Jekyll2023-12-15T11:49:28+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/atom/index.xmlOpenRAOpenRA is an open source project that recreates and modernizes classic real time strategy games, like Red Alert, Command & Conquer, and Dune 2000.Release 20231010 and the Community2023-10-10T00:00:00+00:002023-10-10T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/release-20231010<p>With two months of successful playtesting behind us, we are pleased to finally announce <a href="/download">Release 20231010</a>, which brings the public release up to date with development changes from November 2022 through to August 2023. The new release contains some long-awaited UI and UX improvements and many polish changes overall. It also serves as a jump-off point for many of the larger upcoming features, so do expect great things in the future!</p>
<figure>
<video autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20231010-darkcolors.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20231010-darkcolors.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20231010-darkcolors.png" />
</video>
<figcaption>The ability to select darker player colors has been restored.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For more information see the other newsposts [<a href="/news/playtest-20230801/">one</a>, <a href="/news/playtest-20230808/">two</a>, <a href="/news/playtest-20230927/">three</a>] and, as always, for a full overview - <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/08829bc0e6a1bf62aa7797fcfc0a9810d27e81d2">the full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>While OpenRA’s releases have slowed down due to lack of manpower, our third party scene is going strong! An OpenRA mod & standalone game <a href="https://www.moddb.com/mods/command-conquer-combined-arms">Combined Arms</a> was the second most popular on ModDB in June this year. It includes units from various C&C games and has 5 factions, each having 5 subfactions. Its newest installment contains 25 singleplayer missions. <a href="https://www.dorf-rts.com">DORF Real-Time Strategic Conflict</a>, a game based on OpenRA’s engine has become one of the most anticipated RTS games. We highly encourage everyone to checkout its gameplay trailer as well as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dorf-rts">other videos</a>.</p>
<figure>
<lite-youtube videoid="1OY_k4S2LVY"></lite-youtube>
</figure>
<p>Other popular mods include:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.moddb.com/mods/shattered-paradise">Shattered Paradise</a> - an expansion for OpenRA’s work-in-progress Tiberian Sun mod which in addition to GDI and Nod has Mutant, C.A.B.A.L. and Scrin factions. It is a gorgeous and over the top game with a heavy Command and Conquer 3 influence that attempts to add more variety while preserving the vanilla TS feel.</li>
<li><a href="https://openhv.itch.io/openhv">OpenHV</a> - a continuation of the Hard Vacuum project. Originally inspired by Dune 2, with its ambitious goals never having left the development stage, the project’s assets were released under a free license. Now the mantle has been taken up by open source developers.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.moddb.com/mods/romanovs-vengeance">Romanov’s Vengeance</a> is based on OpenRA’s work-in-progress Red Alert 2 mod. Its units and balance is heavily inspired by Command & Conquer: Generals.</li>
</ul>
<p>This is just scraching the surface. There are many more OpenRA games out there and plenty more in development, including a very promising project <a href="https://www.moddb.com/mods/opene2140">OpenE2140</a> - a remake of the old Earth 2140. It is still in early development but the team behind it has been doing magic.</p>
<p>All the aforementioned games are standalone, though non-original mods may require you to own the copyrighted assets. These games sometimes contribute back to the OpenRA project, and we greatly appreciate all the help we can get.</p>
<p>Our competitive community is going strong as well. <a href="https://forum.openra.net/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=21802">Red Alert Global League Season 15</a> has just started, and for Halloween you can expect <a href="https://forum.openra.net/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=21787">Dark Tournament VII</a>, for which registrations are currently open. <a href="https://forum.openra.net/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=21739">RAGL’s 14th season</a> was wrapped up about 4 months ago, and for its coverage you can checkout the <a href="https://forum.openra.net/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=21755">Weekly Highlight forum posts</a>, casted by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osa6aH5Y75I&list=PLHuw_QR21dC_kKaYagJR-KCgZH2s_KHaz">Kaution</a>. There are also plenty of other creators covering the tournament: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CovertFlobert">FiveAces Shoutcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Blackeneds_Barracks">Blackened’s video reviews</a> or <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/mm_openra/videos">Milkman’s streams</a>.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/images/news/20231010-darktournament.png" style="width: 600px" alt="Dark Tournament VII" />
</figure>
