Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS), Simulator, Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical, Indie
Warno
v.78984 : New map, artillery rework, one-click smoke and more...
A HEAVY UPDATE
Before the patch notes, a little disclaimer about this unusually heavy update : Saves and replays made with previous versions of the game will no longer be playable on this version. However, you can still load them by switching to the compat_save_older_than_78984 beta branch. Right-click on WARNO in your Steam library and choose "Properties". In the "Betas" tab, open the drop-down list, choose the compat_save_older_than_78984 branch and close the properties window. After a download of 13.5 GB, the old version of WARNO will be ready and you can load your replays and saves. Note that multiplayer will not be accessible until you return to the default branch. To do this, repeat the previous manipulation and choose the "None" option instead of compat_save_older_than_78984. After a download of 6 GB, you will be back on the most recent version of the game, ready to join mutiplayer again and enjoy the latest features and bug fixes.
Why did we do this? We have changed the way we handle textures in our in-house engine. As a result, a big chunk of game data was changed on Steam and the game would have gone from 40GB to 54GB on your hard drive. We know that many of you already have pretty full disks and we took this opportunity to reduce the size of the game from 40GB to 23 GB. The only downside is that this update will need a 6 GB download.
TL;DR Game got too big. We deported save/replay compatibility to compat_save_older_than_78984 branch in order to save 31 GB on your disk.
PATCH NOTES
FEATURES:
Ripple is a new 2vs2 map which covers an area of 72km² and is bordered by mountains to the east and west. These mountains all have roads that allow troops to move quickly. The design of the map is articulated around three main corridors: an elevated corridor, to the west, that features a plateau with a clear line of sight. A flat central corridor, where the main urban elements are positioned. A more chaotic corridor, to the east, with more winding roads in the mountains. We wanted to offer three different types of gameplay on this new map which will also be available in "ranked".
Artillery rework : complete howitzer rework that now has the corrected shot capacity! Recon units or other artillery units located within 2000 meters of the target can reduce the dispersion radius of howitzer fire by 30%. In addition, howitzer damage has been increased. To compensate for their newfound effectiveness, longer firing and reloading times have been applied. Mortars have shorter trajectories in order to give them a better reactivity more in line with their role in reality.
Equipped vehicles can now smoke in front of them in one click
AI will now react with the defensive RoE if its units can't retaliate : units will take cover and smoke
Improved general behaviour of AI
Deck editing buttons are back in the lobby
Improved player name lisibility on flares
In the armory, role filters are now reset when switching unit category
Line of sight animation (when clicking the "Line of sight" button or pressing C) sped up from 1.75s to 0.3s
Improved readability of information displayed on cursor
FIXES:
Fixed vehicles bumping into each other continuously instead of overtaking. Traffic jams are gone.
Fixed smokes sometimes not triggering while using Defensive RoE
Fixed a bug that would prevent ctrl+(zqsd/wasd) from controlling camera rotation and elevation
Fixed AI command units sometimes staying right outside of the command zone and not capturing it
Fixed AI using forward deploy only for recon units. It now uses it for any capable unit.
Fixed AI sometimes sending units to defend a zone it no longer controls, effectively sending them to a suicide mission
Fixed unit label sometimes not updating properly. For instance, a damaged unit would forever lose its "need repair" icon after being routed.
Fixed routed unit sometimes not fleeing when under fire
Fixed some static weapons that had a "on the move" accuracy
Fixed Damage and Penetration disappearing from the aiming cursor after having used the shoot on position order.
Fixed Aiming, Firing, Reloading, percentage not being displayed properly in the selected unit panel
GENERIC:
Howitzer rework in damage / shooting time and reload time
Adjustment of the trajectory of mortar shells to reduce their flight time
Howitzer corrected shot configuration
The impacts of mortar and howitzer rounds are no longer sorted!
