Hello Onward Community,

After the launch of 2.0, many of you have been asking about what will be in store for Onward. We have always been very open with you about what we are working on and this communication is no exception.

Update 2.0 will be the last content for Onward.

You likely have a lot of questions about what this means for different aspects of the game. We will do our best to answer what we anticipate are the top questions.

Is Onward being shut down?

No. Onward (Update 2.0) will still be available on all current platforms for current and new players, but it will no longer be getting developer support for things such as new content or non-critical bug fixes

What is happening to Downpour Interactive?

The DPI team has permanently joined our sister studio, Camouflaj. We are excited to have joined them and we look forward to the new experiences we'll explore and create together.

Who should we contact about support?

Onward will no longer have a dedicated support team. You will need to contact the platform where you bought the game for any technical support related to issues when launching the game. For any bug related or troubleshooting needs, we encourage you to use the established Onward communities like the Onward Discord or Onward Reddit.

Meta Quest Support

Steam Support

Thanks to all of you, Onward has been a staple FPS in the VR community for over 8 years and we have enjoyed every moment with you all. We appreciate all the support and love you have shown us throughout this journey.

It's now time for us to move... Onward!

Hello Onward Community,

We released a Hotfix today to fix three major issues happening in the game. The following changes have been made:

• Player state issues including the weird radio behavior after dying, seeing your own body after dying, and kill or death credit not counting should be resolved.
• The bug that allowed players to “fly” using the revolver has been fixed.
• Palm trees in Downfall and Bazaar now have penetrable leaves, and only block bullets on their trunks.

Please make sure to update your game to version 2.0.3 for these fixes to be applied.

Onward Players,

We're thrilled to see so many of you enjoying the new features introduced in version 2.0. Your positive comments and feedback are greatly appreciated, and we're delighted to welcome back previous players who have returned to the game.

Although the release didn't go entirely smoothly, we've been working hard to resolve the issues that arose. The introduction of graphically advanced features and updates in the Horizon OS caused some functionality problems for Quest 2 users. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we worked to try and fix these issues.

• Black Screen when launching: We worked quickly to resolve this issue, if you continue to have this issue, clear your game cache and/or free up some storage space on your hardware.
• Quest 2 issues with bringing up OS Menu: This issue required collaboration with the Meta Horizon team to try and resolve, and at this time we have done everything we can do on our end to resolve this, however, it may still be an issue for some players. We are continuing to work with that team to resolve the issue. Currently we recommend avoiding opening the OS menu during gameplay. If you want to take images or video while playing, you can use the controller shortcuts.

In response to your concerns related to an increase in accidental teamkilling, we've made adjustments to the operator models' lighting to help better distinguish between the two factions. A big thanks to those who worked with us and provided constructive feedback and references so we can improve their quality.

For a comprehensive list of changes and fixes included in this hotfix, please refer to the Change Log below.

Change Log

Gameplay

• Huge improvements to overall memory usage
• Improved how character lighting affects friend or foe identification
• Fixed issue causing crashes in Shooting range, FOB, and Downfall Remastered
• Falling damage corrected when using ladders
• Fixed falling rate when letting go of ladder bars

Weapons

• Fixed rate of fire for APC9

Maps

• Fixed collision issues with semi truck in northern Quarantine
• Fixed ladders not working if you had proximity grip enabled
• Adjusted jets and helicopters flying out of the ground
• Fixed several exploits on Bazaar rooftops
• Fix occlusion culling on Downfall and Bazaar, improving performance
• Quarantine Portable toilets now have collision preventing players from entering them
• Fixed occlusion culling on Quarantine, improving performance
• Fixed occlusion culling issues in Abandoned looking through the pipes

Custom Content

• Fixed Audio reverb zones and ladder perch zones not working in custom content

Onward Players,

We are thrilled to announce that the highly anticipated Onward Update 2.0 is now live! This major update brings a plethora of exciting new features, improvements, and enhancements to the game, further enriching the immersive experience. With a focus on delivering more realistic gameplay, improved performance, and new content, Update 2.0 promises to take your Onward journey to the next level. Get ready to gear up, squad up, and dive back into the action-packed world of Onward like never before!

Let's take a look at the major features included in Update 2.0. For a comprehensive overview of all updates, please refer to the change log.

New & Updated Features

A major overhaul on the weapons and utilities has been included in this patch. When performing the graphics update it also allowed us the opportunity to update many aspects of the weapons.

Updated Weapons & Utilities

• New Graphics Overhaul for Weapons & Utilities including updates for Faction Specific items
• 13 New Weapons Added
• New Scope Technology Added
• New Weapon Functionalities Added
• Scope Zeroing done on all weapons
• Reworked Weapons Trajectory

The list of new weapons being added are:

Operator Selection

You can now select from a roster of 10 unique operators per faction, each with their own distinct look and backstory. The operator selection menu will be in the main menu that will allow you to set your VOLK and MARSOC characters included are updated VIP skins.

New Maps

Downfall Remastered (Day & Night)

Tanker (Day)

Environmental Enhancements

Items to help you feel more immersed in the environments have been added into the game. The Environment Events are sent to happen as a chance occurrence when playing on some maps.

• Climbable Ladders added to Downfall, Overgrowth, Shooting Range, FOB, and Bazaar.
• Environment Events have been added to some maps including things like flyovers and lightning

Major Quality of Life Improvements

We wanted to make sure we also addressed and included some of the major community requests we have been receiving. We are including the following:

• New Co-Op game Mode "Retrieval" Added
• Hunt Mode Expanded: Added options for additional waves of AI to spawn after 32. Wave setting options are 48, 64, 96, 128, 256, 512
• Assault Game mode with updated boundaries added to Subway
• Safe Spawning has been added
• Option to Enable/Disable Crossplay added

Change Log

Headline features

• Replaced all existing weapon models, textures and everything else related to their visuals and sounds.
• Added new types of weapons: pump action shotguns, and a revolver.
• New weapons: M870, Vector, HK416, HK45T, M45A1, M27, MR73, AK103, Saiga 12, APC9, MP443 Grach, Stechkin APS, RPK-74 (Drum / Molot).
• Replaced all weapon attachments and added many new ones
• Added new types of weapon attachments: grippods, alternate iron sights, hybrid scopes, combo laser sights, and more
• Replaced all MARSOC and Volk characters
• Added 20 selectable operators with customization options in arm band colors and lens colors if applicable
• Added two new maps: Downfall Remastered (replacing Downfall), and Overgrowth
• Added new music throughout the game
• Added new visual effects for bullets hitting objects, and for when the player is hit
• Added the option to filter servers by platform.
• Added interactable ladders to several maps.

Weapons

• Overhauled ballistic trajectories, they now are not affected by framerate and properly convey bullet mass, shape, and drop over time.
• Added alternate support grip hand poses to assist with overlap on several guns when they are using alternative magazines, such as an RPK drum magazine in an AK style weapon.
• Added "trigger discipline" animations to the index finger on all guns, when the user is not touching their controller trigger they will rest their finger on the trigger housing.
• All guns now support trigger animations when pulling the trigger, including the taser and the M203 attachments.
• When using tracer rounds in the Shooting Range they now affect every shot instead of every third shot.
• Volk now has their own stun gun.
• Stun guns used to require players to be downed but not dead to hack tablets. This is still the case unless that player was stunned with the stun gun itself. Then they can be hacked even if dead.
• Bipods on some LMGs are now grippable.
• Added shell carriers for shotguns.

Maps

• Added new daytime map variant for Tanker.
• The Shooting Range now contains a basketball goal, and several hidden easter eggs.
• Ladders have been added to Bazaar to reach the rooftops on a few key buildings.
• Towers in Shooting Range and FOB now have functioning ladders.
• Improved lighting bakes and textures on various maps most notably on Bazaar and Quarantine amongst others
• Improvements to propping and texturing were made to the following maps: Shooting Range, Quarantine, Tanker, Suburbia, Bazaar.
• Improvements were made to several Skyboxes
• Subway now supports Assault mode
• Added a chance of lightning to night maps, as well as a chance of a jet or helicopter flyover on any map, and a chance of a boat driveby on maps with water like Tanker and Abandoned

Game Modes

• New game mode: Retrieval. This is similar to the hard drive recovery mission from Mercenary Mode.
• Gun Game now uses random factions on faction specific equipment like grenades.
• Added a "pump action shotgun" mode to One in the Chamber.
• Male and Female VIP added for Escort mode, the gender chosen will match your Marsoc character.
• In FFA modes we use your character selections but we do use a random faction, for variety.
• Added "Safe Spawn" functionality that allows players to respawn at random positions in Free Roam if their body is being camped.
• Added visible 'walls' to indicate the playable area in Subway for Assault
• Allow for up to 512 bots to spawn in co-op modes - they will respawn when over 32 bots are selected, and ammo boxes will appear.

Bots / AI

• Improved AI responsiveness during travel states, so they react more realistically when taking fire.
• AI no longer speaks Russian but English with a thick accent, allowing the player to hear what they are doing.
• AI now has several new voice events for throwing flashbangs, throwing smokes, and taking fire.
• AI now has both male and female voices.

Miscellaneous

• Added visible Quest 3 controller for Quest 3 users in the tutorial.
• Updated all menu tiles
• Player vocalizations now have male and female variants.
• Added a new drawing board pen that deterministically randomizes its colors every round.
• Fixed the competitive warning when joining via playlist.

Bug Fixes

• Removed some obsolete Quest 1 optimizations to characters that could make them look worse.
• Grabbing an LMG lid from the wrong side will now flip your hand correctly.
• Fix the game potentially getting stuck if the player leaves a game during a map transition.
• Fix the game getting brighter if the player leaves a game during a flare.
• Fix various locations the player could get stuck in Abandoned, FOB and Bazaar.
• Fix minor collision issues in Suburbia, Turbine, and Abandoned.
• Fix not having to type the full Uplink code if it ends in zeroes.
• Fix not being able to extract in Fire Fight if the host disconnects.
• Fix custom content map authors being unable to test AI modes on local exports.
• Fix a potential way to get two corpsmen on one fire team.
• Fix being unable to interact with a scroll bar when creating a server.
• Fire Fight hard drive no longer falls through the helicopter and gets stuck underneath it.
• Casters in Mercenary Mode can no longer participate in map or reward votes.
• Fix holo sights not appearing white when using night vision sometimes.
• Fix an edge case that allowed instantaneous Uplink sends in Assault and Mercenary Transmit rounds.
• Molotov flames now affect players of all heights.
• Fix server ID text overlapping other UI in the server browser.
• Fix sabotage matches ending shortly after the round starts prematurely.
• Fix a few placeholder messages in Mercenary mode objective text, for example in Extract mode.
• Fix a Fire Fight helicopter you could not board in Turbine.
• Fix Evac rounds not ever ending if a player gives up before the AI spawn in.
• Fix player count on the watch in One in the Chamber being incorrect.
• Fix a small seam in the ballistic shield between the window and shield that could be shot through.
• Fix AI being weird if you broke line of sight near doors.
• Fix the VIP having green trim around their night vision even if you hadn't selected it in your options, also fixed VIP ignoring the player's default phosphor setting.
• After users successfully finish a mission involving a helicopter, fix the helicopter's sound playing forever.
• Fix a few spots in Cargo Night that night vision did not illuminate.
• Fix getting stuck without a team if you try and click on one team while putting on the helmet of another team.
• Fix not making footstep sounds if you are rubbing against a wall.
• Fix some occlusion culling issues on Tanker, Quarantine, & FOB.
• Fix the drawing board being corrupted when joining a match in progress.
• Replaced the check of your internet connection from being ping based to a general web request, which may help certain players.
• Fixed bots throwing flashbangs when the player(s) had long since moved
• Fixed syringes not syncing their state to other players
• Players can no longer hack allied tablets
• Fixed flares illuminating subterranean areas of levels
• Fixed an issue that could progress a player to the next gun in Gun Game, if another player gave up
• Fixed both medics spawning in the same fire group on Firefight
• Fixed an issue where players would sometimes die while extracting in the helicopter on Quarantine
• Fixed some instances where head tracking wasn't working correctly, namely in elevators, the killhouse, and while extracting in a helicopter
• Fix AI getting stuck when entering certain cover states (such as when taking cover from a grenade).
• Fixed users become stuck without a Team after physically equipping a helmet while using the laser-pointer to select the other within Tent Lobbies throughout the title
• Fixed the C4 having a collider that would block bullets
• Fixed Round abruptly ending when a user dies after having previously entered a 'disable uplink' code during the latest round-end phase of 'Assault'
• Fixed Game ending in a VOLK victory when MARSOC slays VIP during Round Reset timer after Jail timer throughout Escort
• Fixed matches failing to end immediately after pressing the 'Give Up' button in Evac
• Fixed air drones being able to leave the spawn jail
• Fixed an issue where if two players timed their uplinks just right, two would be sent and MARSOC would be awarded 4 points in Uplink
• Fixed Mercenary Mode not being available in the server filter as an option
• Fixed the option to allow changing game modes to appear when creating a Firefight server, when this game mode does not support changing modes.
• Fixed an issue whereby players could trigger a victory condition in Mercenary Mode - Extract without having the hard drive

Hello Onward Community!

This month is the long awaited final briefing for Update 2.0. We are going to wrap things up with some big news that you may have thought impossible. In the Devs' Desk we will be showcasing the full roster of our operators, including more of the recently announced female operators from our recent post.

As many suspected when we started this series, after the last briefing, the update would release shortly after. We are happy to confirm you were right! The update will be released on March 25th, 2025!

With less than two weeks to go, let's go over the final big features we have in store.

Briefing 6 of 6

These features are something you have been asking us to include for YEARS. I don't think we have gone one week without hearing a request for one or both of these features. We are thrilled to announce that these will be included in Update 2.0.

Crossplay Enable/Disable Option

For various reasons players have requested the ability to filter servers based on what platform they play on. In order to do this it required quite a bit of backend work and UI adjustments to the game.

Update 2.0 will have an option when setting up and browsing multiplayer lobbies to enable or disable crossplay. The default setting will be to allow crossplay. If you turn crossplay off the setting will be saved until you choose to enable crossplay again.

When creating a lobby and disabling the crossplay option your server will only be visible to the people on the same platform you are on. PCVR (Oculus PCVR & SteamVR) players will only see or join other PCVR players. Quest players will only see or join Quest 2, Quest Pro, & Quest 3 & 3S lobbies. Once a lobby is created, you will not have the ability to change this setting. To make a change to the crossplay settings you will need to create a new lobby.

MR73 Revolver

What began as a simple Game Jam experiment for some of our engineers - 'Can we create a revolver that truly feels immersive in VR?' - quickly turned into a thrilling discovery. As we dove into testing, it became clear to all of us: the revolver's unique interactions brought an exhilarating and dynamic twist to the gameplay experience.

When researching how a revolver could fit into modern day loadouts, we decided on the MR73: a double-action revolver used in some modern military units for its reliability and durability. This weapon will be available on MARSOC Rifleman and Marksman classes. On the Rifleman it supports a reflex sight and a 4x/1x hybrid sight, and on the Marksman it supports a reflex sight or a 4x scope.

From the Devs' Desks:

Over the past few months, we've given you a glimpse into some of the exciting Operators that will be joining the battle. With Update 2.0 just around the corner, we're thrilled to introduce you to the full roster of playable Operators.

Each Operator has a unique backstory and motivation for joining the fight, which you'll be able to explore in-depth when you select them in-game. Get ready to dive into their stories and discover what drives them to take on the challenge.

10 MARSOC Operators

10 Volk Operators

The update is just around the corner, and we can't wait for you to dive in and experience the incredible work our team has put into taking the game to the next level of excitement.

Stay Frosty!

Hello Onward Community!

February is here and so is our next briefing. We know you have been eagerly waiting for what else is coming with Update 2.0. This month we have more new features to go over along with announcing some quality of life enhancements. In the Devs' Desk we will be giving you additional information related to the weapons update and showcasing more operators.

Keep an eye on our Twitter account in the upcoming weeks. We will be posting information for upcoming Q&As happening. This will give you an opportunity to get answers to common questions and also learn more details behind some of the upcoming features we have talked about.

Briefing 5 of 6

While we already announced our completely remastered Downfall map, we still have more news related to environments. We have a completely new never before seen map and a new Day mode for a current map. These are sure to offer a major change to how you play some game modes.

New Map: Overgrowth (D/N)

A brand new map that follows a new level for graphics quality, much like Downfall Remastered. This latest addition boasts lush green foliage texturing and intricate rock formations that create a visually stunning backdrop for intense battles. A network of tunnels and narrow passages demands strategic movement and clever positioning, amplifying the pressure during combat.

This close quarters combat map will be available for Uplink, Co-Op, and Social Game modes. Get ready to experience high-stakes battles like never before on this cutting-edge map!

If you thoroughly explore the map, you may stumble upon a rare fossil that hasn't been seen since the intense battles in the Jungle.

New Map: Tanker (Day)

The Tanker map has been a staple in Onward since its early days. Its unique design, featuring multiple levels and a long viewing range, made it an ideal environment for nighttime gameplay. Night mode reduced the sight lines allowing players to move strategically across the top level, utilizing available containers for cover. After reviewing the map, we decided to release a daytime version of Tanker. This new iteration offers a fresh perspective on the classic map, providing players with a different set of challenges and opportunities.

Sneaking around on this map in broad daylight will require some serious skill.

Quality of Life Update: Environment Enhancements

To help players feel more immersed in the environments while playing, we are adding elements like random fly overs and lightning effects. Sporadically, If you look to the skies or out on the water you have a chance to see boats, helicopters, or fighter jets. The air vehicles can perform banking maneuvers in formation, deploy countermeasures, and even explode and crash. The boats can deploy parachute flares at night.

Quality of Life Update: Safe Spawning

After the introduction of spawn protection, we continued to monitor the gameplay experience for Shooting Range and Freeroam and how it has impacted the overall gameplay. While it did help address some instances players reported, we felt we could improve on it.

In Update 2.0 players will see a checkbox in the tent to enable safespawn. This will randomly spawn you in a new location on the map instead of where you died. This gives control back to the spawning player when in public lobbies where it can get very crowded and a bit chaotic.

Quality of Life Update: Subway Assault

In response to community feedback, we're excited to announce the addition of Assault game mode to Subway. Marsoc will attack from the streets, and Volk will come up from below. To ensure a seamless experience on Subway's different height levels, we've designed Assault boundaries that are shown in the world, rather than on your tablet.

This should bring fresh variety to the Assault map options, offering players a new unique and engaging experience.

From the Devs' Desks

This month we wanted to provide an update and additional details related to our progress on the weapons and characters we are working on.

New Scope Technology & New Weapon Functionality

We have made some significant additions in the scopes category for our weapons. In addition we have also added some new functionalities to some specific weapons we think will offer some much needed improvements to how the weapons are utilized.

New scope technology:

• 2 alternative iron sight model options
• Hybrid 1X/4X scopes - (2 sights in one)
• Tri laser (3 visible lasers)
• Combo (visible laser, visible flashlight, IR flashlight, & IR laser)
• Dual laser illuminator (visible laser, IR flashlight, & IR laser)
• Visible Laser & Flashlight (visible laser & visible flashlight)
• New 6x Scope (MARSOC)
• New 8x Scope (Volk)
• Laser & Flashlights are emissive (can see the lens glowing, not just the beam)

New Weapon Functionalities:

• Shotgun shell holder for M1014 and M870
• Gripods (Foregrip / Bipod Hybrid)
• M203 can be equipped on MCX Virtus & MK18

Character Models

Introducing 3 more MARSOC and Volk Operators. Their full bios will be available on our Instagram page soon.

In addition to switching between operators, you'll also have the ability to personalize their armbands and eyewear with different color patterns. This feature can be used to identify groups of players for tactical positioning or reflect other unique playstyle and preferences.

Use this customization option to add an extra layer of uniqueness and make your gameplay experience even more tailored to your preferences.

Community Center:

MilSim Units

Onward provides a multitude of ways to play, resulting in a diverse array of player types. One player type that has gained popularity in recent years is the Military Simulation (MilSim) community. These groups often incorporate roleplaying and ranking systems into their gameplay.

Some of these groups offer in-game weapon training sessions and tactical walkthroughs for various environments. Since group expectations can differ, the team at MilSim Units has created a website to help connect individuals that have similar playstyles. For more information about how to find or host a MilSim unit, visit their website.

Custom Map Winner

The Onward Custom Map League (OCML) has successfully concluded its January Brawl contest. This exciting tournament featured 8 teams competing over a period of 5 weeks, with matches played on 6 new custom map submissions.

Congratulations to Team Animal House, who emerged victorious in the tournament! An additional congratulations goes to Swamp Boogie, whose map submission "East Village" was chosen as the best new map played during the tournament. Well done everyone!

You can watch all the rounds of the tournament on the Brutal Cast YouTube channel.

Brutal Podcast

In addition to their recent map tournament, the Brutal cast has a bi-weekly podcast that delves into various Onward topics. These engaging episodes often feature special guests who are well-known within the community, providing valuable insights and in-depth information about the game. They also cover various league matches and tournaments. The channel offers a great variety of Onward content to check out.

Happy 2025 Community!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday season. We have another month of new information and exciting updates for you. Briefing #4 will answer a question people have been asking ever since the release of Update 1.14 and the Devs' Desk will be releasing some information about updates that will be coming to our Co-Op modes.

Since our last Sitrep, the main question we got was why we're removing the G3A3 and M1911. So we wanted to take a moment and provide you more details on why that decision was made. When we were first contemplating updating all weapons in the game we took a look at the current roster, and noticed that these two weapons in particular are both quite dated weapons. More importantly, they are no longer in active use by modern militaries, let alone special forces operators such as MARSOC and Volk.

When looking at potential replacements, the RPK-74 is a widely used and more modern light support weapon, and fits the role the G3 currently fills. Additionally, it has some added benefits like allowing for mag swaps between weapons chambered in 5.45x39mm. Similar to the G3 the M1911, legendary as it is, has been retired from nearly all military service within NATO countries. The M45A1 is a modernized version of the same weapon, which will provide modern features such as support for a picatinny rail, and is a more realistic option that better reflects the modern battlefield. We're really looking forward to seeing these new weapons in your virtual hands soon™.

Briefing 4 of 6

Most players noticed with Update 1.14 that our loading screen artwork was updated. Not just to showcase new environment art, but to also include more unique looking soldiers. Over the next couple months we will be introducing these Operators and providing you with their backgrounds.

Operator Selection

We're excited to announce a huge feature that has been in the works for a very long time: the ability to choose your character in-game! Soon you will now be able to select from a roster of 10 unique operators per faction, each with their own distinct look and backstory. A new operator menu will allow you to set your VOLK and MARSOC characters, letting you express yourself with a unique appearance while enhancing teamwork by helping teammates identify each other more easily on the battlefield. This improvement doesn't just look good - it improves communications, callouts, and overall gameplay. All operators will be available to all players at launch, there are no additional operators available through purchase.

This update marks a massive leap forward in immersing players into the high-stakes MARSOC vs. VOLK conflict. For the first time ever, every operator on the battlefield is more than just a combatant - they are a fully realized persona that embodies the global stakes of modern warfare.

We're doing this to build upon Onward's long-standing legacy and add depth to its mysterious lore. After years of intense battles between MARSOC and VOLK, the community will finally gain more insight into the factions and the soldiers who fight for them. This update gives players a deeper connection to the conflict, making every match feel more personal and engaging than ever before.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the operators that will be available.

More details about these Operators will be released soon on our Instagram account.

Milestone Update

We're excited that this next update will be the biggest and most significant one yet, marking a major milestone in the game's development. With all the new features and upgrades coming your way, we've decided to call this update "Update 2.0" - a name that reflects the scale of the changes.

Update 2.0 will not only bring exciting new gameplay mechanics but also mark the end of Onward's Early Access phase. Since its release on Steam in 2016 and Oculus PCVR in 2017, we've been working tirelessly to create the ultimate immersive tactical VR shooter. We're thrilled with the progress we've made over these 9 years.

From the Devs' Desks:

We have an important update regarding changes that will be happening to Co-Op when Update 2.0 releases. When we reformatted the AI and how Co-Op worked, we were happy to see the positive response it received and the amount of people that jumped in to play that mode.

We understand that not everyone was pleased with the changes made to Hunt Mode. Some of you felt that the update reduced the challenge and excitement of the game. We heard your feedback and have been working hard to address it.

After refactoring the AI behavior in Update 1.13, we faced a challenge in bringing back higher enemy counts without affecting the game's overall performance. However, we didn't forget about your concerns. With the significant work and adjustments made in Update 2.0, we were able to revisit the issue and not only bring back the previous bot count options but also expand on them.

Hunt Reinforcements

Hunt will be bringing back higher enemy count options. Once Update 2.0 is released, you will have additional options for 48, 64, 96, 128, 256, 512 enemies. That's a lot of AI! How will we fit them all on one map you ask?

Settings for enemies under 32 will continue to work as they do now, all spawned in at the start of the round. Any settings higher than those will spawn reinforcements once an enemy dies. For example, if you choose 96, you will start with 32 on the map, as each AI is killed a reinforcement is sent. This will continue until your team clears the set number of AI or your team is eliminated. We will be using an AI spawning method and have the AI spawn in locations that work more like a method of Volk having called in reinforcements. So previously cleared areas may have enemies again.

Given the high amount of enemies that will be coming in, we understand resources will be limited, even with the weapons and extras dropped by AI. Hunt settings with higher than 32 bots will have ammo crates appear throughout the map. After all, if Volk gets reinforcements, so should you.

New Co-Op Mode - Retrieval

Coming off the success of the newest Co-Op addition, Mercenary Mode, we developed a way for the players to experience a fan favorite mission, Extract, as its own game mode. The new mode "Retrieval" will operate very similarly. Get In, Secure the Hard Drive, Get Out. Taking down AI is optional. You can choose stealth or sweep tactics, whatever you need to do to get the data and escape with it. Additionally Retrieval has "Blackout Mode", an option to play without the hard drive appearing on the map, forcing players to locate the hard drive manually while under fire.

We're thrilled to be sharing all these exciting features and updates that Update 2.0 has in store for you. Join us on our Discord channel and be a part of the conversation! Share your reactions, feedback, and thoughts on this month's Sitrep - we want to hear from you!

Community Center

Our Custom Map Makers are adding great new environments to our game weekly. There is a community of custom map enthusiasts who host contests, tournaments, and playtests for a variety of new maps coming in. If you would like to join them and provide feedback on the maps and vote in the contests, please join them in their Discord server.

There's still more coming.

Stay Frosty!

Happy December Onward Community,

We're thrilled to see the excitement building around the new Downfall Remastered map. This month in The Dev's Desk, we'll be addressing some of your questions about it.

As part of our Holiday Sitrep tradition, we have a special gift for you. Unfortunately, it won't be ready in time for Winter break, but it's something many of you have been asking for, and we're excited to share more details with you. We also have additional announcements in the Community Center, which we'll get to later.

For now, let's talk about that gift of information most of you have been asking for!

Briefing 3 of 6

New Weapons

Completely NEW weapons are being added in addition to the graphically updated ones. The next update will include the largest amount of new weapons for the largest variety of classes in both factions. These will include some firsts for Onward, like the first ever Pump Action Shotgun and first ever... Oh wait, we don't have clearance to talk about that yet.

The list of new weapons being added are:

That's the biggest drop of new weapons Onward has ever seen! This is sure to shake up your standard loadouts and give you a lot of exciting new experiences when out on the battlefield. For the weapon enthusiasts, we wanted you to know that the Stechkin APS & Saiga 12 will have automatic modes.

From the Devs' Desks:

We wanted to provide some extra details about the upcoming changes to our arsenal. We've also been listening to your questions and concerns about Downfall Remastered, and we're happy to address the most commonly asked questions we have received.

Our hope is that this information will help answer your questions, alleviate concerns, and get you even more pumped up for what's to come!

Weapons: Bullet Drop and Scope Zeroing

The updates to the weapons extended to more than the graphics and interactions. We have also taken the time to address how bullet drop works. Including updates that make weapons more consistently and reliably zeroed to their effective range.

Bullets will follow a more realistic trajectory meaning, bullet speed and thus bullet travel time is more realistic. This means you will be able to see a tracer shoot right beside you. This should make it easier to identify the direction shots are coming from.

We understand this may take a bit of getting used to and change how you currently aim and account for accuracy. We believe this is the better, more realistic approach. We recommend taking some time on the shooting range with your new favorite weapon(s) to get you used to this new system.

Loadout Changes

In order to provide so many new weapons, we had to make some balancing adjustments to the loadouts that are being offered. Some of the new weapons will be replacing previous weapons in the game.

MARSOC:

• M16 being replaced with M27 on Support & Marksman Class
• 1911 being replaced with M45A1

• G3A3 being replaced with RPK-74

The next update will bid farewell to two iconic firearms that have been a part of our Onward loadouts. These trusty guns have served us all well, providing countless hours of intense action and epic firefights. A salute to the 1911 and G3A3 for their service and acknowledge the significant contributions they've made to our gaming experience.

Downfall Remastered Follow-Up

There were a lot of the same questions being asked after the announcement of Downfall Remastered. We wanted to answer them quickly so you're not left wondering.

Have spawnpoints and objective locations been changed?
Yes. When redesigning the map,we reviewed spawnpoints and objectives and also looked into the community feedback. Additionally, because of some of the updates to the terrain types, some changes were required. New tactics and plans will be required for this map.

