Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS), Simulator, Strategy, Tactical
Men of War II
Men of War II | The State of Development of the Offline Mode
Greetings, Commanders!
Since the start of Men of War II’s development, we have focused on creating a game with extensive single-player content, while also emphasizing the ability to play any campaign, mission, and mode cooperatively with your friends. And of course, we also wanted to provide as much content to the PvP enthusiasts among our fans. However, as with every endeavor, we had to choose a priority – have all those options available at launch and provide the most expansive gameplay experience yet in the franchise, or make the game available offline, sacrificing some of its scope.
Looking back, we understand that we have underestimated the value you, our community, places on having the single-player part of the game available offline. We started working on it even before the launch, but it is not an easy process. The online features permeate almost every part of Men of War II – changing this takes time and needs to be done carefully, but we’ve already completed most of the necessary work and are making steady progress towards fully implementing the offline mode for single-player. Currently, we are aiming for release in late September or early October.
What functionality have we already developed?
All content necessary for the offline mode to work has been moved to local storage.
The ability to turn offline mode on and off in the interface.
Added loading/saving player data feature from their offline profiles.
The ability to create more serious mods for the game, including full-fledged campaigns and new content for the "Conquest" mode.
What are we still working on?
Fixing various technical issues and bugs, implement loading and saving of all data on local computers, and polish the process to reduce loading times as much as possible.
Once the offline mode is finalized, every single game mode, mission, and feature needs to be tested.
How will it all work?
After the implementation of the offline mode, Men of War II will work as follows:
The game will launch and work even without internet access. You will be able to complete training, all story campaigns, and additional missions, edit available battalions and play with bots, check battle statistics, and organize a lobby for one person.
Cooperative, multiplayer, matchmaking, and social functionality (statistics, the ability to connect to friends, dedicated servers, etc.) will normally work only in online mode. In offline mode, these elements will be blocked at the level of the general interface. In addition, some Steam achievements will be unlocked in offline mode, and some only when connected to the Internet.
You can switch from offline to online mode directly from the game interface (by default, if you are connected to the internet, it will launch in online mode). Your offline data will be stored in your profile on your PC, so you can safely transfer your data to another computer using the same Steam Cloud, if necessary.
The release of the offline mode is our top priority and while we are working on completing it as soon as possible, we are also not neglecting fixing bugs and improving the overall technical state of the game. As always, if you encounter any issues or have any suggestions or other feedback, please let us know either here in the comments, in Steam Discussions, or even better, join the conversation on the the Men of War II Official Discord Server.
As a reminder, if you are experiencing problems with the game and are receiving an error message you are unclear about, we have prepared a troubleshooting guide explaining the most common errors and hints for how to remedy them here.
Thank you to everyone who has already purchased Men of War II and is fighting in the trenches of World War II with us – our journey is just beginning, and we can’t wait to share more info and updates with you.
Men of War II | Patch v1.038 Live
Greetings, Commanders!
We have just released a new update for Men of War II, which means a short downtime for multiplayer servers (no longer than 20-30 minutes). In the meantime, all single-player campaigns remain available. Among other issues, we have fixed a bug causing crashes and improved loading times — the full changelog is available below.
If you are experiencing problems with the game and are receiving an error message you are unclear about, we have prepared a troubleshooting guide explaining the most common errors and hints for how to remedy them here. But as always, if you encounter any issues or have any suggestions or other feedback, please let us know either here in the comments, in Steam Discussions, or even better, join the conversation on the Men of War II Official Discord Server.
Full Changelog:
General Fixes
Fixed a crash in rendering.
Increased speed of game loading.
Fixed an issue with Inventory - the key modifiers CTRL (one pack of items) and SHIFT (one item) now work when dragging or RMB-clicking items.
Fixed an issue with Inventory - Items no longer break the Inventory if there is no space for them.
Gameplay Mechanics
Fixed a bug where smoke and signal grenades did not activate when hitting certain buildings and fortifications.
Corrected damage recording in statistics for kills with an artillery strike called by signal grenades.
Allied forces now consider occupied machine guns and observation towers when pathfinding.
Redesigned the accounting of firing radius for soldiers with bazookas.
UI
Fixed an error message delivery issue - previously, an error message in the match was issued only after the match was canceled.
Adjusted the map size in Conquest on ultra-wide 32:9 monitors — now it should be possible to drag a battalion from one location to another, as previously, on such monitors, both locations did not fit on one screen vertically.
Editor
Added a new section, Scene Explorer + Layers, for quick object search on the map and for quick enabling/disabling visibility and selection during editing - for example, you can disable all grass and prohibit selection of boxes.
It is now possible to work with the entire scene or with individual selections of objects.
Redesigned Foliage - Generate - now the brush will collect only within the selection, not across the entire scene.
