Happy 7th birthday Forts! When Forts first launched on April 19th, 2017, we couldn't possibly have foreseen what the future held in store. Some of us writing this now had yet to come aboard in fact, while for others it was already the fruit of many years labour.
Since then Forts has grown beyond our wildest dreams and we sincerely thank everyone who has been a part of it. You've all helped to make the game what it is today and there is still so much more planned for the future!
To celebrate we've put the entire Forts catalog on sale. It's the perfect time to expand your Forts library or share the joy of Forts with your friends. This sale runs until April 22nd.
Forts Seven Year Health Check
Seven years of Forts, seven years of stats! The subject would appear to be in rare health.
Most popular commander - Overall: Architect Most popular commander - Ranked: Pinchfist Players completed Black Gold campaign on hard: 6946 Players completed Moonshot campaign on hard: 2175 Players completed High Seas campaign on hard: 1072 Battles fought: 91.3 million Hours spent: 22.6 million
*Free multiplayer weekend
Forts Timeline
Let's take a look back at some of the notable events over the past seven years.
3 - September 2017 - Steam Workshop Integration - 197 peak players The first phase of Steam workshop integration arrives, allowing players the ability to upload their custom maps for other Forts players to try out. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861681619
5 - November 2017 - ADGA Award Winner - 424 peak players At Melbourne International Game Week, EarthWork Games is recognised by their Australian game development peers at the AGDAs, receiving The Best Defence is a Good Offense award. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861680990
8 - June 2018 - Ranked Multiplayer & Repair Station - 7,280 peak players The multiplayer scene receives a boost with the introduction of ranked multiplayer, allowing players to wrack up points in competitive matches and find appropriately skilled opponents. The Repair Station device is added to ease the APM demands, should players need it. A free multiplayer-only weekend brought in a slew of new players also saw the record of concurrent users increased to 7,280. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861677709
11 - December 2019 - Multiplayer Training Missions - 940 peak players In an effort to help onboarding of new players into the multiplayer scene, training missions are added, complete with new environment set and drill instructor. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3726097246760899467
15 - January 2021 - Welcome Romerolagus - 1,989 peak players Dedicated community member Romerolagus is drafted into the EWG team to help moderate Discord and other areas of interaction with the growing Forts player base. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/2914357483128102177
16 - March 2022 - Forts High Seas Launched - 2,583 peak players Almost five years after its' initial release, Forts second full paid DLC is launched. High Seas drastically expands its' appeal with the addition of water tech, ships, weapons and ammo. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3094542765846692775
17 - October 2022 - Multilevel water, holiday theme, UI and engine update - 1072 peak players Support for multiple water levels. Upgraded runways. UI improvements including live map previews (you're welcome Armaxy!), map and mod search bar, and slimline replay HUD. Plus numerous under-the-hood improvements including the conversion to 64-bit addressing for all the RAM. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3291591738159123767
18 - February 2023 - Multiplayer update, FPL relaunch, sprite pack and Elite HUD - 875 Peak players The Forts Pro League returns! A new Observer HUD with stat tracking, automated ranked matches with map preview and commander selection, a sprite pack for modders, and an Elite HUD for supporters. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3639505777538409699
If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps and mods, and for more information on upcoming events.
Thanks for playing Forts, and here's to seven more years! EWG
Congratulations to Dranistian! Taking their second title within the last three seasons. Runner-up Malme, themself a previous winner in Season 22. And in 3rd, 打帅币, making their first podium appearance after a previous best 5th place in Season 24.
While the top 3 places receive Gold, Silver, and Bronze, every player finishing within the top 20 will receive a Season 28 Medal. Congratulations to all medalists as well!
Some Season 28 trivia:
Vertically spacious maps like Abyss and Pillars helped propel a huge rise in rocket/shotgun builds
Mortar specialists have heavily optimized their firing patterns, will AA designs keep pace?
Howitzers, once ubiquitous, fell out of favor with the predominately close and medium ranged map pool of S28. Is this set to change as larger maps return in S29?
