Hello there everyone! With June's Next Fest right around the corner, you'll get a chance to play the Demo for Over The Top: WWI for the first time.
Over The Top: WWI will be taking part in the Steam Next Fest June 2024. Starting from the 10th June 2024 at 10:00 PST (19:00 CET - 13:00 EST) you will be able to download and play a Free Demo of Over The Top: WWI. The Demo will last until June 17th at 10:00 PST.
Although the Demo will be limited in content and only include a select number of features, weapons, maps, and game modes, it should still give you a good indication of how the game plays. We will be rotating the game modes throughout the week.
Key Features of the Demo:
Multiplayer and Single-Player Modes: Engage in massive battles with up to 200 players or bots, ensuring every skirmish is a unique and challenging experience.
Conquest Game Mode: Test your strategic skills and teamwork in our Conquest mode, where every decision can turn the tide of war.
Diverse Arsenal: Unlock and wield a curated selection of period-authentic weapons and equipment, giving you the edge in the heat of combat.
Expansive Maps: Explore six hand-crafted maps, each offering distinct landscapes and tactical opportunities.
Armored Warfare: Command four unique tanks and two armored vehicles, alongside transport options and various artillery pieces, to dominate the battlefield.
But wait! Even though Next Fest doesn't start until June 10th, we've decided to give you a few extra days to enjoy the Demo. This means you can download and play the Demo starting TODAY!
So head on over to the Store Page and be one of the first to test the Demo.
Please keep in mind that the game is still in alpha. There likely will be bugs and performance issues as well unfinished gameplay. If you have feedback or comments on the game, please feel free to contact us on our Discord.
We hope to see you on the battlefield! /Flying Squirrel Entertainment
Over The Top: WWI second alpha Playtest!
We are excited to announce that the second public alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will be from the 25th till 26th May 2024!
We will have new and tweaked content for you, such as balance changes, new maps, weapons and vehicles, so even if you played in the previous test, come check it out to provide us useful feedback!
As previously announced we are looking to host a couple of public Playtests prior to release of Over The Top: WWI, so that we can find bugs, get feedback and tweak gameplay well ahead of the official release.
The second alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will start on Saturday the 25th May at 16:00 CET and will end on the 26th May at 06:00 CET.
Please keep in mind that the game is still in alpha and a number of features have not yet been implemented. There will be bugs and performance issues as well unfinished gameplay. The Playtest will be multiplayer only. We will be hosting a small selection of different maps to evaluate performance and gameplay.
If you are interested in participating in the Playtest, you can register for it from our Steam Store Page. Once registered, you will be notified once the Playtest starts.
Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield very soon! /Flying Squirrel Entertainment
Over The Top: WWI alpha Playtest!
We are excited to announce that the first public alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will be in exactly seven days, from the 13th till 14th April 2024!
As previously announced we are looking to host a couple of public Playtests prior to release of Over The Top: WWI, so that we can find bugs, get feedback and tweak gameplay well ahead of the official release.
The first alpha Playtest for Over The Top: WWI will start on Saturday the 13th April at 16:00 CET and will end on the 15th April at 06:00 CET.
Please keep in mind that the game is still in alpha and a number of features have not yet been implemented. There will be bugs and performance issues as well unfinished gameplay. The Playtest will be multiplayer only. We will be hosting a small selection of different maps to evaluate performance and gameplay.
If you are interested in participating in the Playtest, you can register for it from our Steam Store Page. Once registered, you will be notified once the Playtest starts.
Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield very soon! /Flying Squirrel Entertainment
The Future of Battle Cry of Freedom
Dear Battle Cry of Freedom Community,
It is with heavy heart that we share the decision to discontinue development on Battle Cry of Freedom for the foreseeable future. When we initially launched the game on Steam in March 2022, we were hoping to foster a community of players passionate about the American Civil War. While the initial reception was positive, we observed a gradual decline in players over the ensuing months. This, unfortunately, led to the operating costs far exceeding our income.
However, in our commitment to honor the promises made at the game's release, we continued to develop Battle Cry of Freedom for an additional year, culminating in the 2.0 Update. The 2.0 Update brought a large number of fixes and content additions, fulfilling all the commitments we made and even exceeding expectations.