The aircraft nose cannons can fire on armor
Refinement of ATGM missile aiming time and addition of a minimum range of 350m
Improved calculation of priority targets for tanks => decrease of infantry in favor of IFV
Infantry Ground To Ground Missiles Teams have their aiming time increased from 1 to 1.5 / 1.8 / 2
Increase stress of HE weapons (tanks and autocanons) by 10%, increase resistance of buildings +20%, reduction of shield provided by buildings against HE shells (tanks and autocanons)
Reduction of damage from infantry weapons using napalm (15%)
Distance letality bonus for assault rifles and small machine guns reduced
Assault rifles, Battle rifles ans SMG slightly rate of fire reduced
Buildings grant a 20% protection against rockets
Fire deals damages every second instead of every 0.5s
NATO:
Apache rocket turrets fixed. It could previously fire its rockets without aligning.
MK 20 Rh 202 and Zwillinge anti air guns aiming time raised to 2s
Bofors L/70 anti air gun aiming time raised to 2s
Increased rate of fire of the apache cannon
PACT:
ZU-23-2 aiming time raised to 1.5s
S-60 anti air gun aiming time raised to 1.5s
PULEMETCHIKI in 79GV.TD can use Gaz 66 truck
RBK 500 kg splash reduced
BMP 3 price raised to 55
RPK 74 Rof slightly reduced
l.MG-K rate of fire slightly reduced
British Army Preview
Hello commander!
Get ready for another preview day. As we showed off some upcoming new units for the French Army in our patriotic Bastille DayDevBlog, it is only fitting that today’s post will let our light shine on the British Army.
Hot on the heels of the MASSENA milestone (released this week), let’s find out what’s in store for this important NATO partner in WARNO. Tally ho, chaps!
Lots of Britishness
During the Cold War, the United Kingdom’s ground contribution to NATO was focused on NORTHAG, the army group defending the North German Plain. Relatively flat terrain made it perfect tank country. That’s why British tank development, compared to other NATO allies, was chiefly concerned with heavily armored and armed, but slow main battle tanks.
In 1989, many variants of the older generation Chieftain were actively employed by the British Army, but also gradually replaced with the more modern Challenger tank. Most nations in WARNO feature arsenals of main battle tanks sporting 100 to 105mm tank guns, complemented with newer models featuring 120 to 125mm tank guns. However, the British Army is different as it only fields the heavier 120mm tank gun on its tanks.
The regular combat soldier of the British Army is equipped with the modern L85A1 assault rifle and the L86A1 SAW variant. They can also depend on the trusty but bulky MAG machine gun. Anti-tank weapons carried vary from the M72 LAW, recoilless Carl Gustav or the newer LAW-80.
The British Army Of the Rhine (BAOR) formation planned to stop any Warsaw Pact offensive with quick reinforcements from the United Kingdom, including quite a few Territorial Brigades from the Home Defence. These reservists would rapidly deploy, taking older, smaller arms with them, including the L1A1 SLR (the British version of the FN FAL) battle rifles and even some L2A1 (Sterling) SMGs.
British infantry ride into battle in the FV432 armored personnel carrier, which, much like other APCs, can be deployed on the battlefield in a great many variants (mortar, command, anti-tank, etc.). The brand-new Warrior infantry fighting vehicle, equipped with its RARDEN 30mm cannon, is also available. A terrifying killing machine, some might say it's NATO’s best IFV, if you exclude the Bradley, which was heavily armed but could only carry half a squad.
Death from above
Of course, a preview wouldn’t be complete without British airpower. The mainstay of British heliborne comes in the form of the Lynx, used either as transport or HELARM (anti-tank) variants. Furthermore, the license-built Gazelle can be deployed in recon, light transport, and command roles.
The RAF also makes an appearance. Although Tornado fighter bombers and Harrier were already teased with the 2. Panzergrenadier, British air forces will also fly the F-4 Phantom, as well as the Jaguar GR.1A in bomber, rocket and SEAD variants.
See you on the battlefield
That’s it for this week. Keep in mind that the Eugen offices will be closed this August!
At long last, MASSENA, l’”Enfant Chéri de la Victoire is here! Territorial divisions being something quite new, they’ve required more testing and changes than the previous ones. Besides, this patch also include the long expected "tank price rehaul". We apologize the delay, but we hope you will enjoy the results.
TerrKdo Süd & K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt have changed a bit compared to what we described in previous DevBlog:
Both divisions get access to a few Special Forces acting as counter-infiltrator unit. Spetsnaz & Spetsnaz GRU for KdA, Green Berets & German B1 commandos for TerrKdo.