<p>And as last time, we would like to mention that this release contains significant progress towards C&C Remastered Collection support, including compatibility with the new EA app. The “Tiberian Dawn HD” project is a separate release and can be <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD/releases/tag/release-20231010">downloaded here</a>. This preview is multiplayer-compatible with the main 20231010 release. However, please keep in mind that performance, memory usage and loading times have not been fully optimized yet. The C&C Remastered Collection must be installed through Steam or the EA App, and in case you are using macOS or Linux the project README provides you <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD#asset-installation">detailed installation instructions</a>.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to share your feedback with us on <a href="https://forum.openra.net/">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community Discord server</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. We hope you’ll enjoy this newest installment of OpenRA! Good luck on the battlefield commanders!</p>PunkPunWith two months of successful playtesting behind us, we are pleased to finally announce Release 20231010, which brings the public release up to date with development changes from November 2022 through to August 2023. The new release contains some long-awaited UI and UX improvements and many polish changes overall. It also serves as a jump-off point for many of the larger upcoming features, so do expect great things in the future!Playtest 202309272023-09-27T00:00:00+00:002023-09-27T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/playtest-20230927<div style="border-radius: 4px; background-color: #272d2c; padding: 5px">
<div style="margin: -10px 5px">
<p>Two months went by, and bam! Another playtest!</p>
<p>Notable changes include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Added the ability to vote to kick players</li>
<li>Fixed a crash on specific 32-bit Windows machines</li>
<li>Fixed AI not reacting to its units being shelled</li>
<li>Fixed Dune 2000 carryalls sometimes kidnapping harvesters</li>
<li>Improved the utility, making it easier to update to new sprite sequences</li>
<li>Sped up the ending of the Red Alert mission Sarin Gas 3</li>
</ul>
<p>For more information, see the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/74bf2ec59e6b64cd8a453861f2013111c1c416cd">full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>In an effort of pushing out a swift release we highly encourage everybody to play some games and report any issues you may find in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">Community Discord</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/">GitHub</a>. Good luck on the battlefield, commanders!</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The <a href="/news/playtest-20230801/">original playtest-20230801 announcement</a> is included below:</p>
<hr />
<p>As summer is in full swing, we are excited to kick off the playtest series for the upcoming OpenRA release! This time around, it is all about spring cleaning: squashing bugs, implementing minor requested features, and preparing for larger reworks. But fear not! We still have a bunch of cool stuff lined up just for you! Without further ado, here are some notable changes you can expect in <a href="/download">Playtest 20230801</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Added new Covert Ops missions for Tiberian Dawn: “Eviction Notice” and “Twist of Fate”</li>
<li>Added new Red Alert missions “Allies10b” and “Soviet13a” and the Counter-Strike mission “Mousetrap”</li>
<li>Fixed several palette remapping issues and restored the ability to select darker player colors</li>
<li>Implemented a new custom Lua wrapper which improves error reporting for map scripters</li>
<li>Introduced a modular asset installer which allows for installation of the classic assets via Steam or the EA app</li>
<li>Reworked sprite sequences, significantly improving third party modding support</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.png" />
</video>
<figcaption>One of the smaller features is a new smoke emitter for D2k's damaged vehicles which better matches the original</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For more information see the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/dc43bf4e0213eb50e2f4b6a3090f8bab031079d3">full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>And before we wrap up, we would like mention that this release contains significant progress towards C&C Remastered Collection support, including compatibility with the new EA app. The “Tiberian Dawn HD” playtest is a separate release and can be <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD/releases/tag/playtest-20230801">downloaded here</a>. This preview is multiplayer-compatible with the main 20230801 playtest. However, please keep in mind that performance, memory usage and loading times have not been optimized yet. The C&C Remastered Collection must be installed through Steam or the EA App, and in case you are using macOS or Linux the project README provides you <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD#asset-installation">detailed installation instructions</a>.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for more updates and be sure to take part in the playtest. Don’t forget to share your feedback with us on <a href="https://forum.openra.net/">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community Discord server</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. Enjoy the summer gaming season with OpenRA!</p>PunkPunPlaytest 202308082023-08-08T00:00:00+00:002023-08-08T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/playtest-20230808<div style="border-radius: 4px; background-color: #272d2c; padding: 5px">
<div style="margin: -10px 5px">
<p>Another week, another playtest! Notable changes include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Added new Red Alert mission “Soviet13b”</li>
<li>Fixed dedicated servers not allowing maps with Lua scripts to be played</li>
<li>Fixed the rare aircraft visual jitter while steering</li>
<li>Fixed the map importer crashing when trying to convert maps with tile errors</li>
<li>Fixed the low power notification never playing</li>
</ul>
<p>For more information, see the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/b9b8aeb58667d08595d6471378fdf0d593b12de2">full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>And of course the Tiberian Dawn HD playtest can be <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD/releases/tag/playtest-20230808">downloaded here</a>. For more information see the <a href="/news/playtest-20230801/">original playtest-20230801 announcement</a>.</p>
<p>In an effort of pushing out a swift release we highly encourage everybody to play some games and report any issues you may find in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">Community Discord</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/">GitHub</a>. Good luck on the battlefield, commanders!</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The <a href="/news/playtest-20230801/">original playtest-20230801 announcement</a> is included below:</p>
