Hello all,

Brass Brigade has now been released for over 5 years! To celebrate, the game will be 50% off in the upcoming Steam Autumn Sale, so if you haven't yet picked it up, this will be a great opportunity to do so!

I have spent some of my holiday time tracking down and fixing bugs that have snuck in over the last few updates:

• Further tweaked enemy tank, artillery, machine gun AI to be reasonably aggressive at detecting and shooting targets.
  
• Fixed infantry anti-tank weapons (Bazooka, PIAT, panzerschreck, etc) being able to one-hit almost any tank. They now take several hits, with perpendicular shots doing the most damage. The more shallow the angle, the less damage done.
  
• Player character no longer erroneously omits voice lines intended for bots
  
• Player character no longer erroneously exits prone or crouch position when a medic or resupply soldier is approaching him.

Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving week. I'm thankful for your support - I wouldn't have felt quite as compelled to support BB for these 5 long years without knowing there were so many people who enjoyed it. For example, the success of my game made it possible for me to travel to a WW2 reenactment in Illinois (I drove from Michigan!) to get some research materials back when I was looking to implement the jeeps, halftracks, and trucks. Here are a few pictures I took along the way - thought you might appreciate them now that those vehicles have been implemented.






I have a few more bug fixes slated to tackle in the coming days/weeks. Until then, enjoy some turkey :)

Cheers,
-Henry.

Hello,

Quick patch primarily fixing an issue where AI troops would not properly target enemies when on mounted machine guns, and occasionally when in vehicles.

Also tweaked AI aggression when in stationary guns and tanks to be higher.

-Henry

Trucks have been added as the last new land vehicle I'm planning to add to Brass Brigade. Positioned between jeeps and halftracks, trucks offer a way for 6 troops to move around the battlefield with a middle amount of speed, maneuverability, and protection. But be careful! There isn't much in the way to shoot back at the enemy from a truck. They're meant to ferry troops between control points, not charge headfirst into a frontline!


G508 w. canopy

The G-508 is the Allied truck joining the ranks of Brass Brigade today. Over 2 million of these trucks saw service during the Second World War so its only fitting they get some time in the fray alongside the M3 Halftrack and Willys GP. You will see a few variants of this truck, ranging from multiple liveries and rear cargo cover configurations. It offers reasonable low end torque and a generous amount of suspension travel to help get over rough terrain.


Blitz without canopy

The Blitz is almost statistically identical to the G-508 for balancing purposes. However, due to having one less axel, it does not have as much weight and is a little faster but has a softer suspension and may sway more and risk rolling on uneven terrain. Beware this classic grey beast as lots of Fritz's troops will surely be in the back! Same as its Allied counter-part, it comes in a variety of liveries and rear cargo bed configurations for some aesthetic variety.

• Fixed targeting issue with tanks and field guns where they were disregarding enemy foot soldiers when no higher priority targets were visible
  
• Adjusted vehicle pathfinding on some levels to try and reduce frequency of jeeps/halftracks/trucks from getting stuck on obstacles
  
• Fixed inability to zoom in/out while in vehicle driver seat
  
• Fixed German/Italian Afrika team having Allied vehicles; correctly set to use Axis Desert Vehicles
  
• Destroyed vehicles have destroyed/charred texture

As mentioned in the last news update (Halftrack update) I have raised the price of Brass Brigade to $14.99 USD. Thank you to all who have supported the game these last 5 years. I feel that as the game has grown far beyond its original scope and I've been developing/supporting it for over 2 years longer than planned, the increase in cost is warranted. As a one man show with limited exposure, the only way I can continue to deliver free content updates and (hopefully) create another game is to price my game accordingly.

I think the next update will focus on bug-fixing as more than a few have snuck in or persisted lately that need attention. I am not planning on adding any more vehicles - with halftracks, trucks, jeeps, tanks, field guns, and mounted machine-guns, the land-based combat loop is quite large & really beginning to push the bounds of what I ever planned Brass Brigade to support. The environment design is being stretched to its limits and I'm beginning to fight design choices I made long ago that aren't easily changed.

I want to try and polish up the game as best I can and wrap up development soon. This November will mark 5 years since release and almost 7 years of total development. Thanks for all the support along the way and I hope you enjoy this new update! It might be time for a new project/adventure soon...

-Henry

Hello all,



The US M3 Halftrack


The German Sd.Kfz 251 Halftrack

You will come across 2 new vehicles on the battlefields of Brass Brigade after today's update. The US M3 and the German Sd.Kfz 251 Halftracks. These new vehicles offer a middle-ground between tanks and jeeps, offering reasonable protection from most small arms gunfire and middling speed to get around. They each can carry a total of 6 troops into battle - 1 driver, 1 gunner, and 4 passengers. While the gunner position can easily mow down incoming light infantry, it is a high exposed position, so be careful when manning the light-machine gun. If you prefer to ride in the back or drive the vehicle yourself, the bots will prioritize driving the vehicle and manning the gun in your stead.

