Sorry for the much longer than usual delay between updates. I generally try to put one out every few weeks, but this update is a fairly substantial one. It was a massive undertaking, but I got online multiplayer working. It's currently limited to 2 players per lobby, but you can play VS. or Co-op against the AI.
It's my first attempt at anything like this, so please do let me know if you encounter issues. It runs well enough on my two personal computers, and I was able to cross-play between Mac and Windows with no issues. However, running smoothly on the same network is no guarantee it will do so in the wild, so to speak, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the netcode holds up.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Online multiplayer is available.
Fixed elevation map offset when playing as Germany at Verdun.
Tweaked camera elasticity so scrolling from edges is a bit quicker.
Fixed crash when removing individual units from scheduled orders.
Fixed bug in which Intelligence officer would schedule air sorties at night.
Fixed bug with fortress goal tiles being in the wrong positions when playing as Germany at Verdun.
New Localization keys:
ONLINE_LOBBIES_LBL
ONLINE_LOBBY_CREATE_BTN
ONLINE_LOBBY_JOIN_BTN
ONLINE_LOBBY_LEAVE_BTN
ONLINE_LOBBY_REFRESH_BTN
ONLINE_CHATROOM_TITLE
ONLINE_CHATROOM_SEND_BTN
ONLINE_CHATROOM_OTHER_PLAYERS
ONLINE_MATCH_TYPE_VERSUS
ONLINE_MATCH_TYPE_COOP
ONLINE_LEAVE_LOBBY
ONLINE_LOBBY_LEFT
ONLINE_LOBBY_JOINED
ONLINE_LOBBY_JOIN_FAILED
CONFIRMATION_ONLINE_NO_LOBBY_NAME
CONFIRMATION_ONLINE_NO_LOBBY_SELECTED
ONLINE_ROLE_HOST
ONLINE_ROLE_GUEST
ONLINE_LOBBY_CREATE_OR_JOIN_PROMPT
ONLINE_IN_LOBBY_LBL
ONLINE_WAITING_FOR_GUEST_TO_CHOOSE
TITLE_SCREEN_CHAT_ENABLED_LBL
CHAT_CONFIRM_TOOLTIP
CHAT_CANCEL_TOOLTIP
ONLINE_NOTIFY_USER_LEFT
ONLINE_NOTIFY_INCREASE_GAME_SPEED,
ONLINE_NOTIFY_DECREASE_GAME_SPEE
ONLINE_NOTIFY_GAME_PAUSE
ONLINE_NOTIFY_GAME_RESUME
ONLINE_NOTIFY_SCHEDULED_ORDER_COMPLETED
ONLINE_NOTIFY_TARGET_AREA_ADDED
ONLINE_NOTIFY_PATROL_CREATED
ONLINE_NOTIFY_BALLOON_STARTED
ONLINE_NOTIFY_ASSIGN_PILOT_TO_PLANE
ONLINE_NOTIFY_SEND_UNIT_ON_LEAVE
ONLINE_NOTIFY_ASSIGN_COMMANDER
ONLINE_NOTIFY_UNLOCK_UPGRADE
ONLINE_NOTIFY_ASSIGN_STAFF_COMMANDER
ONLINE_NOTIFY_ERASE_UNIT
ONLINE_NOTIFY_REPLACE_UNIT
ONLINE_NOTIFY_RECALL_UNIT
ONLINE_NOTIFY_TOGGLE_DELEGATION
ONLINE_NOTIFY_CHANGE_PRIORITY
Thanks for playing!
Update - Feb. 12
Hi all,
Nothing major in this update, but there are a few fairly important bugfixes that I wanted to address. Most of these had to do with some work under the hood that went a bit awry.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Fixed crash when quitting to the main menu and starting a new game immediately afterwards.
Fixed issue where terrain effects weren't reloaded properly.
Fixed bug in which commander traits weren't being properly removed when reassigning them.
Fixed bug with dugout textures not changing to completed dugouts when finished building.
Fixed bug in which unseen wire in terrain would override the terrain type in the tile details window when Fog of War was enabled.
Units now reset to idle instead of attempting to build forever when out of tools.
Fixed potential crash when stealing supplies.
Thanks for playing!
Update - Jan. 28
Hi all,
Managed to add a few quality of life updates, but mostly focused on balance issues and bug fixes that were pointed out in the discussion forums. It is always appreciated when you guys go out of your way to suggest improvements to the game, so keep the feedback coming!
Bugfixes/Changes:
"Build Mode" - where players can paint lines of trenches and other tiles in order to build them - now allows you to drag over an area to resume construction of tiles previously marked for construction. You can also now remove an entire area of painted tiles by dragging over them.
Fixed bug where tiles still under construction would change appearance if the tile next to them was finished building, despite not being complete themselves.
