For those of you that have already purchased the game, tell your friends get them involved and get practicing on FACEIT!

We've got a big future ahead of us! Thanks for your continued support!

Bramm

Hey all!

Another amazing day for Battalion 1944 yesterday, obliterating our expectations and setting our record number of concurrent players and most copies sold since full release! We’re thrilled with the support we’re receiving to bring back old school shooters - with players and streamers flocking to get their dose of the Battalion 1944 hype through word of mouth.

It's been amazing to see so many players relate to this classic style of FPS and because of this, we’ve been working hard on fixes and new quality of life features as well as bigger content behind the scenes for the future. This is only the beginning for Battalion 1944!

Our event playlist fittingly lands on the beaches of Normandy with Invasion being this week’s map in the playlist rotation.







After the growing success of Battalion, we can see there is a decent sized SEA community wishing to play Battalion competitively. We're pleased to say that we'll be adding SEA servers in the near future, get practicing!

The ordering of actions when firing a weapon has been adjusted so that the muzzle flash appears the exact frame the mouse button is pressed rather than a few frames after to help communicate to players when the bullet leaves the weapon. (Thanks u/int64shrandy)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek5T4g7Yzlc

• Party management can now be handled within the competitive screen instead of overlay.
  
• ‘Active event’ card is now shown on the competitive 5v5 Wartide page.
  
• Player cards in Faceit matchroom are now clickable and opens the player’s profile in the overlay.
  
• Friend requests would overlap if too many were listed at once. Friends request list is now scrollable.
  
• Added ‘waiting to start timer’ in competitive whilst players are connecting to the server.
  
• Added a potential fix for the last remaining cases of menu stutter.
  
• Added fix for never ending CTF games by forcing the bots to drop the flag when a new player connects.
  
• Added a potential fix for the issues a small number of players where seeing where they couldn’t join any official server.
  
• Knife animation can no longer be seen by other players when stood inside a smoke.
  
• Added fix for the ‘russian walking’ bug so you can no longer unfairly speed around the map silently when spamming crouch. (Remember: crouch walking and ADS walking is silent!)
  
• Added potential fix for the incorrect map loading after the map veto process in competitive.
  
• Added potential FFA server crash fix.
  
• Added a fix for a rare client crash when someone else was firing their weapon.

As Battalion 1944 goes from strength to strength - we’re already working on long term plans with our publisher Square Enix & our amazing partners at Faceit for sustainability both for the competitive scene and juicy arcade content. We’re full steam ahead on post release development and we can’t wait to share all the juicy news with you guys!

Here’s to a bright future for our growing Battalion 1944 community.

Thanks,
Bulkhead Interactive

In the buildup to E3 we have just hit an encouraging milestone. Battalion left Early Access on May 23rd and has now hit 250,000 total sales on PC, it also notched up 1 million hours watched on Twitch in the first 7 days post Early Access launch.

We want to celebrate by giving everyone that logs in this week (ends Monday June 10 at 1pm BST) FIVE Aces High War Chests as a thank you to the players. We're all really proud that the game at release was only possible because the community helped to shape it, and that players are enjoying the final results!

To claim your reward, just play the game by June 10th and your War Chests will automatically be in your inventory.

You can pick up Battalion 1944 with a 20% launch discount at £12.79 (ends Thursday June 6 at 5pm BST): https://store.steampowered.com/app/489940/BATTALION_1944/

We're looking forward to more updates and content for the game in the future - if you missed it you can watch the launch trailer here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_UyeseXUhY

Patch 22705 brings load time improvements and Faceit login fixes

Hey all,

Another great day yesterday setting our record number of concurrent players and most copies sold since full release! We’re thrilled with the support we’re receiving to bring back old school shooters!

- Rechunked maps to improve initial boot time and load time into newer maps
- Added a potential fix for the unable to login to Faceit issue
- Added a potential fix for the never ending CTF games
- Disabled the play and day streak screen while we work on a fix for the looping issue

There will be no server reset, the patch is available on Steam now (For most it will download automatically).



See you in the servers!
Bulkhead Interactive

Hey all!

We’re amazed! We couldn’t be more grateful to our community for helping us get Battalion 1944 to this point. To see social media flooding with comments on how Battalion 1944 has taken people back to their ‘glory days’ of gaming has been overwhelming. We simply can’t respond to all of you, but thank you for letting us know how you feel about Battalion.

Trust us, after 3 years of hard work and highs and lows, we could not be happier with this response to the full release!


