Fire & Maneuver
MAJOR Monetization Change
We wanted to give you an update on the future of our game. Unfortunately, we were unable to monetize our game using the free-to-play model. In order to successfully monetize a free-to-play title we would need to include ads, lootboxes, excessive DLC, or grinding in order to generate a profit, but this goes against everything we stand for as a studio. After much deliberation, we've decided to transition to a more conventional monetization model. This means that on the day of our full release on April 17, the game will be priced at $10 USD.
However, we're happy to announce that ANY user of the game who downloaded Fire & Maneuver before April 17th will keep the game for free. Because we are putting a $10 entry price on the game, we are also planning on reducing all DLC costs for our current DLC and those made going forward. This will also provide us with the opportunity to add more free content if we can rely on paid copies to bring in revenue. Overall, if you are a player of F&M now, this only benefits you, and future F&M players will benefit from free updates and cheaper DLC costs. Because we're moving away from a multiplayer-oriented F2P model, we're also lowering the cost of unlocking nations from 15,000 merits down to 5,000 and including more ways in singleplayer content to earn merits including:
- Giving players the ability to earn merits through numerous singleplayer scenario battles
- Removing the custom battle limitations to earning merits
The second major change being made is the unlisting of the Wars of Unification DLC on release day since it will be included as part of the base game along with the $10 price base price. As a thank you to those who supported us during early access, owners of the soon-to-be-retired DLC will receive ALL current Prussian and French cosmetics.
Therefore, on launch day, the base game will include four campaigns: The Sevastopol Campaign, The Caucasus Theater, The Franco-Prussian War, and the Austro-Prussian War. Additionally, we'll be adding around 20 unique scenario battles, most of which will be accessible for free, with the exception of the Japanese and Civil War scenarios which will be available for DLC owners.
We appreciate your support and hope you can understand our reasoning for making this transition. We hope that you continue to enjoy the game and look forward to bringing you more updates and content in the future. On April 17th, get ready for the biggest update Fire & Maneuver has ever received, available to ALL free owners of the game and all future paid owners.
Riding into a new Campaign (Beta)
2 weeks left until launch!
We are thrilled to announce the release of our latest update for the game. This update is jam-packed with exciting new features that we can't wait for you to try out. Similar to last week, all these updates are currently available on the beta and will be coming soon for all players on launch.
First, we've added a new campaign called Caucasus, which we hope will provide a new and engaging experience for players. We've also made some new balance changes to ensure that gameplay remains fresh and challenging for our loyal players.
New features in campaign mode include:
- Unit XP system: right click your units to upgrade them with unique perks
- Objective System: campaigns now all have objectives for you to conquer, and players may upgrade or loot objective tiles.
- Overhauled UI: All UI for campaigns has been completely remade from scratch, along with new SFX.
- New event system: 83 campaign events have been written and trigger based on the policies you have chosen, the nation you're playing as, and the campaign that you're in.
- Doctrine System: In addition to the military and logistics policies, you now have three different types of military doctrines to choose from which will give your army unique buffs and allow for more replayability in each campaign.
If you want to try the beta for yourself: In your library, right-click on Fire & Maneuver, select properties, select BETAS, and on the right panel, switch from (None) to (testing- Public testing branch)
We have also included two brand-new maps for players to explore and conquer. We know that many of you have been eager for new content, and we think you'll be thrilled with what we've come up with.
Here is a list of all the new maps available in the beta:
- The Grassland 1v1
- The Forest 1v1
- Aizu 2v2
- Domain Fort 1v1
- Arupusu 1v1
- Hakodate 1v1
- Honshu Fortress 2v2
- Toba Fushimi 2v2
- Tosa Dockyard 1v1
- Ueno 1v1
- Chancellorsville 2v2
- Chickamauga 2v2
- Fredericksburg 2v2
- The Plantation 1v1
- Poplar Station (Remake) 1v1
- The Redoubt 1v1
- Vicksburg 1v1
We've improved the user interface and added new sound effects to make the game more immersive and enjoyable. The new arrows and layout for the battlefield will enhance your gameplay experience, making it easier to plan your strategies and deploy your units effectively.
Another addition is the new player information screen to our game! With this feature, you can now easily view and keep track of your player stats and progress. Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, this tool will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses, and allow you to focus on improving your gameplay.
Remember, the beta is the perfect opportunity to try out the new content and help us make sure everything is polished and ready to go for the official release. So jump in and let us know what you think. Be sure to check out our new "expert AI" which you can play against if you max out the difficulty slider when customizing the AI in custom battle or campaign!