Both divisions get access to some high-end “HE damage” dealer: BM-30 Smersh for KdA, F-111F LGB for TerrKdo.
More cheap tanks for KdA in the form of Soviet T-62 & DDR “combat” PT-76.
New DDR VPB (= Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft units as security troops.
And more …
DISCLAIMER :
We are aware that there are still some issues needing to be fixed (there always are!) but we felt they didn’t warrant delaying MASSENA’s release even more. Some of those issues include, and thus doesn’t need to be reported: • DESANT. KOM. excessive price increase • BURATINO being available in the same number in both veterancy level • KA-50 AKULA [AA] missing picture • KA-50 AKULA [AT] inverted picture with AA variant • Some missing new weapons’ picture • Transport helo not being capturable as other transport • … Most of those are already fixed on our end, and will be included in a next patch ASAP.
-------------------------
FEATURES:
added a new NATO division: TerrKdo Süd
added a new WP division: K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt
deck creation is no longer possible from the lobby
reworked the behavior of filters in the armory to be more intuitive
"Unarmed Vehicles" rule of engagement set to "Hold fire" will now target unarmed vehicles if they are transporting a unit
it is no longer possible to precisely know which unit an enemy transport is transporting
MAPS:
A new 3v3 map: Volcano
A new 3v3 map: Cyrus
A new 3v3 version of the Two Ways map
A new 2v2 version of the Chemical map
A new 1v1 version of the Geisa map
A new 2v2 version of the Mount River map
A new 1v1 version of the Mount River map
A new 1v1 version of the Vertigomap which is available in ranked.
FIXES:
fixed a localization error about RBK-250's weight
fixed the SPz BMP-1 SP-1, SP2 & P model
fixed unloaded canons sometimes being pushed too fast and way too far
fixed a crash that could happen when firing some missiles
fixed the "auto deploy" button being visible in replays
fixed command helicopters automatically landing in starting zones even though they are not capturable anymore
fixed a bug where AT planes would fail to target enemies higher in altitude
fixed planes sometimes not being able to pitch down after pulling up too much
fixed LARS rockets' damage
fixed BMP-3's 100mm ammunition loadout
fixed the GUV's swapped names
fixed some helicopters' wrong UI category/icon
fixed the T-72 (all of them) which had an HE range inferior to their AP one
increased MOT.-SCHÜTZEN's price (back) from 60 to 50
increased MOTOSTRELKI's price (back) from 50 to 40
decreased IGLA (airborne or not)'s availability per card from 12 to 9
decreased E-German Mi-24D [AA]'s price from 125 to 120
decreased E-German Mi-8MT [GUV]'s price from 150 to 135
decreased E-German Mi-8TV [RKT2]'s price from 210 to 160
decreased E-German Mi-8TB's price from 200 to 175
decreased E-German MiG-23MF [AA]'s price from 185 to 155
decreased E-German MiG-23MF [AT]'s price from 185 to 150
decreased E-German Su-22M4 [NPL]'s price from 310 to 265
set all Mi-9 at avail 2 per card, vet 2.
added GAZ-66 as MOTOSTRELKI transport options
decreased TUNGUSKA's price from 240 to 185
decreased Su-25 [RKT]'s price from 155 to 150
decreased Su-25 [AT]'s price from 190 to 180
decreased Su-25 [CLU]'s price from 230 to 190
decreased Su-24M [HE]'s price from 265 to 260
renamed DDR's ZU/ZSU units
decreased SCHWIM.PZ. PT-76B's price from 40 to 30
decreased PT-76B FÜH.'s price from 140 to 130
replaced DESANTNIKI (DShB)'s RPG-7 by RPG-7VL, and ammo reduced (well, fixed) from 15 to 6
(4MSD) decreased Fs-JÄGER (Metis)'s price from 60 to 55
(4MSD) increased KUB's veterancy by one level
(4MSD) increased Mi-24D [AA]'s number of cards from 1 to 2
(7Pz) added one card of T-55AM2
(7Pz) added one card of T-72GM
(39GvMSD) increased MOTOSTRELKI (Metis)'s availability per card from 6 to 9, but number of card decreased from 2 to 1
(39GvMSD) increased SAPERI (RPO)'s availability per card from 6 to 9
(79GvTD) increased MOTOSTRELKI (Metis)'s availability per card from 6 to 9, but number of card decreased from 2 to 1
(79GvTD) increased SAPERI (RPO)'s availability per card from 6 to 9
(79GvTD) increased MiG-23ML [AA]'s availability per card from 2 to 3
(79GvTD) replacing MOTOSTRELKI's BTR-60 with BTR-80
(79GvTk) added TOS-1 BURATINO
(35GvDShB) created a new Ka-50 AKULA variant, with Igla-V & GUV pod, repriced accordingly & moved to AA tab
French Army Preview
Le 14 juillet has arrived!