• M3 Halftrack in Army Green
  
• M3 Halftrack in Desert Tan
  
• M3 Halftrack in Soviet Livery
  
• Sd.Kfz 251 in Grey
  
• Sd.Kfz 251 in Desert Tan
  
• Willys GP (Jeep) in Soviet Livery

• Anzio Day 1 - Significantly altered the main buildings on the map. Most of the buildings are now intact (and destroyed on Anzio Day 2).
  
• Anzio Day 1 - Adjusted spawns for Allied Beach Landing so bots should not get stuck on the landing craft with vehicles
  
• Anzio Day 2 - Adjusted Lighting
  
• Stalingrad - Adjusted vehicle spawns on German side
  
• Streets of Berlin - Fixed vehicle spawn on Russian Right pointing the wrong way
  
• Battle of Kursk - Adjusted total number of vehicles; a few less tanks and a few more transport vehicles to help even out the flow of the battle.

• Bots should no longer clump around vehicles/stationary guns
  
• Bots will switch seats in vehicles and prioritize driving & gunning
  
• Bots may now exit vehicles when the vehicle stops in a capture zone. They won't sit in them forever
  
• Adjusted German bot AI to make them more mobile and more balanced against Allied AI counter-parts

• Reworked the Instant Action menu so most of the options are now in sub-menus. Reduces clutter and groups the battle options more logically. So many options have been added to the game, I couldn't fit them on the original screen anymore!

• Steering wheels now turn in the vehicle when steering!
  
• Changed shooting sound of the British Lee Enfield No. 4 rifle.
  
• New destroyed bodies & textures for jeeps and halftracks when they are killed.

There are a few known bugs I've found while testing. I hope to have them fixed soon in a later update. If you find any additional bugs (I'm sure there are many - the game's scope is growing quite a lot), please send them to me on the Brass Brigade #bugs Discord channel.

• Player name sometimes is not shown in scoreboard or is shown repeatedly. (This is proving surprisingly difficult to track down...)
  
• Rare bug where dead bodies will slide around on the ground. if anyone is able to replicate this reliably, please send me a note on the Brass Brigade Discord!
  
• Cannot unzoom in driver seat of vehicle.

I am planning to raise the price of Brass Brigade in the near future (likely after the Steam Summer Sale) to account for the significant amount of extra content and work that has gone into the game over the last few years and to help with ongoing development costs. If you want to pick the game up, the Steam Summer Sale is a great time to do so!

Thanks,
Henry

Hello all,

In honor of the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion, Brass Brigade will go on sale at an all-time high discount of 80% off.

The sale will start 6/6 at 1PM EST and continue for 24 hours.

Fun as video games are, let us not forget the history that these games and other media are based on. Take a moment to remember those who gave so much in the name of freedom 80 years ago.

Some great gameplay of the Omaha Beach battle in Brass Brigade, courtesy of DaleyProductions!



Thank you,
Henry

Hello,

Thanks for all the love, support, and kind words after the most recent "Jeeps" update. Many thanks to those who submitted bug reports. This update should help resolve some of the more troublesome issues. Fixes include...

- Fixed scoreboard not showing the player's name in the list of soldiers
- Adjusted spawns of jeeps in some maps so there's more space between them and other nearby vehicles/tanks.
- Fixed jeeps being able to drive through invisible walls on maps. They should now collide with invisible walls correctly.
- Fixed friendly fire settings with jeeps. Jeeps would previously take damage from friendly fire when the friendly fire setting was "Off". This resulted in jeeps exploding but the occupants were still alive.
- Potential fix for rare bug where player would die but not be able to respawn. I haven't been able to reproduce this myself but I've seen a few players experience it, so I'm trying to protect against this. If someone knows exactly how to reproduce this, please let me know on the Brass Brigade Discord's #bug-reports channel! Appreciated :D

Until next time,
Henry

Hello all,

New to the battlefield in this update are some of the most iconic vehicles of the Second World War. The Willys MB/GPW (or what we now refer to as a "jeep") and the Kubelwagen are joining the ever growing fleet of vehicles available to navigate the battlefield with. These transport vehicles are the first examples of vehicles in Brass Brigade that allow for multiple troops to travel together in a vehicle. They're fast, nimble, and lightly armored, making them well suited for darting between capture points. They don't stand up to gunfire very well and offer very little armor, so if you come across a large group of enemies, you best steer clear before it's too late!

