Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS), Simulator, Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical, Indie
Warno
More infantry units & new traits
Hello, hello!
It’s good to be back. We are very happy to see the positive (and constructive) feedback on our latest milestone, OUDINOT. Of course, the Eugen team is never finished tinkering, improving, and rebalancing WARNO. We take all comments to heart!
We also have to thank you, the player and the community, for all the heartwarming messages and words of encouragement. Let’s keep making a great WARNO together!
The Unit Traits were one of the major new elements introduced in the OUDINOT. Seeing the success, we decided to introduce a couple of new infantry units, as well as expand the Traits system to vehicles. Keep in mind, most of what you read is still work in progress.
New units and their traits
As mentioned before, we are planning some more (new) infantry units to take advantage of the new Unit Traits. You can check out the detailed list of traits newly added to WARNO in this DevBlog.
Warsaw Pact nations have no units with the Military Police trait. This is due to these armies not having a single large, dedicated military law enforcement organization similar to NATO ones within their ranks. They were usually spread out across different functions, such as traffic control, rear security, etc. As a result, these types of units don’t appear in any divisional Table of Organization & Equipment (TO&E).
The above made identifying suitable units harder, but not impossible. After diligent research, we found some fitting counterparts to NATO MPs.
For the Soviets, these are the Komendatura or “Commandant’s Service” troops, easily identifiable by their sci-fi white and red helmets and the letter “K” patch embroiled on their sleeves. Komendatura units were one of the last units to retain the older UAZ-469. We will take this opportunity to make a special in-game skin for this jeep.
The East Germans will get Militärstreife squads.
A few nations also lack a GSR trait (Ground Surveillance Radar) unit. These are recon units equipped with a portable radar, such as the American AN/PPS-5B or the Soviet PSNR-5.
The Soviet Spetsnaz GRU and East-German Specialaufklärer units will be reworked to accommodate them.
This means that only the French would be left without a GSR unit. As such, we created a new Dragons-Paras squad to feature it. The 13e Dragons-Parachutistes were the French First Army’s LRRP unit.
And last, 2-man sniper teams with the Sniper trait will be added to all nations. Can you recognize them all?
And new Unit Traits
The first batch of Unit Traits has been well received by the community. As this series mostly concerns infantry, the next one will focus more on vehicles. We are still designing and seeing how some of these traits would behave, so please keep this in mind. Some others are on the drawing board, but we are assessing their feasability before disclosing them.
EW. No, it's not something disgusting; EW stands for Electronic Warfare. We would add this trait to EW aircraft, giving them an “ECM area of effect.” This would entail that the plane would affect all radar units in its vicinity and inflict accuracy penalties on them, even if they are not targeting the EW unit directly. A case in point would be the (recently much-discussed, we know) EF-111 Raven aircraft. Unarmed, but with the EW Trait, it would be a great opener to breach an AA defense net, rendering them more infective against the following bomber raid. If it works as expected, it could pave the way for introducing EW helicopters, such as the EH-60A and Mi-8PPA.
Jammer. A unit with the Jammer trait would disrupt recon radar (the one getting the Expectional Optics level) and reduce their effectiveness to Very Good if within the jamming unit’s area of operations.
Smoke launcher. This would be used for identifying purposes, much like the Transport trait. The Smoke launcher trait allows for quick identification of vehicles featuring smoke grenade launchers.
See you on the battlefield
Besides all the above, we are always working on balancing and updating our game. As some of you are desperately keen to know when X will come/changed/nerfed, be patient: all will be revealed in due time.
We hope you like what’s in store for WARNO. What can you expect for the future DevBlogs? We will have an update on the new maps incoming, as well as the new FOB, which we wish to detail in the near future. You can also expect sneak peeks into the new Operations coming soon!
Our latest milestone, OUDINOT, is out in the wild, and we sure hope you are enjoying the fruits of our hard labor.
Being in slightly quieter waters, we want to take the opportunity with today’s DevBlog to give you, first, an apology, and, second, a first look at what is coming to WARNO in the very near future.
Keep on reading!
An mea culpa moving forward
We hear you loud and clear. And we would like to apologize for the delays in development and releasing updates for WARNO. This is not something that we do on purpose. Keep in mind that the Eugen team is not that big, and delays, technical issues, roadblocks and whatnot typically beset game development.
Please, understand that WARNO, or our other titles, or even the studio, is not “a scam,” or that we are trying to piss off our community, or that we don’t want our games to succeed. That’s silly. We are as passionate as you about our games, the genre, and the industry, and we want to ensure we deliver the best possible experience to our players. And this might mean we need some extra time. We only ask for your understanding.
Our players are all
We listen to you, and we take all feedback on board, reviewing each and every comment before we decide to act on it (or not). As game designers, the solution comes from unexpected places, and we always try to be thoughtful about our changes and updates.
We are fulfilling everything we promised at the beginning of WARNO’s Early Access, and more, including two free divisions (OUDINOT), urban maps, etc. We have already included many, many, many unplanned additions and updates, all improving and enhancing what WARNO can offer, in many cases directly addressing wishes or requests from our community. All these take extra resources and time, which can lead to unscheduled delays or issues.
Instead of seeing this as a negative, we are thoroughly happy about how Early Access allows us a direct communication channel with you, our players. Does that mean we will stop implementing new, cool, or updating existing mechanics? Of course not! But it means everyone needs to understand that game development can be a fickle beast, and some flexibility and understanding are appreciated.
A final thing
Before we get to an update on all things WARNO, one last thing. We have mentioned this before, but we’ll do it again: we kindly ask all of you, our players and community, to remain civil. We treat each other with respect, even when voicing our opinions and putting forth constructive feedback.
Important: we do not tolerate hate speech, trolling, spamming, racism, misogyny, or other childish behavior. We will come hard on those that do. We want an inclusive, constructive, healthy WARNO community, from new players to grizzled veterans. We all play a part in making this vision a reality.
If there is any fighting, keep it to the WARNO battlefield. Calm, cool, and collected are the keywords, commander. Thanks!
So what’s next?
So, with that out of the way. What can you expect for WARNO in the very near future?
The inclusion of Forward Operating Bases or FOBs. We are still tweaking the implementation of the FOB concept, but expect a hardened structure that allows for a certain amount of supply transfer. More details to come soon!
The new urban map Twin Cities. Check out some of the preliminary visuals in this DevBlog here. The map is done, and we were only waiting for OUDINOT's hotfix patch to ship before we test it with the Strike Team. It should be streamed in no time.
