pixel hunting - Managing multiple units at once shouldnt require micromanaging every unit
• There should be multiple types of cover - e.g. bushes hiding the player, but not providing protection

Enemy AI

• Enemies should be smarter and less predictable - Fighting shouldnt get boring before the game ends - UW isnt a short game
• They should be able to use tanks effectively - Right now they just drive at you and run into each other
• Different enemy types should behave differently

Environment

• There should be more types - Not just visual, but also affecting gameplay
• Combat environment should feel less static - Tanks running over trees - Setting foliage on fire (yes, there will be flamethrowers)
• There should be varying weather - Add variety even on the same type of map - Affect combat in big ways

Other Aspects

These are still in very early stage of planning. Please take these with a grain of salt. As we move forward with development, well gradually refine these. Once their designs are sufficiently developed, theyll get their own dedicated posts.

Character Progression/Class System

The character progression and class system needs to be worked on. The 0.6 one was merely a placeholder and felt tacked on. The primary design goal is to make choices more meaningful.

• Characters should become hyper-specialized - No class can do everything - No character is good at everything - The longer you play, the more your characters diverge from one another
• There should be more choices - Improve replay value
• Players should have to commit to their choices - No more switching classes or abilities to fit the situation - Cant have everything at once - Make choices more meaningful
• (Maybe everything should be a sidegrade?) - Everything would come at a cost - Not sure about that one yet

Questing/Random Events

The main goal of revamping the events and quests is to give you more things to do besides the main story line.

• There should be more variety - Longer, with multiple-objectives - Quests within quests - More types of rewards & penalties
• You should be able to accept and work on multiple quests at once - Switching from the UI
• There should be side quests you can pick and choose - e.g. blackboard in towns

Misc

Besides all the aforementioned part of the game, there are also others that deserve some love.

• New UI - More intuitive - Support all aspect ratios from 5:4 to 32:9
• Upgrade 3D character models - Add cute
• Replace item code - Item management and stores are full of bugs right now

Progress on character models

We've been improving the visuals of UW gradually since the beginning, but this is probably the biggest upgrade in character models.
We are moving away from the chibi (big head & small body) style we've had up until now in favor of more realistic body proportions. Our 3D artist SquareAnon has been working on researching and developing this style. We're very pleased with the result and excited to work the new upgraded characters into UW.

When?

In short: We dont know yet. The long version is that were going to have internal discussions regarding the release schedule very soon. We would prefer to roll out fewer, incremental updates as opposed to disappearing for months and releasing a huge update (like we did with 0.6). Well let you know as soon as they're decided. Thank you for being such an awesome community. Your ideas, feedback and bug reports are more helpful than you know. Please continue to tell us all about them and ask any questions you might have! Sincerely, The Unconventional Warfare Development Team

[ 2020-04-06 18:31:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

The third patch for v0.6. With this, we'll start focusing on v0.7.x unless there's more game breaking bugs found. Please let us know if you run into any issues. Thank you for all the bug reports helping us greatly in fixing them.

Fixes

• #550 Sometimes characters eat at a campfire with their weapon equipped
• #603 Ironclad ability not removing movement debuff
• #618 the capture mode key functions are not locked in the menu, so when you use the search field in the field manual and write 'p' you hide the hud and when you write 'o' you switch the camera mode.
• #619 crouch causing error during combat(on Isin, aka Thieves' landing)
• #601 During tankette event, opting to use AP ammo to disable them seems to not do anything in the encounter
• #602 If you save and load into a camp, some trenches seem to lose both side coverage.
• #605 mines and sandbag construction / deconstruction during combat casuing errors
• #604 if one (or more) "destroyed" enemy tank is present while an encounter happen in camping it spawns another identical one (same damage)(In addition, tank spawn position was spread out to 4 corners of the spawn area first so there's no tank clipping each other if player has multiple tanks and one or more are MV.)
• #606 weapon proficiency, stats and skills won't open.
• #620 Imon Mine units hiding behind / inside colliders unable to be targeted

Our public bug tracker can be viewed here.

