Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the second issue of the Battlezone Field Report. We hope you've all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year, and we're kicking off 2017 with a bumper issue. This time around we're bringing you an exclusive interview with Team Evolve's Robert Waring, the second part of Bobcat Betty's combat guide and our New Year workshop run-down. In this issue we'll also be providing a run-down of the changes introduced in the latest patch.

The Heracles Brigade is busy with a lot of big projects we hope to share soon. To tide you over we're also publishing 'The Battlezone Chronicles', a long-running alternative-universe serial run by HyperFighter with chapters contributed by many other community members.

We've also created a community discord server which you can access from this site's primary navigation menu or by clicking here. The server is available for members of the Battlezone 1998, Battlezone II, Battlezone 98 Redux, and any other related community. We're working on bots and systems to make it a powerful utility for anyone looking to play the game or be involved in the community.

Introduction

Alright, maggots, you’ve felt what it’s like to be behind the controls of a Biometal craft, you’ve had a taste of the action, but if you’re going to survive out there you need to master more than just brute force. These vehicles require finesse not seen in any terrestrial craft from back home and no vehicles make that clearer than fighters. The fewer hits you take, the more hits you land, the longer you survive out there, it’s that simple.

While their armament of two chainguns will seem weak at first glance, if used effectively they put out as much hurt as a single blast cannon. They have a wide profile, which does put them at a disadvantage, but they more than make up for it with their mobility and speed. Fast, lightweight, and heavy-hitters in the right hands, mastery of the fighter will teach you what it takes to survive in any situation.

Dogfighting

It should be noted that the Hull and Ammo stats provided above apply only to the Recycler-built Flanker, the Flanker piloted by commanders is a special variant that possesses 800 more hull and 150 more ammo. This not only gives it comparable armour to a medium tank, but allows it to use ammo-intensive weapons for longer periods of time. The Razor scout piloted by NSDF commanders is similarly enhanced, sporting 700 more hull at the cost of 100 less ammo. For most intents and purposes, the difference in combat effectiveness between the two vehicles can be assumed to be minimal.

In the right hands, the Flanker can be one of the deadliest units in a dogfight. Don't let its wide profile fool you, it is not an easy target, as one of the most maneuverable units in the game they can be a phantom in the middle of a fight. Their armament of dual cannons and a rocket allows for some of the deadliest weapon combinations in the game: a dual-MAG shot with a Hornet chaser will absolutely ruin a walker's day. More than any other unit, a fighter's survival is dependent on moving undetected until the opportunity to strike arises. A Flanker pilot does not allow the battle to come to them, they go out and find it. Depending on your style, you may prefer to keep at least one Chaingun as it is a cheap weapon with decent enough damage, and focusing solely on a heavy-hitter like Flash or MAG could leave you in a tight spot if your would-be prey survives and becomes your predator. That said, proper and effective use of a glass-cannon fighting style merely takes practice, and in a quick and maneuverable unit like the Flanker dual-MAGs can be more effective than they ever were on a Grizzly.

The rocket you use is up to you, though they'll all have their advantages and disadvantages. TAG is effective with SP-Stabbers as it has similar range, Shadower is useful if you want to save ammo by not using your cannons, Hornet gives a nice extra punch to MAG or Flash, and Rocket Bomb is useful for picking off an ejected pilot as they near the ground or dealing damage to a swarm of enemies. Comet costs too much to even be fired, so don't bother grabbing Comet powerups you come across on the battlefield.

Commanding

All throughout a strategy match, Flankers will be an asset. Cheap craft that you can build at your Recycler while your Factory is amassing your main force, use them to their namesake and order them to hunt for enemy scavengers on one side of the enemy base as your main force attacks the other, 1 or 2 should be enough for the job. Using them in your main force to complement the rest of your units can also be a wise choice if you expect your enemy's forces to be small, though do try to keep your tanks at the front to take the brunt of the enemy's attacks.

After having won an engagement, it can be a good idea to bring in some Flankers, in addition to factory units, to secure the scrap field. Should you choose to upgrade your fighters, a cheap rocket such as Shadower or TAG is a good choice, while a Rocket Bomb will make for a fairly effective and unexpected surprise for the enemy. Upgrading them with heavier cannons is not advised, as they'll eat through their ammo using them far too quickly to be worth the cost, spend the scrap on an extra fighter or other unit instead would be a better choice.

It’s been nine months since the release of Battlezone 98 Redux, and with that we figured it was time to give you a list of our top favourite maps and mods on the Workshop. Since the GOG release some of these mods have also been put out on ModDB as well; where that’s the case we’ll throw a link to that in as well.