What exactly did you mean by "interactable objects throughout the map"?
Ladders. There will be climbable ladders that will allow you to get to new locations and use new vantage points when looking to take down your enemies.

Is there a Downfall Remastered - Night?
Yes. Please see provided images of what to expect when it becomes nighttime in this new environment.

Community Center

Amidst all the exciting news, we do have a special holiday treat available for you now. The Holiday Pen is live in-game! Take this opportunity to unleash your creativity and spread some festive cheer in your lobbies.

Grab your Holiday Pen and get creative - draw something merry, brighten up the atmosphere, or simply add a personal touch to your gaming experience (without getting reported for inappropriate drawings).

As the holiday season approaches, our Support Center will be taking a temporary break to allow our team members to spend time with their loved ones. From December 16th, 2024, - January 5th, our Support Center will be closed, including email support and community custom map reviews.

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this time. Our team will work diligently to respond to inquiries and requests upon our return to the office.

We wish you a wonderful holiday season and look forward to reconnecting with you in the new year!

Stay Frosty!

Hello Onward Community!

We were thrilled to see the enthusiasm sparked by our last Sitrep, and we're excited to announce that we'll be resuming our monthly Sitrep schedule as we count down to the release of our next update. With plenty of exciting developments on the horizon, we can't wait to share more with you.

This month we'll be releasing more details about what will be included in the visual overhaul and the Devs' Desk will be releasing information on a new type of addition to the game.

Briefing 2 of 6

Visual Overhaul on all Weapons, Accessories, & Utilities Cont.

Over the past several days we have been showcasing the visual upgrades to a variety of weapons over on our Instagram page. If you haven't seen them yet, we suggest taking some time to check them out. We will be continuing to post additional images there between Sitreps.

During the design process for the visual overhaul our team decided they wanted to take this opportunity to upgrade some of the equipment even further. The result is something we think you will really benefit from and enhance the experience when building your loadouts.

Faction Specific Utility Designs

This means that now your utility items like grenades, knives, tablets, and drones will have unique looks based on what faction you are playing as. Some examples of what the updated/new items are currently set to look like.

From the Devs' Desks:

One of the things that really affects gameplay and enhances the overall experience of the game modes is the environment in which you play them. In previous updates you have seen us release enhancements to our existing maps. This time around we are doing an upgrade on a completely different caliber. So much so we are not calling it an upgrade, but a Remaster.

If you were asked which map you thought was the most popular, which do you think it would be? Turbine? Snowpeak?
It's actually Downfall!

To some this is no surprise, Downfall requires advanced tactics to navigate across the open land while using its unique structures and landscape to take cover during battles. For these reasons and many more, we have chosen this fan favorite map to be completely remade from the ground up.

Downfall Remastered

Originally, we didn't know if we were going to be able to include this feature due to this new map being one of the most graphically advanced maps we have made to date. The team worked hard on optimizing its performance to make sure we could include it in the upcoming update.

To understand what makes this different from what we have done in the past we wanted to call out some of the specific things we did in this process that makes this new map more advanced.

• Revamped Buildings
  Every building has been redesigned. Every building has been modeled and detailed to a higher standard creating a more believable and realistic environment. Each building now uses several tiling textures that are all blended using a new masking workflow. This new workflow allows for unique texture details per building for a more realistic look.
• Enhanced Textures and terrain
  The entire scene now features brand-new high-quality terrain textures with multiple blended materials and additional geometric detail. New cliff and rock assets create more natural and varied ground surfaces. Large objects now utilize detail maps for up close detail enhancing the look of buildings, rocks and fabrics.
• New and wider variety of props
  Including visuals for decals and set dressing to make the environment feel more realistic and immersive. Included interactable objects throughout the map
• Improved lighting
  Lighting across the map has been completely reworked delivering a more realistic and balanced ambiance to the scene with more accurate bounce lighting and interior lighting.

Example of the difference between the two maps:

Join our community discussions and let us know your thoughts on these new designs in the official Onward Discord.

Keep your Head on a Swivel!

Hello everyone!

We have just released patch 1.14.5 to address an issue where some users were seeing a gray box that would block the main menu. The patch is available now, and should download to your devices automatically.

Hello everyone!

Today we've released a small patch (version 1.14.4) to address some backend changes that will help us prepare for the big update we revealed in the Sitrep below. The patch is available for download now, and should download to your device automatically.

We are also updating our Privacy Policy, and consolidating our End User License Agreement, Custom Content Agreement, and Software License Agreement into a single new EULA. We recommend you review the updated End User License Agreement and Privacy Policy that will take effect on October 10, 2024 for new users and on December 10, 2024 for existing users (who downloaded Onward prior to October 10, 2024).

Stay sharp!

It's been awhile Onward Community,

We heard you have been missing our monthly updates. We are happy to finally be able to provide you with some long awaited updates on what we are working on. Strap in and get ready because this is going to be exciting.

I bet your first questions are "Why the silence?" and "What is taking so long?". The answer is simply, there was A LOT of backend work and artwork that needed to be done. Additionally, there is a good amount of prep work to do when gearing up for OUR BIGGEST UPDATE to date! Especially with the expectation that it will be released in the first half of next year.

We are thrilled that we have now moved to a part of the development process where we have some of the work put together that we are able to show off to you. We won't be divulging all the information at once, so make sure you look for our future publications.

Briefing 1 of 6

Visual Overhaul on all Weapons, Accessories, & Utilities

We are talking brand new, higher fidelity models, textures and interactions for 40+ Primary Weapons, 10+ Secondary Weapons, and 65+ Weapon Attachments. That amounts to over 115 objects. And that's just what is currently in the game. We are going to show you examples of two of the updated weapons today.

You can see how big an upgrade it is in the images below of the M1014, L86A2, and the MRS sight. The difference that has been achieved is really impressive when you compare the previous and new looks side by side. In the Devs' Desk we go over what is required for this to be achieved.

The visual overhaul applies the same updates to both Quest & PC versions.

From the Devs' Desks:

This visual overhaul is much more involved than some people might think. Our process is not simply adjusting some resolution settings and adding some improved lighting techniques. To give you an idea of what exactly is involved, we have listed out some of the steps it takes to complete just one item.

• Modeling: Create a new high-poly model to ensure authenticity and accuracy in scale, with enhanced attention to detail and realism.
• Texturing: Develop detailed textures and materials that respond more realistically to lighting, improving the visual quality.
• Material Adjustments: Fine-tune in-game materials to achieve optimal realism under various lighting conditions.
• Art Review: Review and adjust the artwork as needed, ensuring that it meets the visual and quality standards.
• Integration: Apply the approved art to the game and define all interactions and behaviors, with corresponding updates to the code.
• Quality Assurance (QA): Conduct thorough testing to ensure the new models function as expected and look great in-game.
• Final Adjustments: Make any necessary adjustments and corrections based on feedback from QA to ensure the best possible result.

These steps also don't account for any time needed for bug fixes or back-end work needed on other systems these items interact with. In order for us to keep moving forward on some of this work and other work we have in the pipeline, we will be releasing a patch for the game in the next week or so.

Patch 1.14.4

This upcoming patch will be exactly like Patch 1.14.3, a backend update that will not affect anything that is player facing. It is additional tool(s) & foundation work for future development features to be implemented.

It can be confusing to see an update queued and not see anything new or updated to the game, please know it should not affect your gameplay in any way.

We are excited that we are far enough along to be able to provide you with a sneak peak into the hard work that has been done so far. We are looking forward to showing off even more as things continue to develop and more work is completed.

Community Center:

While the team is deep into development work on upcoming features, we are continuing to review and approve community Custom Map submissions. If you are interested in adding your own environmental content, join our Discord!

There you can review the custom map makers guide we have provided on how to get started in the process. You can also meet other custom map makers who are happy to help new and returning creators. There is even a group who host custom map contests, if winning the coveted purple pen is something that you want to strive for. Having your work go into the game and enjoyed by the community can also be a rewarding experience.

We will be hard at work and continuing to make progress on these and other features that we will share in the future.

Be on the lookout for more

Hello everyone!

We've just released a minor patch, version 1.14.3, for Onward, that brings compatibility with a small but important upcoming change to the backend systems.

While you may not notice any changes in-game, this patch will ensure a smooth experience as we continue to develop the game.

Stay sharp!

Hello Onward Community,

Please forgive us for the radio silence lately. After we released Patch 1.14.3 we jumped right back into the trenches to work on the next update. We were happy to hear that the patch was able to resolve several issues you were experiencing. After the release of 1.14.2 the team devoted a huge effort into starting work on various areas of the game. This made it difficult to update areas of the game while that work was unfinished. We were thrilled that we were able to work around some of those things and get that patch out to you. Especially with all the work we have currently, which we will go over next in the Devs' Desk.

From the Devs' Desks:

Simply put, we have A LOT to do. We are touching a lot of different areas of the game. Front-end, back-end, assets, mechanics, & more. With the size of our team people are wearing multiple hats, and it's going to take quite a bit of time to get these items ready. All of these systems are connected to each other and sometimes working on them doesn't provide us a lot to show off in the earlier stages.

We know it's not the exact news you wanted to hear, but we wanted to provide you with a reason for why things have been so quiet. We will likely remain quiet for the next few months with our heads down trying to get as much done as possible.

We are excited to show you what's next! As the features develop into more shareable states, we will be happy to show them off to you.

Stationed in the Mess Hall

Hello everyone!

We've just released a minor patch, version 1.14.3, for Onward, that brings compatibility with a small but important upcoming change to the backend systems.

While you may not notice any changes in-game, this patch will ensure a smooth experience as we continue to develop the game.

Stay sharp!

Hello Onward Community,

We have just released patch 1.14.2 to address a number of issues that have been affecting gameplay for many of you. This includes fixes for various exploits, gameplay states, and maps. Details can be found in the change log.

The hotfix is available for download now on all platforms.

Change Log

• Fixed an issue that allowed two players to assume the Corpsman role in the same fireteam, leaving another fireteam without Corpsmen.
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to become effectively invisible after using the syringe.
• Fixed two exploits that allowed players to clip through assets and reach out-of-bounds areas.
• Fixed an issue on Cargo that would prevent players from extracting with the helicopter in Mercenary Mode
• Fixed an issue in Gun Game where a random player would progress in the game when another player uses the "give up" button
• Fixed an issue on Quarantaine where players would suddenly die as they hit a kill box when extracting with the helicopter
• Fixed an issue in Assault where the "Return to Battle" message would remain visible after a player was killed due to being out of bounds, and then respawned
• Fixed colliders and LOD issues on Bazaar
• Fixed several instances where a player could get themselves stuck on various maps

Hello Onward Community,

We hope everyone is continuing to enjoy Mercenary Mode. We were very excited for everyone to try it out and see the reactions to the new style of gameplay. However excited we were, our original intention was not to have the game mode fill every filter on the server browser. Thank you for reaching out to us quickly to let us know this was happening. We worked hard to address it quickly and released Hotfix 1.14.1 to resolve this.

Shortly after the release of 1.14 we were informed of some major bugs, such as a new invisibility glitch, that were being used by players to exploit and disrupt games. We tried very hard to get a hotfix out to address this, however, when looking more into it we decided that we wanted to fix some additional bugs and issues that the community has been encountering. In the meantime, you are encouraged to use the in-game functionalities to report players if they are using exploits like these and we also encourage you to use the vote kick player system so they don't continue to disrupt your games. In the Community Center we go over best practices for reporting players and steps for how to deal with unwanted players.

This month in the Dev's Desk we'll be revealing the information about what will be included for the next patch.

From the Devs' Desks

After the launch of Update 1.14 we were made aware of some critical issues that we wanted to address quickly. As we started to look into the exploits, we decided that there were a few more things we wanted to make improvements on and additional fixes for as well. Based on the amount of things to include and the time it would take to complete some of the items, this will not be considered a hotfix and will be released as Patch 1.14.2.

Typically before an update launches a portion of the team is already working on the next things for Onward. Due to how much work is needed for the next update, it took a bit more time for some team members to shift tasks and start to work on some of the fixes that we wanted to include in this patch. We understand that the community has been asking frequently for some of these fixes and we are happy to be getting this out to them.

Patch 1.14.2 will include these featured fixes:

• Fix for "Invisibility" exploit
• Fixed various locations throughout maps where players were exploiting to get into unintended areas
• Fix for issues players are experiencing when reaching out of bounds areas
• Fix on Cargo in Mercenary Mode where players were unable to extract
• Added some Server Filter improvements
• Fix for issue in Firefight where two players were assigned as the Medic
• Various Collision & LOD fixes on maps

We are working on wrapping up the final parts of the patch and hope to have it out to you soon.

Community Center

Onward can be played in a variety of different ways. Players range from hard core PVP players, jumping in with a buddy for some rounds of Co-Op, to spending time practicing skills on the shooting range. Players have also developed other ways to enjoy the mechanics that Onward has developed in areas like Free Roam. We want to ensure that people are able to play in these modes and enjoy their time in the game.

Sometimes people don't play the same way or may join and not understand the rules of the mode. We want to encourage players to resort to communication first rather than retaliation. If efforts are made to communicate to a player about their behavior and they go unchanged, please report the player using the in-game reporting tool and then start the vote kick process to have them removed from the lobby.

Additional Reporting of a Player

For major offenses that do not follow our community guidelines or break the terms of services (such as racist/hateful language, hacking/exploiting, pattern of harassment) submit a report to our support team.

• Capture a video or image of the violation that includes the player name
• Email the video to customer support - dpisupport@meta.com. If video files are too large you can send a link to a google drive location or upload it to YouTube as "unlisted" and send the video link in your email.

Using The Vote Kick System

For a player to be removed from the lobby someone needs to start the vote kick process and at least half the lobby needs to agree to have them removed by also clicking on the "Kick" button. To start the process, click on the player's name on the scoreboard and choose "Kick" from the options. This will bring up a kick button that is visible to other players in the lobby. Communicate to the other players in the lobby that you have started a vote kick and why you want the player removed to encourage a quicker response from other players in the lobby.

We want to ensure everyone is able to enjoy their time in Onward and get the most out of their play sessions.

Locked and Loaded!

Hello Onward Community,

We have just released hotfix 1.14.1 to address an issue where Mercenary Mode servers weren't being filtered properly in the server browser. The hotfix is available for download now on all platforms.

Change Log

• Fixed Mercenary Mode servers populating the server browser even when co-op modes were not selected in the filters
• Updated the description of the co-op filter in the server browser to clarify co-op includes Mercenary Mode

Hello Future Mercenaries,

Are you ready to pick up your contract? Before you head out, check out all the features and fixes that have been included in this update.

In the previous Sitreps we focused a lot on providing details about Mercenary Mode. We also showed you new images of the updated bazaar on our social channels. There are more features and updates that we haven't mentioned yet. We will be highlighting some of the major ones below. For the detailed list of changes and fixes check the Change Log.

New & Updated Features

Updated Map - Bazaar

We continued our efforts to enhance our existing maps. Bazaar is a fan favorite for a lot of reasons. We wanted to take the things that people love about Bazaar and enhance them. Not only did the graphics get improved throughout, we also made improvements to layouts for cover and how you approach objectives. Additionally, the overall ambience has been improved. The addition of props & signage, lighting updates, and enhanced environmental audio help you feel more immersed in the environment.

Comparison Shots of Bazaar from v.1.13.1 and now in v.1.14

Images taken on Quest 3

Mercenary Mode

Mercenary Mode is now available. You can access this mode in the Multiplayer or Single player section of the main menu. This mode is a completely new way to play PVE in Onward. You start in the new Hideout location, you choose the mission you will go on, you pick your rewards, then you move on to the next mission. The choices you make throughout the contract are extremely important. They will end up affecting how well you score and ultimately, if you win or fail. There are two different types of contracts, Standard or Endless.

• Standard = 5 Missions + Final (6 Missions Total)
• Endless = 5 Missions + Final + More (keep getting new missions until you fail)

This new game mode also offers some new unique interactions when fulfilling objectives. For instance, if you are on a sabotage mission and you get too close to the signal jammer it will lock up your tablets and cut off radio communications. The bots also have been improved and are not to be taken lightly. You will need to have a plan, tactical approach, and consistent communication throughout the missions in order to be successful.

There are two global scoreboards (one for Standard and one for Endless) that can be viewed when in The Hideout. At the end of each mission you will be given a ranking and score. Scores are based on your and your team's performance during each mission. They are determined by a combination of Survival Rating, Time, Objective completion, and Enemy Kills. Like our other global scoreboards, these will reset on Midnight (PT) Wednesday Mornings. More detailed information about Mercenary Mode can be found in our February Sitrep.

Do you have what it takes to complete the contract? Are you skilled enough to make it on the scoreboard?

Quality of Life Improvements

AI Improvements

After the improvements that the AI went through in update 1.13, we wanted to continue to make improvements to them. These updates should help them become more challenging and also bring new dynamics when fighting against them.

• Added an automatic rifleman class for bots
• Bots can now flashbang doorways
• Improved the bots' ability to go around corners
• Improved bot defensive behaviors

Tablet UI Updates

Mercenary mode added new objectives into the game, 5 to be exact. This gave us an opportunity to design an enhanced way for players to understand what intel was available to them during their missions. During development it was decided that we would create updated tablet icons so the players could easily see which objective they were trying to complete for the mission and how to locate it.

The icons are larger and more distinguishable to the objective type. Another one of the big improvements is they now also indicate elevation. This means the icons will be able to indicate if the objective is above, below, or on the same level of your current location.

When testing the new icons and functionality, it quickly became apparent how beneficial these new icons were to gameplay. For that reason, we have updated the objective icons throughout the game. The updated tablet icons have been applied to the following modes:

• Co-Op Hunt
• Co-Op Evac
• Uplink
• Assault
• Fire Fight

There is a lot to discover with the new game mode. In addition to all the work that was put into Mercenary Mode and the features that it uses (such as AI and Icons) the team worked on loads of bug fixes and other improvements throughout the game. Details can be read below for all the changes that went into Update 1.14.

Changelog

System

• Improved the performance of the licenses screen
• Fixed an issue where a player couldn't start a server after having previously lost connection to the internet during a previous attempt to start a server
• Fixed an issue where a host was unable to select a map after being made host during a map transition
• Fixed an error message popping up when attempting to start a server with a custom map that requires an update
• Fixed an issue where the Center Marker setting fails to take effect when players modify the setting from within the tent
• Fixed all servers briefly showing as 'closed' in the server browser when a player is joining a server
• Fixed map vote options being restricted to custom maps only after changing a lobby from Private to Public
• Fixed an issue that would prevent players from joining a public server if that server had previously been private
• Fixed a permanent hang that would occur if players first tried to join a full lobby, and then entered the tutorial
• Fixed an issue where a lobby host could not reselect custom maps in certain cases
• Fixed several issues that caused weapons to jitter when players use the Virtual Gun Stock setting
• Fixed players experiencing an input offset in the main menu and tent after changing the desktop mirror screen size on PC
• Removed the option to invite PC players to private lobbies as this functionality was causing unintended behaviors. It has been updated to be consistent across all platforms
• Fixed the caster instructions disappearing after loading in as an observer on PC
• Fixed caster mode lacking character model highlights, bullet impact events and first person smoke visuals on PC

UI/UX

• Updated objective icons for the tablet and added elevation indicators
• Fixed the Volk scoreboard being visible in Coop matches
• Updated several descriptions in various menus and the tutorial that showed outdated or incorrect information
• Fixed the timeout button being visible in the tent between rounds in competitive lobbies
• Fixed the grenades selection being retained on the UI when setting progression to 'Fixed Decreasing' throughout Gun Game
• Fixed an issue where the FOB didn't have the correct art displayed during a map vote
• Fixed the incorrect Uplink icon being used in the tutorial
• Fixed turning instructions not appearing in the tutorial if a player has smooth turning enabled
• Fixed the 'Gunstock Calibration Settings' button being overlapped by the loadout list in certain circumstances
• Fixed the 'Calibrate Gunstock' button does not shifting to the other side of the screen when gripping the tablet with the right hand

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue that caused the reason for failing an evac mission was not being displayed
• Fixed players being able to exceed team capacity by grabbing helmets at the same time
• Fixed an issue where a player would become unable to interact with objects after detonating a C4 explosive during spawn-in
• Fixed an issue where a fallen teammate would not show up on the tablet
• Fixed users being able to move at a time where they shouldn't be able to in the tutorial, after they injected themself with the syringe

Co-Op

• Bots can now flashbang doorways
• Improved the bots' ability to go around corners
• Improved bot defensive behaviors
• Added an automatic rifleman class for bots
• Fixed bots not reacting consistently to players who repeatedly grabbed and let go of the ballistic shield
• Fixed bot movement animations being odd in different ways if bots were traveling short distances
• Fixed players clipping through the exfil helicopter as it flies away
• Fixed bots not animating for non-host players when throwing a grenade
• Fixed bots dropping pistols with invisible magazines
• Fixed a crash on Egress related to picking up a weapon that had been dropped by a bot
• Fixed the TT-30 and Five-Seven not being used for AI side arms
• Fixed bot footstep sounds being absent if a player wasn't looking at them

Core Modes

• Fixed an issue where a player could successfully complete a Fire Fight mission even if they had dropped the hard drive prior to boarding the helicopter
• Fixed an issue where players would get stuck in the Tent after being defibrillated by one user and then killed by another during Fire Fight matches
• Fixed the hard drive being able to fall through the helicopter ramp in Fire Fight
• Fixed issues that occur when placing a hard drive in an elevator in Fire Fight
• Fixed the hard drive lacking sound effects when being dropped
• Fixed an issue where a player would get stuck on a black screen if they spawned in as the uplink was being sent in Assault
• Fixed an issue that caused the tablet code to not change after a round of Uplink was reset

Maps

• Fixed the skybox remaining visible when players are blinded by flashlights during ongoing Spec Ops matches on Night maps
• Fixed performance issues in various maps and in the tutorial
• Fixed several instances where players would get killed by an over enthusiastic anti-exploit measure on Turbine, Bazaar, FOB Bassett and Downfall maps
• Fixed several instances where a player could get stuck on FOB Basset or during the tutorial
• Fixed several buildings appearing too bright on Quarantine Day
• Fixed multiple instances of LOD-popping on Cargo
• Fixed two instances of air drones being able to fly into unintended areas on Bazaar
• Fixed several collider issues in Bazaar
• Fixed a culling issue in Bazaar
• Fixed the Standing Dual Floodlight bulbs at the basketball courtyard appearing to be turned off, even though the light was on
• Fixed an issue in Abandoned that would cause players to always spawn in the same location
• Fixed several missing colliders on FOB Bassett
• Fixed inconsistent lighting in certain places on Cargo and FOB Bassett
• Fixed gunshot sound effects not being differentiated between indoor and outdoor areas in Bazaar
• Fixed a set of power panels lacking collision in Bazaar
• Fixed inconsistent bullet decals on Bazaar
• Improved shading and lighting in Bazaar
• Fixes z-fighting on the awnings in Bazaar
• Fixed brick wall textures changing as the player moves around them in Bazaar
• Fixed floating power lines in Bazaar
• Fixed the skybox being overly bright on Shooting Range night on Quest
• Fixed the flashlight not illuminating when pointed at the ground in Downfall
• Fixed culling issues in Abandoned
• Fixed an inconsistency in lighting for the weapons cases on Bazaar
• Fixed the loading screen for Cargo Night using assets for Cargo Day
• Fixed culling issues on Abandoned
• Fixed the ammo box spawning outside of a player's reach in FOB Bassett

Weapons and Utilities

• Changed the flashbang effect so that it produces a dark red visual effect instead of a white one
• Fixed a performance issue that caused a momentary frame drop when NVG was enabled for the first time
• Fixed a performance issue that caused a momentary frame drop when picking up a weapon with an active flashlight, or when activating a flashlight for the first time
• Fixed smoke plumes not appearing to a player who is observing another player in the tent
• Fixed intense reflections being visible when looking at chem lights or scopes
• Fixed the Night vision goggles appearing black in loadout and gameplay
• Fixed players being unable to lock the bolt on the G3A3 and MP5 if that weapon had previously been dropped by another player
• Fixed several instances of Night Vision Goggles not properly illuminating dark areas in various maps
• Fixed shields being pre-gripped in the non-dominant hand when users choose to spawn with the 'Hold To Grip' setting disabled
• Fixed flashlights appearing to be turned off if a player joined mid-way through a match

Known Issues

• Rarely, Mercenary sub-modes can become desynced across users when a user joins an active session. Once you start a new lobby this should be resolved
• Players can sometimes experience inconsistent drops in performance in very populated servers on Bazaar
• Some players can become stuck in a black screen when the host is transferred to a player who quit the app when in hideout. Starting a new lobby should resolve this
• Some Oculus PC players can experience screen flickering with NVG on during gameplay.

Hello Everyone!

February is the month of love and we are feeling it. The excitement and positive feedback we have received for the new game mode has been overwhelming. This month the Devs' Desk will be focusing on explaining the details of how Mercenary Mode works and also include some before and after images of Bazaar. Our Community Center will showcase some of the great responses that we received from the community challenge we posted on our social channels and how it ties into a new detail for the game.

While the main focus for this update is the new PVE mode, we have also made sure to include other features and bug fixes as well. The full details of everything that's included with the update will be in our Patch Notes and Change Log when the update releases.

Your next question is, when will that be?
The wait for the update will be less than a week. Yes, you read that correctly.
Update 1.14 - Mercenary Mode will go live on February 20th (PT). The exact time will be announced on our socials.

Let's start going over everything you will have to look forward to.

From the Devs' Desks

If you have been viewing our social posts, you have seen several sneak peeks and teases for the upcoming update. Now you will get to see what those posts were referencing and how it all works together.

Bazaar

First, let's go over the details of what has been updated in Bazaar. One reason this map was next on the list for updates was it is a fan favorite map. This map got the most amount of graphical updates we have done to a map to date. Let's list out of some of the major things that have been done:

• Updated textures throughout (including ground, walls, & assets)
• New Palm Trees with leaves that sway in the wind
• Several assets for vehicles have been replaced with higher quality ones
• Updated assets have been added to added throughout the map to fill the environment
• New skybox for Night map
• New signage with lighting on Night map (moths included for free)
• Improved lighting throughout
• New updated assets added throughout to provide more cover to improve gameplay tactics
• Updated environmental audio

It's going to be a big improvement to how immersed people will feel while in the environment. You can see in the before and afters the improvements in how the scenes look. However, these don't do it justice for how it looks when you are there.

*Images taken on Quest 3. GIFS created for comparison purposes, visuals are not representative of in game graphics.

Mercenary Mode

There is going to be a lot to go over for this, so let's get right into it.

Game Mode Summary

This roguelike mode is a PVE (players versus environment) mode for either Single Player or for up to 4 players Co-Op. You have signed up as a mercenary and will go on increasingly challenging missions to fulfill your contract. You choose the mission you will go on, you pick your rewards, then you move on to the next mission. Each mission you will be given a score (we will breakdown scoring in a bit). The choices you make throughout the contract are extremely important. They will end up affecting how well you score and ultimately, if you win or fail. Failing causes the contract to end and you start back at the beginning.

There are two different modes to pick from at the start.

The Hideout

A completely new environment where you will start your contract(s) and choose your first mission. The Hideout was designed as an off the grid facility where you would go to get the information on your contracts, strategize with your squad, & view the competition.

This is where you will be able to view the leaderboards for both modes. If a high score on the leaderboard is what you are trying to achieve, take note of the scores you are trying to beat.

Once you deploy on your contract, you will not be able to compare scores until you return to The Hideout.

An additional announcement about the Hideout will be included in the Community Center.

Missions

Contracts are a collection of 6 missions (Endless Mode will continue after 6). Your goal is to get through all the missions and get the highest score possible. Or for a lot of players, just be able to get through all 6 missions. After your first mission choice you will be deployed to set your loadout in the tent. The remainder of the contract will be done from the tent until you have successfully completed the contract or you failed a mission.

Missions choices will have different Objective, Map, Difficulty, and Reward options. Players can vote for which Mission they think would be best. The mission with the highest votes is where you will deploy. Communication will be critical at each step throughout the missions to discuss with the squad to see what would give you the best chance at success. Mission difficulties are based on the contract scale and amount of players. The difficulty will increase after each mission.

Mission Objectives are as follows:

• Eliminate - Kill all the enemies
• Escape - Escape when support arrives before the enemy gets you
• Extract - Find the Hard Drive, escape before the enemy gets you
• Sabotage - Find and disable the device jamming your radios, tablets, and other devices
• Transmit - Find the Uplink and send the code. Hold location until upload is complete

Upon completion of the mission you will receive your score for that run, then pick your reward item. You will then be presented with your next 3 mission choices. The Mission progress can be tracked in the mission progress bar found above the squad list.

Scoring

Scores are based on your and your team's performance during each mission. They are determined by a combination of Survival Rating, Time, Objective completion, and Enemy Kills.

Survival rating will be higher if your team was not injured, downed, or killed, and at its lowest if any team members are MIA at the end of the round. Time rating takes into account things like how long it takes to get across the level, how many enemies there are, and so on.

You may need to evaluate whether finishing a mission quickly or killing more enemies will net you a higher score. Getting your downed teammate up and to the evacuation point may end up costing you the whole mission, or improve your team's score.