For the first 6 days of launch Battalion’s player count grew and grew every single day, all the way into the mid week! This exceeded everyone’s expectations. It’s pretty rare in the games industry to achieve this kind of growth after an early access launch (especially after one like ours!) so we’re confident that we’re doing the right thing and that we just need to keep going and supporting the game with updates. The most interesting stat to us, is that on the day where the player numbers growth slowed, we also sold more copies of Battalion than any other day, as well as receiving solid sustained player numbers in NA. We can only assume that the game will keep growing from here as we continue to support the game.

So... onto the news!

Some users were experiencing issues with the main menu stuttering - especially new users who had not played Battalion 1944 before or in a very long time. This is a very multifaceted bug, meaning previous fixes we’ve deployed would work for certain users but not others!

However, thanks to your reports we’ve nailed the main reasons this would occur & have deployed fixes. We’re confident in saying 99% of the main menu stuttering issues should be fixed within this update. If anyone experiences more stutters of a similar nature (game related not server) - then please post in our bug report section on the Steam discussions!


We have also reduced CPU usage in the main menus by reducing the size and impact of the main menu background video! Enjoy a much smoother experience from today!

Whilst we still recommend using an SSD over outdated HDDs for players loading into maps - we have made improvements to load times on initial boot as well as small gains when loading into maps (especially the new maps Vanguard, Docks and Goldrush!) This should help players failing to connecting to a match in time before the match is automatically cancelled.

We did have some hiccups at launch, it’s true. But as we finish up our first week as a released game we have crushed most of the core bugs. Challenges are now once again visible to players on the Battlerank screen. You have been completing challenges the whole time you’ve been playing and receiving chests for them, this fix just allows you to see what you’ve been doing!

Ladders were sometimes a bit difficult to ‘climb off’ of once you reached the top. We have lowered the ‘top point’ of most of the ladders in the game in all maps.

Some of the medals were extremely generous with XP - making it more beneficial to play Arcade over Wartide. This has been refined for a more balanced experience!

Weapon Changes & Balancing Improvements

M1 Garand

• Reload time buffed from 1.8 seconds to 1.25 seconds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDwAs5moU_4&feature=youtu.be
MP40

• Reduced headshot damage at long range

Thompson

• Reduced headshot damage at long range

PPSh-41

• Reduced headshot damage at long range
  
• Damage falloff begins at a closer range than other SMGs

M1 Carbine

• Extra ammo buffed from 30 > 45 (Total 60 Bullets)

Gewehr 43

• Extra ammo buffed from 30 > 45 (Total 60 Bullets)

SVT-40

• Extra ammo buffed from 30 > 40 (Total 50 Bullets)

TL;DR
- Chunking maps to improve initial boot load time, as well as load time into newer maps
- Changes to M1 Garand reload speed.
- Changes to SMG’s long range capabilities.
- Changes to Carbines to have more reserve ammo.
- Fixed collision issues on Liberation.
- Fixed collision issues on Coastal.
- Fixed collision issues on Vanguard.
- Updated Savoia minimap.
- Added bot points of interest (POI) on Battery, Vanguard, Docks and AimKosak.
- Re-enabled challenges.
- Fix for an exploit where if you leaned and then vaulted, your third person would no longer lean in third person but it would in first person.
- Reduced XP rewards for some arcade only medals.
- Replaced the main menu video with a lower quality version, should improve main menu performance and initial boot load time.
- Removed the ability to turn off post round audio notifications. Instead they can only be turned to a low volume level to help players know when a round has ended.
- Added a potential fix for the menu stutter seen by some players. This may also fix the looping login on the faceit competitive screen.
- Improvements to ladders on all maps.


See you in the servers!
Bulkhead Interactive

Hey all!

Launch weekend has been amazing - we’ve seen a massive resurgence of interest in Battalion 1944, with players and streamers worldwide picking up the game and getting stuck in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urmR5sQccGI&feature=youtu.be

After a great first weekend, we saw the player numbers grow every day from release, this is a great sign for the longevity of the game! Whilst we completely anticipate the numbers to dip slightly or flatten out due to it now being weekdays rather than the weekend, we are thrilled that we were able to continue to grow our player base daily over this past weekend giving us the confidence we need to continue working on and improving Battalion 1944.


A consistent daily playerbase is more important than a large influx of players who drop off - and our curve is indicating just that, as nice stable playerbase... and we haven't even done a free weekend yet! If you guys keep playing and supporting Battalion 1944 - we’ll continue to support the games growth with new content, updates and fixes.

So - onto the news!

After the game went live on Thursday and our game was exposed to thousands we saw issues with players not being put on the same team correctly and having issues searching. Whilst the searching issues were fixed that night, the auto balance issue was still outstanding. We decided to temporarily remove Arcade and Rifles Only as queues from the game and instead directed players towards the server browser as a temporary measure to ensure players could find matches.

