to the twelfth of our regular post-release updates. This week we add a feature that will calm many manic mech commanders and add a host of general changes and fixes. Like an infantry squad that’s just spotted a crate drop falling from the sky, let us get right to it.
Cancellable Upgrades
We’ve all been there. You’re in the heat of battle and you decide to make that investment to upgrade your production buildings and start kicking out the big boys! But then the tide of battle suddenly changes and you need those resources elsewhere. Or maybe you simply miss-clicked.
Well now, panic no further, you can cancel that upgrade order for a full refund. This is another implementation we’re happy to make in response to player Feedback.
Free Demo Extended
This past weekend has seen many mechs mangled and marauding. Due to the recent popularity we have decided to extend the Free Demo until January. You’ll find it on Steam here,
With all that’s happened, happening and coming since release, now is a great time to join the Harvest. We’re also extremely proud and thankful that our players are responding so well to our weekly updates.
Thanks to everyone who has left us a review. This really greases our gears and keep this mechanized monster going.
General changes:
Balance changes:
The ESL tournament continues and continues to offer a great source of balancing data. Similar to the last tourney, we love to see what solutions players come up with to contest the meta that has been established over the weekend.
Therefore, we’ll refrain from making balancing changes this week and keep observing. This will provide us a better foundation to make changes that are more solid and long term oriented as well as minimized disruption to players preparations.
As the year closes we plough on towards revolution. Vodka for Christmas?
Next week: Shared matchmaking will improve queue times between games.
Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on:
Enjoy mech stomping goodness this weekend with a Free Demo!
Starting November 25th and ending December 1st, all interested players can join the battlefield via a free public demo
The Demo will feature:
DevBlog #32 - New Game Mode, Updates, DLC News and Much More!
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New “Drop Zone” Game Mode
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s, it’s a . . . crate, and we need it for the war effort!
Today, we introduce a new Game Mode called "Drop Zone" to the world of 1920+. In "Drop Zone" players race to collect stockpiles containing Victory Points as they are air-dropped across the map. The first player to collect enough Victory Points wins!
Multiple stockpiles can drop simultaneously and they take time to collect. Protecting dropped stockpiles, while securing future drop zones, is the key to victory.
Drop Zone will be available on all existing skirmish/multiplayer maps and can be played in Ranked, Quick, and Custom matches.
New Season Tree To Unlock
Today also marks the end of the 1st Iron Harvest Season. Mech Commanders have returned from the battlefield with all manner of trophy’s and rewards.
Season 2 begins with a whole new set of goodies to unlock.
The Ranked Ladder will also be reset. Congratulations to all these Commanders for making it to the top of the board.
All in the top 15 will receive a “Season 1 Elite” title to honor your labors on the battlefield.
Everyone whose completed their placement matches will also receive a “Veteran” title and faceplate cosmetic.
We’ve saved all Season 1 player info and this may be available in the future for display.
Season 2 beings, what rewards will you reap?
New Rusviet Revolution DLC
Over 100 years ago the real Russian revolution came to a halt when the red forces won the final battles at the Krim. However, the alternate history of 1920+ has never seen this kind of revolution . . . until now.
December 17th marks the day the Rusviet people will raise up against the Tsar. Players will follow an additional story line over the course of four new single player maps, shedding some light on the mysterious Rasputin.
ESL Fall Tournament
Once again KING Art Games and ESL have teamed up to bring competitive RTS gamers another Iron Harvest tournament. Players will compete for prizes totalling up to 5000€! All playing participants will receive the Grimbart “Ivory” cosmetic skin and a Title for their player profile.
Mega Mech fans, 2Sk3tchy and RedRupee will be Streaming the games
“He’d be camouflaged, if only he’d stop shooting for a second!”
Free Demo Weekend
Starting November 25th and ending December 1st, all interested players can join the battlefield via a free public demo on Steam, GOG and Epic.
