Urban Terror

Fun Over Realism

The third and penultimate instalment of Q&A feedback, happy reading...

Which maps are planned to be available on release?
The actual list of maps that will be included when the game is officially released is not fixed, and will depend on what we have complete when the core game itself is ready; we currently have several Urban Terror 5 maps that are nearing completion and being tested by the private alpha participants: Algiers, Mykonos, Orbital, Skylines, Tohunga, Turnpike, Uptown and Uranus. There are also other maps being worked on which we will announce in due course!
Both official and third party map development will be an ongoing process and hopefully there will be many new maps over the coming years!

Will there be any new weapons?
New weapons will and are being created in addition to the original set, the final selection for the public release will also depend on community feedback. Names of weapons are 'made-up' to avoid copyright issues, if you have ideas for alternative names, feel free to post them on our Discord.

Would it be possible to publish a development roadmap?
We do not have a fixed roadmap for development, as a team we know what we are aiming for, and as volunteers we work on our specific areas at different times, so the various aspects of the project are not always aligned. We are also flexible with features as we try new ideas or take feedback from the community.

When will it be possible to add to the Steam Wishlist?
Steam's 'add to wish list' feature is something we will look at when we are at the right stage in development; a key requirement to kickstart a Steam page for a game is to release a gameplay trailer. We currently think that we need a bit more development and testing time to be able to create a satisfying trailer truly showing the game's potential. We are getting closer though! In the meantime, if you have some video editing skills or know the phone number of Mr Spielberg, please let us know. :)

Will it still be possible to jump with the back against a wall?
It will absolutely still be possible to jump with the players back against a wall without the need to press the back key. You can see it in action in our Jump gameplay video: youtube.com/watch?v=NOMZdfRbsRI

Will there be vocal chat?
We do want to implement voice chat in the future (at least for matchmode / matchmaking), and there are a number of options for it, but we haven't discussed that subject enough to give you an answer at the moment; we'll assess the possibilities in the coming months. We do already have working Discord integration to display game activity, that may provide one option for voice chat amongst others.

Will there be a 2v2 mode?
It will be possible to have a 2v2 mode, it will be up to the server admin to specify.

Do you have any plans for reaching new players with UrT5?
Reaching new players and 'getting the word out' will happen a lot by word of mouth; "A 20 year old game created by volunteers releases major new version" is quite a story which should have potential to reach many new players. The community can help a great deal by spreading that story :)

What about features that are realized with mods at the moment?
Features that are currently realized with mods in UrT 4.3, for example infinite stamina and player count will be available for sure; Zombie mode is a larger special case, that will probably make it eventually but we cannot say for sure at this stage.

Can we still personalize the color of team identification using RGB?
Personalizing the colors of team identification using RGB color will not be possible, but pre-sets similar to the current options will probably be included later in development.

Is the bullet spray pattern the same as urt 4?
The style of recoil and bullet spread will remain almost identical to 4.x, the details and exact values might differ a little.

How will hit detection work, something like tickrate?
How hit detection will work is a complex question, tickrate is only a tiny factor that goes into hit detection in a game like CS:GO. Initially hit detection will be client side with server side verification, and we'll probably rework the netcode and hit detection entirely at some point after open beta.

Will it have anti-toxicity?
The best way to combat toxicity is to foster a positive environment; beyond that, we'll certainly aim to provide every possible tool to shield users from toxicity (e.g. muting players, disabling chat, and so on).

Will it have an honour system?
There are no plans for an honour system at the moment, but once we have our own supporting framework in place behind the game itself, features like this will certainly be explored.

Will language translations be available
We've not discussed the language translation subject too much internally, but it'd be nice. Our team is quite diversified and we speak quite a few different languages. It'd be a huge task to keep the translations up to date with frequent releases though, but, the Unreal Engine does provide some assistance with localisation.

Will you have different types of grenades?
There are no specific plans regarding things like smoke grenade/vision, nocturne / flash grenade, decoy grenade etc. yet. Urban Terror is not a tactical shooter so this is not likely to be a priority, but we are always open to experiment with new features (and maybe provide them as options for custom servers).

You can find the original question threads here;
> Forums
> Reddit

Stay tuned for the next set of answers in the coming weeks!

The Urban Zone crew is happy to announce that Spring Cup signups have just opened...