A shocking number of bases in the midst of back and forth slugfests were in fact vulnerable to a single well aimed buzzsaw the entire time, shocking a great many people upon discovery of that fact
1v1 Leaderboard
Dranistian
Malme
打帅币
EtaN
Mortars broken
[CMV]Woman
[HOT]Hallrassy
cyrv 2
[BOG]#Der Benzinpreisvergleicher
Nerf Mortars
big sus
[264] Domy
juNyu
Indoraptor
Mortars OP
ХАХАХАХАХХААХАХ
Vykro
Hacktoni
butter dog
Cloud
Season 29
Season 29 is already underway and will run through May 31st. This season's map pool consists of the following battlefields:
Balls
Hang Time
Moorings
Stalactites 1v1
Desert Ruins
Battlegrounds 1v1
Make Sure To Join Our Discord
If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps/mods, and receive advance notice of upcoming events.
No, this is not an April Fool! Update 1.25 has arrived on the first day of our bi-monthly cycle, a strategic manuever long intended and, at last, executed!
Multiplayer Lobby Update
In response to community requests, we have added extra features to the multiplayer lobby screen for extra ease of use and functionality.
Settings - Lets you change the lobby settings without the need to restart the lobby.
Options - Access the game options screen directly from the lobby.
Randomise Teams - Allows host to reshuffle teams with one click.
Sorted by Team - Teams are grouped together, and the host is indicated by the crown icon.
Team Selection - Instantly select the desired team instead of cycling.
Available Capacity - Shows when there is a surplus of players after a capacity reduction.
Force Start - Ignore players who are not ready when starting a game.
Change List dlc2 32 r15978
Add: "Nested" tag for workshop items that contain dependencies to other workshop items Add: Mods can be dependent on other mods using Include table in mod.lua Add: AddResourcesContinuous script function to contribute to resource rates Add: Display an error message if a mod doesn't exist when trying to activate it Add: Validation that all dependent workshop items exist when uploading an item to the workshop
Fix: (The Coming Storm) terrain over water Fix: Weapon doors close prematurely while firing after 35 minutes Fix: Weapons can't shoot devices that are very close Fix: Overdrive can't downgrade without tech requirements of target Fix: AI aiming can be incorrect for mortars where platform is sloped Fix: Desync when joining in the place of an AI Fix: GetStructurePos returns the incorrect position Fix: Groups aren't updated when a weapon is moved Fix: Collision after portal can be incorrectly handled as a reflection Fix: Angled mortars have incorrect previous shot markers at some angles Fix: Crash when reflecting shields are destroyed from projectile splash damage caused by the beam Fix: Crash when starting instant replay and invalid devices exist in weapon groups Fix: Crash trying to extrude or link a material with an invalid door target in front of a weapon_list.lua Fix: Extruding a material with a recession target over a weapon doesn't recess it as is done with a single link Fix: ExecuteInScript is unable to succeed when teamId matches the owner of the script, except for TEAM_ANY Fix: AI and mission scripts are unable to call dofile Fix: AI script ai/forts/hanging/long/fort-t1f1-TemplateHang-2.lua is unable to build or fire its lasers Fix: Crash when using some terrain property keys with no terrain selected Fix: First letter of Ukrainian language is not capitalised Fix: Map Editor Save and Upload validates upload before saving map state, causing validation inconsistencies
Improve: When devices exceed population limits, they are now scrapped based on whether they are under construction, damaged, and how old they are Improve: Bail out early with useful message when attempting to connect to an invalid Steam lobby id Improve: Modifier keys can now be rebound through the options menu Improve: Allow drag facing to work when moving a weapon via context menu Improve: The options screen can now be accessed from the lobby (cog button) Improve: lobby settings can be edited after starting the lobby (three lines button) Improve: Can no longer report players who are on your friends list Improve: Added a randomize teams button to the lobby Improve: Show Cursor and Lock Teams moved to Lobby Settings Improve: (Lock Teams) Allow new players to select their team when off Improve: (Lock Teams) Prevents existing players from changing their team when off Improve: Clients are sorted by team, and new popup for changing teams Improve: New crown icon to indicate which player is the host Improve: Removed the Player Details panel from the lobby select and expanded the server list Improve: Added an icon on the lobby to show max player capacity Improve: (ExecuteInScript) logs an error when the instruction causes an exception Improve: add AI.AimingSpeedGraduations to constants.lua to increase aiming precision (at expense) Improve: Environment mod and dependency upload validation Improve: Generic workshop upload error message Improve: jpg is attempted if dds, tga, and png extensions of a filename are not found Improve: Map and campaign select screen mod download button placements for consistency Improve: The lobby player panel has been reduced in size to make more space for the chat and mods panel
Change List dlc2 32b r16123
Fix: adjacent mortars shoot each other Fix: artificial host lag is stuck after being disabled Fix: the 8th player can't be set to the observer team
Make Sure To Join Our Discord
If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps/mods, and receive advance notice of upcoming events.
