Of course, this is a holiday which has changed quite a bit since WW1. Originally it was known only as Washington's Birthday, and fell on February the 22nd since that was, well, his birthday.
It wasn't until the thrillingly named Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 that the holiday was officially set to be the third Monday in February. This change might make things more orderly, but it does also mean that (at least since 1971) the holiday is effectively never actually on Washington's birthday anymore. We'll come close in 2022, when it'll be on the 21st!
Here's a couple of cartoons from February 22nd in 1918, taken from the Stars & Stripes, the American military newspaper. There's no mention of the holiday in the paper.
Updates
We rounded off last week with a small update on Friday which fixed a few bugs and ironed out a couple more exploits relating to in-game user names, which followed up on an earlier update that fixed a few things, including slower machine gun firing for some players with slower computers.
We have a couple of more unusual screenshots from players today!
echo1 put together this wide shot of a soldier bearing down through gas.
A bogged down tank catches the eye in this watery scene by Tom Grump.
We also hope you had a great Valentine's Day!
FRONTLINE NEWS: the 'WWW' edition
We've been busy lately, but mostly on secret projects that aren't ready for sharing yet! That doesn't mean we don't have anything interesting for you. Quite the contrary...
A hot topic
There has been some discussion in the community about the Wex - the German flamethrower you might not have seen getting much use in the game. In this thread on the forum people went back and forth on the weaknesses of this unusual weapon. We can say we are looking into ways to make the Wex a powerful, satisfying weapon to use without it being as overpowered as it has been at times in the past. Veteran players will likely remember how the Wex has changed previously - we hope that we can find a happy middle ground for it!
Too colourful?
It appears that some people have been able to give their in-game names bright colors by using a Steam formatting trick. This isn't intentional, and we are planning to fix this with an update soon.
Who's seen 1917 in cinemas? It's an incredible experience, filmed in such a way as to give the impression of one continuous shot without obvious cuts.
We had some discussion on Facebook and Twitter, with people recommending a whole host of interesting WW1 films. In particular there were a couple of foreign films which sounded intriguing, put forward after one person said that they found another film from an allied perspective rather dull and uninspired.
One of those films is the Hungarian movie Szürke senkik (Grey Nobodies), recommended by György!
It's not technically WW1 itself, but Meelis also suggested something a bit different with Names in Marble, which is about the Estonian War of Independence shortly after WW1. They do caution that it's perhaps not the most historically accurate film!
Finally, Markus mentioned Westfront 1918, a German film from 1930 that he thought had similar vibes to All Quiet on the Western Front.
A still from Westfront 1918: Vier von der Infanterie.
There are even more recommendations on the Facebook post itself if you're in need of new films to watch!
As a final note, the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Verdun is coming up soon, on February 21st... does anyone have any books or films they'd recommend that cover the Battle of Verdun?
What's your squad defence highscore?
Bartoft posted a screenshot from what must have been an epic squad defence game. In their own words:
"A marathon late night Squad Defence game in Verdun. The game started at 11:15pm on 31.1.20 and ended at 5am on 1. 2 .20. This is my last screen shot before our 4 man squad were finally wiped out by the attacking Germans on wave 70. The total game playing time on this shot shows 339 minutes and 51 seconds at the end of wave 69. The screen shot shows enemy dead in our final trench.
In the foreground I am holding my favourite weapon in the game - a Short Magazine Lee Enfield bolt action rifle with a ten shot magazine. I was also equipped with 3 hand grenades at each load out and a trench club for hand to hand fighting.
My game log showed I achieved 2035 kills in the game. This could only be achieved with the cooperation of the other players in the squad. Together we worked well as a team backing each other up as necessary when the enemy almost broke through on numerous occasions."
That's all for now! The trenches are waiting...
Verdun remastered now live on PlayStation 4!
Verdun remastered out now on PlayStation 4! We're pleased to announce that the PlayStation 4 release of Verdun remastered has passed certification and is now live as well! The update brings new maps, squads, AI bots, a whole new look and feel, revamped audio, and much more... Read the full changelog on Reddit!
