Listen! Can you hear that in the distance? The sound of marching, the sound of a hundred pairs of boots in formation, the sound of a certain gravel-voiced drill instructor barking commands? That’s the sound of us coming to get you, because we want you - not to court martial you for war crimes (although we’re collecting some compelling evidence on that front), but to recruit you. That’s right: applications to join the Open Fortress development team are now open!

You can apply to contribute to any part of the development process, from the creative to the technical, from the gameplay-related to the promotional - although at the moment we’re particularly interested in recruiting new programmers, 3D modellers and music composers. But no matter your speciality, if you feel you’ve got what it takes, get your butt to the application form and get typing. Who knows - soon enough you too could be a valued and vital member of the team, helping to bring Open Fortress out of the basic training that is alpha and into the flying colors of beta, full release, and beyond!

Right now, we are especially eager to scout out for new programmers to help bring our game together swiftly and successfully. So if you know how to separate lines of code from the frontlines in the trenches, then get those boots of yours on and start marching!

Note: if we don’t reach out to you immediately, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your application has been rejected. Evaluating everybody’s applications might take a while, so sit tight and we’ll get back to you in due course!

Make sure to update by using the batch program or the zips.

[BUG FIXES]

• Fix a bug where cosmetics go invisible while swapping from in-eye to chase cam in spectator mode
  • Note: This may still happen on rare occasions, we will look further into it if necessary
• Fixed schema (and custom) weapons having client/server mismatches
• Fixed Duel config from not executing last in the ordered list (See [MISC] section for order)
• Berserk no longer shows quickswitch list while equipped
• Duel should no longer have any HUD elements break and freeze on screen (for real this time)
• Fix empty super weapons being dropped and picked up

[VISUAL AND AUDIO]

• Announcers have now been moved to use FMOD, meaning their volume is seperate from the game with the command "snd_announcervolume"
• No more "white painted" truck model
• Added FGD5's updated vehicles
• Ubercharge's U fixed
• Quad Launcher now have a better physics model and corrected bone when mounted on merc's back
• Merc's crowbar is no longer colored when invis
• In-game tips now change every level change

[GAMEPLAY]

• Add air step-up/up-warping to ledges with "sv_airstepsize"
• Nerfed Saw Ballista's ammo count (16 down to 10)
• In CTF and derivatives:
  • Added flag return on touch by default
  • Added cvar "of_capture_on_away" for handling flag captures when team's flag is away from base (enabled by default; to disable flag captures when home flag is away, change to 0)

[MISC]

• Removed "mp_fraglimit" from "default_global_config"
  • Server Owners! The configs in "cfg" work as follows: server.cfg -> default_global_config -> global_config -> default_gamemode_config -> gamemode_config
• Added "tf_bot_join_after_player" cvar
• "of_duel_winlimit" set to 1 by default
  • This means duel winners will be rotated off immediately, allowing the next two players in queue to play. Set this to 0 in the "config_duel.cfg" to revert

[MAPPING]

• "func_plat" added
• Added Armor filter
• Jumppads now have a "reducebackwards" option
  • Reduce air accelaration when walking against them, you can now walk onto jumppads facing opposite of you without being shot directly up in the air
• Removed the default sounds in the FGD
• Added support for custom pickup sounds, will revert to default if empty or using another's pickup's sound

[MAPS]

• pagoda_dev has been overhauled

  • Overall improvements to aesthetics and brushwork, with a focus on curves and spirals
  • The layout has been redesigned with both MCTF and MDOM in mind
  • The islands over the deathpit have expanded to make room for more interesting fights and a capture point
  • The waterfall cave has been expanded for more interesting fights and room for a capture point
  • The Quad Launcher has been replaced with the Saw Ballista
  • MCTF specific changes:
    • The bases now have a clear high ground watching the entrance and flag room
    • Flag room is open and easy to get in but tough to get out
    • There is a Saw Ballista on the islands near the pagoda
    • Teleporters on the deathpit side take players onto the balcony of the base
  • MDOM specific changes:
    • The 4 capture points have been reduced to 3
    • The 2 capture points inside the bases have been removed
    • Points are now located on the island, inside the pagoda and inside the cave
    • Players will always spawn in their own base, instead of spawning everywhere on the map
    • No superweapon for MDOM
    • Flag rooms have been blocked off for MDOM
    • Teleporters on the deathpit side take players onto the island capture point

• dm_angeles_dev

  • Shuffled weapon spawns around and added a few more
  • Tightened up gameplay spaces
  • Added new teleporter taking the player from the first office floor to the second
  • Added beach ball to the pool
  • Adjusted saw ballista spawn time to 90 seconds from 75

• dm_campway_dev

  • Minor edits to skybox
  • Fixed seams near china lake
  • Replaced full ammo pack with Megahealth
  • Slightly changed saw ballista placement
  • Updated saw ballista spawn times by a few seconds

Just a friendly reminder for those unaware, we have created a bug tracker on GitHub available here: https://github.com/openfortress/public-issue-tracker/issues

If you've got any issues you'd like to report, please make them here. We'll try to keep you posted on any bugs that are being/already fixed in our development build of the game.