However, today we have officially reopened the Arcade and Special Event queue. We will run this event until Friday! When we’ll be running a different special event for the weekend, watch out this week for that announcement.

We are aware there are issues relating to load times, particularly for players on hard drives instead of an SSD. In this patch we have made some nice improvements to the load times so you can get into games faster - however we still recommend installing the game on an SSD for now. We plan to make more load time improvements, specifically for the new maps, later in the week when we can safely test some new improvements.


As we are still in pre-season (Until May 31st) we were comfortable with making some final tweaks to this seasons economy. Although we are aware that some people believe certain weapons are overpowered, we’d like to allow a meta to properly develop in a tournament setting before we make reactive changes to the game. However, the following changes are designed to make the game more strategic for high level players whilst at the same time not punishing new players. We will be making the following changes.

• Kar98k 5 Tokens > 6 Tokens
  
• Kar98k Scoped 5 Tokens > 7 Tokens
  
• Mosin Nagant 5 Tokens > 6 Tokens
  
• Mosin Nagant Scoped 5 Tokens > 7 Tokens
  
• Springfield 5 Tokens > 6 Tokens

Obviously, this is the first time anyone has attempted to embed Faceit’s competitive tools this deep into a game, so it’ll have some issues. However, the Faceit team and Bulkhead have been actively working on fixes and improvements through this weekend. We would like to also point out that many of you have asked ‘why am I getting matchmade with incredible players’. This is because we currently are gathering the data needed to determine who is good and who is… not so good! During this pre-season we’ll be tweaking the elo system and trying to find a great balance for Faceit Season 1.

The economy updates and Faceit improvements will be going live at approximately 17:00 BST, your Faceit server will not restart or close the servers will simply change over when the update goes live, you don’t need to lift a finger! However, a new client update is available to download now. Head over to Steam to get the new patch.

The Plays have returned with Blitzkrieg Battles in the EU and NA. This week we see the first EU teams face off for first prize! Registration is now open, visit The Plays for more info!


See you in the servers!
Bulkhead Interactive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_UyeseXUhY

Battalion 1944 is finally out of Early Access. We've been hard at work for the last year on Battalion 1944 to make the experience as good as we can for every kind of player. If you're one of the people who were part of the rough launch to Early Access back in February, then you should definitely watch the timeline of the changes that Battalion 1944 has gone through since launch to turn it into the game it is now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQj7rztXZ4Q

We're still very actively working on updates, improvements, and changes! We'll also be kicking off some more rewards for playing this weekend. We also hope you're enjoying our new free BattleRank season!



Support Forum
This is the best place to go because all of our solutions can be tracked and other players with similar issues can find solutions. But also, because you can see that we're actually working on your issues!

Discord
Whilst discord isn't great for tracking bugs, its a good way to get quick help and support. Our community are pretty good at giving answers so definitely go here for uber fast support.

Thankyou so much for your support during early Access. Please let us know of any issues on your tech support forum & see you guys in game!
Bulkhead Interactive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnczRauTudc&feature=youtu.be
We are hurtling towards from full release later today, it’s time for us to announce a little extra feature we’ve been working on that classic FPS fans will love! After spending hours and hours on official 24/7 rifles only servers - we’ve decided to open a new limited time event queue that will let players do exactly that.

The first ever Battalion 1944 limited time event:

Even better news is that - on official event servers - you still gain XP, medals and rewards for your gameplay! Meaning you’ll be able to jumpstart your BattleRank Season 3 progress with a blast on the new Vanguard map with bolt action rifles.

This only the first limited time event that we’ll be running… did someone say baikals only?

Battalion 1944 is now finally feeling like a polished game with it’s own identity and feel. It’s roots are deep and strong, grounded in classic shooters such as COD2, COD4 and Enemy Territory. You can feel the inspiration bleeding through into Battalion’s movement and gunplay… just updated with the challenges, progression and competitive faceit integration that FPS games like this need in the modern gaming landscape.

We’re excited to announce another unique competitive feature coming to Battalion! Courtesy of The Plays, we will be running monthly ladders for teams to compete in with prizes and fierce competition in every region we support!


