Multiplayer Balance Patch and Top 12 Steam Releases
Checking designs...
The mission continues, General! It's been a month since we launched Tempest Rising, and we've been hard at work on future content, new features, bug fixes, and quality of life improvements for the game. We'll share more detailed information on these updates in the near future, but we want to still give you an early glimpse of some of what's coming in our next major patch.
Next Patch Content
2v2 Ranked
Queue with friends
Remixed Multiplayer Maps designed for 2v2 team fights and 1v1
New Pop. cap adjustment setting in Skirmish/Custom matches
Spectator Mode V1
Main Menu Chat
Stay tuned for more information about each of these features in the coming weeks. We didn't want to keep you waiting too long for updates, though, so today we're releasing our largest balance patch since launch!
Balance Updates
With this patch, we aim to address the large impact some units are having, particularly on the early game, while improving the utility of some lower-performing units.
We are looking to take a more incremental approach to changes that affect the early game and smooth out the transition into the mid-game for both the GDF and Dynasty.
General
Most units that provide more than 10 Intel upon being killed while Marked have had their Intel rewards reduced.
Mercenary Outpost
Some early game strategies centered around this structure were too difficult for the defender to adequately hold. With a cost increase and a slight decrease in the number of spawned Militia, this should be more manageable for the defender and more of a commitment from the attacker.
Militia Ambush cost increased to 2000 (from 1500)
Militia Ambush spawns 12 Militia (from 15)
Global Defense Force (GDF)
First and foremost, the Intel resource is integral to the GDF's army and economy. After watching the game mature over the past couple of weeks, we feel that we can make some targeted improvements to Intel that should smooth out both the early and late game somewhat.
Specifically, we are opening up Intel in the early game again by lowering the cost of accessing the Satellite Uplink and Data Core, but we are also lowering the amount of Intel you gain from killing high-tier units and structures.
Overall, we feel that this should normalize Intel income so that it's less restrictive early and less abundant after large fights. We will continue to observe and tune this system over time.
Satellite Uplink
Lowering some Intel costs is an effort to encourage more use of abilities and units that cost Intel, particularly in the earlier stages of a match.
Intel cost reduced to 10 (from 20)
Data Core
Lowering the Intel cost for the same reason, to encourage using more abilities and units that require Intel.
Intel cost reduced to 20 (from 40)
Field Scout
We are seeking to improve early game anti-infantry units like the Field Scout to improve their performance against early game anti-tank infantry, such as the Missile Trooper and Drone Operator
Attack interval improved to 1.1 seconds (from 1.2 seconds)
Grenadier
Grenadiers have a lower-than-average combat performance related to trouble closing the distance with enemy units to attack. We are increasing their health in an effort to help improve their role as a front-line damage dealer
Health increased to 250 (from 230)
Sentinel Scout Car
We have determined that the Sentinel’s Marking Rounds are overperforming, being a potent source of AOE anti-infantry damage when massed. These changes are geared towards pushing Marking Rounds back to being a utility tool as intended.
Marking Rounds attack interval increased to 1.5 seconds (from 1)
Marking Rounds damage reduced to 4 (from 12)
Damage type changed to Omni (from Rifle)
Hunter Tank
Both factions’ main battle tanks are underperforming. This attack speed boost should help them more effectively deal with vehicle-based threats.
Attack interval improved to 2.9 seconds (from 3.1 seconds)
Shieldmaiden
This corrects an issue with the Shieldmaiden in the campaign.
Standoff Orders removed from the Campaign version of the Shieldmaiden
Peacekeeper
The Peacekeeper helicopter can be oppressive against infantry. This change makes the LRAD Riot Cannon less lethal, requiring more support to capitalize on its ability to Suppress enemy infantry.
Some GDF strategies revolve around Skycranes full of Drone Operators or Engineers being used to great effect. These changes are geared towards making Skycrane strategies harder to pull off and more of a financial commitment.