Or, as our Anglo-Saxon brothers like to call it, Bastille Day, the national holiday of France. The coolest thing? We have parade after military parade, including the oldest and longest in Europe!
Such a glorious day needs a glorious WARNO DevBlog, and what better fit than lifting the veil on some of the new French units coming to our game!
A small tease
Bastille Day celebrates the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille on the 14th of July, 1789, a key event in the French Revolution. Fast forward several hundred years later, and we get kick-ass military parades and flyovers in Paris, going down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Today, we’ll join in at showing off all things related to French military hardware. The focus will be on several French mainstay units, but not all; we left some of the most exciting ones for later. Not to worry!
We are currently still hard at work on MASSENA, featuring our West and East German territorial commands. The Strike Team is testing MASSENA milestone as we speak. In the meantime, as you can see, we are already working on detailing and fleshing out the French and British divisions!
The fruits of our labor
When the French Army in the late Cold War-era is mentioned, the first vehicle that comes to mind is the iconic VAB (Véhicule de l’Avant Blindé) wheeled APC. This unit entered service in 1976 and, by 1989, could be found in every role and variant: from APC (with a 12,7mm machine gun), IFV (with a 20mm autocannon), command, recon (with a battlefield radar), anti-tank, etc. In WARNO, the VAB will transport France’s regular infantrymen, the Grenadier-Voltigeurs.
Next up: French mechanized infantry ride into battle in an AMX-10P IFV. Less spacious, this infantry fighting vehicle accommodates a smaller combat squad called Chasseurs. Just like the VAB, the AMX-10P comes in a great amount of variety: IFV, command, recon, and anti-tank.
By 1989, the French combat soldier has finally switched its early Cold War small arms for the iconic FAMAS assault rifle. A few unlucky units (some Sapeurs variants) or second-line units (Réservistes and Prévôté, the latter being Gendarmes within the French Army) had to make do with older MAT-49 SMGs and MAS-46 rifles. The squad automatic weapon is the ubiquitous AANF1 machine gun, while anti-tank capacity is provided by either the LRAC F1 or the excellent APILAS recoilless anti-tank weapon.
Some more eye candy
Let’s take to the sky with our next unit. You can call this another icon: the Gazelle light helicopter, coming in version Lisse (unarmed), Canon (20mm), HOT (anti-tank missiles) and Celtic (anti-aircraft), in both recon and direct combat roles.
We already revealed the Puma and Super Puma helicopters in our previous MASSENA previews. These heavy-duty choppers will be the main workhorse of the French heliborne assets, either as transports for Aéromobiles infantry, command, or as supply variant (the Puma Kangourou).
This tease wouldn’t be complete without France’s Cold War main battle tank: the AMX-30. Although by 1989, the AMX-30B2 was the most common version deployed, as with other nations, the French Army retained some of the older AMX-30B versions, equipped with the Obus G “sniper HEAT” rounds. This special ammunition was perfect for long-distance shots at light armor, soft skins, or older generation main battle tanks: they fared less well engaging more up-to-date armor such as T-72s or T-80s. That’s why from the AMX-30B2, the French switched back to kinetic rounds.
That’s all for this French-themed sneak peek! We will present more details (and still unrevealed French and British units) when we do our deep dive into the upcoming new WARNO divisions.
See you on the battlefield
As always, the Eugen offices close for some much-needed holidays in August. This means that no significant updates or milestones will be released at this time. However, our DevBlogs will run until the end of July before our break.
