Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS), Simulator, Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical, Indie
Warno
TENSION Map Preview
Hello commanders,
We hope you are well. On the heels of last week’s map-centric GOUVION milestone, we bring a fresh sneak preview of a new battlefield coming to WARNO: the 2vs2 TENSION.
Keep reading to find out more!
Urban Warfare Continued
Let’s introduce our latest creation: TENSION, the second of three new urban maps (the previous being TEUFELSMOOR, read more about it here). This new series of built-up environments will all launch before WARNO’s official release out of Early Access.
So, what’s the deal with TENSION, and what sets it apart from TEUFELSMOOR, for instance? As its predecessor shows a relatively intact city, TENSION does the opposite, plunging you head-first into a metropolis ravaged by days of intense and devastating modern conflict. The atmosphere of fierce combat should be felt in every corner of the map; we were gunning for an unprecedented immersive experience with this one!
TENSION is designed for 2vs2 battles, but we want to accommodate the map for more players. We are also working on a 1vs1 version!
The layout of TENSION has been created to offer different strategies and tactics compared to TEUFELSMOOR. We have accommodated the map to both infantry combat and mechanized combined arms fights, with lots of variety and challenge - even for seasoned veterans.
A New Immersive Experience
With TENSION, we wanted to increase the danger of sneak attacks through a ruined city. This means when fighting on this map, you should constantly look out for ambushes as you navigate the devastated streets and ruins.
Furthermore, to really pimp up the new urban environment, we introduced updated smoke effects (FX) and ground textures, as well as a host of new ruined buildings (who doesn’t want to have more ruins?).
Let us know what you think. TENSION is slowly making its way to WARNO, but we are keen to hear your thoughts!
Until next week
That’s all for this week’s DevBlog. And yes, before you ask, we always check and listen to all of your suggestions. There is no need to complain or spam, though. We have a clear vision for WARNO in both Early Access and the official launch. We are taking the time to get it right. We know how we want it to look, play, the authenticity and levels of realism, and most of all, how much fun it should be (lots!). All feedback is taken on board, but not all ideas will be applicable or work. Keep it calm, cool, and collected, commanders!
Furthermore, we are still on track with Army General (as a matter of fact, very busy developing it). Patience is a virtue, and we hope to share more news with you soon!
Improved AI planes selection for an attack, depending on the threat
Added some randomness for target selection in districts, no more meatshields
Fixed some bombs damage in districts
Fixed an issue with splash damage being applied at max value in district
Data fixes
Fixed an issue preventing us so far to give CHAPARRAL its proper number of salvos (see below). IRL, the vehicle stored spare missiles under the platform's deck. The issue has been circumvented, but now missiles will remained displayed even after being fired, until the last salvo which will displayed the missing ones correctly.
Increased CHAPARRAL's number of salvo from 1 to 3 (hence missile loadout from 4 to 12).
Decreased CHAPPARAL's range from 3175/3700m to 2825/3525m
Standardized prices in AGL / RCL jeeps prices at 40 pts. (then, +5 pts per trait)
Nato forces
Fixed an issue with FV 721 FOX being unable to fire its MG when the Autocanon was deactivated
Pact forces
Fixed BMD-2's MGs & Missile ammo
Fixed URAL 4320 (transport) lacking fuel capacity and autonomy
Fixed command BTR-80 and SAXON's optics to normal, on par with their counterparts
BMD-1P & BMD-2 now use its chassis PKT, damage dealt accordingly (coaxial PKT will be add later)
Milestone GOUVION Out Now!
Hello commanders,
Get ready! A new milestone to WARNO has just dropped. Let’s look at the map-centric GOUVION update.
GOUVION will not only bring a new map - TEUFELSMOOR - but also a new 10vs10 variant of VOLCANO map.
Let’s go!
GOUVION’s Historical Namesake
All right, you know the drill. If you don’t want a brief military history lesson on the milestone’s historical namesake, please skip ahead. If, like Eugen, you love your Napoleonic Wars, please keep reading.
This milestone’s military leader is Gouvion Saint-Cyr, known to be equal parts brilliant and an asshole. He was one of Napoleon’s best marshals, a good strategist (more so than some of his colleagues) and a master tactician with a particular eye for defensive operations. With a tough childhood, Gouvion grew up a lonely and taciturn man, but talented in many other, artistic, aspects, including drawing & playing the violin. Joining the army first as a volunteer in 1792, his talents assured his meteoritic rise, becoming général de division as early as 1794.
