G’day Forts Fans! It’s been a long time coming but we’re pleased to be able to bring you Ranked Multiplayer Matchmaking! Also included in this update is a new device, the Repair Station, along with the usual fixes and improvements.

Ever wanted to play Forts against another player with a similar skill level? Well, now you canI Players who opt to play ranked matches will have the result of their battles figure into their score, and their rank will be adjusted accordingly on the public Leaderboard. This should lead to more competitive battles, and a more competitive multiplayer scene in general.

Ranked matches have some restrictions that custom games don't:

• Symmetrical built-in maps only
  
• Only a few built-in mods may be selected
  
• AI settings are symmetrical
  
• Teams must be even and lobbies full
  
• You can't battle the same player more than 3 times in the last 10 games
  
• The host receives artificial lag based on the average ping

Players are scored like so:

• The larger the difference in score, the higher the gain the lower ranked player receives if they win, and the lesser the gain the higher ranked player receives
  
• Part of your score comes from how current your last match was
  
• Quitting early results in a forfeit, even if you are knocked out of TDM
  
• The host can quit without forfeit within 30s to correct game configuration
  
• In 2v2 if your team mate forfeits you can still go on to win
  
• Disconnecting results in losing points if you are losing (judged by damage)
  
• Desyncing results in no change to scores

To play a ranked match, follow these steps:

1 - Click ‘Multiplayer’ from the Main Menu
2 - Select ‘Ranked Match’ from the Lobby Select screen
3 - Check the box for the game type you want to play, 1v1 or 2v2, and click ‘Start’. You will get placed into a lobby with a player of a similar rank, or if none are available, start your own ranked server to await an opponent of similar rank.







1v1 Steam Leaderboard Link
2v2 Steam Leaderboard Link

In an effort to reduce APM and to add another element of strategy, we have created the Repair Station. Available as a device built directly from the Reactor, the Repair Station repairs damage to surrounding building materials and devices as and when they are damaged in exchange for an ongoing resource cost. Multiple Repair Stations can be built at a time, but should be placed with care to maximise their coverage, while also ensuring they don’t put too much of a strain on your economy. Armourdillo has the passive ability of having a larger repair redius for his Repair Stations.

Also, a quick reminder that the FORTS Tournament XI is on June 9th, 6pm BST. Sign up is open now! Click here.


Add: Ranked multiplayer with leaderboards (1v1 and 2v2)
Add: Repair Station device (Armourdillo has increased radius)
Add: New achievement for completing 10 ranked multiplayer games
Add: translations for maps and mods
Add: 'English names' check to file select screen to turn off translation
Add: category tag to uploaded mods
Add: link to tournament news item on main menu
Add: additional logging for workshop and file select to help track down issues
Add: increase away from keyboard time to 3 minutes lobby search
Balance: auto-defenses enabled in campaign hard mode
Balance: +50% minigun damage vs bracing
Balance: remove Hurricane active buff for swarms
Balance: add extra shrapnel to flak (9 -> 12)
Balance: make heavier weapons more expensive to repair (17% -> 33% of build cost)
Balance: boost damage caused by flaming projectiles (mortars, missiles, rockets up to +33%)
Optimise: trim down effect particle allowances and durations
Fix: players can get stuck in Playing state in lobby
Fix: translation of some strings incorrect or out of date
Fix: UpdateProjectiles attempting to delete out of range nodes
Fix: PhysicsManager::HandleCollisions copies vector of every node, allocating memory every frame
Fix: various unnecessary dynamic allocation of small amounts of memory
Fix: full lobbies are not sorted below open lobbies
Fix: use stable_sort for sorted effects to prevent fighting of overlapping particles
Fix: crash in editor: effect.Effect from mSortedEffects dereference crashes
Fix: in PlayerController::StartInstantReplay() host doesn't always recognise itself as such, not allowing pause in replay
Fix: missile flight paths show in replays
Fix: German text overlaps in replay screen
Fix: machine guns not overheating fast enough
Fix: overheating machine guns don't always produce steam
Fix: Ping string not translated due to conflict with unused table
Fix: Limit campaign display names to 19 characters and reduce font size
Fix: validate map foldername/filename in SinglePlayer when selecting a map
Fix: damage tracking for a projectile was cumulating the target type modified damage values
Fix: projectile damage_used tracking for damage multipliers == 0
Fix: Workshop download error message doesn't match errors from failing to download hidden items

Hotfix: crash when browsing ranked lobbies in progress using German language, and maybe other languages

Thanks for playing Forts!

