Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - v1.1.29 Update - Penitent Engine and Tech Trees
It contains the Penitent Engine, a new unit for the Sisters of Battle neutral faction in Planetary Supremacy, as well as the highly requested new HQ Upgrades for all factions in Planetary Supremacy.
This is the first round of improvements for Planetary Supremacy: as stated, we're committed to keep expanding it, so you can expect more in the future.
And speaking of the future, today we have quite a few announcements to make... you can read about it on the store page.
As usual, you can find the full changelog below. Please let us know what you think, as your feedback is extremely important for us. Thanks!
Changelog:
Changes
● NEW UNIT! Added the Penitent Engine to the Adepta Sororitas minor faction army in Planetary Supremacy
● Added HQ Upgrades to Planetary Supremacy. Each playable faction now has a full tech tree to unlock. HQ Tokens are awarded for fighting battles.
● Added options when starting a new Planetary Supremacy campaign to control HQ Upgrades settings, including:
○ Whether enemy factions can start with all units and abilities unlocked (for an added challenge)
○ Whether acquiring HQ Upgrades costs an Action Point (in addition to HQ Tokens)
● Added the option in Planetary Supremacy to include allies as neutral opponents. For example, if playing as Blood Angels, it will be possible to enable Adepta Sororitas as a neutral sub-faction.
● Improvements to the strategy layer AI in Planetary Supremacy, including making the AI more aggressive in capturing ground in the early stages of a campaign
● New Planetary Supremacy campaigns now randomise the map type for each hex tile.
● Changed how barks are selected when out of range enemies are nearby, to reduce repetition.
● (QoL) Improved default loadout placement of units. Units now always default to being positioned at the front of the grid, ranked by unit power, rather than a "random" blob or a row at the back of the grid
● (QoL) Added support for displaying expiration time for special ability tooltips
● (QoL) Made the (left-click) Unit Interrogation UI scrollable (for some units, the auto-size panel could go off the screen)
● (QoL) Gamepad controls for the pre-battle "loadout" phase have been reworked to be easier to use
● (QoL) Added the ability to swap units when using a mouse & keyboard during the pre-battle "loadout" phase
● Several adjustments to HQ commands. Made Assault Squad Strike and Scarab Tempest only able to target visible tiles, and disallowed the Interact command for Spore Mines
● Reduced VRAM usage by shaders
● Optimisations to reduce overall memory usage
● Improved the animation transitions for Necron units.
● General reduction of memory usage for ability and weapon visual effects
● Added more animation to the UI, in general. For example, the Command Bar and Unit Info Panel now slide in/out when activated/deactivated.
Balancing
(Numbers in brackets are previous values)
● Blessed Ammunition now gives a +1 bonus to Armour Piercing when not empowered (0)
● Increases shots from Baal Predator Twin Assault Cannon to 100 (80) and AP to 4 (3)
● Decreased upgrade cost of Baal Predator Flamestorm Cannon to 40 (60) points
● Reduced Reanimation Protocols % chance to 40% (50%)
● Changed Assualt Terminator 'Shock and Awe' status that is added when Teleporting from a +15% melee damage buff to a -35% melee damage debuff, to eliminate HQ sniping. Changed status name to 'Teleported'
● Put an Ammo limit of 4 on Necron Overlord Orb of Resurrection
● Changed HP for a number of units:
○ Sanguinary Priest: 180 (was 150)
○ Land Speeder: 225 (was 150)
○ Land Speeder Tornado: 225 (was 150)
○ Baal Predator: 400 (was 365)
○ Tervigon: 425 (was 380)
○ Tyrannofex: 425 (was 350)
○ Gargoyle: 30 (was 20)
○ Broodlord: 310 (was 380)
○ Immortal: 55 (was 65)
○ Seraphim: 55 (was 75)
● Change Point Costs for a number of units:
○ Land Speeder: 95 (was 90)
○ Land Speeder Tornado: 125 (was 130)
○ Baal Predator: 205 (was 215)
○ Primaris Librarian: 190 (was 210)
○ Inceptor: 110 (was 90)
○ Lieutenant: 165 (was 185)
○ Librarian Dreadnought: 240 (was 305)
○ Gargoyle: 40 (was 50)
○ Tyrannofex: 190 (was 155)
○ Prime: 185 (was 210)
○ Broodlord: 195 (was 320)
○ Seraphim: 55 (was 45)
○ Necron Warriors: 65 (was 55)
○ Scarab Swarm: 30 (was 20)
○ Immortals: 100 (was 95)
● Adjustments to Necron Weapons:
○ Made Gauss Cannon default on Annihilation Barge
○ Increase Tesla Carbine & Twin Tesla Carbine AP to 2 (was 1)
○ Increase Gauss Cannon damage to 50 (was 45)
○ Increase Tesla Cannon damage to 15 (was 10), AP to 4 (was 2)
○ Increase Twin Tesla Destructor damage to 8 (was 6), AP to 4 (was 2)
○ Reduced Feeder Mandible damage to 3 (6)
● Adjustments to Blood Angels weapons:
○ Plasma Exterminator, Plasma Pistol (Sang. Guard) - Acc to 85 (was 80)
○ Plasma Pistol (Sang. Guard, Adepta Sororitas) - Accuracy to 85 (was 70), Range Falloff 10 (was 15), ArmPen 5 (was 6)
○ Plasma Incinerator - Ranged Falloff to 10 (was 15)
○ Heavy Plasma Incinerator - Ranged Falloff to 10 (was 20)
○ Inferno Pistol, Dreadnought Melta - Ranged Falloff to 10 (was 15)
○ Land Speeder Assault Cannon - Ranged Falloff to 10 (was 15), ArmPen 3 (was 2)
○ Changed the Plasma Pistol upgrade cost to 15 (was 30)
● Adjustments to Tyranid weapons:
○ Increased Devourer w/Brain Leech Worm to AP3, Accuracy 75 (in line with other devourers)
○ Increased Deathspitter w/Slimer Maggots to AP4
○ Increase Fleshborer shots to 3
Bug Fixes
● Fixed Spanish subtitles for barks using Portuguese text
● Fixed the final mission is not being available when using the “Replay Campaign Mission” feature
● Fixed pressing left and right bumpers while in Empowered ability select target mode exiting select target mode
● Fixed numerous issues with incorrect cover in Planetary Supremacy battles
● Fixed missing Necron Elite Units when selecting a faction in Skirmish/Multiplayer battle setup
Warhammer Skulls Festival - Sisters of Battle announced, massive update and more
But let's take a look at it, shall we?
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
New faction coming soon
First off, we're delighted to announce a brand new playable faction will soon be available as DLC.
The Adepta Sororitas will become playable as a full faction later during the year, with a complete roster of units and tailored gameplay mechanics.
We can't wait to show you more, and we will post more information about how they play and about their units.
You can wishlist Sisters of Battle now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2011980/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector__Sisters_of_Battle
We will update the store page with the release date, new screenshots and information as we draw closer to release.
New game mode & Daemon units announced
Alongside Sisters of Battle we will release a free update which adds a new game mode: Daemonic Incursion.
You will need to fend off endless hordes of Daemon units and survive as long as possible in what will be a veritable orgy of slaughter and carnage. It won't be for the faint of heart, that's for sure.
The new Daemon units will be also included for free as a neutral faction in Planetary Supremacy. Stay tuned to learn more about the Daemons and Daemonic Incursion.
And speaking of Planetary Supremacy...
New Planetary Supremacy additions
Today we're releasing a free update, which contains, among other things, the first round of improvements to Planetary Supremacy.
We are adding HQ Upgrades for all factions: each playable faction now has a full tech tree to unlock.
Furthermore, new options when starting new games have been added.
This was a highly requested feature, and it's part of our first round of improvements to to Planetary Supremacy.
And there is more...
New Penitent Engine unit
As a free goodie, we are releasing a new Penitent Engine.
It is available to the Sisters of Battle minor faction in Planetary Supremacy, and it will join the full ranks of the Sisters of Battle as they become a full faction later this year.
Steam Cards, Sale and more
We are of course discounting Battlesector and its DLCs across the duration of the Skulls Festival, so this would be the best time to complete your collection.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1295500/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector/
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24556/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector_Deluxe_Edition/
And last but not least, Steam Cards will be released in the next few days
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius
Free-to-try week
Gladius is going to be free-to-try 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/
And in case you want to keep the game afterwards, it is receiving its highest discount ever at 90% off!