As you know, the next upcoming milestone for WARNO will be MASSENA. In this update, we feature two new territorial command divisions: the West German Territorialkommando Süd and the East German K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt.
That’s not all. As we previously explained, we are also hard at work producing new maps for WARNO. Expect to play two new battlefields when MASSENA drops: Cyrus and Volcano!
Your feedback counts
As we mentioned in our previous DevBlogs, we find it very important to keep you informed on the progress of WARNO’s map production. The Early Access launch of WARNO has been an opportunity for us to change our maps and environments depending on your feedback. Once more, thank you very much for your many (and at times very passionate) comments! We salute you.
One of our most recent maps was Vertigo, which integrates a host of player-based changes and remarks. It was great to see the positive feedbacks this new map received! A few weeks ago, we teased two additional maps, currently in the production pipeline: Cyrus and Volcano. Both new battlefields feature our updated level build strategy; it’s high time we present them to you.
But before we do this, some notes on the improvements requested by our players.
An updated battlefield
Several of you have pointed out two major aspects you would like to see changed in our environments. First: too many “choke points.” And second, forest areas being too big and challenging to cross.
With our new Cyrus and Volcano battlefields, we aim to improve these aspects. This means that both environments will have a significant decrease in choke points:
As well as featuring roads in big zones of forests and mountains:
Besides this change in strategy, we have also reduced the extent woodlands and forests dominate the gameplay parts of the topology. Keep in mind that it is important for us not to degrade the visual aspect of the map; trees add variety, and forests can break up the monotony of an environment.
A secondary point raised by some was that several players asked for maps with fewer corridors. We have also tried to implement this change in our new maps.
With that out of the way, let’s look at our two new battlefields!
Welcome to Cyrus
Cyrus is a new map dedicated to 3vs3 player battles. We produced this battlefield in partnership with some of WARNO’s most active players. In particular, we’d like to thank Cyrus Jackson for his involvement in the production.
With a surface area of 82km², Cyrus offers a larger playing range than our other maps. With fewer forests, the strategic points on the battlefield are particularly identifiable. We made the road network in such a way as to have it look natural. Similarly, Cyrus has no prominent game corridors. This means there should be less one-on-one action on this 3vs3 map and more of a team fight.
We would love to hear what you think of Cyrus. Your continued feedback will be important in the production of our new maps. Don’t hesitate to drop us a line!
A mighty Volcano
The new Volcano also clocks in at 82km², and benefits from the same new design ethos as Cyrus. This 3vs3 battlefield revolves around a central plateau with evidence of ancient volcanic activities.
While less open than the previous map, many sections of Volcano feature good sight lines. Once again, we designed the roads in such a way to avoid corridors that would encourage players to get stuck in slogging 1v1 battles. We placed the command zones to form a more circular game zone.
Volcano is a good example of a compromise between a flat map with clear lines and something more uneven and organic.
See you on the battlefield
Cyrus or Volcano? What do you think? We look forward to your comments on the new maps coming soon to WARNO. We hope you'll have as much fun playing these battlefields as we had making them!
It’s good to be back. As promised, today we will take another look at the next WARNO milestone, MASSENA. Detailed last week was NATO’s special West German territorial command, Territorialkommando Süd; this week we’ll highlight the East German version: Kampfgruppe der Arbeiterklasse Bezirk Erfurt. To save us all a bit of trouble, let’s shorten this new WARNO division to K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt.
Ever onwards, commander! Let’s keep reading to find out more.
A worker’s Army
As we detailed in our first MASSENA preview, our focus in the milestone will be on two territorial commands - divisions that contain a mix of rear-line troops with additional armor or artillery support. Most times, these formations would guard the rear against potential airborne assaults or special forces raids. Equipped with older vehicles and arms, these commands could still handle themselves well in a defensive fight.
The name Kampfgruppe der Arbeiterklasse Bezirk Erfurt translates to Erfurt District’s Combat Group of the Working Class, situating this Warsaw Pact division in the southern part of East Germany, facing CENTAG. The organization of this formation differed from its West German counterpart. Made up of paramilitary-style platoons and companies, the soldiers mainly were party members or “politically reliable”.