The update is free for all Verdun owners on PlayStation 4.
Steam Winter Sale In other news, the Steam Winter Sale is live and Verdun is 80% off - or expand your war to the Eastern Front and pick up Tannenberg for a 60% discount.
We'll see you on the battlefield!
Christmas Truce 2019
A Truce Between Giants Inspired by the true events of the Christmas Truce in 1914, the annual Verdun Christmas Truce event, which has been going on for 7 years already, is live again! Players will be able to experience this unexpected moment of peace and common humanity amidst the horror and chaos of the First World War.
[previewyoutube="LqSbWDa-RyU;full"] Players are able to visit a special Christmas Truce map where they can play football matches, have snowball fights and send Christmas cards from the trenches by email or social media. There’s a lot more to do and explore, so enjoy your time with your fellow players and do not fear any bayonet or artillery shell... though a snowball to the face is to be expected!
As 2019 comes to a close we’re excited to see the revamped version of Verdun released on consoles, and Tannenberg releasing on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2020.
Truce Timeline 2013-2019 The Christmas Truce has quite the storied history by now. It all began back in 2013…
2013 Things started on a quiet note, with a short update announcing an in-game truce between Frontline matches. Exchanging seasonal greetings, snowball fights, and football were the first features!
2014 In 2014 there was a longer announcement with some exciting competitions for the first time, and the first appearance of Scottish soldiers in Verdun – at the time, only for the Christmas Truce!
2015 For 2015 a new official trailer was released, and the ability to send Christmas cards to friends and family was implemented. As well as that, a brand new Christmas Truce map was added, full of delightful Christmas details. During the event, over 12,000 Christmas cards were sent from the frontlines!
2016 In 2016 we released a special temporary Christmas Truce DLC, with all proceeds going to the War Child charity. Everyone who donated this way got unlimited access to the Christmas Truce over this Christmas.
2017 The War Child donation DLC returned for 2017, with more money raised for charity. We also gave away some WW1 Game Series swag including trench whistles, game keys, and even a thermos or two!
2018 A new feature arrived in 2018 as part of a personal charity effort by M2H – tree planting! A new forest of 2,500 trees was donated by M2H as part of Trees for All, to be planted in the Netherlands and Uganda. Soldiers in the trenches of WW1 would prop up trees to serve as Christmas trees, so we added the ability to plant a tree and challenged the community to match our 2,500 trees, with one tree per player. In fact, more 6,000 trees were planted in-game!
2019 Which brings us to today, the seventh year of the Christmas Truce in Verdun. Some of you have been there every year since the beginning, and some will be joining for the first time this year. You can once again earn an annual special medal by participating in a Christmas Truce from the main menu, and staying until the end of the round! We wish everyone a merry Christmas and thank you all for your support!
Happy Holidays everyone! The WW1 Game Series team wishes you all the best!
Verdun remastered on Xbox One!
Exciting news for Xbox fans; Verdun has been remastered bringing all kinds of new content and updates for the players, as well as a completely new look and feel.
[previewyoutube="vdkIH718zfk;full"]
The graphics have been updated; with more detail on character models as well as other smaller improvements. In addition, a brand new audio system and soundscape has been developed, with improved weapon sounds recorded from real WW1 weapons made available by collectors. AI controlled soldiers have also been added to the game to ensure battles are always filled. As a cherry on top of the cake, we’ve also added the latest St. Mihiel map, as well as the Tirailleurs Senegalese and ANZAC squad types to the game. There are numerous other improvements not mentioned, including various improvements in the gameplay, controls and interface.
Verdun is 60% off in the Steam Autumn sale! Let your history minded friends know, or if you're feeling generous you could get it for them (nothing like a friend signing you up for service on the Western Front...)
Wolves spotted in Tannenberg!
