G'day Forts Fans! Quick update for you all, including balance changes to some of the weapons, and for all you Alienware users out there, new interactive lights feature. Thanks to Alienware for supplying the hardware to develop this feature.


If you're the lucky owner of an Alienware system or RGB peripherals complete with AlienFX Lighting support, you will now be able to enjoy a whole new level of Forts interactivity, as the lights dynamically change based on what's happening in battle. These features include:

• Lights solid white when a reactor is destroyed
  
• Lights flash light blue when commander is fully charged
  
• Lights flash blue when commander active
  
• Lights flash red when reactor is taking damage
  
• Lights flash orange when missiles fired by enemy
  
• Lights flash yellow if there are fires burning
  
• Lights show average reactor health (green -> red)
  
• Set lights to red or green based on local player's ready status in lobby
  
• Host's lights go green when all players are ready. Otherwise they remain red
  
• Reset to solid orange in pause menu to avoid distracting flashing
  
• Option to disable AlienFX

Add: AlienFX lighting integration with context dependent colour and flashing
Add: alternative mouse input based on Windows cursor to avoid input lag on some systems (Options -> Input -> Mouse -> set Use DirectInput off)
Add: label to show meaning of speech bubble in lobby select screen
Balance: increase cost of firing emp and rockets (20/700->20/800, 20/700->30/1200)
Balance: increase cost to fire shotgun (30/500 to 30/800)
Balance: snipers and miniguns less vulnerable to shotgun (100% -> 25%)
Balance: miniguns less vulnerable to flak - same as machine gun (100% -> 25%)
Balance: emp, rocket, and shotgun more vulnerable to minigun (100% -> 160%)
Balance: increased incendiary radius of Firebird's active warhead from 120 to 180
Optimise: Reduce Firebird active flaming missile trail length and effect lifespan
Fix: mine can be created off the ground surface when nearest foundation is above the ground
Fix: PhysicsManager::SnapToNode uses graphical position to snap to node positions, causing a desync when AI snaps to nodes, and when testing for proximity to enemy fort
Fix: struts with an attached device can be deleted by using delete key from a non-materials tab (e.g. technology)
Fix: limit length and display of Windows username as unique identifier for privacy
Fix: structure repair doesn't cancel when metal supply can't keep up
Fix: empty new lobby name can be entered and sticks after cancel, making it impossible to edit
Fix: If new lobby name is saved as empty the default is not restored
Fix: cursor visibility and pause issues when Steam overlay is made visible during loading
Fix: player fort allocation recorded too late, early drop outs cause an instant desync
Fix: Firebird active icon not shown over missile silos
Fix: restarting during commander active period causes commander icons to appear after building marked items
Fix: placing ground devices fails when snapped to a ground/grid intersection

Thanks for playing Forts!

Cheers,
EWG

G'day Forts Fans! Quick update for you all, including balance changes to some of the weapons, and for all you Alienware users out there, new interactive lights feature. Thanks to Alienware for supplying the hardware to develop this feature.


If you're the lucky owner of an Alienware system or RGB peripherals complete with AlienFX Lighting support, you will now be able to enjoy a whole new level of Forts interactivity, as the lights dynamically change based on what's happening in battle. These features include:

• Lights solid white when a reactor is destroyed
  
• Lights flash light blue when commander is fully charged
  
• Lights flash blue when commander active
  
• Lights flash red when reactor is taking damage
  
• Lights flash orange when missiles fired by enemy
  
• Lights flash yellow if there are fires burning
  
• Lights show average reactor health (green -> red)
  