Added several standard brushes for the Foliage tool in the editor.
Missions
Fixed pathfinding for the ship in the "Brest" mission.
Fixed achievement acquisition when completing the "Ambush" mission on HARD difficulty.
We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Men of War II | Patch v1.037 Live | Troubleshooting Guide Available
Greetings, Commanders!
We have just released a new update for Men of War II - this means a short downtime for multiplayer servers (no longer than 20-30 minutes), but all single player campaigns remain available in the meantime. This time we have focused on improving overall stability and fixing issues that could cause the game to crash - the full changelog is available below.
Since the update last week, you can now see more detailed information whenever you encounter an issue in-game and can distinguish the cause of the problem more easily. We have been monitoring the situation, and with the information you've provided, we have put together a troubleshooting guide for the most common errors - you can check it out here.
Fixed an issue that could cause game crashes to the desktop during game rendering.
Fixed an issue that could cause local games to disconnect during data exchange.
Fixed an issue where soldiers with bazookas would not interact with the target they were attacking.
Other improvements
General texture loading optimization.
Fixed an issue that could cause the editor to crash on the desktop when using ed_reloadBitmaps.
We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Men of War II | Update 1.036 Released
Greetings, Commanders!
We have just released a new update for Men of War II - this means a short downtime for multi-player servers (no longer than 20-30 minutes), but all single-player campaigns remain available in the meantime. The patch switches the game mode in Classic PvP Match-Making into "Assault Zones", to give it an even more "classic" feeling; honoring a result of our recent poll. Moreover, it greatly improves the problem with camera movement "stuttering" for many players, brings various balancing changes and introduces enhancements to the Editor as well.
Perhaps most importantly however, if you encounter a crash in a single-player game, you will now receive more detailed info about the cause (such as problems with a mod). This will help you to both avoid the issue and enjoy the game, as well as provide more information and feedback to us, making it easier to fix the problem.
You can find the complete list of changes below. Rest assured, we will continue to fix bugs and listen to your feedback to improve the balance in the game; but we would also like to note that the majority of the team's resources are now allocated to bringing to life the offline mode for single-player - the most requested feature, and also one of the most complicated to produce. We will share more information on this topic with you soon.
In the meantime, if you encounter any problems or issues, please, let us know either here in the comments, in Steam Discussions, or even better, come join the conversation on the Men of War II Official Discord Server.
Full Changelog:
Now, if there is any problem with the local game, the player will immediately receive a message about the error that has occurred; there will be no need to wait until the interface closes the game due to a timeout.
Matchmaking for "Classic" mode now uses the "Assault Zones" mode to better align with the traditional series experience.
Initial camera stuttering in battles has been significantly reduced.
The ability to send commands on behalf of another player in multiplayer has been disabled.
Mod Editor Enhancements
New Tool - Foliage: A new Foliage tool has been added to the editor, allowing custom brush creation from objects to paint maps.
Bullet Effects: Modders can now manage flying bullets and add various effects, such as Improved shrapnel shell functionality and Sound effects for flying mines (examples can be found in: main\scene\set\stuff\shell\bullet152.sr.rus.std.ammo and main\scene\set\stuff\reactive\mortar80.fg.ammo).
Ammo Switching Logic: Modders can enable the classic logic of switching ammunition via reload in scene\at\initialize_scene.ssq (g_ammoTypeSwitchingCancelReload).
General and Combat Interface
The icons of thrown grenades and dynamite no longer flicker and can be disabled along with the interface.
Added the ability to show the player the reasons for the ban if some actions have become unavailable to him.
Added additional achievements for players for completing campaigns, for causing damage to certain battalions or units and for destroying certain units by other specific units.
Graphic Updates and Improvements
Various updates and improvements to the Port map
Updated some road and stamp textures
Added a new radio beacon model
Added a new model of a coal container on the “Port” map
Added new shell craters
Explosion craters no longer overlap trenches
Miscellaneous Improvements
A bug has been fixed due to which the multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) could fire simultaneously in different directions during a salvo.
Fixed an issue that could prevent players from receiving certain achievements.
Fixed replenishment of 152mm shrapnel shells.
The aiming angles of the 81mm M1 mortar have been corrected.
Fixed a bug due to which the camouflage status icon for the camouflage net was not displayed when installed on stationary machine guns.
A bug due to which objects remained hanging in the air when digging a trench for equipment or a weapon has been fixed.
The location of the visors on the German Sd.Kfz 7/1 half-track tractor has been corrected.
Overall Balance Changes
Armored Cars and APCs:
Sd. Kfz. 251/16: Battalion slot units reduced from 5 to 4.
Sd. Kfz. 221: Battle Rank reduced from 18 to 15.
M2 Half-Tracks: Battle Rank increased from 45 to 50.