Cheers,
EWG

Greetings FORTS fans! The FORTS Tournament XI is coming soon! This will be our first 3v3 competition and we're really looking forward to some intense mega-multiplayer action.

Saturday, June 9th, 6pm BST (British Summer Time)
(check-in opens two hours prior, please check-in on Challonge BEFORE the tournament starts!)

Other timezones:

• 6pm BST (British Summer Time)
  
• 7pm CEST (Central European Summer Time)
  
• 1pm EDT (USA Eastern Daylight Time)
  
• 12pm CDT (USA Central Daylight Time)
  
• 10am PDT (USA Pacific Daylight Time)
  
• 3am AEST (June 10 - Australian Eastern Standard Time)

The FORTS Multiplayer Lobby and Official Discord

Click here to sign up on Challonge.
(please only sign up if you are sure you can participate)
Click here to sign up to the Forts Discord.
(you MUST be on the Forts Discord to participate in the tournament)

• 3v3
  
• Single Elimination
  
• Team Co-op
  
• 15 minute battle time limit
  
• Ton of Guns enabled
  
• Commanders enabled
  
• Draws decided by total damage inflicted
  
• 16 teams max.

EarthWork Games Twitch Channel
EarthWork Games YouTube Channel
EarthWork Games Mixer Channel
Project Incursus Youtube Channel

(chosen randomly during the tournament (the list may change)

Dueling Vipers 4v4


Hell Mouth 3v3


Jagged Teeth


Stalactites 4v4


Up & Down 3v3


Vanilla 4v4


Wingman 4v4


Ziggurat 4v4



note: Earthwork Games reserves the right to make changes to this event as needed

We are super happy to announce the winner of FORTS Tournament X is Trekjeft! He has now won his third tournament in a row and is clearly the king of the FORTS Hall of Fame!

For Joepocalypse, this was his third time coming second place. So close! He's another force to be reckoned with.

Here are the results...

Supreme Champion: Trekjeft
Worthy Adversary: Joepocalypse
Maybe Next Time: Raaaage_Alert

You can see the full results here.

...and you can watch an edited version of the full tournament here:

https://youtu.be/Kycby6r4v0M
The next tournament will be in around a month, it will be 3v3 or 4v4 and the time will be more suitable for those in Europe (although anyone can join if they like). Stay tuned for an announcement.

Big thanks to Project Incursus, Smash Gaming and the FORTS Discord moderators for helping with the tournament. Also a big thanks to the competitors for putting on a great show!

As always, have fun playing FORTS!

Cheers,
EWG

Howdy folks! Just a quick reminder that this weekend is FORTS Tournament X. We can't wait for things to kick off as some of the world's top FORTS players duke it out for their place in the hall of fame.

Sign up is now full and we have a few in the waiting list. Here are the details...

Saturday May12th, 6pm EDT
(Competitors: check-in opens at 5pm, please check-in on Challonge BEFORE 6pm)

The FORTS Multiplayer Lobby and Official Discord

https://forts.challonge.com/ft10

• 1v1
  
• Single Elimination
  
• 15 minute battle time limit
  
• Ton of Guns enabled
  
• Commanders enabled
  
• Draws decided by total damage inflicted
  
• 16 players max.

