Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector | Dev Diary #13
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It has been a while since we updated you on how Battlesector is proceeding and we are aware that you would like to know more.
Our last transmission was alongside the Warhammer Skulls festival where we let you know some more about how we would be moving forward with Battlesector, building on the amazing foundation that Black Lab Games have laid. There will be more news in the coming weeks and months about new armies, campaigns and game modes. Today, I’m here to tell you about what we’ve been up to recently and what to expect in the very near future.
The update which added the Tyranid Biovore and Pyrovore and the Necron Royal Warden was our first with Slitherine staff as the main developers. Our team at that point was a very small strike force with a simple remit to learn how to work with the Battlesector engine, add the new units and work with the team at Black Lab to complete the handover. We also released a small balance and bug fix patch (1.4.82) to react to the community experience of the new units.
Since then we’ve been hard at work taking the knowledge and experience that we have gained and using it to grow out “Team Battlesector”. We now have many more hands on deck, with specialists focussing on key areas of the game and working hard making the new content that we’ve told you about.
In the very near future we’ll be releasing our latest incremental “balance” patch. This is our first release for this new team and we’re really looking forward to seeing how it shakes up the current gameplay meta strategies for both Single Player game modes and the Multiplayer Community.
The main balance focus has been on the Ork Faction. They are already great fun to play with, but quite a few of their units ended up stumbling over each other when players were looking to build armies. Our approach has been to look to ensure that each unit has a purpose and that the faction as a whole has enough tools to take on their opponents. For example, the Orks really lacked a cheap Anti Armour option, so we’ve converted the Boyz Rokkits from their current “frag” stats to a more focussed “krak” style profile.
We’ve also been looking at addressing a few bits of the game interface that hadn’t kept up to date with the growth of the game. So we’ve re-arranged the units on the Army Management screen so similar types are now grouped together (rather than the new free units always being stuck at the bottom) and we’ve expanded the options for setting up a new game to allow players to choose if they want to be “player 1” or “player 2” so you can get a real feel of what it’s like to be on the other side of the battlefield.
There’s plenty more in there too, and we’re really looking forward to getting this patch into your hands so you can see what you think.
Expect to hear more from us soon.
The Battlesector Team
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - New tournament open for sign-ups
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector | Open League - September Speed Slaughter
Do not miss the chance to sign-up to the new September Speed Slaughter tournament which will feature 3 multiplayer maps:
- Ghostlands
- Scrapyard
- Settlement
You can sign-up here.
The tournament follows Swiss Tournament rules: you can find the full list of rules here.
The first round will commence on Tuesday, 10th September 2024. No further entries can be accepted after the tournament has begun. The tournament will last 3 rounds, 7 days each. Games are paired, so each matchup will be played both ways. All you need to do is sign up, then the system will pair you with opponents and create your PBEM games. You will be notified by mail of when the tournament is starting and when it will be time to play your turns.
Round Info:
- Round 1 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Ghostlands - Army Size 1500, Target 60
- Round 2 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Scrapyard - Army Size 1500, Target 60
- Round 3 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Settlement - Army Size 1500, Target 60
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1295500/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector/
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - New tournaments open for sign-ups
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Summer KO Speed Tournament
We are excited to announce a new knock-out tournament.
We'd like to thank a lot all the players, who have played our first KO tournament and we hope you enjoyed the new format.
The Summer KO Speed Tournament features 64 players and you can sign-up here.
Round Info:
- Round 1 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Settlement - Army Size 1500 - Target Score 60
- Round 2 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Ghostlands - Army Size 1500 - Target Score 60
- Round 3 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Hive Top - Army Size 1500 - Target Score 60
- Quarter Final - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Feeding Ground - Army Size 1500 - Target Score 60
- Semi Final - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Imperial Ruins - Army Size 1500 - Target Score 60
- Final - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Scrapyard - Army Size 1500 - Target Score 60
Please Note: Round Time is 7 days.