• Set lights to red or green based on local player's ready status in lobby
  
• Host's lights go green when all players are ready. Otherwise they remain red
  
• Reset to solid orange in pause menu to avoid distracting flashing
  
• Option to disable AlienFX

Add: AlienFX lighting integration with context dependent colour and flashing
Add: alternative mouse input based on Windows cursor to avoid input lag on some systems (Options -> Input -> Mouse -> set Use DirectInput off)
Add: label to show meaning of speech bubble in lobby select screen
Balance: increase cost of firing emp and rockets (20/700->20/800, 20/700->30/1200)
Balance: increase cost to fire shotgun (30/500 to 30/800)
Balance: snipers and miniguns less vulnerable to shotgun (100% -> 25%)
Balance: miniguns less vulnerable to flak - same as machine gun (100% -> 25%)
Balance: emp, rocket, and shotgun more vulnerable to minigun (100% -> 160%)
Balance: increased incendiary radius of Firebird's active warhead from 120 to 180
Optimise: Reduce Firebird active flaming missile trail length and effect lifespan
Fix: mine can be created off the ground surface when nearest foundation is above the ground
Fix: PhysicsManager::SnapToNode uses graphical position to snap to node positions, causing a desync when AI snaps to nodes, and when testing for proximity to enemy fort
Fix: struts with an attached device can be deleted by using delete key from a non-materials tab (e.g. technology)
Fix: limit length and display of Windows username as unique identifier for privacy
Fix: structure repair doesn't cancel when metal supply can't keep up
Fix: empty new lobby name can be entered and sticks after cancel, making it impossible to edit
Fix: If new lobby name is saved as empty the default is not restored
Fix: cursor visibility and pause issues when Steam overlay is made visible during loading
Fix: player fort allocation recorded too late, early drop outs cause an instant desync
Fix: Firebird active icon not shown over missile silos
Fix: restarting during commander active period causes commander icons to appear after building marked items
Fix: placing ground devices fails when snapped to a ground/grid intersection

Thanks for playing Forts!

Cheers,
EWG

G’day Forts Fans! We’re back with a few quick fixes, including the long awaited key binding functionality. If anyone has a good left-handed configuration they'd like to share in the official build, please get in contact. Check out the fixes below!

Add: in-game key rebinding, potential conflicts are highlighted
Add: lobby name is saved and restored
Add: auto subscribe to maps in replay files when they are selected
Add: \build_fort command can take relative path of script as a parameter for testing shared scripts
Balance: Shockenaugh no longer places barrels on armour
Balance: rocket emp vulnerable to a single sniper shot (140 to 130)
Balance: reduced rocket hitpoints from 180 to 150
Fix: tab order in main menu
Fix: Shockenaugh sometimes places barrels intersecting with the ground
Fix: Shockenaugh’s barrels delete too fast when fastbuild mod is active
Fix: crash in editor when old music streams are processed for completion by non-existent scripts
Fix: crash dumps can sometimes fail to record all information due to crash during screenshot
Fix: lobby scrollbar overlapping on right side
Fix: AI can get stuck repeatedly building something that fails immediately after
Fix: second Wingman 4v4 ToG fort from front on team 2 can get stuck trying to build a rope
Fix: Steam notification obscures resources readout
Fix: multiplayer nickname not saved and restored
Fix: replay map paths cause failure when game installed on different paths
Fix: long Steam names crash multiplayer (hotfix)


Thanks for playing Forts!

Cheers,
EWG

G’day Forts Fans! We’re back with a few quick fixes, including the long awaited key binding functionality. If anyone has a good left-handed configuration they'd like to share in the official build, please get in contact. Check out the fixes below!

Add: in-game key rebinding, potential conflicts are highlighted
Add: lobby name is saved and restored
Add: auto subscribe to maps in replay files when they are selected
Add: \build_fort command can take relative path of script as a parameter for testing shared scripts
Balance: Shockenaugh no longer places barrels on armour
Balance: rocket emp vulnerable to a single sniper shot (140 to 130)
Balance: reduced rocket hitpoints from 180 to 150
Fix: tab order in main menu
Fix: Shockenaugh sometimes places barrels intersecting with the ground
Fix: Shockenaugh’s barrels delete too fast when fastbuild mod is active
Fix: crash in editor when old music streams are processed for completion by non-existent scripts
Fix: crash dumps can sometimes fail to record all information due to crash during screenshot
Fix: lobby scrollbar overlapping on right side
Fix: AI can get stuck repeatedly building something that fails immediately after
Fix: second Wingman 4v4 ToG fort from front on team 2 can get stuck trying to build a rope
Fix: Steam notification obscures resources readout
Fix: multiplayer nickname not saved and restored
Fix: replay map paths cause failure when game installed on different paths
Fix: long Steam names crash multiplayer (hotfix)


Thanks for playing Forts!