A Difficult Man Gouvion distinguished himself campaigning in Germany and Italy, but his difficult reputation travelled with him. As a stoic Republican, he was opposed to Napoleon for many years. As such, he was confined to secondary theaters. While being a corps commander (one of the few in such position not being a marshal) during the invasion of Russia, he gained command of an independent army after Oudinot was wounded. He rallied his failing formation and counter-attacked the next day, soundly beating the Russians. When Napoléon learned that, he had no choice but to grant him the marshal's baton which had so long evaded him.
His continued success on the battlefield included a brilliant delaying action against the main Coalition army in 1813 near Dresden. With no love lost between Napoleon and Gouvion, our commander welcomed the return of the monarchy and so sided with King Louis XVIII during the Hundred Days campaign. This netted him the post of Minister of War, in which, without remorse, he took down former colleagues and followers of Napoleon.
Gouvion is also known for the Loi Gouvion Saint-Cyr, which organized French mandatory conscription from 1818 to 1872. This would serve as a basis for all future laws until President Jacques Chirac abolished military service in 1990.
Milestone GOUVION
So, what can you expect from milestone GOUVION? This one is short and sweet, focused squarely on getting more battlefields in your hands.
A new map, 2vs2 TEUFELSMOOR.
A new 10vs10 variant of VOLCANO.
TEUFELSMOOR TEUFELSMOOR is the new battlefield focusing on urban warfare, playable in 2vs2.
You can read more about the new TEUFELSMOOR map in this dedicated DevBlog.
Note that TEUFELSMOOR will be the first in a new series of urban maps planned to be released before the official launch of WARNO out of Early Access. More details on the next two maps will come in the near future ... but you can have a teaser below!
Army General Units Tease
With the GOUVION milestone out of the way, here's a little tease of what’s coming.
As you might know, some units or variants of units will only be available in Army General. We realized we could move some of these originally Army General specific units to our Divisions. In certain cases, enough could be gathered to shine in brand-new battlegroups (looking at you, U.S. 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) and the Soviet 27-ya Gv. Motostrelk. Div.).
We can lift the tip of the veil on some Army General units that will remain in our soon-to-be mode. For instance, in the upcoming BRUDERKRIEG campaign, the East-German 4. Mot.-Schützen-Division can be supported in the air by strike MiG-23BN with load-outs and models you haven’t seen so far.
For example, some major guest stars in one of our Army General campaigns will be the appearance of a nation only briefly featured in a current Division.
You’ll discover plenty of Army General units, including updated models and other polishing. Not long now!
Until next week
That’s all for milestone GOUVION! Let us know what you think.
We hope you are well. We have a bunch of smaller updates cooking in Eugen’s kitchen.
In today’s DevBlog, let’s look at several of these improvements coming WARNO’s way!
Veterancy Rework
Veterancy is what we call the experience level of units. We currently feature GREEN, TRAINED, VETERAN, and ELITE units. Higher experience levels decrease aiming time, for instance, improving a unit’s ability to withstand suppression. This is going to change a bit for some units (see Updated Experience System further below).
But first: our aim is to improve the Veterancy system in WARNO to better reflect the distribution of experience levels among divisions. Better said: we want to better emphasize the nuanced differences in the four existing Veterancy levels.
Our objective is to make ELITE units rarer, but give them a real edge in-game. To make this work, we will update how the Veterancy system works, including how many units you can find at each experience level.
Interestingly enough, GREEN units are relatively rare. They monopolize a specific Veterancy level just for them (“second-rate” units, reservists, etc.), which doesn’t really fit our vision. That’s why we will introduce a new Militia trait to characterize these in-experienced units better.
This means that all of WARNO’s units will have their experience distributed between GREEN and VETERAN. Only a select few specialized units will be deployable with the highest Veterancy level, ELITE.
A particular advantage of making this highest Veterancy level even rarer is to increase the value of Command units. They will be much more relevant as they will boost more VETERAN units to ELITE status.
Updated Experience System For Specific Units
We are tinkering a bit more with how experience works. We are keeping the current Veterancy system in place but will update it for a specific set of units. Some unit categories will remain the same: infantry, tanks, recon, AA, and helicopters.
Airplanes, logistics, and artillery units will be updated on how experience influences their performance. The revised experience system underpinning these unit types will better reflect their specific capabilities. For instance, the new Veterancy levels for Command units lets them take control of Command Zones faster or, with logistical supply units, increase the rate at which they can repair or resupply. Their area of effect will also be improved. In the case of artillery units, the updated Veterancy bonus will reduce a unit’s aim and reloading times. For planes, they will gain improved flight abilities with the updated Veterancy system.
New Traits
We have been developing two new Traits. They should come to WARNO soon.
