Sep 21, 2018

Onward - DownpourDev

Hey all,

Small patch today with a lot of content focused on spectating/streaming additions, fixes and improvement to put on a great show at the Onward tournament at Oculus Connect 5 next week Sept 26-27. New 2D spectating UI, improvements to tent and VR spectating, improvements to player IK bodies, and more below.

General

Competitive Cast/Stream: New UI
Competitive Cast/Stream: Added "-novr" launch parameter to launch the game without VR. This only allows you to join games as a spectator
Player IK: Added crouched taking a knee animation state
VR Spectate: Enabled grenade trails
Frag Grenade: Now damages Drones
Smoke Grenade: Improved performance
Tablet: Increased spacing between "Send" and "Clear" buttons on send uplink screen (prevent accidental clearing)
Tablet Hacking: Successful hacking shows enemy locations for 11 seconds (same as before). However, after that timer has expired, you can now hack tablets again to regain the 11 second enemy locations (previously limited to hacking only once ever in a round)

Balance

Ballistic Shield: Now lerps rotation faster

Fixes

Radio: Fixed not hearing teammate radio voices for a while after being revived
Player IK: Various fixes to unhealthy humans
Player IK: Suburbia, players on 2nd floor no longer are visible from 1st floor when prone
Tablet Hacking: Fixed being able to hack being inconsistent. If a volk player got downed before they ever touched their tablet, their tablet would incorrectly be un-hackable
Tablet Hacking: Fixed enemy locations being visible again when swapping hands with tablet
Competitive: Fixed objectives not mirroring when host was swapped
Ballistic Shield: Fixed swapping hands back and forth rapidly lagging game
Suburbia: When spectating, bushes by garage/basketball hoop will no longer be invisible
Uplink: Fixed uplink code incorrectly displaying "0000000" for some users
Player: Fixed network players spawning with all headgear on
Player: Fixed network players spawning with incorrect team skin
Player: Fixed being unable to move if in contact with another player when they disconnected.
Gun: Fixed network gun positions stuttering when held only by barrel/foregrip
Frag Grenade: Fixed laying on a frag to block damage to others not being reliable
Tutorial: Fixed empty mags auto-holstering when dropped
Tent: Fixed taser shoot particles playing

Stay updated on Onward, converse with the community, test builds, and participate in organized competitive events by joining our Discord!

For additional information, visit our wiki.

Sep 7, 2018

Hotfix v1.3.1

Onward - DownpourDev

Hey all,

Small patch today, primarily focused on the new map Abandoned's performance improvements but we've got some fixes and balance changes in response to the community and feedback from the Leicester Invitational.

General

Map: Abandoned's performance improved
Loading screen: Added loading screen to help with users crashing when loading larger maps
Shotgun ammo: Buckshot vs Slug now have different materials to differentiate
Tablet: Re-added enemies remaining counter to Operations Hunt mode
Taser: Firing animation keeps doors open on last shot fired
Taser: Improved haptics on Oculus
Night Vision: Now has lower grab priority. Fixes problem of attempting to grab a grenade from vest causing you to instead interact with night vision
FMJ Tracers: Changed visuals
Suburbia: Material type pass (metal, wood, concrete bullet impacts). Some small props are now penetrable (benches, street sights, light posts, trashbags)
Pickups: Improved local and network physics performance
Pickups: Added small throwable clutter objects (rocks, cans etc) into every map

Balance

Shield: Now has slower movement and rotation speed when following your hand
4x Scope: Cost reduced to 3 from 4 for Marskman class
Revive: Changed behavior of reholstering pickups you have holstered/in hand when you get downed. Now any pickups that no one else has touched will get reholstered on you (assist in cases of your gear rolling down hills) and any pickups that were yours that are still close to you

Fixes

FMJ Tracers: Fixed not always being visible
Suburbia: Fixed doubled-up humvee
Gun: Fixed being able to "eat" other players' mags by dropping your mag and moving your gun over someone else's mag in their gun
Taser: Can no longer attack teammates before countdown timer has finished
Taser: Fixed incorrect shader making object appearing shiny
Taser: Fixed making multiple click sounds when holstered and laser being disabled
Tablet: Fixed pivot of tablet in other player's hands having incorrect rotation
Tablet: Increased size of Back button
M39: Re-enabled bolt release button
Scope: Can no longer see through new smoke grenades
Observer: Make night map light wider so it's more visible
Server browser: Filters are now functional again

Stay updated on Onward, converse with the community, test builds, and participate in organized competitive events by joining our Discord!