Congratulations once again to EtaN, champion of Season 27, whose list of accolades is far too large for this announcement to contain. In second place is Dranistian, backing up his Season 26 win with another stellar performance. And in third place Schuka achieves their first podium finish. Well done!
While the top 3 places receive Gold, Silver, and Bronze, every player finishing within the top 20 will receive a Season 2 Medal. Congratulations to all medalists as well!
Some Season 27 trivia:
Precision targeting of weak points and wall foundations dominated top 20 matches, overtaking heavy weapon slugfests
Eagle Eye early aggression builds are on the rise and making their presence felt
The international Forts community had even more representation within the top 20 this season
PSA: Just because you can swing your core on Pillars it doesn't mean you should.
1v1 Leaderboard
EtaN
Dranistian
Schuka
Malme
zebdww
打帅币
[SUI]SaureDrops
七神花露水
籽岷妙妙屋
Armodillo
Not Poolboy
klaualles
金凌Jin_Ling
Baumständer[OND]
Poolboy
[GG]David
juNyu
Vykro
neoboletus.erythropus
bilibili_模组小白
Season 28
Season 28 is already underway and will run through March 31st. This season's map pool consists of the following battlefields:
Abyss
Hang Time
Ledge Grab
Pillars
Stalactites
Vanilla
Make Sure To Join Our Discord
If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps/mods, and receive advance notice of upcoming events.
After a restful end-of-year break, the EWG team has been back at work with improvements and bug fixes. Highlights include dragging the mouse when placing weapons to set their direction, two new menu backgrounds have been added, and the stuck loading while joining bug has been solved. Our many Ukrainian players can now enjoy reading their native language. For Modders there are a few new functions, including the powerful SnapToWorld, as well as DeleteBlock and DeleteBlockVertex for manipulating terrain during gameplay. If you encounter players you would rather not engage with but don't want to report, you can click on the frowning face button next to them in the Lobby to silently avoid them in future. There's also a new screen to remove players from avoidance. Further details and the full change list can be found below.
Drag Weapon Direction
Clicking and dragging when placing a weapon now sets its direction. To help streamline the controls, and reduce friction in the heat of battle, we have added the ability to drag left or right when placing a weapon to set its facing. This makes it quicker and easier to determine which way to shoot when it matters most. Of course, if you're happy setting the direction with the classic HUD buttons, those are still available. The feature can be toggled in Options > Game > Enable Drag Weapon Facing.
Menu Screen Update
Updated front end screens. As some of you will have noticed, a while ago we freshened up the Steam store and social media channels with a fresh lick of paint in the form of new key art. Now that the paint has dried, we are adding it as the default menu background.
If you're a fan of the previous menu background art, these can be selected from the options screen, with the vanilla version select-able under the Classic title, with the Tons of Guns version also available.
YouTube Tutorial Playlist
Click on the Sal Vaux news item in the Forts main menu to start watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU-ooQwdpC4&list=PLawv6P6HClHkd3-WThaiY0b05CISVrYCO&pp=gAQBiAQB New to Forts? Maybe you want to take your play to the next level? Either way, check out the tutorials playlist on our YT channel for tips and tactics to up your game. Selected from Forts content creators new and old, the subjects covered range from the very basics of base building, to advanced tactics like tier 3 cannons.
If you've seen a tutorial video that we've missed, be sure to put it in the 'Suggestions' channel on the Forts Official Discord.