Production time increased to 42 seconds (from 35)
Cost increased to 2300 (from 2000)
Health reduced to 1000 (from 1200)
Riot Medic
Riot Medics are one of the least popular Specialists, and returning his healing ability should make him easier to use and less Intel-dependent.
The Riot Medic now passively heals allied infantry while not in combat, as he does in campaign
Riot Van
Riot Vans have a fairly low usage rate. Increasing their health should help the Riot Van perform its key role of delivering infantry to the front lines. It should also make it a more effective shield for lower-health GDF units, adding to its utility.
Health increased to 880 (from 850)
Riot Trooper
Riot Troopers also see somewhat lower usage rates and struggle to get into range to use their EMP Grenades or their Stun Baton. A slight health increase is a first step towards encouraging their wider use.
Health increased to 480 (from 470)
Artillery Turret
Artillery Turrets are very powerful and long-ranged, and have been determined to be too inexpensive for their power level. Increasing their cost should make massing them more of an investment.
Cost increased to 2000 (from 1600)
Drone Control Unit (DCU)
The DCU is intended to epitomize the GDF's signals science: Marking, Comms, and drone technologies. Over the past two patches, it has continued to dominate as a weapons platform, and we are taking the opportunity to rework it back more towards its original role as a lynchpin support unit.
We feel that with the other changes across the board, it will fit better into the overall GDF lineup this way.
Now fields 6 Combat Drones (from 8)
Now Marks enemy units again
Range increased to 3200 (from 2600)
Scrambler
The GDF lacks Penetrating damage at the moment, and the Scrambler's Tempest Chaff seemed like a good place to put it. Now, in the late game, the GDF will have the option to clear out Garrisons at the cost of Intel via Tempest Chaff.
Tempest Chaff now deals Explosive-Penetrating damage (from Explosive)
Scrambler Intel cost reduced to 30 (from 40)
Tempest Dynasty (DYN)
The Dynasty has been performing better as players get more used to how they play and how they tech, but the faction still has some underutilized and underperforming Tier 2 and Tier 3 units that we are addressing. Notably, the Leveler/Dragonfly combo has been overperforming and is being tuned down.
Overall, along with some early game lethality increases for both factions, we feel that both factions will be able to field a wider variety of units early, mid, and late-game.
Dynasty Guard
A slight increase in the Guard's lethality is warranted. We will continue to observe Tier 1 infantry for performance, but this should help them kill enemy anti-tank troopers more effectively.
Attack interval improved to 0.8 seconds (from .9)
Tempest Sphere
The Tempest Sphere, in spite of moderate win rate values, has trouble getting up close to attack enemy units. A slight speed and durability increase should help it make contact with enemies more readily and increase its threat value.
Cost reduced to 2500 (from 2800)
Speed increased to 730 (from 700)
Health increased to 2200 (from 2000)
Boar Tank
The Boar continues to underperform in its role. As a part of our approach to making Main Battle Tanks more impressive, we are increasing the Boar Tank’s attack speed, which should help players get better value from this unit.
Attack interval improved to 2.9 (from 3.25)
Voltaic Tank
As a way to help differentiate the Voltaic Tank more from other Dynasty vehicles, we are increasing its range and damage slightly.
Damage increased to 150 (from 130)
Range increased to 3100 (from 2850)
Machinist
Reducing the Machinist's build time normalizes him with other Dynasty Specialists.
Build time reduced to 25 seconds (from 35)
Voltaic Turret
Voltaic Turrets should provide a better return on investment now and have better parity with GDF Tier 3 turrets.
Cost decreased to 1800 (from 2000)
Range increased to 4000 (from 3500)
Leveler
Levelers have been dominating the late game for the Dynasty. Instead of further increasing their cost and/or build time, we are seeking to balance their effects by reducing their synergies and making them harder to use.
As such, their range has been slightly reduced, making them more vulnerable to AA weapons like the SAM Site and Shieldmaiden. Additionally, a slower attack speed should incentivize the use of Tempest Dynamos.