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/9211/Warhammer_40000_Gladius_Complete_Edition/
New Escalation pack DLC
We are releasing a new DLC for Gladius!
It is called the Escalation Pack and it adds one new unit per faction, plus one for neutrals.
This unit's pack includes fan favourites such as Megatrakk Scrapjets for Orks, Skitarii Rangers for the Adeptus Mechanicus, Hive Guards for Tyranids, and more.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2006870/Warhammer_40000_Gladius__Escalation_Pack
Warhammer Skulls
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: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/skulls
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - v1.1.25 Update
The team is currently hard at work. We'll have news about new content in less than a month, it's a promise!
Changelog
-------
- Added Armour and Evasion to the Army Management UI
- Techmarine Omnissiah's Touch ability now removes Corrosion
- Improved the presentation of the post-campaign statistics UI when completing Planetary Supremacy
- Improved performance and reduced generation/loading times for some Planetary Supremacy procedural maps
- Moved the Planetary Supremacy menu item to the main list (instead of under New Campaign)
- Added a pop-up display when starting a new Planetary Supremacy campaign to indicate it is in active development, with a link to the forum to provide feedback and suggestions
Balancing
---------
- Necron Scarab Swarms no longer contribute to HQ Command Points
- Frag Grenades now hit 9 splash targets, so all models in a Scarab Swarm units are damaged
Bug Fixes
---------
- FIX - Necron Warriors summoned by Orb of Resurrection are sometime invisible
- FIX - Using Graces of the Angels causes the game to badly stutter
- FIX - AI opponents withdraw from thier base in Planetary Supremacy
- FIX - Incorrect display of Planentary Supremacy difficulty level in Load/Save game UI
- FIX - Units do not gain Movement Point bonus from Overlord aura on turn start
- Fix shadow pop-in at low sun angles
- FIX - Display the correct game title in the present information for the Epic launcher
- FIX - After reloading of a ongoing mission, all dead Necron corpses reappear in the game.
- FIX - Hunter's Mark UI indicator fused into model
- FIX - Heirs of Azkaellon does not update if HQ unit dies
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - v1.1.24 Update (Hotfix for 1.1.21)
- Some players are unable to connect to multiplayer match if they don't own the Necrons Faction Pack
- Players are unable to access Necrons after purchase from Epic Game Store
We are really sorry for the inconveniences caused by these two.
Unfortunately, it will take us a few days before the update on Xbox and PlayStation goes live, but in the
meantime we are releasing the update on Slitherine, GoG, Epic and Steam.
We are also including some changes earlier than originally planned. Please let us know if you run into any technical issues.
Changes since 1.1.21
-------
- Changed how poison and acid damage works. Poison/Corrision now affects individual models, where previously it affected the unit but only damaged 1 model. Also added UI indicators for models with Corrision/Poison status effect under their health bars.
- Added a new procedural map type.
- Improvements to terrain modification and placement in procedural maps
- Improve rendering performance of procedural maps
- Implemented soft clip fading for decals
- Updated the image used in the campaign selection UI for Planetary Supremacy
- Added the first pass of a new post-campaign UI with numerous stats about the campaign playthrough
- Change Thornback Deathspitter to do Acid damage and Devourer to do Poison damage
- Reduced the time required to generate a procedural map, especially on consoles. This should improve loading times.
Balancing
---------
- Increase the Librarian health to 250 and Evasion to 15
- Reduced the health of Assault Marines to 50 and the Krak Grenade splash to 2 and AP 7
- Triach Praetorian: Raise point cost to 100, reduce gravity displacement pack movement to +3
- Tesla Weapons.