[ 2020-04-03 20:17:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

The second patch for 0.6 is here. It might take a while for Steam to distribute the files all over the world.

Fixes

• Enemy encounter ending before last enemy was killed
• Character bag slot increase / decrease broken
• Sabata Farm Chateau ground collider seems to be wrong(lower than the mesh)
• Camp raider spawning during ambush mission, raiders no longer spawn during ambush mission
• Katya knife animation using right-handed version
• Amal & Bonnie helmet using different(old) material
• Broken tank being stuck on large nodes
• Katya headgear art broken with certain expressions
• Camping character art not showing up(hidden behind canvas)

Our public bug tracker can be viewed here.

[ 2020-03-17 21:54:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

The first patch for 0.6 is here. It might take a while for Steam to distribute the files all over the world.

Improvements

• Added two more autosave slots. Game now cycles through them

Balancing

• Nerfed shotgun damage, spread and range
• You now get spare parts in loot after defeating enemy tanks

Fixes

• Fix various crashes related to UI logic and corrupted save files
• Fixed camp raiders not attacking player position
• Fixed characters going below 0 health which prevented anyone from spawning the next time you opened a map
• Quick fix to make old UI work with aspect ratios other than 16:9
• Fixed not being able to place sandbags in Imon
• Fixed store item duplication when switching tabs
• Fixed store cost calculation when using shift+lmb
• Fix illegal character in Wild Boar event option
• Fix not being able to swap weapons between character inventories
• Fix unequipping weapon into own character inventory deleting it
• Improve Bragg shotgun animations

Our public bug tracker can be viewed here. Our two programmers will split up now. One will move on to working on 0.7 whereas the other will continue to support 0.6.x for now.

[ 2020-03-05 17:03:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Kickstarter now live!

After delaying it before, we're excited to announce that our Kickstarter campaign is now live.
This game is quite the ambitious project, so we'll need all the support we can get. Support us if you can and if you can't, please share it on social media.

Demo 0.6

After many months of work, the 0.6 update brings many big changes. First off: The changes were so substantial that old saves will no longer work.

Changelog:

• Merged story and dynamic mode. Yes, UW now has a story.
• Added VN gameplay aspects
• Added quests to world map
• Added new world map UI
• Completely revamped unit health system
• Completely revamped tank damage system
• Added hunger, fatigue & rationing to world map
• New random events
• Added new enemy tankette
• Added new maps
• Added new characters
• Added new weapons
• New classes & abilities
• Added weapon proficiency system
• New deferred cel shading
• Added preliminary CC soundtrack
• Many more tweaks, fixes and additions

This release has been an incredibly wild ride. Thank you for all your support! Your sincerely, The Unconventional Warfare Development Team Kickstarter Twitter, Discord, Patreon

[ 2020-02-29 00:22:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=J1cq35PlaXU;full][/previewyoutube] It's time to announce our Kickstarter campaign. Unconventional Warfare is coming to Kickstarter next Friday, February 28th at 3pm PDT. The extra time was much needed and we're now in a much better position than when we last announced the campaign. The 0.6 demo has received countless bug fixes, improvements, tweaks and even additional pieces of content. We're a small team who worked hard and sacrificed a lot of time (and some of us even health) to get to this point. We would love to continue working on this project in our current capacity, so with less than a week left, we would humbly ask you to share this information on social media. We will need all the shares, likes and tweets we can get. Thank you for all your support thus far. Your sincerely, The Unconventional Warfare Development Team Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page Twitter, Discord, Patreon

[ 2020-02-22 16:01:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Kickstarter & demo update

Since posting our last update, much progress has been made. The first big milestone is that the 0.6 demo is now stable enough for us to play it start to finish without any obvious game breaking bugs. This does not mean that were done working on it though. Were hard at work polishing the demo, tweaking the balancing, adding some additional content and fixing small bugs as we find them. The second milestone is that we decided on the launch date for the Kickstarter campaign. Were going to reveal the exact date tomorrow, together with our brand new trailer. Our narrative designer PMar did an outstanding job on the trailer and were looking forward to sharing it with you.