[previewyoutube="dwDXkextcWg;full"]https://youtu.be/dwDXkextcWg[/previewyoutube] Tannenberg is 60% off right now as well, and there is a special event running in-game... The Wolf Truce is based off newspaper reports at the time which described masses of hungry wolves attacking soldiers in the face of machine gun fire, gas and grenades! This report from a US newspaper is likely to have been just a little exaggerated, but more sober Russian sources do describe the danger wolves could pose to injured men or stragglers.
In the game a wolf attack gives players the choice to hold a ceasefire and work together to fight off the wolves, or go for complete chaos and continue the battle while also being harried by the pack. A medal can be earned if players manage to defeat the wolves while sticking to the ceasefire - it's harder than it sounds!
This screenshot was taken by a player during the first Wolf Truce event earlier this year.
We look forward to seeing you on both Western and Eastern Front battlefields!
Re-enactment of the Battle of Saint-Mihiel
We'd firstly like to express our appreciation for everyone who responded to our Armistice activities here and on social media with thoughtful comments. It’s great that after so many years, people are still showing their respect and commemorating the World War One.
This is an impromptu in-game Armistice captured by player bucklington.
Another Armistice screenshot by player Stephen Dedalus.
Battle of Saint-Mihiel 1918
Next Sunday 24th November, player Ranjid is organising another great community re-enactment event.
You are invited to join a ferocious battle between the French and Germans at Saint Mihiel. Poilus and Senegalese Tirailleurs will face German Landser squads backed up by Stosstruppen and Pioneers. Since it's a battle in 1918, you can expect some less common weapons like the MP 18s and flamethrowers to be present.
This is re-enactment event, so you'll be expected to follow some basic instructions. Your reward is the chance to participate in coordinated 'over the top' mass charges following artillery barrages, bayonet attacks, and simply a more organized battle experience. There's nothing quite like it!
This was taken during a Saint-Mihiel battle event held earlier this year!
A screenshot from a previous re-enactment event.
Thanks Ranjid!
We'd like to say thank you to Ranjid for his many wonderful events over the years. He has announced that he will retire from these events in 2020, and we wish him all the best.
Of course, you don't need any special permissions to arrange an event. In the x64 group we have seen some great matches planned on the EU and US servers, more info here. We love community events, and it'd be great to see others take the initiative and host some events of their own.
Cheers! The WW1 Game Series team
Armistice - Lest we forget!
After agreeing the terms of the armistice at the Forest of Compiègne.
One hundred and one years ago today, the Armistice was signed between the allied powers and Germany. Earlier armistices had already been signed with German allies, and the Armistice of November 11th, 1918 finally ended fighting for good. It would be extended three times before the Treaty of Versailles officially ended the war.
In Verdun (and our Eastern Front WW1 game Tannenberg) there is an optional two minute silence to commemorate this important day in history. Those who observe it will earn a medal in-game. For those of you on Facebook, we have created an overlay which you can apply to your profile picture. Just follow this link.
The lasting costs of war
Today we celebrate the end of World War One which lasted more than four years. But we also commemorate the 15-19 million who died, and the over 20 million wounded that survived the war - although with a cost. Wounds could be physical or mental; shell shock being perhaps the most well known mental effect of the war.
Shell shock encompassed a wide range of mental reactions to the horror of combat, which were poorly understood at the time. What soldiers in WW1 were experiencing would likely be classified as either combat stress reaction (for temporary effects), or if it was a longer term effect, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A soldier captured by the Germans in 1918, who was diagnosed with shell shock.
The term shell shock was coined because early analysis suggested that mental disorders might be caused by shockwaves from shells. Of course, this was not the case - physically uninjured soldiers could still suffer posttraumatic stress disorder. War correspondent Philip Gibbs wrote of soldiers suffering from ‘shell shock’:
Something was wrong. They put on civilian clothes again and looked to their mothers and wives very much like the young men who had gone to business in the peaceful days before August 1914. But they had not come back the same men. Something had altered in them. They were subject to sudden moods, and queer tempers, fits of profound depression alternating with a restless desire for pleasure. Many were easily moved to passion where they lost control of themselves, many were bitter in their speech, violent in opinion, frightening.