(DEMO) Japanese Factions Now On Beta
3 weeks left until launch!
We have some exciting updates to share with you.
Fire & Maneuver's deepest sale yet, 66% off of all DLC. Get the Civil War for as low as $5.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1679290/Fire__Maneuver/
Second, we launched another update to the beta. All the features listed below will be visible in the beta which you can play right now!
If you want to try the beta for yourself: In your library, right click on Fire & Maneuver, select properties, select BETAS, and on the right panel, switch from (None) to (testing- Public testing branch)
We've also added some new maps to the game! Thanks to our amazing community, we were able to collaborate and create some fresh new content for you to enjoy.
Here is a list of all the new maps available in the beta:
New Maps Added to Beta Include:
- 2v2 Alma
- 1v1 Mountain Lake
- 1v1 Ridgeline Pass
- 1v1 Missionary Ridge
- 2v2 Lake Fortress
- 2v2 Sakura Grove
- 1v1 The Monastery
- 1v1 Calatafimi
Next up, we've extended the world map to include Japan! Get ready to experience the thrill of battle in a brand new location. Imperial Japan and the Tokugawa Shogunate are going to be Fire & Maneuver's next DLC, which we plan on releasing on launch day, April 7th. For now, you can play them completely for free while the beta is active throughout March.
In addition, we're excited to announce that Japanese voice lines have been added to the game, making the experience even more immersive. A new unit preview system when you move to a new tile. Improved lighting for trees and new artillery sprites for all nations!
We've also been hard at work fixing bugs and implementing quality of life improvements. Your feedback has been invaluable in helping us fine-tune the game and make it the best it can be.
Last but not least, we've added Bloody Cards to the game. This feature not only allows players to prioritize their units based on damage but also adds to the distinct visual experience during battles.
As always, we appreciate all of your support and feedback as we continue to work on the game. We can't wait for you to experience everything we've been working on. Keep in mind, the full release is coming soon, so stay tuned!
Remember, the beta is the perfect opportunity to try out the new content and help us make sure everything is polished and ready to go for the official release. So jump in and let us know what you think!
Japanese Factions Now On Beta
3 weeks left until launch!
We have some exciting updates to share with you.
Fire & Maneuver's deepest sale yet, 66% off of all DLC. Get the Civil War for as low as $5.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1679290/Fire__Maneuver/
Second, we launched another update to the beta. All the features listed below will be visible in the beta which you can play right now!
If you want to try the beta for yourself: In your library, right click on Fire & Maneuver, select properties, select BETAS, and on the right panel, switch from (None) to (testing- Public testing branch)
We've also added some new maps to the game! Thanks to our amazing community, we were able to collaborate and create some fresh new content for you to enjoy.
Here is a list of all the new maps available in the beta:
New Maps Added to Beta Include:
- 2v2 Alma
- 1v1 Mountain Lake
- 1v1 Ridgeline Pass
- 1v1 Missionary Ridge
- 2v2 Lake Fortress
- 2v2 Sakura Grove
- 1v1 The Monastery
- 1v1 Calatafimi
Next up, we've extended the world map to include Japan! Get ready to experience the thrill of battle in a brand new location.
In addition, we're excited to announce that Japanese voice lines have been added to the game, making the experience even more immersive. A new unit preview system when you move to a new tile. Improved lighting for trees and new artillery sprites for all nations!
We've also been hard at work fixing bugs and implementing quality of life improvements. Your feedback has been invaluable in helping us fine-tune the game and make it the best it can be.
Last but not least, we've added Bloody Cards to the game. This feature not only allows players to prioritize their units based on damage but also adds to the distinct visual experience during battles.
As always, we appreciate all of your support and feedback as we continue to work on the game. We can't wait for you to experience everything we've been working on. Keep in mind, the full release is coming soon, so stay tuned!
Remember, the beta is the perfect opportunity to try out the new content and help us make sure everything is polished and ready to go for the official release. So jump in and let us know what you think!
New Beta Live
4 weeks left until launch!
The biggest update to our game is currently live if you jump on the beta and we can't wait for you to experience all the new features we've added. There are still more tweaks, bug fixes and more that is currently being worked on but we always appreciate all feedback the community provides.
If you want to try the beta for yourself: In your library, right click on Fire & Maneuver, select properties, select BETAS, and on the right panel, switch from (None) to (testing- Public testing branch)
Enjoy all the new features that are currently available as listed below!