The new tank damage system in UW 0.6

Todays post will cover changes to how tanks work in the new 0.6 demo. If you read Devblog #1, which covered the unit health system changes, youre going to notice some similarities.

The old system

Not unlike the unit health system, the old tank damage system was about as simple as such a system could have been. Tanks were considered a single unit with a health value attached to them. Every attack would reduce the health by some amount and once the health reached 0, the tank would explode and all units inside would die with it. In order to keep up with the advancements in other parts of the game, the tank system was rewritten entirely from scratch.

The new system

Localized damage

The first major change is that tanks are no longer a single unit with a single HP value. Damage is now split up between parts. Hull, engine, left and right track and every turret can now be damaged individually. The screenshot below shows the tank management UI where you can see the state of your squads tanks.
As you can see, the hulls health has been completely depleted and its now marked as vulnerable. The way the damage system works is that destroying different parts of a tank causes different problems.
Destroying the hull means that the crew of the tank will no longer be protected from incoming fire. Even non-armor piercing ammunition is going to damage the crew. Destroying a turret puts it out of service. You will no longer be able to control it and fire using that particular turret.
Destroying the engine fully immobilizes the tank. The tank will come to a complete halt and youll see black smoke coming out of the engine bay. Turrets remain operational.
Destroying a track causes it to lock up. The tank will no longer be drivable and only spin slowly in one direction or the other, depending on which track has been destroyed.
Tanks can be damaged by explosives, tank shells and armor piercing ammunition. If an enemy tank is no longer able to defend itself properly, the crew will disembark and fight on foot.

Abandoning and retrieving tanks

None of the parts mentioned above cause the tank to simply explode when destroyed and the tank doesnt explode when all of them are destroyed either. Instead, immobile tanks are abandoned. When you return to the world map, youll see that the nodes on which tanks were abandoned are marked as such. Broken tanks do not despawn. If you have a unit of the mechanic class and the necessary tools, you can return to such a node, go camp, repair and retrieve the tank.
This system is still in an early stage of development and 0.6 wont use it to its fullest extent quite yet.

Repairing tanks

Tanks can be repaired during camping. To do so you need a unit with the mechanic skill, disposable spare parts and maintenance tools, which can be constructed like tents and campfires.
In the above screenshot you can see an example of placing the maintenance tools. The tank needs to be within a certain distance of the tools in order to be repaired. (The maintenance tools can also be used by non-mechanics to repair their weapons.)

Beyond 0.6

As mentioned earlier, abandoning and retrieving tanks isnt quite ready for 0.6 yet. Being able to take every tank you defeated with you would cause major balancing issues. We also need to add a system that allows you to choose which tank to use during combat. Your tank ammo (and maybe fuel) will get limited as tanks are too powerful right now. The enemy AI also needs to get better at dealing with your tanks. Their current behavior is made to deal with infantry. They search cover and stay put, which puts your tank at a massive advantage. Look forward to tomorrows devblog and the reveal of our Kickstarter trailer. Your sincerely, The Unconventional Warfare Development Team Twitter, Discord, Patreon

[ 2020-02-21 23:46:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

State of the Kickstarter

Before we dive into the second devblog, heres a brief update on the Kickstarter. Delaying the Kickstarter gave us more time for important tasks such as polishing the Kickstarter page itself, improving the demo and reaching out to people who might be interested in covering a game like UW. We now have a pre-launch campaign page on Kickstarter. Check it out here and be sure to share it. The demo saw many great improvements. Besides finding and fixing dozens of bugsmost of which were thankfully small annoyanceswe were also able to implement things that didnt make the cut from our last deadline. This includes additional missions and quality of life improvements such as the feature shown below.
To make squad management easier, the game will now warn you if there are problems with characters that arent immediately obvious from the world map screen.

