Crazy amount of new stuff added in just two weeks :).
Mostly related to team communication and better battlefield situation awareness.


Announcer has a new voice + much more announcements including:

• flag cap/returned/lost
  
• minutes remaining
  
• kills/caps left
  
• triple/quad/... kills

and more!

The announcer is now a very useful feature, because he informs you about what is happening with the flags etc. But of course, it can be turned off in the settings.


Press [T] and then [TAB] to switch between team/all channels.
(also can be triggered with ^ eg. "^ffc low!")




Added a new player icon, flag carrier icon and dead player icon.
Also the farther the flag or player is the larger the icon is, so you can determine the distance.




Press [G] + key shortcuts. The command will show for your team only - in chat, on top of your gostek + will be voiced with sound by a very famous Vietnam veteran :)



The default keys and radio messages can be customized in the game settings.

Here is a useful cheat sheet of the default layout.
(It's best to memorize it!)




I was skeptical at first but team outlines work great! Most importantly they remove restrictions for player colors (except other team color). I think this brings more character to the gosteks!



Also flag has a glow when safe in base.
Grenade has an outline and team color in addition to the team colored bullets.




A great original map with emphasis on team-play has been added:



0.8.24a - 0.8.31a
(changes from all the test versions up to this version)
[expand type=details]
[27.05.2022] 0.8.31a
ranked match window show region + queue size (instead of gamemode)
smaller distant screen icons
auto emotes hide on weapons menu
fixed side menu breaking lobbu
optimizations
smaller flag pick/cap radius
fixed voting issue if player left mid-vote
update ctf_limbo
updated patrons list

[26.05.2022] 0.8.30t
fixed infinite spas
new player screen icon
added player dead screen icon
new flag carrier icon
radio icon shown on player when radio talking
added glow on flag in base
movement: airforce 8->7
flag throw force: 15->14
ragdolls remain as long as player is dead
can radio/emote when dead
radio/emotes don't show on muted player
added switch chat channel key help text
announcer: fixed overlaps
announcer: fixed loops
announcer: fixed too frequent same messages
fixed radio messages overlaps
fixed enourmous medkit in deathmatch
fixed important sounds missing sometimes
team outline on top of black outline
fixed no respawn and no colors issue

[25.05.2022] 0.8.29t
added ctf_limbo (by proto)
team outlines always on + lifted color restrictions (except other team color)
grenade: slower throw + cook time increased 2.5s->3.5s
added team colored grenades with outlines
thicker grenade and knife trail
added more detail on flag texture
movement: airforce 6->8
weapon is ready fire after reloading
screen icons size based on distance reversed
new flag carrier screen icon
menu: added button for external stats (stats.soldat2.com)
fixed announcer/radio volumes

[24.05.2022] 0.8.28t
added better outlines for everything
added TeamOutlines game setting
dead player has no outline
dead player has even more desaturated colors
grenade has larger outline
only free flag shows on screen border icon
flag carrier added as screen border icon (placeholder icon)
player screen icon changes to radio if radio command playing
announcer volume down if radio command
separated voice volume into announcer and radio volume
announcer voice quiets down during radio command
less priority for lead/left announcments

[20.05.2022] 0.8.27t
new radio command voice
added HUD direction arrow when match starts
fixed flag cant be picked or capped issue
fixed HUD direction arrow when ReverseFlags modifier on
fixed announcer saying flag lost too close to base
added announcer/radio voices volume to sound settings
removed double kill announcer
fixed announcer saying teams tied in Domination
fixed clicking on radio button double send command

[19.05.2022] 0.8.26t
added flag lost announcer sound
announcer: "has the flag" instead of "captured the flag"
game sounds are quieter when announcer speaks
added ShowDirectionArrows HUD settings
HUD: direction arrows won't show with HUDLevel lesser than 3
HUD: HUDLevel 0,1 hides ammo/health
fixed grenade throw animation cancelled when hit
chat: added Tab key for switching to team chat (instead of Y key)
chat: input is transparent
chat: added team/all chat indicator
chat: fixed carret position when no text typed
fixed coutndown sounds sync
added radio commands, radio keys and emoticon keys to settings
bots change path faster if too hard
fixed bots sometimes irrational jumping