One of the most exciting additions is our new artillery feature. Now, when you rain down attacks from your artillery, your enemies will be "suppressed," stopping them in their tracks and leaving them vulnerable to your next moves. This feature adds a whole new level of strategy to the game and will change the way you approach battles.
Here is a list of all the new maps available in the beta:
New Maps Added to Beta Include:
- The Clearing 1v1
- Shiloh 1v1
- Oases 1v1
- Lille Brook 1v1 (remake)
- Monte Villa 1v1 (remake)
- Tokaido Road 1v1
- Rice Paddies 1v1
- Takeda Streams 1v1
- Kirche 1v1
- Countryside 1v1
- Valley Encounter 1v1
- The Steppes 1v1
- Prima River 1v1
- Reka Path 2v2
- Solferino 2v2
- Waterloo 2v2
We've also focused heavily on polishing the game to make sure it's as smooth and enjoyable as possible. We've added new audio effects, balance changes, and Japanese factions that comes with unique units, playstyles, and mechanics. We've worked hard to balance all factions and will see more changes as we move forward to launch.
The full balance changes will be out on the official update, and we can't stress enough how excited we are for the launch day on April 7th! It's the biggest update we've ever done, and we've poured our hearts and souls into making it the best it can be.
We appreciate all the support we've received from our players so far, and we couldn't have done it without your help. We'll continue to improve the game in every way possible, from information and UI to AI, sound, animation, maps, and even more balance changes in the future.
In the meantime, jump on the beta and enjoy the new factions which will be available to purchase with the new campaign and scenarios on release. Get ready to conquer the battlefield in a whole new way!
Countdown to Launch!
5 weeks left until launch!
Launch day is almost here and we're putting the finishing touches on everything! We're cleaning up the barrels, dusting off hats, and making sure all of our units are in tip-top shape for your upcoming skirmishes and campaigns. We're so excited to share everything we've been working on with you! We'll be posting updates every step of the way so you can see what's happening behind the scenes.
This week, Griffin made three new maps with the help of the community! If you want to get involved in the creation of future maps, be sure to stay tuned on Armchair Interactives youtube channel. We're also excited to announce the completion of the new Boshin factions! We've added Imperial Japan and the Shogunate to the game, and they come with new units that have unique playstyles, weapons, and mechanics. We worked hard to balance all the factions, and we promise there won't be any pay-to-win mechanics. We believe these new factions will add a whole new layer of excitement to the game that we haven't seen before! Plus, we've got new animal avatars too!
Check out these cool new animal avatars we've added!
Shogunate Tiger
Imperial Crane
We've also made lots of other improvements, like adding new artillery units, formations, and massive balance changes. We've even made weapon upgrades a more conscious decision for players. And, to make things even more exciting, we've overhauled the entire user interface for the single player and multiplayer campaigns.
We've made major A.I. improvements too! Players have been saying things like "they're too smart!" and "the meta has changed!" so we can't wait to see what you think of the new A.I. in the next update!
We'll be spending the next week polishing everything up, making audio improvements, balancing the game, fixing bugs, and more. We're always listening to feedback from the community, so please keep giving us your thoughts and ideas. We're so proud of everything we've accomplished, and we can't wait to share it with you all in the upcoming weeks!
Update 1.4.3 "The Valkyries"
Update 1.4.3 is now live! A new update for the game has been released which includes a number of improvements and bug fixes to enhance the overall gaming experience. The update addresses issues with game loading and performance, as well as implementing hotfixes to address reported bugs. Notable improvements include improved game stability and faster load times, improved AI behavior and new unit additions. Additionally, the update includes changes to the campaign and map system, and improvements to the user interface and lobby experience. We will continue working together with the community to make sure the game continues to improve in every facet with your continued support.