Equipment & Rewards

Since these contracts are off the books, supplies will be limited to start. You will have to start with a choice of pistol with some other starting utilities. After each mission you will choose a reward from three different options. Two that were in the reward pool for the mission and one from surplus, which is a different randomized item for each person. The value of your rewards will grow in power with each completed mission.

Depending on the choices you have made, after a couple successful missions you should have started to build a decent loadout for the missions as they become more difficult. Planning for the more difficult missions later in the contract is highly encouraged.

This mode is a completely new way to experience Onward. It offers a high skill ceiling with flexibility and control over how you play. You will want to make sure you have a full charge on your headset before you start. During developer playtesting the phrase "one more round" could often be heard and it often led to playing until headsets died.

Community Center

Everything about Mercenary Mode sounds like it's going to be a challenging and exciting adventure. Even if you're not usually the PVE type, we hope you give it a try.

Usually, we don't talk about new features in the Community Center, however this month we have two fun announcements related to Mercenary Mode for you!

To start us off, our social channels we challenged people to "Caption This" for the following image:

What some people may not have noticed was that the image was actually a sneak peek of a big upgrade to a piece of equipment (exclusively in Mercenary Mode). This leads to the second announcement.

#1 - RELOADABLE RPGs

That's Right! In Mercenary if you choose the RPG as a reward item, it comes with 3 additional rockets you can use to reload. Additionally, the 3 rockets will refresh at the beginning of each mission (you will always start with a loaded RPG and 3 reloads if you choose the RPG as your primary before you start a mission).

#2 - Experience The Hideout now!

You can see what it's like to be in The Hideout by going to the Onward app in the Quest store (in headset). You can look around and see what the full environment looks like.

I bet that's not something you expected. We are looking forward to hearing everyone's responses to this Sitrep. Join us on our Discord and chat with us about it! Our Community Manager will host a brief Q&A tomorrow (February 16th) at 3-4pm PT / 11pm-midnight UTC. We will try our best to answer your questions about Update 1.14 - Mercenary Mode.

Just Five Days and a wake-up!

Happy 2024 Everyone!

We are back from our holiday break and hit the ground not just running, but sprinting. We saw a big rise in players during the month of December and we want to officially welcome all the new soldiers onto the battlefields.

In our December sitrep our canary let some info slip about some things we are working on and, as promised, we will be going into more details about what's coming. The Devs' Desk will be going over the latest features being worked on by the development team in addition to what you can expect in the next updates. In the Community Center we will go over some updates about custom maps and the VRML season.

You already waited through December, so let's not wait any longer.

From the Devs' Desks:

Before we jump into what's going to be coming out next, we wanted to give you an update about our voice chat system. Many have inquired and made reports about the voice chat system not working, voice being unable to connect, or being unable to hear teammates. Onward was designed so that communication was an important part of the gameplay experience and this is a big priority for us. We are working with our service providers and will be making improvements so the amount of disruptions are addressed.

Our next update will be Update 1.14. This update will have a much tighter focus for what is included because of the amount of work it takes to get these types of features included and running in the game.

Map Upgrade

In 1.13 you saw some of our maps get a big visual upgrade, not just in resolution, but in the overall feel of the environments. The next map to be upgraded is... Bazaar!

The markets and hotels appear to be back in business. Make sure to check out the birds in the sky if you visit during the day or the exotic moths that will come out at night. The textures have been improved throughout the whole map. Additionally, the lighting has been improved for Day, Night, and in buildings.

New Game Mode

Another one?! You bet!

This time it's for PVE. Co-Op and Single Player will now have a completely new style of game mode to play that will include scoring and a global leaderboard. Get ready to see how far you can make it.

Mercenary mode is a multi-mission operation where you (solo or with friends) are trying to complete the contract and get the highest score. Choose from a variety of missions with different types of objectives, some of which are totally new to Onward. One of the bigger hurdles will be how you handle your rewards and craft a loadout to be able to scale with the missions as they increase in difficulty.

The majority of our focus for Update 1.14 went into this new game mode. A few features for this mode have been in the works for quite awhile. Some of the elements in this new mode will be familiar to you, yet it will be a completely new way to experience them. It takes everything you know, or don't, about running ops and challenges you to be able to complete missions and get through the whole contract.

This mode required a lot of design and play testing to make sure elements of the mode were balanced and provided a challenge. Communication will be critical. There are lots of decisions to make throughout the game and sometimes one choice your team makes can cause you to have some major setbacks.

We are thrilled to be bringing something so new and unique to PVE in Onward. Even if you are not a routine PVE player, we think you will want to invest some time being a Mercenary. We will release more details about the mode on our social media channels and in next month's Sitrep.

Community Center:

VRML Season 15

The VRML just wrapped up a very successful season 15. This season had 73 teams competing. After several months of practice, scrims, and intense battles the finals were down to two incredibly talented teams, The Raptors (Season 11 champions) and Imperial. After some intense rounds taking place on 4 different maps, the Raptors had to hand over their title to Imperial. You can check out all the highlights and matches from Season 15 on their YouTube.

Congratulations Imperial!

Custom Maps

We wanted to also follow-up on several inquiries we have been getting regarding the removal of custom maps from the Co-Op game mode. When we updated the behavior for the bots in Update 1.13 this caused any custom maps that supported Co-Op to not function properly. To ensure the quality of the maps, we temporarily took these maps down.

The custom map makers are working hard on updating their maps to have the new bots. In fact, some maps have already been updated and are available again. Custom map makers continue to update various maps to be available for Co-Op. Before creating a new lobby, check the workshop to see if the custom map you are looking for has been updated.

As we continue to work on Update 1.14, keep up to date with information that will get shared on our socials and join the official discord to chat with other players.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Discord

Stay Frosty!

Happy December Community!

As 2023 is wrapping up, we are going to be doing this month's Sitrep a little differently. We want to take time to reflect on everything that has happened this year, showing a summarized view of all the major updates we have made to the game. In the Community Center we will look at some of the improvements to player interactions we have made and different community events people have participated in. Additionally, we will be showcasing some of our devs' highlights from the year in the Devs' Desk section.

The Downpour Interactive Team will be taking time off for the holidays to spend time with family and friends. The office will be closed from 12/20 through 01/02. This includes community & support. If you are looking for support during this time, please check our FAQ or our official Discord.

2023 - Code Name: W.O.L.F

W. hat will have the most impact

• What parts of the game can we work on for a large number of our players?

O. ffer assistance

• How can we develop features to solve the problem(s) the players are having?

L. ook for opportunities to expand

• Can the feature be expanded to give more to the players?

F. ortify with testing

• Does this feel like a good solution?

Some of the major features that you saw come into the game in 2023 were the result of us taking the opportunity to be a bit more flexible and stretch our creativity. We wanted to develop new things while also taking on difficult challenges. The team started to look closer at major requests the community was asking us to address. Working closely together to review these topics, having amazing discussions, and forming solid plans for how to move forward; This was the year's result:

New Features

• FOUR New Weapons (MP7A2, SR-2MP Veresk, M240L, & Ultimax 100 Mk3)
• THREE New Maps (Egress, FOB Bassett, Cargo: Night)
• Regional Servers Implementation
• New Animations & Movement system (for Player & Bot Models)
• New Tent Hub and Tent Interactions
• New Watch Design and Watch Functions
• Scores & Global Leaderboards (Shooting Range & FOB Bassett)
• New Glove Models
• New Game Mode (Fire Fight)
• New Main Menu Environment
• Loadout Expansions & Cloud Saving (Quest & SteamVR)
• NEW NVG Goggles & Filter Colors (Amber Phosphor, White Phosphor, Green Phosphor, and Digital)
• New Night Mode Equipment (IR Strobes, IR Lasers, Chem Lights)
• Added Basketball - Freeroam Mini Game
• Added Quest 3 Graphics & Performance Support
• Weekly quick play rotations for PvP and PvE modes

Major System improvements

• Added Ability to Simultaneously Hold Weapons in Both Hands
• Improvements and Re-design to Social Game Modes (Gun Game, One in the Chamber)
• Update to Game Engine
• Redesigned Gunstock Calibration
• Updated Tutorial & Training
• AI Refactor & Co-Op Adjustments
• Improvements to Night Mode Equipment (Flare Gun, Laser Sights)
• Updates to Environment Graphics & Parity

That's a lot of big features that got added! Not to mention there was a ton for quality of life improvements and bug fixes not included in this list.

From the Devs' Desks:

Our developers are the unseen and unspoken heroes behind all the features, updates, and fixes you experience in the game. A passionate team filled with people who have been at DPI and working on this project for several years. We all have different playstyles and skill levels in Onward. This gives us a unique opportunity when we design, develop, and test features. It allows us to look at the wider player base and not focus on any one style or skill set. We also take time to play with the community to make sure we are in touch with what players are looking for.

With the studio now being a smaller team, we have looked critically at our development process and doubled down on prioritizing things that we believe will be the most impactful to the players and continue to push the game forward. This has truly shown how talented and dedicated this team is to making Onward one of the greatest VR tactical shooters.

"The AI refactor has been on my to-do list since the Quest port. Co-op is a large player group, but most of our past updates focused on PvP so it's nice to do something for them. New navigation and waypoint systems, new cover systems, and moving to a simpler and easier to expand behavior system allowed us to get more bots on Quest than we used to on PC, bring back weapon dropping, and create a better balance to difficulty. We now have a solid foundation to improve future PvE content."
Dan - Engineering & Environments

"My favorite feature I worked on this year was probably Procedural Gun Game, but that's because I'm a sucker for procedurally generated content. But I think overall, the IR Strobes in night mode are more impactful. They aren't as large as, for example, the leaderboards, but they stand out to me because of how relatively quick they were to implement versus how big of a difference they make in how night maps are played."
Brian - Engineering

"I have two favorite features that I worked on this year; one was the scanline effect for night vision. Adding them felt like I completed the night vision effect after all this time. My other favorite feature was updating the player gloves. Replacing the old gloves while not affecting any of our animations was a challenge, but the impact of having distinct faction specific gloves in the game was well worth it!"
Guzzy - Art

"A lot stands out to me this year, and going through the list has made me take a step back to see the bigger picture. Despite the challenges that 2023 served up, we've managed to hit every single internal release deadline for Onward. Some times more comfortably than others, but we did hit them. And we delivered a lot of fresh content and gameplay while doing so."
Kasper - Production

"One of the things that I really enjoyed was designing and planning all the unique UI elements for the new ... Oh, we can't mention that yet? Sorry."
Whoops - Canary

We are looking forward to sharing more about what is being developed in the January Sitrep.

Community Center:

Hey Everyone! SyrinS0ng here, your friendly fire Community Manager.

"My favorite thing in 2023 was seeing the team work hard on features that would really benefit the whole community. Things like Server IDs and the FOB Basset map, gave players easier ways to connect and meet others. I strongly believe that forming bonds and friendships is always an important part of gaming."
SyrinS0ng - Community

Seeing players connect while in and out of the game always brings me immense joy. 2023 was a great year in the community. Not only did the team include some very important in-game community driven features, there were also lots of events and custom maps for players as well. I wanted to highlight some of these major events and features.

• Developers making improvements to reporting tool to cut down on toxicity
• Developers adding Server IDs so players could quickly find and connect to friends, regardless of platform
• Custom Map Makers added 83 New Custom Maps to the game, providing fun new environments to play on, or hang out and practice with your squad
• The VRML competitive league had a successful Season 15 with 1227 players in 70 teams, which amounted to 561 matches to compete for the winning title and prizes
• VR Charity ran 2 amazing charity events raising just shy of $10,000 to help charity programs for causes like Make a Wish & Suicide Prevention, with hopes to do even more next year

There are lots of ways to connect with other players for a variety of different playstyles. Whether it's for high scores, creating content, or a good cause; having those moments where you play some amazing matches and you want to keep going until your headset dies is a rush we hope everyone gets to experience while playing. It's what we will continue to strive for.

Happy Holidays!
~ Downpour Interactive Team

Hello Onward Community,

Overall update 1.13 has received great reactions and feedback. From how good the updated PVE feels to fun rounds of Basketball played on FOB Bassett. However, shortly after update 1.13 was launched we started to get a small number of reports related to performance, map bugs, and PCVR load times. We quickly jumped on reviewing the information coming in and resolving these issues.

This hotfix addresses a variety of things that were ultimately adding up thus resulting in performance drops and FPS stuttering. It also fixes a range of bugs for maps, including aggressive kill spots, culling/popping, and lighting issues. Additionally, while we were packaging this hotfix we opted to include some fixes that were ready to release such as some additional adjustments to Co-Op, A Caster Mode fix, and others. The details of adjustments in this hotfix are listed in the change log below.

Under the Hood

During our QA testing cycles version 1.13 was operating and testing normally and went through the typical process of testing, bug reports, and bug fixes. Testers did not run into any major moments of performance drops or moments that felt like it affected the intended gameplay. Our QA team can't cover the plethora of devices, connections, and setups that the playerbase could have, so making sure we listen and follow-up with our community is a top priority. When we started to get reports from the community about performance and map bugs, we wanted to address it right away, however, it was difficult to narrow down what the cause might be, so we worked directly with community members affected and also started going through the code to try and identify possible causes.

Maps

We were able to find some map issues like skyboxes for all maps being loaded, instead of just the ones that were needed. That has been fixed. We also went through and reviewed maps to find locations that needed improvements to the occlusion culling ("popping") and lighting. Those adjustments have all been made in addition to some other fixes.

Performance

We also identified that memory usage in 1.13 had become significantly higher than it had been previously, we found and addressed several causes for that. An example of this is making optimizations to the code that handles the weapons that bots use, addressing performance dips some players might have been feeling in Co-Op.

PCVR has much higher resolution and graphics quality throughout the game. Things such as multiple skyboxes being referenced, amount of shaders loading, and bot weapon handling will have a higher impact on the performance and memory usage for PCVR vs Quest. This caused some PCVR players' load times to increase or be unable to launch the game. As a result, we have made some improvements to launching parameters and cut down on some of the memory being used throughout the game. These adjustments should also additionally help Quest users who might be experiencing some performance issues or longer launching times. We will be continuing to look into this and improve this further in future updates.

For Meta Quest players: Meta Quest recently had an update to the Quest OS that was changing some players' default settings to run applications at 120hz. Onward is designed to run at 90hz. If you disable this setting in your OS, this should get you some additional improved performance while playing.

For PCVR Players: Some PCVR assets may still be using more memory than intended. We are going to continue to look into further reducing the memory used. If you continue to experience issues launching the game, please contact our support team.

Quest - Throwing Utilities

We originally made some adjustments to the Quest throwing dynamics based on information we had received about hardware updates for Quest devices. When testing the adjustments in dev sessions and in our QA process, there didn't feel to be a difference from the intended functionality. After the update, we again listened to the community and based on the feedback we received, made sure to go back and evaluate if it was the intended experience we wanted the players to have. After review it was determined that it was not the way we wanted the feature to work and we reverted the change. Throwing will now work the same way it did in 1.12.2.

Change Log

System

• Enabled dynamic shader memory management for PC to resolve extremely long load times or crashes some players were experiencing
• Removed some code that was slowing down update logic for most objects in the game
• Optimized logic for pickups run to help with performance
• Removed many shaders from our pre-warmed collections that are no longer in the game and may have been slowing down loading for PC users
• Lowered overall memory usage

UI/UX

• Fixed player outlines not appearing when in caster / desktop launch mode

Gameplay

• Improved performance of cover and pathing behaviors of bots to resolve stuttering and lagging on the host player
• AI now turn flashlights and lasers off on weapons when they drop the weapon
• In Hunt, the tablet will now only beep once when the initial scan begins, not repeatedly
• Fixed high difficulty bots not being affected by flashbangs as much as they should have been

Maps

• Fixed bugs and memory issues related to skyboxes on all maps
• Improved occlusion on Downfall (D/N), Snowpeak (D/N), Subway, and the Main Menu improve performance and reduce "popping"
• Improved the quality of lightmaps on FOB (D/N) Subway, Cargo (D/N) Downfall (D/N) Bazaar (D/N) Quarantine (D/N) Snowpeak (D/N) Shooting Range (D/N)
• Fixed many locations that were spontaneously killing players that walked into them on Suburbia (D/N), Bazaar (D/N), and Downfall (D/N)
• Improved terrain quality on Downfall (D/N)

Workshop & Custom Maps

• Fixed several issues reported by custom content creators with the custom content SDK

Weapons and Utilities

• Reverted a change that was reducing throwing distance for Quest users by approximately 25%

Known issues

• On PCVR, a small number of buildings on Quarantaine Day appear overly bright when the player is at a particular distance from them
• On PCVR, Lighting inside the tent may appear brighter than intended

Hello Onward Community,

Update 1.13 is here and we are thrilled to give you all the details of the work that is in this update. New maps, new bots, new equipment & much more. Many of these features were able to be completed because of the work put into the previous updates with upgrading our game engine and backend refactors.

For some of the changes we made, such as the AI refactor and environment parity, this current release is not its final form. We will continue to build upon the AI behaviors and overall Co-Op experience. Additionally, for the environments, we were not able to apply upgrades to every map in this update. The maps will continue to be worked on and updated to improve the visuals and performance for both Quest and PCVR.

This update is very feature focused. However, we also did take some time and address some major bugs that players have reported. Let's start going over those major features and updates that are now available. For the list of details on everything in the update, check the Change Log located below.

New & Updated Features

New map: FOB Bassett

FOB Bassett is now available for Free Roam and Social Modes (One In The Chamber, Gun Game, & Spec Ops). This environment is a medium size map designed to be an iconic overseas military station. It includes several locations within it such as a Gym, Rec Room, Infirmary, and a Training Facility.

Social Game Modes will have an opportunity to play on a large scale map with lots of twists and turns and spots to take cover. This will make Social Games more difficult and require more advanced tactics to find your opponents.

This map is also an ideal location for Free Roamers to meet up with their squads and go over tactics, practice maneuvers, or just hang out and play a game of basketball. Two Basketball courts with working scoreboards and weekly leaderboards have been included on the map. One is a single hoop and the other is a full court. Both locations will keep score for 2 point and 3 point shots.

New map: Cargo (Night)

Cargo has been a signature favorite CQC map for many years. With the new method we developed for updating and creating maps, the team decided it was a great time to introduce a night variant. Cargo Day and Cargo Night are the first maps to get an extensive graphics update for Quest and PC players. Updated textures throughout, New roof with directional lighting, and updated collision. Just to name a few.

With the graphical updates, Cargo Night is now one of the darker night maps we have. It offers a more realistic feel for being in a warehouse surrounded by high stacked objects and limited lighting sources. Night vision will be a requirement.

Updated Tutorial & Training

New players will benefit from the updated tutorial. We made several changes to how training is done. We have included improved text and visual representations to help new players understand more complex functions.

The new tutorial teaches you how to maneuver and use interactions based on your settings. Different settings such as Snap Turning, Weapon Grip, and Others will automatically be reflected in the tutorial run through so you can test how the different settings affect/improve your gameplay.

In addition to the improvements made in Training mode, we have added objective details and instructions (previously only visible in Fire Fight) to the whiteboard in all game modes.

AI Refactor & Co-Op Adjustments

AI Overhaul

The AI for Co-Op and Training has been completely reworked from the ground up. AI can now take the "direct path" or the "safe path", which allows them to flank you much more often and intelligently. Some other highlights for the new behavior include the following:

• Improved patrolling behavior throughout maps
• Adjustments made to AI behavior for difficulty scaling
• AI will react to activity based on proximity instead of hearing gunshot sounds made anywhere on the map
• AI no longer attacks you all at once. It is now based on a new visual and audio cue system, meaning it is possible to play more stealthily.
• AI bodies are now persistent, and do not disappear.
• AI will now drop their inventory and you have the ability to pick up items from it. Consequently, ammo boxes are no longer available in Hunt or Evac.
• The decision making process has been improved whether throwing grenades, deciding when to flank vs bound forward, or dynamically finding cover for the current situation
• AI now has the same health as the player and deals the same damage as a player. This used to vary based on difficulty but now difficulty is handled by a combination of good vs bad decision making chances and reaction times.

 

Hunt Updates

• The maximum number of bots has been reduced from 128 (6-10 at a time) with the old wave spawning, to 32 (all spawning at once). This means bots will no longer spawn behind you in the middle of the match.
• After a few minutes in Hunt, your tablet will periodically scan a few (not all) Volk AI and show them on the map to keep the match going if you can't find that last bot.
• Passive difficulty has been added (Bots will not react or engage with players)

 

New PVE Equipment

Some additional equipment is now available in PVE modes. The ballistic shield and the defibrillators are able to be included in your loadouts. Please note - in previous developer communications it was said the defibrillators will cost 12 pts. However, after multiple tests and design reviews, the cost has been adjusted. The cost is now 14 pts.

 

Quality of Life Improvements

Night Mode Improvements

Over time, we have been gathering feedback and reviewing what can be done to improve the experience on night maps. A lot of the feedback we received was related to difficulty seeing teammates and being able to clearly maneuver across the environments. We have included several new and updated accessories to help address this.

• NEW NVG Filters: Amber Phosphor, White Phosphor, Green Phosphor, and Digital (Multi-Color) - View
• NEW Ground Panoramic NVG: No vignette when viewing, greatly increasing your field of vision
• NEW IR Strobes: Lights that can be seen on the helmet indicating they are a teammate
• NEW IR Attachments: Infrared lasers and infrared flashlights for primary and secondary weapons
• NEW Chem Lights: Added to help with signaling and marking locations
• UPDATED Flare Gun: Now with Parachute Flares. This means when it is shot into the air it will now parachute in place for an extended amount of time, and illuminates the surrounding area
• UPDATED Current laser sights: Distinguishing colors red or green (by faction), additionally they have high and low powered modes

Updates to Environment Graphics & Parity

PCVR and Quest maps have been consolidated to use the same map version. Bringing much needed parity and consistency to the environments. It is an important feature to offer a more fair competitive gameplay experience. This also ensures that any future adjustments and bug fixing will be equally applied to all platforms. All the maps have received small updates and improvements to them. Cargo, Suburbia & Downfall are the first 3 three maps to undergo a more extensive update process.

Quest 2 players will now have improved textures, added assets to better fill in the scenes, and a lot more noticeable details.

Quest 3 players will have increased LOD bias. so you will see less LOD popping. They also have increased resolution, and increased scope resolution.

PCVR Players may notice a few details have been removed like blades of grass, small plants, and some decals. PCVR still retains visual benefits like higher resolution textures, mesh quality, and LOD bias.

REMINDER: All platforms have now been set to using the same maps, however, not all maps have received their full upgrades. We are continuing to work on the maps and will be updating them over time.

Updates to Fire Fight

Based on feedback received and additional playtesting after Fire Fight was released, we have made impactful changes to improve the game mode and overall experience when playing.

• Increased points awarded for a hard drive capture to 2 from 1
• Increased the Victory limit from 3 to 4
• Increased the max round count from 6 to 8
• Reduced the time the helicopter takes to arrive from 4 minutes to 3:30
• Adjusted and added more spawn locations to be more randomized

Major Bug Fixes

Virtual Gun Stock

• Fixed virtual gun stock drifting between eyes as the player turns in real life on PC
• Fixed weapons snapping to a slight downward angle when aiming with Virtual Gun Stock on PC

Change Log

System

• Improved visual quality of the game on Quest 3
  • Adjusted LOD bias to reduce LOD-popping and make renders higher quality from longer distances
  • Scopes and drone cameras render at 4x the resolution compared to Quest 2
  • Super-sampling at a 10% higher than native resolution was enabled to improve graphics quality
• Fixed an issue where, rarely, a player could get stuck in a loop of opening panel links

UI/UX

• Added an icon to show if a player is in the tent
• Fixed the green "Friend" icon not appearing on Fire Fight lobbies in the server browser
• Fixed some typos in the tent
• Added photographs and text explaining every game mode on the whiteboard
• The "quick join" buttons now have separate weekly rotations for Core modes, Competitive modes, and Cooperative modes, just like Social modes did before
• Hunt and Evac are now separate game modes and can be selected directly from the main menu

Gameplay

• Improved the tutorial and new player experience
  • The tutorial now takes place in FOB Bassett
  • Overhauled the way information is presented to the player
  • Added a small tutorial to the tent the first time you use it

Co-Op

• Made significant improvements and rebuilt AI behavior
  • Bots now spawn all at once in Hunt, improving the maximum concurrently active bot count from 10 to 32 in the process, and reducing the number of total maximum bots from 128 to 32.
  • Improved bot patrolling behavior and tactical behaviors, including flanking and taking cover
  • Improved the variety of weapon loadouts carried by bots
  • Bots now drop their weapons upon dying, allowing players to pick them up
  • Bots will occasionally drop syringes
  • Added a "passive" difficulty level to Hunt in which Bots do not react to players, and tweaked all other difficulty levels
  • Bots health and damage is now the same as a players
• Ammo boxes have been removed from Hunt and Evac
• In Hunt, your tablet will scan a few enemies at a time enemies after a small initial delay, a beep will indicate when a scan has completed. Three enemies will be identified by showing an icon of the enemies location
• The ballistic shield is available in Operations
• The defibrillator is now available in Operations
• Fixed bots losing track of players when assuming a kneeling position
• Fixed instances of bots clipping through thin walls and assets, and shooting players through these walls and assets

Core Modes

• Fire Fight
  • Increased points for a hard drive capture points from 1 to 2
  • Increased round victory limit from 3 to 4
  • Increased the maximum round count from 6 to 8
  • Reduced the time it takes for the helicopter to arrive from 4 minutes to 3.5 minutes
  • Made spawn locations more dynamic and unpredictable

Maps

• Significantly improved parity between PC and Quest maps by consolidating maps to one version
• FOB Bassett (Day & Night) have been added for Free Roam, Gun Game, Spec Ops and One in the Chamber
• FOB Bassett Basketball Courts with weekly global scoreboards have been added
• FOB Bassett Basketball Courts include ability to score 2 or 3 points
• Cargo (Night) has been added
• Cargo (Day) has new art assets to improve the visual quality of the map
• Fixed performance issues on Abandoned Night, Suburbia D/N, and Quarantine D/N for PCVR
• Fixed culling issues on Downfall D/N on PCVR

Workshop & Custom Maps

• Updated SDK for Custom Map makers to have the ability to add new bots to custom maps
• Custom Maps that originally supported Co-Op that do not have the updated SDK will no longer appear as an option in Co-Op

Weapons and Utilities

• Added two variations of night vision goggles. PVS-7 behaves like old night vision, with a tight vignette around your vision and GPNVG-18 goggles have a much greater field of view
• PVS-7 is now free and auto-equipped on night maps.
• GPNVG-18 goggles have been added but cost 3 loadout points.
• Added Three phosphor filters for NVGs (green, white, and amber). These are 0 points, but need to be set in your loadout options
• Added a multicolor digital filter for NVGs that costs 3 points
• Added infrared strobes to identify friend or foe when using night vision equipment
• Added infrared laser and flashlight options for use with night vision equipment
• Added chem lights as a one-point equipment item (colored by faction: green for MARSOC, orange for Volk)
• The flare gun has been updated to light up the surrounding environment using "pseudo lighting". The giant pink tint area from it has been removed.
• Added parachute flares and made it so that they can set players on fire on a hit
• All laser sights now have a low power mode that does not show a beam, and a high power mode that does show the beam
• Laser sights are now colored by weapon faction: red for MARSOC, green for Volk
• Fixed an issue where the drone battery would not drain in Fire Fight
• Fixed a bug where RPG rockets would sometimes not explode on impact
• Fixed virtual gun stock drifting between eyes as the player turns in real life on PC
• Fixed weapons snapping to a slight downward angle when aiming with Virtual Gun Stock on PC

Known Issues

• Players may become stuck in the Tent when Defibrillated after being downed by one user and then killed by another during Fire Fight matches
• Rarely, private servers with an unknown server region appear and behave like public servers to non-host users

Hello Onward Players!

Absolute deLIGHT doesn t even cover the excitement you showed for the news we shared last month, especially related to the Night Vision features. We are going to be keeping up on that trend this month. You may not think it possible to be more hyped for this update, however, we have some big updates on features you have asked about for a long time.

The Devs' Desk will be going over the remaining features that will be included in Update 1.13. Make sure to read all the details because there are some things you probably are not expecting. We will also be providing some additional details for some of the features we talked about last month.

Update 1.13 is shaping up to be very impactful no matter which way you play Onward. From the Hard Core Competition players to the Role players, Social Warriors to PVE hunters. This update has features for everyone. The other thrilling part is that all of this will be available before the long Thanksgiving Holiday weekend in the USA!

From the Devs' Desks:

The Unity update in our last patch set the stage for a lot of the work we have done in this update. Making the changes to major tools and systems beforehand allowed us to make much more meaningful updates to features you have been asking for. Overall, Update 1.13 isn't everything we are working on, we still have work to do for some bigger features for the game. We have a lot of exciting stuff in development. Being able to release such impactful features to the players and seeing your joyful reactions the past couple months has brought us immense happiness.

Quest 3

As the Quest 3 ships out to people the first thing we are getting asked is "What is the difference in Onward for the Quest 3 vs the Quest 2?" Some improvements can already be seen when using the Quest 3 based on the improvements in the hardware. In Update 1.13 We've increased the LOD bias for Quest 3 so you will see less LOD popping, and we increased the resolution of both the game but more importantly for scopes, so scopes will be sharper and higher resolution.