Gaz-67B, Willys MB with Browning, and Kubelwagen with MG34: Dynamite added to inventory.
Willys MB with Maxim: The remote mine was added to the inventory.
Light Tanks:
M3A1 Stuart: Battle Rank reduced from 24 to 22.
Pz. Kpfw. 38 Ausf G: Battle Rank reduced from 30 to 24.
LVT A(4): Battle Rank reduced from 40 to 30.
Medium Tanks:
Pz. Kpfw. IV Ausf G: Battle Rank reduced from 61 to 60.
Pz. Kpfw. IV Ausf H: Battle Rank reduced from 64 to 62.
Panther A: Command points were reduced from 15 to 13, and Battle Rank was from 85 to 80.
Panther G: Command points were reduced from 15 to 13, and the Battle Rank was 88 to 85.
Sherman Jumbo 76W: Battle Rankreduced from 87 to 85.
Sherman Calliope: Command points were reduced from 14 to 13, and Battle Rank was from 102 to 95.
Heavy Tanks:
IS-1: Command points were reduced from 15 to 14, and Battle Rank were 105 to 100.
IS-2 Mod. 1943: Command points were reduced from 17 to 16, and the Battle Rank was from 115 to 110.
IS-2 Mod. 1944: Command points reduced from 18 to 17.
IS-3: Command points reduced from 19 to 18.
Konigstiger (Henschel Turret): Command points reduced from 19 to 18.
Konigstiger (Porsche Turret): Command points reduced from 18 to 17.
Super Pershing: Command points were reduced from 19 to 17, and the Battle Rank was 120 to 110.
Tank Destroyers:
Marder 2 and Marder 3: Command points reduced from 7 to 6.
Jagdpanzer IV: Command points were reduced from 8 to 7, and Battle Rank was 65 to 60.
Stug IV Ausf F: Battle Rank reduced from 61 to 52.
Stug III Ausf G: Command points reduced from 8 to 7, Battle Rank from 73 to 60.
Stug IV Ausf G: Battle Rank reduced from 73 to 63.
Nashorn: Command points reduced from 9 to 8.
Jagdpanzer IV 70(V): Battle Rank reduced from 75 to 70.
Jagdpanzer IV 70(V) “Wachter”: Battle Rank reduced from 77 to 72.
Jagdpanther: Battle Rank reduced from 114 to 105.
Jagdtiger: Command points were reduced from 16 to 15, and Battle Rank was 134 to 130.
SU-85: Battle Rank reduced from 68 to 58.
SU-100: Battle Rank reduced from 85 to 82.
M1 (T48): Battle Rank reduced from 40 to 38.
M10 "Wolverine": Battle Rank reduced from 60 to 55.
M36 "Slugger": Battle Rank reduced from 78 to 75.
Self-Propelled Artillery:
Bison: Battle Rank reduced from 58 to 54.
Hummel: Command points were reduced from 9 to 8, and Battle Rank was from 70 to 67.
Sturmtiger: Command points were reduced from 12 to 11, and the Battle Rank was 90 to 85.
SU-152: Command points reduced from 12 to 11.
M8: Command points reduced from 7 to 6.
M7 "Priest": Command points reduced from 8 to 7.
M12 "King Kong": Command points were reduced from 9 to 8, and the Battle Rank was 67.
Towed Artillery:
Field Howitzer Model 1909/30: Reload time reduced by 1 second.
Heavy Howitzer MRS 18: Health increased from 250 to 350 due to its larger size compared to its counterparts.
Anti-Tank Guns:
Pak 38: Battle Rank reduced from 26 to 25.
Pak 40: Battle Rank reduced from 46 to 43.
Pak 43: Battle Rank reduced from 58 to 55.
Anti-Aircraft:
Sd. Kfz. 251/17: Battle Rank reduced from 30 to 28.
61K: Battle Rank reduced from 34 to 30.
ZSU-37: Battle Rank reduced from 34 to 32.
Bofors: Battle Rank reduced from 37 to 32.
Basic Infantry:
Regular Submachine Gunners: Battle Rank reduced from 6 to 5 per soldier.
Veteran Submachine Gunners: Battle Rank reduced from 9 to 8 per soldier.
Realistic Settings
The concussion time of a tank when penetrated by a cumulative projectile (including from grenades and RPGs) has been increased to 5 seconds
Increased chance of turret components breaking
Increased damage of autocannon anti-aircraft guns to aircraft
For artillery, the maximum firing distance has been displayed in the form of a radius similar to the radius of grenade launchers
Increased reload time for mortars by 1 second
Increased spread on moving targets when firing from a mortar
The time spent in light exposure for vehicles has been increased.
