Well, this certainly makes me optimistic for the long-term future of Broken Arrow. Somewhere between Command and Conquer, Warno, and World in Conflict, from what I’ve played of the realistic RTS so far, it already feels like it could be one of the strongest in the genre. But even then, developer Steel Balalaika seemingly refuses to rest on any laurels. When Broken Arrow’s advanced-access period began on Steam, players shared frustration that the game’s skirmish mode wasn’t playable in a 1v1 configuration – if you wanted to practice your strategies against the CPU, and get used to all the units outside of the campaign, you had to find multiplayer companions. Responding to those initial criticisms, Steel Balalaika has already overhauled its strategy debut.
The full Broken Arrow launch date is set for Thursday, June 19, but players who purchased the premium edition of the RTS game have been able to get started three days early. While Broken Arrow’s aggregated Steam reviews are still ‘mostly positive,’ players have criticized the skirmish mode, since it doesn’t let you learn the game independently before heading into the campaign or online multiplayer proper – with no 1v1 option, you can only play skirmishes against or alongside other people, making it harder to absorb Broken Arrow’s key principles at your own pace. Less than a day since we reported on players’ concerns, Steel Balalaika has already implemented fixes.
“We launched the advanced access yesterday and we are overwhelmed with joy at seeing so many of you enjoying the game and having fun,” the studio says. “While this obviously makes us very happy, we are also aware that there are many areas where your valued feedback has highlighted room for improvement, and some issues which we want to urgently address.
“First off, the current version of the skirmish mode doesn’t match people’s expectations. Today, we’re releasing a fix enabling 1v1 and 2v2 versus AI. It was a precise design choice to initially disable 1vsAI and 2vsAI because the currently available maps are not designed for less than three players per team. The AI will also be improved as currently it will be a bit passive on certain maps.
“The developers will keep working on the skirmish mode until it becomes a complete mode and a thoroughly fun experience, having a wider selection of balanced maps available and also allowing for bots as teammates,” Steel Balalaika continues. “Broken Arrow is a game we intend to support for many years, and improving the skirmish mode will just be the first step.”
Steel Balalaika has also deployed fixes for two of Broken Arrow’s campaign missions, after players reported that they were not able to pass these levels despite having completed all their objectives. The developer says the strategy game is “here to stay” and that it will continue to improve gameplay and other areas in the long-term.
If you like the look of Broken Arrow, you might also want to try some of the best war games, or maybe go a little larger with the best 4X games on PC.
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