On top of this, we are also working on a smaller urban map. Initially designed only for Army General, to replace SD2’s urban autoresolve, it will finally be released for multiplayer. Expect some setting restrictions due to its small size.
The map Dark Stream, which we presented in this DevBlog will also be released very shortly. It was created, and intended to be released, with the new amphibious ability in WARNO.
Map builders are also collecting all the community feedback, using this to improve or enhance all existing maps.
A host of new infantry units - where historically possible - to take advantage of the new Unit Traits. See below for a sneak peek into some examples.
New units and their traits
As mentioned previously, we are planning a series of new infantry units.
Missing Soviet & East-German Military Police.
Adding or reworking existing units to give USSR, East-Germany & France their missing GSR units.
Adding all nations Sniper teams.
A new MiG-29 load-out and associated skin. Look below for the nice new paint job. It’s gorgeous and because of that, we really wanted to add it in-game!
WARNO’s latest release
So, in case you missed all the above, don’t forget to check out an overview of all the latest updates brought to you by the OUDINOT milestone and associated (but separate) major game patch.
OUDINOT’s two new divisions focused on the fictional Battle for Berlin (1989): NATO’s Berlin Command and Warsaw Pact’s Unternehmen Zentrum.
OUDINOT also contains a host of new units including F-117 stealth fighter-bomber, FV432 Rarden, SPW PZH, Wachtschützen, etc.
New tutorials.
A new map, Rock, a 83km² battlefield playable in 3vs3.
A new 2v2 version of Loop map.
The Black Forest map rework.
New Destruction mode variant of:
Mount River
Vertigo
Danger Hills
Triple Strike
Death Row
Cyrus
Volcano
Iron Waters
Chemical
Geisa
Crown
New Unit Traits system.
New Amphibious ability for certain land vehicles.
New destruction textures.
Major combat system rework, increasing the importance of Suppression.
New hit points/suppression UI display.
Command unit overhaul.
A new tournament
Lastly, our excellent Protosszocker has organized a new WARNO tournament. With OUDINOT out of the workshop, it’s time to test the latest version of the game under “battle conditions.”
The Simulate Divisions League will host the WARNO League Super Tournament this weekend. Make sure to put in the calendar: January 28th and 29th will showcase who has best adapted to the new way of doing war!
Games will be streamed live on the SDL Twitch channel. The first match starts at 16:00 Central European Time.
Get together to find the best new, cool strategies for WARNO. Eager commanders can sign up at this dedicated page, on a first-come-first-serve basis. Get registered before the spots run out!
new PACT division: Unternehmen Zentrum (classified as DDR since its main component was NVA's 1. MSD)
new NATO division: Berlin Command (classified as British since West-Berlin was, at least administratively, attached to NORTHAG)
added amphibious capacity
QoL improvement regarding the way zones controled by a player are displayed
it is no longer required to a CV to stay on a zone to control it after it was secured
game mode is now displayed in the replays' list
the RETURN key now allows to validate some windows (nickname change, invite code's validation, ...)
adding a screen accessible from the lobby displaying detailed informations about the map scenario
adding a a health & moral gauge in units' label
improving the available supply remaining in supply units' label
better conquest points' distribution between players depending on the number of zones controled by each one
it is now possible to change the shortcut for helicopters' altitude change
MAPS:
MOUNT RIVER 6P DEST
VERTIGO 4P DEST
ROCKS 6P
ROCKS 6P DEST
DANGER HILLS 6P DEST
TRIPLE STRIKE 6P DEST
DEATH ROW 4P DEST
CYRUS 6P DEST
VOLCANO 6P DEST
IRONWATERS 6P DEST
RIFT 6P DEST
CHEMICAL 8P DEST
GEISA 20P DEST
CROWN 20P DEST
LOOP 4P CONQUEST
DEATH ROW 4P CONQUEST : Many improvements on Deathrow (Bugs fix, global optimization, Lighting improvements)
BLACK FOREST 4P CONQUEST : Many improvements on BLACK FOREST (Added many roads, removed many cover areas, bugs fix, global optimization, Lighting improvements)
TWO WAYS 4P CONQUEST : Many improvements on TWO WAYS (Added many roads, slight command zones adjustments, bugs fix, global optimization, Lighting improvements)
DANGER HILL 6P CONQUEST : Many improvements on DANSGER HILL (Reinforcements arrow deletion, bugs fix, global optimization, Lighting improvements)
LOOP 20P CONQUEST : Many improvements on LOOP (Central command zones rework, bugs fix, global optimization, Lighting improvements)
CODE FIXES:
fixed an AI behaviour when it takes over from a human players in replaces, which made it move away from zone the former was securing
fixed various hints in units' info panel
fixed a crash occuring when the C key was pressed when the selected unit died
fixed an exploit allowing to keep tracking an ennemy unit when mainting the C key pressed after in was selected
when a group of enemy units is selected, those becoming invisible are removed from the selection
fixed a window mentionning a deconnection which kept reappearing every time one returned to the intro menu
deactivating supply now also deactivated health points & fuel supplies
the destruction mode's feedback displaying the number of VP won by destroying an enemy unit is now displaying taking in account the game's resolution
fixed the Reinforcement option for Smart Group when they are in a city block
fixed a crash occuring when some invalid deck code were importeed
fixed some AA units' hint being displayed in the artillery units' production menu
stunned units now can't aim until they have recovered
while watching a replay, messages indicating that the game is about tot be lost/won aren't displayed anymore when observing as "neutral"
the "i" key press when an enemy transport is selected doesn't allow to see what it transports anymore
fixed a mortar bug stucking them in "alignement" stance when they were positioned on a slope
fixed an IA bug preventing it from spending all its money in some cases
fixed a bug which stop the resupply of units being targeted BUT MISSED by enemy fire
fixed one rare desync
DATA FIXES:
fixed the (E-German) MiG-23MF loadout's position
fixed HARRIER GR.3's air optics, on par with other fighters
fixed some mortar smoke trajectory errors
corrected a typo witht RAPIRA's calibe (100m --> 100mm)
MODEL FIXES:
fixed the x19 rocket pod model on British JAGUAR [RKT]
GENERIC:
changed Satchel charges as Static weapons
decreased the veteancy bonuses (stress shield, RoF & accuracy increase)
decreased SPAAG's accuracy, but increased their suppression AoE (they are now less lethal, but stres more)
HEAT & AP's damage AoE's size are now depending on their power
reworked combat system, as previously described here.
CV OVERHAUL:
decreased the availability of CVs (vehicles, infantry or helos) coming by 3 or 4 per card by -1
decreased American ENGINEERS LDR. (both AB and not)'s availability per card from 3 to 2, on par with other nations' engineer leaders.