JAMMER This Trait will affect enemy radar recon, drastically reducing their efficiency within the area of effect. Any unit with Excellent optics being jammed will see its optics degraded.
This Trait will be sported by dedicated recon helicopters, such as the American EH-60A QUICK FIX II and Soviet Mi-8 PPA. These new units will be introduced into WARNO as soon as their in-game models are finished!
FALSE FLAG This will be a rare Trait. It will cover units fighting without uniforms or (even worse) fighting using enemy uniforms (“illegally” according to laws of war) in covert operations. In case of capture, this means a direct ticket to the firing squad. Think of Skorzeny’s Operation Greif during the Battle of the Bulge.
In WARNO, this new Trait will lower a unit’s “menace level.” This means that enemy units will target a unit featuring the False Flag trait last if found within a group of units. This represents the confusion on the battlefield induced by friendly “ruse” or neutral uniforms.
The False Flag trait will be granted to both East German “false flag” paratroopers (Fs-EINSATZGRUPPE and Fs-SPRENGTAUCHER) dressed in American uniforms. The American PSSE-B special forces (from Berlin Command), which operated in civilian clothes, will also get this Trait. Plus, this unit will also gain brand-new civilian models! And we have made them as German 80's vibes as possible!
New Models
Talking about new models, next to the new civilian models, our 3D modeling team has also delivered brand-new models for the Soviet T-80BK and T-80BVK command variants of the T-80B and T-80BV series.
Until next week
Our first Army General campaign, BRUDERKRIEG, is being tested by the Strike Team with positive initial feedback. We’ll keep you updated!
We hope you are well. Today’s DevBlog will look at a brand-new urban map coming to WARNO: TEUFELSMOOR.
Let’s dig in!
A new type of urban
TEUFELSMOOR is a new kind of urban map making its debut in our game. This particular map required a significant effort to make sure it was an immersive and high-quality experience. Let us pull back the curtains on its creation.
An Urban Saga
TEUFELSMOOR is the first in a series of urban maps that will see the light in WARNO’s Early Access. While we planned to launch this map in tandem with our Army General mode, we realized - after some rounds of testing - that letting players also do battle on this map in Skirmish or Destruction mode ahead of time, would be the best option.
To make this all a reality, we needed to enforce some adjustments; the urban map series was initially designed for Army General campaign mode in a 1vs1 format. The updated TEUFELSMOOR was expanded to be playable in a 2vs2 format. And we plan to provide the options when the map launches to increase the number of players.
The Complexity of Realistic Cities
The main challenge when creating urban maps centers on providing a visually credible experience - the cityscape has to look realistic - while also ensuring smooth gameplay - it has to be fun to play. With TEUFELSMOOR, we aimed to design a map that offers optimal readability but, at the same time, immerses the players fully.
We can’t simply display a few buildings and neighborhoods in close-up view and call it a day. Many on-screen elements are needed to be able to show a good-looking result when viewed from afar (which is more like the standard view when playing WARNO). We did a bunch of tests to see what worked best, discarding what didn’t.
A neighborhood’s ideal size
What’s the perfect size for a neighborhood? That’s something we figured out in the design process of TEUFELSMOOR. This included the optimal number of buildings, the best street width for combat between different units, and the open spaces within the city to offer extended sightlines between particular areas. All in all, many factors are in play. This led to multiple rounds of designing and revising our city layout.
The second major challenge was to optimize the assets we use for an urban environment. If we needed to display them in large numbers, even more modest hardware configurations needed to be able to display them. Fortunately, Eugen’s own tech, centered on WARNO’s engine, provides us with a range of tools to optimize the rendering of these assets. And we did it! So, that means we can get more visual stuff on screen while ensuring a smooth gaming experience.
A new prototype
TEUFELSMOOR will serve as a proof-in-concept for the other urban maps currently in the final stages of production. These will be followed after TEUFELSMOOR’s release. Of course, depending on your feedback, we are considering the whole gamut of 1vs1 battles, Destruction mode, etc.
Until next week
In case you missed it: a new milestone, MONCEY, has just dropped, bringing the new Operation Sledgehammer, a host of balance changes, new Bradley IFVs, and more.
We look forward to your feedback on TEUFELSMOOR. Let us know what you think!
Fixed CLU planes now being able to attack an ERA tank via right-click
Fixed tanks with the ERA trait not taking damage (except ATGM)
Fixed a crash that occurred when changing altitude with helicopters
Disclaimer: We know that units with the Tandem trait do slightly less damage than expected on ERA units. However, we are in the process of fixing this issue.
v.107942: MONCEY Patch notes
Feature
Added configurable hotkey to switch to idle units
Addition of two new configurable hotkeyss to manage the sub-selection of units: units by units, or units by types
Adding a new trait TANDEM for some HEAT rounds: each time such a round hits a vehicle with the ERA trait, it deals +1 damage (representing Tandem charges being designed to negate ERA). Against a non-ERA vehicle, the round works as usual.