Gameplay Improvements:
-Player no longer loses attack ability when you add a melee attack and cancel it
-Fixed hotkey which now enables reserve line to fire
-Fixed clashes occurring out of order between players
-Fixed cavalry movement exploit which gave players a free charge after switching to line formation
-Fixed arrow preview randomly disappearing during a match
-Fixed formation bug which allowed the player to use more movement points than possible
-Unit can no longer change formation in bogged down tiles
-Fixed unit clashes when units are more than 2 tiles away
-Updated breakable to occur before cohesion is regained instead of after
-Fixed movement point bug when switching from dismounted to mounted and giving a movement point
-Fixed cavalry firing range bug which gave players extra range after engaging in melee
-Units now appear visually damaged when spawning into campaign battles after being damaged in a previous battle
-Fixed field ui breaking after using multi-day battle
-Fixed tiles that do not block line of sight
-Rifled Breech Loaders to go up by 10 points from 90 —> 100
-Range Drill to go up by 10 points from 40 —> 50
-5 Cohesion to go up by 10 points from 70 —> 80
Connection & Matchmaking Improvements:
-Fixed being disconnected from matches
-Fixed ability to join custom games after leaving a match
-Popup appears if not connected to the internet
-Fixed Map name not appearing in quick match
-Fixed Objective zones staying captured when a unit leaves the zone
-Fixed AI loadout appearing the same as the loadout between custom and quickmatch
-Ranked calibration games have been set from 5 to 10 matches
-Fixed ranked mode timer freezing at 23 seconds
AI Improvements:
-Fixed AI Breech-loading artillery firing only once
-AI can now path find through rough terrain, no longer is frozen when confronted with lots of rough terrain
-AI Cavalry are now more aggressive instead of hiding in cover
-AI aggression on campaigns has been updated depending if they are defensive or offensive
-AI willingness to attack has been modified in the campaign depending on chance of victory
-AI can now utilize efficiency and fire-at-will
-Fixed how AI in campaign purchases units
Campaign & Map Improvements:
-Units now appear damaged on their unit card based on the amount of health remaining
-Fixed time period issue which would change flags and map in main menu after a custom game
-Battles are dynamically named based on province name and stay on the map to indicate where battles have occurred
-Fixed visual bug of winter peach trees floating in Orchards map
-Campaign tiles currently in fog of war are now darkened
-Age of rifles default order count is now 16 in custom game
-Unable to use railway movement speed unless you have the appropriate railway policy
-Advanced settings added for creating a campaign
-Loading screens for campaign are now specific to the campaign which was chosen
-Fixed campaign map being set to 2v2 based on corp amount
-Fixed war enthusiasm tiles not ticking down
-When a player is intercepted the player is now able to retreat in the campaign
-In the campaign the retreat can only happen once per turn
User Interface and Lobby Improvements:
-Loading bars have been added to all loading screens
-New view added for building an army
-Updated start system in the lobby screen for using the bottom button
-Weapons now appearing in the information panel during the lobby screen
-Updated the default start time of day to afternoon
-Fixed French rooster floating in the lobby
We will continue our focus for January in bug-fixing. In February will we start working on new content and features again.
Update 1.4.2 "The Valkyries"
Update 1.4.2 is now live! A minor update has been implemented to address the loading screen issue that has been reported by players in the past week. We will continue to monitor player feedback and make improvements as necessary. We appreciate your patience and support as we work to enhance the overall game performance.
General:
- Added new Franco-Prussian DLC tracks to FPW Campaign Audio
- Fixed ranked mode completely breaking
- Scenario battle UI changes
Campaign:
- Fixed Campaign Cavalry not being able to shoot
- Fixed a campaign bug in which corps are completely empty besides new units being recruited
- Added a basic Fog of War system to campaigns (will improve in the future)
- New loading screens for campaigns that are dynamic based on the nation selected
Quality of Life:
- Added battle history crosswords UI to tiles, which display when a player fights an important battle with a large amount of units
- New weapon description system added when hovering over armory and unit info tab
- Image that allows players to start a campaign has been changed to have historical map borders instead of modern
- Shop UI improvements
- You can now quickly select a nation to play as using the bottom bar when in the nation selection carousel
- UI above units no longer breaks when entering a multi-day battle
- Players can now select an alternative view for selecting units in lobbies
Battles:
- Light Cavalry is 20 points cheaper
- Heavy Cavalry is 5 points cheaper
- Rifled Breech-Loaders costs 10 points more
- AI Cavalry is more aggressive (no longer hides in corners)
- Melee damage "overflow" calculations fixed, previously when you charge into a tile with two units on it and instantly kill the first unit, the damage would then double onto the reserve unit too. Now, damage will only apply to the reserve unit if there was leftover damage from the charge after killing the frontline
- Objectives stay captured after a unit enters the zone and leaves, you no longer need to leave a unit behind to hold a zone.