-- Increase attacks of Tesla Carbine to 5 and splash targets to 3
-- Increate attacks of Tomb Blade Twin Tesla Carbine to 10 and splash targets to 3
-- Set cost of Tesla upgrades to 10
- Living Lightning : Increased the chance to attack an adjacent units
- Lychguard : Reduced Warcythe upgrade cost to 25
- Fixed Broodlord HP incorrectly configured as 320 (changed to 380)
- Adjust fire rate of Lokhurst Heavy Destroyer so that it's better against multi-model units at long range
Bug Fixes
---------
- FIX: Some players are unable to connect to multiplayer match if they don't own the Necrons Faction Pack
- FIX: Players are unable to access Necrons after purchase from Epic Game Store
- FIX: Overlord is rendered pink after using certain combinations of special abilities
- FIX: (XB1/PS4) Crash when loading a save game with some specific Necron units
- FIX: Units are in mid-air when re-loading some procederal map save games
- FIX: Improved text for clarity for reinforcement cooldowns in Planetary Supremacy army management UI
- FIX: Units can move on/into some procedural map terrain where they shouldn't
- FIX: Setting targets in Planetary Supremacy difficulty often changes from 80 to 100
- FIX: Adjusted descriptions for Blood Lance & Death From Above to include the number of splash targets
- FIX: Necrons do not glow when they reach 100 momentum
- FIX: If a Necron unit is completely wiped out, but reanimates, then they have no faction trait status anymore
- FIX: (PS4) Post-final mission screen (video) stays black.
- FIX: Resource tile shows unknown still
- FIX: Can move through enemy units without cost in procedurally generated maps
- FIX: Skorpekh Destroyer reanimated after destruction from Plasmacyte Infusion has no visible model
- FIX: Options are not saved when force quiting from the Option UI
- FIX: Exploit on point capture during overwatch
- FIX: Bonus Objective tokens aren't aligned right to match the UI elements
- FIX: Gravity Displacement status icon not set
- Fixed low volume of audio effects for Tyranid monster melee attacks, and incorrectly configure sound for the Thunder Hammer
ARISE! The Necrons are here.
Suffer not the unworthy to live. The Xenos, the heretic, the mutant, all must be driven from the galaxy by the Emperors' light
Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector.
We are releasing the first major expansion for the game, which includes support for a new faction, the Necrons, and a new type of skirmish campaign, called Planetary Supremacy.
For sixty million years, the Necrons have slept in their tombs. As of now, they are available as a playable faction in Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. The Necron Faction Pack adds 14 new units, plus the Doom Scythe flyer for devastating HQ Commands.
From powerful HQ units, like the Overlord, Plasmancer and Hexmark Destroyer, to the
common troops and supports like the Necron Warriors and Canoptek Scarab Swarms, the Necron army is a versatile collection of undying android destruction.
Do you prefer to launch ranged attacks from afar? The pinpoint accurate Deathmarks and the devastating enmitic strikes from the Lokhurst Heavy Destroyer are here to help.
Want to get up close and personal in glorious melee combat? Ferocious monstrosities like Skorpekh Destroyers or the flesh-hungry Flayed Ones will fit the bill.
The Necron Faction Pack adds dozens of new weapons, from fearsome gauss weaponry to lethal hyperphase technology, and tesla weapons that release living lighting that sears the flesh of multiple foes simultaneously.
A host of new special abilities are also available. Many Necrons are supported by Reanimation Protocols which can repair catastrophic damage, allowing the Necrons to relentlessly continue the fight against the lesser races. The Overlord can use his Orb of Resurrection to summon new Warriors to the battlefield or tailor the combat effectiveness of his forces via Command Protocols, whilst the Plasmancer unleashes utter devastation from all directions via such abilities as the Harbinger of Destruction and the Quantum Orb.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1793051/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector__Necrons/
The Necron Faction Pack can be used in skirmish, multiplayer….and the new Planetary Supremacy campaign.
Planetary Supremacy is a new conquest-style skirmish campaign, available to all Battlesector players as part of the base game as a free update.
Three factions fight for control of a forgotten planet, but only one can prevail. Unlike Age of Crimson Dawn, Planetary Supremacy is not narrative-based, so you decide the outcome.
You’ll play on two levels - the overworld game board, and the procedurally generated battle maps. To achieve victory, expand your army and destroy the bases of your opponents, before they destroy yours.
On the overworld game board, you’ll manage your forces, and decide which areas of the
map to capture. Some locations will include resources - capture these and you’ll get a
bonus, such as a larger army point cap, or reduced cooldowns when reinforcing your army. But be warned: before your arrival, this world has long been at war, and existing forces across the planet will do their best to thwart your progress.
When you proceed to capture a tile, you’ll go into a battle against the current occupier of that location. Each battle will take place on a procedurally-generated map, meaning that each map will be different.