Storytelling in 0.6

UW and its story

Making UW a hybrid between real time tactics and visual novel isnt a recent idea; in fact, it was planned from the very start. While there were previous prototypes experimenting with that, you might have noticed the complete absence of any VN elements in the current 0.5 demo on Steam. Up until the 0.5 release, we wanted UW to have two game modes. Dynamic Mode, which would feature the randomly generated gameplay you saw in 0.5 and Story Mode, which is where the VN was supposed to happen. After 0.5, we decided to scrap that plan and merge the two game modes into one. The story would happen on the same world map on which the random events occur. This is 0.6 and its going to be the first public version of UW to have a proper story.

The old VN visuals

UW started as a primitive 2D game and evolved into the 3D game you can see now. Just like the game itself, the scope of the VN aspects grew, too. Below you can see a VN section of the very first public demo of UW, released in 2018.
The artwork shown above was good by our old standards. Usually the backgrounds would be photographs we put through cartoon filters, resulting in cheap and jarring looking VN sections as seen below.
There were some poor audio effects during the cutscenes and no background music.

The new visuals

As UW turned from a 2D into a 3D game, so did the VN sections. Inspired by games like the Persona and Fire Emblem series, were now using a mix of 2D and 3D artworks in UWs cutscenes.
The above screenshot was taken in 0.6. The improved character art by Rizu and Montie and the 3D backgrounds vastly improve the quality of the VN sections, as does the addition of ambient sounds and music. The above changes already make 0.6 a huge step forward. That being said, these VN sections are still in an early stage and will see further improvements in future. The look of the textbox and the font are just temporary and the cutscenes themselves will also get major overhauls. We hope to add character animations to them in the future. For 0.6, they remain mostly static. We also added a system where the health and equipment of the characters are reflected in the 2D artwork. This isnt fully integrated into the VN system yet, but you do get to see it in the portraits of the characters during gameplay.
The next post will be about the new tank damage system in 0.6. Your sincerely, The Unconventional Warfare Development Team Twitter, Discord, Patreon

[ 2020-02-15 23:37:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Preamble: Regarding the Kickstarter campaign

Those of you who are following us on Twitter or are members of our Discord server may have noticed that we announced that we're going to start a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the development of UW. Being busy with the development of the upcoming 0.6 demo, all of us just kept working on other things until it was time to launch the KS campaign. We posted our first announcement with only two days notice and none of us really thought about whether that was the proper way of doing things. Thankfully a member of Discord server, who knows more about the subject than us, shared his thoughts in a kind manner.
We realized that too much hinges on its success for us to simply rush it. The Kickstarter will launch together with the new 0.6 demo. A lot of work went into it and after a substantial amount of changes, its fair to say that 0.6 and 0.5 almost feel like demos for different games. Leading up to the Kickstarter, well be posting regular updates. The Kickstarter campaign and new demo will launch in a few weeks. The exact date will be announced soon.

The new health system in UW 0.6

Todays devblog will cover the new health system that well introduce with the upcoming 0.6 demo.

The old system

Thus far, UW has used a very simple health system. Every units health was represented by a single integer value. A units health may be 20 HP and each attack with a particular weapon might reduce it by 2 or 3 points. When your units health value reached 0, the unit died. The way armor played into that was equally over-engineered and limiting. When you equipped armorsay a helmetthe 3D model of the helmet would come with its own hitbox. The game would then have to perform a multitude of calculations to properly determine whether your helmet protected you from a particular attack. This system was very primitive and a remnant of the days where UW was a much, much simpler game (you can read more about that here). More importantly however, it was very restrictive. Using small integers made balancing difficult. For a weak weapon dealing 1 damage, the smallest possible increase doubling it. The integration of armor was a convoluted, difficult to work with and convoluted mess. It also had the side-effect that the hit probability the game displayed wasnt entirely accurate. Clearly, we needed something better.