The Jeep is perhaps the single most lasting and enduring road vehicle to have been born out of World War II. With nearly 650,000 produced by the war's end, the Jeep proved to be a reliable and rugged means of transportation for getting Allied troops both into and out of enemy lines.



In this initial update, you'll come across 3 variants of the Jeep; one adorned in the traditional green with the Allied Star on the hood, a slightly fictionalized British variant, and a desert variant (Rat Patrol anyone?).

The Kubelwagen served as the GPs opposite number. The Kubelwagen served a similar role for Axis troops throughout the Second World war and is arguably just as recognizable a vehicle with great historical significance. While the Axis powers couldn't quite match the United States' "Arsenal of Democracy" and their output of nearly 650,000 jeeps, over 50,000 Kubelwagens were produced with virtually all of them being assigned for use in the war. Despite the significantly lower production numbers, it is still an instantly recognizable vehicle on any battlefield thanks to its sharp angles and ribbed sides.



Like the jeep, the Kubelwagen comes in the standard military grey & desert variants. A dark green version is also available for the Japanese forces as a stand-in.

Bots will seek out all vehicles/mounted weapons now much more frequently than they did before. Generally, bots that are closer to these vehicles will try to run to them and hop in them if a seat is still available. Bots will fill up vehicles back to front to ensure they are full before speeding off into battle.



When entering a vehicle, you'll always default to the driver seat. You can swap to any other seat in the car by using F1-F4. You can also swap between first and third person modes while driving as well! When shooting from a vehicle with allies, friendly fire is always disabled between you and the allies in the vehicle.

• Added 7 new Jeep/Kubelwagen variants
  
• Reworked how bots approach & enter vehicles/mounted guns.
  
• Switching between 1st & 3rd person now happens instantly, instead of waiting for the camera to lerp to each position
  
• Added jeep, Kubelwagen, artillery, and mounted machine gun to the tutorial training level.
  
• Various other tweaks and adjustments due to a near complete re-write of vehicle interaction logic & AI surrounding vehicle usage.

This update required a massive amount of reworking under the hood. These jeeps mark the first time bots and the player can share a single vehicle, shoot from a moving vehicle, etc...a lot of reworking needed to be done to support this. I was hoping to have this update ready long ago, but the technical complexity and other personal matters delayed it...but it's here now, so I hope you enjoy! There are still more behaviors I want to add to these jeeps, but they will come later as I wanted to have them ready for the Steam Spring Sale.

Thankfully, I think I've created a solid base to add a few more vehicles from in coming updates. My plan for now is to continue adding a few more transport vehicle types to the game and further enrich the vehicle feature-set, do some additional bug-fixing (I'm sure there are plenty hiding around in there...), etc.

If you have suggestions for future vehicles (or other features/maps/etc), drop me a line on the Brass Brigade Discord!

Until next time,
Henry

Attention soldiers,

This update brings a whole new dimension to the shooting mechanics in Brass Brigade - recoil.

For the entire lifespan of Brass Brigade, weapons have merely fired with a "cone" of accuracy & no actual recoil. Your crosshair always remained stationary when firing. The more accurate a weapon, the tighter the cone of fire would be. The cone was affected by your stance, getting more accurate the lower down you got. This was a pretty simple and effective way of implementing weapon accuracy. This is not an uncommon method of portraying recoil in third person shooter games at all either. In fact, games like Battlefield Heroes (which Brass Brigade has taken inspiration from) and Star Wars Battlefront I & II (the 2004 & 2005 titles, respectively) used a very similar methods of simulating weapon accuracy. It was in this style that Brass Brigade was conceived and followed suit.

However, as Brass Brigade has matured into a larger, more historically-grounded WWII experience (especially when compared to something like Battlefield Heroes), I found myself wanting to simulate weapon recoil a bit more viscerally. Sniping enemies from hundreds of yards away with a Thompson SMG on automatic shouldn't really be possible (or at least, not quite so easy). With this in mind, vertical & horizontal recoil has now been added into Brass Brigade. And don't worry - like most things in-game, it's optional and can be disabled if you wish to preserve the original shooting mechanics (under Settings > Gameplay).


Recoil can be disabled under Settings > Gameplay if you prefer the original shooting mechanics. It's all about your preference!

Weapons now kick upward and side to side as you fire them. The amount of kick is again affected by the player's current stance. Standing is least accurate, crouching is a bit more accurate, and lying prone is most accurate. If the player is actively aiming, the kick is lessened a bit more too. The recoil - while certainly noticeable - is not meant to completely disrupt the moment-to-moment gameplay, so in general, it's not designed to make shooting extremely difficult. The flow and pace of gameplay is still preserved, but it does help to emphasize each weapon's role in a battle. Rifles have a fair amount of kick, forcing you to reset your aim in between shots which makes lining up subsequent shots a bit more challenging, and landing them all the more satisfying. By comparison, smaller automatic weapons kick less, but their rapid fire will have you pointing way above target without burst fire at long distances. However, when you're up close, you can still mag-dump targets with relative ease, preserving their role as the king of CQB.