Please also be sure to follow the template provided when submitting an issue so we can ensure it can be fixed.

Thanks and have happy fragging!

Patch notes for Rev 14 (Hotfix)

• Fixed VGUI animations not working (Medals, Hide Button in Loadout, ect)
• Updated Saw Ballista's Bucket Icon

Open Fortress’ small development team may be taking things slow and steady right now, but that doesn’t mean we’re averse to putting out larger updates every now and then; we’ve still been hard at work behind the scenes, whether that’s tinkering with cool new gadgets, improving the existing OF gameplay experience, or dealing with hate mail from unhappy fans. (Well, one unhappy fan, but he’s very unhappy. More on him later.)

Today we’re pleased to announce the fruit of our labors with Revision 13, the latest major update for OF. Read on to find out more!

The Saw Ballista

Three out of four medical professionals agree that an intact spinal column is necessary for higher cognitive reasoning. The other medical professional, adamant that a lack of vertebrae can be creatively worked around, is DEAD - his belief violently disproven by a Saw Ballista to the torso. This versatile addition to the Deathmatch super weapon roster is one mean piece of machinery, capable of slicing and dicing opponents in all manner of gruesome ways, from point-blank carnage to creative round-the-corner trick shots. (Did you know that the saws it shoots are made of 0.9% rubber - just bouncy enough to bounce off walls, but not quite enough to bounce off human flesh? Or kevlar, if that’s what your opponent’s wearing. Either way that sucker’s going down, and it ain’t gonna be pretty!)

Deathmatch Maps

What use is a superweapon if you haven’t got an equally super battleground to try it out on? Today’s update adds dm_angeles_dev, the first new OF map to feature the Saw Ballista and the second to take place in sunny L.A., following last year’s duel_mulholland. Angeles is a tight, vertically-oriented warren of alleyways, rooftops and offices, with players encouraged to make the most of the space through jump pads and slipgates. If Mulholland is the responsible older sister of the OF map family, Angeles is the scrappy younger brother, stealing expensive muscle cars and joyriding them down Interstate 405 while drinking milkshakes and firing sawblades at little old ladies - a habit not even the map’s eventual artpass will cure it of. Fun for target practice though.

We’ve also added the Saw Ballista to dm_campway, an existing Deathmatch map and a remake of the DOOM II classic Entryway. The demon-infested corridors of the original map may now be a secret spy base disguised as a holiday campground, but you’ll be getting in just as much ripping and tearing with the new addition to your arsenal. As the old campfire song goes: “YOU ARE HUGE! THAT MEANS YOU HAVE HUGE GUTS!”

Another homage to the golden age of the FPS, dm_facility_dev takes the classic GoldenEye 007 map and retools it from the ground up, bridging the quarter-century gap between our mod and the original game in a way that James Bomd himself would no doubt be proud of. (That’s not a typo - James Bomd is the founder of the American Dev Texture Fan Society, and he’s been pestering us for many years to promote his little club on one of our blog posts. Here you go, Mr. Bomd!)

But the new maps in this update don’t just hark back to the oldest generation of multiplayer shooters. dm_auxiliary_dev takes its inspiration from TF2 fan favorites such as cp_steel and cp_foundry, throwing a unique hexagonal layout and an intricate network of scaffolding into the mix. And while the Saw Ballista may be a gruesome newcomer to the old frontier, no doubt Auxiliary’s eventual artpass will make veterans of the Gravel Wars feel right at home.

Right at the opposite end of the spectrum, dm_hangar’s new artpass is quite simply out of this world. Our finalized rendition of DOOM’s E1M1 map aims to do the iconic level justice, building on the outer space theme partially developed by Valve in rd_asteroid and taking it in all-new directions. Just make sure you watch out for those pools of toxic green sludge - shipping breathable air up to the Moon is pretty expensive, and doesn’t leave much left in the budget for OSHA safety certification.

Finally, dm_control has received a cool new artpass, with a cliffside facility theme that James Bomd would surely feel right at home in. There, two shoutouts in one blogpost - hope you’re finally happy, Mr. Bomd! Now will you please stop sending us aggressively worded letters?