Despite the initial positive response to the 2.0 Update, we encountered another decline in player numbers. While a dedicated community continued to support the game, sustaining its development became financially unviable. Therefore, we were forced to make the difficult decision to discontinue development on Battle Cry of Freedom.
We express our sincere appreciation to the passionate player base, especially those in China, for their unwavering support. We would also like to give a special shout-out to players "Storm" and "Deckard" who have kept hosting events and supporting the game despite the lack of updates and players.
Please be assured that regardless of the decision to discontinue Development of Battle Cry of Freedom, we will continue hosting and running Servers forth both our European and North-American community and do not plan to shut them down as long as Battle Cry of Freedom has players.
Moving forward, we intend to leverage the framework we've established for Battle Cry of Freedom and the experience we have gained to create new and exciting gaming experiences. As such, we are happy and proud to welcome you to Over The Top: WWI, a new Third Person Shooter taking place in the muddy trenches of, you guessed right, World War One.
Over The Top: WWI brings brutal real-time third-person multiplayer and singleplayer combat set in the muddy fields of the First World War, presenting players with the opportunity to re-fight the Great War as either the Central Powers or the Triple Entente.
Watch our first teaser and browse the Steam page for more details about the game.
We will be offering playtest sessions soon, so stay tuned for future updates here or on our Social media! We also invite you to wishlist and/or follow the game here on Steam to be notified of news, updates, and playtest sessions.
Finally, we’d love to have you on our Discord to participate actively in the development discussions and feedback.
We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield very soon! /Flying Squirrel Entertainment
Game Updated! - Bot Commanders
Hello there! We have just released a new patch, adding a number of new features such as Bot Commanders! Here is the full Changelog:
Version 150418R2 We have just updated the game, you might have to restart Steam to download it.
New Features:
Added Bot Commanders for Commander Battle/Conquest.
Added bot names specifically for Bot Commanders.
Added server setting for a random chance of rogue bots spawnin as zombies.
Added server setting for buck-shot, separate from the buck and ball setting.
Added a config file setting to hide admin commands from players. Admins and toy/god mode commands are exempt from this.
Added a config file setting for admin level required to spawn bots in via admin keybinds.
Added flag spawning to other non FFA and CB modes. This disables sapper spawns. Players will only spawn with flags when spawning at a proper spawn and not on another flag. Capturing enemy flags does not decrease respawn time like it does in battle.
Added a number of new maps to all official servers.
Changes and fixes:
Fixed a bug when someone picks up a camera at the same time as another player aims it.
Fixed some bugs where players were getting score points from bots they didnt control.
Fixed a bug with camera flying high up when bots were removed via admin command.
Updated server setting for showing distance on orders to also apply to capture points.
Fixed a number of memory leaks.
Improved performance of various scripts and Post Processing effects.
Improved performance of water.
Improved performance of wheat and grass.
Fixed incorrectly rendered Fern.
Fixed an issue with callouts hitting bot path zones.
Fixed several broken Order Decals.
Fixed that Engineers would be able to give orders.
Fixed zombie faces being incorrectly rendered and improved their performance.
Game Sale!
Additionally, Battle Cry of Freedom is now on a 70% Sale!
If you're looking to stay informed about further Development on Battle Cry of Freedom, our Discord community is the perfect place to do so. Our Mini-Blog channel is dedicated to providing in-depth information and sneak peeks about the new features and changes. You can also join the conversation and ask any questions you may have directly to the development team.
Thank you! /Flying Squirrel Entertainment
Patch Notes for 26.03.2023 "Optimization Fixes"
Version 230318R2 We have just updated the game, you might have to restart Steam to download it.
Today's patch is mostly focused around performance optimization. Depending on your system and the situation, you might see anywhere from a 12-50% FPS improvement. Higher-End Systems will benefit from these changes more than lower-end systems.
New Features: - Added GPU Instancing to a number of Props such as trees, rocks, most commonly used fences etc, hopefully resulting in better performance.