Panzerfaust 3
RPG-7VR
RPG-27
RPG-29
9K121 Vikhr
9M113 Konkurs-M
9M128 Agona
TOW-2A
Operations
Added a new operation : "Sledgehammer"
Maps
Add a 10v10 version of Danger Hills
Code fixes
Adjustment of HE / HMG weapon damage on helicopters
Fix some high buildings being indestructible
Data fixes
Increased "vanilla" RPG-7's penetration from HEAT 13 to 14 + renamed RPG-7VM
Fixed optics of several command units BMD-1, BMD-2, BMP-2, FV432, Saxon, set to normal, on par with their counterparts
Nato forces
Increased M1 ABRAMS CMD's base veterancy from vet 1 to vet2, on par with other similar command tanks
Standardized CHAPARRAL's vet ratio at 4/2/1
Changed P4 PC's stealth from Bad to Mediocre on par with other CV jeeps
Changed VBL PC's stealth from Bad to Mediocre on par with other CV jeeps
Changed ROVER CP's stealth from Bad to Mediocre on par with other CV jeeps
American MP units now have proper MP models
Introducing the M2A2 BRADLEY IFV & M3A2 BRADLEY CFV with improved stats (and price) + TOW-2A (tandem charge) 11ACR
Swapping one card of M3A1 BRADLEY CFV with one of M3A2
1stAD
Added a new CHALLENGER MK.3
Decreased CHALLENGER Mk.2's number of cards from 6 to 5
3AD
Swapping one card of M2A1 BRADLEY LEADER with one of M2A2
Adding M2A2 BRADLEY IFV as transport option to FIRE TEAM (Dragon) & FIRE TEAM LDR.
Pact forces
Locked 2S3M1 at vet1
Locked Mi-24V [AA] at vet2
Added DSHV (rifles & command) the Shock trait
Increased BMP-2D's rear armor by +1
New BMD-2 model including the Konkurs launcher, added and price changed accordingly
Restricted MOTOSTRELKI (METIS) to wheeled GAZ-66 or BTR-60/80
Restricted (Soviet) KONKURS team to wheeled UAZ & BMP-1P
Restricted (E-German) KONKURS team to wheeled UAZ, SPW-70 & SPW-152
Restricted (Soviet) FAGOT team to wheeled UAZ & BTR-60/80
Restricted (E-German) FAGOT team to wheeled UAZ, SPW-50 & SPW-1
Su-24MP speed set to 1023 kph, like other variants 27GMSD
Increased 2S3M1's base vet from 1 to 2
Renamed KRAZ-255B
35GvDShB
Added BMD-1P (with ATGM) as transport option
35VDV
Added one card of MiG-29 [AA2]
39GMSD
Removed new SPG-9's Forward Deployment trait
39GvMSD
Replaced two cards of (BMP) MOTOSTRELKI with a same number of new MOTOSTRELKI (RPG-22)
Restricted access to BMP-3 as transport option to MOTOSTRELKI KOM. & MOTOSTRELKI (RPG-22) only
79GvTD
Changed T-80BV IZD. 29's base availabity from 4 to 3, but with +1 vet level
allDDR
Decreased MOT.-SCHÜTZEN (s.MG)'s number of cards from 4 to 1, on par with Soviet divisions
Milestone MONCEY Out Now!
BAM!
A new milestone has dropped on WARNO. Surprise!
Strap in, commander. In the time you might wait for the major update to install, take a look at today’s DevBlog to see what the new MONCEY milestone has to offer.
Milestone MONCEY’s Historical Namesake
As is Eugen tradition, each WARNO milestone is named after a notable Napoleonic War commander, specifically a French marshal. For you eager beavers not interested in some fine military history, skip this part and go straight to all the good things milestone MONCEY brings to the table.
Let’s start with Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey, one of the oldest marshals in Napoleon’s retinue. Most of Moncey’s field career was before or during the early Revolutionary Wars, where he distinguished himself well with his expert command, especially when fighting against Spain. After supporting Napoleon’s coup in 1799, he continued to briefly serve as a field commander in Italy.
Afterward, Moncey was associated with the French military police, the Gendarmerie, which he commanded pretty much to the end. A tricky command used as a counterweight to the ever-scheming minister of police, Moncey reported only to Napoleon himself. He would accompany the Emperor on most of his campaigns, keeping order within and in the rear of the Grande Armée. As such, he would be the only gendarme to be elevated to Marshal status.