Change List dlc2 31 r15673
Add: Classic and Tons of Guns menu skins Add: Drag weapon direction (Option > Game > Enable Weapon Drag Facing) Add: Script functions DeleteBlock and DeleteBlockVertex Add: SnapToWorld script function to quickly find nearest ground, link, node, device, etc. Add: frowning face buttons in lobby to avoid players for 30 days Add: UI to edit avoidance lists Add: Ukrainian translation
Balance: increase runway and runway2 reload times from 0.7s to 1.05s (+50%)
Fix: (GetStructureInWater) typo in documentation Fix: (Hungarian) some strings are not exported to game Fix: (Loading screen) crash setting random tip when none are found Fix: (Sandbox) with a weapon selected, selecting joints or struts of another team doesn't switch to that team Fix: \reload_textures can be used during multiplayer matches Fix: AI causes exception calling non-existent function GetStructureHasFoundation Fix: blocks are not deselected when deleted using \sweep_blocks Fix: crash when rope is detached during BreakStructure Fix: CreateBlock assigns the local player's team as the owner of the block, causing desyncs Fix: cursor doesn't snap to nodes when a device is selected except for the first type Fix: data desync when mods use base textures as projectile sprites Fix: device preview snaps to vertical struts when tech is missing Fix: editing terrain isn't correctly supported on Vulkan Fix: ground edges are not recalculated when block vertices are modified Fix: ground nodes are not removed from selection when using \sweep_blocks Fix: holding the 'zoom selection' key and dragging the mouse only pans the view Fix: if AI creates a strut and then deletes it, the strut becomes stuck Fix: incorrect error is shown when trying to place a device at population limit Fix: Nighthawk bombs don't ignite fire when colliding with devices Fix: OberverCustomiseScreen crash after changing keyboard layout Fix: players are sometimes stuck at loading screen while joining Fix: remote/replay cursors flash distractingly Fix: shield deletion is cancelled by repair station Fix: the Leviathan boats are bouncing at the beginning of the game. Fix: unnecessary script events are called before SystemLoad and Load events Fix: Workshop mods can be updated mid-match when a client with a newer version joins the lobby
Change List dlc2 31b r15681
Add: (FORTS-856) Devices.Drag.MinDistance and Devices.Drag.FacingStartTime to db/constants_user.lua
Improve: (FORTS-856) short delay before drag facing functions to allow rapid placement without changing direction
Fix: Phantom context button move button creates a new device instead of moving Fix: Phantom move ability doesn't work
Make Sure To Join Our Discord
If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps/mods, and receive advance notice of upcoming events.
Are you ready for Season 3 of the Forts Pro League? We certainly hope so because we're throwing things wide open this season and merging the leagues. Everyone can sign up for the FPL group stage and registration opens today! Register your team on Challengermode and Discord following the instructions below.
Teams will be seeded into groups of 10 where they will face each other in a round robin format, with one match being played per week. Teams may schedule their match at any time during the week, but if they have not played by Saturday at 8pm utc they must contact a league official on Discord and make themselves available to play their match at this time. Any team not present will forfeit the round. At the end of this stage, the teams with the most points in each group will qualify for the playoffs, where the ultimate winners will be decided.
When is it going to happen?
Signups for the FPL begin now and end on February 21st at 8pm utc. Opening day is February 24th at 8pm utc. The playoffs (tentatively scheduled for May 25th 8pm utc) will be held once the round robin stage has concluded.
How to participate?
Everyone is eligible to sign up for the group stage of the FPL this season!
Then form your team of two and meet the following requirements. Player names must be clearly readable and match on Discord, Steam and Challengermode. The maximum length is 16 characters for players and teams. Players are expected to use this name when playing all of their matches. Offensive player or team names and profile images will result in disqualification from the league. Players currently under ranked or multiplayer bans are also ineligible to compete.
Team tags must be 3 characters or less.
Team logos should be 128x128 pixels. Offensive images will result in disqualification.
Message @42scientist on the Forts Official Discord with your Team name, roster, team tag and logo. Also include the Discord and Steam ID's of you and your teammate.;
You are now officially registered in the Forts Pro League!
Team Capacitor [CAP] Fred(Link to Fred's Steam profile)[CAP] Max(Link to Max's Steam profile)
Sample entry with Team and Logo
What are the prizes for Pro League?