Multiplayer Map Pack Instant Action Map Pack

Omega Squadron Map Packs

When it was first released in 2013, Omega Squadron quickly became one of Battlezone's best-loved singleplayer mods. A few of its multiplayer maps were quickly included in the unofficial distribution of the 1.5 patch. Now, these maps have been updated for Battlezone 98 Redux - and what an update they've received. The multiplayer pack contains 26 maps across Strategy, Deathmatch, Action MPI or "Skirmish" (with 35 new lua parameters), and Mission MPI (with 8). The Instant Action pack contains 10 new IA maps with improved AI and 14 new cheats to use to make your life easier - or harder. These are some of the most organic and well-designed maps Battlezone has ever seen. Get them.

Steam ModDB

Now included in Battlezone 98 Redux Now part of Game

HD Reticle Pack

This simple mod is designed to resolve the issues with Battlezone 98 Redux's reticles, which become noticeably pixelated when scaled up. These double-resolution versions of the game's stock reticles are both faithful and beautiful.

Goes well with: The Classic HUD

Steam

Burns' Rebellion Trilogy

As they stand, the Burns’ Rebellion missions are two of the best custom missions ever created for Battlezone. If you’ve ever wondered what happened in the gap between Battlezone and Battlezone II, where the Scions came from or how they ended up where they are, or why everybody seems to think they’re in any way similar to the Furies, or if you’re simply looking for a few new missions to blast your way through with some new toys, this is for you. The Part III: Exodus update - featuring the Battle of Long Ravine, is “coming sooner than ever before” and promises full voice work for the entire trilogy, more new units and terrain textures, and a new HUD.

Steam

Battlezone Re-Orchestrated

You may have already been following the Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra's re-orchestrations of the Battlezone soundtrack. You may have seen the calls for him to do the whole game, rather than the three tracks he had released on his YouTube channel. Well, he's doing it - at time of writing this mod contains new versions of six of the game's tracks, and more are forthcoming.

Goes well with: Audio Overhaul Mod

Steam

A Nasty Surprise Remake

blue banana's remake of the seventh NSDF mission, A Nasty Surprise, was received with gusto when it was first released in 2015. Rebuilt from the ground up, this new version includes a more immersive cinematic approach, tougher AI, expanded possibilities and a whole pile of small fixes and improvements. If Wreckers is an example of what can be done without lua, this is an example of what can be done with it.

Steam

Wreckers

Wreckers, originally created by ssuser, is an Instant Action map that is epic in both size and scope. The CCA have discovered a cache of Hadean and Olympian relics and found amongst them the Hadean Devastator; an artillery shell capable of causing incredible damage, which they have reverse-engineered to produce a new weapon dubbed the "Day Wrecker". Your task, while these new weapons rain down around you, is to destroy the CCA's nearby base and all of their new artillery pieces, before capturing the relic for yourself. Wreckers resembles a fully-fledged single-player mission, and represents the peak of what could be achieved with clever trickery instead of lua scripting.

Steam

Audio Overhaul Mod

Mofker's Audio Overhaul Mod doesn't quite replace every sound in the game just yet, but it comes damn close. Here you'll find enhanced weapon effects, impact sounds, explosions, pickup, repair and resupply sounds. All of them have been replaced by something beefier, with a little more punch; a fitting audial update to go with Battlezone 98 Redux's graphical improvements.

Don't ask us what that song is. We don't know.

Goes well with: Zoe's Improved Walker Sounds, Zoe's Improved Crash Sounds

Steam

The Classic HUD

blue banana's Classic Hud is a throwback to the original 1998 game, and replicates its interface as closely as the new engine allows. Gone are all the fancy bells and whistles; this mod brings back the simple, sharp black shapes of Battlezone's HUD. If none of the other HUD mods scratched your itch, this one just might.

Goes well with: HD Reticle Pack

Outpost 5 The Relic

The Relic

Mario's IA Maps

Outpost 5 puts you in the tank of an NSDF commander during the Soviet assault on the moon and forces you to defend your base against overwhelming Soviet onslaught, then hightail it across the map to extraction.

The Relic is Battlezone's answer to the slaughter map. Those intending to play this map should expect two things; facing seemingly insurmountable odds with a limited strike force, and seemingly endless hordes of enemy units. Players who feel comfortable with these challenges should find that The Relic provides them with an adequate challenge.

Bully in the Playground Soviet Playground

Playground Mods

These two mods are of a kind we haven't really seen before; changes to The Playground. The Playground is, all things considered, a pretty useless mission unless you happen to be testing something, and these mods aim to change that.