More improvements are coming down the road as well, so that is just the first batch.

Updated Tutorial & Player Instructions

With the launch of the Quest 3 there are going to be a lot of new VR users and new Onward players. In order to help these new users and also current users become better familiar with Onward's gameplay and mechanics we have updated our in-game tutorial. The first big change is now the tutorial is located in the FOB Bassett training room. We made several changes to how training is done. We have included improved text and visual representations to help new players understand more complex functions. The new tutorial instructions and updates to AI in training mode should help players feel better prepared for battles when they join PVE and PVP games.

In addition to the tutorial improvements, we have added objective details and instructions to the whiteboard in most game modes.

One more piece of equipment we have included to help with night mode missions is an update to the Flare Gun. The Flare Gun has been updated to have Parachute Flares. This means when it is shot into the air it will now parachute in place for an extended amount of time, and actually illuminates the surrounding area. This is extremely helpful in situations like getting pinned down by enemy fire and needing to signal to your teammates where exactly you are located. Make sure to take caution when aiming the Flare Gun, if shot directly at someone, it will cause them to be engulfed in fire.

Additional Details on FOB Bassett

FOB Bassett is a US military station located overseas. MARSOC has been stationed there to help provide medical aid while helping fight off Volk forces from trying to take over the areas that contain this country's two most valuable industrial crops: tobacco and sugar extract.

This environment is a medium size map designed to be an iconic overseas military station. It includes several locations within it such as a Gym, Rec Room, Infirmary, and Advanced Training Facility. Social Game Modes will have an opportunity to play on a large scale map with lots of twists and turns and spots to take cover. This will make Social Games more difficult and require more advanced tactics to find your opponents. This map is also an ideal location for Free Roamers to meet up with their squads and go over tactics, practice maneuvers, or just hang out and play a game of basketball.

When we say play a game of basketball, we mean it. FOB Bassett has two ways to play. One is a single hoop and the other is a full court. Both locations will keep score for 2 point and 3 point shots. It also has its own weekly global leaderboard. Basketball can also be good training for improving your grenade throwing skills.

Updates to Environment Graphics & Parity

Currently there are 4 different versions of every Onward map. There are PCVR versions (Night & Day) and Quest Versions (Night & Day). This means when we fix bugs, we need to fix them 4 times. This also means that some assets are on some maps and not others causing some visual and cover compatibility issues. With a lot of the updates that have happened over the past several months, we have been able to address this by consolidating our environments to one version. This means PCVR and Quest players will now be on the same version of the maps. This will bring a lot of much needed gameplay parity to PCVR and Quest players. It also ensures that when bug fixes or updates are made to maps, it will be easier for us to keep those fixes consistent across platforms. This is a big improvement for the competitive players. Overall, it means less time spent redoing map fixes and more time for other improvements to the game like making new content and features and fixing bugs.

Before you worry or any assumptions are made, this will not be a graphics downgrade to put all maps on the current Quest 2 versions. As part of this process we have updated the graphics throughout the maps. For Quest players this means improved textures, added assets to better fill in the scenes, and a lot more. For PC Players this will affect details like removal of blades of grass, small plants, and some decals. We've made the decision to remove some smaller details that could provide concealment on PC that Quest players could just see right through.The list of all the work that was done is really long and we think it will be more impactful for us to show you. Images below are examples of Quest and PCVR Graphics in 1.12.2 and what it looks like in Version 1.13. The Version 1.13 view is how all players will see the environments after the update is released.* PCVR retains visual benefits like higher resolution and LOD bias.

It's important that we also note that all platforms have now been set to using the same maps, however, not all maps have received their proper upgrades. We are continuing to work on the maps and will be updating them over time. Some maps may feel like a complete remaster.

Click the images to see them at full resolution.

Note - PC resolution and textures for 1.13 will be a bit better than what is able to be seen in these posted photos vs when in headset. In addition, some work is still being done on maps and environments may change slightly from images shown in the 1.13 versions.

Fire Fight Updates

We have been closely listening to your feedback and reports about the new game mode. Based on your feedback and additional playtesting, we have made the following changes in the game mode:

• Increased points awarded for a hard drive capture to 2 from 1
• Increased the Victory limit from 3 to 4
• Increased the max round count from 6 to 8
• Reduced the time the helicopter takes to arrive from 4 minutes to 3:30
• Adjusted and added more spawn locations to be more randomized

An Advanced Enemy Approaches

This is the news a lot of players have been waiting years for. We have made drastic improvements to our AI for our PVE modes. We have made several smaller changes to AI over the years, such as animations and response adjustments. However, what we really wanted to do is completely re-do their behaviors. In Update 1.13 we have been able to do just that. The AI has had a complete refactor done. AI can now take the "direct path" or the "safe path", which allows them to flank you much more often and intelligently. Some other highlights for the new behavior include the following:

• AI spawn all at once in Hunt. If you clear an area you don't have to worry about them spawning behind you.
• Active bot count has increased from 10 to 32 (8 higher than the previous PCVR bots!)
• Improved patrolling behavior throughout maps
• Adjustments made to AI behavior for difficulty scaling
• AI will react to tactics made around them and not just gunshot sounds made anywhere on the map
• AI no longer has a "swarm" behavior and will not all attack you at once. It is now based off a new visual and audio cue system, meaning it is possible to play more stealthily.
• AI will now have more intelligent tactics like using how and when they use grenades and taking cover dynamically behind any object.
• AI bodies are now persistent, and do not disappear.
• After a few minutes in Hunt, your tablet will periodically scan a few (not all) Volk AI and show them on the map to keep the match going if you can't find that last bot.
• AI will now drop their inventory and you have the ability to pick up items from it. Consequently, ammo boxes are no longer available in Hunt or Evac.
• Most of the previous SteamVR AI inventory loadouts are back! With some additions like syringes and flashbangs. They will carry a variety of weapons, attachments, and equipment.

That's right, picking up AI inventory is back! This is something you have been asking for and we have been working hard to bring it back into the game. We would also like to note that this refactor launching with 1.13 is the foundation for work that we plan to build upon to make additional improvements to the AI in the future. For example, in 1.13 the Rifleman AI has returned and we are currently working on other AI types like Snipers, Automatic Rifleman, and more in future updates.

We are excited to see the dynamic improvement this refactor will bring to your PVE experiences. More details on the AI changes will be shared in the patch notes when the update releases.

All this news is HUGE. If you haven't tried Co-Op or it wasn't your thing before, you should try it again with all the adjustments that have been made. Make sure you have enough time over the holiday weekend to experience all the new updates.

The AI is not the only major update to Co-Op. Some other highly requested updates will also be added. You can now use the ballistic shield again in Hunt and Evac. In addition, the defibrillator is also available for 12 loadout points.

Community Center

Our Custom Map Maker Showcase entries are wrapping up and there are some exciting maps to play on. We will be reviewing the maps and announcing the winner on our social media channels soon. Be on the lookout for that announcement and make sure you try out the map for yourself.

Keep your head on a swivel!

Hello Onward Community,

We have just released another hotfix to address additional issues when Update 1.12 was released. This will fix a variety of bugs happening throughout different game modes and fix some errors that were happening in the settings. Speculative fixes are due to the limited amount of testing we can do on various devices and setups in our QA cycle. If any of the below issues continue to happen, please use our Discord to report the bug(s) you are experiencing.

Change Log:

• Fix for hard drive spawn locations that allowed it to spawn outside of accessible map locations
• Fix for multiple Uplinks showing up during Uplink matches
• Fix for attempting to join Competitive Fire Fight through quick join freezing the game
• Speculative fix for players floating in the sky
• Potential fix for game settings not saving
• Speculative fix for Pimax and Windows Mixed Reality users game not launching
• Fix for heartbeat audio staying on when healing yourself
• Fixed and bug that would show "Arsonide" and not the default corpsman
• Speculative fix for defibrillators not spawning
• Adjustment made to prevent more than 3 people joining a fireteam in Fire Fight
• Speculative fix for player states not behaving correctly. (Players having the wrong uniform, being invisible, ect.)

Hello Onward Players!

Fire Fight is a hit! When Update 1.12 released, Fire Fight quickly became and continues to be a top played game mode. We are thrilled to see that you are enjoying this new addition. Some bugs did come with Update 1.12 due to some unpredictable behavior that happened due to the Unity update that was done. We are trying to get hotfixes out more quickly to get you back to playing and minimize the impact to your gameplay.

This month we have an update for additional fixes coming, some of the next features that are coming to Onward in the Devs' Desk and an update on our custom maps in the Community Center.

From the Devs' Desks

We are continuing to work on some lingering bugs and should have Patch 1.12.2 coming out tomorrow (9/20). This will include several fixes for bugs in Fire Fight, multiple Uplink spawns, heartbeat audio staying on, and more. The full list of fixes will be published when the patch is released. Patch 1.12.2 will also include a speculative fix for Pimax and Windows Mixed Reality users not launching correctly. The reason this is a speculative fix is due to the limited amount of testing we can do on various devices and setups in our QA cycle. Additionally, this also means that with all the different variables that come with PC gaming, we need to spend more time looking into other PCVR bugs that came as a result of the Unity update.

Next, we wanted to shed some light on some of the features coming to the game. For the next update (1.13) we are not going to leave you in the dark about our goals to improve some aspects of the gameplay. Our vision for this is to help encourage you to be better equipped for anytime a battle may take place. If you haven't picked up on the subtle hints yet, we are going to be making updates to how you play at night!

Night Mode Improvements

New and Updated Night Vision Goggles

We will be adding updates to Night Vision Goggles for you to choose when making a loadout. There will now be two different versions of NVGs. The current NVGs will be automatically included for free in your loadout by default on night maps. There are also now Ground Panoramic NVGs that can be picked from the loadout options menu for 3 points, greatly increasing your field of vision. Both NVGs will include new customizable filters to choose from: Amber Phosphor, White Phosphor, Green Phosphor, and Digital (Multi-Color). The single color phosphates will be 0 cost for your loadout, unless you want to use the Digital filter. The Digital filter option will require you to spend 3 points to include in your loadout. These new color options and different goggle types should be a huge change to how you view night gameplay.

IR Strobes

IR strobes are blinking infrared lights used in real world combat for friend or foe identification. They are being included on the character models on night maps. This will make identifying and locating your teammates easier in the dark environments, and makes night maps actually play different, not just look different. This should also help reduce team killing from not being able to clearly see the players uniform color. You will be able to see this addition located on your teammates helmet when night vision is enabled. Enemy strobes will not be visible for gameplay purposes and to reflect the manner in which these tools are used in real life, so this will not paint a bullseye on your head. Infrared strobes are a server option and can be disabled, but are on by default.

New Gear

New IR attachments will also be coming to help improve your tactical options when building your night loadouts. IR attachments include items such as infrared lasers and infrared flashlights. In addition, normal laser sights are now colored red and green (by faction), and have high and low powered modes. Low powered laser sights show the dot, but not a beam. As far as throwables go, we've added chem lights (with liquid physics) you can snap and shake to activate and mark locations or signal your teammates.

Main Menu Scene Update

We have seen your comments and delight over the new Main Menu scene, the improvement in graphics quality and the difference it makes on immersion. We are thrilled to announce that this scene will be available as a full playable map. The map is named 'FOB Bassett' and will be released for Free Roam and Social game modes. These modes are quicker to implement and we don't want to rush out unbalanced versions of Uplink or other modes on this map. We are looking into extending it to other game modes, let us know in our Discord which mode you think would play well on this map!

Long-term projects being worked on

Not everything we work on makes it into the next update. Some features take longer than others to develop and some rely on other updates to release first.

You have heard us say for a while that we're working on our AI for PvE modes, well it's just about time for us to deliver on that promise. Our engineering team is working hard on a large refactor of our AI system which includes... We can't wait to share more, so stay tuned as we get further along in this feature's development.

Community Center

We have introduced a new community program for custom map makers. Around once a quarter DPI will be hosting a Custom Map Showcase. We will be posting a theme for the custom map makers to build a new map made for the showcase. There will be one map submitted per person, and one winner will be chosen for the showcase. The winner will receive a community prize pack and the coveted Purple Pen that they can use in game

Our first showcase theme is 'Spooky / Fall Season'. We have already received a couple submissions that look to be really enjoyable to play on. The first showcase will wrap up around mid October. Just in time to get you some great new maps to fit the season.

Any level of map maker is welcome to submit an entry. Submissions are reviewed for a variety of criteria, anyone has the chance to win. If you are interested in starting to make custom maps join the official  Onward Discord  and head to the Custom Map channels. 

The future's looking bright!

Hello Onward Community,

We have just released a hotfix to address some issues that came up since we released update 1.12 earlier this week. Most notably, we have added lateral translation to gunstock calibration, and fixed a number of issues related to Fire Fight, gunstock calibration, and map voting. The hotfix is available for download now.

Change Log:

• Added lateral translation to gunstock calibration.
• Set up a customizable far clip plane for custom content authors.
• Fixed gunstock calibration not taking the movement of your front hand into account.
• Fixed gun "jumping" when you grabbed it when using gunstock calibration.
• Fixed scopes and drones occasionally getting stuck with a fisheye effect.
• Fixed an issue where players in Fire Fight could get revived but be stuck in the tent.
• Fixed player not getting an objective point when retrieving the intel in Fire Fight.
• Fixed watch not beeping 30 seconds before the round ends in Fire Fight.
• Fixed a spawn point where the intel could spawn outside of the map on Turbine in Fire Fight.
• Fixed weapon loadout menus getting stuck with the wrong weapon highlighted.
• Fixed map vote refreshing needlessly when players join or leave, or the host changes.

Known Issues:

• Freehanding your weapon with the physical gunstock option enabled may result in unstable gun rotation at extreme angles.

Hello Onward Community,

As mentioned earlier this month, you didn't have to wait long for this update to become available to you. We felt your excitement and couldn't wait to get you access to the new game mode, Fire Fight. The team pushed hard to get all the features wrapped up and also did some important additional bug fixing.

Let's go over the new additions, major features, and quality of life improvements included in this update. For the detailed list of all changes, including bug fixes, make sure to read through the Change Log located at the end of the patch notes.

New & Updated Features

Unity Update

We updated the version of our game engine, Unity. This update gives us more opportunities going forward to improve the quality of the game. An example of this is we are now able to use Vulkan, which improves performance considerably over the rendering API we were using. It also gives us access to a working version of the SRP batcher, which will help us with optimizing draw calls. The short version of all of that means that in this version performance will be better, and we have a lot of performance headroom that we will be using in the future to improve things like graphical fidelity.

New Main Menu Environment

With the major focus of the development team being on the Unity update, we also wanted to find a way to showcase the graphics improvements that are now possible for the game. The new Main Menu environment should give you a fresh new level of immersion when you log into the game. The level of details and graphic quality is something Quest users have never seen before. This is our first environment that is exactly the same on both PC and Quest. Make sure to do a full 360 view of the area when you log in to get the full experience of the new location. We are not going to be providing photos here because we think it will be more impactful for you to see it in the headset.

New Gloves Models

Everyone has at least once needed to remind themselves what faction they were on when on the battlefield. The easiest way to do that was to quickly look at your gloves. The gloves have always been a signature piece of identifying equipment that is important to the gameplay. It's one of the reasons we chose them as an additional piece to demonstrate the quality upgrade we are striving to roll out. It might take some getting used to, since some people have been relying on those glove visuals for over 7 years. However, we think they will be a welcomed visual upgrade during gameplay.

New Game Mode - Fire Fight

Teams

This new game mode introduces a completely different dynamic playstyle for PVP. Your team is split into two fire teams. Each fire team will be deployed to different parts of the map. One player on each fire team will be assigned as the Corpsman. The Corpsman is the only team member who can help bring back critically injured players back to the battlefield using the new equipment item, defibrillators.

Objectives

There are two objectives that must be completed to claim victory. This mode requires strong teamwork and communication as the strategy can change at any given moment. The first is to locate and secure the hard drive. The second is to escape with the hard drive.

The tablet has been updated to scan and locate the hard drive position and it will also indicate where the extraction point is. Scanning for the hard drive will start once the team is deployed. You hear the beep, indicating the scans complete, showing an icon of where the hard drive is located. Once the hard drive is located you can track it in real time.

After about 5 minutes a helicopter will come to pick up the player with the hard drive. Only the player with the drive needs to board the helicopter to win.

If you are downed or bleeding, syringes will work just like in other game modes. If you end up back in the tent, the corpsman can still bring you back. In the tent you can spectate and see which Corpsman is closest to where you went down and use the tent radio to let your team know what happened and where you are.

Access

You can create a server for Fire Fight from the multiplayer menu or search for Fire Fight lobbies using the Fire Fight game mode filter option in the lobby browser.

Redesigned Gunstock Calibration

The Gunstock Calibration feature has been completely redesigned. The Gunstock Calibration process is now made in the same environments as the battles. This change alone drastically improves the accuracy of the settings when used during gameplay. We also made additional updates to the feature. You can now calibrate your weapon positionally up and down, in and out, and rotate around your gripping hand. This will help ensure your weapon is aligned exactly where you need it.

We also added the option to set a Universal Calibration. If a calibration has been set for a particular weapon, the "Set As Universal" button will be selectable. After, if clicked the Universal Calibration will be utilized for all un-calibrated weapons.

Once a calibration is saved, when the user equips that weapon with both hands, the weapon should automatically move to that calibrated position & rotation.

Video Instructions for how to use the redesigned Gunstock Calibration can be found here.

Loadout Expansion & Cloud Saving (Quest & SteamVR*)

Loadouts have been updated to now allow up to 24 different loadouts to be saved per role, per faction. You will also be able to edit the name of the loadouts. Simply click on the pencil in the upper left corner of the loadout and use the keyboard to make a custom name. With all those loadouts made, it was important to also be able to save them.

Your Loadouts, Gunstock Calibrations, and game settings will now automatically save and reapply in the case of something like an application uninstall/reinstall. The data is saved to your account via Cloud Saving. This means if you share your headset and game library, each account will have their own loudouts and settings automatically applied when the accounts are switched. Whenever settings are changed and saved during gameplay, the Cloud Save will be updated. Please note, Quest App and SteamVR are different platforms and different accounts. Any Loadouts and Settings made on Quest are not transferable to a SteamVR account.

*This option is not available on Oculus PCVR software due to Cloud Saving not being offered on the platform.

Quality of Life Improvements

Global Killhouse & Range Leaderboards

You can now see how your scores stack up against other players, not just in the lobby, but throughout the whole game. The current week's Global Scores for Killhouse runs and Marksman targets will now be displayed on both scoreboards throughout Shooting Range lobbies. Scores will reset every Wednesday at 12AM PT.

Connecting to Friends

Some changes to the Quest OS system when Update 1.11 launched caused some of the features people used to connect to their friends to no longer function correctly. In order to get these features working correctly again we needed to rework some of the code and have it go through the full development process.

While we were reviewing some of the Quest OS changes and working on getting these functions working again, we made some changes to how some of the direct OS inviting works. One of the major changes that happened on the OS side was people on your friendslist are now able to directly join your game sessions without requiring a direct invite. We reviewed the implications this might have for players who use private lobbies and overall game functions.

We made the decision, in an effort to protect the intention of private lobbies, to disable the ability for people to be able to join private lobbies via the join on friends option from the OS friendslist. In order to do this, we had to additionally disable the ability to send direct invites to OS friends while in a private lobby. The best way to connect to your friends when in a private lobby is to send them the lobby code and password.

For Public Lobbies, direct invites and the newly added join on friends from the OS friends list feature is available.

The "Show Friends Only" filter should work the same as before for friends who are on the same platform.

Player Reporting Updates

Now that the full implementation of the updated reporting system has been rolled out and we have had some time to review the reports and feedback. Upon review, we have made some adjustments to the system. The system was already designed to protect players from spam reporters and others making reports with malicious intent, however, we have heard your concerns and have additionally added a max number of reports that can be made per 24 hour period by a person. This setting will work in conjunction with the already included settings to keep false reports, spamming, and retaliation reports to a minimum.

As with the other details about the design of this feature, we will not disclose what the max is set to, in order to protect players from others that would try to manipulate the system. Users will not be notified that they have reached their max, they will simply stop counting against other players. We suggest people use their allotted number of reports per day to report players that are breaking the community guidelines. Players found continuing to try and abuse or manipulate the system against other players will have actions taken against them, such as temp bans or as far as permanent banning from the game.

This is not the only adjustments we are looking into for the system, simply what we were able to implement during the ongoing development of this update. We are continuing to look into other additional methods and options to continue to advance this system.

If you are concerned about a report not counting or simply want to make sure evidence is provided for a player's behavior, you are encouraged to continue to use the method of emailing the evidence that shows the player's in-game name and the behavior that breaks the community guidelines. Our customer Service team will be happy to help you and process the reports.

Change Log

System

• Performed an engine update
• Added the ability to save loadouts to the cloud, rename them and delete them, and increased the amount of unique loadouts a player can make
• Loadout save slots expanded to 24 slots per role, per faction
• Restricted a player's ability to join friends in private games to prevent people from joining private lobbies they were not invited to
• Updates made to Reporting System to set max number of reports per day per player
• Added a small delay to the radio cut-off to prevent a sudden cut in the middle of someone's sente..
• Improved the height scaling of player characters to prevent player characters from Appearing to stand on their Tip Toes
• Fixed footstep volume not changing based on the player's speed
• Fixed an issue with the dominant hand setting not being followed when using the spectator goggles
• Fixed dominant eye setting not affecting which eye is selected for taking photos and videos, and for casting on PCVR
• Fixed some server settings reverting to default when they had been changed and the host sets the lobby as private, then back to public

UI/UX

• Global Scores added to Killhouse and Shooting Target scoreboards
• Redesigned the way Gunstock calibration is done
• Added new loading screen art for Shooting Range and Tanker
• Added support for higher quality visuals for the watch on PCVR
• Added the setting to have the game now automatically recenter a player upon entering the main menu and tent. It is ON by Default and can be disabled.
• Fixed the description of the Locomotion setting being inconsistent between the main menu and tent settings menus
• Fixed map votes appearing too quickly in private lobbies
• Fixed an edge case where the class selection buttons lost functionality if the player was spam-clicking the UI
• Fixed servers hosted by friends not showing up in the server browser when the Friends Only filter was enabled
• Fixed the red visual indicator on the controllers when going through the tutorial using Rift S controllers only appearing on the left eye
• Fixed an inconsistency in the description of the "thumbstick only" control mode for weapons
• Fixed inconsistencies in the description of several weapons' caliber type and updated weapon information displayed in the tent
• Fixed an issue where the UI would become offset in the tent when a player would resize the desktop game window on PCVR
• Fixed the red skull icon on players you down but not kill as a round ends
• Fixed the red skull icon on players that are killed as the last player in Uplink not appearing consistently
• Fixed an inconsistency in the description of the Free Roam game mode
• Fixed an inconsistency in the description of the Assault game mode
• Fixed tooltips not appearing correctly for the Gun Stock, Radio Position and Holster Side settings

Gameplay

• New player downed icon in all game modes
• Added an option to vote to stay on the current map during a map vote
• Added the ability to click the spectate goggle to use them
• Fixed players not being able to initiate a map vote after canceling the countdown in the tent
• Fixed players spawning out of bounds the first time they put on spectator goggles in the tent
• Fixed the audio beep and haptic feedback not playing when a player refreshed their loadout on Shooting Range and Free Roam

Co-Op

• Added a display that shows the number of bots remaining in Hunt for players in the tent
• Fixed bots not responding when being shot with a silenced weapon from long ranges, including fixing them not throwing smoke grenades when they are being suppressed
• Fixed the 30-second audio signal in Evac

Core Modes

• New Game Mode Fire Fight added
• Added new tablet icon for Corpsman when in Fire Fight game mode
• Fixed the description of Escort which stated that respawns are enabled in this game mode
• Fixed team boundaries not being enforced in Assault after completing the first round
• Removed the word "suicided" from competitive Uplink lobbies
• Fixed users observing a black screen when attempting to spawn in as the match timer ends in Assault
• Fixed an issue in Escort where the match would not start if the host was both the VIP and had previously spawned in during another game mode
• Fixed players being able to change the game mode after a round of Assault in a private lobby
• Added & Updated various Assault Mode Objectives to Select Maps

Maps

• Fixed player's camera being rotated 45 degrees when putting on the spectator goggles on several maps
• Fixed scenery appearing too bright on night maps
• Fixed players being able to pass through various assets and reach out-of-bounds areas by recentering their playspace
• Fixed the flashlight effect bleeding through solid objects on several maps
• Fixed shell casings being inconsistent about interacting with certain types of colliders between Quest and PC
• Fixed an issue on Bazaar where users were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed various assets appearing completely black in the tent
• Fixed players being able to exploit bugged colliders on Downfall allowing them to reach an unintended rooftop position
• Fixed an exploitable collider on Downfall
• Fixed flickering on the watch compass coordinates when the watch is on the right hand on Egress
• Fixed irregular shading on the Veresk and MP7A2 on Quarantine
• Fixed players being able to pass through glass windows on Tanker
• Fixed various assets appearing completely black in the tent
• Fixed players colliding with water objects in Turbine, causing areas to become inaccessible

Workshop & Custom Maps

• Fixed loading screen art flickering when loading into custom maps
• Fixed an issue where players received a generic error when loading into a server running an older version of a custom map than the player had installed

Weapons and Utilities

• Fixed players becoming invisible when revived by a syringe in specific circumstances
• Improved the drone's compass visuals
• Fixed player icons being reduced in size on the tablet when a player was downed and revived
• Fixed the fire selector on the 552 Commando not indicating the proper fire mode
• Fixed several issues with the timed explosion of the RPG-7 munitions
• Fixed an issue where if a player's height setting was incorrect, weapons would appear offset to other players compared to the height they were being held at
• Fixed the iron sights not being highlighted when a player unequips a previously selected optic
• Fixed the description of the M249 stating that belt-fed weapons have to be loaded manually at the start of a round
• Fixed the air drone propellers spinning after the drone had been destroyed
• Fixed the air drone audio sound effect lingering in the launch area
• Fixed the M203 grenade launcher not being subject to the same limitations as other grenades in spawn jail

Known Issues

• Some Custom Maps may not load correctly due to the update in Unity versions. Please contact Support (dpisupport@meta.com) or the Map Maker via the official Onward Discord if you run into this issue
• Rarely, some users are unable to pick a team after transitioning to a new custom map
• Rarely, private servers with an unknown server region appear and behave like public servers to non-host users
• Quest users can experience numerous issues when placing their headset to sleep before a map transition and waking it during or after the first round in the new map
• On Snowpeak (Night) Collision blocks movement when users attempt to ascend the stairs of watchtowers on PCVR
• Weapon selection lists for primary and secondary weapons can occasionally get stuck highlighting the wrong gun, this does not prevent gun selection.

Happy August Onward Players!

This month we have lots of information to provide you about the development progress for Update 1.12. We will be revealing new features being added to the game and updates to some features we discussed last month. We will also be going over a topic that has been on everyone's mind: Fire Fight! We are giving you some developer insights into its creation and a detailed description of the new core game mode and what players can expect from it.

In the Community Center we will discuss some development changes to the previously announced Reporting System update roll out as well as upcoming league events you can join.

Let's jump right into the Devs' Desks to start talking about the stuff you really want to hear about.

From the Devs' Desks

Before we get into all the information related to Update 1.12, we want to make an official update to a previously announced feature from several months back. We have paused development on the Iraq map, Intercept, for the foreseeable future. We understand you were really looking forward to it, and we felt it best to be upfront and notify you about this change as soon as the final decision was made. Now, let's start discussing the things we are working on.

Update 1.12 continues to move forward and quickly. We are excited to announce that we have some game additions that have been highly requested by the community going into it. With the back-end changes that we made earlier in the year, it gave us the opportunity to finally develop these features and make them available to you.

Gunstock Calibration

Even though gunstock calibration was already in the game, we made some major changes to how it operates. One of the first things that was requested the day it came out, was the ability to calibrate vertically. We not only made that update, but several others to how it operates overall. Let's start at the beginning.

Gunstock Calibration will no longer be done in the tent, but after you load into a map. This ensures that calibrations you set are exactly what you will be using during gameplay. After you load into the map, you will grab your tablet and you will see a "Calibrate Gunstock" button. (Make sure you have the "Physical Gunstock" setting applied in your settings menu before loading into the map).

Additional updates that have been made are that the front hand's rotation is no longer taken into account. Only the back hand's (pistol grip) rotation is used. We also included a Universal calibration setting. A weapon can be set as the universal calibration and will be applied to any weapon without its own calibration.

We know this will be a big improvement to gunstocks and help improve your overall accuracy while using them. Now that we have these really nice gunstock calibration settings, it would be really nice to save them. Good thing, that's another addition to this update!

Cloud Saving (Quest & SteamVR)

You just made the perfect loadout. You were able to spend all your points and get that tactical edge you were hoping for. Loadouts will now be saved in the cloud in case you ever have to reinstall the application. Your Loadouts and any Gunstock Calibration settings will save to your account. Additionally, your progress through the tutorial, first time user experience, and most of your game settings will also be synced, so you will not need to do all of that again.

But Wait, There's More! Not only did we make cloud saving possible, also increased the number of loadout slots for each role to 24! Additionally, you can edit the name of the loadouts so you have an easy way to know which loadout is for which situation. This should help you be able to really fine tune your set-ups and be able to swap them in and out when you want to change tactics quickly.

