"We will be releasing a PC demo of Frontlines: Fuel of War in the first half of July.

The demo will have the following specifics:

* English language only
* It will be current with the 1.1.1 version of the client
* Maps: Oilfield and GNAW
* No CDKey validation will be needed by players

Watch for more news about the demo in the coming weeks!"

"Push to talk is available for squad leaders. To activate, hold the “left directional button” (Left D-Pad) and speak. You will be heard by all other squad leaders on your team.

Proximity chat is available if you are in close range of other players. Simply speak into your headset when near another player.

Inter-vehicle chat is available if you are in a vehicle with other players, simply speak into your headset and everyone in the vehicle will hear you.

You can now set up to 50 players minimum when searching for games in Custom Match. If you set the minimum to 17 or above, you will only see Kaos dedicated servers.

Additional 50 player servers with a variety of maps will be available by this weekend - yes, Solar Farm and Oil Field with 50 players!"

"The long-awaited title update (patch) has been released! Maintenance has been completed and all our servers are now available.

Login to Xbox Live to enjoy the new and improved Frontlines!

For the previously released patch notes, visit the following link: http://status.kaosstudios.com/?p=41

We’ll be posting instructions for the new features added in the patch later today."

"Frontlines: Fuel of War to receive additional multiplayer game mode.

Kaos Studios and THQ are pleased to announce the upcoming release of a bonus game mode for their exciting multiplayer shooter. The added mode, named Conquer, allows players to capture objectives in any order, anywhere on the map. The mode is reminiscent of an old fan favorite in previous shooters such as Rainbow Six, Star Wars Battlefront, and Conquest in the Battlefield series; though the Frontlines version will have a few of its own tweaks.

Kaos Design Director, David Votypka states: “We’re excited to bring another avenue of gameplay to Frontlines fans. With our original flagship game mode (frontlines), we were very pleased with the type of action and teamwork it created, and the fan reception to it. By adding an additional free mode for fans to play, our goal is to extend the enjoyment and gameplay time players can get from the product. We’re working hard to show continued support and dedication to our products and the community.”

This mode will be a free download for PC and Xbox 360’s Marketplace, and will be active in all of the original multiplayer maps that shipped with the game. In addition, all new downloadable content maps for the game will also feature the bonus Conquer mode gameplay.

An exact release date is not yet final, but Kaos is currently aiming for late June to early July."

"Release Notes

New Features

* PunkBuster anti-cheat has been added
* Spawn Protection – To prevent spawn camping, players will spawn with a few seconds of invulnerability that will end if they perform an action

New Server Browser

* Phase 1 of the NEW Server Browser
o New streamlined design with easy to use layout
o Added text filters for the following categories: Server Name, Player Count, Ping, Map Name & Version Number
+ Server Name filter will search entire through entire server names for matching criteria
+ Player filter will default to the minimum number entered. This field also accepts ranges such as 10-40
+ Ping filter will take the number entered as the max ping allowed. This field also accepts ranges as well
o Server Information Box
+ Added server IP display
+ Added server name display
+ Added text clan/server company/message of the day support
o Added ability to cancel server search and the server browser will continue to display already pulled servers
+ Can apply filters to pulled servers
o Server browser no longer refreshes when coming back from the server info screens
o Enter IP address can now use IP’s with ports and can use alpha characters

Gameplay

* Players can no longer stick landmines onto their legs
* Invert controls for land vehicles has been fixed
* Turrets will no longer continue firing when squad menu is raised
* All passengers in a vehicle will see hit notifications
* Sentry guns take slightly less damage to destroy
* Sentry guns will cause slightly less damage
* Sentry guns will no longer respawn after being destroyed (single-player game)
* Grenade launcher damage vs infantry has been slightly reduced
* Railgun rounds, clips, fire speed and damage radius have been modified, increasing the effectiveness of the weapon
* Character Movement Changes
o Forced pause which prevented the player from moving when recovering from a jump has been removed
o Player will be prevented from jumping immediately after landing for 0.5 seconds (stops the bouncing bunny syndrome)
o Multiple fixes should result is much less visible “sliding”, “worming” and “Dolphin” effects from transitioning between crouch to standing, crouch to prone and prone to standing
o Sprinting while crouched or prone has been removed
o Jumping from and to prone should now be impossible
o A minimum timer has been set in between changing positions. (This will prevent crouch/prone spamming)
o Character ground speed has been slightly increased, this includes strafe speed
o Free fall speed has increased for a more realistic feeling
* Single Player: Graveyard – Destroying all tanks will now always advance the frontline properly