(3AD) decreased M151 MUTT CP's number of cards from 2 to 1
(8ID) decreased M1 ABRAMS CP's number of cards from 2 to 1
(8ID) decreased M151 MUTT CP's number of cards from 2 to 1
(8ID) decreased JÄGER FÜH.'s number of cards from 2 to 1
(2PzG) decreased LEOPARD 2A3 FÜH.'s number of cards from 2 to 1
(5Pz) decreased PZ.GREN. FÜH.'s number of cards from 4 to 2
(5Pz) decreased JÄGER FÜH.'s number of cards from 2 to 1
(TerrKdo) decreased JÄGER FÜH.'s number of cards from 3 to 2
(TerrKdo) decreased M48A2GA2 FÜH.'s number of cards from 2 to 1
(4MSD) decreased KPZ. T-55AM2 FÜH.'s number of cards from 2 to 1
(7Pz) decreased MOT-SCHÜTZEN FÜH.'s number of cards from 4 to 2
(KdA) decreased KdA FÜH.'s number of cards from 2 to 1
(KdA) decreased KShM R-149's number of cards from 2 to 1
(KdA) decreased VOPOS' number of cards from 2 to 1
(39GvMSD) decreased T-80BVK' number of cards from 2 to 1
(79GvTD) decreased MOTOSTRELKI KOM.'s number of cards from 4 to 2
(35DShK) decreased DESANT. KShM R-149's number of cards from 2 to 1
(5eDB) decreased CMDT CHASSEURS' number of cards from 2 to 1
(5eDB) decreased CMDT GREN.-VOLTIGEURS' number of cards from 3 to 2
(11ePara) decreased PAC PC's number of cards from 2 to 1
(1AD) decreased RIFLES LDR.'s number of cards from 3 to 2
(2ID) decreased JÄGER FÜH.'s number of cards from 2 to 1
(2ID) decreased TERRIER LDR.'s number of cards from 2 to 1
NATO:
all US M113s set as non-amphibious and 2/2/1/(1 or open-top) armor
increased GAZELLE CANON's price from 25 to 30
increased PUMA PIRATE's price from 25 to 30
added CHAPARRAL the option to be taken at vet3
decreased M67 RCL ammo per squad from 8 to 6
decreased TRACKED RAPIER's price from 110 to 95
increased F-16E [SEAD]'s ECM from 30% to 40% + price increased from 260 to 280
increased AIM-9L missiles' damage from 4 to 5
increased (all mechanized) FIRE TEAMS' number of SAW from 1 to 2
increased FIRE TEAMS (LAW)'s strength from 5 to 6
increased ENGINEER (FLASH)'s availability from 6 to 9, on par with other divisions
(8ID) changed EF-111 RAVEN with F-4G WILD WEASEL
(3AD) added 2 cards of FIRE TEAM (AT4)
(3AD) reduced FIRE TEAM (LAW)'s number of cards from 3 to 2
(3AD) added M2A2 BRADLEY LDR.
(3AD) replaced RIFLES LDR. with new Bradley-borne FIRE TEAM LDR.
(3AD) increased all (non leader) FIRE TEAM's number of cards to 3
(3AD) decreased MECH. RIFLES' number of cards from 3 to 1
(TerrKo) added one card of F-16C [AT]
(2PzGr) added one card of JAGUAR 1
(2PzGr) added one card of JAGUAR 2
(5Pz) added one card of FH M1A2 (A2) 105mm
PACT:
changed SPW-152K's MG from NSV to SGMB
increased UAZ SPG-9's price from 30 to 35 (and 40 accordingly for airborne units)
decreased UAZ SPG-9's availability from 12 to 9
(4MSD) added one card of FLA-RAK. IGLA & removed one of FLA-RAK. STRELA-2M
(4MSD) added one card of D-20 152mm howitzer
(7Pz) added one card of FLA-RAK. IGLA & removed one of FLA-RAK. STRELA-2M
(7Pz) added one card of ZU-23-2
(35GvDShB) added one card of 1V119 REOSTAT
(35GvDShB) added Mi-8MTV as transport option, with better protection (ECM & flares) against AA to distrupt Stingers
(39GvMSD) added one card of Mi-24K
DISCLAIMER:
we are aware that command helicopter, although they work properly in regards to caping zones, do not currently grant a veterancy bonus around as other CVs do. It will be fixed shortly.
OUDINOT Out Now!
Rejoice, commanders!
The latest milestone for WARNO, the major OUDINOT update, is now live! Don’t hesitate, strap in, muster your troops, and get playing. But while waiting for the download, read today’s Devblog, detailing all the new features, divisions, units, mechanics, and other content brought to you by OUDINOT and related patch.
We had planned to release OUDINOT two days ago, but the last version was plagued with a host of issues. We have a new version, tested and validated, but usually, we don’t release major updates on a Friday afternoon. The simple reason is that if something goes wrong over the weekend, we have a harder time to fix it.
In this case, we debated between rebranding the milestone GROUCHY and delaying it to next week, or naming it HAIL MARY. We opted for the latter. Without further ado: let’s welcome to the stage a very shy OUDINOT!
Check out the OUDINOT’s update logs below. There is more: we also took some time to detail a rework of NATO’s 3rd Armored Division, as well as list the new Unit Traits, including what they do in-game, and why!
OUDINOT milestone overview
Now, to be exact: OUDINOT will only bring the two new divisions and units (see below). Furthermore, next to this milestone, a major patch including all the other relevant new features and mechanics, from Unit Traits to maps, is now available.
OUDINOT’s two new divisions focused on the fictional Battle for Berlin (1989): NATO’s Berlin Command and Warsaw Pact’s Unternehmen Zentrum.
Read more about the multinational Berlin Command, with its mix of equipment and fighting against overwhelming odds, in this dedicated DevBlog here.
Check out the urban warfare experts of the combined East German and Soviet Unternehmen Zentrum in this DevBlog here.
OUDINOT also contains a host of new units including (but not limited to) F-117 stealth fighter-bomber, FV432 Rarden, SPW PZH, Wachtschützen, etc.
New tutorials, from basic infantry tactics to how best to use SEAD planes.
A new map, Rock, a 83km² battlefield playable in 3vs3, with lots of verticality in its environments.
A new 2v2 version of Loop map.
The Black Forest map rework. Read more about it in this DevBlog.
New Destruction mode variant of:
Mount River
Vertigo
Danger Hills
Triple Strike
Death Row
Cyrus
Volcano
Iron Waters (newly announced)
Chemical (newly announced)
Geisa (newly announced)
Crown (newly announced)
New Unit Traits system. See below for a full overview of each trait, what it does in-game, and our reasons for creating them.