Summer KO Speed Tournament will start on Wednesday, 31st July 2024.
Once reached the slots available, the sign-ups for this tournament will be closed.
But don't worry if you can secure a slot, because along with the Summer KO Speed Tournament we are thrilled to announce also a standard league tournament.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Summer Social Tournament
Do not miss the chance to sign-up to the new Summer Social Tournament which will feature 3 multiplayer maps:
- Aisle of Tithes
- Scrapyard
- Feeding Grounds
You can sign-up here.
The tournament follows Swiss Tournament rules: you can find the full list of rules here.
The first round will commence on Wednesday, 31st July 2024. No further entries can be accepted after the tournament has begun. The tournament will last 3 rounds, 11 days each. Games are paired, so each matchup will be played both ways. All you need to do is sign up, then the system will pair you with opponents and create your PBEM games. You will be notified by mail of when the tournament is starting and when it will be time to play your turns.
Round Info:
Round 1 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Aisle of Tithes - Army Size 2000
Round 2 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Scrapyard - Army Size 2000
Round 3 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Feeding Grounds - Army Size 2000
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - 1.4.82 - Patch Notes
Changes since 1.4.81
General
Tournaments:
- Disabled Might and Fury bonus points. Match winners receive the scenario target score, which is the same as the score that users who received a bye get.
- This will likely lead to a tie at the top of the leaderboard and we’ll use our new Knock Out style tournaments to determine the overall winner
- Known issue: If you are losing the match on points and destroy your opponent’s army, you won’t be given the victory. This will be fixed in due course but for now it is the same for everyone, so ensure you play the game mode objectives!
Balance
Sisters of Battle:
- Exorcist
- Removed Overwatch ability
- Added Artillery capacity. Does not need a direct line of sight to attack
- Removed Overwatch ability
Tyranids:
- Biovore
- Reduced Seed Spore Mine cooldown to 1 turn (2)
- Reduced Seed Spore Mine range to 7 (8)
- Increased Seed Spore Mine Charge time to 1 turn (0)
- Reduced Seed Spore Mine cooldown to 1 turn (2)
- Biovore Spore Mine
- Added an initial 1 MP to the spawned Spore Mines (no AP though)
- Removed ability to interact with mission objectives (zones and controls)
- Can now use their AP to buy extra moves (including on charges)
- Added an initial 1 MP to the spawned Spore Mines (no AP though)
- Pyrovore
- Cost to 110 (115)
- Burning Spray cooldown to 1 turn (2)
- Burning Spray armour reduction to -2 (-1) and -3 (-2) [Normal and Empowered]
- Cost to 110 (115)
Necrons:
- Royal Warden
- Cost to 160 (150)
- Momentum on Death to 25 (15)
- Adaptive Strategy Duration reduced to 1 turn (2)
- Engrammatic Logic momentum boost reduced to 10 (15) and 25 (35) [Normal and Empowered]
- Cost to 160 (150)
- Canoptek Scarabs
- Reenabled Momentum and CPP when models die
- Plasmancer
- Quantum Orb now has a cooldown of 3 turns (to match other skills)
- Overlord
- Increased Command Protocol charge time to 1 turn (0)
Bug Fixes
- Fixed issue where some units had the wrong textures on a Planetary Supremacy map
- Fixed AI issue where units were throwing Frag Grenades at the floor
- Fixed issue where Skorpekh destroyers that were destroyed when using Plasmacyte Infusion were not being properly killed if they had a bonus HP buff
- Tweaked Land Speeder AI to encourage it to use it’s Assault Cannon
- Updated New Skulls 2024 units to cost Requisition Points in game modes
- Fixed issue where Biovore Spore Mine was attacking multiple times when self-destructing
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - First knock-out tournament open for sign-ups
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Skulls KO Tournament
To celebrate Warhammer Skulls festival, we are extremely excited to announce our very first knock-out tournament.