[18.05.2022] 0.8.25t
added team chat (Y key)
added radio commands (G key)
player names in chat are team colored
if game window out of focus chat/away icon appears on player
emoticons menu can be used by tapping V instead of holding
fixed player moving while holding emotes key
gostek doesn't stop movement when side menu open
key pressed side menu doesn't disappear when weapons show
added ctf_guardian to ranked map pool
screen icons scale with distance
added Announcer on/off to sound settings
added CountdownPeeps on/off to sound settings
added different end countdown peep sound
fixed peep sounds sync with clock
new announcer voice
added time remaining announcer sounds
added team leads/tie announcer sounds
added win/tie announcer sounds
added flags left announcer sound
added flag cap/return/taken anouncer sounds
added double/triple/...kill announcer sounds
added taken/lost lead announcer sounds
added shorter sounds when flag grabbed/returned outside base
"flag captured" notification renamed to "team scores"
"won" renamed to "wins"
fixed "returned by" log message
fixed Deathmatch showing win when tied for win
fixed very large medkits
[/expand]


Still some bugs in ranked and with nade/rocket sync. I have to tackle those.
Other than that some big additions are coming, but I have to think about what comes first and I'll announce then.

3...2...1... FIGHT! :)
MM

AGAR seems to be popular on pub server... cool!


SPACE + AGAR = LOL


I hope everyone is having a great time!
After a short break I'm back with a multitude of changes and additions.

There's a lot that needs to be done in preparation for making Soldat 2 an F2P game in the long run. An increase in player count means also more problems. These are the first in a long list of additions:

* Chat filtering based on Steam's internal filter (turn on Family Filter in settings)

* Mute someone by clicking his name on the scoreboard (also show his profile to know who it is)



* Vote kick players in the lobby by clicking on their name (if they are kicked they won't be able to join again for 1 hour)




proto made some brand new rank icons:


Now you know what to strive for... :)

Rank icons have also been added in relevant places like scoreboard and top ratings:


Top ratings and rank estimates have been fixed!
(this might mean you have a different rank now, but it's all good now)


Added a new classic S1 map: CTF_GUARDIAN (by SuoW, remade by darDar)



Ranked games are being constantly fixed under the hood based on players reports.
I added some QoS improvements to the UI too.

When entering the Ranked screen, you will now see a list of ongoing games and a count of players in active queues (if there are any playing or waiting)



[expand type=details]
[12.05.2022] 0.8.24a
added map: ctf_guardian
new rank icons
ranked: added rank icons to scoreboard
ranked: added rank images to leaderboard
ranked: added wins/ties/losses to leaderboard
ranked: top ratings fixed (based on mu not lowerskillestimate)
ranked: end game shows new rank tier instead of numerical value
ranked: added current games display in menu
ranked: added waiting players count display in menu
added votekick to lobby
added mute option to scoreboard
added player profile option to scoreboard
added OneShots modifier
if FamilyFilter on chat uses Steam Chat Filtering
player nicks in chat use FamilyFilter
help keys hide automatically after some time
help text doesn't show on lobby
updated credits and Patrons list
ranked: tweaked regions dropdown list appearance
ranked: better disconnection/kick handling
fixed client autobalance changing team sometimes
removed weapon BulletDrop* setting
fixed Barrett not killing sometimes with 1 shot
fixed game with Zone modifier ending immediately
fixed TimeLimit 0 ending immediately
fixed Knife/Chainsaw in RealisticDamage modifier
fixed retry attempt after pressing back on password query
a bit more powerful flag throw
fixed flag returned message+effect not showing if flag close to base
fixed flag stopping in air after bullet hit from some guns
fixed platform not showing on some maps if backgrounds off
editor: fixed some elements becoming unclickable
[/expand]