The Demo will feature:
Change Log 11
We also updated the game with various changes and improvements: General changes
Balance Changes
Last week we unleashed a variety of balance changes, and so this week we will continue to collect data and gauge the effect these have had on gameplay. With players already practicing for the ESL tournament, it would also be unfair to disrupt their preparation with changes. The Tourney offers another excellent opportunity to gather feedback on balancing.
November’s Highlights
Party Invite System
You Mech Commanders like to Party. You’ve told us many times, and now we are excited to offer it. You can now form a Group/Party of up to 3 people and queue for quick, ranked and custom matches.
Of course, you’re likely to be matched with a same sized group, but it is also possible for a 3 person Group to be matched against a 2 person Group and a Solo player. Any combination is now feasible! You can even add A.I. to fill empty slots.
Remember, communication is always overpowered, and so you’re welcome to use the voice channels found by clicking here in our Official Discord Server.
New 1v1 Map “Dark Forest”
Saxony is home to many majestic and wild forests. Despite the ever-present encroachment of man, these places are still filled with mystery and myth.
But you’ll find more than folklore here.Deep within this sparsely populated area, the Kaiser’s finest engineers have been working in secret on a cutting-edge hydroelectric dam.
This potent alternative to oil would be an incredible asset to the commander who can conquer the woodland's twisted paths and crumbling castles.
Destructible Barbed Wire
In response to player feedback about the awkward use of barbed wire, especially on narrow bridges, we are happy to have now added this counter
December's Roadmap
We continue to collect your feedback and respond to it as best we can. November was very successful with many fan approved additions. We’ll continue this and December is likely to end the year on a high. Here’s what you can look forward to:
Week 1: Building upgrades will become cancellable. Week 2: Shared Matchmaking pool for quicker game queue times. Week 3: The people of Rusviet will rise in Revolution. New DLC campaign missions! Week 4: Holiday Season.
Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on:
Iron Harvest ChangeLog 10 : Party Invite and more!
Greetings Harvesters,
Welcome to the tenth (!) of our regular post-release updates. Today’s update allows you to create groups and enter matches with your friends more easily. Keep reading for details on many general and balance game changes.
Group Invite Available!
Hey Mech Commanders, you like to Party? ;) This has easily been the No.1 request from you and we are excited to offer it now. You can now form a Group/Party of up to 3 people and queue for quick, ranked and custom matches. Of course, your likely to be matched with a same sized group, but it is also possible for a 3 person Group to be matched against a 2 person Group and a Solo player. Any combination is now feasible! You can even add A.I. to fill empty slots.
By forming a party your are also now able to play COOP with up to 3 players.
So grab some loyal commanders, choose your faction, and “hav-at-em”.
A massive shoutout to the PartyMechs who helped us road-test and QA this feature during the past week. You guys make the emperor proud!
More Dynamic and Responsive Infantry Combat
Following your feedback, we continue our commitment to improving infantry responsiveness and combat aspects of the game. We’ve now implemented a new system so that units start shooting sooner after being given the command. As well as this, we’ve added more dynamic Shoot & Run variations to all relevant soldiers. Check it out.
General Changes
We continue to improve the game with various bug fixes and adjustments. This week we’ve:
<*> Improved save game system to make saving and loading quicker. <*> Fixed various bugs that broke save games when the save happened under specific conditions. This resulted in the save game file loading only as far as at 97%. If you still have this issue, please contact the Iron Doctor on Discord. <*> Enabled the Saxonian “Stiefmutter” mech to now properly attack-move when ordered. <*> Fixed issue where Olga and MG infantry transitioning into aiming stance resulted in issues with infantry they killed. <*> Fixed a related issue where killed unit models for an infantry squad did not properly die while the squad is entering a structure. <*> Enabled the Rusviet’s Serp mech ability “Rally Call” now negate suppression and healing effects. <*> Enabled destroyed mechs to functionally reveal the Fog Of War for a short duration, not just visually <*> Improved scripting in Polania’s 1st and Rusviet’s 2nd campaign mission. <*> Made U.I. improvements for game menus as well as in-game. <*> Improved visualization of destroyed barbed wire and sandbags. <*> Prevented mechs from breaking Sandbags and Barbwire that are still under construction. <*> Improved curved sandbag-segments, so it should now be possible to enter cover on both sides of curved sandbags. <*> Fixed a bug that prevented grenades and sticky bombs from being consistent across saved and loaded games. <*> Fixed Cavalry Sticky-Bombs so that they always hit their target. <*> Fixed failed outcomes accidently visually resetting on Saxony’s 1st campaign mission “Welcome to the Mud”. <*> Enabled resource structures to now play their animations while being upgraded.