The first, HyperFighter's Bully in the Playground, transforms The Playground into an intense close-quarters Instant Action battle with a CCA force. With the enemy base so close to your own you'll find yourself running into their forces on a regular basis, and will need to work much faster than you normally might to defend yourself against their attack runs.

The second, DeusExCeteri's Soviet Playground, does pretty much as its name implies; where the original Playground lets you acquaint yourself with the NSDF's technology, this version lets you check out the Soviets' toys. (And it's on Venus, as you might expect from the CCA.)

It's worth noting that these mods won't work as intended if you try to activate them at the same time.

Steam ModDB

Black Dog Voice Pack

This new pack changes Black Dog units from using the standard NSDF unit voiceovers to using the Black Dog voiceovers from Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs. The voiceovers aren't a complete set, since Rise of the Black Dogs kept audio to a minimum to save on cartridge space, but they do provide an interesting change of character to the Black Dogs - a highly diverse and extremely unprofessional change of character.

Steam

The Destiny Collection

The original version of Destiny caused quite the hubbub when it was released in 2014, bringing with it 24 maps converted from Battlezone II. The new version is even more expansive, and comprises the Battlezone II Soundtrack, Battlezone II-themed reticles and HUD, a grand total of forty maps and missions including the Battlezone II demo, reproductions of six alien worlds, twelve new weapons, and a massive range of multiplayer customization (including the long-awaited Team Strategy gamemode).

Battlezone 98 Redux

Those of you who are active on the Steam forum will know by now that there is a major update for Battlezone 98 Redux in the works. There’s no official details on exactly what is being fixed and we’re not at liberty to disclose them here, but if there are any burning issues that you’re desperate to see fixed you can let the developers know about them on the Steam forum thread at http://steamcommunity.com/app/301650/discussions/0/154644705026213561/.

Battlezone II

Battlezone II’s 1.3 patch was recently updated to version 1.3.7.2 beta 132ac. Grab it from http://bzforum.matesfamily.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2576.

Battlezone Classic

Battlezone Classic, the massive project aiming to reproduce Battlezone in Battlezone II, is in public beta testing. Public Beta 4, available from BZScrap, includes full Battlezone and Red Odyssey campaigns, instant action support, and improved cloaking balance for multiplayer. You can find it at http://www.bzscrap.org/downloads/Mods/BZClassic/BZClassicBeta4.7z.

Battlezone: Battle Grounds

The new version of Battlezone’s first expansion Battle Grounds, available for Battlezone 98 Redux from the Steam Workshop, now has sixteen uploaded Instant Action maps alongside all 52 multiplayer maps. Future developments to the Instant Action maps had been put on hold while the Heracles Brigade awaited the upcoming Redux patch and its custom campaign feature; now it has been released, we can announce that Battlezone: Battle Grounds’ single-player maps will instead be released in campaign format with improvements and additional scripting - a taste of which can be found in the already-released Instant Action maps like Stargate: Alpha and the Nightmare trilogy.

Rise of the Black Dogs Decompilation Project

With around a year and a half since the Rise of the Black Dogs Decompilation Project’s first release - the reorchestrated soundtrack - the Heracles Brigade has also added a second small release to the project via the Steam Workshop. The Black Dog Voice Pack swaps the voice files for Black Dog units in both Battlezone and The Red Odyssey with those used in the Nintendo 64 version, and we’re told the reproduction of the exclusive campaign is taking great strides.

Omega Squadron

In case you hadn’t guessed it yet, the fantastic Omega Squadron campaigns are indeed coming to Battlezone 98 Redux! ScrapPool is currently debugging both the Omega Squadron and People’s Dragon campaigns, reworking textures for both squadrons, and fixing continuity conflicts. Sit tight, folks - and if you’re a fan of ScrapPool’s work, consider checking out the Burns’ Rebellion Trilogy.

Got News?

Caught on to something big in the news lately? Got a project of your own you want to e-mail us about? Get in touch at ded10c(at)live.co.uk.

There's more to the Battlezone community than meets the eye. It's got history and it's got talent, and there are a few small groups of dedicated fans trying to keep that history and creativity alive.

They want your help. Here's how.

Battlezone Wiki

The Battlezone Wiki is a user-driven encyclopaedia of all things Battlezone, from information about the games themselves to the lore and history behind them, trivia, strategy tips and gameplay walkthroughs. Whatever you want to know about, be it something as well-known as Battlezone, the Scion Collective, or how best to beat Eagle's Nest 1; or something as obscure as the Office of Intelligence and Internal Security, Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs, or the man who worked on The Red Odyssey and Call of Duty: Ghosts, the wiki has you covered.