We'd like to thank a lot all the players, who helped us testing the new tournament format.
The knock-out format will give the players the possibility to test their skills and to increase the types of tournaments they can play in.
The Skulls KO Tournament features 32 players and you can sign-up here.
Round Info:
- Round 1 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Settlement - Army Size 2000
- Round 2 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Imperial Ruins - Army Size 2000
- Quarter Final - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Scrapyard - Army Size 2000
- Semi Final - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Fire Caste Outpost - Army Size 2000
- Final - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: The Salt Exchange - Army Size 2000
Skulls KO Tournament will start on Monday, 10th June 2024.
Once reached the slots available, the sign-ups for this tournament will be closed.
But don't worry if you can secure a slot, because along with the Skulls KO Tournament we are thrilled to announce a standard league tournament.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Skulls 2024 Tournament
Do not miss the chance to sign-up to the new Skulls 2024 Tournament which will feature 3 multiplayer maps:
- Imperial Ruins
- Settlement
- The Salt Exchange
You can sign-up here.
The tournament follows Swiss Tournament rules: you can find the full list of rules here.
The first round will commence on Monday, 10th June 2024. No further entries can be accepted after the tournament has begun.
The tournament will last 3 rounds, 11 days each. Games are paired, so each matchup will be played both ways. All you need to do is sign up, then the system will pair you with opponents and create your PBEM games. You will be notified by mail of when the tournament is starting and when it will be time to play your turns.
Round Info:
- Round 1 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Imperial Ruins - Army Size 2000
- Round 2 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: Settlement - Army Size 2000
- Round 3 - Mode: Strategic Command - Map: The Salt Exchange - Army Size 2000
Warhammer Skulls festival
Warhammer Skulls is available until May 30th.
There are loads of amazing discounts and new announcements from other studios, too. So we hope that you will check them out here.
Warhammer Skulls Festival - Battlesector major update & Gladius Demolition Pack
But let's take a look at it, shall we?
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
We are glad to announce that a new free major update for Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is available from today for everyone who owns the game, introducing 3 new playable units: Royal Warden, Pyrovore and Biovore.
On top of this major update, during Skulls showcase, we have talked about the recent releases, the great plans for the future of the game and, finally, we announced the next faction that will join the battle in Battlesector.
Royal Warden, Pyrovore and Biovore
First up is the Necron Royal Warden. These loyal lieutenants of the Necron forces ensure that their Lord’s will is carried out. They wield a potent Relic Gauss Blaster and possess enough initiative to use Adaptive Strategies to increase the effectiveness of nearby forces. They also have the power to activate Engrammatic Logic systems in other Necron troops.
And then, for the Tyranids, are the Pyrovore and the Biovore. The Pyrovore is a hulking mobile flamethrower and digestive bioform. Their dorsal mounted weapon can engulf entire squads of prey and the Burning Spray can melt away some of the strongest armour!
Contrastingly, the Biovore is a piece of living artillery that the swarm has evolved into a very different battlefield role. Carrying a brood of spore mines within its body, the Biovore hurls them across the battlefield to explode amidst their foes.
Game modes
Multiplayer
We need and want to update our Multiplayer system. Firstly, we want to increase our tournament formats. Recently, we have tested our very first knock-out tournament. Secondly, we’re planning to keep growing the number of maps available as Battlefields. Also, there’s some fantastic custom multiplayer maps that our users have uploaded which really mix things up. Our plan is to add official rankings within Battlesector. We’d like to give our community the possibility to play both in public matches for fun and in ranked games for a more focussed challenge.
Planetary Supremacy
The Planetary Supremacy game mode was added to Battlesector ahead of Skulls in 2022. We’ve continued to tweak and improve this mode, including adding the ability to add custom maps from the Map Builder, but we know that you guys want and deserve so much more. So, a big part of our roadmap for Battlesector is to not just tweak Planetary Supremacy but to reimagine what it is and what it can be. We really want to give you something to get your teeth into.