You can play as any faction* in Planetary Supremacy. If you’re a fan of Tyranids, and
always wanted to help the Hive Fleet consume a world, this is your chance! Furthermore, as more factions are added to Battlesector in the future, they will instantly be available to use in Planetary Supremacy.
We started the development of Planetary Supremacy after we shipped the Blood Angels Elites Pack and Tyranid Elites Pack in December last year. What we are releasing today is just a first pass of this new style of campaign. We plan to expand this mode in the future, and we want your help. We’ll be seeking feedback from the community about how we expand this system and what new features you’d like to see added. If you would like to give us your feedback, we have prepared a special section of our forum for that purpose, and you can find it here.
*To play as the Necrons, you must own the Necron Faction Pack. You do not need to own the Necron Faction Pack to play against the Necrons.
Last but not least, starting at 6 pm GMT Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector will be discounted at 35% off for a few days.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1295500/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector/
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24556/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector_Deluxe_Edition/
OK, that’s all for now, though there will be plenty more Battlesector news in the coming
months. We hope you enjoy the new Necron faction and Planetary Supremacy.
- The Black Lab Games team
v1.1.21 Update - Including Planetary Supremacy campaign
The release of Necrons is imminent (just a few minutes now, it will be releasing exactly at 5 pm GMT), but we're making a separate post containing the changelog for the update that accompanies the DLC.
The highlight of this update is of course the addition of the first version of the Planetary Supremacy campaign.
We are extremely interested in hearing your feedback. This is just the first release, but Black Lab Games is fully committed in further developing Planetary Supremacy according to your feedback and expanding it with new content and features, so we want to hear from you. As such, we have dedicated a brand new sub-section of the Slitherine forum where we collect feedback. If you would like to help us improve Planetary Supremacy, please come to this forum section and let us know what you think.
Changes
------
- Support for the Necron Faction Pack. For sixty million years, the Necrons have slept in their tombs. Now they come to Battlesector!
>> 14 new units, including the Overlord, Flayed Ones & Skorpekh Destroyers, with dozens of deadly new weapons and special abilities, such as Reanimation Protocols that revives dead units.
>> Use HQ Commands to call in the deadly Doom Scythe, to deliver doom from above.
- Support for the 'Planetary Supremacy' skirmish campaign.
>> Three factions fight for control of a planet. Eliminate the bases of your opponents to win.
>> Battles take place on entirely new procedurally generated maps.
>> Capture resource locations to boost your army.
- 'Fast Forward' and 'Skip' button settings are retained in subsequent turns
- AI turns now take much less time, particulary when Fast Forward/Skip is used
- Added a visualisation of the optimal range of the primary weapon when selecting a unit's destination
- Added a new damage type, Acid, which causes a multi-turn status effect, Corrosion. This functions similar to Poison against organic units but instead applies to mechanical units. Changed Tyranofex Acid Splay to do Acid damage.
Balancing
--------
- Reduced the Evasion gained from the Adepta Sororitas Devotion faction trait from 0.3 to 0.25 per Momentum
- Reduced Seraphim Grace Evasion bonus to 10
- Adjusted the starting position of some Tyranid monsters near the Battle Sisters in Battle for Angels Fall
- Increased Hand Flamer (and variants) AP to 2 and shots to 8
Bug Fixes
--------
- FIX (4103) - Blood Spatter gets truncated by irregular terrain
Necrons DLC - Release date & preview streams announced
First and foremost, we are glad to announce that Warhammer 40.000: Battlesector – Necrons will be released on April 21st.
The Necrons DLC will come with one new playable faction, fourteen new units, new abilities, new heroes and weapons. What’s not to like?
It will be accompanied by a free update, introducing a new campaign type called Planetary Supremacy. It is a single player focused procedural campaign in which you’ll fight other factions as well as minor factions. You can play it as the Blood Angels, the Tyranids or the Necrons (ownership of the Necrons DLC is only required if you mean to play as the Necrons).
In order to showcase what’s coming,we have scheduled two preview streams on our Twitch channel before the release.
The first one will take place on April 7th at 3 pm UTC. Slitherine’s Edmon (community manager) and David Sharrock (producer for the game) will play as the Necrons faction for the first time.
The second preview stream will happen on April 14th at 3:30 pm UTC, when Edmon and David will play the new Planetary Supremacy campaign type.
See you then!