Increased the rate of accumulation of general noise emitted from units, reduced the rate of noise reduction
Increasing the required radius for noise reduction (from 15 to 50 meters)
We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Men of War II | Decide the Future of Match-Making | New Patch (1.035) is Live
Greetings, Commanders!
A new patch for Men of War II just went live - as usual, this means a short downtime for multi-player servers (no longer than 20-30 minutes); but all single-player campaigns remain available in the meantime. The update focuses on fixing various bugs you've reported, and the full changelog is available below. But before we get to that, we want to give you the option to get much more involved in the decisions that will directly impact the game's future. That's why we would like to ask you to come to the Men of War II Official Discord server and...
Vote on the future game mode in Classic PVP Match-Making!
We have set up a poll on the Discord server, where you can vote whether to keep the current game mode (Front Line) in Classic PVP Match-Making, or change it to Assault Zones, a mode familiar to fans of previous Men of War games, so that the gameplay experience is even more "Classic". We will abide by your decision, so please, make sure you cast your vote - the poll will be open for 7 days, and if the winning option is to change the game mode, we will implement it in our next update, planned for next week.
We love receiving feedback from our community, and we hope votes like this will make it more convenient for even more of you to take part in forming the future of Men of War II. That does not mean we will stop reading the comments here, the Steam Discussions, or the various chats and forums on the Men of War II Official Discord Server. Please keep reporting any problems or issues and sharing your suggestions there. And if you already like the game, consider writing a review here on Steam to support the developers!
Full Changelog
General Fixes and Improvements
Fixed an issue where noise markers from enemy artillery (flashes indicating approximate artillery positions hidden by the fog of war on the map) would disappear too quickly.
Vertical synchronization (VSync) is now enabled by default in the game's graphics settings. The option to remove FPS limits was causing interface slowdowns on some PCs. We are looking into more permanent solutions for future patches.
Removed damage to vehicles from ramming machine guns and other small guns.
Changes to Individual Missions
Mission "Vanguard" (campaign "Operation Overlord"): Fixed the task condition for holding the highway.
Mission "Brest" (campaign "Operation Overlord"): Fixed the condition for obtaining the "Valuable Cargo" achievement.
Mission "Death from Above" (campaign "On Their Own Soil"): Fixed an issue where the retreat task was not given to the troops.
Mission "Operation Lüttich" (campaign "The Falaise Pocket"): Fixed the condition for obtaining the "Smoked Eel" achievement.
Mission "Through the Snow" : Fixed the condition for completing the final task.
Fixes and Improvements to Maps
Fixed an issue where tanks could not pass over bridges on the "Dead River" map.
Enhanced various textures.
"Conquest" Mode
The maps "Village," "Saint-Lô," and "Volokolamsk Highway" are now available in "Front Line Defense" mode (to activate them, restart the campaign by pressing the "Restart" button in the menu).
Editor
Fixed an issue that caused the game to crash on the desktop when importing heightmap.
Miscellaneous Fixes and Improvements
Fixed a bug that caused the game to crash to the desktop when opening the inventory, if no hotkey was assigned for the pause function.
The durability of wooden bridges has been increased.
We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Men of War II | Update 1.034 Released
Greetings, Commanders!
EDIT: We've just released a hotfix for the update, further improving overall stability. On top of all the changes listed below, the hotfix adds the following:
Fixed the issue preventing many players from starting a match in the Classic mode (both lobby and match-making). Fixed player statistics in battle report. Fixed the issue of Interactive Hints being turned on by default. Removed the 2-turns limit on using the same battalion when playing a Conquest campaign in co-op.
We have just released a new update for Men of War II - this means a short downtime for multi-player servers (no longer than 20-30 minutes), but all single-player campaigns remain available in the meantime. The patch adds many new Steam Achievements, opens up the FPS limit, fixes several crashes and brings visual upgrades and updates to several maps, among other improvements. Full changelog can be found below, but first, let's feast our eyes on a few screenshots of the aforementioned visual upgrades:
Full Changelog:
Main
Additional achievements have been added, for completing various challenges or exploring the map in missions (Complete a bonus task, find something in a mission, destroy a non-essential enemy, etc.).
Added an option to remove/set FPS limit.
Stability
Fixed a rare crash when moving a medic with a wounded soldier to the rear.
Fixed a crash when attacking with a lost weapon.
Additional error message output in case of DirectX device loss.
Fixed a crash when playing broken audio files in mod [ACE] Voice lines.
UI
Certain options from the GAME section have been moved to a new INTERFACE section for easier navigation in the multitude of settings.
Settings for work packages have been moved from the GAME section to PACKAGE.
Competitive Setting
The number of armored Willies in slots has been reduced from 5 to 4.
Pz 4 F2: Health increased and sandbags for reinforcement added.
Rebalanced the penalty for grenade launcher proficiency: Now non-specialists do not suffer a range penalty against AI, but accuracy, including AI, is significantly increased.