Range reduced to 4000 (from 5000)
Attack interval increased to 4 seconds (from 3)
Ignitor
Similar to Grenadiers, the Ignitor’s health is being increased to help make them a better value proposition.
Health increased to 270 (from 250)
Construction Yard
We are seeking to open up later tech for both the GDF and Dynasty. A decrease in cost and research time should make the Bastion Upgrade less disruptive to acquire.
Bastion Upgrade cost decreased to 1000 (from 2000)
Bastion Upgrade time reduced to 25 seconds (from 40 seconds)
Havoc
Havoc Tempest Dynamos and mass Havoc strategies have been dominating the early game. While we like Dynamos as a powerful option for this unit, we are currently looking to provide access to it somewhat later, which provides opponents more time to prepare.
Build time increased to 23 seconds (from 22)
Now gains Tempest Dynamos with the Bastion tech
Dragonfly
In conjunction with the Leveler, Dragonflies can be an oppressively powerful late-game combo. A shorter range forces more skillful use of Dragonflies and more opportunities for counter-play.
Attack Range reduced to 3700 (from 4000)
Top 12 Releases
Tempest Rising was in the top 12 Steam releases in the last month since launch!
Thank you to everyone who has played the game, sent a review, told a friend, posted about the game on social media, created content for the game, and shared feedback with us. Your continued support helps and motivates everyone on our team to continue working hard on new content and improving the game. We appreciate you all!
Our Discord server is the best place to share feedback and chat directly with our team and the rest of the Tempest Rising Community!
Beyond the Battlefield: The Making of Tempest Rising - Episode 4
Analyzing mission parameters...
Watch the fourth episode of our mini-documentary series, Beyond the Battlefield: The Making of Tempest Rising: The Mission, and learn about the design philosophies and development journey of the game!
We're thrilled to see the response to Tempest Rising from players and press! We've collected some of our favorite quotes from reviewers in this new accolades trailer!
Fixed an issue where players experiencing temporary network instability may experience a “Matchmaking Failed” error.
Fixed an issue where player settings were reset to default if the “WASD Camera” preset was selected.
Fixed an issue where old pre-release save data from demo or beta builds could be loaded by default, causing Campaign loading issues.
Balance Updates:
Units
Engineer/Technician Capture time was a little unpredictable for players and has now been reworked. Originally, it was dependent on building health and based on a curve. We’ve now made it a fixed amount of time, dependent on the building type.
Capture time for all Faction buildings is now 7 seconds.
Capture time for all Construction Yards is now 10 seconds.
Capture time for all neutral buildings is now 5 seconds.
Our Discord server is the best place to share feedback and chat directly with our team and the rest of the Tempest Rising Community!
Beyond the Battlefield: The Making of Tempest Rising - Episode 3
Loading audio. Commencing headbanging!
Watch the third episode of our mini-documentary series, Beyond the Battlefield: The Making of Tempest Rising, and learn about the development of the kick-ass music in the game! This episode features some of the composers on the game talking about what went into making the soundtrack, including the legendary Command & Conquer composer, Frank Klepacki.
It's been a week since our launch, and we're still going strong! Today, we're adding Ranked Matchmaking and Leaderboards for 1v1 matches. Now you can show your true strategic prowess to the world on the global leaderboard! 2v2 Ranked Matchmaking and leaderboards will come at a later date.
This is also our first major patch for Tempest Rising! Thank you to everyone who has played and shared feedback with us in our first week!
Regarding 2v2 Ranking and Queue with Friends
We know many players are eager to play Tempest Rising with their friends and rank up on the Leaderboards together. This is an important feature for RTS players, and the team is already actively working on implementing it.
We plan to add this functionality to the game as soon as possible. Stay tuned for updates, and as always, we appreciate your patience and support!
For the time being, we recommend joining the Tempest Rising Discord server to find a group to play against in Custom matches.