Units are less prone to wandering away when orders are cancelled. Previously they would try to reposition themselves when orders were cancelled, leading to weird results.
Upon finishing a "shift" for a repeating scheduled order, units will choose to reposition themselves in nearby forests or houses if close enough to one.
Support units are now assigned to proper orders based on their unit type when set to be automated, rather than random orders like Drill or Resting.
Terrain effects no longer affect underground units.
Fixed Attack Area workaround that would allow units to attack into trenches by targeting adjacent tiles.
Units attacking an area around them can no longer hit themselves.
Units in dugouts no longer become sick.
Units can no longer shoot into dugouts or blockhouses. They must move directly into them and engage any units inside in melee.
Commander caps are no longer lowered twice when changing commanders. A previous update made it so that removing a commander would lower the cap of Morale, Supply, and Readiness twice.
Default size of the commander selection popup in the Order of Battle screen has been set properly to accommodate the new buttons on the right. The addition of the resize feature caused this issue.
Railroad label tooltip in the Headquarters screen has been fixed.
Tooltips in officer replacement popup have been updated.
Officer experience tooltip now adds numbers of attribute effects.
Units experiencing order delay will no longer trigger sounds when viewing their information on the unit details popup.
Destroy and Repair orders can now be performed on tiles that are currently being built, rather than only on fully constructed tiles.
Shells Taken event has been fixed to prevent infantry battalions on the Redoubt map from being affected. However, reserve battalions are now affected.
Added ability to shoot into nearby trenches from blockhouse.
New Localization keys:
TOOLTIP_BUILD_MODE_ADD
TOOLTIP_BUILD_MODE_SUBTRACT
TOOLTIP_BUILD_MODE_DRAG_ADD
TOOLTIP_BUILD_MODE_DRAG_SUBTRACT
TOOLTIP_SENIOR_COMMANDER_BONUS_LEADERSHIP
TOOLTIP_SENIOR_COMMANDER_BONUS_ORGANIZATION
TOOLTIP_SENIOR_COMMANDER_BONUS_COMMAND
TOOLTIP_COMPANY_COMMANDER_BONUS_LEADERSHIP
TOOLTIP_COMPANY_COMMANDER_BONUS_ORGANIZATION
TOOLTIP_COMPANY_COMMANDER_BONUS_COMMAND
Thanks for playing!
Update - Dec 24
Hi all,
Merry Christmas! I added a new area priority popup to the top of the screen, to allow you to prioritize areas of interest during mass offensives. This doesn't directly affect the initial charge, but as your men move around during the offensive, they will naturally prioritize high priority areas over other places. This allows you to prioritize certain areas of the line as you see fit.
I've also added a small Skirmish tutorial to help with this. It's sort of a catch-all tutorial that strings together several things from prior tutorials. If there's anything else you want to see covered in the tutorial, feel free to let me know. Whereas the earlier tutorials are mostly focused on teaching players how to do things in the game, the Skirmish tutorial is open to anything that might help people actually understand what to do. Thus, I'm willing to chop and change it in order to help new players get started.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Added a priority popup for areas of interest.
Units during mass offensives will now more likely move on to high priority targets after storming the enemy front line.
Scheduled add/cut wire orders are now more structured so that units will lay wire closer together.
Units no longer arbitrarily return to resting state during wirecutting scheduled orders.
Fixed potential crash when creating new area of interest.
Loading a Redoubt map, then loading a different map will no longer lock the camera into a closer zoom range.
Players now start with an extra rifle battalion on the Redoubt map.
Raids of all types now inflict extra damage with melee and grenade attacks in the two weeks prior to a mass offensive.
Melee/grenade attack bonus during mass offensives has been increased.
Bug in which raid completion popup would appear twice if cancelled manually has been fixed.
New Localization keys:
TARGET_PRIORITY_LOW
TARGET_PRIORITY_MEDIUM
TARGET_PRIORITY_HIGH
TARGET_PRIORITY_TOOLTIP
TARGET_PRIORITY_SHOW_ALL
TOP_MENU_PRIORITIZE_TOOLTIP
HELP_TEXT_TARGET_AREA_PRIORITY_01
HELP_TEXT_TARGET_AREA_PRIORITY_02
HELP_TEXT_TARGET_AREA_PRIORITY_03
HELP_SUBTOPIC_TARGET_AREA_PRIORITY
TITLE_SCREEN_SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_BTN
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_TITLE
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_INTRO_01
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_INTRO_02
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_SUPPORT_01
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_SUPPORT_02
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_SUPPLY_DUMPS_01
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_SUPPLY_DUMPS_02
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_RAID
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_GRENADES_01
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_GRENADES_02
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_ADD_AREA
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_PRIORITIZE_01
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_PRIORITIZE_02
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_MOVE_FORWARD_01
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_MOVE_FORWARD_02
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_OVER_THE_TOP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_DONE
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_INTRO_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_SUPPORT_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_SUPPLY_DUMP_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_RAID_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_GRENADES_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_ADD_AREA_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_PRIORITIZE_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_MOVE_FORWARD_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_OVER_THE_TOP_TOOLTIP
SKIRMISH_TUTORIAL_DONE_TOOLTIP
Thanks for playing!
