ALPHA
BAR servers can be unstable at times. A problem with our server-host is identified and we're waiting for it get fixed.
Join in!
Preface: This is an old article. Many things have been updated/improved and could be changed/different - even though we try to update our older news posts where (really) needed.
Hello and welcome everyone! After 17 months of active development with the current dev team we are proudly announcing that Beyond All Reason (BAR) is in a fully playable alpha stage now! What exactly do we mean by that? You can already enjoy the greatness of what BAR gameplay has to offer. Open alpha test games run daily. Currently BAR includes:
Since we don't yet have our ideal launcher/multiplayer lobby, we avoided active promotion so we could prepare. However, with a gem like BAR it was impossible to stay under the radar for long. In April, a wild post appeared on Reddit by a fan who randomly stumbled across this project. The reception of BAR by RTS fans was remarkably positive, so since the post we're no longer in stealth mode. :) It's hard to describe how happy we are with all the positive feedback. You guys are awesome!
Since the information about BAR surfaced, our dev discord has been flooded with new players, developers and content creators interested in contributing. We are at 1000 members and growing!
(update: 02-03-2021: currently over 3.250 members!)
(update: 22-04-2021: currently over 3.750 members!)
(update: 30-12-2021: currently over 5.350 members!)
(update: 11-12-2023: currently over 26.555 members!)
We've been able to thoroughly test the game and get rid of tons of bugs. Big thanks to everyone who took part in that!
Discord is also a great place to find other players for a multiplayer game.
Find all relevant information in the download page. Read further to see how to setup a multiplayer match and control basic game settings.
Join the Discord server and check the #looking-for-players channel.
We also suggest you #give-yourself-a-role so you will be notified when games are running. (You can chose which game types you would like to be notified about - 1v1/FFA/Team/Coop.)
For lone-wolves and all who want to try out the game before joining multiplayer battles, it's super easy to set up singleplayer mode. We suggest using Chobby for this. Note that for singleplayer you currently need to download maps manually (or automatically, by joining a multiplayer battleroom). More intel below.
Using Chobby
After opening your lobby client, you will be prompted with a Register/Log-in window. If you want to play alone, you can skip this step - just click cancel. Now, go to the Single player tab, chose a map and add a bot to the opposite team. By default, a bot will be already there. If you want to battle a different bot, right-click on it and kick it. Currently there are few bots to chose from:
After adding the bot, just smash the Start button and enjoy!
BAR has a great multiplayer experience. Be sure to try it with friends and other random folks on the server! It features games with up to 16+ players, which is a lot of fun. Here's how to do it:
Once you log in, open the multiplayer tab and you will see a list of battle rooms. These are called autohosts as they are controlled with in-chat chat commands and votes. You can control all game options, team balance mode, and even game mode (1v1/FFA/Team/Survival). Using them you can modify almost everything about the game. Below we list the most essential commands for setting up a decent match with your friends (don't type in the brackets):
Every preset/map change will have to be voted for. Say !vote y or !vote n to give your vote.
Note that you can join a running game too, clicking the Spectate button.
If you chose the teams preset the teams will be balanced automatically using the estimate of players true skill (TS). For first few games this balance way will not work very well, because server needs more data to estimate players skill ranking. In order to put players in teams manually you need to do the following:
Now everyone is free to chose their teams manually. In Springlobby team choice is in the panel between the chat and the player list. You can also vote to !force <player> team <number>, e.g. !force IceXuick team 2
Important: Make sure you change "Ally" number instead of "Team" number. Players with the same Ally number are allied, players with the same Team number share the same units (coop).
Alternatively you can try:
Once the map and balance is set make sure that every player has downloaded all the needed content (map, game, engine). If there is something missing, a player will be displayed as unsynced and the game won't be able to run. Everyone now should click the Ready button. If using Chobby, disregard that - you are automatically ready if you are in a team.
Autohosts can also be used for coop games against AI, and survival modes. You can also put players and bots on the same team. Both lobbies have a button for adding bots to the game. Play around with the settings and see what interesting games you can come up with!
We hope this guide is comprehensive enough to make you able to run your own multiplayer games. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask in our Discord channel! (And remember there's an awesome new lobby system on the way!)