There are some limitations to this feature. Due to cloud saving not being supported on the platform, this feature will not be available to players using Oculus PCVR. Also, because the cloud saves are linked to your account, cross-platform saving or importing/exporting is not available. If you play on Quest and SteamVR those will be different cloud save files, so calibrations and loadouts will need to be made per platform.

Global Killhouse & Range Leaderboards

Last Update we introduced the Revamped Shooting Range & Improved Killhouse. Since then we have seen you share some amazing runs and shots of accuracy. Once players started to improve their scores they started asking for a way to see how they match up against other players. This request led us to developing the Global Leaderboards.

Players will now be able to see how they compare to the top Marksman and Killhouse runners throughout the game. The Global Leaderboards reset each Wednesday, so make sure to grab your opportunity to snag top spot or defend your title before the next reset.

Fire Fight

You may have seen some of the sneak peeks and hints on our social media channels about Fire Fight. We have seen your questions and guesses about what the new game mode is and how it will work. Some people came VERY close to describing what the game mode will be. Let's start the deep dive into what Fire Fight is and what you can expect from the game play.

 

Introduction

Fire Fight was designed by Tribly, a Military Veteran and a veteran developer at Downpour. His vision was to introduce a new way to play that would require strong teamwork along with objectives that could change the gameplay at any given moment. Coordination and the ability to think on your feet will be very important for game sessions. During developers testing sessions no two game sessions ever felt the same.

 

Gameplay

There are two objectives you must complete to claim victory for your team. Locate and secure the hard drive. Then, once the extraction team has landed, at least one person from your faction must evacuate with the hard drive.

To cover more ground your team will be split into two fire teams and deployed to different parts of the map. Embrace the fire team dynamics of fire and maneuver, or link up to consolidate your forces; the choice is yours. Beware, splitting up of the team and randomized deployment applies for the other team as well. They could be anywhere. So move carefully, communicate, protect your Corpsman, and you'll make it through.

Each fire team will be assigned a corpsman to provide additional medical support to your team. Syringes are good to bring for bleeding and injured squadmates, but they won't cut it for a mission this tough. The Corpsman is equipped with a new tool, the defibrillator, to heal critically wounded or incapacitated squadmates to bring them back into the fight. The Corpsman is just as well trained and equipped as others on the team but they are the only ones that can use the defibrillator so make sure you protect them.

Your tablet has been updated with software to scan and locate the hard drive position and it will also indicate where the extraction point is. Scanning for the hard drive will start once the team is deployed. Make sure to work together and get into positions while it scans. When you hear the beep, indicating the scans complete, you need to be ready to push forward and find it. Once the hard drive is located you can track it in real time so you can change maneuvers with your team to intercept in case the enemy is able to capture it before you do.

After your team has had its boots on the ground for a set amount of time, the extraction team will land and you will need to get the hard drive to the extraction point. Move quickly because there is a set time to complete this mission.

This game mode introduces many new firsts for Onward. It is the first game mode where both teams are performing the same objective. It is also the first introduction of the ability to bring severely injured teammates that have returned to the tent back to the battlefield, and the first to introduce multiple fire teams to a faction. Finally, it's the first game mode that can be played with up to 12 players!

With all that information we know you are excited to try all this out! You won't have to wait too much longer.

 

Community Center

Player Reporting & Banning Update

Last month we notified you about our plan to roll out the updated reporting and banning system. As the roll out was happening members throughout the community showed some concerns and provided us feedback about how players were being affected. We reviewed the feedback and concerns and made adjustments, reducing the amount of days the temp bans would last. The day we made the change we made an announcement on our Discord that included the following immediate changes.

• Players who received a notification of a two week ban have been reduced to 3 days. If the date your ban was issued was older than 3 days ago, your ban will be cleared.
• Players who received notifications of 1 month bans have been reduced by 2 weeks. Your times will be reset and show the new date of when the ban will lift when you next log into the game.
• Bans will continue to roll out with the updated time frames of warnings, 3 days, 2 weeks, permanent (depending on how many reports are on the account)

We have completed rolling out this system so all notices to affected players have been issued. We are already in the process of looking into further adjustments and we are continuing to monitor the process and listen to feedback.

VRML Season 15 Starts Soon

Take your passion for virtual reality and Onward to the next level! The VR Master League is calling all VR/Onward enthusiasts and gamers to embark on a world of virtual reality competitions and games. About VR Master League: The VR Master League is a dynamic community that brings together VR gamers from all around the globe. Whether you're a seasoned VR pro or just getting started, our league provides a platform for players of all skill levels to connect, compete, and elevate their VR experience.

Thrilling Competitions: Showcase your skills in exhilarating weekly matches. Challenge yourself and others in head-to-head battles that test your skills, strategy, and teamwork. Community & Friendship: Forge lasting friendships with like-minded individuals who share your love for VR gaming. Our community is supportive, welcoming, and dedicated to growing the VR gaming ecosystem together.

Joining the VR Master League is simple and rewarding. Head to our website, create your player profile and explore the ongoing leagues and events. Engage with our community, make friends, and jump into competitions that align with your interests and skill level.

• Discord
• Website
• YouTube

Greetings Onward Players!

We have received a lot of positive feedback about the slower paced movement speed when playing. We know that it will take a lot of getting used to and we are confident that this will bring some improved tactical strategies to your gameplay. We also understand that it has not been well received by everyone, especially for game modes like Assault, and we are reviewing this feedback.

Hotfix 1.11.1 helped resolve a large portion of the issues people were reporting when 1.11 released. However, we know it didn't fix all of them. One of the features that unfortunately was not able to be fixed was the gunstock calibration. We understand a lot of you use this feature and we are on track to have this fixed in the next update. We will be providing updated details about that feature in the Devs' Desk.

Also included in the Devs' Desk are replies to some of the top feedback we received about Update 1.11 and details about our major focus(es) for the next update. The next update, 1.12 is already in the works and we know you are excited to hear about it, especially since you have been anticipating what might be coming after the Quest 1 drop. We won't be able to talk about everything this month, but we hope what we do provide will give you an idea of what is in the works.

Important Reminder: We will no longer support Quest 1 devices as of July 31st, 2023.

For more details about this please see our FAQ page:

From the Devs' Desks

What we have planned for Update 1.12 is going to be for the long haul of the game. It will not be a full graphics overhaul for the game that some people might have been hoping for with the support drop of Quest 1. What it will be is the starting point to make a major needed and required update that will lead us towards the direction of being able to update graphics and features.

What exactly does that mean? For Update 1.12 a major undertaking for us will be updating Unity by several major versions. But before we get to that we wanted to give you an update about some feedback and reports that have been sent to us about Update 1.11.

Maps

Thank you to everyone who took the time and sent us videos of different locations where maps are not behaving as they should. There are different reasons this can be happening in the environments, one of which includes the feature we included to fix exploits in the last update. We are looking into each of these reports and addressing them. Please feel free to continue to report any locations you find with images or video in our Discord. We are additionally making sure to closely review our maps and fix as many of these types of issues as soon as possible.

Connecting to Friends

Connecting to friends easily is a very important feature. After the launch of Update 1.11 we started receiving reports of the "Find Friends Only" lobby filter as well as the direct invites not working. We quickly looked into this and a fix has been set for Update 1.12. In the meantime, please continue to use the Server ID system to get your friends easily connected to your lobbies.

Gunstock Calibration

There is a lingering question about the Gunstock Calibration feature and when it will be fixed since it wasn't included in Hotfix 1.11.1. We are going to be completely re-doing the Gunstock Calibration feature. We know that it may come as a shock to the people who use it, so let us provide you with some background information.

One of the reasons it didn't correctly work at launch with update 1.11 was due to its connection with the character rig (or rather, lack thereof). It used a different type of character rig in the tent to hold the gun and after Update 1.11 it didn't quite match the character model you played in-game, where you are going to use the gunstock.

Currently we are redesigning the feature to move the gunstock calibration process from the tent into the game. In the tent the setting will tell you to spawn and use your tablet. Your tablet will have a button to enter gunstock calibration mode, at which point you can no longer move and your controller sticks will move the gun. This enables you to be able to calibrate in the same character model that you play in-game. This will make the gunstock calibration work as expected in every circumstance with none of the oddities you may have experienced before.

This update also gives us the opportunity to include Y axis calibrations. That's right, the highly desired functionally is to have the ability to calibrate horizontally and vertically.

Unity Update

Onward currently runs on an older version of Unity game engine. Our team has been working hard on upgrading to a newer major version of Unity. When you think about software versions, this is a pretty big jump that will give us a lot more than we can go over here, but let's quickly go over what it is going to do for our ability to improve things like the graphical quality of the game.

One of the things updating Unity gives us is the ability to turn on Vulkan, a more efficient alternative to the renderer we're using now. The other important thing it gives us is access to a tool that "arranges" things more efficiently for the GPU to render. To put this simply, these two improvements will increase our rendering power significantly, giving us the headroom to make the game look better while maintaining performance. This Unity update gives us a lot more than these two things, and we're excited for you to see what this allows us to do to make the game better over the next few updates.

Now, given this work and us dropping Quest 1 support, we know you guys want to see some graphical improvements. You will see a few small graphical improvements in 1.12, but you'll see the more drastic improvements over the next few updates into next year. These things take time, and we are working on them as quickly as we can.

Let's talk about the graphic improvements you will see in 1.12:

• NEW Main Menu environment (This gives you a taste of where we're going with our environments)
• NEW higher quality glove models, a different pair for each faction
• Something really cool for our NEW 12 player game mode

Did we just say new game mode?

We sure did!

New Game Mode

Update 1.12 will be introducing a whole new game mode we're calling "Fire Fight". Keep an eye out for more information about it coming soon.

We are still in the early-ish phases of defining a lot of Update 1.12 features and updates going into it. We will make sure to provide you more next month.

Community Center

When playing Onward we want you to have the opportunity to connect with other players and have a great gameplay experience. We are continuing to work on our commitment to you about addressing player toxicity. We have been closely reviewing and monitoring the effects of the in-game reporting system and it has led to us making additional improvements related to the feature.

Player Reporting and Banning Update

We are introducing warnings and temporary bans to players earlier on in the reporting process to help those players understand their behavior is not desired and they are at risk of being permanently banned. If players continue to receive reports after warning or temp bans it will lead to a permanent ban from multiplayer.

In the next couple weeks, we will be rolling out this expansion to a percentage of players over time. Based on some players' current reports, as this rolls out, players may start to see warnings, temp bans, or permanent bans applied to their account when they next log in. Warnings and Ban timers will start when the player next logs in.

Please make sure to refresh your familiarity with the community guidelines here.

VR Charity group Summer Tournament Update

Congratulations to the champions, team CTRL ALT DEFEAT in the VR Charity group Summer Tournament! While competing, The VR Charity group raised over $2,600 for the Make a Wish Foundation, making us the largest fundraiser for their Summer of Wishes program this summer! Thank you to all the participants and supporters for helping make these events happen.

To find out more info about taking part in the VR Charity effort, connect with them in their Discord.

High-Speed Ahead

Hello Onward Community,

We are happy to hear so many of you are enjoying all the new features that have come with Update 1.11. We also understand that when Update 1.11 launched there were some unintended behaviors that happened as well. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit reports and provided images/videos to help give us details to quickly understand some of the bugs you were experiencing. We were able to quickly look into some of these and got to work right away on some high priority fixes. Details about all bugs fixed are in the change log.

Additionally, we wanted to also go over some game settings that might help with some of the newer changes that have been added to the game.

Height Setting & Movement

Player height setting plays an important role in how your character moves. We have improved our system settings to more accurately gauge your real life height. A warning will be issued and the screen will go black if your height setting does not match your actual height. You will not be able to play with modified/inaccurate height settings.

If you feel like your character is unable to sprint please try the following troubleshooting methods:

1. Check your Playspace Guardian to make sure accurate floor height is set
2. Make sure your height is set correctly
3. Verify your correct/preferred method for sprinting is set (Single click or Outer Edge might be a better setting for some players)
4. Take note of if your weapon is pointing up/down fully or if it is slightly drawn when moving

Gunstock Calibration

At the moment, Gunstock Calibration does not correctly support the "Lowered" pivot setting. We will resolve this in the future, but for now we have added an in-game warning when players try to use it. Currently, you should set your Weapon Pivot Setting to the default and this should help with being able to use this feature again.

Change Log:

• Increased maximum player height from 6"4 to 6"8
• Further improvements made to watch design, including new watch textures
• Improved height exploit checks
• Fixed issue with players being able to sprint while in stances other than standing
• Weapons now line up properly with your eyes when aiming down sights for other players
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to become invincible to one other player
• Fixed an issue with the refresh button getting stuck on in map votes
• Fixed One in the Chamber always choosing iron sights for the random weapon setting
• The tent countdown is now canceled in the event of a host transfer
• Fixed a possible source of player models freezing in place
• Fixed issue with drawing board not dragging properly with some controllers when playing on SteamVR
• Fixes for various collision issues in Suburbia, Snowpeak, Turbine, and Subway that allowed players to exploit
• Fixed an area in Subway that allowed you to see through walls
• Added an in-game warning for using the "Lowered" pivot setting in the settings menu in combination with gunstock calibration

Known Issues:

• Gunstock Calibration "Lowered" pivot setting not working correctly
• On PC, the tent in Downfall is brighter than it should be

Hello Onward Community,

The day has arrived! Update 1.11 has been released. This is a large update. Please note on most platforms it reinstalls the whole game when updating, so make sure your headsets are charged. Due to the large amount of features and updates in this patch we will not be repeating as many details about the features we previously communicated in the May & June Sitreps. Otherwise these patch notes would get even longer, very quickly.

Let's get right into it and take a look at everything included in the update. You can also find the detailed itemized list of all changes and bug fixes in the Change Log.

New & Updated Features

New Weapons

Two new high capacity Light Machine Guns have been added. The M240L for MARSOC Support Class and Ultimax 100 Mk3 for Volk Support Class.

New Tent Design & Interactions

The tent environment has been updated to a new design throughout the game. The new tent also includes updates to improve accessibility and movement for the whiteboard. Additionally, you can now access the full settings menu inside the tent.

Player Exploit Fix has been Added

Players will be killed when trying to forcibly enter geometry such as walls, rocks, vehicles, or other various items they're not supposed to.

Player Animations and Movement have been Overhauled

We've added brand new animations for player characters. In addition, the overall player movement has been slowed down. Along with the overall slow slowdown, gun weight* has been added and will affect movement speed.

*Gun weight is based on the heaviest weapon on your person, whether it is held or holstered, or whether it is primary or secondary, and is indicated by the "Movement Speed" stat in the Primary Stats menu. There are currently five weights for weapons - Very Light, Light, Medium, Heavy, Very Heavy, each weight class progressively slowing you down compared to the previous one. For example: If you are dual wielding SMGs and you have an LMG holstered, the LMG is used to determine your movement speed. This is indicated by "Movement Speed" in the weapon stats menu

Ability to Simultaneously Hold Weapons in Both Hands

You will now be able to use both your hands to hold weapons at the same time.

Revamped Shooting Range & Improved Killhouse

The shooting range map has been extended to 600 meters. We've added multiple new rows of further range targets and a new shot display on the Shooting Range that scores your target shots.

The Killhouse has been upgraded to be more interactive and will provide stats and a score for each run through. A scoreboard has been added outside that will break down the scoring of your last Killhouse run and the top players in the lobby for both target shots and Killhouse runs.

Weapon Recoil Overhaul

Balancing changes include foregrip and non-foregrip recoil adjustments & Bipods have been updated to be more accurate. New additions to the recoil system include horizontal recoil and stance based recoil (crouching and going prone will net you a recoil advantage).

Custom Maps will be included in Lobby Map Voting

Custom maps can be selected and played without needing to be downloaded prior to playing. Custom maps download automatically any time you do not have them installed already, whether joining through the server browser or through map vote. In addition, custom maps can appear in map votes even if nobody in the lobby has them installed.

Quality of Life Improvements

Connecting with Friends

We have introduced Server IDs in lobbies (found in the back of the tent) and a filter in the lobby browser to search for server IDs. When a friend creates or joins a lobby, they can simply provide you with the Server ID. After entering the code in the browser it will narrow down all the options to quickly find your friends' lobby.

Social Game Mode Improvements

Various improvements have been made to the game modes One in the Chamber and Gun Game

• Gun Game will have randomly generated loadouts that include random guns, attachments, and equipment. The host can choose four different progression options: Fixed Decreasing (the original non-procedural progression), Random Increasing, Random Decreasing, or completely randomized with Random Chaos. Every loadout progression ends in a finale stage, like the current shield and knife. However, there are now different finales you can possibly end on. The host can also determine how many stages are in the progression as well as if stages include hand grenades.
• One in the Chamber will include options for weapon types and weapon sights. These will allow you to play the mode with the original pistol, or shotguns, or bolt actions, or RPGs, as well as a Random option. In addition, when the last two players are left alive, their watches will beep and you will be able to see the opposing player's location on the tablet. This signals the start of Sudden Death, which will require one player to kill the other within two minutes or they both lose. Additionally, spawns will be randomized each round as originally intended.

New Watch Design

The graphics and overall look of the watch have been updated. The new design includes a compass and a more clear numbering system for directional callouts.

Added Additional Hand Movement Settings

Added the option in the settings menu to choose whether you want to use the controller in your dominant hand or your in your non-dominant hand for movement.

Tablet UI Improvements

Tablet icons can now be seen scaling down on the Tablet when the player moves away from them. The icons on the tablet map are always positioned on the boundary line between the user and the object it represents on the map no matter the rotation of the tablet. Additionally, the compass visual on the tablet has been improved.

Change Log

System

• Player exploit fixes have been added throughout the game
• Player animations have been replaced with new animations
• Overall player character speed has been reduced
• Gun weight mechanic has been added to player movement
• Tent environment has been updated to new design
• Free Roam games to be created as Public in the Create a Lobby menu
• Footstep audio is more synchronized with new animations
• Updated splash screen and loading bar when launching the game
• Improved character animations in main menu on PCVR
• Quest users no longer have to input a passcode anymore when joining private games via invite
• Fixed player arms looking distorted when too close to their bodies
• The word "Suicide" has been removed and replaced thoughout the game
• On Quest, your preferred server region is now saved and not longer resets to default after you restarting the app
• Players will now feel bHaptics impulses when launching the game or turning on bHaptics to verify that the device is working correctly
• Fixed an issue that was causing bHaptics to to not work properly resulting in weapons not working correctly
• Fixed issue that was causing bHaptics vest to not work for players on SteamVR or Oculus PCVR
• Fixed an issue that was causing ProTube to to not work properly resulting in the game crashing or not opening
• Quest players can now see Oculus friends when using the "Show friends only" filter in the lobby browser
• Fixed a bug that would cause the player characters to look stuck with broken position tracking when viewing as a caster
• Fixed "Height exceeded" warning message becoming unreadable when lowering the "Texture Resolution" setting on PC

UI/UX

• Updated some maps with new loading screen artwork
• Weapon Pivot setting has been added to the settings menu
• Player watch design has been updated
• Whiteboard in Tent has improved accessibility and movement
• Whiteboard marker graphics have been updated
• Orange interaction has been added to Tent
• Added additional setting for movement (dominant or non-dominant) hand
• Settings Menu has been added to back of Tent
• Helmets can now be clicked on as well as picked up and placed on head to select faction
• Movement Comfort Vignette setting has been added to the settings menu
• Lobby browser filter has been updated to include new filters
• Removed Advanced Training button from Main Menu
• Introduced Server IDs in lobbies and Join Server By ID button in lobby browser
• Icons on the tablet now scale down the further offscreen they are
• Improved Tablet compass UI
• Fixed an issue where players would get a continuous stream of pop-ups after opening the Oculus Browser after exiting a match on a custom map
• The recoil bar in the tent weapon details has been changed to green when indicating recoil is improved

Gameplay

• Added spawn protection to Shooting Range, Free Roam and Gun Game
• Free Roam and Co-Op hosts can now start map votes at any time
• Lighting has been adjusted for Spectator Goggles in the tent
• Players are no longer able to exploit movement while downed
• Ability to reach and use your radio on your shoulder when downed as you do when alive instead of it dropping onto the ground with your body
• Map voting now offers the option to change the game mode in social or cooperative, within the same mode category, mimicking the current behavior of core modes
• Fixed a bug that would cause players character to appear gray and not function correctly when spawned on map. Additionally fixed issues that would happen to player once this bug was triggered
• Players are no longer killed when respawning if damage is dealt to their previous life's corpse
• Fixed a bug in Shooting Range, Co-Op, and Free Roam that was causing the vote kicking system to not properly kick a player
• Fixed an exploit where a player could revive as invisible if while being downed another player's Syringe is simultaneously being pushed into their body. Other players would see invisible player as downed
• Fixed a bug that caused the laser pointer to disappear when a player is revived after being downed while equipped with a Stun Gun
• Fixed a bug where players would see Volk scoreboards on both sides of the tent after resetting the title and joining a coop server with a custom map

Co-Op

• Tweaked AI bots in Co-Op to make them more aggressive, move and close down more often, increase their accuracy at higher difficulty settings and reduce instances of bots getting stuck
• Fixed AI movement paths and being able to walk through buildings throughout several maps
• Bots will no longer obsessively focus on downed players
• Added the loadout table tent radio (from Assault mode) to Co-Op modes to talk to players in-game from the tent
• Fixed a bug in Evacuation game mode that would cause players to be unable to evacuate after entering the helicopter too early
• AI bots now function correctly if a player grabs the attention of the bots then leaves the server
• Fixed a bug that would cause AI animations speed up momentarily when fighting users
• Fixed visual for AI Bots with a PKM or M249 weapon to have proper reload animations

Social Modes

• Added additional progression modes for Gun Game
• Added varying finales players can possibly end on in Gun Game
• Host can now determine how many stages are in the progression as well as if stages include hand grenades in Gun Game
• One in the Chamber now includes options for weapon types and weapon sights
• Sudden Death added to One in the Chamber to speed up the end of the round
• You will start with night vision goggles when playing on night maps in Gun Game and One in the Chamber
• The radio on your shoulder will be available for use during Gun Game and One in the Chamber game matches
• Gun Game and One in the Chamber now available on Subway and Tanker
• Improved spawning in Gun Game and One in the Chamber to make it less likely to spawn in front of other players
• Fixed spawns on One in the Chamber not being randomized
• Fixed a bug that would cause radio voice chat remains enabled in social modes after getting kicked in a core mode while holding the radio

Core Modes

• Increased the audio range for disabling uplink alerts in Assault mode
• Fixed a cascade of issue that would happen in Escort when host was set as the VIP after leaving ongoing matches of other game modes
• Fixed a bug in Assault matches that would cause the 'Fireteam Leadership' to transfer to a VOLK member when the 2nd round begins if no MARSOC members ready
• Fixed issue on Escort where red objective smoke grenades would appear with a mostly white cloud when observed

Maps

• Quest users will now have more accurate colors displayed throughout the game. A color gamut palette has been selected bringing the display colors closer to what the game looks like on PCVR.

• Objects no longer clip into stairs found indoors throughout building on the map
• The lights inside the three story building top floor have been increased in brightness
• The fog is now slightly reduced on Abandoned. Allowing players to see a bit better at distance
• Corrected the terrain texture colors on the Quest version to look closer to the version seen on PC
• Fixed visual pop of lights that would disappear/reappear when activating/deactivating Night Vision Goggles
• Fixed visual on Day map where the sky was not being affected by the fog
• Bottles & Mugs now include collision throughout the map
• Items and equipment no longer clip through black tarp throughout the map
• Character model shadows now correctly appear throughout the map
• Fixed Ammunition box clipping through the ground near the destroyed helicopter
• Fixed Z Fighting visuals throughout the map
• Fixed visual for dirt that appeared like it was floating off the wall

• Drones can now fly through gaps on the pipe support beams throughout areas on map
• Fixed C4 orientation to be consistent when the player plants it on similar walls throughout map
• Players can no longer look through the tarp covered boxes with an Air Drone

• Fixed ammo box that was unable to be seen due to clipping inside another object
• Colliders on walls fixed throughout map
• Fixed lighting that was causing character models to appear unnaturally dark inside the first floor central rooms of several buildings
• Helicopter blades no longer clip through a nearby vehicle as it lands near the 'East Tank'
• Fixed visual where players could observe some debris extending onto the floor inside the building near the helicopter
• Fixed a bug that would cause some players to dye while evacuating inside the helicopter
• Fixed character lighting saturation when standing above a tire near the west church
• Fixed audio where the outdoor ambiance and weapon reverb ws being used when shooting inside the center bungalow building
• Fixed visual where projectiles would impact with the sky when a player shot upwards
• Lighting has been adjusted for indoor locations throughout the map
• Drones can now travel between the gaps in the wooden fences
• The smoke on the PC variant of Downfall has been reduced in size to improve the crossplay balance for PC users
• A slight adjustment has been made to the rock walls texture
• The lighting for player model brightness throughout the map has been adjusted to prevent player models from looking super bright when close to a wall whilst inside of a dark building

• The laser sight attachment is no longer visible to other players through items on the map
• Quarantine has a much brighter lighting setup now
• The stairs inside the big open warehouse(some users know this as 'hospital') have been lit up with lights to better show player silhouettes as opposed to its earlier dark lighting conditions
• The atmospheric fog has been reduced a lot in Quarantine allowing users to see and spot better at distances
• The lighting system responsible for player model brightness throughout the map has been redone from scratch, allowing for much more accurate player lighting

• Props have been updated throughout the map
• Map has extended to 600M
• Added multiple new rows of further range targets
• Updated shot display to score a player's target shots based on accuracy and distance
• The Killhouse has been upgraded to be more interactive and will provide stats and a score for each run through based on accuracy and speed.
• A scoreboard has been added outside the Killhouse that will break down the scoring of your last Killhouse run and the top players in the lobby for both target shots and Killhouse runs
• Many models and textures have been redone
• The atmospheric fog has been reduced a little allowing users to see a bit better at distance
• Fixed consistency for several objects on Quest and PCVR throughout the map
• Fixed missing action sounds on the target standees when knifed in the Hesco box area behind kill-house
• You can now use the taser, explosives, knives, M203 blunt damage, and molotov cocktails on target standees.
• Fixed visual where wooden post appeared to be clipping through a white table underneath the tent near the open range
• Fixed an issue where reaching out and grabbing in the air at very particular location on the map a player would unintentionally grab their tablet

• Performance improvements on areas throughout
• Fixed visuals for ground drone camera so the ice lake no longer appears black
• Fixed volume on Molotov bottle breaking sounds
• Fixed audio where the outdoor ambiance and weapon reverb ws being used when shooting inside a specific area in an eastern room of the map
• Trees have received new visuals
• The PC version of snowpeak will now see a subtle snowfall particle effect throughout the map
• Lighting for the roots for trees have been adjusted so they no longer appear really dark
• Adjusted brightness for vents to be consistent when viewed at close and far distances
• Adjusted brightness for shovel in the Northwest hangar because it was too bright when viewed at a distance
• Fixed visuals where water puddles were visible through smoke which could allow players to see silhouettes of other players

• Performance improvements made while using the Air Drone camera
• Fixed bug where player would be killed if sticking their head close to a wall on buildings
• Adjusted the lighting and tuned down how colorful and saturated the overall looks
• The road and bricks have received adjustments to the textures
• The atmospheric fog has been reduced a little allowing users to see a bit better at distance

• Performance improvements on areas throughout
• Corrected the visuals and audio when shooting the outer rail of double rails when not next to a subway platform
• Fixed Z fighting visuals throughout the map
• Fixed visual where players could see through the map when using the air drone from a certain angles

• Fixed a visual seam that allowed players to view into the tower of tanker from the outside, when players could not see out from the inside
• Fixed Z Fighting visuals throughout the map

• Fixed visual on Night map where the sky was not being affected by the fog

• Custom maps now auto-download if you do not have them when joining servers or map voting within servers
• Custom Maps can now be included in lobby map voting whether or not anybody has them installed
• Environmental audio has been fixed and can be heard on Custom Maps
• Fixed a bug that would cause players to be unable to subscribe to unsubscribed custom maps and their thumbnails appear blank
• Adjusted visual that would cause the incorrect tags to be highlighted when hovering the cursor between the tick boxes and the text

Weapons and Utilities

• NEW M240L added to MARSOC Support Class
• NEW Ultimax 100 Mk3 added to Volk Support Class
• Added functionally to simultaneously hold weapons in both hands
• The 4x and SV98 12x scopes for Volk now has a green illuminated reticle
• Improved the hand disconnection on weapons to not feel unnatural to users or disconnect at inappropriate times
• Changing fire modes will now play different haptic effects for different firing modes to allow you to differentiate between them by feel
• The foregrip can now affect recoil on some weapons more or less than other weapons - did a balancing pass on these values. This is shown on the recoil bar in the tent
• Bipods have been updated to be more accurate
• New additions to the recoil system including horizontal recoil and stance based recoil
• Belt fed firearms are now loaded and ready to shoot on spawn across all game modes
• Improved shotgun combat performance
• Improved brightness/visibility of IR laser beam when using Night Vision Goggles
• Flashbang effects will no longer activate while waiting for round to start or during spawn protection
• PCVR users view will no longer be stuck inside the 12x Scope when when attempting to steady with an AKM equipped
• The air drone now has a gimballed camera which steadies your view as you move and turn
• Added flashlight attachments for Support Class' secondary weapons in Free Roam
• Weapon gripping will be reversed to its previous behavior (before 1.9)
• Fixed an issue that was causing weapons to not fire or explosives to not able to be interacted with
• Fixed a bug that would cause the M249 and PKM to fall in an unnatural manner when the weapon is loaded but not fired
• Fixed bug where the P90 magazine would be upside down when held in the right hand
• Fixed a bug with Gunstock Calibration that would cause the weapon to be in its default, uncalibrated, orientation if a player grips their weapon with both hands
• Fixed attachments appearing shiny on the MP7A2 for Quest
• Fixed visual where shotgun shells would clip through the chamber of the M1014 when seen from the perspective of another player
• Fixed ammo jittering erratically on the PKM when a player grabs the ammo belt and places it up high above the weapon
• Fixed visual of the ammunition belt on the M249 & PKM where is appeared to clip through the body of the weapon when player doubles the belt over itself while loading
• Fixed hand alignments with the box magazines on the M249 and PKM when the player holds them
• Fixed a bug on the M249 that would cause the weapon to leave your hands and have collision issues with the bullets when loaded and dropped
• Fixed a bug on night vision goggles where if walking inside a red smoke grenade the fade effect would be red instead of green
• Fixed a bug where loading a shell into an emptied shotgun while the bolt is open would cause the first shell to be ejected once you touched the bolt
• Fixed position of players non-dominant hand on the M16A4 so it no longer clips into the laser sight attachment
• The bolt of the AUG no longer clips through the butt of the gun while it is held back

Known Issues

• After refreshing a set of map vote options, the refresh button does not deselect for non-host users. Selecting another option and selecting Refresh again will allow players to refresh.
• On-going matches appear non-active for readied players when Quest users automatically transfer host while unreadied during in-tent timer
• If a player adjusts the desktop game window from Fullscreen, the player will experience an offset with their selection for all home screen & tent selectables
• On Suburbia, players will occasionally experience a hitch when they eject the magazine of a weapon with a drop free magazine
• On Snowpeak Night, collision blocks movement when users attempt to ascend the stairs of watchtowers throughout 'Snowpeak (Night)' on PCVR

Greetings Onward Players!