Like all wikis, the Battlezone Wiki is a constant work-in-progress and is open to user contribution on every article. Do you know something we don't? Throw it in!

Battlezone Version Archive

The Version Archive is the primary source of research and information on previous and obscure versions of Battlezone games, from the 0.8 beta version of Battlezone to the rare 1.2 patch for The Red Odyssey and Battlezone II's 1.3 public betas. It also maintains copies of strategy guides, console titles, and the original arcade games.

If you own a Battlezone product that isn't listed as part of the Archive, you can help contribute by sending details, scans and photographs to ded10c(at)live.co.uk.

BZScrap

BZScrap has been the biggest, longest-running and widest-serving archive of Battlezone files for over a decade. Its contents include everything from official patches and documentation to map packs and community projects; there are over 15GB of files archived so far, and we want more.

If you've got files BZScrap hasn't, you can e-mail them (or links to them) to submissions AT bzscrap.org.

By now you have probably heard the news that there’s a big patch on the way. Some of you may have it already and others might be waiting for it to be pushed, but we’ve got the lowdown on the major features of the latest update right here for all of you.

Multiplayer and Mods

Multiplayer has seen a few big improvements come this latest patch, including visible full games and the ability to password-protect game lobbies for private games. Perhaps the biggest change, though, is the introduction of multiplayer-compatible mods. The mods currently allowed are mostly texture and audio edits, allowing players to customize their experience as they play with their friends online. In order to see if a mod you’re using (or making) is multiplayer-compatible, check your Mods tab while in the main menu; mods shown in green will work in multiplayer, while those in red will be limited to single-player use. Maps with custom content will remain unaffected.

Performance

Comments regarding performance issues with the game have finally been answered with this patch. Developers have worked on optimizing the code, and have managed to achieve massive performance improvements in gameplay. This is a boost especially for players with lower-end PCs that had issues getting a smooth, playable frame rate in older versions.

Custom Campaigns

One of the biggest additions to be brought into this patch are Custom Campaigns. Custom campaigns made using this feature can be downloaded from the workshop and played in sequence just like the stock campaigns, complete with full briefing, debriefing, monologue and custom world support. For those intending to create their own, an example custom campaign will be included with the patch.

Addon

The latest patch has changed the functionality of the addon folder. Now it behaves exactly like Steam’s workshop folder regarding custom content. This change makes it easier to download mods that are not on Steam. Modders should note that any project in the addon folder must include a custom INI matching those needed for the workshop and that they will not be able to use subfolders within their project.

Full List of Changes

Performance and features

• A general code cleanup was performed resulting in a small framerate improvement.
• A refactoring of all the shaders resulting in a large framerate improvement.
• The GL shaders were rewritten for a large performance increase.
• A DX11 renderer was added. On some higher-end systems this will increase framerate 50%-75%.
• To swap renderers, add the following to the launch options:
  -renderer=dx9, -renderer=dx11, -renderer=gl
• The terrain shader and vertex format were rewritten to dramatically lower the amount of VRAM used by the terrain.
• The shadow system was rewritten to use less VRAM while increasing the quality of the shadows. Ultra shadows now use less VRAM than Med shadows did and look much better.
• Shadow maps are now 16-bit, cutting their VRAM usage by 50%.
• Shadows now can be enabled in all graphics settings and there is now a no-shadow option.
• The effects system has had an optimization pass. Large battles no longer reduce the framerate drastically.
• Added the emissive texture pass to Low-quality graphics.
• Added PSSM shadows at High, Very High, and Ultra shadow settings.
• The mission name was added to the mission briefing screen.
• Effects now properly glow if glow is turned on.
• Made the glow nonlinear so that it acts more like an HDR bloom effect.
• Adjusted the terrain and object shaders LOD for extra performance.
• Shadows adjusted to remove jitter seen at Low and Medium resolutions.
• Rejiggered PCF sample points for more performance.
• Added password protected games.
• MP now uses a custom server and custom low level net code.
• Locked, Launched and Full games are now visible in the MP lobby.
• An icon was added for locked games.
• Asset preloading is vastly improved, dramatically reducing load times.
• Reticles have been redone in high resolution glory!
• Changing your Steam name now changes your BZ name.
• Fixed the pilot hammering the animation system every frame while standing.
• Add new "Very Low" detail setting that uses per-vertex lighting. This will be very fast on low-end hardware.
• Updated Low/Med/High graphics:
  • Low: 1 light + specular map + emissive map
  • Medium: 8 lights + specular map + emissive map
  • High: 8 lights + normal map + specular map + emissive map
• Added support for Razer Chroma Keyboard and mouse.