While a civil reserve force, and in some ways a heavily armed militia, because of its training and armament, Combat Groups of the Working Class were well organized as a rear echelon defense formation. Of course, in war, these Kampfgruppe der Arbeiterklasse could deploy away from their home territories.
Divided into companies of a hundred men, the citizen-soldiers of K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt hailed from large factories or a city’s neighborhood. “Heavy hundred” companies were equipped with anti-tank, mortar, and anti-air platoons.
K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt
In WARNO, the KdA squads are especially big, with 14 men per squad. They only field one LMG, while KdA Führer can bring 6 soldiers to the battlefield, carrying only the KMS-72. Much like a lot of equipment for this division, older small arms were available, from KMS-72 (AK-47) in place of the AK-74, RPG-7, and the ubiquitous l.MG-K machine guns. Heavier arms included 120mm mortars, 23mm AA guns and D-44 85mm anti-tank guns.
In the event of war, K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt would have relied on an arsenal of “vintage” materiel brought from reserve or training units. In the East German division’s case, this would have been as the ZSU-57-2 heavy SPAAG, BRDM-2 Malyutka, BTR-152 armored personnel carrier, PT-76 and even museum-worthy T-34/85 tanks.
Much like the West German TerrKdo Süd, our East German territorials were tasked with protecting precious assets of the army, and in WARNO will be able to call on heavy AA and artillery support (both East German and Soviet). With K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt, you’ll be able to bring to bear the Soviet 2S7M Malka 203mm self-propelled artillery and the East German M-46 130mm long-range howitzer.
The previously mentioned ZSU-57-2 will also be a part of the package. While this self-propelled anti-air gun might be obsolete against fast-moving combat planes, its twin 57mm AA guns (largest in-game) could still pose a major threat against low- and slow-flying helicopters. Furthermore, the Soviet 9K37 Buk-M1 will also be available. This mobile, heavy SAM is a new unit, though it was briefly featured in the 79th Guards Tank Division before being removed.
While the Bundeswehr maintained 11 divisions in peacetime, the East German NVA only had 6. But the army was well-drilled and organized, so in case of war, 4 infantry divisions could be formed from reservists within half a week. These formations would be raised in the rear - exactly the area of operations of K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt. Our new East German division will have access to a few reserve Mot.-Schützen-Division assets: infantry squads in BTR-70 or BTR-50, T-55A, ATGM and MANPAD teams, etc.
What can you expect in-game?
Let’s detail each of K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt’s in-game categories:
The LOG category is quite generous, with access to many (unarmed) command vehicles and numerous suppliers, including the heavy Mi-26 helicopter.
Likewise, the INF forces are pretty decent, with KdA infantry as its core, but also some vet-locked reserve Pionier and Mot-Schützen. The former can field the BTR-152 as an armored transport, the latter BTR-50.
ART units are good, with the division’s access to Malka super-heavy self-propelled guns and M-46 towed howitzers, as well as 120mm mortars and D-30 122mm howitzers.
Armored TNK forces are nothing to write home about, with mostly older equipment being fielded. This includes PT-76, T-34/85 and T-55A tanks, UAZ Fagot and BRDM-2 Malyutka tank destroyers, and D-44 towed anti-tank guns.
RECO is a bit lacking, with only a few Scout squads, unarmed Mi-2 recon helicopters and BRDM-2 and PT-76 armored recon vehicles.
AA on the other hand is pretty good with the heavy Soviet 9K37 Buk-M1 SAM, East German Strela-2M MANPAD squads, the ZSU-57-2 SPAAG and ZU-23-2 light AA guns.
A few HELO units can fielded, including Soviet and NVA Mi-8 gunships, as well as the Mi-8MT [GUV] with its 30mm pods.
AIR support is capable, with a selection of Soviet and East German planes. New loadouts are the (Soviet) Su-17M4 with 240mm rockets, the anti-tank MiG-27M and the SEAD Su-24MP. You will also be able to field the East German MiG-21bis with 130mm rockets.
See you on the battlefield
All right, that was this week’s blog post. Hope you enjoyed our second preview of MASSENA. Tune in next week when we talk a bit more about maps!
Happy to see everyone enjoying the fruits of our LANNES labor! However, the Eugen team never rests on its laurels; we are already getting busy with the next WARNO milestone: MASSENA!