<hr />
<p>As summer is in full swing, we are excited to kick off the playtest series for the upcoming OpenRA release! This time around, it is all about spring cleaning: squashing bugs, implementing minor requested features, and preparing for larger reworks. But fear not! We still have a bunch of cool stuff lined up just for you! Without further ado, here are some notable changes you can expect in <a href="/download">Playtest 20230801</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Added new Covert Ops missions for Tiberian Dawn: “Eviction Notice” and “Twist of Fate”</li>
<li>Added new Red Alert missions “Allies10b” and “Soviet13a” and the Counter-Strike mission “Mousetrap”</li>
<li>Fixed several palette remapping issues and restored the ability to select darker player colors</li>
<li>Implemented a new custom Lua wrapper which improves error reporting for map scripters</li>
<li>Introduced a modular asset installer which allows for installation of the classic assets via Steam or the EA app</li>
<li>Reworked sprite sequences, significantly improving third party modding support</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.png" />
</video>
<figcaption>One of the smaller features is a new smoke emitter for D2k's damaged vehicles which better matches the original</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For more information see the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/dc43bf4e0213eb50e2f4b6a3090f8bab031079d3">full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>And before we wrap up, we would like mention that this release contains significant progress towards C&C Remastered Collection support, including compatibility with the new EA app. The “Tiberian Dawn HD” playtest is a separate release and can be <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD/releases/tag/playtest-20230801">downloaded here</a>. This preview is multiplayer-compatible with the main 20230801 playtest. However, please keep in mind that performance, memory usage and loading times have not been optimized yet. The C&C Remastered Collection must be installed through Steam or the EA App, and in case you are using macOS or Linux the project README provides you <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD#asset-installation">detailed installation instructions</a>.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for more updates and be sure to take part in the playtest. Don’t forget to share your feedback with us on <a href="https://forum.openra.net/">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community Discord server</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. Enjoy the summer gaming season with OpenRA!</p>PunkPunPlaytest 202308012023-07-31T00:00:00+00:002023-07-31T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/playtest-20230801<p>As summer is in full swing, we are excited to kick off the playtest series for the upcoming OpenRA release! This time around, it is all about spring cleaning: squashing bugs, implementing minor requested features, and preparing for larger reworks. But fear not! We still have a bunch of cool stuff lined up just for you! Without further ado, here are some notable changes you can expect in <a href="/download">Playtest 20230801</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Added new Covert Ops missions for Tiberian Dawn: “Eviction Notice” and “Twist of Fate”</li>
<li>Added new Red Alert missions “Allies10b” and “Soviet13a” and the Counter-Strike mission “Mousetrap”</li>
<li>Fixed several palette remapping issues and restored the ability to select darker player colors</li>
<li>Implemented a new custom Lua wrapper which improves error reporting for map scripters</li>
<li>Introduced a modular asset installer which allows for installation of the classic assets via Steam or the EA app</li>
<li>Reworked sprite sequences, significantly improving third party modding support</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20230801-smoke.png" />
</video>
<figcaption>One of the smaller features is a new smoke emitter for D2k's damaged vehicles which better matches the original</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For more information see the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/dc43bf4e0213eb50e2f4b6a3090f8bab031079d3">full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>And before we wrap up, we would like mention that this release contains significant progress towards C&C Remastered Collection support, including compatibility with the new EA app. The “Tiberian Dawn HD” playtest is a separate release and can be <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD/releases/tag/playtest-20230801">downloaded here</a>. This preview is multiplayer-compatible with the main 20230801 playtest. However, please keep in mind that performance, memory usage and loading times have not been optimized yet. The C&C Remastered Collection must be installed through Steam or the EA App, and in case you are using macOS or Linux the project README provides you <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD#asset-installation">detailed installation instructions</a>.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for more updates and be sure to take part in the playtest. Don’t forget to share your feedback with us on <a href="https://forum.openra.net/">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community Discord server</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. Enjoy the summer gaming season with OpenRA!</p>PunkPunAs summer is in full swing, we are excited to kick off the playtest series for the upcoming OpenRA release! This time around, it is all about spring cleaning: squashing bugs, implementing minor requested features, and preparing for larger reworks. But fear not! We still have a bunch of cool stuff lined up just for you! Without further ado, here are some notable changes you can expect in Playtest 20230801:Release 202302252023-02-25T00:00:00+00:002023-02-25T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/release-20230225<p>Today we have a special occasion on our hands. We have been waiting for this moment for almost two years: A new stable OpenRA <a href="/download">Release 20230225</a> is out now!</p>