Unfortunately, while this is a mech-ton of important changes, the consequence is that saved game files from prior to this update are now invalidated. Overall game progress remains and we apologize for any inconvenience.
Balance Changes
Garrisoned Units: Damage against units in buildings has been decreased overall to create fewer situations in which cover provides far more protection than being in a house or bunker.
Gunner: Are notable for having higher HP than other infantry, this is necessary to help them fulfil their role combating mechs. The perception of this difference is higher than we anticipated and so we’ve reduced their HP slightly to hinder any undesired effectiveness vs. other units. Therefore:
Medics: We are now getting to a point where medics are fine without risking their overuse.
Barbed wire: Our recent focus on how very high skilled players use barbed wire has unintentionally affected others players use of this tool. Therefore, as a first step to readdress their utility, we’ve reverted their cost.
The Rusviet’s, in general, are the least chosen of all our factions and therefore they’ve received some slight buffs.
Groza (Exosuits): Previous movement speed reductions had a large effect on this unit. These changes aim at preventing their “spamability” while making a single squad viable.
Ognivo (Flamethrower mech): Contrary to the memes, our data tells us this beautiful mech is still, and has been for a long time now, the most built Rusviet mech. However, it hasn’t been performing in battle as well as its counterparts, often dying before it reaches its target and not fully finishing them off. Therefore:
Kolokol (Bomber mech): Its low range and difficulty to hit moving targets are now further compensated for by higher damage. Structure damage was also increased to emphasize this factions tendency in lore of destroying buildings. Therefore:
Erlkönig (Artillery mech): While Polania’s Mocny has been repeatedly buffed, the Erlkönig was neglected. However, their higher range is a factor that should not be forgotten, and so too much change would easily make this mech overpowered. Therefore, for now, we’ve:
It’s been a busy month and yet the best is still to come
Next week: A brand new game mode “Drop zone” and we begin a new season tree with new perks to unlock.
Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on:
Welcome to this the ninth of our regular post-release updates. We’re please to report that many players approved of the last weeks update and we hope to continue in this vein. Today, we release a new 1v1 map and fix some issues affecting competitive gameplay. Read on!
New 1v1 Map: Dark Forest
Saxony is home to many majestic and wild forests. Despite the ever present encroachment of man, these places are still filled with mystery and myth.
But you’ll find more than folklore here. Deep within this sparsely populated area, the Kaiser’s finest engineers have been working in secret on a cutting-edge hydroelectric dam. This potent alternative to oil would be an incredible asset to the commander who can conquer the woodland's twisted paths and crumbling castles.
We wish you luck navigating the narrow woodland tracks as you flank your enemy. Just don’t get distracted wondering if a mech that explodes in a forest, when no-ones is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
General Changes
Balance Changes
This week there will be no balance changes while we continue to collect and assess player data. “Measure twice, cut once” is our approach.
We soldier on. Half the month complete with the month’s best almost here!
Next week: Group invite, that will allow you to queue for battle with your friends.
Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on:
Iron Harvest Change Log #08 - Barbed Wire cutting, map upgrade and more!
Greetings Harvesters,
This is the eighth of our regular post-release updates. This week we address three issues which the community’s feedback highlighted. Engineers can now deconstruct barbed wire that hindered your advancing infantry and we’ve significantly updated the 1v1 Border River map. On top of all that we’ve also improved cover responsiveness and made some more balance changes based on your player data.