Register, play and get first place!

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This event hosts 2 cups actually, that's two competitions.

FUN SpringCup

(FC)

"This cup will be dedicated to fun, chill and relax games, the teams will be able to choose the mode they want to play."

So, if you are not in shape and would rather play something fun with your friends, this is ideal for you!

Game types: Bomb mode, Capture the Flag, Freeze Tag, Team Survival

PRO SpringCup

(SC)

"That cup will be dedicated to serious and try-hard players, the teams will only be able to choose the same map once, like in league div1."

And this is exactly for the guys who have been training hard and are more than willing to show that off!

Game types: Bomb mode, Capture the Flag, Team Survival

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So, let's keep the spirit up! New year, new beginning, new winners, same great old community!

register link

Oops! It seems that we missed the official start of the Nations Cup, probably because OJ is still running around the office and hiding memos... we'll catch him eventually.

So at least we would love to inform you, that the final kickoffs have started. And we are very much looking forward to the finals.

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You can watch the matches live on Urban Zone twitch or alternatively here.

And for more details about every single match check out the community discord server where the event is hosted.

See you on streams!



Competing nations: France, Belgium, Portugal, USA, United Kingdom, Slavic, Italy, Colombia, Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Turkey, Australia!

Continuing from the first instalment of Q&A feedback, we hope you find the second instalment just as informative...

What maps are being worked on?
When the game is released to the community, it will include a mix of original Urban Terror maps that have been re-made, and some maps that are completely new to Urban Terror 5.
The official maps that are being re-made will, in most cases, have layouts as close to original as possible, though some may have been changed slightly based on feedback from play testing; the layout may also be different depending on the game mode.
At the moment there are actually a lot of maps being worked on! It's crazy how a little team of mappers and modelers together can produce so many maps of high quality so fast. 18 maps are currently being worked on by the FS artists.

Have there been any weapon balance changes?
Weapon balance and loadout have not been finalized, but it is likely they will be mixed-up quite a bit compared to Urban Terror 4; community feedback during beta testing will influence this.

Will there be more character diversity and inclusivity?
With regard to character identity, we have plans to include iconic locales from around the globe, and character diversity of colour, ethnicity, and gender.
At this stage, we have not made a decision to add user customizable characters and/or clothing, but it is an interesting option that we will consider at a later date.
In general, game development is based more on community feedback as to desirable game enhancements over internal and subjective decisions.

When do you think we'll be able to play a kind of Beta/Alpha?
When do we think you will be able to play a beta/alpha, well, we are continuously bringing more people into the private alpha testing team. The current stress tests have shown some weaknesses in the game optimization that we need to address before allowing a huge amount of players to try it out. The last thing we want is another 4.2.001-like release with servers crashing all over the place!
It is fairly reasonable to assume that we will be able to do a public release of the game during 2021. No promises, but it is our target!

Did the wall running mechanic make it to the private Alpha? If so what was the general consensus?
We still plan to include 'wall running' in the final release, it took some time for a few testers to get used to it, but overall the feedback is extremely positive; it might still be tweaked further before the game goes public, but so far so good. However, it is a material option along with grabbing and climbing that can be turned on or off, so it will be the map creator who will decide if wall running will be included in their map and which surfaces it will be applied to.

Will there be a Pinging system like in Apex?
We did not have plans for a pinging system, but the question started a discussion internally, we really like the idea. We have already included the 'enemy spotted' radio call, pinging of some kind may make a nice addition.

Will we get events like retro UrT maps?
Regarding events like retro maps and seasonal content, the ability to frequently update the game seamlessly will allow us to do such thing, yes. :) We cannot wait to do that kind of thing to be honest, they are very cool to do.

Will the game be available on streaming services?
Streaming streaming services like Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now are great for a lot of things, but not really for fast paced multiplayer 'twitch shooters'; For this reason we do not currently plan to use those services.

What about servers, how will that work?
There will be a server system where anyone can create a server, similar to now. The server won’t need graphics requirements as it only runs the core game to coordinate the attached clients. RAM, CPU and network connection speed will be the key elements.

Can you bind/macro like UrT 4?
We have planned to add something like the existing bind/macro feature at some point in the future.