Added damage to light vehicles when ramming massive guns.
Realistic Setting
Increased anti-tank rifle damage against light vehicles.
Wooden bunker construction time doubled (120s with 5 engineers) and tower construction time increased (80 seconds with 5 engineers).
Increased seismic damage to trenches. Now a trench should be filled in with the first hit of 85mm+ HE round, and with the second hit of 75mm HE round.
Fixed inventory disappearance for destroyed tanks without an explosion or ammo rack fire.
Decreased armor penetration at medium and long distances
Added a hint about a damaged hull when hovering over a vehicle with a damaged hull.
Visor rework to increase unit detection range.
Increased damage from 75mm+ HE rounds to static guns.
Reduced engine durability of car vehicles.
Reduced machine gun damage at close range and medium distance.
Reduced maximum zeroing value for howitzers. Spotter bonus reduced.
Classic Mode
Slightly reduced the cost of top-tier heavy tanks.
Increased the price of top-tier AT guns.
Increased the price and timer of mortars, AT guns.
In the Sturmpioniere Infantry squad, the commander with a signal pistol is replaced by a sapper.
Increased victory point gain for capturing territory along the initial front line.
Models
Fixed display of leading rollers on pz38t.
Adjusted visors on sturmboot42 boat.
Miscellaneous
In the editor, obstacles now scale with objects.
AI will no longer move players' infantry in trenches while they are using direct control.
Maps, Missions
Updated the Dead River map: Added 2 bridges and more large rocks for armored vehicle cover.
Improved certain map models of Port (columns, crates, fences, water tower, loading crane).
Improved textures and materials of rail and railroad props models.
Updated "Overcoming Difficulties" map of the Soviet campaign.
Removed extra crates from missions "Through the Snow" and "Scorched Earth".
Minor improvements in the mission "Towards Freedom".
Changed placement of defenders in the map "Death Valley".
Minor fixes on the maps "Hunt", "Chapel".
Road improvements in maps "Airfield", "Champagne".
Conquest
Outskirts, Coast, Sawmill, Port, and Checkpoints can now be defended in Frontline Defense mode.
These changes are only possible thanks to your feedback. If you encounter any problems or issues, please, let us know either here in the comments, in Steam Discussions, or even better, come join the conversation on the Men of War II Official Discord Server. And if you are already enjoying the game and want to support the development team, consider writing a review here on Steam - it really makes a difference.
We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Men of War II: Match-Making Update Live Now and a New Patch Coming Next Week
Greetings, Commanders!
We have just updated the multiplayer match-making servers to alleviate the issues you've been reporting. This is not an update to the game's client, so there is no download needed. This is a very complicated set of changes, so in short - match-making will now be much more fair both in terms of who gets matched against who, as well as in terms of the MMR (ranking score) awarded to each player. You can skip to the later part of the article, where we talk about changes coming in the patch we have planned for next week. But if you are interested in a deep dive into the system, just click on the "Show Details" button: [expand type=details]
Pitting high-ranking against low-ranking players
This was the result of the "matchmaker" trying to start a game as soon as possible and not giving enough of a priority to keeping players in the same MMR (ranking score) range. This algorithm has been reprogrammed, and the servers will now give higher priority to finding players within a close MMR range, only allowing more uneven games if a match cannot be assembled within a certain time frame.
Uneven teams matched against one another
Now only teams of the same size (+- 1 player) will be matched against each other. Meaning a 2-player team can only be matched against a team of 2 or 3 players, a 3-player team can be matched with 2, 3 or 4-player teams, a 4-player team can go against teams of 3, 4 or 5 players, and a 5-player team can encounter a 4-player or 5-player team. We've also prepared a simple matrix overview of possible matches: [table equalcells=1] [tr] [th]Team Size[/th] [th]2[/th] [th]3[/th] [th]4[/th] [th]5[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]2[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]No[/td] [td]No[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]3[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]No[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]4[/td] [td]No[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]5[/td] [td]No[/td] [td]No[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [/tr]
Issues with the MMR (ranking score) calculation
The system was set up to award MMR based on earned XP, which was not clear to some players, and motivated others to focus on earning XP instead of winning, causing problems in teamplay and in extreme cases a player would be awarded 0 MMR even for a hard-earned victory in a long game. There were also differences between MMR accumulation in solo play versus in a team, and in general, one side could lose (or gain) more MMR than the other.