<figure>
<video autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20230225-2023.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20230225-2023.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20230225-2023.png" />
</video>
</figure>
<p>A lot of features have built up over the two years. This release is packed to the brim with goodies small and large. Several major systems have been added and overhauled, a great deal of rougher edges smoothed out. For details see the previous playtest news posts [<a href="/news/playtest-20221203/">one</a>, <a href="/news/playtest-20221223/">two</a>, <a href="/news/playtest-20230110/">three</a>, <a href="/news/playtest-20230218/">four</a>] and, as always, for a full overview - <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/dc394e2f3532e7fe830118716ebdbaaa4e945eaf">the full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>But wait, there’s more! This release brings major behind-the-scenes changes towards supporting the C&C Remastered Collection assets. This support is still incomplete, but works well enough that we are today also releasing a development preview of “Tiberian Dawn HD”. It is a separate release and can be <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD/releases/tag/release-20230225">downloaded here</a>. This preview is multiplayer-compatible with the main 20230225 release, but performance, memory usage, and loading times have not been optimized, and do not reflect the expected final requirements. The C&C Remastered Collection must be installed through Steam or Origin, and the project README provides <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/TiberianDawnHD#asset-installation">installation instructions for macOS and Linux</a>.</p>
<p>In case you were wondering whether we ran out of treats, worry not! Modders will also be feasting sweet this time. There were major updates to <a href="https://docs.openra.net/en/release">our documentation</a>, and our tooling was joined by the <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=openra.oraide-vscode">OpenRA (Mini)YAML Language Extension</a> and the <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=openra.vscode-openra-lua">OpenRA Lua API extension</a>.</p>
<p>It has been a long road to this release, so we hope you’ll enjoy this newest installment of OpenRA! Good luck on the battlefield commanders, and have fun!</p>PunkPunToday we have a special occasion on our hands. We have been waiting for this moment for almost two years: A new stable OpenRA Release 20230225 is out now!Playtest 202302182023-02-18T00:00:00+00:002023-02-18T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/playtest-20230218<div style="border-radius: 4px; background-color: #272d2c; padding: 5px">
<div style="margin: -10px 5px">
<p>After a month of testing we present <a href="/download">Playtest 20230218</a>!</p>
<p>Notable changes include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Fixed Windows requiring the Visual C++ 2015-2022 redistributable</li>
<li>Fixed minimap videos crashing</li>
<li>Polished the Dune 2000 encyclopedia</li>
<li>Fixed MacOS missing the utility tool executable</li>
</ul>
<p>For more information see the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/bab2c14140d2db4819a59f742634a7ddd23c1cad">full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>We highly encourage everybody to play some games and missions and let us know if you find any issues in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">Community Discord</a>, or on <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The <a href="/news/playtest-20221203/">original playtest-20221203 announcement</a> is included below:</p>
<hr />
<p>Welcome back, Commanders! After more than a year and a half the OpenRA team proudly presents <a href="/download">Playtest 20221203</a>. It is finally here!</p>
<p>There have been tons of massive changes under the hood, and with reduced contributor activity it took us a very long time to catch and squash all those pesky bugs. With the help of our third party mods and people testing the devtest builds we believe we have finally got a stable release on our hands. We are incredibly excited to showcase a number of new features and improvements that have been built up over the last year and a half:</p>
<ul>
<li>One highlight feature is the new hierarchical pathfinder, which massively increases performance on large or more complex maps.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<img src="/images/news/20221203-hpf.png" style="width: 800px" alt="HPF helps units better predict obstacles ahead of them" />
<figcaption>HPF helps units to better predict obstacles ahead of them.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Our new netcode brings major improvements to multiplayer. Your games should feel much smoother and units more responsive in both low and high latency settings.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-td.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-td.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-td.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>We have added transient text notifications matching speech notifications. Now you can play without sound!</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-transient.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-transient.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-transient.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>The fairly recent Dune film has brought many players to Dune 2000 and a decently sized multiplayer community was born. With the feedback from the community Dune 2000 has received a number of balance and polish changes.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-dune.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-dune.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-dune.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>Tiberian Sun was not forgotten either. Although still not ready for a release, it has also received its fair share of features and bug fixes. This time around the highlight is tilting on slopes.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-slope.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-slope.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-slope.png" width="800" />