New Amphibious ability for certain land vehicles.
New destruction textures.
Major combat system rework, increasing the importance of Suppression.
New hit points/suppression UI display (newly announced).
Command unit overhaul. After capturing a command zone, command units are no longer required to stay inside one to control it.
However, some things didn’t make it into this patch on time. These should come shortly, namely FOB (Forward Operating Bases) and the new urban map Twin Cities. Expect these to be delivered as soon as possible!
The 3rd Armored Division rework
With the introduction of the new Unit Traits system, we decided that the American 3rd Armored Division should focus more on the new IFV Infantry trait. This trait gives mechanized infantry fire teams, transportable by Infantry Fighting Vehicles, a so-called “shield against suppression” when dismounted and fighting near an IFV.
First off, a new command unit will be featured by the “Spearhead” division in-game: the M2A2 Bradley CP, found in the Logistics tab. Though not a transport, the vehicle still grants the IFV Infantry bonus to nearby fire teams.
Furthermore, we are adding Fire Team (AT-4) units to 3rd Armored Division’s arsenal. On top of this, all Fire Team units (AT-4, LAW, and Dragon) will be available with three cards each. On the other hand, the Mech. Rifles units are reduced to one card only.
Lastly, Mech. Rifles LDR. units are replaced by the smaller Fire Team LDR. units, riding into battle in a Bradley and featuring the IFV Infantry trait.
The new Unit Traits detailed
We have already talked about the new Unit Traits to a certain extent, but we can now share the full list with you. This includes in-game descriptions, effects, and brief explanations of our intention with each trait.
Reservist
This unit is made of part-time soldiers, such as hastily called-up reservists, former police, or militia. While not cowards, with less training and older equipment, they should be considered second-rate troops.
Reservist units take more suppression in combat.
This trait will be given to non-military police forces, such as the BGS, FR. Reserve Polizei, Vopos, as well as reservist or militia units (Heimatschützen, KdA, Reservistes, etc.). British Territorials are not included, as historically, they lean closer to being active reserves. They will remain veterancy locked, however.
Leader
This headquarters unit features commanders and critical command-and-control equipment, including radio and other communication devices. This allows for more effective tactical leadership on the battlefield.
Leader units grant +1 Veterancy level to all nearby units.
By default granted to all command units and vehicles, this trait can be found with infantry and other units such as tanks, APCs, IFVs, or helicopters.
Resolute
This unit is composed of soldiers who are highly motivated, well-drilled, or politically indoctrinated. Going into battle with plenty of enthusiasm, these eager troops will endure even the hardest battlefield conditions in stride.
Resolute units take less suppression in combat.
Foremost, this trait was introduced to represent East German troops, considered by friends and foes as the most ideologically indoctrinated and determined of all Warsaw Pact forces. The Resolute trait will be featured with all their front-line troops, except for units such as artillery, AA, logistics, and reservists. A few non-DDR units, such as the French Legionnaires Paras, will also gain this trait.
Military Police
This unit features the oft-detested military police. As law enforcement, they ensure order behind the lines and instill harsh discipline within the army’s ranks.
Military Police units grant a suppression regeneration bonus and remove any Reservist trait of nearby units.
All current military police units, including MP, Prévôté, RMP, and Feldjäger, will receive this trait. The Warsaw Pact counterparts to these units will soon be added.
IFV Infantry
This unit is composed of soldiers trained for combat with Infantry Fighting Vehicles and fight side by side once dismounted. This follows common mechanized infantry doctrine.
IFV Infantry units take less suppression in combat when near an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (doesn’t have to be their own).
This trait is granted to both Infantry Fighting Vehicles and the troops they carry: Fire Teams, Motostrelki (BMP), Mot. Schützen, Arm. Rifles, Chasseurs, etc. Special Forces
This unit represents an army's crème de la crème: highly trained professionals, well-equipped, and with more combat experience than regular troops.
Special Forces units take less suppression in combat, move faster, and deal more damage - on top of the Elite veterancy level.
Featured by all special forces, both “rifles” and “recons.” This includes: Green Berets, Spetsnaz, SAS, LRS, Commando, Fernspäher, East German Fallschirmjäger, etc.
GSR
This recon unit is equipped with a portable Ground Surveillance Radar, detecting targets beyond visual range. Once deployed, it needs to remain stationary to function.
GSR units receive a +1 Optics level when not moving.
This trait is featured in small (4-6 strong) special forces recon squads: LRS, Fernspäher, SAS Patrol. More units of this kind will be added later to some nations lacking them.
Shock
This unit features hardened soldiers specifically trained and equipped for close-quarter battles, assault operations, and hand-to-hand combat.
Shock units inflict more suppression when fighting at close combat ranges, including woods and urban terrain.
The Shock trait will apply to all airborne forces and all combat engineers.
Airborne
This unit is trained to be inserted onto the battlefield through the air. Highly mobile but lightly equipped, airborne troops can rapidly deploy ahead of the regular army.
Airborne units can deploy further ahead, using Forward Deployment, but only during the initial deployment phase.
This trait can be found in all current airborne forces, as already identified by the current parachute icon and Forward Deployment mechanic.
Recon
This unit excels in reconnaissance, gathering intelligence, and spotting targets. Recon troops are light units, masters in moving quickly on the battlefield and observing enemy units undetected.
Recon units can deploy further ahead, but only during the initial deployment phase.
This trait is granted to all current recon forces as already identified by the current goggle icon and Forward Deployment mechanic.
Security
This second-line infantry unit is only lightly equipped for combat, tasked instead with patrolling and securing the rear. These soldiers guard against enemy saboteurs and infiltration attempts.
Security units increase their Optics and identification levels to Good when not moving, similar to Recon units, although they remain classified as Infantry.
This trait will apply to several dedicated rear-echelon troops - which can (or not) also carry the Reservist trait. This includes Sicherungs, Vopos, Wachtschützen, FR. Polizei-Reserve, RAF Rifles, etc.
Amphibious
This vehicle is designed to operate on land and water. Thanks to their waterproof hull, they can slowly ford streams and cross rivers.
Amphibious vehicles can enter and cross waters at 1/3 of their normal (offroad) speed.
This trait identifies all vehicles able to cross water.
Transport
This vehicle is designed to move infantry units on the battlefield. Transports can range from fast jeeps and trucks to even helicopters.
Transport units can carry infantry squads, groups, or teams.
To better identify them, this trait is featured by all current transport units.