Key Known Issues
The MMR gains/losses post-game will show as "-1" in UI fields. This is ONLY a UI bug, all MMR calculations will show correctly in the leaderboards. We are working on fixing this as soon as possible! We appreciate your patience while we resolve this issue.
Patch Notes
Our first major patch includes a variety of balance changes, AI and general game improvements, and bug fixes. This update also notably resolves the issues players were having with hosting and joining custom lobbies.
Feature Updates
Ranked Update
Ranked Queue and Leaderboards are now enabled for 1v1 — test your skill and climb the ladder!
Quality of Life Improvements
UI Improvements
Improved input responsiveness for double-clicking to select units of the same type.
Added subtitles to the Game Intro Cinematics.
Skirmish Bot Improvements
Construction Yard placement logic has been improved
Unit pathing and movement are more cohesive, with bots now grouping units more tightly during advances.
Field Scout's "Throw Marking Mine" ability now functions as intended
Bug Fixes
Campaign and Gameplay Fixes
Fixed Veti Shield reappearing upon loading a save in the final DYN campaign mission.
Fixed mission failure when capturing the Repair Bay with the last Technician in DYN Mission 9.
Fixed issue allowing a second Hijacker to be obtained early in GDF mission 7.
Fixed objective "Eliminate prison guards to free the Civilians" not completing after save reload in GDF mission 8.
Fixed incorrect damage and range values in "Regional Networking Doctrine".
Skirmish
Fixed player losing control of base after loading a Skirmish save.
Achievements
Fixed "Doctor's Visit" and "Drive by Mechanic" achievements being unlocked by bots.
Fixed "Tempest Hoarder" achievement not unlocking (now correctly grants after match ends).
Controls & Input
Fixed quick group switching being unresponsive.
Fixed "Center on Base" hotkey not working with DYN Construction Yard Bastion upgrade.
Fixed WASD camera preset not applying when set from the Main Menu.
Fixed double-clicking not selecting all Spy Drones.
UI & Display
Fixed "Restore Page" button not resetting camera preset settings.
Fixed Spy Drone aura radius always being displayed when selected.
Fixed attack speed values not rounding to two decimal places for units with Veterancy.
Multiplayer & Networking
Resolved issues with creating and joining custom lobbies — players should now be able to host and join custom games without issues.
Fixed various server crashes occurring during matchmaking.
Fixed an issue where attacking a specific unit or structure under certain conditions could cause the player to be kicked from the match.
Balance Updates
As we enable ranked mode in Tempest Rising, this first balance patch is aimed at addressing trends and imbalances observed during the first week since release. The Global Defense Force (GDF) has proven a bit too dominant in late-game scenarios due to excessive scaling from Intel generation.
This patch aims to dial that back by requiring more thoughtful Intel allocation and reducing its efficiency when Credit-starved. In addition, several high-performing units are being tuned to reduce their ease of use or over-efficiency, while underperforming tools are getting the adjustments they need to become more viable.
Overall, these changes are focused on tightening the skill curve, promoting unit diversity, and keeping strategic play front and center.
Structures - GDF
We had some players identify strategies to scale Intel income considerably in the late game, and wanted to make some changes to limit the GDF’s ability to mass produce Intel passively. We have also tweaked some Tier 3 units’ Intel costs to make them less spammable.
Construction Yard
Now generates 1 Intel per 10 seconds (from 1 Intel per 7 seconds)
Satellite Uplink
Intel cost increased to 20 (was 0)
Now generates 1 Intel per 20 seconds (from 1 Intel per 10 seconds)
Data Core
Intel cost increased to 40 (was 0)
Now generates 1 Intel per 10 seconds (from 1 Intel per 5 seconds)
Haywire Turret
Intel cost increased to 40 (was 30)
Structures - DYN
SAM Site SAM Sites were underwhelming for their price. This makes them more accessible as a core part of air denial.
Cost reduced to 800 (from 1300)
Attack now has a 200 AOE effect
Units - GDF
DCU (Drone Control Unit) DCUs were too cost-efficient. These nerfs make them easier to snipe and limit how freely they can be fielded, without compromising their core role. Additionally, we are removing its ability to Mark enemy units in an area, which should help with late-game Intel scaling.