”Let’s go home to die” An experienced commander, Moncey briefly returned to the battlefield to command troops, especially during the early stages of the Peninsula War. He was also one of the few marshals to oppose the Russian invasion. When France was invaded in 1814, Moncey rose to the occasion, fighting one of the last battles just outside of Paris.
After Napoléon’s abdication, Moncey pledged himself to Louis XVIII. Although loyal to his new sovereign, our marshal did not take up arms when Napoleon campaigned in the Hundred Days war. Still punished with house arrest, Moncey escaped the harshest of sentences. As one of the remaining surviving marshals, Moncey was present when Napoléon’s ashes were brought back to France in 1840 to be interned. Gravely ill, in a wheelchair, pumped full of medicine to attend the ceremony, the 86-year-old commander kissed the hilt of Napoleon’s sword. He was recorded saying when leaving, “Now let’s go home to die.”
Milestone MONCEY
So, what can you expect from milestone MONCEY?
A new Operation, Sledgehammer.
A new 10vs10 variant of Danger Hills.
New units.
Bradley IFV rework.
Balance changes.
Operation Sledgehammer
A brand-new Operation can be found in milestone MONCEY: the Warsaw Pact-focused Sledgehammer. In this Operation, the Soviet 8th Guards Army has reached Hanau on the outskirts of Frankfurt-am-Main on the third day of the invasion. With NATO’s resolve stiffening along the central axis of advance, the Soviets are eager not to let up on their attack. It is on the 57th Guards Motor Rifle Division to clear the NATO outposts in front of Hanau. They need to breach the defensive lines and allow for exploitation forces of the 79th Guards Tank Division to take this small city.
The SledgehammerOperation is a combined arms mission in which you are given additional tactical choice on which forces you want to commit. The battlefield takes place in front of the Main River, with various positions that your combat engineers and motorized riflemen must breach. You start the mission as ZENIT before being given the choice to finish off the pesky NATO defenders as either the infantry-based OKTOBR or with tanks as VOLNA.
In Operation Sledgehammer, expect ambushes, staunch West German and American defenders, and a grueling multi-pronged battle to open the way to Hanau.
New Danger Hills 10vs10 map
We continue the quest to give you more 10vs10 maps to play with. One of our efforts is to adapt existing 3vs3 maps to be played on a 10vs10 scale. This is not as easy as reformatting command zones, but involves redesigning the AI systems to best “learn” the new maps. Danger Hills will have redesigned deployment zones, as well as the aforementioned updated AI logic.
New Units
New units, you say? Yes! In milestone MONCEY’s case, the Soviet BMD series of vehicles will see both fixes to existing models and the addition of several new variants.
BMD vehicles as they were depicted in WARNO lacked missile launchers. Although the BMD-1 could have one (or not, depending on the variant), by default the BMD-2 was built featuring one. We have fixed this omission.
We added a new BMD-1P variant with Faktoriya missile launcher.
We updated the existing BMD-2 to feature a Konkurs missile launcher.
We took the opportunity to add command versions of both vehicles, the BMD-1K and BMD-2K.
The updated BMD-2 replaces the older model (with a price adjustment); the BMD-1P has been added as a new transport option to the Soviet 35-ya OG Desantno-Shturmovaya Brigada (the 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade).
The other major unit addition will surely please our British fans. You guys let us know that the 1st Armoured Division was the first one to receive the state-of-the-art CHALLENGER Mk.3 with added ERA armor. Note that this is the Challenger I Mk.3, not its successor introduced in the late ‘90s.
This new British unit (a brand-new model) has slightly more side armor than the Mk.2 and receives the ERA trait, granting it a +2 HP. Consider the CHALLENGER Mk.3 a worthier target for the plentiful Soviet tandem-charge ATGMs that before could only explode to their fullest potential on the AMX-30 B2 BRENUS!
Balance Changes
Milestone MONCEY also introduces some unit balancing. To represent Warsaw Pact doctrine more closely, the vehicles transporting ATGMs have been reworked. This also means that your decks might need to be updated, so keep this in mind after today’s update roll-out. This change affects both Soviet and East German decks.
Fagot and Metis ATGM were only to be found in BTR regiments. BMP regiments had enough firepower with their IFVs and organic armament of ATGMs. Therefore, FAGOT ATGM teams and MOTOSTRELKI (METIS) (or Metistrelki as some in the WARNO community have come to call them) will be restricted to soft-skin vehicles or wheeled APCs. These are either jeeps, trucks, or the BTR-60 and BTR-80. On the other hand, KONKURS ATGM teams will be locked to either the UAZ jeep or tracked APCs and IFVs.