Sniper
This unit contains highly trained sharpshooters who excel in infiltration tactics, camouflage, and reconnaissance. Equipped with powerful scoped sniper rifles, these specialist soldiers can engage targets at long ranges without being seen.
Sniper units gain a +1 Stealth level when not moving.
The latest trait is currently granted to… no one. But we will include dedicated sniper units in all divisions in a single batch in the near future!
See you on the battlefield
That’s all for today. We won’t keep you any longer. Start up WARNO and get playing!
We hope you are well. In today’s DevBlog, we have a bunch of exciting things to share, so better strap in. This includes taking a closer look at a major overhaul of one of our 2v2 maps - Black Forest as well as some new units to show off.
Keep reading to find out more!
Black Forest: a map reworked
Last spring, we released Black Forest, a 2v2 map with a total surface of 54 km² and a strong focus on wooded areas. So much so that a sizable chunk of the maps consisted of trees, which created a suboptimal experience. If you recall, Black Forest has multiple attack lanes, including one on the extreme flank of the battlefield. With command zones grouped in the central region, the large mountainous forest dominated the map but without offering a lot in terms of gameplay.
Black Forest was criticized for being too… forested. Our military engineers - read talented map designers - have worked hard to fine tune this battlefield and make it more accessible. This means cutting down some trees. Instead of just deleting the woods and thickets, we created a new sawmill building. Now, there is an actual real-life reason the forest has been cut down!
Felling the woods
So, having heard your calls for some heavy-duty leveling, Black Forest received some much-needed attention (and trimming).
We have cut through the Black Forest mountain. Fresh paths, usable by all types of ground units, have been created. This opens up a host of new flanking opportunities.
Those trees weren’t felled without reason! Sliced and diced, the wood is kept in temporary storage at a new sawmill on the map's highest point. This area features a lot of cover, making it an ideal place for infantry ambushes.
New objectives
We have also widened the front line by opening up the forest, with several new potential hot spots and combat areas. In addition, we moved two main command zones creating high-density defensible sections of Black Forest.
The other command zones encourage flanking operations and long-range combat.
A more dynamic Black Forest
Black Forest felt slower than other WARNO maps. With the removal of the woods and some of the forested areas in the center, we hope to have made the battlefield more dynamic.
Some slight lightning changes amped the atmosphere with many more shades of green. What do you guys think?
The rework on Black Forest couldn’t have been possible without your feedback, as commented about by you, the player, in our official Map Feedback channel on our Discord server. Drop by if you want to share your constructive thoughts. We take all into consideration!
Thank you for improving the design of Black Forest. Let us know what you think!
New Units
As OUDINOT is dropping a bit later - as you know, because of some serious back-end issues - it doesn’t mean the rest of Eugen team remained idle. Although OUDINOT patch is being beta tested as we speak, we are putting the delay to good use by adding new units to the upcoming major milestone.
We have already added the new SPW FUG and SPW PSH as vehicles for the East German internal security units. We are also fleshing out the West German Bundesgrenzschutz, or BGS in-game, the federal border police. These units will be large reservist recon squads equipped entirely with MP-5 submachine guns. A quick note, the BGS units include the first (and so far only) female model in WARNO.
Much like the East German security forces (Grenzer, Vopos, Wachregiment), the BGS can count on their own patrol vehicles to police the frontier. These will come, in-game, in two variants: a recon transport APC, the SONDERWAGEN 4 with Good Optics, featuring an HK-21 MG, and an unarmed SONDERWAGEN 4 AUFK. with Very Good Optics. Both will be added to NATO’s new Berlin Command division.
See you on the battlefield
That’s it. Quite a read, but we hope you liked it. Just a bit longer, commander. OUDINOT’s release is around the corner!
Happy New Year from the whole Eugen team. May 2023 bring you glory and happiness on the WARNO battlefields and beyond!
While we would have loved to present to you OUDINOT update at the start of the year, to get you playing a new and improved WARNO, we need you to wait just a bit longer. As we are working on a major overhaul - as described in this DevBlog here - we want to make sure everything on the backend is peachy perfect. And that takes time.
If you are curious about all the cool new things coming to WARNO keep on reading!
What we are working on
Yes, we heard you loud and clear. You are itching for the next update to drop for WARNO, but patience is the name of the game. Next to limited manpower and some much-needed Christmas holidays - we also want to make sure we deliver the best possible version of WARNO to you. And good things take time. Patience, we promise you won’t have to wait much longer.
Now, we are both going to deliver you the official OUDINOT milestone, bringing you two new divisions. At the same time, we are working on a host of other improvements and content. These might drop sooner rather than later.
What will OUDINOT bring?
Two new divisions, including new units, focused on the Battle of Berlin (1989). These divisions come on top of the base game’s divisions, as originally advertised, and are a big Eugen thank-you to the community. These divisions will be free for all Early Access owners of WARNO and will be part of the OUDINOT milestone.
NATO’s Berlin Command, made up of detachments of four different Allied nations, is well-suited for urban combat. New units include FV-432 RARDEN fire-support vehicle, RAF RIFLES security squads, DETACHMENT “A”Green Berets saboteurs, CHIEFTAIN Mk.10 (in their unique Berlin camouflage paint job), M198 155m towed howitzers, and French AMX-13/90 light tanks. Read more about this battlegroup in the preview here.
Warsaw Pact’s Unternehmen Zentrum, tasked with “liberating” West Berlin with hard-hitting Soviet and East German troops. Command new units such as the elite WACHSCHÜTZEN assault squads, BM-21 (Napalm) MRLS, ZiS-3 76mm dual-purpose and ZiS-2 57mm AT gun, as well as new rocket loadouts for the Su-17 and Su-22M4, including 240mm rockets and UPK pods/80mm rockets. Read more about this mixed division in this preview here.
The above is officially part of OUDINOT milestone. There is more, though. The following improvements and additions will be made available as soon as possible.
What else can you expect? A host of new maps. This includes:
The new map Rock. Read more about this new battlefield in this preview here.
New 2vs2 version of Loop.
New Destruction mode versions of:
Mount River
Vertigo
Danger Hills
Triple Strike
Death Row
Cyrus
Volcano
There is even more Next to maps, even more changes and updates are coming to WARNO. Such as?
The new Unit Trait system, which allows us to differentiate each unit better, giving them character and different playstyles:
For instance, Special Forces are clearly superior to regular infantry, while Military Police keep the weaker-willed soldiers in line.
Using this new traits system, we will soon be featuring the long-requested Snipers. They will gain extra stealth when not moving.
The new Amphibious capacity is also treated as a unit trait.