1st place: $100
2nd place: $50
3rd place: $20
Prizes will be split equally between team members and distributed as a Steam gift card.
Congratulations to team Boat Cannoneers, winners of Tournament XXVII!
EtaN, Taichu, and Tar set sail and dominated the High Seas with their offensive and defensive prowess. They did not emerge unscathed though, with both BOGships and MotoPinderCircus taking them to sudden death in their best of 3's.
Eagle Eye's AA miniguns can't help now, will this Orbital strike home?
In second, team MotoPinderCircus were not content to play it safe. Gusteagle, Karaba, and pile rouillée showed absolute commitment with several high risk, high reward strategies. Producing one of the most memorable first strikes ever seen in tournament Forts.
2:15 into the match, Team MotoPinderCircus introducing Team Green Leaf to Mortar o'clock
And in 3rd place, team Green Leaf skillfully employing proven strategies and consistently making deep runs in tournaments. How much longer can the veterans fend them off before they claim their first title?
If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps/mods, and receive advance notice of upcoming events.
Happy 2024! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. And to kick off the new year we're announcing our next official tournament. XXVII will be held on the High SeasJanuary 20th at 7pm UTC. This event will be 3v3 Team Death Match with up to 8 teams competing on a variety of maps. Each round will be a best of 3 matchup with the winner advancing and the vanquished sinking to the depths. There will also be a bronze match to decide 3rd place.
Registration will open at 8pm UTC today. In order to register, team captains should message 42scientist on the Forts Official Discord server with their team name (16 characters max), team logo (128x128 pixels), team tag (3 characters), and team roster including the Steam ID of each team member.
Entries submitted before this time will not be accepted. Once registration has opened the first 8 teams to submit a valid entry will be admitted. Valid entries must fulfill the requirements listed below under How do I join?
How will teams be seeded?
Seedings will be based on past results in official events and ranked seasons.
Prizes?
The prize pool is as follows:
1st place $150
2nd place $75
3rd place $30
Prizes will be awarded in the form of Steam digital gift cards, divided amongst teammates.
If you have any additional questions please contact us on Discord.
How do I join?
In order to participate, you must do the following...
The holidays theme is now live! Along with features from previous years such as the themed front end, holiday jingle and baubles, decorations for tech buildings and snowball ammunition; we've also dressed the reactor. Land a critical hit on that over-sized bauble and enjoy the snowflake cloud and enchanting sounds effects!
Holiday themed reactor and effects. Snowball ammunition. And why not spread some seasonal cheer among your friends and family by taking advantage of the Steam Winter Sale discounts and gifting them some festive Forts goodness from across the entire catalogue?
Congratulations to Dranistian! A fixture of the competitive scene since joining Forts, FPL competitor, runner up in Tournament XXVI and half of Team Green Leaf with partner Vykro. Fearlessly innovative play propelled him to the top and he can now add Season 26 champion to his list of accomplishments. In second place Poolboy, who lives and breathes Forts, playing enough for any 4 normal people. And in 3rd, EtaN, whose immense trophy collection grew so large it required a game update to properly display.
While the top 3 places receive Gold, Silver, and Bronze, every player finishing within the top 20 will receive a Season 26 Medal. Congratulations to all medalists as well!
Some Season 26 trivia:
This season included a Free Weekend which briefly overwhelmed us
Over 35,000 matches played this season, not including those lost (see above)
Shotguns + Rockets vs Howitzer + Cannon was the defining matchup separating the top 20
Amongst the top players, Armourdillo has suddenly emerged as the new commander of choice
1v1 Leaderboard
Dranistian
Poolboy
EtaN
籽岷妙妙屋
mcc72k
Alesio
Schuka
KURTaxe
Maybe Poolboy
打帅币
Geiger
Malme
[BOG]#Der Benzinpreisvergleicher
[WTF] Domy
kulipa0627
Armordillo
iTen
JoKURT
neoboletus.erythropus
I am myself
Season 27
Season 27 is already underway and will run through January 31st. This season's map pool consists of the following battlefields:
Abyss
Hillfort
Moorings
Pillars
Desert Ruins
Battlegrounds 1v1
Make Sure To Join Our Discord
If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps/mods, and receive advance notice of upcoming events.