For those reasons we have not only increased the XP awarded for territory control by +25% (we also plan to add XP to the scout and spotter for damage to vehicles highlighted by them, and also to medics for successful evacuation of wounded infantry), but the MMR algorithm was reworked - XP will now be less of a priority and on the other hand, the player's and their opponent's MMR will be taken into account more. Detailed overview of the new algorithm follows:
For each player, the change in MMR is calculated using the ELO algorithm (a Wikipedia article for those interested here) with each of their opponents: The final change in MMR is adjusted according to the difference in XP:
Correction of MMR change = my XP / (my XP + enemy XP)
if XP is equal to the enemy’s XP, then the correction will be 0.5 for victory and defeat
if the enemy’s XP is 4 times greater, then the correction will be 0.2 for victory and 0.8 for defeat
if your XP is 4 times greater, then the correction will be 0.8 for victory and 0.2 for defeat
The final MMR of the player is calculated as the average of all new MMRs for a hypothetical battle with each of the opponents separately. If the difference in MMR is 0, then you still get +1 for a win and -1 for a loss Thus, the calculation is balanced, meaning it should add as many points to the winning team as were taken from the losing team.
Additional changes in MMR calculation:
MMR change step initially = 40, after 30 matches it becomes = 20, when reaching 2400+ MMR step will be = 10
The boost range from 1000 to 1400 is no longer valid
Minimum MMR is now 1000
There is no longer any difference in calculating MMR between playing in a team and playing alone
A New Patch is Coming Next Week
Beyond the server back-end changes for match-making that we have just set live, we are also hard at work on a more standard patch. This is scheduled for next week and as usual, we will provide full patch notes. But we are happy to share the highlights now already:
Additional Steam Achievements - A significant amount of new and varied Achievements will be added. These will not just be awarded for completing missions and campaigns, but also for reaching milestones such as inflicting a set amount of total damage with certain units, completing optional tasks in missions or challenges such as killing a B4 Goliath. The total number of Achievements will grow to include more than 10 times what is currently available.
FPS Limit Unlock - It will be possible to set or remove an FPS limit in Settings.
Various Stability and Balancing Improvements - We have managed to fix several unpleasant crashes, and balancing tweaks to both Competitive and Realistic Settings.
Map Updates - As part of an ongoing process, various visual and functional upgrades will be implemented to several maps. As a small example, here is a new screenshot from the updated version of the Dead River Map. Can you guess what's new?
These changes are only possible thanks to your feedback. If you encounter any problems or issues, please, let us know either here in the comments, in Steam Discussions, or even better, come join the conversation on the Men of War II Official Discord Server. And if you are already enjoying the game and want to support the development team, consider writing a review here on Steam - it really makes a difference.
We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Men of War II | Update 1.033 is Live Now
Greetings, Commanders!
A new update for Men of War II is now live; this means a short downtime for multi-player servers (no longer than 20-30 minutes), but all single-player campaigns remain available in the meantime. The patch focuses on fixing single-player crashes, improving overall stability and speed of servers in multi-player, and brings several highly requested features from fans, such as Steam achievements, combat UI scaling options, and the ability to rebind the Pause key. Many other bugfixes, improvements and balancing tweaks are included as well - full patch notes are available below.
As always, we keep working on the game, fixing bugs, implementing new features, and eventually adding more content – we will have more news for you soon. If you think the game is worth it and want to support us and help us in improving it further - leave us a positive review, join the Men of War II Official Discord server, and let us know how we can make the game better for you. We are already on it.
New Update - Full Patch Notes
General changes
Increased connection speed and performance for dedicated servers.
Added Steam Achievements.
Added the ability to rebind the Pause key in-game.
Added an option to scale the combat UI in the game settings.
Infantry is now undetectable after throwing a grenade in single-player missions.
Infantry will no longer automatically select a pistol if they have more powerful weapons in their inventory.
Stability
Improved and refined the unit selection system.
Fixed a crash when moving vehicles without chassis.
Fixed a crash when saving a unit’s inventory.
Fixed a crash when a Soviet KV-8 tank explodes.
Fixed a crash when throwing a unit strictly vertically upwards.
Improved server connection stability for players from China.
Enhanced the in-game battle results calculation system and access to battle history. The rare possibility of losing statistics and battle results is now completely eliminated.
Mod Editor
Added sample models in 3dsmax format. They can be found in the modeling/models_samples folder.
Added an export plugin for all versions of 3dsmax (2017-2025). It can be found in the modeling/plugins folder.
Fixed an issue where the campaign mod could remain in the main interface after being disabled.
Interface
Fixed an issue where the entire infantry squad would go to check the inventory of another object or unit when multiple units were selected and given the inventory command (now only the closest unit will do this).
Fixed the display of changes in the overall player rating obtained in matchmaking (MMR or Matchmaking Rating).
Competitive Settings
Reduced howitzer accuracy at maximum range of each subsequent shot for sub-caliber cartridges.
Increased the overall time in reserve for all aircraft after rocket strikes from 150 to 180 seconds (except for the American fighter P-51D Mustang), and after the best air bombs for American aircraft P-51D Mustang and Douglas A-20 Havoc from 230 to 300 seconds.