Cutting Barbedwire
In response to player feedback about the awkward use of barbed wire, especially on narrow bridges, we are happy to now add a counter. As a Polanian rifleman once said, “There is nothing an Engineer can’t do!”, well now they can also cut barbwire.
Simply select an Engineer unit, hover your cursor over the offending barbed wire and right click to deconstruct it. You can “shift + click” to queue up orders to cut multiple barbed wire sections. You’re even able to cut your own misplaced barbed wire.
Job done!
Border River 1v1 Map Update
We’re extremely happy with and proud of our community, especially those with a more competitive mind set. Thanks to the feedback from you all, we are now in position to update the Border River map that many disfavored. Here’s what we’ve changed and why:
Iron Mine moved from the Island to the Ford.
Our Pioneers and Geologists have completed their survey of this strategically important battlefield. They confirm that the Iron Vein on the Island between the rivers has been depleted. But not all is not bad news, a replacement vein has been found downriver, directly beneath the ford that is often used to field our biggest mechs!
While the island was always supposed to be a desirable target, it ended up being simply too valuable while also being too easy and cheap to defend. This change should also create a second alternative point of interest to contest, forcing players to make a calculated decision of what to prioritize.
Added neutral Mortars close to the Island.
Enemy engineers have taken to using ungodly amounts of Barbed Wire on both the Island and the connected bridges. Consequently, all commanders have ordered Mortars to be deployed in advance, so a trained crew can quickly clear a path for our soldiers!
Two neutral Mortar systems have been added to the map, one per side. We hope that these will offer not only a viable counter against barbed wire but will also make the island, as well as both riverbanks, a more contested and risky area.
Made Castle destructible, opened both Ruin Areas to all Mechs.
Mech-Commanders familiar with the area often return from battle complaining of unfavorable architecture. Engineers have been dispatched to remove some of the annoying rocks and boulders around both the castles and farms ruins. Unfortunately, their overenthusiastic use of explosives has destabilized the Castle’s once immovable walls to the point where inattentive large mechs could “accidentally” topple them.
We removed the restrictions on the ruin areas north and south of the ford, allowing all Mechs to move inside them and made several previously indestructible elements, like the castle walls, destructible for the first time. This should not only make navigation and Mech positioning easier, but also reduce the advantage that special Units like Lech Zubov used to have.
Improving infantry responsiveness
How easily/quickly units react to players orders is an area of improvement the community has highlighted. As part of our ongoing investigation into how to best achieve this we have improved the way all infantry (except flamers) units respond to a players order to dive into cover.
This improvement applies to infantry that are already firing at an enemy. Now, when ordered to cover, instead of sitting down first and then popping up over the wall to fire, they go immediately into their cover firing positions.
The following units are affected:
This is an ongoing process and we are very welcome to any suggestions and examples of how best to aid this.
General changes:
Balance changes:
Barbed Wire: Based on the changes made to Barbed Wire as mentioned earlier in the log, we are making it a little less easy to mass produce Barbed Wire to match the effort of dismantling it.
Łowca (Polanian mech hunter): Despite a few past buffs, we have observed that players still experience some difficulty utilizing the Łowca’s high damage output. With these changes, this mech hunter will arrive earlier on the field and last longer in combat.
Zółw (Polanian troops transport): The Zółw is a versatile mech that we’ve had our eye on for the past few weeks. This change will help prepared players inflict more meaningful damage to this troop carrier.
Dieselpunk engines engaged, there’s a lot to look forward to this month!
Next week: new 1v1 multiplayer map.
Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on:
DevBlog #31 - New Maps, Updates and Halloween Shenanigans!
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News: New Challenge Map "Stronghold Siege"
Following the positive response to the 3v3 “The Great Wastes” Multiplayer map, we now return again to the dirt and horror of the trenches. The Saxonians have built an imposing stronghold over the western border of Polania. From here the Saxon front lines are supported and supplied. You must command the Polanian forces, devise a new plans and force Saxony to cede the territory they gained.