Cheers,
EWG

G'day Forts Fans! We hope you're having a great holiday break, and have enjoyed the new commanders we brought to you recently. Just in time for the new year we're bringing you a quick update to address a couple of things, including some balancing to Shockenaugh's charge ability.

Add: EnableRMBWheelItemCycling option to settings.lua to disable right mouse & scroll wheel cycling
Shockenaugh: barrels can be deleted which costs some resources
Shockenaugh: only make one barrel per structure, not one per reactor
Shockenaugh: return charge balance to normal
Balance: removal of barrel cost 1000 energy, 45 seconds to delete
Fix: AI can't get correct commander points in TDM to activate
Fix: able to place multiple overlapping ground devices when lagging
Fix: able to place warhead directly by keeping the selection after building one
Fix: typo in Disable Plasma Laser mod English display name
Fix: Chinese translations for Shockenaugh's description
Fix: missiles sometimes overshoot, especially when using Seep's active
Fix: missile can be reloaded by disconnecting then reconnecting
Fix: Inverted missile types can be kept when keeping selection is set
Fix: standard forts are out of date, causing a crash on import
Fix: crash while initialising DevIL on some machines
Fix: pause menu pops up after winning when watching replay
Fix: create users folder if it doesn't exist

Thanks for playing Forts, and happy new year!

Cheers,
EWG

G'day Forts Fans! We hope you're having a great holiday break, and have enjoyed the new commanders we brought to you recently. Just in time for the new year we're bringing you a quick update to address a couple of things, including some balancing to Shockenaugh's charge ability.

Add: EnableRMBWheelItemCycling option to settings.lua to disable right mouse & scroll wheel cycling
Shockenaugh: barrels can be deleted which costs some resources
Shockenaugh: only make one barrel per structure, not one per reactor
Shockenaugh: return charge balance to normal
Balance: removal of barrel cost 1000 energy, 45 seconds to delete
Fix: AI can't get correct commander points in TDM to activate
Fix: able to place multiple overlapping ground devices when lagging
Fix: able to place warhead directly by keeping the selection after building one
Fix: typo in Disable Plasma Laser mod English display name
Fix: Chinese translations for Shockenaugh's description
Fix: missiles sometimes overshoot, especially when using Seep's active
Fix: missile can be reloaded by disconnecting then reconnecting
Fix: Inverted missile types can be kept when keeping selection is set
Fix: standard forts are out of date, causing a crash on import
Fix: crash while initialising DevIL on some machines
Fix: pause menu pops up after winning when watching replay
Fix: create users folder if it doesn't exist

Thanks for playing Forts, and happy new year!

Cheers,
EWG

G’day Forts Fans! Just a quick note to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and to let you know that we’ll be taking a well earned break to spend some time with our families.

We hope you’ve been enjoying the new commanders and we’re looking forward to bringing you more Forts content in 2018.

See you in the new year!

Cheers,
EWG

G’day Forts Fans! Just a quick note to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and to let you know that we’ll be taking a well earned break to spend some time with our families.

We hope you’ve been enjoying the new commanders and we’re looking forward to bringing you more Forts content in 2018.

See you in the new year!

Cheers,
EWG

We’ve got a big pre-christmas update ready for opening! Three new BPO Commanders with cool new abilities, and some new mods to disable items too! We've optimised the network traffic when painting targets with snipers, which should see multiplayer stability improve.



Passive:
- Shields reflect projectiles perfectly
- Double-Shot snipers
- Increased projectile spread
Active:
- Reduced projectile spread




Passive:
- Warheads burst into swarm when destroyed.
- Reduce silo launch delay.
- EMP sends missiles back
Active:
- Fast Rockets & Missiles




Passive:
- Shields absorb energy from lasers.
- Max group size increased to four.
Active:
- Places explosive barrels inside enemy fort.