For now, weapon recoil is generally divided into categories for balancing purpose, so most weapons in a specific category share similar recoil behaviors. I will continue to adjust and tweak specific weapon recoil values to help make each gun more distinguished and true to its real life counter-part, but I think this first iteration adds a lot of color to the moment-to-moment gunfights.

Another small tweak that helps sell the impact and violence that surrounds you on the battlefield is a screen-blurring effect that will be triggered by nearby explosions. If an explosion lands close enough to you, your screen may shake & temporarily become blurred. Best to find cover if that happens before it's too late!



The screen blurs and shakes when near an explosion! Take cover, or else you might not survive until the next update!

Fixed a bug that appeared in the previous update which caused tanks to not see their team-mates and run them over. Tanks should be more aware of allies in their forward path and attempt to stop.

Keep your head down until the next update rolls around,
Henry

Hello everyone,

This is not a normal Brass Brigade update announcement, but its an announcement I feel needs to be made as an indie game developer who uses Unity.

Yesterday, Unity announced a change to their pricing model that would essentially (for Unity Personal users, like myself) charge developers $0.20 per customer install of their Unity game. This fee would only go into effect if certain revenue and installation count thresholds were met. For Unity Personal users, if your game earns $200,000 in yearly revenue and 200,000 installations over its lifetime, you would be subject to pay this extra installation fee. You can read more about the specifics of their pricing model at this link; its far too nuanced for me to get into any deeper here.

While Brass Brigade falls far below these figures and I would not be subject to these newly proposed fees, this change from Unity sets an unacceptable precedent for the future of independent game development with their engine. There are many reasons Unity developers are concerned, and some of them may even extend to you, the customer/player.

Initial concerns of Unity's new system include...

• The amount charged and metrics calculation for number of installs is done entirely at Unity's discretion; there is no transparency for how they arrive at the amount they wish to charge a developer.
  
• There is no clear explanation for how the Unity Runtime "phones home" to tell Unity when it has been newly installed. You as a consumer and downloader of a Unity application have a right to know what data is being sent from your PC and to whom it is being sent.
  
• The instant you cross the threshold to qualify for the additional fees, you will be charged for all users & installations accrued up to that point. For example, if for 11 months you do not cross the thresholds of the fees, you owe Unity nothing. But if on the 12th month of the year you do, you are suddenly charged for the installations accrued in the first 11 months. By Unity's own math in the linked article, the minimum payment for a Unity Personal user crossing the $200,000 yearly revenue & 200,000 install threshold would amount to $22,500 for the first month.
  
• Malicious actors could potentially abuse this fee to harm developers financially by spam installing a Unity application repeatedly, wracking up installation costs against the developer.
  
• The developer is being held liable for the installations/uninstallation by his customers. That's like holding a car manufacturer liable for how people drive their cars.
  
• Pirated copies of Unity games could be counted and incur a fee against a developer who has not earned any revenue from that pirated copy.

...and the list goes on. These are just a few of the immediate red flags that this impending change may cause.

Brass Brigade Discord member Redemption created an excellent video that summarizes why you should care about this change. I recommend giving it a watch & sharing it with all your friends to put pressure onto Unity to revert their decision.


In short, any game that was made in Unity, however new or old it may be, is being threatened by Unity's new pricing model. Some of these games and their developers may not be able to continue supporting or selling their games due to this malicious decision from Unity. Please make your voice heard online by protesting this change from Unity - it serves to harm the interest of both passionate indie game developers and their players.

I love working on Brass Brigade. And while I am not personally affected by this change, I can understand how devastating it is for the developers who will be affected. Years of your life potentially wasted, irrecoverable time, effort, and money gone in the blink of an eye because of Unity's unfathomably out of touch decision making. It honestly makes me question if I should continue developing Brass Brigade and other projects in Unity (or at all)... Please know that the developers of all your favorite indie games right now feel exactly the same way. And for those of us who aren't affected - just because it wasn't us today, doesn't mean it couldn't be us tomorrow.

To Unity - you need to do better. This is not okay.

Thanks for your time & support,
Henry

Hello all,

More regular maintenance as part of codebase refactoring & clean up.

- Bot behavior for entering mountables/vehicles has been rewritten. Bots should hop onto tanks, mounted MGs, and artillery guns much more frequently.
- Candidate bots for occupying a vehicle/mountable adjusted to prioritize nearby bots; this should prevent bots from attempting to run across the whole map to occupy a vehicle. Nearby bots will be prioritized and helps keep these guns active and in the battle.

Until next time,
Henry