Reduced the accuracy of shells for the German sPzB. 41 artillery system at distances over 50 meters (also reduced accuracy against infantry).
Reduced the likelihood of snipers hitting targets through a smoke screen for all available factions.
Increased shell range by 30 meters for 37-40mm anti-aircraft guns (to 210-230 meters).
Realistic Settings
Reduced shell accuracy for the German sPzB. 41 artillery system at distances over 50 meters (also reduced accuracy against infantry).
Reduced rate of fire and accuracy at medium and long distances for the American T34 (MLRS) "Calliope" tank.
Conquest Mode
Added "Frontline Defence" mode support for maps "Nameless Height", "Kursk Fields", "The Estate", and "Marl".
Single Player
"Landing" mission: Redesigned impassable slopes and terrain to make them more visible to players.
"Landing" mission: Additional enemy units were added at checkpoints and near the mission objective.
"Landing" mission: Reduced the number of mission hint markers, and players will now have to search for enemy artillery on the map themselves.
"Landing" mission: Added more enemy reactions to player actions in the mission.
Updated the "Death from Above" mission map.
Minor fixes and improvements for multiple maps.
Miscellaneous Improvements
Damage to infantry trying to storm houses is now accounted for.
Updated and enhanced sound system for large-scale fire scenes.
Added localization for orders to disembark passengers on the spot/at a specified point.
Fixed an issue where infantry armed with Solothurn S18-100 anti-tank weapons could not use fragmentation rounds against enemy soldiers.
Fixed an issue where unarmed infantry close to an enemy could not attack in melee.
Fixed an issue where AI-controlled grenadiers in cover could not attack enemy infantry within grenade launcher range.
Added new images/artwork when unlocking unique battalions for the "Raid" mode.
We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Status Report - June 7, 2024
Greetings, Commanders!
There is still a lot to talk about in Men of War II, as the developers are hard at work improving it based on all your feedback. So here we are with a weekly portion of news for you!
Update Incoming
Most importantly, we are finalizing a game update for next week. We will have full patch notes for you in a few days, but here are the most noteworthy highlights:
Server infrastructure is being reinforced - you might have seen the effects of this as it is an ongoing process. It should already be much rarer to see units moving in "slow motion" than before.
Steam Achievements will be added.
The issue preventing users from rebinding the Pause key will be fixed.
Combat UI scaling will be added as an option in Settings.
Infantry will be undetectable after throwing a grenade in single-player missions.
Infantry will no longer automatically select a pistol if they have more powerful weapons in the inventory.
And of course, many more changes and fixes are coming in the update - stay tuned!
News from the Modding Scene
Modding is absolutely integral to the Men of War franchise, and we love the creative community forming around the game. Have you checked out the Workshop yet? In only a few short weeks since release, there are talented creators already posting mods like Toy Soldiers, working on converting missions from Men of War: Assault Squad or tweaking the game in various other ways, such as creating new options for visualizing waypoints, and more.
[table equalcells=1 noborder=1] [tr] [td]Toy Soldiers mod screenshot[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Lost Eagles mod screenshot[/td] [/tr]
We have also previously directed your attention to the Lost Eagles mod and its author, Skilletti. We have been working with him even before the game's launch, which is why he was able to release the mod at the same time as the game - and there are other big creations coming soon, adding a lot of fan-made content to Men of War II. For example, the popular Born in the Fire: America, with many notable battles and units from the 18th and 19th centuries, is coming within a few weeks.
We want to support the modding community as much as possible, and to that end, we are working on new resources to help newcomers and veterans alike get into the creative "zone". To that end, we have partnered with Skilletti once more, to use his expertise and prepare a series of video guides for aspiring modders. We are preparing videos that will help you understand the basics of custom map creation, preparing an actual scripted mission, and uploading your mod to the Steam Workshop to share with others.
But we would like to hear from you - what mods would you like to see in Men of War II, or are you working on any yourself? What other resources or guides should we create? Let us know in the comments under this announcement, in the Steam Discussions or come to the Men of War II Official Discord server. And if you are enjoying the game and want to support the development team, consider writing a review here on Steam - it really makes a difference.
And as always, we will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Men of War II - Update Live + Helpful Tips
Greetings, Commanders!
We have fixed the game-crashing issues which caused us to delay the update previously announced for this Wednesday, and it is now live for everyone! The delay allowed us to slightly expand the patch; full changelog, with the new additions listed on top, can be found at the end of this article.