</video>
<figcaption>OpenRA now supports tilting on slopes!</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><br /></p>
<p>Some of the more visible new features and improvements include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Measures against sound / notification overlap. No more u-u-u-u-unit lost</li>
<li>Measures against spamming the multiplayer lobby and in-game chat</li>
<li>The ability to mute players</li>
<li>Support for disabling the chat in replays</li>
<li>An ingame encyclopedia in Dune 2000</li>
<li>New Red Alert missions</li>
<li>Community balance changes for all mods</li>
</ul>
<p>Notable changes for mappers and modders include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Automatic map reloading in the background</li>
<li>A change to the way speed is calculated for ground units</li>
<li>A new map format which includes the map preview (minimap) in the map versioning (map hash)</li>
<li>Loaders for more audio formats (e.g., mp3 and ogg), and formats used by the remasters</li>
<li>Many linting and documentation updates</li>
</ul>
<p>As well as some other changes worth mentioning:</p>
<ul>
<li>Toolchain and changes to support the .NET 6 runtime</li>
<li>A massive amount of upgrades to both ingame and client UI</li>
<li>Many more hotkeys became rebindable</li>
<li>Added macOS universal binaries for Apple Silicon</li>
<li>Dropped support for macOS 10.9 and 10.10</li>
<li>Substantial progress towards localisation</li>
</ul>
<p>All in all, 615 pull requests were merged since last release and 552 issues were closed bringing the total number of open tickets down by 141.</p>
<hr />
<p>This post covered just a small subset of all the changes and improvements added since the last release. We encourage anybody interested in finding out more to read the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/907eabad94fef9233e5a376241ad0f06269eda83">full changelog</a>. Head on over to the <a href="/download">download page</a> to install the new playtest and let us know what you think in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net/">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community Discord server</a> or on <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. Happy playtesting!</p>PunkPunPlaytest 202301102023-01-10T00:00:00+00:002023-01-10T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/playtest-20230110<div style="border-radius: 4px; background-color: #272d2c; padding: 5px">
<div style="margin: -10px 5px">
<p>We are kicking off New Year with a new playtest!</p>
<p>Notable changes in <a href="/download">Playtest 20230110</a> include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Fixed sound device detection on linux</li>
<li>Fixed Discord game invites</li>
<li>Fixed replays locking up when one of the players dropped connection</li>
<li>Fixed Dune 2000 service depot being uncapturable</li>
<li>Removed crashing tiles from Red Alert temperate tileset bridge template</li>
</ul>
<p>For more information see the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/759df343555c6aa6b52590ead98d1260f51f9572">full changelog</a>.</p>
<p>We are nearing a full release. To make sure it is as stable as it can be we highly encourage everybody to play some games and report any issues in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">Community Discord</a>, or on <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The <a href="/news/playtest-20221203/">original playtest-20221203 announcement</a> is included below:</p>
<hr />
<p>Welcome back, Commanders! After more than a year and a half the OpenRA team proudly presents <a href="/download">Playtest 20221203</a>. It is finally here!</p>
<p>There have been tons of massive changes under the hood, and with reduced contributor activity it took us a very long time to catch and squash all those pesky bugs. With the help of our third party mods and people testing the devtest builds we believe we have finally got a stable release on our hands. We are incredibly excited to showcase a number of new features and improvements that have been built up over the last year and a half:</p>
<ul>
<li>One highlight feature is the new hierarchical pathfinder, which massively increases performance on large or more complex maps.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<img src="/images/news/20221203-hpf.png" style="width: 800px" alt="HPF helps units better predict obstacles ahead of them" />
<figcaption>HPF helps units to better predict obstacles ahead of them.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Our new netcode brings major improvements to multiplayer. Your games should feel much smoother and units more responsive in both low and high latency settings.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-td.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-td.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-td.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>We have added transient text notifications matching speech notifications. Now you can play without sound!</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-transient.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-transient.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-transient.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>The fairly recent Dune film has brought many players to Dune 2000 and a decently sized multiplayer community was born. With the feedback from the community Dune 2000 has received a number of balance and polish changes.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-dune.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-dune.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-dune.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>Tiberian Sun was not forgotten either. Although still not ready for a release, it has also received its fair share of features and bug fixes. This time around the highlight is tilting on slopes.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-slope.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-slope.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-slope.png" width="800" />