The new system

Design challenges

UW 0.6 comes with a big change in direction, which will get its own devblog here soon. For now, all you need to understand is that for UW 0.6 to work as intended, the units in your squad could no longer be allowed to die permanently. This radical change required us to handle unit health in a radically different fashion. Rather than building upon the old one, we decided that the best course of action would be to scrap it entirely and start from scratch.

Blood

Whereas the old system used generic HP units, the new system measures your units health in milliliters of blood. The max health of each unit is determined using real-world values. More precisely, its calculated using Nadlers method which approximates the total blood volume (TBV) of a person based on height, weight and gender. Units that lose 2/3 of their TBV, are either incapacitated or die. If they are a part of your squad, they are always incapacitated. This puts them out of action for the rest of the battle, unless a medic revives them (which can only happen once per battle). After the battle, they are returned to your squad with little health.

Localized damage

Rather than having a single blood value, units now take damage to different body parts:

• Head
• Torso
• Left and right arm
• Left and right leg

Damage happens either instantaneously or over time, when a unit gets wounded and starts bleeding. In future versions, damage to different body parts will cause different debuffs. For example, a hurt leg will slow your unit down while a hurt arm will reduce reload speed and accuracy.

Healing and recovery

First aid kits no longer restore health as they used to up until now. Starting with 0.6, their only effect will be treating wounds to stop bleeding during combat. Recovering health can only happen outside of combat. Blood recovers over time, with each turn on the world map, based on how many rations youre giving your unit (rationing will be covered in a future devblog). If you reach a town and can afford it, you can rest there, which will also recover blood. The third and last option is to have a medic perform a transfusion between two units while camping. While it does not increase the total amount of health in your squad, you use this to give some blood to your squads weakest link ahead of combat.

Summary

• Health is now measured in milliliters of blood
• Losing 2/3 of its blood kills or incapacitates a unit
• Health now uses localized damage. Head, torso, arms and legs get hurt separately
• No more healing during combat. First aid kits only stop open wounds from bleeding
• Your units no longer die, but get incapacitated
• Only medics can revive incapacitated units and every unit can only be revived once during combat
• There is no free way to regain blood. You either feed your units rations or pay to rest in a town
• Medics can transfuse blood between units while camping

This shall be it for this devblog. Look forward to the next post, which will cover our revised tank damage system. Your sincerely, The Unconventional Warfare Development Team Twitter, Discord, Patreon

[ 2020-02-10 20:06:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

While working on the 0.6 demo, we were made aware of a critical bug. Turns out the game used "a little" too much memory. Here's what's we new in v0.5.4:

• Katya new face
  • Katya used to have old design for a long time, now she's got a proper rework and has a face that matches current style!
• Fixes
  • Game requiring more than 3GB of memory (even in worldmap) - Fixed

Thank you for playing and keep on sharing your experience and ideas through twitter : https://twitter.com/unwargame And join our dev discord server to talk about guns and waifus! : https://discord.gg/HtUDeG2

[ 2019-09-12 13:35:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

There were some critical bugs that went under our radars, so we made this quick patch to make the demo properly playable. As it was announced in the last post, we're working hard to overhaul and improve core mechanics(which wasn't included in this patch). Please stay tuned to our twitter and discord updates to see what we're working on for v0.6! And thank you so much for your bug reports, without your help this critical bug could've been unnoticed for longer. Here's what's we new in v0.5.3:

Balancing

• It's easier to get a tank now. The tank event position is marked on the map from the start and you will either get damaged or full health tank when you choose to fix it.