User Interface

* Action key (E) can now be changed to any key. This key is also used for “Exit Vehicle” functionality and is listed under Infantry controls.
* Scoreboard bugs related to double entries and zero point entries fixed
* Scoreboard now displays server name, server IP and personal ping
* Player can now paste text longer then the max characters set for a text box

Crashes

* Fix for reported ATI X800/X850 user crashes on start up
* Vsync default setting is now turned to off, solving some crashes for lower end cards (this is the Maximize Framerate option in the Video- Advanced tab)
* Added NULL check to stop players from inputting illegal characters and crashing the game
* Systems with the Ageia PhysX card will no longer result in game crashes
* Server crash caused by PhysX issue has been addressed

Localization

* Polish language fixes to load screens and gameplay text

Miscellaneous

* Registry fix to document the running version number and installed SKU (EFIS, E, EG etc). This will allow for improved patch installation detection

Known Issues (to be addressed in a hotfix coming shortly)

* Changing keys in the Control options will not check to see if a key is already bound. This is planned to be fixed in a future patch
* Punkbuster will kick you off the server if you use the following special characters in your display name: comma, forward slash, or backslash
* Effective melee distance to be reduced
* When using the pipe character in a server name, text after the pipe will not be shown in the upper right server information window"

"Patch 1.1.0 is in final testing and will be released shortly. We understand how patient you have all been so below is some official news about our downloadable weaponry and maps.

Patch 1.2.0 is already in development and one of these maps will be included, as well as other features!

Boneyard

As Western Coalition armor closes in on the last functional Red Star nuclear missile facility, Red Star tanks rally to defend their last hopes for victory in Europe.




Featuring the never before seen Automatic Shotgun, Rocket Jeep and Red Star Transport Helicopter, you’ll need to use all of the weapons in your arsenal to conquer this mixed infantry and vehicle battleground.

Hindsight

As the sun sets on Kazakhstan’s Charyn canyons, the skies erupt with fire. With Red Star Alliance fighters screaming across the idyllic landscape, the WC send out their prototype AB11 aircraft in a last ditch effort to defend their embattled airfield.



Rip apart Red Star armor with the all-new AB11 tank buster, or take the fight to the Coalition with the all new RS Kobra aircraft in this massive air combat arena. With dozens of jets and a new shoulder mounted, anti-air stinger weapon, Hindsight brings Frontlines air combat to a whole new scale.

Sunder

This small industrial port is a critical support facility to Novorossiysk, the main Russian oil shipping installation in the Caspian Sea. The world’s energy crisis and the resulting war have turned these important facilities into cold, steel battlegrounds.



Prepare for harrowing close-quarters combat in this infantry-only industrial battle. With shipping crate stacks and catwalks high overhead, Sunder delivers intense vertical gameplay and 360 degree action.

Wide Awake

For weeks, WC air support swarmed over the mountaintop compound as the Coalition’s heavy tanks rained fire on the defenders below. The valley mired in stalemate.



Inspired by the game’s fifth single player mission, break the deadlock or hold the line in Wide Awake. A mid-sized battleground combining armor, helicopters, and fortress like cover amidst the ruins of the southern Russian Command facility.

Infiltration

Low on supplies, their solar arrays disabled, their armor support long gone, the surviving Red Star defenders dig in to the fortified mountainside. The slate tremors as Coalition forces infiltrate the base.


The nuclear facility experienced in the single player game becomes available as a new multiplayer map. As WC forces push inside the complex, the dug-in Red Star defenders roll out the welcome mat. Drones, EMP and high intensity gun fights punctuate the silence of the mountainside in this close-quarters, infantry-only skirmish."

"We will be performing maintenance on our login servers on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 between 10:00 am (EDT) and 12:00 pm (EDT). During this time you may not be able to join online games or may lose connection with online games you are playing. This only affects PC players and and is regular maintenance, it is not related to the upcoming patch."

"Hi everyone!

We wanted to update you on the status of the next title update and we’re sorry it has been so quiet, but we’re working hard on getting this update out to you as soon as possible!