EarthWork Games Twitch Channel
EarthWork Games YouTube Channel
EarthWork Games Mixer Channel
Smash Gaming Twitch Channel
Project Incursus Youtube Channel
xRayz3n's Twitch Channel (French)

(chosen randomly during the tournament (the list may change)

Abyss


Arctic Span


Balls


Boxed In


Catacomb


Hillfort


Ice Cave


Ledge Grab


Moorings


Outstretch


Penguin


Pillars


Skylands


Tundra


Vanilla




note: Earthwork Games reserves the right to make changes to this event as needed

G'day Forts fans! Today we bring you the next component of our Steam Workshop support: campaigns. Map makers will now be able to put together a series of missions with a narrative and custom AI. It also features mid-game saves and localisation support. We've put together a demo campaign, which you can subscribe to here. We're looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

In addition we've included another round of network optimisation and improvements. Game clients will make much more efficient use of bandwidth and be less susceptible to congestion. As always let us know if anything goes wrong.

Add: Workshop campaign mod support (linear campaigns supported only)
Add: demo campaign mod 'High Ground'
Mission 1: defend against 20mm battery (specific AI)
Mission 2: 1v2 battle with hanging fort (random AI)
Mission 3: destroy a turtle with anti-air (empty AI)
Add: maps can contain language specific string files
Add: allow a mission script to query game type to avoid cutscenes in Skirmish and multiplayer
Add: restart a linear campaign mission if the map checksum has changed since last save
Add: clock sync option, disabled if off in constants
Add: Workshop shortcut link for items in the workshop manager subscribed lists
Add: select and remove map/mod button for host for client suggested maps/mods. Added to "downloaded" chat lines for items that need subscribing first
Balance: increase mg accuracy
Balance: increase anti-air lead of missiles
Optimise: uninitialised node variables reduce efficiency of keyframe compression
Optimise: have all messages sent buffered on client
Optimise: replay compression type set to fast
Optimise: send tick checks in batches of 8 (every 1.3s)
Optimise: send tick checks as unreliable messages
Fix: crash in replay when printing chat containing % symbol
Fix: seeking in replay with modded music accumulates music streams
Fix: music.lua not loaded during replays
Fix: AI with high team allocation (e.g. 102) is not disabled during cutscenes
Fix: Extrusion fails sometime after restoring a campaign
Fix: hanging-step fort import not aligned with terrain
Fix: TDM AI forts fail to restart
Fix: replay compression allocation failure due to fragmentation
Fix: clock is unnecessarily lagged for moderately good connections
Fix: synced client clocks can drift during pause
Fix: joining clients' clocks are lagged significantly in proportion to ping
Fix: crash when a joint breaks with a standin link attached
Fix: item path not updated when host downloads and subscribes to a new item in chat
Fix: extrusion still shows if link turns neutral

Fix: crash when client receives a ping during connection
Fix: disconnects due to new unreliable messages being dropped
Fix: client doesn't recognise non-responsive host, remaining in lobby or game
Fix: crash in BreakStructure when accessing non-existent link
Fix: commander mod scripts don't handle arithmetic on absent values
Fix: attached device platform can be incorrect after breaking structure
Fix: invalid system chat when host types in the console

Fix: infinite loop when multiple temporary links are cleaned up
Fix: crash when loading Height Challenge
Fix: replay desync when neutral shields are damaged
Fix: incorrect nodes can be deleted in some air-to-air collisions
Fix: crash when starting a sandbox replay

G'day Forts fans! This one year anniversary update looks small compared to the last one, but packs a punch. Read on.

We have addressed some of the pressing balance issues. The cannon has received a buff to its splash damage, and the swarm missiles which dominated the recent tournament are now more costly to build and fire. Eagle Eye receives some love in the form of quick build snipers and more damaging explosive rounds. Upgraded mines produce more metal and turbines are cheaper to upgrade. Check out the full list below, and practice up if you're participating in the upcoming tournament.

In addition the networking has had some optimision, by packing commands together. This reduces the number of messages sent, and total bandwidth used. The game will also have a short time window to queue commands, smoothing the simulation on poor connections.

A bug which the AI was exploiting to build structure while short of resources has also been fixed. Thanks to Romerolagus for reporting that one.