Update - Dec. 5
Hi all,
Managed to do some more playtesting these past few weeks, so this update contains a lot of tweaks and quality of life updates. There is also some rebalancing of support functions, and I've addressed a few quirks with artillery units that were brought up in the discussion forums.
The biggest change is that artillery units will no longer reposition themselves into dangerously forward positions when attempting to create a line of sight to their intended target. Instead, they'll stop some distance from the player's current front line and cease attempting to fire if they are not able to see their target. As a corollary, this forces the player to try and coordinate their advances with formal offensives a bit more, as this is the only method to permanently claim the enemy front line.
Bugfixes/Changes:
The main subscreens - Headquarters, Order of Battle, Aerodrome, and Schedule Orders - are no longer draggable. Previously you could drag them off screen and find yourself unable to close them.
Commander details popup can now be resized. It is also automatically resized if the underlying unit information popup is resized.
Underground construction orders now properly prioritize the tiles that can be immediately reached from existing underground connections.
Field hospital range has been increased.
Automated rest orders will now place understrength units near field hospitals. Full strength or near-full strength units will still be placed in dugouts, but can also be assigned near field kitchens if you've built any.
Add Supplies is now a drag order, with a sub-menu for choosing load type like Resupply or Supplying Area.
Rest orders now more likely to prioritize showers if any exist in the dragged area.
Artillery units will now stop before they get too close to the front lines when ordered or scheduled to attack.
Artillery units in artillery pits will no longer move to attack when ordered to do so - they must be moved out of the pit first. They will still attack defensively and can still perform anti-air duties.
Cancelling orders will no longer move artillery back to their start positions if doing so would move them from an artillery pit to open ground. Previously, an artillery unit performing anti-air in an artillery pit, for instance, would move back to open ground if Cancel Order was selected.
Grenades weren't really working due to being overridden by melee logic. Units now properly use grenades when in close combat.
Cut Wire is now an order in which you drag over an area instead of drawing a line. Units will automatically remove wire from tiles with enemy wire on them.
Flamethrowers now properly attack all tiles again like they are supposed to. I had inadvertently changed this without realizing it.
Attack indicators now properly clear when a unit ceases its attack. Previously the player would have to deselect the unit or select another for the attack indicator to clear.
New Localization keys:
MOUSE_DRAG_ADD_SUPPLIES_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_CUT_WIRE_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_LINE_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_SUPPRESS_AREA_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_CHARGE_POSITION_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_SUPPLYING_AREA_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_RESTING_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_GUARD_DUTY_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_ADD_SUPPLIES_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_TRAINING_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_FORTIFY_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_REPAIR_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_DESTROY_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_ADD_CABLE_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_CUT_WIRE_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_SET_MINE_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_ANTI_AIR_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_GROUND_ATTACK_LABEL
MOUSE_DRAG_SINGLE_TILE_LABEL
Updated Localization keys:
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_SUPPLY_DUMPS_02
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_SUPPLY_DUMPS_TOOLTIP
SUPPORT_BUILDING_TUTORIAL_KITCHENS_01
HELP_TEXT_SUPPORT_03
Thanks for playing!
Update - Nov. 11
Hi all,
Bit of a small update this time round due to being busier than usual, but I'd be remiss not to put out an update on November 11. This update addresses some minor issues from the previous update and fleshes out the new tooltip that appears when hovering over a selected unit's current task by adding field supply dump and field kitchen information.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Hotkey rebind buttons in the main menu now properly switch to alternate font.
Commander selection popup has now been widened to prevent formatting from breaking when using alternate font.
Consumption of field supply dumps in dugouts has been lowered.
Unit task tooltip now contains resupply information when being supplied by a field supply dump and/or a field kitchen.
Unit now adds supply dumps properly instead of defaulting to supplying area if empty-handed when the order to add the supply dump to the dugout is first issued.
Updated Localization keys:
SUPPORT_BUILDING_TUTORIAL_HOSPITALS_TOOLTIP
SUPPORT_BUILDING_TUTORIAL_KITCHENS_TOOLTIP
SUPPORT_BUILDING_TUTORIAL_SHOWERS_TOOLTIP
HELPER_REGAIN_SUPPLY_TOOLTIP
HELPER_REGAIN_SUPPLY_TOOLTIP_SUFFIX
HELPER_REGAIN_FOOD_TOOLTIP_SUFFIX
Thanks for playing!