Another major change concerns the Soviet 39-ya Gv. Motostrelk. Div. (the 39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division). This division is over-performing, thanks to its rather healthy complement of BMP-3. These state-of-the-art IFVs were, as a matter of fact, still very rare, with historically only a battalion-worth having been delivered to the Soviet 8th Guards Army in East Germany.
To balance this, we have restricted the BMP-3 to the MOTOSTRELKI KOM. commander squad and the new MOTOSTRELKI (RPG-22) squad. The latter unit will replace two cards of existing MOTOSTRELKI (BMP) in this division. In this way, the BMP-3 will be limited in numbers but still a force to be reckoned with, comparable to the equally modern (but more numerous in real life) M2A2 BRADLEY.
BRADLEY IFV Changes
As we are on the topic of the BRADLEY IFV, a reminder that this milestone also includes the changes coming to this series of vehicles as talked about in previous DevBlogs.
Some of US 3rd ArmoredFIRE TEAM squads will get access to the up-armored and TOW-2A armed M2A2 BRADLEY.
Half of 3rd Armored’sM2A1 BRADLEY CP cards will be replaced with new M2A2 BRADLEY CP.
Half of 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment’s recon M3A1 BRADLEY CFV will be replaced with new M3A2 BRADLEY CFV.
Until next week
That’s all for this week. Let us know what you think of the latest WARNO milestone.
We hope you are well! Army General: it’s clearly one of the most frequently asked topics featuring high on your wishlist. So, what’s the deal?
In today’s DevBlog, we will give you a rundown of what is happening with WARNO’s upcoming massive strategic campaign mode. And what to expect in the coming future!
Please note that the localization and text writing within Army General is still a work in progress. Yes, there are a couple of typos and mistakes in the screenshots, but we are in the process of ironing them out.
Let’s dig in.
The Promise
First things first, let’s go back to the original promises we made when we kicked off the Early Access of WARNO. The launch of a game like WARNO, with the small team that is Eugen, means a big chunk of game development time, resources, and lots of fine-tuning and balancing.
When we launched WARNO, we gave you a tentative look into the development of our game. As you can see, we have delivered everything we initially promised… and then some.
We took the time to add a whole bunch of features that went beyond the original scope. Such as:
More divisions.
More maps.
New mechanics (including urban warfare).
New Traits.
etc.
From the “might be” section, we delivered the Tutorials and the Operations (scripted scenarios), which leaves us the Army General campaigns.
We can confirm that WARNO will ship with at least one campaign (but potentially more) before the full, official launch out of Early Access.
Why so Long?
Sure, you might say, you kept your promise. But why is the Army General campaign taking so long? For that, let’s reveal a bit of development history.
From day 1, we were explicit in saying that we couldn’t start working on WARNO’sArmy General campaign until most (not all) units were developed and implemented, as the AI and the autoresolve mechanic would need to be designed to use them properly. Of course, next to that, we were busy researching maps, Order of Battles (OOB), and potential campaign ideas. But, work on Army General’s scripting and balancing wasn’t able to start before milestone MASSENA (mid-July 2022).
As you might recall, our first Army General “Reveal” DevBlog was from September 2022. We had a rough first playable prototype by this time, featuring a full OOB and unit and formation pawns. However, it was a straightforward port of Steel Division 2’sArmy General mechanics into WARNO. We could have been marginally content in just wrapping this up and shipping it, but it would have been counter to our vision.
In our perspective, WARNO’s Early Access is the opportunity to be ambitious and massively improve our Army General campaign. To go beyond and upgrade what we can do with a turn-based strategic mode.
Teeth versus Non-Teeth We got to work. One of the first things we did was to rework the combat system, to define better and separate “teeth” and “non-teeth” battalions, meaning infantry and armor for the first versus artillery, air support, and auxiliary formations (recon, security, engineers) for the latter. We wanted the “non-teeth” battalions to be more relevant, letting them compete only alongside themselves but still bringing bonuses to the fight. As such, artillery, air support, and auxiliary now have their own category in the new Battle Plan phase (detailed in this DevBlog). Though it might sound like a mere UI reorganization, this change carried some serious AI tinkerwork to use this new system fully.
Scale Another thing we wanted to resolve in our strategic mode was scale. While operations in World War II could last several weeks, maybe even months, within a six-year war, World War III in Europe was planned to be very short. The Warsaw Pact had about ten days to win an invasion, or else NATO would have been able to bring too many reinforcements (including REFORGER) to the battlefield after two weeks of fighting. Many studies and plans on both sides of the Iron Curtain envisioned the use of nuclear and chemical weapons in a myriad of ways: as a first strike, to break a stubborn NATO defense, or to contain successful Warsaw Pact breakthroughs.