Changes and fixes: - Various CPU performance fixes to a number of different scripts. - Various GPU performance improvements to a number of different Post Processing settings. - Various CPU performance improvement to a number of different Post Processing settings. - Improved Grass rendering performance. - Improved rendering performance in heavily CPU bound scenarios quite significantly. - Improved accuracy of Bot Cavalry slightly. - Increased exposure of the Tonemapper, making the game brighter. - Decreased damage output of Spencer Carbine slightly. - Increase damage output of Maynard Carbine slightly. - Tweaked spacing on bot cavalry. - Fixed a bug causing bot cavalry to stop and do a 360 when the “Charge” order was given. - Made rogue bot cavalry only melee weapons on horseback. - Admins can now search for players in scoreboard via their unique ID. - Fixed a bug with commanded bots having infinite ammo. - Fixed a bug with cavalry class limits causing the Union to have more cavalry slots available. - Fixed a bug with skirmisher class limits. - Redid the text for sap spawn cooldown. - Texture 4 will now reset properly when leaving the map editor if not the last saved one. - Generals will now use infantry spawns. - Fixed a bug with hitting delete in the map editor not working until you clicked off the UI. - Made the setting for only holding a cap gives your team a point to apply in commander conquest. - Holding all the possible capture points now gives double the points in conquest and commander conquest . - Optimised the horse movement code to make it run 10 x faster. - Optimised cannon movement code - Optimised player LOD mesh handling code to be 2x faster. - Optimised Vegetation studio - Optimised physics usage on interpolation - Updated Unity Engine Version
Patch Notes for 18.03.2023
Version 230318R2 We have just updated the game, you might have to restart Steam to download it. Please note: All the changes are work in progress and do not represent final quality. Performance might be temporarily lower than usual. Memory usage is likely higher.
New Features: - Added “The Alamo” map to the All Modes Servers. - Added “Island Fortress” map to the All Modes Servers. - Added “City Limits” map to the All Modes Servers. - Added “Fort Macon” map to the Humans vs. Bots Servers. - Added “Waterville” map to all Commander Servers. - Added server setting allowing Admins to spawn rogue bots from other Eras, such as Napoleonic, Space or WW1. - Chaplains can now revive knocked out players. - Hospital Stewards now have access to a randomly selected Pocket Pistol, but no additional ammunition. - Upon popular request, all Civilian Classes now have the option to go hat-less. - All Bookshelves now hold Song Books. - Added previously missing medley settings for battle mode. - Added ability for admins to perma mute someone by setting mute length to 999. - Added 5 new Banners.
Changes and fixes: - Fixed that Cavalry would get stuck on Trenches on Cold Harbor. - Running over sticks and palisades from behind the stick will no longer kill your horse. - Significantly improved Horse Bandwith usage. - Decreased damage of Sharps Rifle slightly. - Decreased number of Union Sharpshooter AI in Commander Battles slightly. - Spencer Rifle has less ammunition now. - Increased damage and accuracy of Hall-North Carbine slightly. - Should have fixed certain weapons causing players to be inside the floor when on the best player screen. - Fixed that the Dahlgren 12 Pounders on Mountain Pass Map could not be used. - Fixed that the Artillery Spawners on Peach Orchard Map were faction specific. - Fixed WW1 German Helmets rigging. - Replaced one of the Loading Screens. - Fixed that medics when reviving would be playing the wrong animations. - Row boat rowing animations should no longer break. - Brass Bands should now spawn with a Bass Drum all the time. - Fixed a bug with horses being on the wrong layer. - Reduced rogue bot cheer chance. - Made it so if a team owns the key cap when time runs out in battle, they win. - Notification text should now clear when going to spectator - Fixed a bug when reviving someone while they left the server, causing the medic to be stuck in animation. - Changed the height check on flag spawning to prevent players from spawing on roofs. - Moved photos to game folder rather than app data, so it is more easily accesible. - Made towed cannons on limbers move smoother and perform better. - Added a setting for Officers to spawn on horseback like they do in Commander Battles. - Changed bot behavior after taking a capture point. - Fixed a bug with players not getting points for helping load a cannon. - Fixed a bug with wave respawn timers. - Generals were moved to infantry from cavalry in terms of map class limitations, which should fix a bug that was preventing them from spawning.