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Dev Diary #7 - Community Feedback
We can report that the Necrons are in a good state of development. We regularly bring in new testers, so if you applied and you haven’t received an invite, make sure to be on the lookout and check your email inbox, as you might be among the selected testers for the next wave.
We interviewed some of our current testers, and asked them their thoughts about the new DLC and the new units. We also asked them to share their favourite images captured with Photo Mode. Here’s what they had to say:
Rekker
I really think the direction the game is heading with the Necrons is a good one. They are gonna bring a lot to the table. Overall I think Necrons were a great choice to go with, because they add a lot of flavor to the game. The models look great and really captured the Necron feel.
My favorite unit is the Hexmark Destroyer. It's such a useful unit and the model really represents some of the gritty side of Necrons. I love it. Goes with me everywhere.
Screenshot Courtesy of Rekker
philstat
I’m very impressed with the DLC, Necrons, in my opinion, are by far the best race out of three currently available. The 14 units available are a good combination, nice mix between ranged, melee and heroes.
My favorite unit is the Overlord, he’s a great melee specialist and his ability to fall back and create Necron Warriors every three turns is a nice touch.
Screenshot courtesy of philstat
italiangamer89
I really love this new dlc, it shows that the devs are passionate about the game, the amount of detail in each unit is amazing and it depicts them really well, a slow immortal army with superior technology.
My favorite unit is the Deathmarks, really good at longer ranges, it makes them useful at picking off enemy units before they have a chance to start doing damage to your army, and their ability to teleport out of trouble makes them really survivable, you can also use them to do a good amount of damage to enemy commanders or heavier units, like the Baal Predator or the Exocrine.
Screenshot courtesy of Paradigm_Shift
Thomas
It is a change. It is a change in gameplay, and the way situations work out. Situations where I thought units were safe... now they are not. You want to slowly move forward? You can't. Necrons make the game much more aggressive. With their healing and reanimation protocols you just can't sit around and wait. You need to play aggressive, fast and deadly. That brings the gameplay on a much higher level.
Also Necrons are a good faction for new players. With focus on durability and strong ranged weapons you can go in with just an endless marching fireline from Warriors and Immortals. And when you know that, there are a lot of specialized units with juicy ability to experiment with.
Hard to say what my favorite unit is, cause they are all awesome. I think it is the Overlord. Not only is he a fantastic looking model, but his ability to support troops, spawn new one and fight make him just an awesome unit. Also the Glaive simply makes him 20% cooler.
Screenshot Courtesy of Thomas
We hope you like all the feedback and screenshots from our testers.
We can’t wait to show you more about the new faction and the new Planetary Supremacy campaign. Furthermore, we'll soon be revealing the release date of Necrons DLC - it is not far now, promise. Stay tuned!
New Soundtrack available, free wallpapers, bundles, sale & Tournament
New Soundtrack DLC
First off, we are releasing the amazing soundtrack as a separate DLC.
It comprises of fourteen beautiful tracks composed by the talented Ash Gibson Greig, known for another soundtrack, that of the previous title from Black Lab Games, Battlestar Galactica Deadlock.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1726490/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector__Soundtrack/
Slitherine Publisher Sale
As part of the Slitherine Publisher Sale, we will be discounting Battlesector at 35% off from February 10 6 pm GMT to February 14 6 pm GMT.
We're also running some pretty significant discounts across a range of other games in the Slitherine catalogue, and you can check them out here.
Deluxe Edition Bundle
We're also launching a new bundle on Steam, containing the base game, the two elite DLCs plus the soundtrack, for a further 10% discount on everything. This discount is applied on top of the ongoing discounts on individual items.
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24556/Warhammer_40000_Battlesector_Deluxe_Edition/?snr=1_5_9__403
Strategy Bundle
We also have a second new bundle coming! Many of you might be already familiar with Warhammer 40,000: Gladius, the only 4X game set in the grim darkness of the far future. Well, now you can get Gladius and Battlesector as part of the same bundle.
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24638/Gladius__Battlesector__Warhammer_Strategy_Bundle/
Free Wallpapers
As part of this week's patch we released new free wallpapers.
You can find them in your Wallpapers folder, in your installation directory (on Steam it'll normally be Steam/steamapps/common/Battle Sector/ Wallpapers).
New Tournament open for sign-ups
We are also opening a new multiplayer tournament for Battlesector.