Either way, at least in a conventional sense, World War III in Europe would not have been planned to last more than two to three weeks. In WARNO, that is our working hypothesis: a conventional conflict being played out over a limited amount of time.
That’s why in WARNO’sArmy General, we have switched to a three-turn-a-day ratio (Morning, Afternoon, Evening). Which meant recalculating all units movement range to match the shorter turns. And of course, we’ll make sure that in future NORTHAG Army General campaigns, British troops won't fight in the evening, being tea time!
Reinforcements In Steel Division 2, reinforcements could only be brought in by using Command Points. In WARNO, we stepped away from this economy. Instead, scheduled reinforcements are due at specific moments and will all arrive, regardless. Other types of reinforcements may or may not be granted, depending on events and strategic choices.
Urban Warfare Urban warfare is another significant difference with Steel Division 2. In WARNO’s World War II cousin, this type of combat could only be settled through auto-resolve (as it lacked urban maps). We have decided to do things differently with WARNO, especially after hearing your feedback for more urban maps.
This is why urban maps will be integrated into WARNO’s campaigns, to be triggered when fighting on a specific section of the strategic map. WARNO’s Army General campaign will have its own set of small-scale maps for just such opportunities.
Each new mechanic we added, even if only for multiplayer, has repercussions in Army General. We have to “teach” the AI new battle plans, new traits, how to best use urban maps, strategic choices, units, etc. This takes time. To integrate and test all of it, we created a special campaign, smaller in scale. This testbed campaign proved fun enough to be added to the game (after a touch-up and update) as a fifth campaign on top of the four original campaigns: BRUDERKRIEG. You can read more about this campaign in this dedicated DevBlog.
Order of Battle
The Order of Battle mechanic has also been improved compared to Steel Division 2. We can now zoom in to platoon level, not just company level, in terms of formation detail. The user interface has been upgraded to follow suit, allowing you to navigate from strategic army level all the way down to platoon level.
Another element we changed was reworking specific formations that were too small or weak, with their equipment and personnel being distributed to other battalions as detachments. For instance, the lone motorized rifle battalion in a Warsaw Pact tank regiment was pretty weak and almost unusable as a pawn in its own right. We removed an infantry battalion from each regiment but buffed each tank battalion with an infantry company instead. Sounds complex, but it means that this infantry battalion is now split between three tank battalions as accompanying infantry. We have also reworked the display of pawn labels, allowing them to be more readable (but also a little bit sexier), looking more akin to those labels found in good ‘ol board wargames.
If at first you don’t succeed, try again
Once we integrated all our new features, the painstaking task of fine-tuning and balancing everything began. As they say, the last 10% of the work is the hardest; we had to try, change, update, and try again countless times.
At the latter stages of development of BRUDERKRIEG, the first campaign we will deliver, any gameplay change could have major consequences. For instance, changing core game mechanics, such as reinforcements, meant rewriting and re-recording audio lines, as this campaign features a full video intro, briefing, voice lines, etc. for each side.
Taking all the above into consideration, we hope you can understand why developing Army General took some additional time.
What we can say is that BRUDERKRIEG is in the final testing phase and will soon be delivered to the Strike Team for the ultimate round of testing. You should be able to see them stream it soon. In the meantime, not being idle, the game designers are working on fleshing out the next four major Army General campaigns.
Army General took its sweet time. We are on the home stretch for all campaigns. We can’t argue that it took longer than expected, and hence our sincere apologies!
WARNO LEAGUE SUPER TOURNAMENT
Before we leave you be, a message from our valued community member and online tournament creator Protosszocker. Mind you, these events are not organized by Eugen. Much like previous editions, and other player initiatives, we wholeheartedly support the event. If you have any questions, please contact the organizers directly.
SDL might have been in a bit of a slumber, but two major events are making their way to the community.
First up is the third edition of the WARNO LEAGUE SUPER TOURNAMENT to be played the 28th and 29th of October. Once again, get ready for some ruthless fast action over two days in a single elimination action.
After this event, things will get even bigger. Another WARNO league: WARNO LEAGUE SEASON 0.5! The Group Stage will start on the 30th of October.
In all our leagues, players will be put into different divisions, based on skill level. It shouldn’t matter if you have 10 hours or 1000! What’s more, both events have a cash prize pool. Be sure to sign up through the links below. You’ll also find more info.
We hope you are well, commander. In today’s DevBlog, we wanted to shine a light on three miscellaneous updates coming to WARNO hot on the heels of the BRUNE milestone (released last week).