Patch Notes for 12.03.2023
Version 230309R2 We have just updated the game, you might have to restart Steam to download it. Please note: All the changes are work in progress and do not represent final quality. Performance might be temporarily lower than usual. Memory usage is likely higher.
New Features: - Flares no longer spawn lights during the day, but are still useful at night.
Changes and fixes: - Improved performance of the Exploded Head Mesh. - Improved performance of Blood Decals. - Improved performance of chopped legs, arms and heads. - Improved performance of digging remove grass significantly. - Improved performance of explosion fire burn particles. - Improved performance of weapon pooling slightly. - Fixed non deformable terrain on Fort Henry-Lyon. - Increased Ammo of Gatling Gun. - Fixed a bug with picking up flags with swords. - Fixed a bug with fire from explosions not despawning correctly. - Fixed a client bug with the wrong cannons being used in different eras. - Medics get more score now for healing and reviving. - Fixed some code that clients were running for bots that they didn't need to. - Removed flag bearers from rogue bots. - Added skirmisher rankers to rogue bots. - Changed water height setting for random maps. - Changed layers for horses to make them perform better.
Update Notes for 11.0.2023
Version 230309R2 We have just updated the game, you might have to restart Steam to download it. Please note: All the changes are work in progress and do not represent final quality. Performance might be temporarily lower than usual. Memory usage is likely higher.
New Features: - Bot Cavalry can now fire from horseback. Cavalry will by default be on Firemode. - Added 1 New Banner. - Added UI for following player to show when they are talking. - Var 2 and Var 3 for ammo crates is now a multiplier on the default values in the crate rather than a flat value.
Changes and fixes: - Cavalry Bots should no longer get stuck on fences. - Fixed a rotational issue for bot Cavalry when trying to attack someone. - Cavalry in Commander Modes should spawn with slightly more horses. - Cavalry AI is now much less likely to use pistols and revolvers and will instead use Rifles. - Significantly improved performance of Pistol and Gatling Gun smoke. - Signifantly improved performance of Horses when viewed from a Distance. - Fixed non deformable terrain on Fort Henry-Lyon. - Fixed a bug with random weather not changing properly. - Fixed an error with the server when spawning a bot with an invalid name. - Updated Credits. - Photo cameras no longer give the gatling achievement. - Hopefully fixed an issue where the clients animator kept playing the falling animation. - Changed how bots get their random weapons. - Fixed a bug with respawn times not scaling correctly in some modes. - Admin weapons can now be give to players/bots on horseback rather than only on foot. -Optimized code for crate lids opening and closing. - “Lives remaining” text will now show in Flag Spawn Battle Mode. - Fixed that flag breaking animation sometimes would play too slow. - Fixed a Low Resolution Texture on some Explosion particles. - Should have fixed Ammuntion Crates on Boats not moving with the boat. - Cavalry tab in troop menu will now not be interactable in Space Era. - Fixed White WW1 troops, also made them Customizable and use players faces. - Made the wooden logs cost more build points and easier to destroy.
Patch Notes: Version 230309R2
Version 230309R2 We have just updated the game, you might have to restart Steam to download it. Please note: All the changes are work in progress and do not represent final quality. Performance might be temporarily lower than usual. Memory usage is likely higher.
New Features: - Added 2 new Maps to Bot Survival and 1 new map to All Modes. - Added new setting to scale crosshair size
Changes and fixes: - Fixed spawns on several maps. - Fixed cannons on several maps. - Fixed floating boats on several maps. - Improved performance impact of smoke particles slightly. - Fixed duplicate button in profile menu. - Groupfight mode will now stop you from spawning with a camera. - Added some security to sapper spawns UI. - Misfiring a cannon will add to your death count. - Cav that are dismounted will behave similarly to skirmishers. - When joining a server, it will no longer spawn all the dead horses. - Made it less likely that bots with flags will spawn in. Rogue bots will no longer drop the flags when they die.