The update was sent to Microsoft and unfortunately out of the many features we put in, one caused an issue that Microsoft was concerned about.

We quickly fixed the issue and resubmitted the update. We feel good about the state of the update and are waiting for feedback from Microsoft. We will let you know the status as soon as we hear back from them.

This update is a large one which is one of the reasons getting it out the door is taking so long, but it also prepares the game for some of the exciting plans we have for Frontlines in the coming weeks and months.

We understand how patient you have all been so this week we will be posting some official news about our downloadable content weaponry and maps. Better yet we are providing some screenshots soon so we hope you enjoy them!

David Schulman
Senior Producer
THQ | Kaos Studios"

"PC patch 1.1.0 has been released to private testing groups (host providers, friends & family, etc.) which means we are near the finish line.

Watch the status page for more announcements!"

"We know everyone is very excited about the next Frontlines update and we are doing our best to make sure it’s 100% ready before we release.

As you probably know, part of our testing process is looking at a patch for multiple territories and making sure that it installs correctly and that all features work. If a problem is discovered, the patch is sent back to development for fixes and then re-tested. We have run into some issues with the latest 1.1.0 patch, primarily related to the anti-cheat integration, which is requiring extra time to complete. We are close to having the last of the items resolved and wanted to give you an updated list of items being included in this patch:

Patch 1.1.0 Items

New Features

* PunkBuster anti-cheat is being added
* Spawn Protection – Players will spawn with a few seconds of invulnerability that will end if they perform an action to prevent spawn camping

New Server Browser

* Phase 1 of the NEW Server Browser
o New streamlined design w/easy to use layout
o Added text filters for the following categories: Server Name, Player Count, Ping, Map Name & Version Number
+ Server Name filter will search entire through entire server names for matching criteria
+ Player filter will default to the minimum number entered. This field also accepts ranges such as 10-40
+ Ping filter will take the number entered as the max ping allowed. This field also accepts ranges as well.
o Server Information Box
+ Added server IP display
+ Added server name display
+ Added text clan/server company/message of the day support
o Added ability to Cancel Server Search and the server browser will continue to display already pulled servers
+ Can apply filters to pulled servers
o Server Browser no longer refreshes when coming back from the server info screens.
o Enter IP Address can now use IP’s with ports and can use alpha characters

Gameplay

* Players can no longer stick Landmines onto their legs
* Invert controls for land vehicles has been fixed
* Players can no longer “fly” or “jump” around levels
* Turrets will no longer continue firing when squad menu is raised
* All passengers in a vehicle will see hit notifications
* Sentry guns take less damage to destroy.
* Sentry guns will cause slightly less damage.
* Sentry guns will no longer respawn after being destroyed.
* Grenade launcher damage vs infantry has been reduced.
* Railgun rounds, clips, fire speed and damage radius have been adjusted.
* Character Movement Changes
o Forced pause which prevented the player from moving when recovering from a jump has been removed
o Player will be prevented from jumping immediately after landing for 0.5 seconds (stops the bouncing bunny syndrome)
o Multiple fixes should result is much less visible “sliding”, “worming” and “Dolphin” effects from transitioning between crouch to standing, crouch to prone and prone to standing.
o Sprinting while crouched or prone has been removed
o Jumping from and to prone should now be impossible
o A minimum timer has been set in between changing positions. (This will prevent crouch/prone spamming)
o Character ground speed has been slightly increased, this includes strafe speed
o Free fall speed has increased for a more realistic feeling
* Single Player: Graveyard – Destroying all tanks will now always advance the frontline properly

User Interface

* Scoreboard no longer shows double entries
* Scoreboard no longer shows all entries/columns with Zero points
* Scoreboard now displays server name, server IP and personal ping
* Player can now paste text longer than the max characters set for a text box.

Crashes

* Fix for reported ATI X800/X850 user crashes on start up
* Vsync default setting is now turned to off, solving some crashes for lower end cards. (This is the Maximize Framerate option, in the Video- Advanced tab).
* Added NULL check to stop players from inputting illegal characters and crashing the game
* Systems with the Ageia PhysX card will no longer result in game crashes

Localization

* Polish language fixes to load screens and gameplay text

Miscellaneous

* Registry fix to document the running version number and installed territory.

Thanks for your patience – we’re looking forward to releasing this patch!

Joe Halper
Senior Producer
THQ | Kaos Studios"