- Cavalry movement exploits fixed
- Units now stop and clash when crossing each other's paths instead of phasing through each other
- Formation movement exploits fixed, when changing into a new formation you will not receive bonus movement points. Previously, players could go into a march column to move 3 tiles, and then go into attack column (using efficiency) to receive an additional 2 movement points for 5 total
- Reserve line fire orders would go through if players used hotkeys, but this has been fixed
- Cancelling a charge order will no longer prevent your unit from making any additional attack orders for that turn
- Non-breech-loading Artillery was not firing for the AI, but now does
We will continue our focus for January in bug-fixing. In February will we start working on new content and features again.
Update 1.4.1 "The Valkyries"
Update 1.4.1 is now live! We are excited to announce that a new patch for our game has been released, which includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The update addresses a number of issues with game loading and performance, which should result in faster and smoother gameplay. We have also implemented a series of hotfixes to address any critical bugs or issues that have been reported by players. Some of the most notable improvements include improved game stability, faster load times and optimized performance.
General:
- Balaclava Scenario added
- Wissembourg Scenario added
- Many causes for the perpetual loading screen solved, possibly a few more causes may need to be fixed in another patch however
Campaign:
- Fixed missing weapons in Franco-Prussian War campaign
- Fixed player not being able to attack a tile with two corps in campaign
- Corps damage fixes in campaign
- Campaign loading/saving bug fixes
- Campaign turns getting stuck fixes
Quality of Life:
- Cavalry formation change hotkeys added
- Updated Besiegement map preview
- Loading screens now show previews of the players loading in
- Tooltips Updated for "Cavalry," "Skirmishing," "Formations," "Attrition," "Routing," "March Column," "Cavalry Echelon," "Cavalry Line."
Battles:
- CSA Mountain gun no longer has cumbersome
- USA Mountain gun no longer has cumbersome
- Objective mode updated so that you no longer need to keep a unit on an objective to keep it under your control
- Cavalry can now change formations during deployment phase
- Tile fixes for Hamlet 1v1 map
- CSA Mountain gun to get 2 range instead of 3
- Echelon formation is no longer able to fire
- 3 speed to go from 50 points to 30 (light cavalry buff)
- 2 Speed to go from 15 points to 10 (heavy cavalry buff)
- Regular carbines to go from 30 points to 20 points
- Breech-loading carbines to go from 70 to 60 points
- British Light Dragoons to lose efficiency
- Austrian Volunteer Ulans to lose rugged, gain breakable
- Cavalleggeri to go from 3 cohesion to 4
- Charge vulnerability to be removed from Cavalry Line formation
- Default Unit count to 16 for custom games and quick match and ranked and training
- Breakable to cause hp loss when cohesion is anything but full instead of 0 cohesion only
- Bavarian Chevauxleger to receive melee drill
We want to thank our community for their support and patience while we worked on these improvements. If you encounter any further issues, please don't hesitate to reach out to us so we can address them as soon as possible.
Our focus for January is bug-fixing, there will be additional patches in the coming weeks. Only in February will we start working on new content and features again.
Update 1.4 "Ride of the Valkyries"
Hey everyone! This is our 2nd to last major update before we come out of Early Access. We titled it "Ride of the Valkyries" (going with our orchestral naming scheme for updates) because our main focus was improving cavalry-play! We also included Wagner's song in the game as a free track you can listen to during battle. With this update, most of the game's content is in, though we are still looking to increase the map count, and the update after this can be focused mainly on polish and bugfixing.
Before we get into the details of this update, I do want to let everyone know that there is a new game-breaking bug that was recently introduced to the game which puts players on a never-ending loading screen when trying to load into certain large multiplayer battles. We are going to get this fixed immediately after Christmas, as soon as the team is back from holiday. Alongside that, campaigns have a few loading screen issues too which we're also going to patch very soon!
Cavalry Rework:
Despite this game being set during the Victorian period, when cavalry was far less useful compared to previous centuries, light cavalry has over-performed in F&M. Because of this, we've increased the price of light cavalry in nearly every update and they fell into an awkward spot as an incredibly expensive and versatile unit. Their diagonal movement along with 3 speed allowed them to move into 49 possible tiles each turn which made them almost impossible to predict. F&M has always been about prediction and so light cavalry has been flawed. We've addressed this by removing cavalry's inherent ability to move diagonal, and now they must use formations just as infantry does. This update not only makes light cavalry less of a nuisance to play against, but it makes cavalry more fun and interesting to play with.