The breakdowns which could be caused by experience of war were often conflated with cowardice or a 'lack of bravery'. During the First World War, this was encouraged by some leaders due to an increasing shortage of manpower and also the unforeseen costs of disability payments to all those suffering mental injuries. After all, if a man was 'only suffering from a momentary loss of heart' he could be sent back into battle. A dismissive attitude towards shell shock could also be caused by simple ignorance. Royal Fusilier William Holbrook said:
I was reading some time ago where some general said, ‘There’s no such thing as shell shock.’ He ought to have, he should have been there. I mean it’s ridiculous to say things like that. You get a man, even if he was a strong man, you get a terrific burst from a shell within say three or four yards of you, you know. It does, it does upset them. Shell shock, oh my god yes.
Some doctors advocated the use of cruel 'treatments' like electric shocks to attempt to bring shell shock victims back to fighting condition.
The Cambridge History of the First World War estimates that 20% of soldiers may have been affected by shell shock - but these numbers are uncertain, in part because the doctors at the frontlines may have avoided labelling injured men with psychological conditions that would not be considered worthy of a disability pension. One man who did receive a pension was Thomas Olive:
I used to have little breakdowns now and then and my wife used to be very frightened. It more or less used to happen at night, when I was in bed. I used to spring up off the bed, you know; it used to frighten her. My daughter, incidentally, is terribly nervous, she’s terribly nervous. My wife says it’s all my fault. Well I had shell shock, you see. I got blown up, you see, and it affected my whole system. I got a pension for about oh, what was it, about 9 shillings a week.
It’s worth noting that the 9 shillings a week was roughly equivalent to about 26 pounds / 30 euros / 33 dollars today. As mentioned before, many of those who suffered mental disorders as a result of their wartime experiences wouldn’t even get that.
When you pause to remember the Armistice today and think back of all those who fell during the war, also remember those who survived but were still scarred by their experiences, whether physically or mentally.
Lest we forget...
Verdun 60% spooky sale!
Halloween is almost here, and that means it’s time for a sale! You can get 60% off Verdun for a limited time! Plus, you may notice a subtle change in-game with menu… it's something you wouldn't be surprised to encounter in the trenches of World War One.
Of course, there was no shortage of horrors and unsettling moments during the First World War, some of which are represented in this selection of community screenshots. View gory spoilers by mousing over the black bar.
Could be a water monster, by Tom Grump.
The subject of this screenshot by Tchekhov looks ready to come back to life...
Game Update: Two mini-updates and two nice screenshots!
Updates
This week we have released two small updates for Verdun (and Tannenberg). These come hot on the heels of an earlier update, which we are pleased to say has given users on average a 9% improvement in FPS, and more stable framerates. Of particular note is that the issue where you could be removed from a game 'disconnected due to ServerLogic' should be fixed. Please let us know if you encounter the issue after updating!
As well as the things listed below, we are still actively working on some issues such as grenades hanging around in the first person view and medals sometimes not being awarded. When these are solved we'll let you know - many thanks to all of you who have reported issues to us!
Read below for a summary of both updates, or check the changelog for the full list.
Fixed 'ServerLogic' issues
Firearms now correctly animate melee attacks whilst sprinting
Fixed esc sometimes not working.
'Do you even Die' should now be achievable for all users
'Extreme Headhunter' should now be achievable for all users
Fixed some squad points not being awarded
Fixed running from crouch/prone sometimes not working
When using a controller, you can now go through custom match option by tapping A/X on it
Fixed shiny square blood decals
Added check to prevent duplicate maps in map-vote
Fixed footsteps sometimes being silent
Optimised bandwidth usage
Two screenshots that caught our eye...
French troops defend a position in this screenshot by SovietDoge.
Another SovietDoge screenshot from a community event. Not good odds!