Where to find help
Men of War II is a large game, and includes many different options, modes and units. It can be intimidating for a newcomer, and even seasoned veterans of the franchise can lose out on some of the fun features simply because they don't know about them - this is especially true of the Realism Setting, which is why we have written up an in-depth explanation of how it makes the game different and how to activate it here, in the Steam Discussions. We are also working on a way to expand this variability of Realism vs. Competitive settings, and making them more accessible, as we have hinted at in our development roadmap announcement.
In terms of getting to grips with the game itself, we strongly recommend going through the in-game tutorials, which can be found in the "LEARN" tab. These are 12 short thematic missions, each explaining a part of the game's mechanics, from the very basics to more advanced and unique for Men of War II, like the "Reconaissance" or "Counter-Battery Fire" tutorials.
We have also enlisted the assistance of Helping Hans, who prepared a series of official guide videos, which show both what kind of content you can find in the game, and provide insights into how to utilize various game mechanics to your advantage on the battlefield:
General Introduction provides a brief overview of the fundamental elements of the game, such as basic controls, types of units, combat interface, available game modes and more.
Game Modes video guide provides a deep dive into the different game modes you can enjoy in Men of War II.
Campaigns, Conquest and Raid Modes describes all single-player campaigns available in the game, and explores the dynamic Conquest and Raid modes thoroughly, as new features for the franchise.
Game Mechanics takes a closer look at some of the game's cool features such as direct control, inventory management, ammunition/fuel resupply and last but definitely not least, the stealth mechanics.
Fortifications video shows you how to build different types of defensive structures, dig trenches, lay landmines, and much more.
We are also pleased to say that there is an amazingly friendly and helpful community forming around the game, and you can find various other guides, tips and tricks by fellow Commanders posted on the Men of War II Official Discord Server, which is also the best place to get any questions answered directly by members of both Best Way and Fulqrum Publishing teams.
We will soon bring you more information about upcoming updates, but if you are already enjoying the game and want to support the development team, consider writing a review here on Steam - it really makes a difference.
And as always, we will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!
Today's Update - Full Change Log:
Newly Added since Previous Announcement:
Improved stability of sound playback
Fixed a crash happening for some players after selection change
Fixed causes for crashes in rendering code
Fixed an issue causing the 'withdraw' action to not check its conditions when activated via hotkey
Fixed an issue with pause in inventory for multi-player
Previously Announced Changes
Critical Fixes:
AFK is no longer used in single-player mode (players will no longer be kicked out of single-player games for inactivity).
Game pause and save functions now work in all game types if only one player is present.
Fixed an issue causing the game to crash to the desktop when manipulating towers.
Fixed an issue causing incorrect detection of unresponsive dedicated servers, leading to server crashes.
“Classic” Mode Changes:
"Test" mode: All unit limits have been removed.
"Front Line" mode: For the AI defensive units, accuracy and overall health was reduced by 50%.
“Realistic” Game Setting Changes:
Increased fragmentation damage to infantry.
Increased suppression time for infantry in trenches under autocannon fire.
Improved accuracy of anti-tank rifles at a range of 80-100 meters.
Increased component damage for armor-piercing shells.
Missions Fixes:
"Operation Lüttich": Fixed a bug where some units were invincible. Additionally, the retreat zone has been refined.
Historical campaign "Operation Overlord": Added the LVT1 amphibious vehicle to the tech tree.
Fixed minor bugs in the missions “Vanguard”, “Funeral Alarm”, and “With Fire and Steel”.
Fixed an issue where players might not receive rewards for completing one of the dynamic campaigns.
Interface Improvements:
Fixed an issue causing the maximum territory control numbers to be cut off in the main combat interface.
Fixed an issue causing the interface to not display upon loading a game after a mission failure/victory.
Disabled the "Restart" and "Load" buttons in the mod editor's game menu.
Fixed an issue where long chat messages would extend off the screen.
Added images/artworks for some battalions.
Added a special window with useful tips.
Added the ability to scroll through the list of invited players in multiplayer mode.
Refined and improved the "Vacate Slot" button functionality in custom lobby.
Added an animation to the bell icon to highlight incoming team invitations.
Other Fixes and Improvements:
Fixed an issue causing artillery spotters' flare not working when it hit a trench.
Fixed the hatch on the KV-1 tank being always open.
Added increased accuracy of each subsequent shot for sub-caliber ammunition.
Disabled ammo resupply for unmanned vehicles.
Fixed the sound for the GAZ-AA truck (supply).
Fixed the battalion composition for a Soviet AI-controlled battalion, which could field German units instead.
Fixed the armor value of the T-95 tank's command turret.
The crew size for the T-34 minesweeper, Piper L-4 Grasshopper plane, and The Fieseler Fi 156 plane has been corrected.
Fixed camera position after exiting first-person view.
Rebuilt the shader cache for Linux/Steam Deck, fixing several crashes.
Toy Soldiers mod screenshot[/td]
Lost Eagles mod screenshot[/td]