More stuff coming,
Have fun!
MM

[12.05.2022] 0.8.24a
added map: ctf_guardian
new rank icons
ranked: added rank icons to scoreboard
ranked: added rank images to leaderboard
ranked: added wins/ties/losses to leaderboard
ranked: top ratings fixed (based on mu not lowerskillestimate)
ranked: end game shows new rank tier instead of numerical value
ranked: added current games display in menu
ranked: added waiting players count display in menu
added votekick to lobby
added mute option to scoreboard
added player profile option to scoreboard
added OneShots modifier
if FamilyFilter on chat uses Steam Chat Filtering
player nicks in chat use FamilyFilter
help keys hide automatically after some time
help text doesn't show on lobby
faster leaderboards
updated credits and Patrons list
ranked: tweaked regions dropdown list appearance
ranked: better disconnection/kick handling
fixed client autobalance changing team sometimes
removed weapon BulletDrop* setting
fixed Barrett not killing sometimes with 1 shot
fixed game with Zone modifier ending immediately
fixed TimeLimit 0 ending immediately
fixed Knife/Chainsaw in RealisticDamage modifier
fixed retry attempt after pressing back on password query
a bit more powerful flag throw
fixed flag returned message+effect not showing if flag close to base
fixed flag stopping in air after bullet hit from some guns
fixed platform not showing on some maps if backgrounds off
editor: fixed some elements becoming unclickable

Bug or feature? :)

Just kidding, it was a bug discovered while testing the new netcode. But it's fixed now (hopefully). Would be a fun bonus pickup though? :)

Because there were a few network issues I decided to do the equivalent of replacing an engine in a running car. And thanks to that, the network code turned out to be much smoother, faster and reliable. This should fix disconnects, ghost players and other issues. But there might be some new bugs, because this is very fresh. So please report!

Ping times are much LOWER now and it's visibly easier to dodge rockets like this:




I'm happy the mapping community is thriving! So most likely with each patch there will come a new map. The ones added in this patch are:

ctf_tyrus by darDar
(it was inspired by ctf_ash somehow)


ctf_dopamine by MM
(inspired by ctf_hormone)



* Weapons have been tweaked:

• crouching and prone will decrease gun spray (and bink) by half
  
• movement spray works now like in s1 (depends on velocity not on keys pressed)
  
• autos bullet speed is higher + higher accuracy
  
• less bink on m79
  
• overall less bullet knockout (decreasing player speed)

* Added voting keys (F9, F10, F11) + vote close key (F12):



* Ranked mode fixes

Norbo and I have been sweating a lot to fix ranked issues.
Multiple issues have been fixed for good I hope.
Reconnecting should work better.
Matches should be a lot more stable now!


[expand type=details]
[30.04.2022] 0.8.19a
added gamemode and modifiers in next map loading screen
default solo lobby map is ctf_laos
fixed chat moving towards right each match
quieter Agar sounds

[29.04.2022] 0.8.18t
added F keys for voting or closing vote
more net stability
ctf_dopamine: improvements
weapons: changes
fixed error on flag cap

[28.04.2022] 0.8.17t
added ctf_dopamine, ctf_tyrus
rehauled low-level network code:
fixed disconnects/ghost players issues
better ping times
much more stable handling of lousy connections
crouching/prone decreases gun spray by half
removed teammate superman dash collision
increased change weapon time slightly
movement spray is affected by player speed not just by movement keys
added 20 sec remaining sound countdown
voting tries not to pick maps that were in vote previously
ranked: fixed bot disconnection issues
ranked: fixed rejoin button
fixed rich presence joining local server
fixed lobby tooltip staying after map change issue
fixed autobalance threshold on join 2->1
fixed bullets showing in HUD when ammo unlimited
public CTF match 8 mins -> 10 mins
fixed selfkill adding kill to score
ping in scoreboard and servers list is now "latency" not roundtrip
scoreboard: fixed too narrow ping text
Agar modifier: a bit less damage resistant giant
Space modifier: less speedy
SniperOnly modifier: added grenades
server: retries on port blocked instead of shutdown
server: retries websocket port blocked
server: added duplicate name check
server: fixed GameServer.AdminPlayfabId
fixed disconnect when joining a finished CTF match
ctf_ash: added gap in middle passage
weapons: various changes
[/expand]


Norbo is planning on adding ranked 1v1 DM and 2v2! + web stats!
Still some annoying bugs to squash like the RPG rocket desync.
Moderation and competitive features are needed like: mute function, team chat, taunts etc.
Other than that there's hundreds of community suggestions which I'll try to implement in the next weeks like cornerboosts etc.