</video>
<figcaption>OpenRA now supports tilting on slopes!</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><br /></p>
<p>Some of the more visible new features and improvements include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Measures against sound / notification overlap. No more u-u-u-u-unit lost</li>
<li>Measures against spamming the multiplayer lobby and in-game chat</li>
<li>The ability to mute players</li>
<li>Support for disabling the chat in replays</li>
<li>An ingame encyclopedia in Dune 2000</li>
<li>New Red Alert missions</li>
<li>Community balance changes for all mods</li>
</ul>
<p>Notable changes for mappers and modders include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Automatic map reloading in the background</li>
<li>A change to the way speed is calculated for ground units</li>
<li>A new map format which includes the map preview (minimap) in the map versioning (map hash)</li>
<li>Loaders for more audio formats (e.g., mp3 and ogg), and formats used by the remasters</li>
<li>Many linting and documentation updates</li>
</ul>
<p>As well as some other changes worth mentioning:</p>
<ul>
<li>Toolchain and changes to support the .NET 6 runtime</li>
<li>A massive amount of upgrades to both ingame and client UI</li>
<li>Many more hotkeys became rebindable</li>
<li>Added macOS universal binaries for Apple Silicon</li>
<li>Dropped support for macOS 10.9 and 10.10</li>
<li>Substantial progress towards localisation</li>
</ul>
<p>All in all, 615 pull requests were merged since last release and 552 issues were closed bringing the total number of open tickets down by 141.</p>
<hr />
<p>This post covered just a small subset of all the changes and improvements added since the last release. We encourage anybody interested in finding out more to read the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/907eabad94fef9233e5a376241ad0f06269eda83">full changelog</a>. Head on over to the <a href="/download">download page</a> to install the new playtest and let us know what you think in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net/">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community Discord server</a> or on <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. Happy playtesting!</p>PunkPunPlaytest 202212232022-12-23T00:00:00+00:002022-12-23T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/playtest-20221223<p><strong>⚠ Update 2022-12-24: </strong>
A <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/429b4d4e42e745743d6e1a27ecffd70a1bb1fefc">hotfix version</a> with a critical fix for singleplayer missions as well as a fix for Macs with notches is now available from the <a href="/download">download page</a>.</p>
<div style="border-radius: 4px; background-color: #272d2c; padding: 5px">
<div style="margin: -10px 5px">
<p>Just in time for the holiday season, we are releasing <a href="/download">Playtest 20221223</a> with <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/e5fda938ada5be95883b9631e2dd1a3609fead45">several important fixes and minor features</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Fixed several pathfinder-related crashes</li>
<li>Added macOS universal binaries for Apple Silicon</li>
<li>Dropped support for macOS 10.9 and 10.10</li>
<li>Updated macOS packaging, linux and macOS dependencies</li>
<li>Fixed the victory condition in a few of the Red Alert missions</li>
<li>Fixed carryalls in rare cases destroying their cargo</li>
<li>Added carryalls to the Dune 2000 spectator economy statistics</li>
<li>Added new maps to the Dune 2000 map pool</li>
<li>Other minor fixes</li>
</ul>
<p>We expect this will be our final playtest before a full release, so we highly encourage everybody to play some games and missions and let us know if you find any issues in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">Community Discord</a>, or on <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The <a href="/news/playtest-20221203/">original playtest-20221203 announcement</a> is included below:</p>
<hr />
<p>Welcome back, Commanders! After more than a year and a half the OpenRA team proudly presents <a href="/download">Playtest 20221203</a>. It is finally here!</p>
<p>There have been tons of massive changes under the hood, and with reduced contributor activity it took us a very long time to catch and squash all those pesky bugs. With the help of our third party mods and people testing the devtest builds we believe we have finally got a stable release on our hands. We are incredibly excited to showcase a number of new features and improvements that have been built up over the last year and a half:</p>
<ul>
<li>One highlight feature is the new hierarchical pathfinder, which massively increases performance on large or more complex maps.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<img src="/images/news/20221203-hpf.png" style="width: 800px" alt="HPF helps units better predict obstacles ahead of them" />
<figcaption>HPF helps units to better predict obstacles ahead of them.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Our new netcode brings major improvements to multiplayer. Your games should feel much smoother and units more responsive in both low and high latency settings.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-td.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-td.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-td.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>We have added transient text notifications matching speech notifications. Now you can play without sound!</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-transient.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-transient.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-transient.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>The fairly recent Dune film has brought many players to Dune 2000 and a decently sized multiplayer community was born. With the feedback from the community Dune 2000 has received a number of balance and polish changes.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-dune.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-dune.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-dune.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>Tiberian Sun was not forgotten either. Although still not ready for a release, it has also received its fair share of features and bug fixes. This time around the highlight is tilting on slopes.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-slope.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-slope.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-slope.png" width="800" />