New destruction textures, pimping up that World War III vibe.
A new, updated combat system, which is detailed in this DevBlog, giving more realism and increasing the importance Suppression has.
The new Forward Operation Base (FOB), of which can be seen more in this DevBlog here (at the bottom).
Command Vehicle updates, meaning that these special leader units won’t be required to remain in a Command Zone after capturing it.
That’s quite the list, but there is more. The following is almost finished, so we're hoping to be able to add them in the next update too ... or the one after:
Twin Cities map
More Destruction Mode's maps
New tutorials
New Operations (solo missions).
See you on the battlefield
Just a little bit longer, commander. OUDINOT will be released when it is ready, which should be around the corner.
We have arrived at the end of the year. Happy holidays are in order! As in previous years, the Eugen Systems team will go on a much-needed break, but we’ll be back in full force in the new year!
Before we leave you to be merry for Christmas, let’s talk a bit about some festive music - WARNO’s original soundtrack. How did we create the stirring sounds to accompany World War III?
Musical inspiration
During WARNO’s development, not only did we want to have everything top-notch in terms of visuals, game mechanics, authentic units, sound design, and the tremendous “oomph” of things going boom… we also needed music.
When we had to decide what kind of soundtrack to use for World War III, we deliberated. The safest bet would have been to work with some generic all-purpose tracks. Nobody would have really disliked them, but neither would they have stood out.
We decided we didn’t want to go that route. For WARNO, we wanted a memorable soundscape, recognizable and with a “heavy” character. A lot of work in the audio department went into making this vision a reality. The choice was simple: the music had to follow this approach.
So, how do you build an original soundtrack “with heavy character”? You pick a style and let your music coalesce around it.
A style fit for the ages
WARNO takes place in 1989. As such, we hit upon synthwave, a modern-sounding tribute to the typical sound of the 80s. This style reflects a coming-of-age of music heavily marked by the use of synthesizers, electronic musical instruments invented in the 60s, but especially used a lot in the 1980s.
We started digging into the huge musical repertoire of the internet. We searched everywhere and everything: YouTube, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and many online music catalogs. All of it to find the exact music that would fit the game.
At the same time, Eugen members were showing military video clips, often with a punchy melodic background. It was at this moment we stumbled upon THE musical track that would form the basis of all our future work:
Let’s welcome to the stage Mauzer. The music featured in this collection of historical clips was just fantastic. A quick search gave us the name of the song and artist, which turned out to be French - what a coincidence. The artist was Triptidon, and the song, Sinful. We felt the music to be punchy, uplifting, synthwave-ish, and, if we might say so, “battle-tested.”
We used this song as the musical reference for future soundtrack searches.
The WARNO trailer
One year ago, the time came to officially reveal WARNO to the world. We needed a good track for this announcement trailer. None of the music we had gathered until this point was as fitting and convincing as Sinful. We didn’t plan to include it in the game, but it was getting close to inevitable, as we required some sort of music.
We contacted Triptidon and made a deal. The arrangement was friendly and straightforward. This was great because many of us at Eugen liked his music. Do check out Triptidon when you can!
With games and movies, we often underestimate the impact the soundtrack has on the overall game experience and enjoyment. It’s a shame because music plays a huge role in defining the atmosphere of a game. This is no exception with WARNO’s trailer: the combo of visuals and great tunes should lift it to a different level.
The early days of Early Access
WARNO launched into Steam Early Acess in February 2022. We included several music tracks, with a heavy emphasis on our chosen style, which received a lot of positive feedback.
There was one issue, however. The soundtrack contained no original music. Our work was focused on selecting and licensing existing tracks, none of which would be exclusive to WARNO. This meant that some players might recognize a song from a different place, which is not what we want to happen too often. It dilutes the character of the game and the identity of the WARNO’s soundtrack.
Moreover, the soundtrack contained several quieter songs but only one real punchy, bombastic track. Having a hard time finding these, we decided to kill two birds with a single stone and started crafting some songs ourselves.
Original music
Eugen contains many multidisciplinary team members, with some of them well-versed as musicians. Some of the original music was composed by our crew, and after some rounds of iterations, we got more uptempo “aggressive” tracks.
Integrating these tracks into WARNO would restore the chill and punchy balance. What do you think? Sounds awesome?
The studio
So, where is all of this magic created? Check out the setup for all the musical awesomeness that is Let’s Go and Silicon Tribes. We are packing some heavy ordnance!
The red-blinking synth below the screen on the left is an Access Virus TI, and the mini-keyboard at the bottom of the screen to the right is a handy MIDI controller called the MPKmini by Akai. The electric guitar is a GIO from Ibanez; this is the one you hear on Silicon Tribes. Finally, the strange-looking hexagonal-titled thingy on the right is an Axis-49 from C-Tru (basically a MIDI keyboard pimped with hexagonal keys).
On the software side, the DAW is the GNU/Linux version of Bitwig Studio. It contains a bunch of built-in synthesizers and FX - some of them actually sound pretty good!
No setup would be complete with a solid pair of monitors. Some of you might have already spotted the unmistakable Rokit 6 speakers from KRK.
And the SNES mini? For inspiration, of course.
Music outtro
With the first two tracks gaining positive reactions from WARNO’s playerbase, we took it as a sign that we were going in the right direction. We chose to add more original songs and compile them into an official OST playlist on YouTube.
We’re glad the music has been received well, as we were not entirely sure about the direction to take and how the songs would pan out. Using generic music would have been the simple choice, but we are happy we stuck to our guns and went for a more stylistically unique way. More tracks to come in the future!
For now, let’s crush and defeat the enemy with the blood-pumping sound of the amazing kick drum. Let us know what you think!
See you on the battlefield
A musical ending to the last DevBlog of the year. The first week of January sees our return to the offices. It has been a pleasure, commander. Let’s make 2023 a kick-ass year (and expect some new content drops at the very beginning)!
From the whole Eugen Systems team: we wish you happy holidays and all the best for 2023.
As we are nearing the end of the year (and the start of a wonderful new one), we have some exciting WARNO news to share with you.
As you know, we are busy working on the next milestone for our game - OUDINOT. Now, it is not the only thing that’s been cooking in Eugen’s kitchen.
Recently, our attention has been steered toward a major overhaul of how combat works within WARNO. In today’s DevBlog, we can go into more detail!
Working hard behind the scenes
Every day the Eugen team works hard to make WARNO the best possible game. This takes time, effort, and resources. We listen carefully to what our community has to say and hear your pleas for new content loud and clear. Creating new features or mechanics for WARNO needs time, and as a living project, developing new systems, or updating old ones, might suck up even more. Be patient, please. Lots of exciting things are coming WARNO’s way.