Unfortunately, due to the new Corona related restriction, we were unable to complete all voice acting recordings and text translations for this map. These will be added at a later date.
Ready to wreck? Iron Harvest is available now from Steam and GoG. Game edition comes with perks and check out the store from our merchandising partner for Vinyl, T-Shirts and more exclusive stuff here.
News: Halloween Harvest
As if those lumbering ferrous mechanized monstrosities weren’t terrifying enough, Iron Harvest has some spooky "serprises" this week. Take a trip, if you dare, down to the Graveyard behind the Church on our 1v1 Oil Spill map.
Make your player profile become all that is unholy with Iron Harvest’s 5th Season tree episode. It’s just unlocked with cosmetics for you to earn. They’re available from now until the end of Monday November 16th.
Info: Fan Lego Diorama
[previewyoutube="B09G9QAN1t8;full"]
Hi Benjamin,
First of all, awesome video, thanks for making it and sending it to us. It put a big smile on the faces on many of the people working on Iron Harvest. Let’s find out more about you and your creations:
The Iron Doctor:Please tell us more about yourself, how long have you been building Lego dioramas? Benjamin:Hi! I live in West Virginia. I have been playing and building with Lego since I was super young. I love creating dioramas and scenes from my favorite games and movies. Recently, I have started building scenes from famous World War 2 Battles with a Star Wars theme.
The Iron Doctor:Why did you focus your diorama on the train tracks, is Deserted Tracks your favorite Map in Iron Harvest? Benjamin: I have always loved trains, and while playing and watching trailers (I love Iron Harvest ones) I have observed that this map is one of the most popular. Also, there are so many buildings to send a Serp plowing through!
The Iron Doctor:What do you think of our single player Campaign story? Is there, any moment from it that really stood out to you? Benjamin: I’m currently playing the Polanian level "Showdown", but I liked bringing “Hope to Kolno” with the train. . . before Lech’s madness of course.
The Iron Doctor:Why do you think Lego and Iron Harvest work so well together? Benjamin: The amazing thing about Lego is that you can create literally anything you can think of with time and the right parts. You can be as creative as you want to be. Iron Harvest is a new world that no one has thought of before filled with possibilities. The two work well together! I can’t wait to create more and more creative and detailed Iron Harvest world scenes with Lego.
The Iron Doctor:Do you enjoy the limitation of building with the Lego parts you have, or do you just wish you had more realistic parts? :D Is realism important? Benjamin: I really wish Lego had more world war weapons and armor. Finding them was very difficult, and I like to make my scenes as realistic as possible, though I do go a little crazy sometimes :-)
The Iron Doctor:Going into battle, you can only choose one mech to pilot and one Hero to cover you back. Which would you choose and why? Benjamin: That depends on the map. In a city assault I would choose a Łowca (Polania’s mech killer) and Brunhilde, to blow apart buildings and level any enemy foolish enough to get in my way. While in a forest I would choose Anna and Wojtek and a SmiaŁy (the one with the bayonet) because of their good sneaking skills, speed, range, and seriously good shooting on Anna’s part.
The Iron Doctor:What would you like to see in the future of Iron Harvest and how would that inspire your future Lego builds? Benjamin: Hmm. Probably more maps, units, and perhaps even a new faction or two! Ones with all new heroes, backstories, campaign, and epic (plus inevitably brutal) new mech styles as downloadable content. This would result in even more creative options for me to try and replicate. It could also mean the rise of 4-6 player maps and vicious monstrous confrontations with new Mechs, characters, infantry, and rules.
Great answers, and good luck with your future builds. When fans reach out to us about how they have also been inspired by our game, it really is the most rewarding part of working in the games industry. I expect to see our Dev’s desks even more cluttered with Lego after this. Those in the office (including myself) who don’t like to wear shoes best be careful ;)
Video made, and interview conducted, with the support and encouragement of Benjamin's parents.