For additional information, visit our wiki.

Sep 7, 2018

Monthly Sitrep - September 2018

Onward - MrDeath

Hey guys, MrDeath here!

Welcome to our third sitrep! In this sitrep we'll talk about the VR Esport event from Leicester, and the upcoming event in Oculus Connect 5! We will also talk about the features we've added and ask you to leave some feedback on these new items.

We're also introducing a new member at Downpour Interactive. this person will focus on the maps in Onward! And finally we'll shed some light on what we're working on for the next updates to come.

If you have any suggestions on community involvement be sure to contact me on either : Reddit, Steam discussions or the Discord.

ESL Gaming & Oculus.

Onward is going Esport!

VRML is proud to collaborate with ESL Gaming & Oculus to bring you the VR League Grand Finals featuring Onward VR!

Throughout the summer, teams have competed in championship tournaments – trying to secure a spot at finals. Globochem earned their spot at the Onward Invitational event in June. Boss Fight and Beginners secured spots during the semi-finals. SMC Tactical claimed the last spot during the Onward Invitational Qualifier! you can find more info about what happened in the semi finals here.

The world’s top four teams that secured spots at OC5 are:

Globochem
BossFight
Beginners
SMC Tactical

These teams will compete for a total prize pool of USD $60,000 on stage at Oculus Connect 5 on September 26-27th!

1st place: $25,000
2nd place: $15,000
3rd place: $10,000
4th place: $10,000

The live stream of the Onward championship will begin at 11:30 AM PST / 19:30 CEST on OC5 day one. Viewers can tune into the VR League’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitch channels to watch the world’s highest level of VR Esports competition.

Will we see you at Oculus Connect 5?

Update v1.3 released!

As some of you know we've just released the v1.3 update with some notable new features and gear.

Tell us what you think:
We would like to get your opinion on these new items in terms of balance. If you want, go to our Discordserver and click the Google Form link in the Announcements channel.

We're releasing a hotfix today to address some bugs and performance issues on the new map Abandoned.

Update v1.3 trailer:
https://youtu.be/jO3Esm5G6Us Mega thanks to MantisVR on helping us making this trailer!
check out his YouTube channel here.

New Downpour Interactive team member!

Storm aka "Unyun" joins the Downpour team as game designer! He will be refining the current maps and gameplay within them and creating new ones for you to enjoy.

Hi, my name is Storm and I have been playing Onward since its Alpha as "Unyun", I'm hugely honored to be a part of this project and I hope to bring countless hours of action-packed fun to players with my contributions!

Favorite thing to work on in Onward?
Level design and with that, balance considerations. I enjoy coming up with new ideas, then figuring out how to make them happen while being fair for all parties. I want to make a beautiful and varied environment, yet allow the tactics and skill of the players make up the reason why they win or lose- eliminating luck.

Which weapon in Onward do you like the most?
I enjoy using the AK5C with AP, foregrip and a holosight. Runner up: G36C.

Whats your favorite game? (besides Onward)
A tie: World of Warcraft and the Battlefield series. I love the massively-multiplayer gameplay in both that requires group and individual decisions to achieve victory. The things that can be done with "creative use of game mechanics" keeps me intrigued and searching for new ways to play.

Which map in Onward do you like the most?
Quarantine. I have always loved it. It ticks all the boxes for me: large size, different ways to attack objectives, verticality in buildings, lots of cover and a great atmosphere.

What feature do you want added to Onward?
I'd like to see more interactivity in the environment. Throwable and destructible objects, climbable ladders(hey Downfall!) and mechanics like elevators and light switches-- cut the power!

Community Contest - Less than a week left!