This one is the second official tournament, after the first PBEM tournament which took place during the Christmas holidays. It will comprise of three different rounds (each showcasing a different Strategic Command scenario), each round lasting one week.
The tournament will begin on February 17th, so you have one week to sign up. There are no prizes this time, except glory and battlefield renown throughout the Imperium, but we intend to start planning for actual Leagues to take place... but we'll revealing more about that at a later date. In the meantime, why not get some practice against human opponents? You can sign up here.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Dev Diary #6 - Xenos Sighted
Victory is not yours to celebrate. The Emperor already knew this battle was won;
your reward is a lifetime of faith and service in His name.
Last December, we announced that the Necrons are coming to Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector in 2022. We can report that work building the Necron forces is progressing well, and we expect to start beta testing soon. Back in December when we first announced the Necrons DLC we had assumed we would be able to start the beta in January. Unfortunately, it will have to start a bit later, in March. We have received so many applications and we're currently going through them. If you have been picked you will hear from us, so make sure to be on the lookout and check your e-mail inbox during March.
Flayed Ones
We also announced a new style of campaign that will be available alongside the Necrons faction pack, and the good news is that this is also progressing well. It’s still a little too early to share details, as some things are still in flux and subject to change, but we’ll share more information as soon as we can.
For this dev diary, we thought we’d go behind the scenes and talk about the process we use to bring a unit from Warhammer 40,000 into Battlesector.
If you are at all familiar with the game development processes, you’d know that the first stage a character usually goes through is concepting. This is when the character is designed, outlining the attributes that describe the character. Development art is generated to express what the character looks like.
Because the units we are adding to Battlesector already exist, we have a basis to work from. We’ll review the relevant codex, and explore how a unit is used in the tabletop so its attributes can be mapped across to the gameplay requirements for Battlesector. As Battlesector has its own ruleset, and digital games are very different from tabletop games, a lot of interpretation is required.
As for concept art, we get that in the form of Games Workshop Citadel's miniatures!
"They're behind me, aren't they?"
Our art team will use Warhammer miniatures as a reference and create a high poly sculpt of the unit and its weapons. These sculpts are made up of millions of polygons and are very detailed, including scratches and battle damage.
High-polygon sculpt of a Necron Warrior.
Next, we use a process called retopology to make a version of the unit with a lower polygon count that is suitable for use in the game. A 3D artist creates a new model to fit over the top of the high-poly sculpt.
From there, it’s on to texturing, where the iconic colours of the miniatures are added. The fine details from the high-polygon sculpt are embedded in the texture maps, bringing out the details.
Necron Warrior with texturing
The unit model is now ready for animation. All units have a minimum set of required animations, for idles, movement, being hit by enemy attacks, and ranged and/or melee combat. For most of these animations, we’ll create several variations so that each model in a multi-model unit moves slightly differently. In addition, there are unique animations for special abilities.
Necron Warrior being animated
With the 3D aspects of the art process complete, it’s now time to get the unit into the game engine. We’ve got a number of proprietary tools for configuring a unit’s statistics and its art and animation.
Necron Warriors in-engine.
Whilst this is going on, the artwork is also being generated for unit portraits, and weapon and special ability icons - these are all hand-drawn using digital art software.
In addition, there are audio requirements. Voice overs for barks are written and recorded, post-production effects are added. Sound effects for all aspects of the unit’s utility are created, such as movement, weapons fire and using special abilities. These sound assets also require configuration in the game engine to ensure they trigger at the right time.
This process can take several person-weeks (or months) to complete for a single unit. Along the way, we are sharing progress with Games Workshop, to ensure that the units are as authentic and faithful to the miniatures and the lore as possible.
Finally, when all of this is done for all of the units in a faction, balancing can start. Based on internal playtesting, adjustments are made to a unit’s statistics, and if required, any aspect of the unit that isn’t working out how it should be is revised.
We then enlist the assistance of beta testers, who put the units through their paces and give us feedback on what’s working and what’s not. Based on this feedback, we’ll further iterate on the balance of the units until everything feels about right.
We hope you’ve found this peek at how a faction is added to Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector interesting, and if you would like to participate in the beta test for the Necrons, you can still apply here. Thanks for your continued support!
- The Black Lab Games team