Can we still disable/enable visual pollution?
Being able to disable/enable fire/smoke impact, show zero visual pollution; this is to be determined, but visibility is important to us. Ideally all players are on an equal playing field with few visual distractions.

Will it still have an Auth system?
Initially the authentication system (Auth) will be provided through Steam, this may change or be added to in the future.

Will it have a 'ranked' system?
Ranked systems are planned, but might not happen for the initial release.

Do you plan to update your website?
We do plan to update our website; By the way, we are looking for a website developer… let us know if you know one!

Will the interface have a report bug/idea function?
It is unlikely the interface will have a bug reporting system, we considered the possibility to implement this feature for the private alpha but the idea didn't gain much traction internally. From experience we believe that it encourages low effort/low value feedback. The Discord and Forum are an easier place to report issues and we will open up our GitLab issue tracker to the public where you will be free (and encouraged!) to report bugs and to discuss ideas.

You can find the original question threads here;
> Forums
> Reddit

Stay tuned for the next set of answers in the coming weeks!

It's been one hell of a year, and in these times the team is incredibly grateful to share in this experience together, to channel our focus into creating UrT 5, and to find joy in playing and speaking with you, the Urban Terror community.

All of us at FrozenSand want to wish you the very best for 2021. A huge thanks to you, for your continued support, engagement and patience. And to our incredible QA testers, we send our love and appreciation for your invaluable help over the past year!

2020 - a blessing and a curse

Whilst quarantines undoubtedly suck, for UrT it was a blessing in disguise! With many of us suddenly presented with an abundance of free time, we've managed to grow the team, create regular updates and have made significant development progress on UrT5.

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of UrT5's private alpha launch! This year, with the help of the QA team, we are proud to say that we've done 16 QA releases with over 580 updates, including 249 bug fixes and 168 new additions. We hope this progress gives assurance to the ongoing hard work we are all giving to push UrT towards an eventual public alpha.



We currently have a staggering 14 maps in active development - recreations of classics such as Turnpike, Uptown and Orbital, as well as brand new maps such as 'Skylines'. The game has full jump-map support, and in our conversion testing, is nearly identically playable on imports of 4.3 maps.

UE4 presents a massive step in the ease of map creation, we have developed new tools this year enabling time-trial mode, and with expanded movement mechanics, UrT5 is looking to be an incredibly exciting step for all of you jumpers and map creators!



Great progress has also been made across the board - the optimisation of netcode, new weapon and player models, game optimisations, improvements in animations and core audio logic, further development and testing of our 3rd party mapping tools, and the optimisation of essential code for things like the player movement system.

2021 - LOOKING AHEAD

Next year, we will share more insight into the development process with you all. Expect to see live streams from our Twitch channel (go follow us!) by different members of FS, showcasing dev work on models, maps and audio. Further more, look forward to seeing an updated video of a populated alpha play-session, showcasing real, visceral, up-to-date UrT5 gameplay in action!

We often receive messages asking when the next round of QA testers will be accepted. At our current development stage, the feedback we receive from a small, focused group of testers is incredibly valuable and best suited for our current needs. However, over the next year, you can expect us to accept more alpha testers into this small group. Once core game-issues are ironed out, we will begin to expand into a much larger testing group to iterate on netcode, balance gameplay and gain more general feedback. When exactly this will happen is entirely dependant on the needs of our development process as the year progresses, but rest assured we will keep you all fully in the loop when positions open up.

We have high hopes for the upcoming year - the game is in a good stage of development, our momentum is high and the team is in a great place. However, as UrT is developed for free by volunteers, we rely entirely on the hard work of the team and the support of you the community. If you want to help bring UrT closer to public alpha, please consider supporting us to help cover development costs, or, if you or someone you know would like to join FS! we are always seeking new talent, and have numerous roles currently open, so don't be shy to get in touch.

That's all from us. Keep an eye out in the new year for the second round of Q&A answers!

So long 2020 - don't let the door hit you on the way out

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FS Chump: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Chump is back bringing you all a spicy new audio update.  ‹video›  Today we're going to run, jump and slide through the backstreets of Pennsylvania to visit a community favourite - Turnpike! Sit back, grab yourself an age-appropriate beverage, and enjoy listening to our latest video. Let's take a dive into the audio progress of UrT 5!TURNPIKE in 2020:Tu […]

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