In the long run... when I'm happy with the stability of Soldat 2 there will be free weekends and promotions to bring in more players!

Remember to have fun!
MM

1. All US ranked servers are replaced with brand new servers!
(this should fix some "lag" issues players have been experiencing in that region)

2. Added more servers to all regions to prevent "no empty servers" issue and to prepare the game, if it suddenly blows up :)

3. Norbo and I have been fixing some major issues over the weekend that break ranked games. Hopefully some of them are gone. In any case, if something breaks please report.

Have fun!
MM

Critical issues fix:

[23.04.2022] 0.8.11a
fixed no cap flag issue after flag carrier disconnected
fixed Quick Join connecting to passworded servers
can hide weapons menu quicker
ctf_lanubya: better middle bridge
ctf_dogbite: longer upper path
CTF: reduced spawn time by 0.5s
Domination: fixed not ending
Domination: better flag icon blinking
added proper error message if gatherbot down
server: fixed set netdebug not working
server: shuts down if port blocked
server: fixed bot error spam
ranked: various fixes

I feel the big "Total Rehaul" release was a success. It brought back people into the game and we have servers with players and ranked matches going on! Although we still need a much larger player base, but more on that at the end of this post...

I think fri on Discord sums up some general positive feelings about the new Soldat 2:



My priority now is bringing in more players as well as fixing critical bugs, adding maps and fixing/improving ranked matches.


So we got... 6 patches/hotfixes this week (nearly once a day).

The most significant change is how RPG is handled.
The guided rocket is now active when HOLDING FIRE (LMB).
This brings new possibilities, also if you liked the LAW in S1 you'll feel at home with the new RPG.



I added as much maps into the ranked pool as possible (with the help of proto and darDar). Bringing back some tried and trusted S1 maps:

ctf_rotten



ctf_ash



ctf_x



ctf_steel



ctf_lanubya





[expand type=CHANGELOG]
[21.04.2022] 0.8.6a
added ctf_steel, ctf_lanubya, ctf_x
removed camera lock on death
removed spectator cam after weapons menu
RPG: guided if Fire pressed; increased damage
RocketLauncher: removed bink
M79: lower velocity
volume down on all interface and gamemode sounds
fixed blinking flag icons before match starts
faster flag icon blink
ranked: fixed sometimes error "game not found" on end results
ranked: fixed send leave game and cancel search
ranked: fixed reconnecting to server after pressing Find Match
ranked: queue options are saved
ranked: clicking Find Match on different queue (while in queue) requeues
ranked: returning from game returns back to ranked window
DM/TDM: higher scorelimit
DM/TDM: added warmup in solo
increased voting time limit 10s->15s
added error popup if Steam fails to load
fixed Discord widget showing bots on server
fixed tiny mini medkits
fixed FogOfWar flipped screen issue
voted map takes gamemode and modifier from cycle file
Zone modifier makes ScoreLimit 0
ctf_dogbite: tweak upper path
ctf_ash: tweaked colors
server: autoshutdown after 12 hours (autoconfig.ini AutoShutdownAfterHours)
server: added net/mem stats without netdebug

[18.04.2022] 0.8.5a
fixed various voting issues
ranked: fixed various issues
fixed DC if vote arrived too late
medkit size is dependent on heal amount
added option to reconnect to Steam if failed to auth
map background with DetailedBackgrounds off is fog color
added white outline to self kill logs
Agar giant is more resistant
Agar pickup gives 15HP
Spas: a bit slower bullet velocity
Steyr: 25->30 bullets
Ak: 30->35 bullets
Dragunov: a bit less bink
Deagles: a bit slower fire interval
CTF: 0.5s less respawn time
CTF: drop medkits are 33HP; random medkits are 50HP
CTF: score flag icon shows if flag gone (s1-style)
CTF: flag gone icon blinks
DM/TDM score limit raised a bit
fixed Discord widget showing bots on server
client: fixed flag not returned when capped issue
server: autoshutdown after 75 games
official server max players = 12

[15.04.2022] 0.8.4a
ranked: a bit longer end results
ranked: added match identifier to UI
ranked: fixed history not showing ties
ranked: fixed end game not showing tie
ctf: death drop medkits reduced to 50HP
kill log: a bit darker background on killed
server: removed autoshutdown
removed matchmaking logs spam
increased mouse scroll sensitivity
change weapon with mouse scroll works up or down
fixed Steam icon on mac/linux