Did you catch our trailer in the Meta Gaming Showcase? In case you didn't, you can check it out below. This month the Devs' Desk will be going over the features that were shown off in the video as well as some other additions coming to Update 1.11.

Exciting stuff right? Some of these updates have been in the works for a long time and we are excited to get them to you. Did you also catch in the video that you won't have to wait long for them? We are working hard on wrapping up some bug fixes and getting ready to release Update 1.11 on June 27th!

While you wait for the release, read on for additional details about the items that were showcased and other additional items coming with Update 1.11.

From the Devs' Desks

There are so many features we are excited to talk about that we didn't know where to start! We decided to go with the order you see them in the video and add details along the way. Also included, towards the end, are new updates on things that weren't shown in the trailer.

New Weapons

The two new weapons that will be added to the game are the M240L (for MARSOC) and Ultimax 100 Mk 3 (for Volk).

• M240L
  Belt fed heavy machine gun. High caliber 7.62. Punchy, aggressive, & heavy. The M240L is a medium machine gun that is found throughout the US military including Special Operations Forces. Firing from a disintegrating 75 round belt that is stored in the magazine pouch, the M240 series of machine guns have a reputation for stopping power and reliability. The M240L can be used in sustained-fire mode and used as an indirect fire area weapon.
• Ultimax 100 Mk3
  Drum fed with mag release button. Intermediate 5.56 cartridge. Sleek, accurate, & mobile. It has a drop free 100 rounds drum, allowing for fast reloads. Has the charging handle on the left side of the receiver allowing for fast cycling of the bolt after inserting a fresh magazine, allowing for one of the fastest LMG reloads in the game.

You will be able to find these weapons under the Support class. Yes you read that right. These are the first new weapon additions for the support class since the game became available on PC in 2016. The support role provides sustained covering fire to keep enemy combatants pinned down as their squad advances and flanks.

These weapons can be used to suppress the enemy's ability to return accurate fire, or to hamper the maneuver of the enemy's assault element. They fix the enemy in position and isolate them by cutting off their avenues of reinforcement. Having more bullets allows them to provide cover while the rest of the team can flank a target and destroy it.

New Animations

This is a major feature you have been asking for, and we've been working on, for a long time. Getting leg movement working correctly in a VR game has taken a lot of work and iteration. When we were working on the animation we also wanted to improve how the characters moved overall.

In addition to the overhaul of the character animations, two additional changes have been made to the way your character will move. Onward's gameplay has been focused on a slower, more tactical style vs a run and gun type system. Overall leaning towards a more realistic, to almost a fault, feeling than making the game easier for players. As different hardware devices were introduced we were challenged with how to properly balance the intended game design, hardware capability, and networked movement related concerns. It took a lot of research, development time, and testing to find the proper balance that we were happy with.

• Overall player movement has been slowed down
  We originally tried to implement an inertia system to address some of the community feedback around varying movement concerns. However, most of our testing feedback led to concerns about developing motion sickness. After additional evaluation of various gameplay styles and device compatibility it was decided that with the new animations a global slowdown of player movement speed would work best. It also suits the gameplay that Onward intends to portray. Now with proper player speeds the battlefields will feel much more immersive and fair while also addressing the frustration people perceive related to networked movement related issues.
• Gun Weight has been added and will affect movement speed
  When looking at the character movement with our intended gameplay design in mind, we wanted to expand on our goals of having realistic weapon handling. For this reason we have introduced gun weight to all weapons in the game. A weapon's weight will have a direct effect on your walking and sprinting speeds. This means that your weapon choices will now have additional impact on your overall strategy while playing during matches. For example, if you want to move quickly and be the one out in front, you will have more reason to select a submachine gun over a GPMG/LMG.

Revamped Shooting Range & Improved Killhouse

At any given time when you log into Onward and go to the lobby browser you can find pages of Shooting Range lobbies to join. We understand players use the Shooting Range for a variety of different play styles and training sessions. We wanted to enhance your time on the range by giving you more tools to help you improve your accuracy, reaction times, and strategies to further build your skills for the battlefield. Challenging your friends is also a great method to stay sharp and look for ways to make improvements to your tactics. The following updates have been made to achieve this:

• Updated Range and Targets
  The shooting range map will be extended to 600M. This allows for multiple new rows of further range targets. The new shot display on the Shooting Range will score player's target shots based on things like accuracy, distance, and whether the target was moving. As shots are being fired, the display shows detailed scoring for each shot. Example image proved below.
• Improved Killhouse
  The Killhouse will be upgraded to be more interactive and will provide stats and a score for each run through based on how fast and accurate you are. A scoreboard outside will break down the scoring of your last Killhouse run and the top players in your lobby for both target shots and Killhouse runs. High scores are determined by accurate shots (center of mass or head shots), speed, and clear rate.

New Tent

The tent has always been your base of operations during game sessions. It's where you set strategies with the team, prepare your loadout, and maybe even do a little trash talking with your opponents. We wanted to take the time to enhance the overall experience when in this space. Not just graphically either, we have also added additional functionality when inside the tent. We even brought back a version of an old interaction from back in the day.

• Settings can be accessed from inside the Tent
  You will no longer have to exit the tent to make adjustments to your gameplay settings. The full settings menu will now be accessible and change will take place after you hit confirm.
• Whiteboard Accessibility
  The whiteboard can now be dragged around throughout the tent for easier accessibility and placement. You click and hold the directions under the whiteboard to move the whiteboard throughout the tent environment. You can even turn the board a full 360.
  

  

  

  

Additional Features

There are a few other important updates that were not in the trailer, And we wanted to make sure you know these are coming as they will be bringing some additional quality of life to your game.

• Updates to the Recoil System
  When reviewing the movement and weapons handling, we spent additional time evaluating the recoil system as well. Not only did we do some fixes, we included some updates as well. Balancing changes include non-foregrip recoil adjustments & Bipods have been updated to be more accurate. Fixes include foregrip and non-foregrip recoil adjustments & Bipods have been updated to be more accurate.

• Ability to simultaneously hold weapons in both hands
  You will now be able to use both your hands to hold weapons at the same time. Functionally this may not be the best choice for gameplay as it will be very difficult to be accurate and balance holding two weapons. However, in a pinch grabbing your sidearm and not having to drop your primary could save lives.
  
   

• New Watch Design
  The graphics and overall look of the watch have been updated. The new design includes a compass and a more clear numbering system for directional callouts.
  

  

  

  

• Additional hand movement settings
  We have added the option in the settings menu to choose which controller you want to use for movement (dominant or non-dominant). This will be especially helpful for left handed players who have wanted to use the left controller for movement and haven't been able to.

Reading about all of these features here and the ones in last month's Sitrep, you can see there is a lot to look forward to in Update 1.11. Make sure to check out all the details for everything that's included in Update 1.11 when we post the patch notes the day the update is released.

Community Center

We saw a lot of you get really excited about some of the scenes in the trailer that premiered at the Meta Gaming Showcase. We have captured some of those iconic moments and have uploaded them for you to use as wallpapers for your computer. Check out the Media Page to view and download them.

Our community member Blxxn has been making some very informative videos to help teach people basic and advanced techniques for Onward. If you are a new player or looking to learn some advanced features during gameplay, make sure to check the full list of videos available on his YouTube page.

New Community made Custom Maps have been added to the Workshop area. As a reminder, once Update 1.11 is live you will be able to start seeing maps like these in the map voting scenes during tent map votes.

The custom map makers continue to make some fun new environments. The following new custom maps have made their way to the workshop:

APEX HQ and Training Center submitted by Kensi_APEX [PC & Quest]

---

This is the official map from the milsim APEX and represents their HQ and Training Center.

---

Goryoukaku by Tarematsu [PC & Quest]

---

Marsoc is here to defeat the Volks who have taken over the Star Fortress.

NSWC_Base and NSWC_Base Night submitted by Lejam009 [PC & Quest]

---

NSWC_ Base is a permanent joint operations naval base built for the Naval Special Warfare Command and Project Mercenary, and MilSims alike! By incorporating elements from real military branches of the United States, this base acts as a tactical operations hub and naval port. Featuring revolutionary systems and aircraft, the base is fully equipped to suit the needs of the evolving units

SWAT CAMP LEVEL 1 submitted by SVCPanther [PC]

---

SWAT training in a challenging environment.

Container Heaven submitted by Shh-Leo [PC & Quest]

---

Volk have stolen a high value payload stored inside a cargo container and are storing it in this warehouse Marsoc is here to take out the Volk.

Tanglewood & Tanglewood - Blackout submitted by Bluega [PC & Quest]

---

Marsoc crash landed in a Volk controlled area, and there is a satellite that must be "Defused" for some reason. Despite being a satellite, we can only connect to it via bluetooth on our android 2.0 tablets. If it's not done within the next 6 minutes, might as well give up. Not worth the effort.

We were thrilled to see the positive reactions to these updates from the showcase and we are looking forward to getting them to you soon.

Brace for impact, later this month.

Hello Onward Community,

Your kind words after our last communication meant a lot to us and we were happy to hear that you are excited to see what is coming next for Onward. This month in the Devs' Desk we will be going over some of the changes that will be going into Update 1.11. The features that are coming soon will address community feedback in addition to offering better quality of life details into the game.

In addition to the changes we are discussing this month, we have some other major updates that are also included in 1.11. However, writing about these features just doesn't feel like it would do them justice. We are working on some alternative ways to showcase these to you. Be on the lookout for more details soon.

From the Devs' Desks

The focus for update 1.11 is to bring features that will help your overall experience. Some of these have been in development for a while and will be completed and ready for update 1.11 and others were specifically picked to address community feedback.

Custom Maps

A major update is coming to Custom Maps: Custom maps can be set to populate in lobbies without needing to be downloaded prior to playing. Currently, if you want to play on a custom map you have to make sure everyone you are playing with has the map prior to starting or it won't show up in the map vote. After update 1.11, while in the tent players will automatically download the custom map during the map transition after the vote occurs if they don't have it installed yet. When you set up a lobby you will have four options for how custom maps can populate in the map vote. Options that can be set will be:

• (By default) include all maps available on the Workshop
• Only custom maps that the host has installed
• Only maps that any one person in the lobby has
• Disable custom maps entirely.

When joining servers you will also have a filter to search for lobbies that are Downpour maps only, custom maps only, or anything in between.

Our hope is that these changes dramatically improve the visibility of custom content in Onward, and allow for more players to check out the awesome environments our custom content authors are producing.

Evolutions to Current Social Modes

To enhance our social game modes we have made expansions to Gun Game and One in the Chamber. These new options can vastly change your experience in these game modes.

Gun Game will have randomly generated loadouts that include random guns, attachments, and equipment. The host can choose four different progression options: Linear (the original non-procedural progression), Increasing Power, Decreasing Power, or completely Randomized Power. Every loadout progression ends in a finale stage, like the current shield and knife. However, there are now different finales you can possibly end on. The host can also determine how many stages are in the progression as well as if stages include hand grenades.

One in the Chamber will include options for weapon types and weapon sights. These will allow you to play the mode with the original pistol, or shotguns, or bolt actions, or even RPGs! In addition, when the last two players are left alive, their watches will beep and you will be able to see the opposing player's location on the tablet. This signals the start of Sudden Death, which will require one player to kill the other within two minutes or they both lose. Additionally, spawns will be randomized each round as originally intended.

Two additional updates will be made to both modes:

1. The radio on your shoulder will be available for use during Gun Game and One in the Chamber game matches.
2. You will start with night vision goggles when playing on night maps, which has now allowed us to extend the modes to be played on Subway and Tanker.

Player Exploits

We will also be addressing a common exploit where players use various methods to enter locations, on various maps, which they're not meant to be in. We took some time to address the issue in order to make sure there was proper balance for intended gameplay tactics while being able to address people using exploits to cheat or play in an unintended manner. Players will be killed when trying to enter geometry they're not supposed to. This should help address and alleviate the frustration you feel when other players resort to using these types of behaviors during matches.

Connecting with Friends

We all know that playing with friends is probably the most fun you can have in Onward. Last year we introduced a way to invite people directly into your game if they are on the same platform as you, and in this update we're turning it up a notch by allowing you to quickly find your friend's lobby even if they are on a different platform. We will be introducing Server IDs to lobbies. You will easily be able to find your friends' games using the "Server ID" option in the lobby browser. When a friend creates or joins a lobby, you will have them simply provide you with the lobby ID number. After entering the code in the browser it will narrow down all the options to quickly find your friends' lobby.

Quality of Life Adjustments

Included in update 1.11 are several quality of life adjustments to the game. Adjustments like these may initially sound like small changes, however, the impact of how it affects your game sessions over time can be massive. Some of these adjustments include:

• Added "Movement Comfort" option in settings to block edges of your screen when moving to help with motion sickness
• Map voting can be initiated by the host in Free Roam and Shooting Range
• Map voting can now change the game mode in social or cooperative modes, within those modes, just like core modes were able to
• The Tent radio will be available for use during Co-Op matches so players in the tent can communicate with players in-game
• Ability to create open to public Free Roam lobbies from the lobby creator
• Ability to reach and use your radio on your shoulder when downed as you do when alive instead of it dropping onto the ground with your body
• Spawn Protection will be added to Shooting Range and Free Roam

Bug Fixes

Our team continues to tackle and fix a large list of bugs. We understand that as we make major adjustments to the game and update backend features that it has caused some unintended behaviors to happen in different aspects of the game. We have been closely monitoring the community reports and are working on fixing many of the issues we have seen reported. Some issues reported may require more time as they might be a larger project or are being considered for redesign. Thank you for being patient with us while we continue to work on these.

• Weapon gripping will be reversed to its previous behavior (before 1.9). This should resolve the issue with weapons releasing due to recoil or hand positioning
• Weapons not firing or explosives not able to be interacted with have been fixed
• bHaptics and ProTube integration fixed. You will be able to re-enable the settings and use these accessories

Community Center

We hope you enjoyed the Onward tips that were shared on our social media accounts. It seemed a lot of players learned some new techniques to add to their gameplay tactics. If you missed them, you can still review them on our social accounts.

• Instagram: Onwardthegame
• Twitter: @Onwardthegame
• Facebook: OnwardTheGame

In line with making quality of life improvements to the game, we have been making some quality of life updates to our Discord community as well. We have reformatted the way you can make game suggestions, report bugs, and also how to get help if you are experiencing any issues with the game. This will provide you with easier visibility to developer responses and ability to connect with other players about the game.

On a final note, by popular request, we have now made the new loading screen artwork available for you in desktop wallpaper formats. To check out all the beautiful 4K scene options, head over to the Media page to download them.

We are looking forward to giving you even more information in the coming weeks. Until then...

Stay alert, look to the horizon.

Hello Onward Community,

We wanted to update you on the status of the studio in regards to the layoffs at Meta that occurred earlier this month. Meta acquired Downpour Interactive two years ago, and Downpour operates within the Oculus Studios group in the Reality Labs portion of the company. Meta recently had to make some tough decisions in regards to staffing throughout the organization. Unfortunately, this did impact our studio.

Onward is not being shut down, and we are continuing to support the game. Our team at Downpour is a passionate group who remains dedicated to bringing you improvements, new features, and bug fixes. Expect a May Sitrep from us soon that will include updates on some exciting features coming in update 1.11.

Beyond update 1.11, the plan of work that we have laid out in previous Sitreps is likely to change. We will need to first take some time to evaluate our internal processes to ensure that our team focuses on what is the most beneficial and impactful for you, our players.

Finally, we'd like to take a moment to thank you for allowing us time to process the loss we are feeling for our fellow colleagues and friends. Downpour started as a small team and grew into what felt like a group of friends working together to expand on an amazing game in this new technology space. Our friends will be greatly missed, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

As we say goodbye to these talented individuals, we must move.. ONWARD.

The Downpour Interactive Team

Hello Onward Players,

We were thrilled to hear how many of you are enjoying all the new content and updates that came with 1.10. When update 1.10 released, the team was continuing to work on the issues with the lobby stability, which is the major focus for this hotfix. In addition, we were also able to fix some small bugs that came with 1.10. However, we know this hotfix does not include all of them. We have reviewed the feedback and are continuing to work on bugs that you have reported. Please see the list of fixes included in this hotfix and the list of known issues.

Change Log:

• Updated and improved our networking. This should help bring more stability to lobby connections and reduce players getting kicked to the main menu
• Fixed players not getting notifications when vote kicked from lobbies
• Fixed visibility of the regional server information in the settings menu on Quest
• Fixed issues causing poor performance on Suburbia (Day and Night) for PCVR users

Known Issues:

• When a Quest player lets there headset go idle in the tent, it will cause a bug that causes them to load in as gray character model and not be able to play correctly
• When you grip a weapon with both hands Gunstock calibrations are not applied. This issue is temporarily fixed once the player re-grips the weapon with their dominant hand
• Black screen and hanging on loading for Quest users
• Hand disconnection on weapons
• Audio issues related to using flares

Happy March Onward Community,

Did you draw a battle plan for Egress? Is the MP7 everything you dreamed it would be? We hope you are continuing to enjoy all the new content that came with update 1.10. We were thrilled to see all your positive reactions and feedback.

Some of the items that made it into the game we understand you are less thrilled with. Some of the major community reports being the performance issues on Suburbia for PC players and the weapons unintentionally releasing from your hands. Based on the amount of feedback we received we understand these major pain points so we're prioritizing looking into these issues. Additional bugs that you have reported we are actively working on addressing as well. There will be a hotfix coming soon and more details about what will be included in it can be found in the Devs' Desk.

Another topic we want to address is the departure of Downpour Interactive founder Dante Buckley, who has resigned from Meta. It's not hyperbole to say that without Dante, Onward and Downpour Interactive would not exist. Dante's vision for Onward and approach to VR game development was the foundation for our work and how we make games together here at Downpour. We want to thank him for his many contributions, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors while we carry on his passion for Onward. As a studio, we will miss Dante but are as committed as ever to continuing to deliver great gaming experiences for you all.

From the Devs' Desks

A major focus since 1.9 has been to address the outstanding issues related to networking. This includes issues where players are experiencing getting kicked from lobbies or whole lobbies are being dissolved. We have been working hard on identifying and properly fixing the issues. Network and server related work can be very delicate and takes a lot of development time and testing. We are in the process of testing a fix that is set to be released as Hotfix 1.10.1. We don't have an exact date to share yet, once the hotfix is fully tested it will be released.

In addition to the hotfix, we are also working on our next update: 1.11. This update will include some major quality of life improvements, new content, and of course bug fixes. We will release more details about what is coming into the update soon. Stay tuned for more information.

Community Center

Do you know every tactic and mechanic there is in Onward? Over the next couple weeks we will be releasing a series of social media posts with videos and images showing off some of the more nuanced and obscure things possible in Onward. If you are looking to broaden your skill set, be sure to watch our social pages.

Follow us on:

• Twitter: @OnwardTheGame
• Instagram: OnwardTheGame
• Facebook: Onward The Game

The custom map makers continue to make some fun new environments. The following new custom maps have made their way to the workshop:

Extradition submitted by Bluega [PC & Quest]

---

Terrorists have locked you up in a half completed jail. Should be pretty easy to break out.

---

Regimental Headquarters by Mr.Cheeseface [PC & Quest]

---

ARR is proud to announce the commissioning of Regimental Headquarters, a fully-equipped military base. This facility includes Officer quarters, administrative offices, barracks, armory, mess hall, and other necessary buildings. In addition, Regimental Headquarters features advanced training installations such as close quarter combat (CQC) training and breaching training, a 25-meter pistol range, and a 300-meter shooting range. This base provides everything a modern military unit needs to train and operate effectively.

Sokol Outpost submitted by LschVirus [PC & Quest]

---

Sokol Operations Command (SOC) has decided to build an outpost on the mountains of Russia. Covered in a Snowy and Mountain environment, This makes a perfect place for SOC

North submitted by Lejam009 [PC & Quest]

---

During a training exercise over Volk territory, Marsoc's helicopter has been shot down by Volk. All Marsoc operators have survived the crash. The APCs have arrived, but all Volks needs to be neutralized to get a safe extraction.

Stay Focused, Stay Alert

The content update you have been waiting for is here! We have shared a lot of information with you about what to expect with this patch over the past couple months and the design direction around what went into the update. We know you are excited to try the new weapons and play on the new map, so we will jump right into letting you know what is included in this update.

New Features

Two New Weapons

Two new weapons have been introduced to the game: the MP7A2 for MARSOC and the SR-2MP Veresk for Volk. The MP7A2 is one we heard a lot of requests for. You'll see it has its 40 round magazine, drop free magazine, and bolt release button, while the SR-2MP Veresk's has a 30 round magazine, drop free magazine, and cheaper point cost to balance it. Both sport a high fire rate and are excellent choices for CQB. You won't need to worry too much about your barrel getting obstructed as it might with longer weapons. We're happy to have a chance to provide more close quarters options, plus finally get an SMG onto Volk!

New Map

We have been listening to community feedback and requests for a European map. Egress is a brand new urban city map set in Estonia available for all game modes with both day and night versions, and it's our second map to make use of snow. You will need to be careful when moving around to not give your position away when others can hear it crunching beneath your boots. Egress offers a variety of cover and interesting locations to discover including warehouse storage, a hotel bar, and more. Get ready to learn some new call outs.

This time around, we wanted to make sure all our weapon and map content in this update connected and fit well with each other in terms of both gameplay and setting. SMGs were a great fit for the close quarters urban fighting that's seen in Egress. The MP7A2, in addition to being a commonly requested weapon by players, can be seen used by both American and Estonian special operations teams. The SR-2MP Veresk is a natural gameplay counterpart that is used by Russian security forces and thus makes sense for Volk to have their hands on, not to mention that its country of origin is just across the border. In future update content, we plan to connect our guns, maps, and overall content similarly as long as we are still satisfying our content goals giving you things you want to see in-game.

Regional Servers

Regional servers allow players to play in matches hosted closer to their location where they can have better connections. Upon launch after downloading update 1.10 players will be asked if they want to pick a preferred region. There are 4 options to choose from; US West, US East, Europe, Asia. Players should pick the region closest to their current location. If players ever want to change their preferred server region, they can do so at any time in the Settings menu.

Choosing a preferred server region will set your game to attempt to join lobbies in that region when using the quick play options for Core, Co-op, and Social buttons found under Multiplayer. If a lobby can't be found in your region, it will start checking other regions. Whenever you choose to host a lobby, your lobby will always be hosted in your preferred server region. This gives you more control over this function, and not just assume you always want to host in whatever region is closest to you. So if you have a few friends all located in another part of the world, and want to host a lobby for them that is physically closer to them so they can benefit from a lower ping, you can always go to your Settings and choose their region. When looking for a lobby to join in the server browser, you can see which server region a lobby is set to in the server info area at the bottom under "respawn mode". You can also use the server browser's filters to narrow down which regional server lobbies show in the browser. If you're ever in the middle of a match and unsure what server region you're in, you can always look in the back of the tent.

AI Enemy Animations

AI enemy animations in co-op and single player have been completely overhauled. Every animation has been replaced, including walking, shooting, throwing grenades, dying, and more. Fighting AI and getting kills especially will now feel even more impactful, immersive, and responsive.

Now, over to the full change log!

Change Log

Major Additions

• Snowy urban CQB map Egress
• MP7A2 weapon for MARSOC Specialist
• SR-2MP Veresk weapon for Volk Specialist
• Regional Server Support for US East, US West, Europe, and Asia regions
• Overhaul of all enemy AI animations including movement, deaths, and more

System

• Added additional information to Competitive filter description in the server browser
• The 'Dominant Eye' setting no longer resets after changing the individual setting and relaunching the title
• Fixed an issue where the license button would attempt to open a web page even if you weren't connected to the internet
• Fixed issue that caused some players to go to main menu instead of directly going into the game lobby when accepting a game invite
• Adjustments made to Virtual Gunstock to fix issues when aiming to prevent hypersensitivity
• Fixed bug where some users are not able to see the Vote kick UI after they load into active gameplay and initiate a vote kick
• Fixed bug where helmets would not properly equip and the menu options to not proceed to the loadout screen if hosts player's headset went idle before other players join the lobby
• Fixed an issue on Quest 2 where dark shading patches were visible on character models
• Quest users that have Oculus users as friends can now see said Oculus friend with the 'Show Friends Only' filter selected
• Description of additional syringes available in co-op Evac is now consistent with the amount the user receives during gameplay
• Loadouts created in Free Roam mode are no longer carried over to the other game modes
• Weapons where both hands grip the weapon close together will no longer experience jittering when the user holds them at a specific angle

Gameplay

• Numerous fixes related to bugs linked to a host player's headset going idle before other players join the lobby
• Players no longer become invisible to AI when joining the lobby while the host has their Quest in rest mode at the end of the round
• Player can no longer see or use extra ammunition from AI when joining lobby after the 1st round in co-op mode
• Fixed an issue where you would see a generic end of round message ("MISSING END ROUND MESSAGE FOR ESCORT") when no players would be left alive at the end of the jail spawn timer
• Fixed a bug where ammo boxes were only visible to the host after a map transition in Bazaar
• Fixed issue in Escort MARSOC could begin the game without a VIP and be unable to extract if their VIP disconnects from the lobby as the game begins
• Fixed a bug where a player could become invisible if you leave & rejoin an Assault lobby after downing another player, and you spawn into the map before said player has re-spawned back into the map
• Night vision no longer fades away when user steps into a cloud of smoke after throwing a smoke grenade
• Fixed players being able to exceed the class limit by selecting the same class at the same time in competitive servers
• The Player Arrow on the whiteboard map now correctly points in the same direction as the player is facing when looking at team members in active gameplay

Maps

• Bazaar
  • Fixed multiple spots of collision
  • Adjusted lighting in Bazaar giving the map more direct light in daytime to improve visuals and player lighting
  • Fixed missing items in the Market area in Bazaar
  • Some of the buildings in Bazaar now have an extra open window
• Quarantine
  • Fixed multiple spots of collision
  • Fixed inconsistencies between Quest and PC versions of Quarantine where cover would exist on PC but not Quest
  • Fixed a mesh issue on the Humvees located on Quarantine
  • Fixed an issue where assets could clip through Hesco Bastions in Quarantine
  • Fixed an issue where the Air Drone could not see the sidewalks in Quarantine
  • Fixed an issue where the Drone would get caught on a building in Quarantine
  • Fixed several floating items in Quarantine
• Suburbia
  • Fixed multiple spots of collision on Suburbia
  • The correct footstep sound will now be heard on grass and concrete areas throughout Suburbia
  • Fixed Tree consistency on Suburbia between PCVR and Quest
  • Fixed an issue where the evac helicopter would sometimes land into Hesco barriers in Suburbia
  • Adjusted the overall lighting for Suburbia to have brighter and more detailed visuals as well as more accurate player lighting
  • Updated the textures for the grass terrain for both Quest and PC
  • Buildings and Fences in Suburbia were re-made for better utilization
  • New road and sidewalk textures were implemented
  • Some bushes have been remade to improve graphic quality and to rectify a PC-Quest gameplay advantage where PC players could see through them and Quest users could not
• Turbine
  • Fixed multiple spots of collision
  • Fixes for several exploitable areas

Workshop & Custom Maps

• Maps downloaded on previous versions no longer appear as duplicates on map selection
• Fixed an issue where some subscribed maps always required an update after refreshing the Workshop page
• Fixed certain map thumbnails appearing blank and unable to be selected on the 'Workshop' tab
• Custom Map image no longer fail to update when the user is brought to the Workshop after accepting a 'Missing Map' prompt in the 'Multiplayer Server Browser'

Weapons and Utilities

• Fixed issue where positioning for weapons was not consistent when holstered when viewing other players
• Hands no longer become stuck when holding another user's RPG-7 that has been reloaded
• Fixed a performance issue on Quest related to the use of VR goggles
• Fixed an issue with the PKM & M249 where your non-dominant hand would hold onto the feed tray cover when the weapon was dropped, following the weapon to the ground
• Fixed issue where players could not manually activate an equipped laser sight on the P90 because the charging handle grab area interferes with the activation zone
• Fixed max offhand grip release activating by weapon recoil when near the max offhand distance
• Fixed a bug where another players primary weapon can fall through world when taking it then grabbing your own pistol
• Smoke grenades can no longer be used normally during the match start timer
• Fixed an issue on the SV98 when using Grip/Trigger setting and then attempting to pull the mag would result in an inability to do so or instead the bolt will be grabbed
• Fixed an issue where letting go of your primary weapon with both hands simultaneously, while holding it away from your body, makes the gun stick to your offhand
• The 2x Holographic Sight now shows attached to the rail on the FAMAS
• AKS-74U Holographic Sight no longer appears solid in Gun Game after a computer restart
• Primary and Secondary Attachments now default to 'Iron Sights' for Primary and Secondary Optics and Empty for Primary and Secondary Attachments after the user has equipped the Ballistic Shield, Stun Gun and Flare Gun in the tent
• The 552 Commando charging handle no longer disappears when the chamber is closed
• Corrected movement speed when player is using the Stun Gun in ready position
• The PKM no longer unloads when dropped on the ground or passed to another player
• Fixed issue where a single floating bullet would appear over the weapons of PKM-wielding AI throughout co-op matches
• The magazine on the AK5C now appears correctly

Known Issues

• Sometimes the "You were kicked." message fails to appear when the user is returned to the Main Menu after being kicked from a multiplayer lobby
• Free roam is missing the Support class secondary weapons flashlight attachments
• On the M249 and PKM, the weapon will fall in an unnatural manner when the weapon is loaded but not fired

Hello Onward Community,

We hope you have enjoyed all the images that have been appearing on our social channels throughout the last month. All of the posts related to things included in the upcoming update 1.10. This month on the Devs' Desk we will be discussing the images, their meaning, and how they relate to the upcoming update.