Want to win the community contest? YOU'VE GOT LESS THAN A WEEK LEFT!
We'll close submissions on September 12th so make sure to get yours in before then!
If you feel like you can still get a video out for this contest before next week Wednesday, make sure to read through this post. It contains all the information you'll need!
https://steamcommunity.com/games/496240/announcements/detail/2629423802408312734

There are some amazing submissions for the contest already!
Take a look at the already submitted videos here!

Upcoming features.

Besides working on releasing some quick hotfixes, we're still working hard on new features!
Things to expect in upcoming updates:

Better inverse kinematics animations.
Molotov cocktail.
C4 explosive.
UI improvements.
Better hand models.
Map improvements.
More frequent map releases.
Better lighting.
New SA80 model. (shown below)

This was the monthly sitrep for September!

If you have any tips or suggestions for improving this series, let me know! You can contact me on either : Reddit, Steam discussions or the Discord.

Stay updated on Onward, converse with the community, test builds, and participate in organized competitive events by joining our Discord!

For additional information, visit our wiki.

Aug 24, 2018

Update v1.3

Onward - DownpourDev

Hey guys,

Version 1.3 is here! New map (our biggest yet), bipod, drone, stun gun, new tablets, and a bunch of spectate and casting improvements and additions. Check out our video below for a quick overview of some of the new features.

In other news, a collaboration between Oculus, ESL Gaming, and the VR Master League will be hosting a tournament at Oculus Connect 5 on September 26-27th! 4 Teams will be competing for a total prize pool of USD$60,000! We will post more more announcements and links to streaming options as we get nearer to the event dates. For more information, see our previous sitrep.

Abandoned's performance is still being worked on, and will be improved in a hotfix next week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO3Esm5G6Us&feature=youtu.be

Featured Updates

New Map: Abandoned A large overgrown forest with forlorn operating bases and rough terrain. Volk and MARSOC vie to gain the upper hand and lay claim of this strategic piece of land.
New Attachment: Bipods available for all marksman and automatic rifleman weapons. Deploy, snap to ground, and open fire.
New Equipment: Stun Gun and Hacking Tablet available to Marsoc specialist. Comes with a laser sight and one shot. Get up close and stun your enemies. Use the hacking tablet to locate your enemies on the map.
If Volk drops a tablet (they throw it away, they get downed, they exit to tent) then that tablet is hackable. If that player dies, the tablet gets locked
New Equipment: Drones available to Marsoc Marksman (and on all PvE loadouts). Deploy the drone with your tablet and use the camera feed to locate targets.
Control Scheme:
- Can grab tablet with two hands now
- Elevation: left/right trigger buttons
- Forward/Backward and Left/Right movement: left touchpad/thumbstick
- Drone yaw and camera pitch: right touchpad/thumbstick
- There are options for swapping left/right touchpad/thumbstick behavior and for inverting camera pitch
Tablet: New model, Volk/Marsoc colors, can be two-handed (used for drone control), hacking and drone control attachment variants