Bugs

• Fixed grey lightning on Great Pyramid (multdm29).
• Fixed lightning color so that it is read correctly from trn now. Lightning bolts on worlds like Venus did not originally obey their color settings
• Fixed AI wandering off map when interrupted by a sub-task while following a path.
• Fixed Io emissive texture (adjusting lava brightness in the texture).
• Black Dog mission 6, fixed it so the APC cannot die in cutscene (or immediately prior).
• Black Dog mission 15, fixed being able to destroy the Launchpad, (which effectively screwed the whole mission). Also fixed a bug where Betty would crash (or stomp on VO) during cutscenes.
• Black Dog mission 14, fixed that the audio was checking to see if APC was dead before providing nag audio.
• Chinese mission 4, adjusted lighting to look nicer.
• Updated Black Dog Scout and NSDF Scout cockpit geo as cockpit was sliding off screen.
• Black Dog mission 11, fixed an issue where a pilot would try to enter a non-pilotable recycler and get stuck.
• Line up Craft "bumper" contact points with the transform position. Reduces spurious ground hits on large vehicles like the Recycler.
• Made sure that units de-cloak in all instances where they lose a pilot. This fixes sniping a cloaked pilot and the ship remaining cloaked.
• Fixed objectives on the first training mission.
• Fixed various random crashes.
• Fixed some network connection issues.
• Fixed cockpit for Yeti.
• Fixed a problem where spamming space during a cutscene would end the scene, but the audio would play on.
• Black Dog mission 12, fixed an issue where the recycler could get stuck in the portal.
• You can no longer kick yourself although it is not clear why you would want too.
• Fix for Collision with rear of Hephestus.
• Fixed Scale of Chinese Command Building.
• Fix for missing CR's in .inf file for gun tower.
• Training mission 4, updates objectives as they are completed now.
• Chinese mission 2, increase hangar distance threshold to 40m so mission can end properly.
• Fixed upside down Howitzer cockpit in Chinese mission 4.
• Prevent Black Dog mission 6 from removing player-occupied APC and triggering an erroneous mission failure.
• Adjusted avturr and bvturr POV to make them easier to control from the cockpit.
• Repeat hopping now animates correctly.
• MP lobby chat now scrolls and has time stamps.
• MP lobby chat is saved to BZChatLog.txt.
• MP lobby now displays a total number of players in all lobbies and games on the top of the screen.
• Remove smoothing on Great Pyramid (multdm29). This restores DM29 to its stairsteppy glory.
• Soviet Fury now rides a bit lower and matches its target icon.
• Added a command line to disable all mods. Launch the game with -disablemods and no mods will load. Use this to troubleshoot weirdness.
• Fixed a rare crash in Black Dog mission 2 if you destroy the recycler too early.
• Fixed AI team crash when team 2 has a null AIP.
• TRO track 5 replaced. This fixes the repeating audio some people hear.
• Fixed wonky cockpit shadows by disabling shadows on cockpit meshes.
• CCA mission 1, move nav beacon 2 into the playable area.
• Black Dog mission 12, make portal indestructible while all four shields are alive and powered.
• Black Dog mission 11, give 30 second warning before portal detonation.
• Fixed minigun mounted on the wrong hard-point in variant Black Dog Scout.
• Fail Training mission 2 if the drone dies before the turret deploys at the target range.
• Fix terrain tile placement in US mission 2.
• No longer apply boundary to destroyed empty vehicles; fixes weirdness seen in misn06 opening cut-scene.
• Fixed pilot sniper dots appearing above the pilot's head while in falling animation
• Fixed build point when producing units from the CRA Recycler
• Aligned CCA Launch Pad's model with its collision mesh

Modding

• New mod type: Custom campaigns. A workshop item can now include multiple missions with custom load screens, mission descriptions, loading audio and missions will progress and campaign progress will be saved.
• Mods that conform to a whitelist of allowed files will now be active in MP. On the mod screen item colors indicate MP safety. Red for unsafe, green for safe.
• Added “Builder” to uploader ODF header list
• Restructured the addons folder. It now functions like the workshop folder, and can be used for testing workshop items. Items must be in folders with no subfolders like the workshop and must contain a standard workshop .ini.
• Addons no longer will be read for any loose files.
• .stb files no longer exist. Replaced by .sta files which are text and only contain the new sprites, not the whole sprite table like .stb's did.
• There is now a single unified terrain atlas for Titan.
• All terrain atlases can use a .csv file to map atlas textures to TRN textures.
• Edit directory now contains new terrain atlases and sample .csv files.
• /edit is now usable in full screen as we’ve redone the load/save dialogs.