Let’s check out what’s in store!
A word about MASSENA
First off, as is tradition, before we can kick off today’s DevBlog, a couple of words on the update’s name (and historical namesake): MASSENA. As you know, we named all of our milestones after famous French marshals during the Napoleonic wars.
André Masséna was Napoleon’s ablest lieutenant during the early days of Bonaparte’s campaign in Italy. The latter even nicknamed Masséna the “Dear Child of Victory”. He was also the marshal originating from the lowest social ranks, and a tarnished reputation surrounded him as Masséna became notorious as among the worst looter of the French army (and surprisingly very stingy).
Very active during the early years, isolation crept in for Masséna. Italy was relegated to a secondary theater after the action moved to Germany, Poland, and Austria. However, our general had a thunderous return in 1809 when, with the Grande Armée being fixed in Spain, Napoleon had to turn to Masséna and his troops for support.
The apex of the general’s career came soon after, during the battles of Aspern-Essling and Wagram. Unfortunately, our aging Masséna soon lost his vigor and energy. Sent to invade Portugal, he endured terrible hardships, with the invasion ending up in failure. Masséna retreated to Spain before being forced home to France. He was never to see active field service again, playing no real importance during the rest of the Napoleonic wars. He he died of natural causes in 1817.
What will MASSENA bring?
WARNO’s next milestone, MASSENA will introduce two German divisions of a new type: territorial commands. For our Steel Division 2 veterans out there, think Korück!
These commands were tasked with securing the rear area of the main NATO and Warsaw Pact armies against special forces and potential airborne assault operations. They guarded key locations, infrastructure, ammo and fuel depots, artillery, and other army assets. Although made up of second-line troops and equipment, these new divisions will be well-rounded in no small part to the heavy SAM and artillery forces they would be guarding. This makes them ideal candidates for defensive or support decks.
Within WARNO’s war scenario, these territorial command divisions would likely square up against the airborne divisions from recently released LANNES. Our territorial forces would aim to pin down and prevent the paratroopers from reaching their objectives.
Territorialkommando Süd
We will start with West Germany’s Territorialkommando Süd (TerrKdo Süd) as our first new division. In real life, TerrKdo Süd was more of an administrative command than a field one, controlling traffic, performing basic counter-intelligence, security, etc. The formation was situated in both NATO’s CENTAG and SOUTHAG area of command, in central and south West Germany.
However, should an airborne assault occur during our World War III scenario, or perhaps Warsaw Pact forces making a lightning breakthrough, TerrKdo Süd would have been in command of all the rear units. This includes two full reserve brigades with tanks and a plethora of smaller formations.
One important feature of TerrKdo Süd is that while the division is composed chiefly of rear-line units, it will receive some (foreign) support. In case of a breakthrough and an unopposed Soviet drive on the Rhine, there would be one particular nation rather desperate to prevent Ivan from advancing through CENTAG’s to their border: the French.
TerrKdo Süd receives some reinforcements from France’s Armée de l’Air and 4e Division Aéromobile. The latter was France’s only air assault “division,” though more the size of a small brigade. This formation is equipped with a ton of Gazelle combat helicopters and a regiment of heliborne infantry specialized in anti-tank warfare. That means a lot of Frenchies lugging around MILAN systems!
Which units can you play with?
What units can you expect with the new TerrKdo Süd division?
The LOG category is pretty standard with an emphasis on heavy movers and suppliers: you get to play with the MAN Kat 6x6 truck and CH-53G helicopter.
Lots of cheap INF slots. This includes many veterancy-locked Jäger, Heimatschutzen and Sicherungs squads, including organic M40A1 and MILAN 1 anti-tank teams, as well as some Feldjäger and Pioniers.Jäger infantry can deploy in M113A1G transports; the rest of the soldiers in soft-skin vehicles.
Next to the Germans, some French airmobile squads, as well as MILAN 2 anti-tank teams in Super Puma helis, are available.
TNK category is average, both in terms of slots and quality. Alongside the KanJpz, we encounter the mainstay of the German tank reserve arsenal: the M48 Patton in its 90mm M48A2CGA1 and 105mm M48A2GA2 variants. The latter is an up-gunned version with the M60 Patton’s main gun, giving it the same firepower but on a smaller, weaker chassis. Finally, the French P4 MILAN 2 offers a light but fast and powerful tank destroyer.