The more realistic combat system is a major overhaul, as it affects not only the current state of the game but also the upcoming OUDINOT milestone. We need to ensure everything is aligned, tested, bug fixed, and working properly. That is one reason OUDINOT is taking longer, as we want to make sure it meshes well with the new system.
So, what can you expect?
A more realistic combat system
Looking at combat in WARNO in its current form, we weren’t satisfied with the binary aspect of what happens when two units engage each other. The outcome is always the same: either one or the other gets destroyed. Suppression, resistance to it, and the management of units in combat feel too trivial and fleeting.
We want to anchor suppresion at the heart the combat, to emphasize the role it plays on the battlefield. We want to offer more variety when two units meet and be more realistic in the process. Combat should also offer the opportunity to break a unit’s morale instead of just beating the unit to death, rinse, and repeat. Routing a unit should be as much a valid outcome as its complete destruction.
A fresh approach, a more realistic combat system, would offer several benefits over the old format:
It would make combat more realistic and WARNO as a whole more authentic.
Gives the player a larger margin of error during combat. This allows them to recover units, not simply lose them.
Increase a unit’s Time to Kill (TTK) ratio, thus lowering micro-management and the game's overall pace.
The combat system overhaul in detail
So, we went designing. We are still working on the new system, so we can’t give you an exact release date yet. But we can show you how future combat in WARNO will play out. Let’s go through each new element.
Updating suppression and its effects In the current (old) format, suppression occurs with hits and near misses, but only with HE weapons and munitions, and at a minimal level with AP and HEAT ammunition. We decided to add more heft to the suppression mechanic across the board, especially the latter types of weapons.
This means that after the overhaul, each weapon in-game will still deal suppression, even if the shot is a hit or miss. The level of suppression depends on the munition’s type and caliber, but will be more than in the original form. For instance, one consequence will be that near-misses of AP munitions will directly affect tightly grouped tanks, suppressing several of them if they are packed too close. Better not rely too much on these armored blobs, commander!
Of course, depending on the community's feedback, we will refine and tweak the amount of suppression.
Combat experience: a unit’s ability to endure Resistance to suppression will be one pillar of a unit’s experience level. The new system will increase this importance. Veterancy level will influence a unit’s resilience to suppression in various ways:
Better resistance to suppression received (think of it as the “shield” variable).
Faster regeneration to normal state after suppression received.
Better resilience to casualties. For instance, the survivors receive extra suppression if a soldier gets killed in a squad. Veteran and elite soldiers, combat-hardened as they are, will be less affected.
The more experienced a unit, the slower it will suffer from suppression, the less affected it will be when receiving damage, and the quicker it will return to a neutral state.
New unit traits
We haven’t finished yet. The new combat system will also include a new feature. We will add traits to units. Steel Division 2 fans might recognize how a similar variant of this system exists in the World War II cousin of WARNO.
When the next patch comes, it will introduce units traits, which should look something like this:
Special Forces - these are the most experienced of units and receive a bonus to combat situations up and above the Elite veterancy experience level. This means infantry units with this trait will enjoy even more resilience to suppression, increased movement, and faster rates of fire.
Shock - these troops will have the ability to inflict additional suppression on their targets in close-quarter combats (such as urban terrain or woods). This represents the greater emphasis on close combat, including hand-to-hand fighting. Paratroopers and assault engineers will be priority candidates to feature such a trait.
IFV Infantry - soldiers riding into battle with infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) will also get an extra suppression resilience bonus but only as long as they are fighting next to an IFV. These half-squads are pretty small (i.e., the American Bradley’s Fire Teams), and doctrine dictates they fight dismounted and in close coordination with the vehicle that brought them on the battlefield. They receive the bonus if they stick close to an IFV (it doesn’t have to be their own).
Other Traits - We have several other traits in the pipeline, which we hope to talk about in detail in the near future. These include Leader, Military Police, GSR, Indoctrinated, and more.
The list continues
We are not done yet! You can expect a couple more changes.
Improving suppression display We are adding a hit points gauge on the unit label to better display the difference between suppression and physical damage. This will help players see the state of their units at a glance without having to open up the unit’s information panel. The suppression gauge will come with a coloring system, letting you know when the time has come to really move your unit out of harm’s way.
Command unit change We will also introduce a major change to how to command units work. After the patch, command units don’t have to remain in a capture zone once they have captured it. This change stems from our feeling that the old Wargame: Red Dragon mechanic led to too many cheesy tactics, including the infamous “CV sniping.” In our experience, this is detrimental to the game.
By not having a command unit remain in a command zone, we aim to improve the game by:
Simplifying the in-game rules.
Removing all micro-management related to watching over, or moving units from, command zones far behind the front line.
Allow more aggressive plays with command units, with players using them as true leader units, boosting the experience level of friendly units in battle.
Giving Command Helicopters, those often overlooked units, a second life. They can be used to quickly capture a zone and move away again.
Before we bid goodbye
So, all the above changes are in the works, with most of them completed. They still require additional testing before we are ready to release them into the wild, though. The changes also directly affect the OUDINOT milestone. All need to be in the best state possible before we can share them with you. So, we don’t have a launch date yet - we ask you to remain patient for a bit longer.
Now, the above changes might result in some lively discussions, but keep it civil and play it calm, cool, and collected. We sincerely believe these will make for a better WARNO and a more fun experience for all players, whether new or veteran.
Talk in peace, and leave the actual fighting for the WARNO battlefields, commander!
We hope you are well. Today’s pre-Christmas WARNO menu will consist of three delicious courses, all easily digestible. As we are leading up to the big-ticket milestone OUDINOT, we have the following items to share with you.
Keep reading and dig in!
Some OUDINOT news
As you know, in the upcoming OUDINOT update, which you can read about here, we’ll feature two new battlegroups, all focused on a Battle for Berlin (1989) war scenario. As a surprise, and a big Eugen thank-you to our players, these divisions will be free to all owners of the Early Access version of WARNO!
Having unveiled both NATO’s Berlin Command and Warsaw Pact’s Unternehmen Zentrum, some community feedback was raised. We have taken the comments to heart and will make some changes to the unit composition of these formations.
Berlin Command Update
NATO’s Berlin Command gets the first treatment. In the dedicated DevBlog, we mentioned that West German troops featured in the division would be presented as BGS (border guard police) recon squads and Heimatschützen (reservists) raised from the city’s population. To make clear, as it was pointed out to us, West Berlin’s citizens were exempt from West Germany’s conscription. This resulted from the post-World War II treaties, which prohibited both Germanies from having any military unit within the divided city. Therefore, the Heimatschützen will be removed from the division.