- Cavalry now gets 4 formations: Line, Echelon, March Column, Dismounted Open Order. Echelon is exclusive to heavy cavalry and allows for diagonal movement. March column also allows for diagonal movement but it is not a combat formation. Line and Dismounted Open Order no longer allow for diagonal movement. Should the cavalry have the "skirmish" ability, it may move diagonal when in Dismounted Open Order.
- Line is charge and range vulnerable, meaning if your cavalry is countercharged or shot it will take increased damage. Line, like infantry Attack Column, now provides +1 on charges. Line can not move diagonal. Cavalry may shoot in line, but only one tile ahead of them at 1 base damage.
- Echelon is takes no penalties to being charged or shot, it is more durable. It may also move diagonal, increasing its flexibility in maneuver. It may not allow for shooting and it does not receive +1 when charging. It is exclusive to heavy cavalry, allowing heavy cavalry to move at roughly a similar speed to light cavalry in line.
- March Column can not shoot/charge and allows for diagonal movement. Speed is set to 3 when on roads. This means that light cavalry does not benefit as much from roads as heavy cavalry does when in column. That said, light cavalry can not use echelon and so march column is their only way to move diagonal at all.
- Dismounted open order behaves identically to infantry in open order formation. You may now purchase carbines for your cavalry and dismount them to fight as infantry.
Balance:
- Skirmishing perk has been overhauled again. It now allows for diagonal movement on infantry who are in open order. Cavalry can also utilize the skirmishing perk if they are dismounted.
- Objective mode now goes to 200 tickets instead of 150.
- Leveling up is now 60% faster.
- There's a 50-50 chance you get objective mode or elimination mode in quick match.
- Default point amount for games is 1600 instead of 1200 now.
- Rifled breech-loaders are now 80 points instead of 70.
- Shock is worth 30 points instead of 25.
- Melee drill is worth 20 points instead of 30.
- 2 Cohesion units worth 5 points instead of 10.
- 4 Cohesion units to be worth 40 instead of 35.
- 5 Cohesion units to be worth 70 instead of 60.
- 2 Speed units to be worth 15 instead of 25.
- 3 Speed units to be worth 50 instead of 80.
- French Lancers to go from no limit to 4 limit
- French Chasseurs-a-cheval to go from no limit to 2 limit
- French Cuirassiers to go from no limit to 4 limit
- French Carabiniers to receive efficiency
- French Dragoons to receive efficiency
- French Grenadiers of the Guard to receive shock (Elan!)
- Prussian Uhlans to go from no limit to 2 limit
- Prussian Cuirassiers go from no limit to 4 limit
- Prussian Saxon Garde-Reiters to receive efficiency instead of melee drill
- New unit added (see under content)
- British Light Dragoons to go from no limit to 2
- British Lancers to go from no limit to 4
- British Dragoons to receive efficiency
- British Light Dragoons to receive efficiency
- British Dragoon Guards to receive efficiency
- British Footgards to no longer receive shock (doesn't fit defensive playstyle)
- British Highlanders brought back down to a 4 limit.
- Russian Cossacks to remove skirmishing and receive rugged
- Russian Cossacks to go from no limit to 4 limit
- Russian Uhlans to go from no limit to 2 limit
- Russian Cuirassiers go from no limit to 4 limit
- New unit added (see under content)
- Ottoman Lancers to go from no limit to 4 limit
- Ottoman Cossacks to receive rugged instead of skirmishing
- Austrian Hussars to receive melee drill and disorganization
- Austrian Ulans to go from no limit to 2 limit
- Austrian Dragoons to receive skirmishing
- 2 New units added (see under content)
- Italian Lancers to go from no limit to 4 Limit
- Italian Carabinieri to go from 4 limit to 2 limit
- Italian Dragoons to go from no limit to 2 limit
- Italian Dragoons to receive skirmishing
- New unit added (see under content)
- USA Lightning Brigade to receive efficiency
- USA Regular Cavalry to be available for all periods and receive skirmishing + range drill.
- 2 New units added (see under content)
- CSA Regular Cavalry to receive efficiency
- CSA Regular Cavalry to be available for all periods and receive efficiency + skirmishing + melee drill.
- 2 New units added (see under content)
Features:
- New ranked mode added with leaderboards, an ELO system, skill-based matchmaking, and a placement system.
- Merits can now be purchased in the in-game store if players wish to support the game. Purchasing merits only allows you to spend them on unlocking base-game nations or getting cosmetics. Players are not encouraged to gain merits through any lootboxes/gambling. Merits do not give players advantages when purchased in any way at all.