Fixes

• Opening settings window in mainmenu causing chain of errors - fixed.
• Opening escape menu during traveling in worldmap soft locking the game - fixed.
• Enemy squad database was missing when loading a game after exiting the application - fixed
• Incorrect UI element orders
• Retry confirmation button hidden behind another element making it unable to be clicked - fixed
• Other UI elements like suppression circles being on top of result UI - fixed
• Class UI Scout description displaying wrong bag size info - fixed
• Some settings(like Vsync) weren't being applied until settings window is opened - fixed

Thank you for playing and keep on sharing your experience and ideas through twitter: https://twitter.com/unwargame And join our dev discord server to report bugs, make suggestions, and most importantly, talk about guns and waifus!: https://discord.gg/HtUDeG2

[ 2019-08-27 12:11:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

With this patch out, we're going to redirect our focus into adding more features. There probably still will be bug fixes and balancing patches, just not as our priority (unless there's some big bad bug, of course). We're gonna be working on to improve combat and camping so stay tuned and feel free to tell us what you'd like to see in UW! Here's what's we new in v0.5.2 :

Improvements

• Procedural generation of field levels is back, you'll be on a new level every time you encounter enemies or camp on the field
• Destructible objects are coming back, some objects/covers are destructible (with a tank, explosives or just by shooting it a lot)
• AP ammo now deals damage to the tank crew, meaning you can use it to take out certain tank crew members (e.g. front MG gunner)
• Placing constructibles (tent, trench, etc.) during camping won't cause lag anymore
• Added VSync option to the settings option under "General"

Balancing

• Grenade now deals full damage regardless of explosion radius (red & yellow) to tank
• Grenade damage slightly increased
• Mk5 Tank health increased by 20%

Fixes

• Campfire and Tent being placed in non-camping levels - Fixed
• Decals(Blood, footprints, etc) not being covered by fog - Fixed
• Water not covered by fog - Fixed
• 'C' key opening inventory when it wasn't supposed to - Fixed
• Incorrect UI Layer order - Fixed
• Removing tent or campfire sometimes giving you multiple items - Fixed
• Trench extrusion - Fixed

Thank you for playing and keep on sharing your experience and ideas through twitter: https://twitter.com/unwargame And join our dev discord server to report bugs, make suggestions, and most importantly, talk about guns and waifus!: https://discord.gg/HtUDeG2

[ 2019-08-19 13:11:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thank you for playing UW v0.5 so much! With all the feedback and bug reports, we were able to roll out some quick fixes to major bugs and balancing problems. Not everything is fixed but I think with this patch UW should be more enjoyable. Here's what's we new in v0.5.1:

Balancing

• Weapon accuracy fixes - Base accuracy & minimum accuracy increased. At a very close range, units get big bonus in accuracy(no more 1% right in front of enemy)
• Decreased fatigue rate. You will get tired more slowly as you travel. (50% per turn of v0.5)
• Starting quest difficulty is adjusted(no more high tier enemies when you've just started the game and are alone)
• Increased heal amount on campfire use

Fixes

• Tank flipping - Fixed(should at least happen less frequently. More certain fix will come later)
• Objective & UI not getting updated at the start of combat until unpleasing - Fixed
• Helmet not blocking bullet - Fixed
• Body armor not blocking bullet accurately - Fixed
• Body armor will now block most shots from frontal attack that hits on torso, but it will not be able block attacks from sides or behind. This means, while aiming, right-handed character will have more angle of protection to the right and vice versa for left-handed character.
• Retry(or loading autosave) not loading correct worlmap / quest info - Fixed
• Zmey field levels having floating rocks - Fixed
• Not being able to cancel interacting(sleeping, eating when enemies are attacking) - Fixed
• Character portraits not being updated sometimes - Fixed
• Enemies being able to shoot through certain rocks - Fixed

Thank you for playing and keep on sharing your experience and ideas thru twitter : https://twitter.com/unwargame And join our dev discord server to talk about guns and waifus! : https://discord.gg/HtUDeG2

[ 2019-08-12 00:50:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

After a delay of a couple of days due to the approval process, the Unconventional Warfare Dynamic Mode Demo is now out on Steam! We hope it was worth the wait! https://store.steampowered.com/app/831110/Unconventional_Warfare/