[14.04.2022] 0.8.3a
added ctf_rotten, ctf_ash
fixed map voting
DM/TDM is classic by default (Arena modifier separate)
CTF/TDM: shorter respawns when lots of players
CTF: less random pickups
ctf_wretch: fixed visual glitch in background
ctf_dogbite: better flag area
Dragunov: tiny bit stronger
Barrett: longer reload
MP5: ammo 30->25, more selfbink
fixed flag return sound not playing issue
removed dm_arena_classic, dm_rotten_classic
ranked: added ctf_ash, ctf_rotten
ranked: removed ctf_laos
ranked: added South America region

[13.04.2022] 0.8.2a
fixed random infinite map reloading on server
[/expand]


The game needs more players. There's a series of planned events to help with this. The first one is a free weekend on Steam. But for that to happen I need to prepare the game for a mass influx of players and we're not there yet.

There are some critical issues that need to be fixed, like:

- lost connection / ghost players during the game
- server memory leak
- players remaining black after spawn
- RPG rocket desyncs
- flag cap not working sometimes
- issues with ranked matches

Other than that:

- I want to bring even more classic and new maps so it doesn't get boring
- add mute function (and more moderation options)
- add team chat
- add bindable taunts

Those are the things I will be focusing on in the upcoming weeks.
See you on Discord and..

Have fun!
MM

RPG now works the other way around - guided rocket while HOLDING FIRE (LMB). If not holding Fire it works like LAW in Soldat 1.

[21.04.2022] 0.8.6a
added ctf_steel, ctf_lanubya, ctf_x
removed camera lock on death
removed spectator cam after weapons menu
RPG: guided if Fire pressed; increased damage
RocketLauncher: removed bink
M79: lower velocity
volume down on all interface and gamemode sounds
fixed blinking flag icons before match starts
faster flag icon blink
ranked: fixed sometimes error "game not found" on end results
ranked: fixed send leave game and cancel search
ranked: fixed reconnecting to server after pressing Find Match
ranked: queue options are saved
ranked: clicking Find Match on different queue (while in queue) requeues
ranked: returning from game returns back to ranked window
DM/TDM: higher scorelimit
DM/TDM: added warmup in solo
increased voting time limit 10s->15s
added error popup if Steam fails to load
fixed Discord widget showing bots on server
fixed tiny mini medkits
fixed FogOfWar flipped screen issue
voted map takes gamemode and modifier from cycle file
Zone modifier makes ScoreLimit 0
ctf_dogbite: tweak upper path
ctf_ash: tweaked colors
server: autoshutdown after 12 hours (autoconfig.ini AutoShutdownAfterHours)
server: added net/mem stats without netdebug

[18.04.2022] 0.8.5t
fixed various voting issues
ranked: fixed various issues
fixed DC if vote arrived too late
medkit size is dependent on heal amount
added option to reconnect to Steam if failed to auth
map background with DetailedBackgrounds off is fog color
added white outline to self kill logs
Agar giant is more resistant
Agar pickup gives 15HP
Spas: a bit slower bullet velocity
Steyr: 25->30 bullets
Ak: 30->35 bullets
Dragunov: a bit less bink
Deagles: a bit slower fire interval
CTF: 0.5s less respawn time
CTF: drop medkits are 33HP; random medkits are 50HP
CTF: score flag icon shows if flag gone (s1-style)
CTF: flag gone icon blinks
DM/TDM score limit raised a bit
fixed Discord widget showing bots on server
client: fixed flag not returned when capped issue
server: autoshutdown after 75 games
official server max players = 12

[15.04.2022] 0.8.3a
ranked: a bit longer end results
ranked: added match identifier to UI
ranked: fixed history not showing ties
ranked: fixed end game not showing tie
ctf: death drop medkits reduced to 50HP
kill log: a bit darker background on killed
server: removed autoshutdown
removed matchmaking logs spam
increased mouse scroll sensitivity
change weapon with mouse scroll works up or down
fixed Steam icon on mac/linux