General

Performance: Greatly improved IK calculation CPU cost which should lead to better overall performance.
Scope Improvements
- Increased Marsoc 4x Scope model size. Is now closer to its real world equivalent. Scope lens ends up being closer to player's eye than before
- Vignette is easier to control. Now it "snaps" to the center when you get close to lining up your eye with the lens.
- Parallax effect reduced on all 4x and 12x scopes
- Scope reticle texture is no longer affected by texture quality (will always be high resolution)
Center marker: Added an optional in-game center marker to help players remain in the middle of their playable space (and oriented if need be) when playing Onward.
Round time: Round times can now be flexible. Currently only Abandoned has a longer round time (8 minutes), but we will consider changes for other maps. Please let us know your thoughts!
Smoke Grenades: Particles redone to be more performant
Shield: Rotation is now networked, what you see is what everyone sees
Tablet: Holstering is now more consistent. If the Tablet is behind your head when you let go it will attempt to holster
Guns: Added the ability to interact with other player's flashlights, laser sights, and bipods
Guns: Spawning with 12x scope now defaults firemode to semi-auto if available
Guns: Rotation is now networked, what you see is what everyone sees
LMG: Change mag remove behavior to only require LMG top to be up (belt no longer has to be removed)
Guns: Added "double click" behavior to holstering. Letting go of trigger hand, and then letting go of barrel/foregrip hand will now attempt to holster weapon using the trigger hand (previously would drop the weapon if the barrel/foregrip hand was far from the holster)
Guns: Bolt action mags have higher grab priority than bolt when trying to drop mag out of gun
M39 and SVD no longer have bolt release buttons, but still lock bolt back on last round
Mk17 STANAG support removed (different caliber)
Map Vote: Public lobbies now vote on a selection of 6 maps. Players can vote for the maps shown, or vote to refresh the choices with new ones
Map Vote: When a majority of the lobby have voted, the countdown will reduce to 5 seconds
Map Vote: Private lobbies no longer have a vote. Instead, the lobby leader is given full choice of map and gamemode and can start the next map immediately
Operations: Volk pistols added to player loadouts in PvE mode
Suburbia: Short bushes can now be walked through
Tablet: Added negative audio sound when attempting to send incorrect code
Settings: Left/right eye preference setting added
currently only functions to help spectate cams know which eye you’ll be using for scopes but will likely be used for other things in the future

Fixes

Audio: Fixed master volume not affecting splash screen
AI: Fixed alive AI despawning players
Player: Disabled players being able to walk inside each other using game movement, causing both player models to jump up in the air
Player: As part of the IK calculation improvement, player models will now be fully networked, which will fix the de-sync issues we previously had (league banned spots need not be banned anymore!)
Player: Player models shouldn’t spin around randomly when the player is running and should generally be a bit more reliable. There still is a known aesthetic issue with crouching which will be addressed in a future update
Player: Stacking has been disabled until we are able to implement a more reliable method
Main Menu: Fixed server browser next button continuing into empty pages
Magazine: Fixed empty ejected magazines being grabbable from any distance and seeming to appear from mag holster
Magazine: Fixed joining a game in progress causing magazines to spawn very far away and slowly move to insert into guns
Guns: Fixed incorrect fire selector animations on M16, AKM, AK74
Guns: Fixed fire mode selector being incorrect on spawn for some weapons
Guns: Fixed grabbing a bolt that was already locked back causing weapon to animate bolt forward and backward quickly
Lasers: fixed first frame laser being very wide and then getting smaller
Syringe: Fixed used syringe incorrectly being re-holstered if you were holding a used syringe when you got downed, and then got revived
Pickups: Fixed being unable to grab your gear if you were downed, another player grabbed your gear and dropped it, then you were revived
Downfall: Fixed occlusion problems popping small props in/out of vision
Downfall: Fixed barbed wire blocking bullets
Downfall2: Removed grass near ‘Volk tower’
Tent: First person spectating should be a lot closer to where the player is looking, and should see their viewpoint through gun meshes a lot less frequently
Tent: Fixed some guns and attachments not appearing the same in loadout previews as they do when spawned-in
Tent: Drawing board pens now have physics when thrown and can be used by either hand
Competitive: Volk suicide using a grenade now counts towards the suicide penalty
Competitive: Lobbies will auto-start between rounds after a 2 minute timer to help enforce quicker planning phases. Auto-start can be cancelled by lobby leader.
Oculus: Fix loading scene texture incorrectly being affected by texture quality setting