[ 2019-08-11 07:55:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

We've just released our Dynamic Mode Demo, which is available to download right now on itch.io and IndieDB, we hope you enjoy it! Our Steam release has been delayed by a couple of days due to the approval process which takes time, but we hope to have it with you as soon as possible! If you find any bugs or want to ask any questions, please report them on the #bug-report channel or post in the #ask-devs channel respectively in our Discord: https://www.discord.gg/khASHxB -even if you don't find any bugs or have any questions to ask, it would be great to see you there! You can download the demo from other platforms here: itch.io: https://duque.itch.io/uw IndieDB: https://www.indiedb.com/games/unconventional-warfare

New features:

• Dynamic Mode - A brand new mode has now become implemented into UW, dynamic mode. Traverse our brand new game map and encounter a variety of random events, how you respond to which will either make or break your chances for survival. Each playthrough will be able to provide you a different experience!
• New Weapons - Two completely different styles of weapons have been introduced into this build. First of all, the Model 1897 Trench Gun has been inducted into UW. Second of all, placeable landmines. These two new additions might shake up your approach to missions.
• New Map - Brand new maps and locations with different climates and architectures have been included within this build. Their layout is also vastly different from levels in previous builds. Expect to enjoy them aesthetically and tactically!
• New Models and Animations - One of the factions, Zmey, now has representation ingame via the new models included in this build. On the note of models, in previous builds did you notice that the soldiers only had three fingers per hand? Well not anymore! Now theyre like you and me and have a full five. Due to the finger increase, weve been able to refine some of the animations to look a bit more slick.
• New 2D sprites - Most of the character art has been totally overhauled with brand new 4K sprites. We think they look pretty slick, but what do you think of them, we'd love to hear your thoughts!
• Class System - A new class system is being introduced into the game. Although limited at this point, expect to see this expanded upon in future.
  
  [ 2019-08-08 22:23:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

In just a few days (08/08/19, specifically) we're going to release the next free demo for our game. Its focus will be on the "Dynamic mode", while the story mode demo is scheduled for a later date. Before you ask: no, we don't have a date yet, although we do aim for it to be released before the end of this year. In this article we will explain what the dynamic mode is and also give a quick rundown on what's on the horizon for UW after 08/08!

Dynamic Mode?

Unconventional Warfare will have two game modes: The story mode and the dynamic mode. The former should be pretty self-explanatory. It's a more linear experience that focuses on telling a story. While our author works on the story, which will be an important aspect of the final game, we do realise that we can get more mileage out of the gameplay mechanics outside of that. The purpose of the dynamic mode is to do exactly that. Instead of a story, you get a randomly generated game that makes use of the same gameplay mechanics. Just in case you wonder why we didn't call it "free mode", which would have been a more conventional name for that sort of thing. As it turns out, our boss had to clear up the misconception that the "free mode" would be a free trial version of the game and decided that we better find another name for it. The obvious second choice would have been "sandbox mode", but sandbox is well-defined genre that's quite different from what we're going for. So dynamic mode it is!

Dynamic Mode!

The dynamic mode is heavily inspired by the indie game hit FTL: Faster Than Light, but it does have some substantial differences. We'll walk you through the similarities and differences to show you what to expect on 08/08.