</video>
<figcaption>OpenRA now supports tilting on slopes!</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><br /></p>
<p>Some of the more visible new features and improvements include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Measures against sound / notification overlap. No more u-u-u-u-unit lost</li>
<li>Measures against spamming the multiplayer lobby and in-game chat</li>
<li>The ability to mute players</li>
<li>Support for disabling the chat in replays</li>
<li>An ingame encyclopedia in Dune 2000</li>
<li>New Red Alert missions</li>
<li>Community balance changes for all mods</li>
</ul>
<p>Notable changes for mappers and modders include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Automatic map reloading in the background</li>
<li>A change to the way speed is calculated for ground units</li>
<li>A new map format which includes the map preview (minimap) in the map versioning (map hash)</li>
<li>Loaders for more audio formats (e.g., mp3 and ogg), and formats used by the remasters</li>
<li>Many linting and documentation updates</li>
</ul>
<p>As well as some other changes worth mentioning:</p>
<ul>
<li>Toolchain and changes to support the .NET 6 runtime</li>
<li>A massive amount of upgrades to both ingame and client UI</li>
<li>Many more hotkeys became rebindable</li>
<li>Substantial progress towards localisation</li>
</ul>
<p>All in all, 615 pull requests were merged since last release and 552 issues were closed bringing the total number of open tickets down by 141.</p>
<hr />
<p>This post covered just a small subset of all the changes and improvements added since the last release. We encourage anybody interested in finding out more to read the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/907eabad94fef9233e5a376241ad0f06269eda83">full changelog</a>. Head on over to the <a href="/download">download page</a> to install the new playtest and let us know what you think in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net/">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community Discord server</a> or on <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. Happy playtesting!</p>PunkPun⚠ Update 2022-12-24: A hotfix version with a critical fix for singleplayer missions as well as a fix for Macs with notches is now available from the download page.Playtest 202212032022-12-03T00:00:00+00:002022-12-03T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/playtest-20221203<p>Welcome back, Commanders! After more than a year and a half the OpenRA team proudly presents <a href="/download">Playtest 20221203</a>. It is finally here!</p>
<p>There have been tons of massive changes under the hood, and with reduced contributor activity it took us a very long time to catch and squash all those pesky bugs. With the help of our third party mods and people testing the devtest builds we believe we have finally got a stable release on our hands. We are incredibly excited to showcase a number of new features and improvements that have been built up over the last year and a half:</p>
<ul>
<li>One highlight feature is the new hierarchical pathfinder, which massively increases performance on large or more complex maps.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<img src="/images/news/20221203-hpf.png" style="width: 800px" alt="HPF helps units better predict obstacles ahead of them" />
<figcaption>HPF helps units to better predict obstacles ahead of them.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Our new netcode brings major improvements to multiplayer. Your games should feel much smoother and units more responsive in both low and high latency settings.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-td.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-td.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-td.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>We have added transient text notifications matching speech notifications. Now you can play without sound!</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-transient.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-transient.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-transient.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>The fairly recent Dune film has brought many players to Dune 2000 and a decently sized multiplayer community was born. With the feedback from the community Dune 2000 has received a number of balance and polish changes.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-dune.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-dune.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-dune.png" width="800" />
</video>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>Tiberian Sun was not forgotten either. Although still not ready for a release, it has also received its fair share of features and bug fixes. This time around the highlight is tilting on slopes.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<video width="800" autoplay="" loop="" muted="">
<source src="/images/news/20221203-slope.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="/images/news/20221203-slope.webm" type="video/webm" />
<img src="/images/news/20221203-slope.png" width="800" />
</video>
<figcaption>OpenRA now supports tilting on slopes!</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><br /></p>
<p>Some of the more visible new features and improvements include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Measures against sound / notification overlap. No more u-u-u-u-unit lost</li>