Casting/Observer

New additions

Fully operational without VR running! Use launch option -novr to boot the game without the need for VR. You can then close and disconnect your VR hardware.
We’ll soon be able to make it so you don’t need VR software even installed.
Hide map hotkey (CTRL + M)
Hide all UI button/hotkey (escape)
Left/right eye player preference can be overridden with left/right arrow keys when spectating a player
Freecam movement has become more smoothed to allow for better viewing experience
Freecam movement now has a button to allow it to continue floating on the last velocity. Hold down the middle mouse button and tweak your movement to achieve panning/slow shots.
You can also hold down the middle mouse button and shift to unlock the max speed and whizz across maps when needed
Right mouse button is now effectively a brake for the freecam, use in conjunction with the middle mouse button to slow down panning shots
Freecam now has cinematic zoom! Use mousewheel up and down and a zoom slider has been added to choose your preferred zoom amount
Camera positions are now stored per map! Observers can choose to import their saved cams when joining a lobby (communicate between multiple observers to decide whose setup to use, as they will be overwritten once imported)
Camera positions will now also be shared amongst other observers joining at any time
Changed team name editing to a dialogue box for easier editing, this is now also synced across all observers
Added an option to alter the in game score. This must only be used in the event of a bug or lobby re-host to keep the correct scores from the last lobby as it affects the score for players also
Added grenade trails. This can be toggled on and off with the “Visibility” button/hotkey (V)
Added a kill feed. This will show the last 5 downs, kills, headshots, resses and tablet hacks and slowly fade out
Added ability to jump straight into first person cam when looking at a player. A small white circle will appear when this is possible and players can use R on the keyboard to spectate
Frame rate has been capped to 60fps to help with performance
Added new screen for casters! This screen will have a scoreboard, team scores, large map and a kill feed on it. This is intended mainly for offline events but will be able to be moved to a second monitor once multi-monitor is implemented for the observer setup. The scoreboard names will flash when shooting and darken when dead

Fixes

No more performance drops when players spawn in. Performance should remain solid throughout
First person spectating: When returning to free cam from first person spectating, the camera should keep the previous orientation, and move slightly behind and above the player’s head
First person spectating: Now able to exit first person spectating directly into a saved camera position by using the position’s keyboard hotkey
First person spectating: Player names should now remain visible when spectating a player
Map: Made player dots slightly larger and disabled colour changes due to damage
Map: Player dots now have a small red wave around them when the player is being damaged
Map: Shouldn’t need to be refreshed again (hopefully!)
Map: Fixed FOV lines being offset
Map: Mouse is now hidden when fullscreen
Player: Removed outlines when players are dead
Player: Moved player name to follow head so when players crouched it moves with them. Downed players will have the name below them
Scoreboard: Now fully functional at all times
UI: Increased minimum mouse smoothing slider value to stop less mouse ‘bouncing’
Lobby: Upped observer slots to 6 people
Lobby: Fixed issue where observers couldn’t join full lobbies
Tent: Fixed needing to press enter twice to go into freecam on first join

Stay updated on Onward, converse with the community, test builds, and participate in organized competitive events by joining our Discord!

For additional information, visit our wiki.

Aug 13, 2018

Reminder: Community Contest - Summer 2018

Onward - MrDeath

ATTEN-HUT!

Hey guys, MrDeath here!

You've got less than a month left!

We've already received a lot of submissions from community members!
Make sure you've submitted yours before we close the submissions on September 12th on 12PM!
countdown timer

Put your filmmaking skills to the test to write and direct an amazing video!

We’ve recently pushed an update containing the new desktop observer for private lobbies. This will come in handy for the cinematic and steady shots you’ll want to achieve.

The desktop observing is only possible in private password protected lobbies. When creating a private lobby it’ll give you the option to enable the observer slots.

More info about the controls of the desktop spectating can be found here.

The rules of the contest are :

It must be an original video.
Be of duration of at least 30 seconds and no more than 5 minutes.
Must be "both entertaining and creative".
Created/taken within the Onward game.
Must be uploaded on YouTube.
All uploads must use the following tags - onward, onwardvr, vr, milsim, FPS, contest, community
Don’t use copyrighted music for a fanmade trailer video.
Can’t reuse earlier submitted videos for future contests.
Only one submission per contender.

Once the video is up, please email the video link with the category & your preferred username (if not the youtube account name) to videocontest@downpourinteractive.com.

If you’re not sure and need some more info regarding rules, contact me on either Reddit, Steam discussions or the Discord.

What kind of videos you can make :

Comedy/funny
Cinematic
Machinima
Gameplay/montage
Fanmade trailer
Other

We may have a themed contest in the future.

If you have a question on something that hasn’t been featured in the rules above you can contact me on either Reddit, Steam discussions or the Discord.

There will be a top 3 winners with real prizes!

Up to 5 people helping you will receive these prizes as well!