The World Map

Let's start with the map. Just like in FTL, it's a graph. This means that instead of being able to move freely, you can only move to the neighbouring nodes of the node you're currently at. This movement is turn-based. While you're at a node, managing your squad, making a decision about where to go next or whatever the case may be, the game is paused.
You move between nodes by right clicking on one of your neighbours. The game will unpause, your squad will then move and some amount of time will pass. This will cost rations, which we'll explain in greater detail later in this article. When you arrive at your destination, a number of things might happen. Nothing, an enemy encounter or a random event. If nothing happens, you're free to manage your squad, move on or camp. If you encounter enemies, you will have to defeat them first. Random events function much like they do in FTL- you get a textbox explaining what is going on and have to make a choice.
Note the [6 Rations] part. This means that picking that option will cost you 6 rations. If you don't have enough, the option won't be available. The events are categorised in three tiers, with T1 events being the easiest. The further you get away from your starting locations, the more the events you'll encounter will shift towards T2 and finally T3 ones. Thus far, UW looks like a FTL clone in a different setting. The first major aspect that differentiates UW from FTL comes when we zoom out.
Whereas FTL has a set of separate, small maps (sectors), UW gives you one big map to play with. On it, you'll be able to choose your path freely, you'll be able to explore the world, complete quests in any order and build up your squad for the final showdown. The map consists of major and minor nodes. Major nodes denote important places (e.g. cities) for which the levels are hand-made. They are separated by minor nodes. Camping and combat on minor nodes happens on procedurally generated levels. Since hand-crafting the major levels takes time, the demo will only feature a few of them. You can see the strip of nodes you'll be able to play on in the screenshot above. In total, the demo map already contains more nodes than FTL does. Now imagine that entire map filled with roughly the same density. That's what we're ultimately aiming for.

The Basic Gameplay

You start at the left end of the graph, while your target is at the Imon Mine on the far right. Your goal is to reach and defeat the enemy there, but you'll have to build up your squad on your way there. To help you get started, you start with three quests already marked on your map.
Similar to FTL, you have to strike the correct balance between exploring as much as you can and hurrying up. Your actions don't go unnoticed and after a while, the enemy will dispatch pursuers to deal with you. These start at the major nodes on the left side of the map and spread out from there.
Their spread rate depends on the number of neighbouring nodes. On the screenshot above, Eshnunna is connected to five nodes that are not yet occupied by the enemy. This means it'll take five turns to occupy them. Nodes go from normal, to orange and finally to red. Orange and red nodes have a 100% enemy encounter probability, with the latter having more intense combat. If a node would already have an enemy encounter, it will get amplified. This means that it's important that you keep moving right. Not only do they spread relentlessly, over time they will also be dispatched from multiple cities. Each turn costs rations. Rations can be obtained through traders, looting and quests. In the squad menu, you can adjust the rationing of the individual units. The more rations you give your units, the stronger they get. However, you need to be careful with your resources. As your squad grows in size, the amount of rations you need per turn could get quite high, if you choose to be very generous with them. For now, you won't starve and will just have to deal with debuffs. Lastly there are the enemy convoys. When the game starts, a few enemy convoys are spawned somewhere in the middle of the map. They will slowly move towards your target. Each convoy that makes it, will reinforce the enemy forces in the last battle. Those convoys are hidden at first, but can be revealed by completing quests. You can then intercept them and stop them in their tracks. Just beware that they are guarded and that they might merge on their way, which will make you fight both convoys at once. This will be either extremely convenient or difficult, depending on how well-equipped you are.

Beyond 08/08

Since we wanted to release the demo on this deadline no matter what, there are certain things that won't make the cut. I'll give a brief overview over those that are on the immediate horizon for us, the things we'll be working on right after we release the demo.

• Taming the game's varying performance TheSniperFan (one of our programmers) only recently joined the project, but he was able to identify some major performance problems. There was no way to implement them in time for the demo, but this will be the first thing we'll look into after the demo is out (He was able to quadruple the framerate inside Imon Mine in his experiments)
• UI, health and tank damage systems overhaul If you read our first IndieDB article, you'll how much the game has changed since its inception. A lot of the systems are carryovers from back then. There will be some major changes to the game in the weeks after the demo.
• Camping mechanics There just isn't all that much to do while camping yet. This will change.

When our demo comes out, please report any bugs you may find to the #bug-report channel on our Discord server, found here: discord.gg/khASHxB We hope you'll enjoy our new demo, you can also view this article on IndieDB! https://www.indiedb.com/games/unconventional-warfare/news/the-upcoming-dynamic-mode-demo You can also check out our first IndieDB article here: https://www.indiedb.com/games/unconventional-warfare/news/what-is-unconventional-warfare

[ 2019-08-05 20:21:16 CET ] [ Original post ]