We know you are excited to play on the new map and use the new weapons. Update 1.10 is expected to drop on February 21st. Keep your eyes on our socials to know the exact time the update becomes available for download.

From the Devs' Desks:

New Map

We can now confirm that our next map, Egress, is coming in update 1.10. Egress is a snowy urban map taking place in a port city in Estonia, with a focus on CQB and medium-range combat. Establishing lore and story background in Onward is important to us, and we're trying to emphasize deeper immersion through story with our future level content. The newspaper articles that were shared on our social media actually appear in-game, placed throughout the level. Each one gives hints as to why Volk and MARSOC are there, and what led up to the fight. When you load into Egress, you'll see a location and summary of the engagement as with all our other maps. But if you can connect the dots there with the articles, you'll learn much more. See below for the mission summary seen in the loading screen:

Volk has bribed a dockhand to falsely report a bomb threat, causing an evacuation. Volk aims to kidnap a scientist on the CBRN response team. Nearby MARSOC on a joint training operation have been given permission to move in.

For the level design of Egress, we knew we wanted to emphasize the close-quarters weapons available in Update 1.10. The map is tightly packed with alleyways, warehouses, loading docks and a centralized hotel that make for a variety of ways to strategize with your team to cover ground effectively, outflank your opposition and make gameplay fresh with each round. We want to take this moment to share more images showcasing some of the outside areas on this level and leave the rest for you to discover.

New Weapons

In our very first teaser image, in addition to lore and setting, we left a nice little hint as to the weapon content coming in 1.10. Those in our community with a keen eye could see there was text in the bottom right hand corner of the page in that image reading "1316G1B", which decodes as follows:

• 13 = M (13th letter of the alphabet)
• 16 = P (16th letter of the alphabet)
• G = 7 (7th letter of the alphabet)
• 1 = A (First letter of the alphabet)
• B = 2 (Second letter of the alphabet)

We can confirm that the "MP7A2", an oft requested PDW style SMG, is coming in 1.10 with the SR-2MP Veresk as its counterpart. Two image teases for the weapons showcased the amazing work the team does on the details when making weapons for the game. We showed extreme close ups of both guns, and then later showed off full on renders. You can see the close ups compared to the full weapon images below.

It was important to us that these new pieces of content fit together in a cohesive way that makes sense for both the gameplay and setting. These two PDWs are perfect for the confined urban CQB of Egress since they are small, lightweight, tight quarters weapons designed to be used against conventional armored combatants. Furthermore, we can see that the MP7A2 is used by both American and Estonian SOF, with Russian forces making use of the SR-2MP Veresk on their end as well. With adding these two guns, we have grown our CQB play and further expanded our suite of weapons in a way that makes sense for the update's map and all other Onward maps, not to mention finally getting an SMG onto Volk!

Major Features

In addition to the other two major features we talked about in previous Sitreps (regional servers & improved AI animations), we wanted to highlight that major fixes and updates will be applied throughout our maps. The foundations we've laid in our previous updates now allow us to refocus on releasing improvements we've spent the last year working on in the background, such as map fixes etc. Starting in update 1.10 you will start to see a big flow of map updates coming out again. This includes things like updated textures, misaligned collision fixes, fixed exploitable locations, and more.

More details for all the features and bugs fixes that are included in update 1.10 will be announced with the patch notes when the update goes live.

Community Center:

VR Central shared a fun video of some of the interesting things that happen during his gameplay in Onward. Some of the clips included are some skilled kills, funny moments, and some acts of ultimate betrayal during game sessions. We are glad to see that he has such a good time during his game sessions and makes the most out of some of the situations that happen on the battlefield. You can check out the video On YouTube.

The Custom Map Makers have done it again this month. We have 6 new custom maps for this month! Make sure to head over to the Workshop in game and add them to your library to test them out.

Shadow_Base submitted by !Lejam009 [PC & Quest]
The official home base map for SSF commissioned by Astro from SSF. This map was inspired by the 125 Fighter Wing base in Jacksonville FL

Lazer Quest submitted by Timemaster111 [PC & Quest]
Somehow you stumbled into the Lazer Quest arena. Reports are the enemy is here too... have... fun? (P.S. Try me with Night Vision and a Laser!)

Tactical Map & Battle Map Tachikawa submitted by Knyam_Gee [PC & Quest]
Tactical Map & 1v1/2v2/3v3 Battle map

Cloud & Cloud Night submitted by TNK_tarematsu_JP [PC & Quest]
You are above the clouds. Be careful not to hit the fighters! For night mode Your night vision is broken. Must use a flashlight.

Stay Focused, Stay Alert

To focus our development efforts, we will no longer support Quest 1 devices as of July 31st, 2023.

For more details about this please see our FAQ page

Happy 2023 Onward Community!

We would like to start by welcoming all the new players that have joined the Onward community! We saw a large increase in players and number of lobbies through the month of December. We hope you all are fighting the good fight and enjoying all the different game modes that Onward has to offer.

After our 1.9 release, our focus has been to work on stability in addition to new content for the next update. When we moved our game over to a new hosting service in 1.9 we realized some additional server work was needed and we wanted to address it as soon as possible to enhance your experience. We produced hotfixes through December and January to improve the server and game stability. Update 1.10 is the next update that will be released and will include the new content you have been asking for.

Let's take a look at some of that new content the teams have been working on.

From the Devs' Desks:

Our level designers are providing a glimpse of what the inside of one of the major buildings looks like on the upcoming 1.10 map. It looks like something happened to cause this area to have been evacuated quickly. Luckily, the photo of Mr. Falafel Fluff appears to be undamaged.

The weapon artists are putting the last bit of polish on the two new weapons. What we can take a look at, well, listen to, is the audio of the new weapons being used at the shooting range.

We hope you've been enjoying our teases about update 1.10's new content and backstory on our social media. We've been reading and enjoying all of your theories! If you look closely at what we're posting, and read between the lines, you'll see some hints on what's to come.

Follow us on:

• Twitter: @OnwardTheGame
• Instagram: OnwardTheGame
• Facebook: Onward The Game

Community Center:

The Custom Map Makers have been working hard and added some great new maps to the workshop area. These new maps are available now to be played on PC and Quest.

Coastal Shrine submitted by @TNK_tarematsu_JP
"Volk has taken over the shrine. Marsoc must confront this."

CQB_Training submitted by !lejam009
"This Marsoc base is situated in Colorado, instructors will bring their new recruits here to train them and prepare them for combat. This base offers a shooting range and a killhouse with watchtowers for instructors to evaluate the combat efficiency of their recruits."

Paintball submitted by Bluega
"For some reason terrorists are attacking a paintball field. Stop them."

We are looking forward to showing you more as the time for release gets closer.

Over and Out

Hello Onward Players!

When patch 1.9.3 released there was an issue that was causing some lobbies to have incorrect spawn timers. In addition, there may have been other lesser reported compatibility issues for some players. These issues should now be resolved. It is highly encouraged that you update the game to version 1.9.4 to avoid any compatibility issues.

Change Log

• Fixed a bug that was causing some lobbies to not have correct spawn timers

Known Issues

• On Meta Quest and Oculus Home, the 1.9.4 hotfix will report having version number 1.9.3
• Weapon recoil may cause the player character to let go of their weapon with their offhand if the player's hands are already at the edge of the maximum grab distance
• Players cannot manually activate an equipped laser sight on the P90 because the charging handle grab area interferes with the activation zone. It can still be activated when two hands grip the weapons using the left trigger
• Players are not able to see the Vote kick UI after they load into active gameplay and initiate a vote kick. The UI will appear in the next round
• Letting a Quest 2 host player's headset go idle before other players join the lobby causes helmets to not properly equip and the UI to not proceed to the loadout screen. Once the idle headset is active, function returns to normal

Hello Onward Players!

We have started the year refreshed and hit the ground running by addressing some major pain points the community was experiencing after the 1.9 update. Please see the change log below for what is included in this patch:

Change Log

• Improvements made to increase server stability
• Improvements made to game stability and reduced the amount of game crashes
• Fixed bug that would cause players to crash when grabbing object from another player
• Fix a desync issue with round starting timer that was allowing Quest users to start sooner than PC users
• Fix for bug where custom content ambient sound effects would carry over into other areas of the game
• Fixed issue that could cause lobbies to crash (especially when playing modes like Co-op)
• Updated messaging so when you load into an invalid/corrupted custom map, a message will now be shown when you are booted to the main menu

Known Issues

• Weapon recoil may cause the player character to let go of their weapon with their offhand if the player's hands are already at the edge of the maximum grab distance
• Players cannot manually activate an equipped laser sight on the P90 because the charging handle grab area interferes with the activation zone. It can still be activated when two hands grip the weapons using the left trigger
• Players are not able to see the Vote kick UI after they load into active gameplay and initiate a vote kick. The UI will appear in the next round
• Letting a Quest 2 host player's headset go idle before other players join the lobby causes helmets to not properly equip and the UI to not proceed to the loadout screen. Once the idle headset is active, function returns to normal

Hello Onward Community!

December is bringing 2022 to a close and we are happy to look back and see all the work the team has been able to accomplish this year and how all that hard work will help us make even more improvements and open the door for new additions in 2023.

The game got a lot of much needed improvements and additions to help the longevity of development and set the game up to have new content and fixes come in next year. This month, in the Devs' Desk, we wanted to showcase all the additions and improvements that went into Onward this year. What isn't included in the list is the hundards of bugs that were fixed through the year. If you are curious about all the individual details that went into the game, you can always read the details from the previous patch notes.

The community also had some great additions inside and out of the game this year. From intense competitive matches, fun custom maps, to fun videos and fan art. Check out the Community Center for some of our favorite clips and events that happened this year.

Our office will be closed from December 22nd - January 2nd (including support). The team will be taking this time to recharge so we can return and hit the ground running in 2023. Expect more info about the new 1.10 content once we return.

From the Devs' Desks:

The major focus for the year was improving our backend systems to give us the ability to continue to expand the game and improve the game's foundation. Some of the systems had not been worked on since the game first launched in 2016. This investment helps give us the ability to add new features and content and allows current systems to be improved on.

Onward 2022 Wrap-Up

Newly added features

• Gunstock Calibration
• Friends joining matches directly via invite
• In-Game player reporting

Newly added features

• Loadout Points Rebalance
• Updates to Free Roam Gameplay
• Improvements to the server browser
• Improved player ragdoll when downed or dying

System Improvements

• Weapon Refactor
• New Voice Chat system including auto reconnect feature
• Rebuilt custom maps infrastructure for community map makers
• New hosting infrastructure for the game

Community Center:

A total of 32 new custom maps were added to the game this year! The community map makers have been hard at work offering a variety of new themes and environments for players to experience. If you are interested in learning how to make maps or connect with the people that do, make sure to check out our custom map creators section in the official Discord.

The competitive Esports organization VRML had a booming season this year. 1,527 players, making up 116 teams, competed this year. That's 846 intenses matches of PVP. Check out some of the highlights from this season on their YouTube channel. Their next season is starting soon, if you are interested in joining, make sure to check out the details here.

The VR Charity group ran two Onward charity tournaments this year raising over $7,500 for some great causes like Breast Cancer research and StackUp for Veterans. If you are interested in joining the community for future charity events check out their Discord.

Lastly for the community portion, check out some of the community highlights from throughout the year:

This amazing port of our game by Koiz

Some impressive whiteboard art by Niners2kx

The decked out room of Old_dirty_kooky_qc

<

Thank you for all the great matches, feedback, and support you show the game and the team. We are looking forward to everything we are going to bring to you in 2023.

Happy Holidays from everyone at DPI!

Hello Onward Community!

Thank you all for your patience while we worked hard on getting hotfixes out after the release of 1.9. While settling into our new hosting service a number of issues came up that needed to be addressed based on the new backend work that was done. The bugs that emerged related to the amount of traffic and volume of games being made. These types of bugs are something our QA team couldn't have caught or replicated before the launch. We tackled the bugs as quickly as we could and got fixes out quickly to get you back to fighting the good fight. Bugs that you may have experienced that have been fixed since the release of 1.9 are as follows:

Fixes released a few hours after release:

• Lobbies not populating in server browser
• Player names not showing in lobbies
• Multiplayer lobbies not being accessible

Fixes released in 1.9.1:

• Fixed a bug in the Workshop UI
• Private lobbies will now correctly open to public
• Corrected issues related to players receiving unexpected error messages

Fixes released in 1.9.2:

• Fixed a stability issue where users would be kicked to the main menu when selecting a custom map after another user leaves the lobby during a map vote
• Fixed an issue where magazines and other pick-upables were not properly destroyed leading them to accumulate over rounds, leading to client disconnects and preventing players from joining the lobby

If you are still experiencing any of the above issues, please make sure you uninstall and reinstall the game and are on the latest version of the game (1.9.2). The new server infrastructure made it much easier for the team to deploy hotfixes. Update 1.9 gave us the ability to address things quickly and this improvement will continue to help improve our development process. We continue to work to resolve issues related to the 1.9 release, such as the "Error 7" error message and players being kicked back to the main menu during gameplay. We are hoping to have these resolved soon.

Since we are now in a better place with our backend and the game stability, our focus for the next update is new content. We have some exciting new features that we are working on. Check out the Devs' Desks for the latest on the new stuff coming to Onward.

From the Devs' Desks

New Map

Work continues on the Iraqi map we teased in our May Sitrep, which given its unique layout has necessitated some extra time in development and will not be coming in update 1.10. Instead, expect to see a totally new and yet to be revealed map in our next update. This unannounced map has come together very nicely in recent playtesting, and we are excited to reveal more about it soon. As for the details, we don't have anything to share yet other than the fact that Volk is up to no good and you should keep your eyes peeled on our social media for more info.

Twitter: @OnwardTheGame
Instagram: @onwardthegame
Facebook: /OnwardTheGame

New Weapons

We are working on not just one, but TWO more weapons. More information on the weapons will be released as information becomes available.

Updated Animations

This is the first major animation update which will be rolled out since the game launched. We've long wanted to address the animations and have certainly heard your wishes regarding updating our character animations for Onward. Starting off you will see big improvements visually to all the AI animations. We've even added new crouching and death animations, as well as smoothed out the directional movement of the NPCs.

Adding Regional Support

Many people believe that Onward uses "peer to peer" networking, but this is not the case: it is server / client with one user being designated the "master client". That is the person with the star by their name, and they get more authority in the lobby, but they are not actually hosting the lobby. Until now, all Onward lobbies have been hosted in the US East region, even if the "master client" was in another region. This means that if a player was not in the eastern United States, they would experience laggier gameplay or latency. With our new backend we now have the ability to offer regional support. You will now get to pick from a list of available lobby regions to create your lobbies in, and gameplay will feel more consistent for people in those regions. Lobbies from every region will be shown in the lobby browser together, but you can filter for specific regions. Lobbies you create or quick join into will use your "preferred region" which is set from the settings screen. On launch of the update, we will have the following regions: US East, US West, Europe, and Asia.

Community Center

We have resolved the issue of the map creator's name not showing on the customs map menu. New instructions for custom map makers have been posted in our Discord so the map creator can link their names to the maps in game. You should start to see the names of the map creator appear in the workshop soon.

In addition, we have a new map in the workshop for you to check out.

Chinatown Day submitted by Bluega (For PC)

"Volk have placed a bomb in central Chinatown. Civilians have been evacuated. The terrorists must be eliminated or the bomb defused."

When 1.9 launched the rating for the custom maps were reset. If you enjoy a custom map, don't forget to go back to the workshop and rate it. It helps the custom map creators understand what maps players enjoy and provide valuable information when new maps are being created. It also helps players see what maps other players have and when those maps are downloaded by other players, those maps are more likely to show up during map voting in matches

We hope you are looking forward to all the new content being developed for Onward! Don't forget to follow our social media to keep up to date on news and information between Sitreps.

Keep your head on a swivel!

Hello Onward Players,

Last week we released patch 1.9.1 to address a number of high priority issues. At the time we were aware that some issues remained, particularly related to lobby stability, which caused players to be kicked back to the main menu. Today we release hotfix 1.9.2 to address these issues. The patch is available now and should download for you automatically.

Change Log

• Fixed a stability issue where users would be kicked to the main menu when selecting a custom map after another user leaves the lobby during a map vote
• Fixed an issue where magazines and other pick-upables were not properly destroyed leading them to accumulate over rounds, leading to client disconnects and preventing players from joining the lobby

Known Issues

• Weapon recoil may cause the player character to let go of their weapon with their offhand if the player's hands are already at the edge of the maximum grab distance
• In the Workshop, some subscribed maps always require an update to the map after refreshing the Workshop page

Hello Onward Players,

We hope you are continuing to enjoy the features like the improved audio and reporting system that came with 1.9. Given the amount of work and changes that were done to the back end of the game, we were happy with the overall stability of the update. Once players did start to report problems related to things like lobby visibility and access or player names not being visible, the change to our new host gave us the ability to quickly identify the causes and jump into action to resolve some of the issues within a matter of hours.

There are still a couple of lingering bugs that were discovered and quickly fixed, however these require a game update in order to resolve them. We are releasing hotfix 1.9.1 to address those issues reported. Below in the change log is the details of what issues were fixed.

Independent of this hotfix we are looking into lobby stability issues you have reported to us over the past week, some of which seem to affect the co-op lobbies in particular. Until we are able to address these issues a workaround for some of the issues is to start new lobbies regularly, and for co-op lobbies in particular, playing with a lower number of bots.

Change Log

• Fixed a bug that would cause the Workshop UI to disappear unless the player scrolled the page
• Private lobbies will now correctly open to public using the 'Set to public' button in the back of the tent
• Corrected issues related to players receiving unexpected error messages when creating or joining games

Known Issues

• Weapon recoil may cause the player character to let go of their weapon with their offhand if the player's hands are already at the edge of the maximum grab distance
• Players are kicked to the main menu when selecting a custom map after another player leaves the lobby during a map vote
• Lobby crashes happen after a large number of magazines are discarded. To avoid this, while this is being worked on, it is advised that you regularly start fresh lobbies when playing co-op especially with high bot counts
• In the Workshop, some subscribed maps always require an update to the map after refreshing the Workshop page
• Error code 7 notifications being given as a result of the game taking too long to respond to the server

Hello Onward Community,

In our sitrep last month we stated 1.9 would come before the end of the year and today is the day! If you have kept up with our dev blog, you know that most of the work that went into 1.9 was back-end work. However, there were also a lot of bug fixes and a couple new improvements that are included as well. For the full list of the bug fixes, make sure to check out the details in the Change Log.

This latest back-end update was a big one. We moved the entirety of the game from where it was hosted to a completely rebuilt infrastructure. It doesn't sound like a big process, but in fact it is a massive undertaking. It may feel like we should be able to just drag and drop the files over to a new location, like one does when moving an image file from one location to the other. We wish it was that simple. The best way to describe what had to be done is to imagine you are moving a house, you have to pack everything up, tear the whole house down, move it, rebuild the house, and then set everything back up exactly the way it was previously. It's a lot of much needed work. This change has given us more stability, and will provide more opportunity to grow and continue to develop the game with new features and content.

When this update was tested by Unit 51, they asked us why this update is labeled a major update when it seems to have fewer changes than some of the previous maps we released, specifically those in the 1.8.x family. While it's true that 1.9 does not include a new map or new weapons, there is an astonishing amount of work in the changes on the backend and servers that power Onward. In effect, we have rewritten the entire multiplayer system which comprises most of the code that runs the game. If we've done our work right, you will notice very little from these changes now, and as we mentioned in the last couple of Sitreps, this is laying the foundation for more major changes down the road including new weapons and maps.

Now let's get into the details of what is included for update 1.9 that you can see.

New Features

Reporting System

You will now have the ability to report other players directly in the tent. Players can be reported for using hateful language, inappropriate drawing, hacking/exploiting, harassment, and team killing. You can report a player once per game session.

We heard the concerns some of you had when we first announced the feature. We want to note that there are systems in place to prevent spam reporting or abuse of the system.

Additionally, you are still able to report players, with video evidence, who do not follow the community guidelines. Videos should be sent to dpisupport@meta.com. Banned players will now receive a notification of being banned when they launch the game.

Major Updates

Steam Launching

Updates have been made to the Steam client side that have changed the launching parameters. Previously the game would launch from OnwardLauncher.exe, the game now launches from Onward.exe. The best method to ensure you have the correct version of the game and no lingering legacy files is to uninstall all previous versions of the game and reinstall then restart the Steam client before launching the game.

In addition to the executable name change, the launch options have also changed. The "(Legacy)" launch options of the game have been removed. There are now only two options, "Launch Onward in Steam VR Mode" or "Launch Onward in Oculus VR Mode".

Auto Reconnect for Lost Audio Connection

If voice chat connection is lost, the server will automatically try to reconnect. There is an icon indicator on scoreboards indicating when a reconnection is being attempted.

Ammo Crate Graphics

The graphics for the ammo crate have been improved.

Server Browser

The "Friends Only" filter (for friends who are on the same platform as you) now takes your platform privacy settings into account. This means if in Oculus or Steam if you are not set to show your game activity online, you will no longer show in-game for your friends using this server browser filter.

In addition there has been a fix implemented so you will now again see an icon to indicate that you have a friend (friend on the same platform as you) in a lobby in the server browser.

Descriptions have been added to filters to give information for what each filter means and describes the game mode choices. This should help new players understand more about what game is being played when looking for lobbies to join.

Custom Maps

With moving to a rebuilt infrastructure, this means all currently downloaded custom maps have been deleted. You will need to go to the Workshop and subscribe/download the maps again.

Currently, all rating and author names have been removed. We will be working with the Custom map creators over the next couple weeks to relink the maps to their authors. Ratings for maps will begin to acquire as people start voting for them starting from today.

We have also introduced additional Workshop filters. The workshop can now be sorted by additional criteria:

• If you are subscribed to a map
• What your own rating of each map is (In addition to average rating)
• Sort by Popularity is now more accurate

Change Log

System

• Hand locomotion speed is now in line with head movement locomotion
• Fixed an issue where disabling "Hold to grip" will cause your primary weapons to misalign upon re-gripping with the off-hand
• Player can rotate weapons with Virtual Gunstock enabled
• Players will no longer revive as "invisible" after being downed while another players syringe is simultaneously being pushed into their body
• Stepping out of the Meta Quest guardian boundary while another player is speaking will no longer cause the audio to pause and then catch up after re-entering the guardian boundary
• Fixed an issue where you would lose some or all grab functionality after opening the Oculus menu while holding a used syringe
• Fixed bug where user names do not appear in the tent under either team UI when joining a Spec Ops game mode using custom maps on PC
• Fixed an issue where some players would fall out of bounds when the headset enters sleep mode on Quest 2
• Users are now able to join the same lobby on the two different platforms while using the same account
• Fixed an issue where sometimes, in the tent, you can hear the radio sounds from players alive in game
• Fixed an issue where voice chat would not function when joining a multiplayer match after the headset was in sleep mode for 5 minutes or more
• For PC Users, the 'Bindings' page will load as intended, allowing users to modify their controls
• For PC Players, clicking the "Open" button next to "Logs" now successfully opens the correct folder on the desktop
• For PC Players, clicking the storage button on the Workshop page will now show the correct size storage and file location
• Corrected a spot on the player model that could not be shot around the belt
• Fixed an issue with first person perspective players camera in Caster mode

Gameplay

• Fixed Round resets happening when only 1 player gives up during the spawn jail timer in non-competitive lobbies. Round resets will still occur in Competitive Escort, Competitive Uplink, and Competitive Assault lobbies
• Fixed a bug where the AK-12 would not upgrade to the M16 in Gun Game if you kill an opponent as the match starts
• Fixed an issue related to incorrect player model and other behaviors when changing host before a round starts and then joining the following round
• Fixed players receiving damage or being killed while respawning when their body is damaged
• Single player modes now pause when the user is in the Oculus menu
• On Assault, fixed an issue where typed codes on the Send & Disable screen would not remain typed in after the Uplink state changes
• Players can no longer click "Give Up" after death, causing double k/d/a stat changes
• Your health is now restored after getting a kill in Gun Game if you are injured
• When a player dies their corpse should no longer fly into the air
• The description on the button for opting in as a Fireteam Leader has changed from "Squad Leader" to "Fireteam Leader"
• Kill count is not correctly counted when killing multiple players with an explosive
• You are no longer able to hack another players tablet in 'Shooting Range' and 'Free Roam' before downing the player

Maps

• Fixed objects throughout multiple maps that did not protect players from C4 or frag grenade blasts

Workshop & Custom Maps

• The assault boundaries on custom maps now appear correctly

Weapons & Utilities

• Laser sight dot visibility had been improved for both PC and Quest players
• Ammo Crate graphics have been improved
• Opening the Oculus Menu while holding a Weapon/Equipment while holster/pouch is full, will no longer result in the held Weapon/Equipment falling through the ground
• Charging Handle on G3/G3A3 now functions properly
• Weapon position no longer permanently shifts after firing the weapon
• Rapidly gripping and releasing your off-hand while firing any weapon will no longer cause you to experience an increasingly worsening offset from your real hand position when holding the weapon
• Virtual Gunstock now works on the M249 in Gun Game
• Fixed Bolt of MK 18 and MCX Virtus not sliding forward after reloading an empty mag and pulling back the charging handle
• Reserve ammo is now labeled 'Reserve' when observed inside the loadout menu for the M1014
• Fixed an issue where when the MK18s M203 grenade launcher, when grabbed, would appear to point almost directly downwards
• The carry handle on the M16A4 no longer has a one-way visual mount, no longer allowing the player to see through the inner side of the mounts
• Fixed the pistol's magazines falling from belt 3 times without being touched after each new section of the tutorial
• Fixed an issue where you would need to select Ballistic Shield twice in order to become the chosen primary weapon in the Tent
• Fixed a bug where if multiple people loaded into a lobby with shotguns, at least two players would get kicked to main menu
• If a player wins a round of One in the Chamber, and then does not ready up for the following round, they will no longer be counted as a player for that round
• You can no longer put STANAG magazines in the FAMAS
• A bullet no longer appears when grabbing near the top opening of an empty mag box after opening the receiver on the PKM and M249
• The sights for the M203 Frag now plays correct clicking sound when toggled
• The very last bullet in a box-mag's belt is now visible once it is the last bullet remaining
• C4 now clackers now only work with their original bricks
• Fixed an issue where if a player joins an Assault lobby mid-round that player cannot disarm any C-4 that was placed by any player that has already been in the round
• MP5 bolt lock audio now correctly follows your position as you move around and initiate the bolt lock
• Fixed issue on G3A3 Bolt Lock when performed too fast would messes up the charging handle
• Bullet jingling audio is no longer audible after grabbing where the ammo belt was on an empty MG ammo box
• Evac extraction flare now displays correctly on Quest 1 and 2
• Molotov fire is now viewed correctly when viewed from within (or partially within) a smoke grenade
• RPG ammos no longer jitters when in the ammo box
• Shaking the MP5/G3A3 can no longer accidently trigger the the HK Slap
• Empty magazines for the M249 no longer appear to have bullets
• Fixed a bug where players could become invincible in Assault lobbies
• Fixed an issue where weapons could be be yeeted into the stratosphere
• Fixed an issue where your hand could get stuck to your tablet
• Your in-application hands and real-world counterparts now line up when still gripping onto another players tablet as they are holding it

Known Issues

• Voice chat will look like it is attempting to reconnect when you are quiet for too long in the tent
• Players are not able to see the Vote kick menu if you join a lobby that has an active round going on. Once round ends, they can see vote/kick menu as normal
• If a host players headset goes idle before other players join, players will not be able to equip a helmet
• When in the workshop menu, map selection may not be present or will disappear when you refresh the list. Map options will reappear once you scroll up or down

Happy Fall, Onward Community!