ProtubeVR with magnetic cups (MagtubeVR), Onward shirt, Onward Fanny Pack and a VRCOVER (padding or facial interface)
Onward shirt, Onward Fanny Pack and a VRCOVER (padding or facial interface)
Onward shirt, Onward Fanny Pack

An onward fanny pack you say? yes sir, we've had a little thing going in the ESL invitational in Leicester a few weeks ago. So we'd thought it to be funny to include an Onward branded fanny pack in the prize list!

Voting

On 12th September 12PM we'll close the submissions. You'll be able to vote for your top 20 (numbers may differ) video submissions. After that we'll internally choose the top three videos. We'll release more info about this 12th of September. countdown timer

Helpful footage/audio you might want to use :
Onward intro/outro animation.
Royalty free music/audio.

Stay updated on Onward, converse with the community, test builds, and participate in organized competitive events by joining our Discord!

For additional information, visit our wiki.

Aug 3, 2018

Monthly Sitrep - August 2018

Onward - MrDeath

Hey guys, MrDeath here!

Welcome to the our second Sitrep! In this Sitrep we will shed some more light on the announced features and content for the upcoming update.
But first we will have a introduction from our current developers at Downpour Interactive!

If you have any suggestions on community involvement be sure to contact me on either : Reddit, Steam discussions or the Discord.

HEADS UP! Make sure to check this post of the Community Contest!
you'll be able to compete and win some amazing prizes!
https://steamcommunity.com/games/496240/announcements/detail/2629423802408312734

ESL Gaming & Oculus

VRML is proud to collaborate with ESL Gaming & Oculus once again in order to produce this mind-blowing tournament with the intention of selecting 4 teams that will compete for the following prize pool on stage at the Oculus Connect 5 on September 26-27th !
Those 4 teams will be competing for a total prize pool of USD$60,000 !

1st place : $25,000
2nd place : $15,000
3rd place : $10,000
4th place : $10,000

Below is a flowchart of the whole championship.
Lot more details on the website: https://vrmasterleague.com/Onward/Championships/2018-Summer
Have a great one and good luck!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N3j51Aej-s

The team behind Onward

- Dante, Creator of Onward

Whats your favorite thing to work on in Onward?
My favorite thing I like working on in Onward is choosing the environments and themes for each map. VR allows for players to experience scenarios and places they’ve never been to before, and I like that each map in Onward tells an interesting story. I also love to find ways to promote teamwork and strategy between players in game. Everyone should have a dedicated role that complements the other.

What is your favorite game? (besides Onward)
I can’t pick one, but my top 3 are Halo 3, Insurgency, and the Last of Us.

Which weapon in Onward do you like the most?
M16 with a red dot and AP rounds.

Which map in Onward do you like the most?
Bazaar. It was my dream map to play in.

What feature do you want added to Onward?
I’d love to increase the player count and have larger maps. I’m a fan of large scale battles in games like Squad and Battlefield. We’re going to continue to push the limits and see how far we can go.

- James, Programmer

Whats your favorite thing to work on in Onward?
I really enjoy prototyping and creating new features for the game. There's something extremely satisfying about coming up with an idea, fleshing it out and incorporating it into the game! Evac mode on Operations was extremely fun to get in the game, and remains my favourite PVE gamemode. Another thing I really enjoyed working on was introducing VR spectating (flying around) and the Observer setup which is used for casted matches. It's been incredible watching the casters use my setup to cover the VRML league and invitational matches and make it such a blast to watch!

What is your favorite game? (besides Onward)
The Halo series, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Soma, Destiny (1 & 2) and Ori and the Blind Forest. You can't make me choose!

Which weapon in Onward do you like the most?
SKS! With a suppressor and AP ammo!

Which map in Onward do you like the most?
Cargo! I was a huge fan of the old Tanker layout and was so glad we were able to bring it back into the game.

What feature do you want added to Onward?
I have a tremendously long list of extra things that I want to add to improve the observer (casting) setup! Also I've a few ideas for game modes.

- Patrick, Programmer

Hello! I have primarily worked on AI, the pickups system, networking, crossplatform and native Oculus support.