Range reduced to 2600 (from 3200)
Health reduced to 800 (from 1050)
Drone respawn time increased to 15s (from 10s)
Intel cost increased to 70 (from 50)
Population cost increased to 6 (from 5)
DCU’s Target Designator no longer Marks enemy units
Condor Condors were scaling too well relative to their cost. This makes high-Condor plays more of a commitment.
Intel cost increased to 50 (from 40)
Population cost increased to 4 (from 3)
Comms Officer This unit had the highest win rate in the game. We’re tuning back its overall efficiency while keeping its role intact.
Damage reduced to 30 (from 40)
Range reduced to 2600 (from 2800)
Health reduced to 300 (from 400)
Queller Bringing the Queller closer to the frontlines to attack should increase counterplay opportunities, especially from AA options.
JUDGE Laser range reduced to 1850 (from 2000)
Minigun range reduced to 1750 (from 1800)
Health reduced to 850 (from 900)
Shieldmaiden This improves Shieldmaiden utility in countering ground pushes and helps reduce reliance on air-heavy strategies.
Range increased to 3800 (from 3500)
Fixed Standoff Orders to correctly target ground units instead of air
Units - DYN
While our main focus this patch was bringing some of the GDF’s Intel scaling under control, we also wanted to make sure that the Dynasty was getting proper attention.
Many air units on both sides have been overperforming, so the Matchstick and Leveler have been toned down somewhat. Additionally, some cornerstone Dynasty vehicles are getting some minor improvements to hold up more in battle.
Matchstick These changes make Matchsticks more vulnerable to anti-air and less oppressive in clustered fights by reducing their range and splash damage.
Attack range reduced to 1700 (from 1800)
Damage reduced to 80 (from 90)
Attack AOE reduced to 350 (from 600)
Health reduced to 600 (from 650)
Leveler The Leveler remains deadly, but its reduced attack AOE and range, along with a cost bump, will demand better positioning and timing, curbing how easily it can be massed.
Movement speed reduced to 600 (from 700)
Attack AOE reduced to 500 (from 600)
Cost increased to 3200 (from 2800)
Havoc A slight buff to help them survive longer and be a more relevant factor in early-game AA defense.
HP increased to 290 (from 280)
Operative With a very high win rate, a slight reduction in DPS helps bring Operatives more in line without gutting their usefulness.
Attack interval increased to 2.2s (from 2s)
Boar Tank A small survivability boost to make Boars a sturdier frontline option.
Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback in the Discord and Steam forums in our first week! With your help, we'll continue to improve Tempest Rising on our post-launch journey.
Tempest Rising - Launch Gameplay Stream
This gameplay was recorded on April 17 by CohhCarnage.
Our Discord server is the best place to share feedback and chat directly with our team and the rest of the Tempest Rising Community!
Hotfix Update #1
Custom Lobby Issue
We're still investigating the issues players are experiencing with joining and creating a Custom Lobby. We have added new dev tools to help us track these issues and resolve them sooner. We've listed steps to take to try and resolve this here.
Please submit a ticket to our Support Page if you continue experiencing this issue. Thank you for your patience!
Bug Fixes:
Gameplay Fixes:
Hijacker units are now prevented from capturing Veti-faction vehicles.
Achievements:
Fixed an issue where the “The Ultimate Silo-Fest” achievement wouldn’t trigger correctly
Fixed an issue where the “Base-Builder's Fiesta” achievement wouldn’t trigger correctly
Fixed an issue where the “Air Traffic Controller” achievement wouldn’t trigger correctly
The “Marking for Life” achievement can no longer be completed by bots on behalf of players
The “Squatters Rights” achievement can no longer be completed by bots on behalf of players
Crash Fixes & Stability:
Fixed a variety of server crash issues.
Fixed a crash occurring when resizing the game window while in the main menu.