Before diving in, a quick word about Army General. For those who really really want to know when to expect this new mode, the simple answer is: “It’s done when it’s done.” Make no mistake, we are working very hard to get the campaigns out to you as soon as possible. As a matter of fact, we’ll be able to tell you much more about Army General in next week’s DevBlog! Until then, hang tight!
So what’s coming to WARNO?
Rank Reboot
First up is a Rank Reboot. We will reboot the leaderboards and start several rounds of testing to see the best possible ranked format before WARNO’s official release out of Early Access. What can you expect?
Map Pool Improvement We will select a pool of six maps. Limiting the number of maps gives novice players - or those returning after a while - the advantage that they will not have to relearn all the maps. Depending on the season, we change the map pool to make the experience more interesting and diverse.
Our first pick should include:
Airport Duel
Vertigo Duel
Two Lakes Duel
Black Forest Duel
Black Forest
Death Row
Balancing Our current plan is to aim for Ranked Seasons lasting six to eight weeks. The shorter seasons will allow us to check the meta for each season. This gives us a good indication to analyze online game strategies and ensure that none becomes too overpowered or dominant. All for the best possible mix of playstyles. We will fine-tune the gameplay with each Ranked season.
New Trait: Tandem
No, this new trait doesn’t refer to a tandem bicycle beloved by the Dutch but rather to tandem-charged HEAT rounds. The introduction of reactive armor in the late 1970s and '80s, designed to defeat standard HEAT rounds and missiles, saw the development of new types of warheads. These were specifically created to deal with reactive armor by using two separate charges. Tandem-warheads’ first charge would detonate the reactive bricks, while a second one would punch through the resulting hole and explode on the (hopefully exposed and much weakened) steel armor.
As you might know, we introduced the new ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) trait, applicable to vehicles equipped with these bricks. This trait grants units featuring reactive armor a +2 HP bonus. However, when targeted by a shell or round (either tank rounds, infantry rocket launchers, or missiles) with the Tandem trait, ERA-traited vehicles will be dealt +1 damage. This represents the tandem-charges grinding through the reactive bricks. Mind you, the Tandem trait doesn’t undo reactive armor but destroys part of it on successful hits. Against non-ERA vehicles, the same rounds will perform as regular HEAT.
Next to retrofitting the new Tandem trait to existing ammunition, we will also introduce a new one: the TOW-2A. This new round will be used on the (refurbished) Bradley M2A2 and M3A2 (see further below).
Updated weapons
Panzerfaust 3
RPG-7VR
RPG-27
RPG-29
9K121 Vikhr
9M113 Konkurs-M
... and the new TOW-2A
As exemplified in the list above, the Soviets were not only much bigger implementers of ERA on their armored vehicles but also users of tandem-charge weapons compared to NATO. For being major reactive armor users, they believed NATO would do the same. In reality, only a very few NATO tanks (right now, only one present in-game, the AMX-30 BRENUS) used reactive armor. Of course, if you pit Soviet-made vehicles against each other though, the ERA bricks and tandem-charge rounds would fly around your ears.
Meanwhile, NATO only belatedly developed tandem charges. The ones in-game will likely see plenty of use against ERA-clad Soviet main battle tanks.
The Return of the Bradley
Did they ever leave? No! But after our BRUNE milestone, in which we introduced the reworked and expanded Bradley series, we have replaced the M2A2 Bradley IFV with the new but identical state-wise M2A1. This means that the M2A2 will be updated in-game as the jacked-up IFV it was, with not only a major armor upgrade giving it more resilience to infantry AT weapons but also the ability to fire the newest TOW-2A tandem-warhead charge missile (see above for more details).
The M2A2 was still a rarity in 1989 compared to other models. Only around 10% of the Bradley fleet deployed in Europe featured this specific model. Some say up to 20% of the 3rd Armored Division were M2A2. As a result, we have retrofitted this particular Bradley model to the 3rd Armored Division (but not the 24th Infantry Division) and only as a transport to the FIRE TEAM LEADERS and a single “combat” FIRE TEAM. We will also take the opportunity to introduce a new M2A2 BRADLEY LDR., replacing one of the two cards of M2A1 BRADLEY LDR.
Another, even rarer variant than the M2A2 in 1989 was the M3A2 BRADLEY CFV. This model contained the same upgrades as the M2A1 (so, armor and ATGM). This recon variant of the American IFV will be featured only in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. In this division, one of two cards of M3A1 will be replaced with the M3A2.
Until next week
That’s all for this week. Tune in again next week! Let us know what you think.