What is The Heroes Ladder?
The Heroes Ladder is a monthly competition for teams. Teams compete whenever they like at any time of the day against other teams in the ladder. Points are given for wins and taken away for losses. The regular seasons of The HL will contribute towards your Faceit elo.
How do I join The Heroes Ladder?
To join the ladder, you’ll need to create a team on Faceit first, on the left hand side there is a button where you can click on “teams” in the faceit web browser, client, or in-game overlay.
If you're ready to join the Heroes Ladder, you can join here: http://ThePlays.gg/Faceit
Where do I find the ladder in game once I have joined?
You can use the ladder in game or using faceit outside of the game via web or client. When in game, enter the competitive screen and click ‘tournaments’ in the top right. The Faceit overlay will appear. On the right side of the overlay click on the ‘Hubs’ drop down.
How do I join a match?
Your captain will need to click on the ‘play’ button on the Ladder/Hub specifically in the in-game overlay, client, or website. You should make sure you are in-game sitting on the competitive menu, the game will automatically place you in the match and will take you to the map vote screen!


Battalion 1944 Full Release will go live today!

17:00 (BST)
09:00 (PST)
18:00 (CEST)
13:00 (BRT)
02:00 (AEST)

The update size is 7.8GB (If you have the old version installed).
Please be aware Valve is incharge of setting the game live 'around' these times.


See you in the servers!
Bulkhead Interactive

We are hurtling towards from full release on May 23rd, it’s time for us to show what we’ve been doing for the last 14 months! Battalion 1944 is now feeling like a polished game with it’s own identity and feel. It’s roots are deep and strong, grounded in classic shooters such as COD2, COD4 and Enemy Territory. You can feel the inspiration bleeding through into Battalion’s movement and gunplay.



The stream will last approximately 3 hours. The devs have been in regular daily testing for some months now, the rivalry between team_howard and team_brammer is passionate, for the devs this is the grand finale! It’s our chance to confidently show our fans just how fun the game can be.

You’ll be seeing all the new weapons, new economy, spectator improvements, movement improvements, map design changes, new maps (including Vanguard), and all the visual and audio improvements we have made to the game.


You will be able to watch the stream on either the Faceit channel or ThePlays.
Both links to the channels are posted below.

www.twitch.tv/ThePlaysGG
www.twitch.tv/faceittv

19:00 BST (London)
20:00 CEST (Berlin)
13:00 CDT (Texas)
14:00 EDT (New York)
21:00 MSK (Moscow)
15:00 BRT (Sao Paulo)
04:30 ACT (Canberra)



With two great casters making a reappearance to the scene, we’re looking forward to a relatively laid back showmatch displaying the latest version of Battalion 1944! See you Monday night!

Are you for Team_howard or Team_brammer?

P.S. We've still got more content and improvements to announce next week!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YgZeeyqpzg&feature=youtu.be
We're super pumped to be able to finally start revealing some of the Russian weapons coming to Battalion 1944 on May 23rd 2019!

The Russian weapons carry similar traits to the American and German weapons, but always with a slight twist and a dash of rugged Russian personality.

The PPS-43 is the Russian default weapon that all players initially spawn with. Despite having the same stats as the Grease Gun and the MP28, the PPS-43 is a favourite of some of the devs. It's familiar recoil pattern and powerful sound effect make it feel epic to fire into your opponents. Whilst it's far from the most powerful weapon in the game, it's an intense weapon to play with and it feels great to rattle off shots.



The Fedorov Avtomat takes centre stage as the Russian equivalent of the STG-44 or the BAR. It's sluggish rate of fire is made up for by its power and ability to kill with just one shot to the head. Don't be under any illusions, this is a tough weapon to handle. But if you can wrangle it, your opponents are in for one hell of a ride. If you're skilled at controlling recoil, this is the gun for you. If you can tame it you'll lay waste to anyone who dares cross an open street. The Federov is a jack of all trades with a great sound.. 'Dush Dush Dush Dush'



The PPSh is a fan favourite amongst history buffs, competitive gamers, and old school shooter fans alike. In the current generation it is regularly reduced to a weak and pithy rapid 'pea shooter'. Not in Battalion, we have restored the PPSh to its rightful place as king of the sub machine guns. Tearing through enemies who enter its peak range. With 35 bullets spraying out of its drum in just a few seconds, it's a weapon anyone can pick up, but only few can master. When we began designing the PPSh in Battalion we had one goal in mind.. Make The PPSh Great Again!



Russia's mystique and rich history has given our artists a great starting point for some truly special skins. Wanting to give a nod to some of the wild beasts of Russia sharing metaphorical similarities with our take on these iconic weapons. Here are just 3 of the many skins you'll be able to equip when playing as the Russians on May 23rd.




Do you have any ideas for naming these skins? Let us know in the comments or on twitter.. Tweet us @Battalion1944, if we use your name we may just send you the skin!

Thanks everyone, still even more content and announcements to come!
Bulkhead