Matchmaking & UI:
Fixed an issue where the UI would not update properly if matchmaking failed early
Fixed an issue where player "None" would be displayed in Match History
Dev Tools - Logging & Debugging:
Added enhanced logging internally for tracking Custom Lobby join/create errors; these will help us further investigate this issue and related issues
Our Discord server is the best place to share feedback and chat directly with our team and the rest of the Tempest Rising Community!
Tempest Rising is available NOW for all players!
Ready for deployment, General!
We’ve been blown away by the response from the community in the 24 hours since our Early Unlock launch!
As many of you noticed, Tempest Rising was unexpectedly made available yesterday morning for all players who pre-ordered the game. While the team worked quickly to address the issue, the most seamless solution ended up being to release the game to everyone. This means that right now you can buy either the Standard or Deluxe Editions and play today!
Commander Pack
All players can still grab the “Commander Pack” pre-order bonus! Purchase either edition of the game before 7am PDT / 10am EDT / 3pm BST / 4pm CEST on Thursday, April 24, and you’ll receive instant in-game access to all bonus content, including: the “Commander” Main Menu Backdrop, the “Commander” selection box and cursor, unique player avatars, and more.
To Our Deluxe Edition Players
With this new launch time, we know the 7-day Early Unlock period promised for Deluxe Edition owners no longer applies. Rest assured, we have not forgotten about you. To show our appreciation for your support, we are working on new exclusive in-game content to compensate for this last-minute change in our release plans. We’ll share more information about this replacement content as soon as possible.
Please note that your Deluxe Edition still includes the Tempest Rising Digital Artbook and the full 41-track digital game soundtrack.
Ranked Matchmaking and Leaderboards
These features were originally promised for April 24, and while we have released the game early, we are still releasing both features on this date.
Thank you!
We want to take this opportunity again to thank all of our passionate fans for the love and support you’ve shown our game and our team during our development journey all the way to launch.
Our Discord server is the best place to share feedback and chat directly with our team and the rest of the Tempest Rising Community!
Early Unlock is Available Now for Deluxe Edition Players!
Weapon systems live, awaiting orders...
Your army is ready, Commander! Tempest Rising Early Unlock is now available for all players who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition
We want to thank you all for supporting our game since we first announced it way back in 2022. We read every comment, and the excitement we've seen from RTS players around the world has kept us motivated throughout development.
Also, a special thank you to all the players and other developers in the community who played Tempest Rising at live events, tried out our demos, and participated in our Closed Beta; your passion for RTS games was clear, and the feedback you gave us was invaluable during development!
We hope you enjoy Tempest Rising as much as we enjoyed making it!
Double Time!
If you have not pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition, but are now considering playing early, don't worry, there's still time. Or maybe you're looking to get access to the Commander Pack items, like the Commander Main Menu backdrop. You can still purchase either edition before April 24 and still get the early bonuses for each!
Below, you will find a brief breakdown of the Early Unlock information.
Early Unlock
To cover off some key points related to the Early Unlock period for Deluxe Edition owners and pre-orders in general.
Ranked matchmaking and Leaderboards WILL NOT be available during the 7-day Early Unlock period. This is to ensure that all players start at an equal position in the rankings.
Quick play matchmaking will still be available, using a hidden MMR to match players; this will not count towards any official ranking.
Deluxe Edition pre-order owners gain 7-day Early Unlock access to Tempest Rising, and receive the base game, the digital art book, a digital download of the original soundtrack, and the 'Commander Pack' items.
Standard Edition pre-order owners also receive the 'Commander Pack' items.
You may pre-order the game anytime before full release on Thursday, April 24 at 7am PDT / 10am EDT / 3pm BST / 4pm CEST and still receive the bonuses for each edition.
If you pre-order the Deluxe Edition before April 24, then you will be able to play the game for the remainder of the Early Unlock period.
If you pre-order either edition before April 24, you will still receive the 'Commander Pack' items.