There is a catch, though (as there always is with treaties). The local police forces were not considered part of the military. As such, West Germany organized a force of Freiwilligen Reserve-Polizei (Volunteer Police Reserve) from ex-policemen. These were trained with light military weapons; the total force accounted for around 10.000 men. In times of war, these troops would be put under the command of the western Allied forces (American, British and French), with their primary task of guarding key buildings and infrastructure.
As police, they would have worn the same uniform as the BGS but with different headgear and shoulder patches. As West Germany couldn’t actually equip this force, a loophole was found (again!): the volunteer police would be armed with “French G3” battle rifles. These small arms were built under license at the Saint-Etienne arms factory in France, shipped to West Berlin by France to equip its garrison there, and then, eventually, distributed to the local West German force. Much in the same way, the British headquarters in West Berlin kept a handsome stock ready of over a thousand GMPG just for West German “police” use.
Leading us to the new unit in Berlin Command. In-game, the reserve police forces will be represented by the new 10-man FR. RESERVE-POLIZEI squads, locked at zero veterancy, equipped with 9x G3 battle rifles and 1x MAG GPMG.
Unternehmen Zentrum
Let’s prepare for the second course, which is made up of three parts. Our Warsaw Pact’s Unternehmen Zentrum division will also feature some new units.
The first one is the SPW FUG, a Hungarian BRDM-1 variant able to accommodate a few passengers. Within WARNO, it will be an armored but unarmed recon/transport vehicle. They will carry the new MOT. GRENZER squads.
The second unit is the SPW PSH, which is the Hungarian PSzH IV, a wheeled APC used by the VPB police units but armed with a BRDM-2 turret. We will also make this vehicle available to the VPB squads already part of the K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt battlegroup.
And for the third new unit. Much as the West German Heimatschützen, it was pointed out to us that the 1. MSD, which is the East German division at the core of Unternehmen Zentrum, featured a cadre of assault engineers specifically equipped for urban warfare. This makes sense if you are the designated attack force for eliminating NATO’s pesky presence in West Berlin. As such, they were not supplied with old-style portable flamethrowers, as their counterparts in other divisions, but rather with Romanian-built AGI 3x40 incendiary rocket launchers. These weapons were a poor man’s M202 Flash, cobbling together three RPG-2 launchers with incendiary rockets and firing them in quick succession. These new units will replace the typical PIONIER (Flam.) and will be called PIONIER (AGI) squads.
New destruction textures
Next is the rework of the textures used to show off destruction in our environments. Think artillery impacts, shell craters, scorch marks, etc. They have all been made more realistic.
The same visual overhaul will be applied to tank wrecks, featuring new terrain textures to show debris, burned detritus, and more. This will definitely increase the level of realism and display the savage mayhem you commanders can leave in your wake on WARNO’s World War III battlefields!
Friday Night WARNO Event
Lastly, we’ll have another monthly Friday Night WARNO Event, which is a 2v2 tournament by the renowned Protosz. This event will happen this evening, on Friday the 9th of December, where Protosszocker and Eugen’s own DamNed will join the competition. Not only that, but while playing, they will discuss WARNO’s development in depth!
The Friday Night WARNO Event begins at 18:00 GMT / 19:00 CET and will be streamed on Twitch. If you want to know more about the event, be sure to check out the dedicated page here.
See you on the battlefield
Before we leave you be, a small tease. As you see, Twin Cities is not the only urban map we are working on…
Welcome back to another WARNO DevBlog. In today’s post, we’ll look at the second Army General map for our World War III battle simulator.
Read more about the original reveal of WARNO’sArmy Generalpreview here, which also featured some images of our first map.
The production of new Army General maps has significantly progressed since our initial reveal. We would like to present the (almost) final result of the second map.
Keep reading to find out more!
Army General revisited
For you who don’t know what Army General entails: it is our popular strategic turn-based mode taking place on massive battlefields, intricately detailed and using real-life maps. Like the version found in Steel Division 2, WARNO’s Army General campaigns are all focused on NATO’s CENTAG area of operations, including the famous Fulda Gap.
Each campaign will feature its selection of formations and units, consistent with the order of battle for 1989, spread across both NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Each map focuses on a different sector of West Germany and the Inner German Border.
You will be able to play WARNO’sArmy General campaigns either in single-player, versus, or cooperatively. WARNO will ship with fourArmy General campaigns.
Let’s look at the second Army General map: the Kassel-Paderborn area.
Historical context
To reiterate: the first Army General map was sneak peeked in the preview and centered on the Fulda and Frankfurt region. This would be the southwest invasion route for the Warsaw Pact and would see Soviet and American armored forces clash, with some German support (on both sides).
This second map takes place in the Kassel-Paderborn area, which is a 2-hour drive north of Fulda, and close to the junction of the CENTAG and NORTHAG areas of the command, Kassel being within CENTAG area of command, Paderborn within NORTHAG's one. The orientation is northwest. Both East- and West German formations will be heavily featured, as well as lighter troops, with paratroopers playing an especially prominent role.
A little bit about map making
One of Army General’s defining elements is the very large scale strategic maps. Each map has a surface of 22.500 km², which means a playable area of 150km by 150km. Building up this real-life territory in a realistic way is no easy task!
That’s why we had to produce several new assets specific to this mode - and improve our tech simultaneously. Rendering such a large area required the team to optimize the game and performance, ensuring we obtained an optimal gaming experience.
A second improvement was to increase the map’s readability. Players should be able to identify the various strategic areas at a glance, such as forests, plains, urban, etc. These are linked with the tactical maps that will launch when combat is initiated. Positioning your unit pawns on the strategic map, with the knowledge of the terrain, is essential in getting the best results in the subsequent tactical battles.
The design of fields and forests in the Army General map is intended to mark the gameplay terrain to be encountered.
The design of the urban areas also requires an accurate visual representation, but at the same time still provides a good dose of realism.
Each Army General strategic map uses special color and lightning effects to reinforce the atmosphere.
In other news
Moving on, a couple of tidbits on several gameplay elements announced previously.
Amphibious capacity for some units still requires tweaking. We hope to provide more details about this new unit functionality soon.
We are iterating on the FOB concept. Having gone through several variations, starting with an enclosed building (WRD style!), we figured that these earlier versions of a Forward Operating Base don’t fit on an active battlefield. After various passes, we made it more realistic, closer to an ammunition dump, something that could be built in combat. We needed all the new, small 3D assets to build it…