Add: reset nickname button in lobby search
Balance: reduce Eagle Eye sniper build times by 50%
Balance: increase Eagle Eye explosive round damage (+20%) and radius (+12%)
Balance: reduce 20mm fire energy cost from 2500 to 2000
Balance: increase minigun damage multiplier vs rockets/shotguns from 1.6x to 3x
Balance: increase cannon splash damage (+33%) and splash radius (+15%)
Balance: increase upgraded mine metal income from 5 to 6, energy consumption from -7 to -10
Balance: reduce upgraded turbine metal cost from 200 to 100
Balance: swarm build cost increased from 400 to 500
Balance: swarm fire cost increased from 1000 to 1800 energy
Balance: increase anti-air machine gun accuracy (reduced std dev from 8 to 7)
Balance: reduce sandbags hitpoints from 300 to 250
Optimise: Buffer commands into one at the host, flushed by tick message
Optimise: piggy back time sync message on ping message
Fix: extrusions sometimes don't turn out correctly on poor network connections
Fix: simulation can stutter on poor network connections
Fix: ping is sent as a reliable message, causing blowouts during congestion
Fix: affordability of a brand new strut is not tested for, allowing AI to build when it is short of resources
Fix: crash when AI activates their commander then accesses the current script state in the same update
Fix: crash when structures fall outside of the map
Fix: crash when dereferencing expired sorted effect
Fix: human assist AI unnecessarily tracks player created nodes
Fix: Error messages don't remain red in console
Fix: World::ActivateCommander can execute and crash without commanders being enabled
Fix: Firebird not making flaming mortars when active
Fix: missiles targeted by auto air-defences while they are still reaching the attack phase
Fix: mod subscribe & download flow issues
Fix: minigun, shotgun and rocket do not make the correct upgrade sound
Fix: FormatChatString displays garbage characters in a replay when player was in the lobby

Thanks for playing Forts!

Cheers,
EWG

It's hard to believe it's been a year already. Time flies when you're having
fun!

From all of us here at EarthWork Games, we'd like to give all of our players a huge thanks for your support. We literally could not have done it without you. Your feedback on the forums and discord has been super helpful in making FORTS even more fun now than when it launched.

A big thanks to the YouTubers and Twitch Streamers including Project Incursus & Smash Gaming who have been making heaps of cool videos and streams, and getting involved with the tournaments and community.

Thanks to the map and mod makers who are creating great content for the game that we never anticipated. In particular big thanks to Dineth the Destroyer for helping us with maps prior to launch and to Skoddle who's been helping us with coding over the last year.

We'd also like to thank our playtesters for their time and effort in testing game tweaks and features. You are highly valued members of our community.

Now, for some interesting stats on the game since launch:

• FORTS Launched April 19th, 2017 live on Facebook
  
• 200,000 units sold so far!
  
• Big streamers love FORTS including Jack Septic Eye, Baron Von Gamez, Blitz, Lirik and Draegast
  
• We're up to our tenth FORTS Tournament with more to come.
  
• On Nov 1st, 2017 FORTS won an Australian Game Development Award.
  
• We released some Dev Diaries that go behind the scenes.
  
• FORTS is now playable in 14 different languages!
  
• 35 Updates have been released, not including hotfixes.
  
• Most popular commander: Hurricane
  
• Players completed campaign on hard: 217
  
• Battles fought: 1.1 million
  
• Hours spent: 1.5 million
  
• Major features added since launch
  • June 2017: Multi-fort AI
    
  • Sept 2017: Steam Workshop Maps
    
  • Oct 2017: Six new weapons (Tons of Guns)
    
  • Dec 2017: Three new BPO Commanders
    
  • Feb 2018: Steam Workshop Mods

What's next?

Amongst other things and the usual balancing, bug fixing and tweaks, we're working on ranked multiplayer matchmaking as well as campaign mods. Even more to come in the future!

Thanks again everyone, and remember - have fun playing FORTS!

Cheers,
EWG