MCTF Maps

Outside of Deathmatch, today’s update adds two new work-in-progress maps for the Mercenary Capture The Flag gamemode. Halloween may be behind us but spooky shenanigans still abound in mctf_obzen_dev, a throwback to the torchlit dungeons of classic Quake and Unreal Tournament maps. Meanwhile, mctf_august_dev finds the mercs battling in a partially flooded submarine base that would no doubt raise a knowing smile from the mouth of James Bomd. (Turns out he’s also the editor of Tallahassee Model Submarine Digest Monthly, so shoutout to those guys as well or whatever. Look, would you argue with a man who’s started sending you cow manure in the mail? We’ve had to fumigate the offices five times already, and he’s said he’s considering sending it in larger envelopes. If this isn’t the end of it we’ll have to start returning the favor, and God knows where we’re gonna find a cow in this economy.)

Finally, as part of our wider efforts to broaden the gamemodes covered by the OF map pool, mctf_badworks_dev adds a new spin to Badworks, already represented in both Mercenary Domination and Deathmatch. Three gamemodes, two teams, and only one rule - out here in the desert it’s kill or be killed. Or maybe that’s two rules? Eh, we’re game developers, not mathematicians.

Note: with the sheer number of work-in-progress maps added in this update, we’ve also decided to add a new #map-feedback channel in our Discord server. Head there if you have any suggestions or encounter any map-specific bugs that need reporting

And more!

Texture improvements, bug fixes, and many other smaller touch-ups all await in Revision 13, which is now available for download; full patch notes will be released in a separate blog post per usual. Enjoy, and as always, happy fragging! (Except for you, James.)

Make sure to update by either downloading the zip or use the batch program.

[GAMEPLAY]

• Added the Saw Ballista! A brand new superweapon that fires powerful saws, able to cut through enemies like butter and bounce off walls!
  • Currently spawning on two maps: dm_campway_dev and dm_angeles_dev
  • Still WIP, make sure to give feedback!
• Shotgun now has its proper "reload start" stat enabled, meaning players will now start their reload faster
  • Merc also properly pumps the shotgun when firing
• Players will no longer receive ammo from weapon spawners if they already own the weapon in question
  • This feature can be re-enabled by setting the of_spawners_resupply server cvar to 1
• When using the Berserk powerup, players are now able to reflect projectiles with well-timed swings!
  • Includes kill icons!
• Mapcycles lists has been updated

[NEW MAPS]

• mctf_august_dev
• mctf_obzen_dev
• mctf_badworks_dev
• dm_angeles_dev
• dm_auxiliary_dev
• dm_facility_dev

[UPDATED MAPS]

• dm_campway_dev

  • Added Saw Ballista weapon spawner

• dm_hangar

  • Removed "_dev" suffix
  • Full artpass with new outer space theme
  • Improved visuals, sounds and clipping
  • New textures and models
  • Improved hallway from toxic room to databank
  • Improved performance

• dm_control

  • Removed "_dev" suffix
  • Full artpass with new snowy base theme
  • Overhauled visuals and sounds
  • Improved performance

• dm_boxy

  • Replaced Uber powerup with GIB weapon spawner
  • Fancy new models!
  • Texture updates
  • Minor changes to gameplay flow
  • Updated clipping
  • Added couple more player spawn points
  • Enabled Louie as default announcer

• dm_painhouse_dev

  • Redone layout

• duel_geoteknik

  • Full artpass and lots of updates to old detailing
  • A couple of new custom textures

• dm_dev_itemtest

  • Removed TF2 weapons
  • Increased durations on powerups
  • Updated weapon spawner placement and sounds
  • Added Saw Ballista weapon spawner
  • Added various Mutators
  • Added various unused/WIP weapons
  • Added the unused Uber and Juggernaut power-up
  • Still doesn't have an escape

• itemtest_experimental

  • Redone DM Area
  • Redone outside
  • Why do I keep editing this map send help
  • Updated weapon spawner sounds

[REMOVED MAPS]

• dm_hungry
  • We weren't hungry anymore

[MISC]

• Fixed FMOD audio engine crashing
• Updated various particle textures
  • Slight change to the bullet tracer texture to fix a clamping issue in some particles
• Updated Merc's Uber sheen texture
• Fixed death animations appearing at the map origin point on high latency, instead of at their actual position
• Added 9 new respawn particle effects and updated existing particles
• Added new BFG particle effect
• Removed the GAMEUI code system to ensure better compatibility with future updates to the UI. There is a small chance this may result in teething issues with the game's various menus (main menu, options, create server, etc), as well as with custom HUDs; if you notice any bugs, please report them to the Open Fortress Git issue tracker. https://github.com/openfortress/public-issue-tracker/issues
• New Quad Launcher animations
• Added the dedicated particle effect for underwater explosions
• Fixed bots having issues with autobalance in the Infection gamemode
• Merc's eyes now switch to the correct texture when using the Berserk powerup
• Phong parameters updated on multiple cosmetics
• Shield powerup effect bubble is now tinted to match the player's colour