Join in!
Preface: This is an old article. Many things have been updated/improved and could be changed/different - even though we try to update our older news posts where (really) needed.
Hello and welcome everyone! After 17 months of active development with the current dev team we are proudly announcing that Beyond All Reason (BAR) is in a fully playable alpha stage now! What exactly do we mean by that? You can already enjoy the greatness of what BAR gameplay has to offer. Open alpha test games run daily. Currently BAR includes:
Since we don't yet have our ideal launcher/multiplayer lobby, we avoided active promotion so we could prepare. However, with a gem like BAR it was impossible to stay under the radar for long. In April, a wild post appeared on Reddit by a fan who randomly stumbled across this project. The reception of BAR by RTS fans was remarkably positive, so since the post we're no longer in stealth mode. :) It's hard to describe how happy we are with all the positive feedback. You guys are awesome!
Since the information about BAR surfaced, our dev discord has been flooded with new players, developers and content creators interested in contributing. We are at 1000 members and growing!
(update: 02-03-2021: currently over 3.250 members!)
(update: 22-04-2021: currently over 3.750 members!)
(update: 30-12-2021: currently over 5.350 members!)
(update: 11-12-2023: currently over 26.555 members!)
We've been able to thoroughly test the game and get rid of tons of bugs. Big thanks to everyone who took part in that!
Discord is also a great place to find other players for a multiplayer game.
Find all relevant information in the download page. Read further to see how to setup a multiplayer match and control basic game settings.
Join the Discord server and check the #looking-for-players channel.
We also suggest you #give-yourself-a-role so you will be notified when games are running. (You can chose which game types you would like to be notified about - 1v1/FFA/Team/Coop.)
For lone-wolves and all who want to try out the game before joining multiplayer battles, it's super easy to set up singleplayer mode. We suggest using Chobby for this. Note that for singleplayer you currently need to download maps manually (or automatically, by joining a multiplayer battleroom). More intel below.
Using Chobby
After opening your lobby client, you will be prompted with a Register/Log-in window. If you want to play alone, you can skip this step - just click cancel. Now, go to the Single player tab, chose a map and add a bot to the opposite team. By default, a bot will be already there. If you want to battle a different bot, right-click on it and kick it. Currently there are few bots to chose from:
After adding the bot, just smash the Start button and enjoy!
BAR has a great multiplayer experience. Be sure to try it with friends and other random folks on the server! It features games with up to 16+ players, which is a lot of fun. Here's how to do it:
Once you log in, open the multiplayer tab and you will see a list of battle rooms. These are called autohosts as they are controlled with in-chat chat commands and votes. You can control all game options, team balance mode, and even game mode (1v1/FFA/Team/Survival). Using them you can modify almost everything about the game. Below we list the most essential commands for setting up a decent match with your friends (don't type in the brackets):
Every preset/map change will have to be voted for. Say !vote y or !vote n to give your vote.
Note that you can join a running game too, clicking the Spectate button.
If you chose the teams preset the teams will be balanced automatically using the estimate of players true skill (TS). For first few games this balance way will not work very well, because server needs more data to estimate players skill ranking. In order to put players in teams manually you need to do the following:
Now everyone is free to chose their teams manually. In Springlobby team choice is in the panel between the chat and the player list. You can also vote to !force <player> team <number>, e.g. !force IceXuick team 2
Important: Make sure you change "Ally" number instead of "Team" number. Players with the same Ally number are allied, players with the same Team number share the same units (coop).
Alternatively you can try:
Once the map and balance is set make sure that every player has downloaded all the needed content (map, game, engine). If there is something missing, a player will be displayed as unsynced and the game won't be able to run. Everyone now should click the Ready button. If using Chobby, disregard that - you are automatically ready if you are in a team.
Autohosts can also be used for coop games against AI, and survival modes. You can also put players and bots on the same team. Both lobbies have a button for adding bots to the game. Play around with the settings and see what interesting games you can come up with!
We hope this guide is comprehensive enough to make you able to run your own multiplayer games. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask in our Discord channel! (And remember there's an awesome new lobby system on the way!)
Download & Play for Free