Campaigns
We know that all of our players have a lot of love for the Age of Crimson Dawn campaign that comes included with the base game of Battlesector. Whilst the custom campaign creator has enabled the community to create some cool adventures, we also know that lots of you would like to see more narrative campaigns from us. Whilst we can’t say exactly what these will be right now, we can say that they’re coming, and we really look forward to telling some amazing new stories with Battlesector!
Factions
We are very excited to announce that the next major faction for Battlesector will be Astra Militarum.
Tournaments
To celebrate Skulls, we are thrilled to announce our very first knock-out tournament of Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. The knock-out tournament will feature 32 players who will fight each other for the domain of Battlesector. Tournaments spots are limited and only the first 32 players to join, will be allowed to partecipate.
For the ones who will not manage to get in the knock-out tournament, don't worry. We will announce also a classic tournament, that will follow Swiss Tournament rules.
We will give all the info regarding the 2 tournaments really soon. Stay tuned.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1295500/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector/
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius
Free-to-keep week
Gladius is going to be free-to-keep on Steam for the duration of the festival!
It is the perfect occasion to try Gladius if you haven't: it is the ultimate 4X strategy game set in the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000
https://store.steampowered.com/app/489630/Warhammer_40000_Gladius__Relics_of_War/
New Demolition Pack DLC
We are excited to announce that we are releasing a new DLC for Warhammer 40,000: Gladius: Demolition Pack.
New units join the fight!
11 new units are ready to enter the battle for Gladius Prime with the Demolition Pack!
These new units are ready to demolish all the enemies’ defenses and they will give you more new strategic options.
Sydonian Dragoon - Adeptus Mechanicus
Fast close-combat walker unit
Field Ordnance Battery - Astra Militarum
Large man-portable artillery pieces able to shell out enemy units at long range
Chaos Terminator - Chaos Space Marines
Elite heavily armoured infantry that excels against all targets and can use powerful combi-weapons
Talos - Drukhari
Heavy assault creature with powerful close-range weapons
Wraithlord - Craftworld Aeldari
Versatile monstrous creature equipped with a vast array of weapons and able to perform powerful melee attacks
Skorpekh Destroyer - Necrons
Elite armoured close-range infantry unit
Burna Boy - Orks
Anti-infantry unit equipped with a versatile flamethrower
Arco Flagellant - Adepta Sororitas
Expendable light melee infantry
Assault Terminator - Space Marines
Heavy melee infantry unit equipped with a powerful weapon and shield
Fire Warrior Breacher - T’au
Short-range infantry unit that excels in counterattacks
Maleceptor - Tyranids
Synapse monstrous creature with support psychic capabilities
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2932380/Warhammer_40000_Gladius__Demolition_Pack/?beta=1
Warhammer Skulls festival
Warhammer Skulls is the celebration of all digital games about Warhammer.
There are loads of amazing discounts and new announcements from other studios, too. So we hope that you will check them out here.
Warhammer Skulls Festival - Battlesector major update & Gladius Demolition Pack
Battlesector & Gladius will take part in Warhammer Skulls Festival
Warhammer Skulls Festival 2024
We are excited to announce that Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector & Gladius will be taking part in the Warhammer Skulls festival.
We can't wait to show you what is coming: Warhammer Skulls will begin on Thursday May 23rd, and last for a whole week until Thursday May 30th.
Games Workshop is going to kickstart the festival with a showcase on their Twitch channel, so make sure to tune in on Warhammer Twitch channel at 5 pm BST on May 23rd.
Discover more about the Warhammer Skulls festival here.
Slitherine to take on the future development of Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
Black Lab Games originally developed the game and the first six faction DLCs, as well as a wealth of new features and game modes between 2021 and 2024. The studio’s relationship with Slitherine dates back to 2015, with the release of Star Hammer: the Vanguard Prophecy on PC. Moving forward, Black Lab Games will work on new projects that are still to be announced.