Whats your favorite thing to work on in Onward?
Most recently, I've been enjoying working with the pickups system we have. Redoing all the pickups (weapons, grenades, syringes) and interactable objects back for v1.2 made it a lot easier to make new pickups for the game. Adding bipods, drones, and the stun gun are some of the things I'm working on for the next update.

What is your favorite game? (besides Onward)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, but I've been playing mostly tabletop games lately (Pandemic, Mysterium, and This War of Mine). It's a nice change to step away from the screen after working and playing in VR all day.

Which weapon in Onward do you like the most?
M39 with a bipod.

Which map in Onward do you like the most?
Bazaar for PVP. All those alleyways and small rooms lead to a lot of fun moments of enemies being close together but not quite knowing where the other is.
Downfall for PVE. Good practice for long range shots, and pushing for the Evac point can be a good challenge running from cover to cover.

What feature do you want added to Onward?
AI was the first feature I wanted, and I got to add that! I'd like to experiment with some overpowered items for using versus AI; mortars, air support, rocket launchers. I like all the interactable elements of the machine guns and I'd like to do more pickups that have more interactable parts.

- Daan, Community Manager

Hi! My name is Daan, also known under the username MrDeath.

Whats your favorite thing to work on in Onward?
I've been really enjoying working on the Monthly Sitreps like this. Trying to get you guys some amazing information on what we'll bring in an upcoming update.
I also love to maintain community contact with amazing contests like the current one we're running right now.

What is your favorite game? (besides Onward)
Arma 3, but I have been playing RuneScape (old school) some more lately.

Which weapon in Onward do you like the most?
This is a hard one, if i'm in a small to medium sized map, I'd go for the M16A4 on MARSOC and the AKM on VOLK.
If i were to actually select a weapon on enjoying it the most. it has to be the M40A5. because it's super satisfying to get a long range kill with it on maps like Downfall and Abandoned. Not only to mention that its model looks amazing.

Which map in Onward do you like the most?
Some of you will probably have guessed it, Downfall! Although Abandoned might likely replace downfall as my favorite map >.>

What feature do you want added to Onward?
Better hand models, rigging these hand models and with these new hand models, support for gestures!

Update info!

Note that these following features are still in progress and are likely to change before release!

New map - Abandoned

Work In Progress GIFs

finally a way to clean yourself after hours of battle.

Stun gun

This is subject to change
The stun gun is a MARSOC only weapon for the Specialist class.
it costs one point and will only be able to shoot once! Reloading the stun gun will not be possible for balancing reasons.

The stun gun will instantly drop the target, making it possible to take him hostage or take his stuff without being as loud when using an actual gun.

Hacking

This is subject to change

A volk tablet is hackable if a volk player drops a volk tablet and they are still alive (they got downed, but aren't dead, they throw their tablet away)
The tablet is hackable for a time before locking itself.
A marsoc player with a hacking tablet (selected in loadout, spawning with stun gun gives you the hacking tablet) can approach the volk tablet to hack it. Numbers will appear on the volk tablet that they will have to input on their tablet.
When the hack begins, other volk players will be notified a tablet is being hacked.
When the hack has completed, the marsoc player will be able to see volk player locations.

Bipods

This is subject to change
Bipods are selectable for some weapons. The designated marksman can select the bipod for his weapons and the automatic rifleman class can select it too.

Drones

This is subject to change
Drones will be a MARSOC only tool for the designated marksman.
VOLK will be able to shoot down the drone.

The drones will be very loud and it's irritating sound can be heard across the map. This could be used as a tactical advantage.

other stuff

We still have way more stuff coming but we decided not to put it in the sitrep yet! make sure to read the sitrep for next month to learn about those!

This was the monthly sitrep for August!
The update is just around the corner, so keep your eyes peeled!

If you have any tips or suggestions for improving this series, let me know! You can contact me on either : Reddit, Steam discussions or the Discord.

Stay updated on Onward, converse with the community, test builds, and participate in organized competitive events by joining our Discord!

For additional information, visit our wiki.

I’ll see you on the field!
MrDeath, Community Manager.