Releasing a game is always an emotional affair, but the developers at Steel Balalaika have certainly had a more eventful time than most of their peers.
Despite its protracted development, at the time of launch, Broken Arrow wasthe most wishlisted strategy gameon Steam. The game initially received mostly positive reviews on the platform, with players praising the combat mechanics and the feeling of actually commanding a military power thanks to on-call support options.
After a relatively quiet first two weeks, things then took a turn for the worse after a seemingly inconsequential ban for cheating turned into a free-for-all between Chinese players and the rest of the community.
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China’s Broken Arrow community has beenreview-bombing the gameover the (now-overturned) ban of local streamers, while parts of the broader player base are review-bombing it due to alleged cheating from Chinese players.
The situation has gotten out of hand quickly, and though the Broken Arrow Civil War is expected to subside eventually, it might leave a lasting mark on an otherwise great game.
Rather than watch idly, Steel Balalaika has been working overtime to end this feud, with the release ofBroken Arrow update 1.08being the latest effort.
Broken Arrow Anti-Cheat Update
Earlier this week, the developers of Broken Arrow threw the Chinese community a bone by allegedly unbanning the streamers implicated in the original cheating scandal.
Although the specifics are still hotly debated, analysis of some of the footage claimed to be from the incident shows that they were exploiting in-game mechanics rather than using external cheating tools.
The second part of the plan to end the Broken Arrow cheating drama is update 1.08, which addresses some of the key concerns.
Anti-Cheat Improvements
The patch brings unspecified improvements to the anti-cheat system to improve detection. This effort will be backed by expanding the team in charge of reviewing reports and bans.
New Scenarios
The Kaliningrad and Ruda maps now have new PvE scenarios for 1 to 3 players. Users will also be able to change the map size in Skirmish mode and custom lobbies.
Network & Stability Improvements
Multiple memory leaks have been identified and patched out, which should prevent CTD instances. Should those happen ffor any reason though, the reconnect function is now more stable. The matchmaking system has also received unspecified tweaks.
Among balancing issues, infantry and recon units now have halved their sprinting cooldown, and now have proper swimming animations.
You can find thefull changelogon the Broken Arrow Steam page.
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