Update - Oct. 24
Hi all,
Managed to get some good playtesting in this time round. I've tweaked a few things, implemented some suggestions and feedback from the forums, and overall managed to track down some issues that I've overlooked while optimizing things and adding features.
Thanks to all of you who left feedback in the forums. It means more than you know, and helps me greatly when considering what to work on.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Nearby partial trenches will now be targeted by the enemy AI during its offensives. Previously the AI would focus too much on a single line of trenches, allowing the user to make use of decoy trenches and sap trenches as shields for the main line.
Elevation map now appears on top of terrain.
Fixed platoon numbers.
Wire status is no longer revealed for hidden tiles if Fog of War is enabled.
Scheduled orders based on target areas now start with the tiles that are furthest back.
Fixed map generation on the Isonzo map type, which would prevent comm. trenches from being generated on Karst.
Assigning a new staff officer will no longer automatically un-delegate your Intelligence Officer.
Fixed potential crash when advancing or retreating to a new sector.
Fixed issue where AI units were occasionally being left in player trenches after moving to a new sector.
Fixed crash when attempting to use Scheduled Orders for artillery units on friendly tiles.
Existing scheduled orders are now cleared when moving to a new sector, as the assigned tiles become obsolete.
Fixed Artillery bombardment scheduled orders.
Attack Area scheduled orders now properly attack the area instead of selecting a random tile within the area.
Artillery units now no longer move close to their intended area of attack when scheduled to suppress an area.
Supply units now resupply immediately if out of supplies rather than moving to their intended supply area before checking.
Fixed overlapping text for multi-line items in new unit task tooltip.
Fixed unit task tooltip resizing.
Thanks for playing!
Update - Sept. 27
Hi all,
Mostly focused on adding tooltips and extra information this time around, to make the game a bit more clear. The biggest addition is the ability to hover over a unit's current task in order to see all modifiers that affect that action, such as the effect of upgrades or poor weather on a unit's effectiveness at building a trench.
Hopefully this makes things a little more clear and easy to understand. Naturally, the list of updated/new localization keys is much larger than usual this time.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Unit type icons now update properly when selecting units.
Can now hover over a unit's current action in the popup window to see a detailed layout of base values and modifiers.
Order delay information is now shown when you hover over the order delay icon instead of the unit's current task.
Fixed bug in which Medical units would search for wounded units endlessly even when wounded units were present.
Mostly just spent this update tightening up and tweaking existing functionality again. I also added tank usage to the Support Units tutorial, as there was no clear explanation on how tanks really worked in this game and how you're able to have units follow behind them for protection.
Most importantly, I tweaked the Aerodrome to be less restrictive, but more dependent on the conditions at the front, as well as your own upgrade level.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Added tank cover to Support Units tutorial.
Horizontal trench tiles that are reinforced now confer a firestep bonus to rifle and machine gun units, which boosts their attack power on these tiles.
Offensives are now cancelled if the enemy strikes first, and rescheduled once the enemy offensive is concluded.
Max number of patrols and pilots per patrol has been increased per upgrade level, but pilot and plane recovery is much slower. Pilot readiness and plane ammo/fuel recovery now takes into account the upgrade level of your aerodrome in addition to the overall aerodrome status of the sector.
The number of sorties that can be launched by your Intelligence Officer now also takes into account the upgrade level of your Aerodrome in addition to his Organization level.
Can now customize Readiness threshold for pilots when issuing orders to Intelligence Officer.
Fixed bug in which dugouts couldn't be built by Engineers.
Updated Localization keys:
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_TANKS
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_GET_BEHIND_TANKS_01
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_GET_BEHIND_TANKS_02
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_MOVE_TANK
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_TANKS_TOOLTIP
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_GET_BEHIND_TANK_TOOLTIP
SUPPORT_TUTORIAL_MOVE_TANK_TOOLTIP
DELEGATION_PATROL_READINESS
DELEGATION_PATROL_READINESS_THRESHOLD
TOOLTIP_DELEGATION_PILOT_READINESS
HELPER_UNIT_ACTION_TOOLTIP_FORTIFY_TRENCH
UNIT_EFFECT_ON_FIRESTEP
TOOLTIP_EFFECT_ON_FIRESTEP
Thanks for playing!
Update - August 4
Hi all,
I ended up being away for a couple of weeks, so this update is relatively light despite the length of time since the last one. A lot of the work was under the hood, so there's nothing noticeably new aside from flanking fire penalties that allow you to pin the enemy and attack them from multiple directions.
Bugfixes/Changes:
Attacking units that are also under rifle or grenade attack from a direction they are not facing now suffer extra casualties from flanking fire.
Pilots with high discipline will now be more likely to defend other pilots in their own sortie group by attacking enemy pilots pursuing them.