Add: Commander Scattershot, Seep and Shockenaugh
Add: Show commanders on victory/defeat banner
Add: mods to disable specific devices
Add: mod select presented as collapsible tree
Add: lobbies are hidden when host is AFK for 60 seconds
Add: translations of some mods
Add: new effects for weapon group operations
Balance: increase sensitivity of missiles to EMP
Optimise: reduce frequency of cursor messages when aiming missiles to reduce dropouts
Optimise: client_position sent if the missile group is not ready to fire
Optimise: door control message sent multiple times when painting target
Optimise: client_position messages can be sent at the same frame
Fix: crash when search for non-existent mods files: pre-scan & search internally
Fix: firebeam can be swept to ignite entire enemy forts
Fix: replay keyframe desync when struts are on fire
Fix: Hurricane active icon not showing up on ToG weapons
Fix: client can desync if the game ends before the join took place
Fix: console spam when using Eagle Eye and ToG
Fix: French time limit mods all say 10 minutes
Fix: fire state after final extinguish causes replay desyncs
Fix: late fires can still burn on winners' forts
Fix: position not set for grouping sound effect
Fix: damaged warhead doesn’t produce a sound
Fix: missile trail effects can linger esp. when hit by flak
Fix: Disable Alerts on popup not working
Fix: commander rollover highlights not working
Fix: double clicking closes mod selection dialog

Balance: Increased charge time for Shockenaugh
Balance: Increased reload period for Scattershot snipers

We hope you enjoy the new commanders and mods and look forward to your feedback.

From all of us here at EarthWork Games, we wish you all a safe and Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!

Cheers,
EWG

We’ve got a big pre-christmas update ready for opening! Three new BPO Commanders with cool new abilities, and some new mods to disable items too! We've optimised the network traffic when painting targets with snipers, which should see multiplayer stability improve.



Passive:
- Shields reflect projectiles perfectly
- Double-Shot snipers
- Increased projectile spread
Active:
- Reduced projectile spread




Passive:
- Warheads burst into swarm when destroyed.
- Reduce silo launch delay.
- EMP sends missiles back
Active:
- Fast Rockets & Missiles




Passive:
- Shields absorb energy from lasers.
- Max group size increased to four.
Active:
- Places explosive barrels inside enemy fort.


Add: Commander Scattershot, Seep and Shockenaugh
Add: Show commanders on victory/defeat banner
Add: mods to disable specific devices
Add: mod select presented as collapsible tree
Add: lobbies are hidden when host is AFK for 60 seconds
Add: translations of some mods
Add: new effects for weapon group operations
Balance: increase sensitivity of missiles to EMP
Optimise: reduce frequency of cursor messages when aiming missiles to reduce dropouts
Optimise: client_position sent if the missile group is not ready to fire
Optimise: door control message sent multiple times when painting target
Optimise: client_position messages can be sent at the same frame
Fix: crash when search for non-existent mods files: pre-scan & search internally
Fix: firebeam can be swept to ignite entire enemy forts
Fix: replay keyframe desync when struts are on fire
Fix: Hurricane active icon not showing up on ToG weapons
Fix: client can desync if the game ends before the join took place
Fix: console spam when using Eagle Eye and ToG
Fix: French time limit mods all say 10 minutes
Fix: fire state after final extinguish causes replay desyncs
Fix: late fires can still burn on winners' forts
Fix: position not set for grouping sound effect
Fix: damaged warhead doesn’t produce a sound
Fix: missile trail effects can linger esp. when hit by flak
Fix: Disable Alerts on popup not working
Fix: commander rollover highlights not working
Fix: double clicking closes mod selection dialog

Balance: Increased charge time for Shockenaugh
Balance: Increased reload period for Scattershot snipers

We hope you enjoy the new commanders and mods and look forward to your feedback.

From all of us here at EarthWork Games, we wish you all a safe and Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!

Cheers,
EWG