<li>Measures against spamming the multiplayer lobby and in-game chat</li>
<li>The ability to mute players</li>
<li>Support for disabling the chat in replays</li>
<li>An ingame encyclopedia in Dune 2000</li>
<li>New Red Alert missions</li>
<li>Community balance changes for all mods</li>
</ul>
<p>Notable changes for mappers and modders include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Automatic map reloading in the background</li>
<li>A change to the way speed is calculated for ground units</li>
<li>A new map format which includes the map preview (minimap) in the map versioning (map hash)</li>
<li>Loaders for more audio formats (e.g., mp3 and ogg), and formats used by the remasters</li>
<li>Many linting and documentation updates</li>
</ul>
<p>As well as some other changes worth mentioning:</p>
<ul>
<li>Toolchain and changes to support the .NET 6 runtime</li>
<li>A massive amount of upgrades to both ingame and client UI</li>
<li>Many more hotkeys became rebindable</li>
<li>Substantial progress towards localisation</li>
</ul>
<p>All in all, 615 pull requests were merged since last release and 552 issues were closed bringing the total number of open tickets down by 141.</p>
<hr />
<p>This post covered just a small subset of all the changes and improvements added since the last release. We encourage anybody interested in finding out more to read the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/907eabad94fef9233e5a376241ad0f06269eda83">full changelog</a>. Head on over to the <a href="/download">download page</a> to install the new playtest and let us know what you think in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net/">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community Discord server</a> or on <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. Happy playtesting!</p>PunkPunWelcome back, Commanders! After more than a year and a half the OpenRA team proudly presents Playtest 20221203. It is finally here!Release 20210321 and a new website2021-03-21T00:00:00+00:002021-03-21T00:00:00+00:00https://www.openra.net/news/release-20210321<p>Today is the day that many have been waiting for: the new stable OpenRA <a href="/download">Release 20210321</a> is now available!</p>
<p>We had originally planned to announce this release with a new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwJbJ_UtmkDaL4cClS2QYd3uXueES4KEq">patch spotlight</a> video, but an unfortunately timed computer failure has left FiveAces’ battlefield control offline until repairs are completed. Rather than continue to delay the release, we have commissioned our best artist to make the placeholder image below, and will post the real spotlight once it is available.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/images/news/20210321-spotlight-soon.jpg" style="width: 600px" alt="Release spotlight placeholder" />
<figcaption>The 20210321 release spotlight has been temporarily delayed. Stay tuned for updates!</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many of the biggest changes in this release were focused around the in-development Tiberian Sun mod, which continues to make slow progress in our development repository. There are many great changes for Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn, and Dune 2000 too, focusing mainly around streamlining some awkward gameplay mechanics, improving community integration, and improving our singleplayer content:</p>
<ul>
<li>Support for Discord integration and community-run ladders</li>
<li>New lobby features for player handicaps and disabling spawn points</li>
<li>Community balance updates and a refreshed map selection for Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn</li>
<li>Further adjustments to make Dune 2000 more faithful to the original game</li>
<li>More fluid infantry combat after fixing several long-standing combat bugs</li>
<li>Nine more campaign missions have been ported for Red Alert</li>
<li>Improved AI behaviour and performance</li>
</ul>
<p>These features and more will be explained in more detail in the upcoming release spotlight, but for now you can look back over the previous news posts [<a href="/news/devblog-20200629/">1</a>, <a href="/news/playtest-20201213/">2</a>, <a href="/news/playtest-20210131/">3</a>] or the <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/79cc9e906649e1043e24e1f77a275e3b689d0d44">full changelog</a> for more information.</p>
<p>An important compatibility note is that OpenRA now requires GPU support for either OpenGL 3.2, DirectX 11, or OpenGL ES 3. Moving away from the legacy OpenGL 2.1 is important for future compatibility with modern rendering APIs (Vulkan/Metal) and for improving rendering performance with Tiberian Sun and the C&C Remastered Collection. This does unfortunately mean dropping support for some older systems (typically 10+ years old) that currently can run OpenRA, but we believe that this is a necessary tradeoff for the future.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/images/news/20210321-website.png" style="width: 600px" alt="New OpenRA website" />
<figcaption>The new OpenRA website brings a new look and improved functionality.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We are also today deploying a brand new website design. Lead by <a href="https://github.com/Fauntleroy">@Fauntleroy</a> with feedback from our GitHub and Discord communities, the fresh look also brings some important technology upgrades that improve the website behaviour on mobile devices, and adds new features for the <a href="/games">live games list</a>. We expect to continue improving and iterating on the new site, so let us know if you think that something important is missing or simply doesn’t look right.</p>
<p>Let us know what you think of the new release and updated website in the comments below, on <a href="https://forum.openra.net">our forum</a>, <a href="https://discord.openra.net">community discord</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/issues">GitHub</a>. We hope you’ll enjoy these new updates! Have fun!</p>Paul ChoteToday is the day that many have been waiting for: the new stable OpenRA Release 20210321 is now available!