Marco Minoli, Director of Publishing at Slitherine, said: “With Battlesector, Black Lab Games created one of the most tactically rich and comprehensive strategy games within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, which is still enjoyed by thousands of players today.
We’d like to express our deepest gratitude to Black Lab Games for its hard work and unwavering dedication to the project over the last few years."
“Looking to the future, Battlesector will remain a key title within Slitherine’s portfolio, and we’re excited to expand upon the game in new and exciting ways that players have yet to experience. We’d encourage fans to keep an eye out on the Battlesector Steam page and our social media channels for the very latest developments”.
Paul Turbett, CEO and Creative Director at Black Lab Games, said: “Having the opportunity to develop a game set in the iconic Warhammer 40,000 universe has been an amazing experience. We at Black Lab Games are grateful to Games Workshop for letting us play in their universe, to the players who have joined us on the journey so far, and to Slitherine for making it all possible. I can't wait to see where the game goes from here, and I'm confident it's in safe hands and has a bright future”.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Map Builder & Campaign Editor Update - 1.4.76
Today's Update brings the fully featured release of the Campaign Editor and Map Builder.
PC players can use these new features to build and share their own Maps and Campaigns from the in-game interface, and Console players are able to download and play creations that have been uploaded.
With the new Campaign Editor, players can now design, create and play their own campaigns, elevating the Battlesector experience like never before. Check out the full editor guide here.
Uploading and downloading campaigns and Maps is done from the easy to use in-game interface using the mod.io tools. You can browse all the uploaded maps and campaigns from mod.io website.
Changes since 1.4.72
Changes
- The Map Builder and Campaign Editor are now out of beta. The user experience for both features has been enhanced since the release of the initial beta version.
- Added support for dialogue triggers during a mission in a custom campaign
- Added support for choosing whether to use an HQ Tech Tree for a custom campaign
- Added support for skyboxes for custom maps
- Added more options for custom map surrounds
- Changed the Painboy and Big Mek healing abilities to also clear Poison or Corrosion status effects
- Adjusted the starting position of several Tyranid units in the Landing Pad mission of the Age of Crimson Dawn campaign so that the Battle Sisters are attacked less in the early rounds
- Adjustments to server refresh rates in multiplayer lobbies to reduce server load
Bug Fixes
- FIX: Imperial Trench not working correctly
- FIX: Ork and Daemons missing a tile cap for their base tile in Planetary Supremacy
- FIX: T’au using the Blood Angels base map in Planetary Supremacy
- Fixed a number of localization issues
- Fix missing faction lore string for T’au
- Contestants and score not displayed during custom campaign battles
- Fixed Planetary Supremacy sliders not working with a gamepad
- FIX: Can't access tooltips for second row of buff icons with gamepad
- Auto-generated AI skirmish armies are not adhering to the point cap
- “In a custom campaign, if you let a player choose between all 7 factions, there's no BA”
- FIX: Custom Campaigns, can't customise maps if you use in-built maps only
- “Drop down menus in Army Builder get scrunched when font size is increased”
- Fix terrain not showing up in topdown view sometimes.
- Certain large units don't impact Thornback and Skull Cannon charge ability
- FIX: Shockcannon and Trukk Smasha don't get bonus vs Invictor Warsuit
- “Veterancy rewards in Planetary Supremacy bugged”
- FIX: Players cannot accept Mod.io terms on WinStore builds
- FIX: Can't finish sisters Age of Crimson Dawn missions without owning sisters DLC
- Boon of Khorne is a white square icon on Bloodlettters
- Markerlight icon not showing properly
- Certain large units don't impact Thornback and Skull Cannon charge ability.
- (Specific) Terrain not providing cover in PS Random Map
- “Daemon Prince summoned units on top of stealthed stealth suits, and no Daemon unit appeared anywhere”
- “Seraphim units running animation loop but standing still.”