The leaves are dropping from the trees and so is the news from our dev team! We have several major updates for you this month including a status update on the next update release, some changes on the store front, and information regarding accessing previous versions of the game.

As we stated in the previous sitrep, the team has been focused on the final batch of major backend updates. We are happy to announce that the work is wrapping up and the next update (1.9) will be released before the end of the year. We will be going over some of the details of what will be included in the 1.9 update in the Devs' Desk section of this sitrep.

Before we dive into the upcoming updates we need to talk about Onward 1.7. Over the past two years since our release on Quest the hardcore PC players among you sometimes went back to play this version of the game. We wanted to facilitate that option for as long as we could, in recognition of the PC community who supported us when the game was originally launched and continued throughout the early years of development. However, with all the fundamental changes we are making to our backend it is no longer feasible to keep running the legacy systems that version 1.7 relies on. We have made the choice to remove access to it starting October 27th, 2022. We remain committed to Onward on PC, and we are focused on the future of the game as we continue development.

On to more exciting news! We have long believed we should build Onward so that you can play on any platform you want, and with the success of Airlink and an increased interest in playing Onward on PC, in November, Onward will be available as a cross-buy title on the Meta Quest platform. This means that if you own Onward on the Meta Quest store, you will get access to the Oculus App for PC for free and vice versa. Please note: The Steam version of Onward is separate (not covered by Meta Quest cross-buy) and will still require a separate purchase of the game. Stay tuned for updates and exact launch day as time gets closer.

From the Devs' Desks

We are currently focused on finalizing update 1.9 for release. While the bulk of the work is focused on infrastructure and backend, we are also working on a new feature and also a number of bug fixes the community has been asking for.

Coming in 1.9 is an all new in-game player reporting system. Players will now have the ability to report other players directly in the tent. Players can be reported for using hateful language, inappropriate drawing, hacking/exploiting, harassment, and team killing. The goal is to provide an in-game solution to make it easier to report toxic players, cutting down on overall toxicity in the game, resulting in more enjoyable game sessions.

With this new feature, we expect to be able to more effectively identify disruptive players. If a player is banned they will now receive a notification that they are banned. When a ban is issued it is permanent and the banned player will need to go through the appeals process in order to try and have the ban removed. If you have any questions about what are considered bannable offenses or behaviors not accepted in the game, please read our community guidelines.

We also wanted to take this time to highlight some bugs the community has been inquiring about that will be getting fixed in the upcoming update:

• A fix has been added for the syringe invisibility exploit.
• Voice chat has been adjusted to automatically reconnect if your voice chat connection is lost
• We fixed weapons not rotating when using the virtual gunstock option.
• When a player dies their corpse should no longer fly into the air

For the full list of features and bug fixes, make sure to check out the patch notes when update 1.9 is released.

Community Center

With 10 total teams participating, the VR Charity Tournaments raised $1,400 USD for StackUp. The money will go towards helping veterans who suffer from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and more. The VR Charity group is still accepting donations year round with their link here.

Fast Action Response won the SPINOSAURUS tier
Unicorn Sparkles won the TREX tier

Congratulations to the winning teams and thank you to everyone who donated to this great cause!

New Custom Content Releases

Contrast Night submitted by Virus
A clean Freeroam oriented map made up of 3 floors. Have Fun!

Speedball (COD) submitted by Whitefang
Inspired by Speedball from COD, designed for balanced 1v1 combat.

We're excited for the upcoming releases and getting back to bringing new content to the game.

Stay Frosty!

Hello Onward Community!

We hope you are enjoying all the new features that came with update 1.8.11. Before we reply to some of your feedback, we want to first take a moment and talk at a higher level about the Onward project and introduce some of the new people who are working on it. For over a year now you have seen us introduce not only new content, like maps, weapons, and weapon features, but you've also heard about the backend improvements to systems throughout the game, such as the refactor for our lobbies and the latest one for our weapons. We want to be clear and transparent that as we continue to develop the game, we still have more of this type of work to do. Dante, who as many of you know is the creator of the game, wanted to personally take a moment to let you all in on some of the things that are happening behind the curtains and what it will mean for the game and for the team.

We hope you understand the direction the studio needs to take right now. You've been incredibly patient with us as we go through this process, and we hope you are looking forward to getting back to content updates as much as we are! Over the next couple of months we don't expect to have many written updates for you, but rest assured we have a lot of new content and features that are being evaluated and worked on for the future. The first step, however, is getting that foundation work completed.

From the Devs' Desks

We have been receiving a lot of community feedback on Update 1.8.11. We want to address a couple specific points we have been hearing and discuss how we will be moving forward.

Weapons

You have told us that the hand alignments for the weapons in 1.8.11 feel off. We'll be making changes here to get them closer to how they felt before the update, while also trying to retain the benefits of the weapon systems refactor that will make it easier for us to add new weapons in the future.

Gunstock Calibration

We have heard your requests for the ability to vertically adjust the placement of the weapon, and reports of a few general bugs. We are evaluating fixes for these bugs and continuing to look into further development of the feature.

Voice Chat

Some players have reported issues, such as connection loss, when it comes to the voice chat stability while in game. We are looking into what is causing these issues and hope to get them fixed as communication is one of Onward's core design pillars.

In regards to some players that are reporting not being able to get communications to work at all, that is possibly due to some countries' regulations to block VoIP chats systems. If you are continuing to have issues where voice chat is not working, please check the list of countries below and/or your countries regulations regarding VOIP services:

Belize, Bahrain, Caribbean, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore

Removal of Player IDs

A change that was not noted in the 1.8.11 change log was the removal of player IDs from being visible in the tent. If you need to report a player, you can follow the same instructions as before. The User ID is no longer necessary or required.

We are continuing to evaluate feedback, work on improvements to address these concerns from 1.8.11 and others, however it will likely come after we finish up the larger tasks of foundation work in the upcoming update. We will continue to keep you updated and communicate with you as development progresses.

Community Center

VRML announced its Season 12 winners. Congratulations to Rome for their victory! Season 13 is already underway. If you would like to join the VRML in their current season or are interested in getting more information about playing in the competitive league for Onward. Join their Discord.

New community custom maps have been added to the game. All of these maps are available now on both PC and Quest.

That's it for this month.

Stay Frosty!

Hello everyone!

This latest update includes the addition of two new features to the game, some major gameplay updates, and bug fixes throughout. With the addition of new features and these updated systems to the game, it took a lot of quality time to make sure things were implemented correctly and tested thoroughly on multiple platforms.

Big improvements include friends being able to join matches directly via invite, gunstock calibration, and rebalancing equipment point costs. These changes should help improve your experience throughout the game. From the moment you start a lobby, get your friends in, calibrate your weapons, make your loadouts, and get on the battlefield, you will feel the difference.

Let's start by going over the details of the new features and changes. For a detailed list of additional adjustments and bug fixes make sure to read through the change log.

New Features

Gunstock Calibration

Using a gunstock adds to the immersive feeling while in game. The snap you experience when drawing your weapon to fire, the feel of the stock pressed into your shoulder, and the balance of both controllers in the gunstock makes the experience all the more engaging. Many of you hardcore players use a physical gunstock to help provide more control and accuracy in game. In this update we've added "Gunstock Calibration" for players with these accessories. Accessible in the Loadout screen, Gunstock Calibration lets you tweak the positioning of every Primary weapon to match your gunstock shape. This means you'll have a much easier time lining up your eyes with optics at any height, as well as experience better weapon feel in general.

Instructions for how to set up and use gunstock calibration can be found on our FAQ page.

Friends can now join matches directly via invite

Playing with your friends, competitive teammates, or a really cool person you met in a lobby is a great experience in Onward. To help connect more easily with the people you want to play with, we have added a way to help you send direct invites to your friends, who play on the same platform, when in a lobby. Steam and Meta Quest users can open up the platform UI from inside the game and send an invite directly to a person on your friends list and your friend will be able to accept and directly join into your lobby. Players can accept invites both while playing in Onward and outside of it before they've started the game.

Detailed instructions for how to invite friends per platform can be found on our FAQ page.

Major Updates

Loadout Points Rebalance

After several years of gameplay, it was clear that one thing that needed to be updated was the equipment points. With the increased growth in players and evolution of the game this felt like a much needed update to the game.

In the updated system there are now more points overall and the system is more granular, allowing us to better balance and distinguish item costs. The goal is to bring new options for players to explore, while addressing existing issues in the balance that have led to the "meta" loadouts that have developed over the years.

When we started the process to redesign the equipment points, we looked at it from a lot of different angles. For example, just in the weapons category we took a detailed look at the following when determining the cost per weapon:

• Feeding
• Caliber
• Fire Rate
• Mag Capacity
• Damage Points
• Charging Mode
• Mag Location
• Mag Release
• Fire Modes

We hope to promote more strategic choices when you compose your loadouts, as well as encourage team tactics when you jump on the battlefield. Since they are so numerous and affect almost every single item in the game, we will not be listing the exact point by point value changes in the patch notes. We encourage you to check out the changes in the tent.

Weapon Refactor

To make it easier to create new weapons, fix pre-existing issues, and make changes with weapons we have rebuilt the system on which the weapons run. Currently you should not notice a difference, but will start to see the benefits of this work in future patches.

Voice Chat

One of the features that took a bit of the team's time during this update was changing our voice chat system. It felt like having a bunch of audio wires all knotted up together and having to pull each one apart one by one to detangle it all and then reconnect all the devices together with new wires. It was a lot of work! You shouldn't hear too much difference from the previous version, however it did bring some improvements to select players during game launch and this change will also give us a long term solution with improved support.

Change Log

System

• Quest App version numbers will now match the patch release number
• Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause a menu option to become unresponsive when rapidly changing between menus in the Main Menu
• Fixed issue where a server can become unjoinable if the host disconnects during the map loading process after a map vote
• Fixed Workshop failing to reconnect to the server when launching the app if the internet disconnected and then reconnected
• Fixed issue where passing host to a player on a sleeping Quest can cause the objective location to cycle and differ between the whiteboard, in-game, and change with new players joining
• Fixed bug where if Quest 1 host idles their headset while loading into a new map from a map selection then some players will be rendered stuck in an unready state once the host puts their headset back on
• Fixed instances of seemingly duplicate players if a player repeatedly takes off their helmet while there is multiple people in the tent
• Fixed issue where the loading screen would freeze when launching Operations or Shooting Range while disconnected from the internet
• The Dominant Eye setting's description now correctly states that it affects the First Person Spectator

Gameplay

• Fixed issue where sending the code on Uplink while a PCVR host loses internet and disconnects from the lobby would cause the round to not end
• Changed loadout point limits for all game modes
• Increased loadout point limit in Free Roam to 99 to allow more flexibility in loadout building
• Fixed issue where kicking the last living MARSOC reinforcement in Assault via Vote Kick or punishing friendly fire would not end the round
• Scoreboard kills and deaths columns in Gun Game no longer increment twice when reducing another player to critical health
• You are no longer able to briefly see your killer's position when respawning in Gun Game
• Fixed issue that would cause the spectator goggles to disappear from the controller or table at round end upon returning to the tent
• Quest players will no longer be able to hear MARSOC team chat upon joining the lobby
• Fixed the red 'Out of Bounds' lines to flash briefly in-game for players currently playing in the match
• Players who spawn in with night vision goggles will now have night vision in the spectator goggles
• Fixed issue where some players respawning would hear persistent radio static after being downed before they are killed
• Users will no longer stay ignited when refreshing their loadout after catching fire in Free Roam and Shooting Range modes

Maps

• Cargo
  • Fixed an issue where AI could walk through container doors
  • Fixed some rooftop edges where players could use an air drone to see through them
• Tanker
  • Fixed an issue that would cause the map Tanker to appear very bright and washed out for Quest players when map changing from Arctic (Custom Map)
• Turbine
  • Fixed a bug on Turbine that would cause players to teleport under the map

Weapons & Utilities

• Night vision goggles can no longer be used to see through red or green smoke surrounding them
• Fixed issue where grenades did not explode after pressing thumbstick (releasing the spoon) if dropped while the player's hand was inside a wall
• Fixed issue that was causing all scopes on both factions to be black at certain angles with night vision on
• Players can now see the Molotov rag flame while holding it inside of a popped smoke

Known Issues

• AKM sometimes will not accept a magazine after having a player grab it repeatedly as it was being put into the weapon
• Invisible ammo belt appears when reattaching an empty box to the M249
• Stepping out of the Quest Guardian Boundary while another player is speaking will cause the audio to pause and then replay to catch up after re-entering the guardian boundary
• Any loadouts created in Free Roam mode are carried over to the all core game modes
• If you let go and regrip your weapon during recoil it can cause your hands to be offset from the weapon. Refreshing your loadout or starting a new round will reset this issue
• AI enemies on Tanker can sometimes walk through container doors

Hello everyone!

As we finish wrapping up the final changes and go through testing, we are pleased to announce that in just a few weeks we will be releasing an update to the game. The update will include some new features we have discussed in previous Sitreps as well as a couple that have not yet been announced. We really pushed to make sure we address some long-standing community concerns and include features players have been looking forward to. Here are some the features that are expected to be released with patch 1.8.11:

• Equipment points rebalance
  We announced this last month and the majority of the community responded positively and are looking forward to the new dynamic this will bring. After several design reviews and testing with our Unit 51, we think this will bring some much needed rebalance to the game.
• Gunstock Calibration
  For the hardcore amongst you, gunstocks can provide better control and accuracy. Soon you'll build on that accuracy with the ability to calibrate gunstocks to the weapons in the game.
• Direct game invites to friends on the same platform
  We know finding your friends amongst the many pages of lobbies in the server browser can be difficult at times. We have implemented a direct invite feature to give you the option to send invites to your friends that are on the same platform as you. As a cross-platform game, we understand it is important to connect to people on other platforms as well. Rest assured, this is just the first step to a bigger plan to help make connecting to any of your friends easier.
• Movement speed exploit (jiggling) mitigation
  Throughout lobbies, especially in the competitive scene, people have been finding ways to exploit how the network interprets players movement. In order to address this quickly, we have added a mitigation to help cut down use of this exploit. To avoid making major changes to our movement system and how player movement works over the network we will be continuing to work on developing a further fix for this issue. What is included in this patch is by no means the final fix.
• Changed voice chat system
  We are changing our voice chat system. This should bring some more stability and fix some minor bugs that were happening with the previous voice chat system.

More details will be given in the patch notes when the patch is released.

As we focus on wrapping up this patch, we continue to work on the other features we have previously talked about as well. Continue reading From the Dev's Desks for details on other updates that are still being worked on. Also make sure to check out the Community Center for the news related to community content and events.

From the Devs' Desks

We continue to work on a number of features that the community has been asking about, and want to keep you in the loop on our progress. This work takes time, but we want to make sure you know where we are at with it.

• Animations
  We continue to make improvements in the design and functionality of these new animations. However, there has been some delay with getting the animations and IK systems to work exactly how we want them to. We want to make sure this is done correctly and fully functions well with the equipment and with the movement design for the game. Each day we get our models a little bit closer to moving in a more natural way.
• Shadowmask lighting
  The Shadowmask feature remains a priority for us, but other projects must be completed before we can effectively move this forward. Once some of the other major projects are wrapped up, we will be able to get this update back on track and bring focus to improving the lighting for the PC version of the game.
• Intercept map
  We heard your excitement over the upcoming Intercept Map loud and clear! Your passion for this map resonated so much with us that we just had to share more. As an end to the Dev's Desk, we wanted to provide you with the first ever teaser image of the map.
  

  

Community Center

Congratulations to the IVRL Season 1 Winning team Raptors! They won the North American bracket against Dark Matter, and went on to fight the European bracket winner, Vikings. After some intense battles they pulled through and were the IVRLs first official season winners. An additional congratulations to the IVRL for hosting their first season in Onward Esports.

Both IVRL and VRML league seasons are currently wrapped up, and new seasons are looking to start up soon. If you are interested in playing Onward on a competitive level in the Esports leagues, check out our discord and head to the League Lounge channel.

Our community custom map makers are staying hard at work and providing more new maps for you to play on. The following new custom maps are available:

Missile Silo submitted by Gargarbot

MARSOC must infiltrate an active Volk missile silo and deactivate the systems.

Dyno submitted by Sheldorino

Welcome to the Dyno Climbing Gym! CQB & Verticality-focused.

Point Exodus submitted by Gridder

After MARSOC cleared out the surface of the snowy peaks of the Ural mountains they descended down using elevators to underground facilities uncovering something else. Once they are down there they are on their own...

We hope everyone will enjoy all the features that the new patch has to offer, and we continue to look forward to the updates that come in the future.

Stay Frosty!

Hello everyone!

We understand you have been waiting for a Sitrep, and we're excited to share some updates with you. We recently released hotfix 1.8.10.3, which addressed an issue with our custom maps. We are now back to working on some major game updates that will include both new and redesigned features, in addition to back-end work for game stability.

The devs' desks will go over some new features and fixes that are in the works. But first we want to take a moment to be more transparent with you and discuss our upcoming redesigned development processes.

Communication to you is a top priority for us and a commitment we will continue to honor. We understand that as our development projects have grown our feature details and timelines have become a bit more vague than what you have seen in the past. As the needs to best support the game and you, the players, continue to fluctuate, we want to make sure we are communicating realistic expectations that we can deliver on.

The Onward player base has grown at an exponential rate and the game now runs on multiple platforms across several different devices. As a live crossplay multiplayer title, this requires a lot of work and testing to make sure we continue to raise the quality bar we strive to clear. We are constantly working to keep up with the demands while also improving the quality of the game and creating new content. This can sometimes mean more work and time has to be spent on building out and enhancing back-end systems to prepare for new features or fixing issues on a larger scale rather than individual bugs.

To help prioritize all the ongoing necessary requirements and upcoming features, we are reviewing the design of features currently in the game as well as those we are developing for future releases. We are putting careful thought into each upcoming release as we work on balancing player needs, long term infrastructure support, and new features for Onward. This will help us build a solid foundation to provide you the best Onward experience possible.

Let's get to the exciting new features we are working on located in the Devs' Desk section of this Sitrep! In the Community Center, you can also find details regarding some upcoming community events and new custom maps.

From the Devs' Desks

We are developing three exciting new features to help strengthen gameplay, correct a current exploit, and provide new content to you! We have prioritized these, alongside some of our other current projects, in order to better balance and enhance the game.

Equipment Points Rebalance

When we started reviewing the overall game design, one system that stuck out was Equipment Points and its impact on gameplay. After several discussions and design iterations we decided to update this system. We are not just changing the values of some weapons, but the whole structure. Let's dive into the why and how:

Geometry Exploit Fix

There has been an ongoing issue with some players being able to manipulate their playspace and navigate into locations they are not supposed to be able to be in. We understand it is a very frustrating issue many of you have been experiencing and reporting to us. It is a complex issue that has taken us time to fix, but a fix has been developed and will be introduced soon.

New Map

A new map has been in the works with our level design team. We don't have any images of the new map yet, but we can provide a few details:

• Name: Intercept
• Location: Western Iraq

Stay tuned for more info on this map soon!

Community Center

The Onward Charity Community held its finals this past weekend and we want to give a big shout out to the Tournament winners and to everyone who participated and donated!

Congratulations to the members of Bossfight on the win in the Hero Bracket and to Astro for the win in the Rise Up Bracket.

The Onward Charity Community was able to collect over $6,000 in donations to help the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Thank you to everyone who continues to be a part of this organization and play Onward to help support great causes. If you would like to be a part of future tournaments please check out their Discord!

IVRL Season 1 Playoffs start April 23. To watch the intense show downs leading up to the IVRL Finals, check out their Twitch channel

New Custom Maps

New custom maps have been added. Head over to the workshop area to download and give them a try.

Omega Fun Center - (PC) & Omega Fun Center - Lights Out (PC) submitted by Sheldorino

"After a totally rad birthday, it was time for the afterparty to get started."

 

Skyfall (PC, Quest) submitted by Glitch0320

"MI6 Marsoc Agents have been sent to eliminate a group of Volk arms dealers in the heart of enemy territory."

 

The Complex (PC, Quest) submitted by Linkster

"Volk are taking over an industrial complex in search of supplies. Eliminate them!"

 

Valley (Day & Night) (PC, Quest) submitted by Gargarbot

"In an attempt to expand control of the surrounding region, MARSOC needs to capture a Volk base protecting a critical transportation route. Fog renders night vision less useful."

 

Backrooms (PC, Quest) submitted by Gargarbot

"How did we end up here?"

 

Dead Forest (PC, Quest) submitted by Whitefang

"Volk have invaded a campground in middle America. MARSOC must clear them out. But be warned - local legend warns of something worse than Volk that occupies these woods."

 

Garage (PC, Quest) submitted by Gargarbot

"MARSOC must infiltrate an abandoned parking structure that is being used by the VOLK as a communication hub. Night vision is discouraged for competitive play."

 

Retro Factory (Quest) submitted by Ho11ow

"A fun reconstruction of a classic FPS multiplayer level. Great for Gun Game and One in the Chamber."

 

Desert Compound (PC, Quest) submitted by BassSlappa

"Volk has taken over this site and it's time to take it back. Fight it out within the compound for intense CQB action, or head to the mountains with your trusty 12x to get some sniper practice."

 

Hello everyone!

A fix has been released to address a security concern related to the custom maps. We have disallowed specific components on custom maps. All existing custom maps will continue to work, but any newly submitted or updated maps that do not follow the new security protocols will show up to players as corrupted.

Custom maps that go corrupt will become inaccessible to players until the custom map creator makes the required updates. In the event this happens, please remove the map from your library. You can follow the custom maps channels in our official Discord for updates of when some removed maps might return.

We will be reaching out to the Custom Map Creators directly to make sure these adjustments get made to minimize the amount of maps affected.

Happy 2022 everyone!

2021 was quite a year for us here at Downpour! From large backend updates to settling into a new home for our studio, and new guns and mechanics, the team has done a lot this year to enhance Onward. We continued to work to make sure we can build on and make improvements to the game. We love what we do, we love our community, and we want to continue to build the best game we can for you all to enjoy.

The 2021 Summary for Onward

• 4 New / redesigned maps added
• 2 New weapon interactions added
• A major code refactor
• Hundreds of bugs fixed & adjustments made
• Performance improvements throughout the game
• A new anti-cheat system
• 2 new weapons
• 14 new custom community maps added

In addition, we have been updating some of our graphic assets in different parts of the game to improve the visuals for PC and Oculus players throughout the year. These are additional graphics updates that are different from the upcoming PC graphics update being worked on by the team currently.

Example of Old vs. New graphics that has been updated in the game

Onward continues to be a labor of love for everyone here at Downpour. We ended the year releasing update 1.8.10, which received tons of positive feedback due to the additions of the two new guns and the rerelease of Turbine. This added some new ways to play and tactics to explore throughout the game. We understand there were some hiccoughs with the newly added weapons after the release and we made it our priority to get those corrected at the start of the year.

We will continue this year by working on finalizing some bigger projects that have been in the pipeline for a while now. The Devs desk will go over some of the major projects that we are currently working on.

From the Devs Desk

Gunstock Calibration

The physical gunstock is a gaming accessory that holds your VR controllers in place to simulate the pistol grip and foregrip of a weapon. These have been used to help with accuracy and immersion when playing. The Gunstock calibration feature will help calibrate physical gunstocks to the guns in Onward for a more realistic feel when aiming and firing.

New Animations

Major improvements to player character models and AI models; character models will now have more realistic walking and arm movements. Originally the plan was to have the AI animations come out first and then release the player animations shortly after. We have since decided to release the animations together. We would also like to take this moment to introduce the person who was brought on to lead this project, TomN.

Hello, I am the lead animator for Downpour Interactive. I have been a professional animator (among other titles) for 23 years. Originally, I trained to become a traditional animator. During my last year in college, I realized the media industry was evolving and changed gears. As such, I devoted myself to the exploding field of computer animation. Soon after graduating, I joined a small video game studio, Point of View, Inc

From there I started crafting game cinematics for a variety of other studios and their projects. This led to animating commercials, music videos, television series, and over 20 feature films. Recently, I worked with Disney Imagineering - where I created visual effects and character animations for upcoming attractions at Disney theme parks. I came full circle 18 months ago and returned to video games animation. Among these, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond with Respawn Entertainment and character rigging for The Odd Gentlemen, a small boutique studio in Los Angeles.

Dante reached out in 2020 and asked me to lead the animation team. This team of talented professionals Dante assembled is a daily pleasure to work with. We've been hard at work revamping and developing new animations for Onward. Expect remarkable creations from Downpour!

Improvements to IK System

The IK system is the system that renders your hands holding the controllers and how and where those hands are in the game. We are working on making improvements to this system to be more accurate with where someone is located.

Connecting to your friends

Getting together and jumping into Onward with your friends is a popular method of playing the game. The game is offered across three different platforms and with a large player base, we understand that it makes it a bit difficult at times to easily find your friends' lobby to jump into. We are looking into developing some new methods to help make connecting with your friends easier.

New Tent

While most of the intensity experienced is on the battlefield, the tent is the main hub where the majority of setup and communication happens. It is important that when you first join a lobby you feel that immersion when in the area where you begin your setup and communications for the objectives to come. We want to improve the experience you have when you are in the tent. Below are first ever looks at some concepts of design work for an improved tent environment

Community Center

Did you notice after the holidays the increase in lobby pages? There are more lobbies and games being played than ever before! We want to take this time to welcome all the new members to the Onward community. We hope you are enjoying the different game modes and the new teammates you have met. Please make sure to review our community guidelines and have a great time playing out on the battlefield.

New Community Custom Maps

Cap Practice submitted by FLapinski

Create a private competitive lobby and join volk. Once you load into the round you will be able to disable the code even before the timer is over. This is one of the best ways to increase your capping speed.

Homestead submitted by Glitch0320

Intel suggests that Volk forces are setting up operations on a small farm in the Midwest. A Marsoc unit is sent to investigate and eliminate the threat.

Refuel submitted by Koiz

A beautiful Caribbean island once home to a South American cartel is now under Volk control. The island has become a major contributor to the Volk war effort, and you and your squad have orders to dismantle the smuggling operation and eliminate any hostiles found.

Lookout submitted by Gridder

MARSOC deploy around the mountain region in northern Europe for suspected VOLK activity. Recon has found a small forward operating base that VOLK are using to operate around the area and MARSOC begin the assault on it.

There is a lot in store for 2022 and we have only just started! Stay updated here and on our social media pages.

Stay frosty!

Hello everyone!

We have just released a hotfix to address an issue where an incorrect pivot point caused an issue where the AK104 wasn't handling as expected.

The patch is available now, and will download to your device automatically.

Stay frosty!

Hello everyone!

After our release of update 1.8.10 we saw a lot of community excitement and positive responses to the new map, Turbine, and new weapons that were introduced. However, one thing that unexpectedly happened was an unintended change in how Virtual Gunstock operates. This became our top priority and we immediately went to work on getting this fixed for you.

While we were working on this fix, we were able to review additional community feedback, and we were able to include some other bug fixes, as well. Please see the list below for detailed information on the adjustments included in this patch.

Changelog

System

• Virtual Gunstock functionally has been reverted back to expected speed and usability

Gameplay

• Fixed a bug where if players disconnected during spawn jail time when they rejoined, they were unable to damage other players

Maps

• Fixed an issue on Cargo on containers that was allowing some bullets to pass through parts of the container
• Audio adjustments have been made on Downfall to lower the volume of the wind when in the tent
• Fixed a bug on Bazaar Night that would cause performance to drop for some players after selecting their loadout
• Fixed a bug where elevators on Community Made Custom Maps would not function on custom maps

Weapons and Utilities

• Fixed body armor to correctly absorb damage on the chest
• Virtual Gunstock placement for the AK-104 has been adjusted to be more accurate
• Speed reload function will now work more consistently on the AK-104

Known Issues

• Some Oculus Home users have a issue where the game does not launch; for steps on how to fix this, please check our FAQ in the Oculus Home section on Support page
• There is a chance that when using an Oculus headset on SteamVR with bHaptics it may not connect. If you restart bHaptics and relaunch Onward, this should fix the issue.
• Quest players can hear MARSOC team chat upon joining the lobby
• There is an significant performance drop when playing the game for long periods and then loading into a custom map
• Some PC players may experience performance problems causing framerate drops around the park area and near the burning building on Suburbia Night
• Some objects may not render correctly on tablet when using the air drone
• Players can hear audio from different elevations if another player is around the same vicinity but on a different floor