- DLCs are now viewable in the store page.
- Players may now customize the difficulty and aggression of the AI they're facing. You can also select the general that you are facing, which will determine its aggression/difficulty.
- General AI improvements, with many more to come in the next January patch.
Fixes:
- Major fix to 2v2 games that would often freeze and prevent players from submitting their orders.
- Can no longer change cavalry into infantry formations by using hotkeys
- Order cancelling fixes
- Moving a reserve unit into another tile, then cancelling the order no longer places the reserve in the frontline.
- If you move cavalry, charge, then cancel your movement order, your cavalry's charge order is no longer valid.
- Units visibly floating off the board during deployment phase is fixed.
- Charge preview fixes
- Cancelling an order back onto a tile that has since been blocked will no longer break the unit's position.
- Open order formation facing diagonal now has the correct range.
- Hills no longer give +1 range when you're firing on someone at the same elevation as you.
- Bogged down units can no longer charge.
- Fire-at-will icon was getting stuck when it should've been getting removed and has been fixed.
- Cavalry damage calculation fixes.
- AI spawning with the wrong weapons fixed.
- Armory info button fixed.
- Cosmetics moved onto Steam storage so purchasing cosmetics should no longer frequently result in the item being lost.
- Fixed a readyup bug not allowing some players to ready up if the host didn't before they joined the lobby.
- Infinite shooting bug fixes which had to do with cancelling movement orders.
- Charge damage fixes
- Units moving past their charging range should finally be fixed. This means that infantry can no longer charge more than 1+ tiles in Line Formation.
- Inventory system fixes
- Tutorial should no longer be getting stuck if you follow the wrong sequence of what it instructs you to do.
- Swapping to other slots in a lobby when there is AI should no longer break the game anymore.
- Reserve units can no longer exploit the movement speed of frontline units.
- Cover now updates immediately when a hard cover building tile is destroyed.
Campaign:
- Peninsula & Overland campaigns removed and replaced by a large sandbox campaign of the entire Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, for DLC owners.
- Crimean Campaign tiles redone for better AI pathfinding, will make it more challenging.
- Franco-Prussian War campaign added to the game for owners of our new "Wars of Unification" DLC (previously called European Empires)
- All starting corps for all campaigns redone. Players will spawn with smaller armies that they will need to build up themselves now.
- Starter funds/manpower increased so players can custom make their armies.
- AI will be able to call in additional reinforcement corps to the map.
- Historical battle maps are now tied to certain campaign tiles, allowing you to reenact historical battles.
- Every tile has been given a name in every campaign so when you fight it will give a unique name to your battle.
Quality of Life:
- Flag icons no longer overlap when two units are in melee
- Learn tab renamed to "Tutorials."
- Units now face inward on a map when being deployed so that they don't deploy backwards.
- Players can switch between the "Glory" and "Rifle" periods on the main menu to view the different borders and flags.
- Formation button updates based on which unit you have selected in which formation he is in.
- Systems now in placed to prevent cheaters.
- Ready button moved to the bottom of the screen and animates up once you've purchased at least one unit.
- Camera spawn is now dynamic based on the center point of your deployment zones.
- Unit cards now turn bloodier when the units are damaged.
- Spawn zones have been changed to blue/orange which fits the orange crosswords and the blue shield in the very top left and top right of the battle lobby. This way if a player selects a slot on the side of the orange crosswords, they will spawn in the orange zones.
- All maps have been given a top-down view and a scenic view so you can preview maps clearer.
- General UI improvements made. Many more to come for our full release.
Mechanical Changes:
- New target ground orders allow you to fire at positions that you think the enemy will move to.
- Two units that charge each other at the exact same time will both do damage to each other instead of prioritizing the host's order to charge first.
- Host no longer receives an advantage to how orders are being carried out when two simultaneous orders conflict.
- Units with less than 6 max HP can no longer form a square.
- Fire at will no longer disables at the end of the turn, it only disables when it's shot by artillery or if the fire-at-will order is triggered by an enemy.