Info: Change Log #07
We also updated the game with various changes and improvements:
General Changes:
Numerous fixes to UI elements in various menu and result screens to aid clarity and function.
Fixed coins count not updated after claiming a season tree node.
Moved map ping button in tactical map a bit down to prevent overlapping with the map graphic.
Fixed issue with Halloween conditions for skirmish player 2.
Balance Changes:
Thank you once more for the data and feedback you’ve supplied that help us to make informed balance changes. This week there are no balance changes as we evaluate how best to implement your suggestions and the technical requirements this may entail. We have some units on our watchlist.
Info: October’s Highlights
New 3v3 Map “City Outskirts”
[previewyoutube="TVUJ_9ZJF60;full"]
The factions deploy in the hopes of conquering the city outskirts. This area is an ideal staging ground for a major offensive, if it’s resources can be secured.
Pings!
Gaming 101: communication will always be over-powered. Map pings were a much-requested community feature. We listened and added 5 types of Pings: Attack, Defend, Retreat, On My Way and General.
November's Roadmap
We’ve been collecting your feedback and we’re happy that several additions and improvements that are player priorities are in Novembers Roadmap of weekly updates. Here’s what you can look forward to:
Week 1: Engineers will deconstruct barbed wire and Border River 1v1 map will be updated. Week 2: A new 1v1 map. Week 3: "Group invite" feature for you to play with friends more easily. Week 4: New Game Mode and Season Tree!
Stay up to date as we continue to progress by joining us on:
Iron Harvest Change Log 06 - Map Pings, Multiplayer-XP and Balance Changes
Greetings Harvesters,
This is the sixth of our regular post-release updates. This week sees the implementation of two features much requested by the community. Thanks everyone for your feedback, it’s great to improve this game in concert with you. Now you have these, enjoy, and let us know you get on.
New Ping System
Gaming 101: communication will always be over-powered. Now, regardless of whether you’re in voice chat, you can alert your brother in arms to whatever’s unfolding on the battlefield. There are 5 types of Pings:
Pings can be deployed directly on the map, the mini-map and the tactical map. Use hotkey “X” and then hold down the left mouse button to reveal a radial menu from which you can select the type of Ping you’d like to deploy.
If your ally deploys a Ping, you’ll see it on the maps and can press spacebar to jump the camera immediately to it.
Please Ping responsibly, there is a cool down and you can only have 4 pings on the map simultaneously. We’ll assess, based on your feedback, if the cool down needs to be increased due to spamming. Should you need to, the option to disable Pings is available in the settings menu.
New Multiplayer XP
Players will now earn XP while playing “Quick Matches” and “Ranked Matches”, but not for custom matches. XP will be accumulated based on match time, wins and even more if you’re on a winning streak.
The current limit on player level and faction level will not be increased because, out of the tens of thousands of active players, only 300 players have reached this limit. We will review this again at the start of the next season and may increase it at that time.
Iron Harvest Change Log 05 - New 3v3 Map and fixes
Greetings Harvesters,
This is the fifth of our regular post-release updates. A special welcome to all the new players who’ve joined us recently. It’s great to see the ranks swell with new fodder for the war effort.
Today’s update brings more general improvements and will see you battling it out, street by street, in an expansive new 3v3 map.
New 3v3 Map “City Outskirts”
2Sk3tchy has scouted ahead and reports back on this new frontier, ripe for the taking. [previewyoutube="TVUJ_9ZJF60;full"]Insert video[/previewyoutube]
General changes:
As ever, we are hard at work implementing improvements and fixes largely based on your feedback. This week we’ve:
Balance changes:
We continue to collect data and feedback from all your battles as we seek to make informed balance changes. This weekend’s community tournament is another excellent opportunity to evaluate gameplay and so we’ll be assessing the result of this, and more, with the aim of implementing more concrete balance changes next week.