Content:
- New Maps added include:
1. Legault's Crossing 1v1
2. Gravelotte 2v2
3. Sedan 2v2
4. Paris 2v2
5. Mars-La-Tour 2v2
6. Spicheren 1v1
7. Woerth 2v2
8. Fortalice 1v1
9. Lavender Estates 1v1
10. Chernaya River 2v2
11. Malakoff 2v2
12. Great Redan 1v1
13. Inkerman 1v1
14. Balaclava 1v1
15. Mountain Pass 1v1
16. Gettysburg 2v2
17. Badlands 1v1
18. The Wilderness 2v2
19. Malvern Hill 1v1
20. Spotsylvania Court House 2v2
21. Cold Harbor 2v2
22. The Bastion 1v1
23. The Encampment 1v1put
24. The Besiegement 2v2
25. Tuscan Hillside 1v1
26. The Coastline 1v1
27. Koniggratz 2v2
28. Gitschin 1v1
29. Nachod 1v1
30. Hamlet 1v1
- New "Ride of the Valkyries" battle track.
- New Christmas themed cosmetics added for every single nation. They are available for a limited time so get them quickly!
- New Texas Rangers unit for the CSA
- New Mountain Gun unit for the CSA
- New Mountain Gun unit for the USA
- New Buffalo Soldiers unit for the USA
- New Cavalaggeri unit for the Italians
- New Honved unit for the Austrians
- New Landwehr unit for the Austrians
- Removed Volunteer Hussars for the Austrians
- New Greek Volunteers unit for the Russians
- New Guards Rifles unit for the Prussians
Graphics & Optimization:
- All trees moved from 2d sprites to 3d meshes which increases performance MASSIVELY. Players should now notice an FPS increase anywhere from 10-30 frames.
- Animation improvements have been made, units now move on the board less awkwardly. Another round of improvements will be made in the next update too.
- Units in square no longer face the incorrect direction (inward instead of outward)
- Dead body fixes, some bodies were in the wrong pose.
- Main menu nations now change flags depending on the time period being viewed.
- The 2nd tier of elevation (very high hills) have been remodeled and have been implemented in the new maps.
- Hills have proper collisions which prevent units from clipping through them.
- Italian cosmetics added for the wolf.
- Country names now update properly based on the time period selected.
- New English & Caucasian building models added for our map editor.
- Road decals now conform to the terrain allowing them to go on hills and different heights.
- Smoke/fire is now layered properly so that if your unit stands in front of a burning building the fire will layer properly behind your unit sprites.
Known Issues:
- Players are getting stuck on infinite loading screens, this will be addressed IMMEDIATELY.
- Some users are still reporting losing their cosmetics, but we believe the issue should be resolved. Still, proceed with caution.
- A few units still have the wrong traits or stats, will be corrected shortly.
- Wrong tooltip info for skirmishers.
- Missing tooltip info for campaigns.
- Missing tooltip info for the new cavalry formations.
- Clashes sometimes doing the wrong damage.
- Clashes sometimes allowing units to clip through each other without stopping to fight.
- Ranked UI issues, not saving wins/losses on leaderboard. (Elo is correct though)
- General campaign issues, player's saves not loading. This will be fixed asap.
- Order freezing in the middle of matches, we're still investigating why this occurs.
Community Event:
One other thing I'd like to mention is that we're doing a big Franco-Prussian War event on our Discord server in which players choose a side and are given battles to fight each week in order to help the war effort! We've done one turn so far, the results of which are in the image below. You can join this event for free by joining our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/fireandmaneuver and heading over to the "Campaign Signup" channel.
You can see three battles have been fought so far as the Germans go on the offensive. The battle of Wissembourg was a crushing victory for the Germans. Saarbrucken was a minor victory for the Germans. And finally, the Germans also attempted a crossing at the river Weissbach which was inconclusive. The french are attempting to hold back the German offensive while they mobilize their forces. Until then, they will be outnumbered!
Next Up:
Our plans going forward are to first fix any game-breaking issues through early and mid January. Then, we will shift gears to overhaul artillery just as we did cavalry for the remainder of January. Finally, we will then spend all of February just polishing and fixing issues with the game and improving visuals. Development may bleed into March a bit if we feel like there still needs to be more polishing done. Our aim is to come out of EA in Q1 of 2023 and during Q1 to focus solely on improving the core experience by fixing bugs and polishing visuals/sounds/UI etc.
The only other major content additions coming during Q1 will be as follows:
- A few new smaller campaigns.
- Lots of new maps.
- Boshin War DLC for the full release.
- Scenario mode improvements.
That's all for now, thank you for all the support! The team is doing their best to finish Fire & Maneuver as a polished and clean game. Afterwards, we can continue updating F&M all throughout 2023 with additional bugfixes and maybe even new factions too!
Thank you,
Griffin