The AA category is one of the stronger categories. With the formation’s task of protecting SAM sites, you’ll get quite a lot of affordable anti-air units. This includes the monotube FK20-2 20mm, as well as the good ‘ol Flak L/70 Bofors. Consider these very effective against choppers!
Other units include Roland 2 and Roland 3 units, and the towed I-Hawk. To round it out, you also get to deploy Fliegerfaust squads.
The ART forces of the TerrKdo Süd are pretty strong too in terms of availability and price, but come mostly as towed units. It includes the 120mm Tampella mortar, 105mm FH M1A2 (A2) (this model is already used as a placeholder for the 82nd Airborne Division’s M102 unit), and the 155mm FH155-1 (another name for the FH-70, deployable with our existing German divisions). The only self-propelled artillery unit is the older HS.30 Panzermörser 120mm mortar carrier.
RECO is clearly not this division’s strong suit. There is limited availability and choice, including Aufklärer (4-man) and Jäger-Aufklärer squads, as well as French Gazelle Lisse (unarmed) and Gazelle Canon (20mm) recon helicopters.
Lacking a helicopter force of its own, TerrKdo Süd instead relies entirely on French assets. This comes in the form of Gazelle Canon, Gazelle HOT 1 and Gazelle HOT 2.
Air support is pretty decent, with several variants of the Luftwaffe’s F-4F available in anti-tank, bomber, and fighter roles, as well as the new F-104G bomber variant with its Mk.83 bombs.
The French Armée de l’Air lends additional support with a single card each of Mirage 2000C RDI fighters and Mirage 5 F cluster bombers.
TerrKdo Süd is a pretty good defensive and support division. This is because of its many cheap infantry and tanks, allowing it to hold the line against enemy attacks. However, the formation lacks modern equipment to be confident on an offense, especially main battle tanks, armored transport carriers, and self-propelled artillery.
See you on the battlefield
That’s it for the first preview of MASSENA. Come back next week for a look into the new Warsaw Pact division!
Today is the glorious day that you’ll get to play the latest update for WARNO, the eagerly expected LANNES milestone!
Yes, we all know you have been patiently (and, in some cases, impatiently) been waiting for this update. Our apologies for the delays! However, it comes as no surprise that game development can be beset by roadblocks, fixes, and hold-ups. At Eugen, we sometimes make the hard decisions to have a new feature, unit, or mechanic take a little longer, just so that you get to play with the best possible (new) version of WARNO.
With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s find out all the juicy details being “airdropped” in by LANNES.
What does LANNES bring to the table?
The LANNES update brings a host of exciting new things to WARNO. What can you expect?
Two new paratroop-focused divisions: the renowned American 82nd Airborne Division squares off against the elite Soviet 35-ya OG Desantno-Shturmovaya Brig. or 35th Gds. Air Assault Brigade.
An arsenal of new weapon systems and units. For NATO this includes among others, the light M551 Sheridan tank, the Humvee transport in many varieties, the M998 Avenger and the AA AH-1 ATAS variant. For the Soviets, expect to play with the BTR-D family of vehicles, the rare Ka-50, 2S9 Nona, 2B9 Vasilek automatic mortar, as well as the BMD-1 and the BMD-2.
New towed units, including the M102 105mm howitzer, the M30 107mm (4,2-inch) mortar, M167 Vulcan AA, 2S12 120mm mortar and D-20 122mm howitzer.
The new Forward Deployment mechanic that sets apart airborne and air assault units from recon forces or normal units. Units with the Forward Deployment will be able to deploy ahead of your division’s main and recon deployment zones at the beginning of a battle.
Two new maps: Triple Strike, a 3vs3 battlefield with three large attack lanes featuring a succession of terrain types; Vertigo, a 2vs2 map with lots of verticality.
Lots of improvements, bug fixes, and quality-of-life additions!
Two new WARNO divisions
As mentioned, LANNES will bring two new divisions to WARNO. If you want to read more about what makes the American 82ns Airborne Division unique or why the Soviet 35th Gds. Air Assault will be kicking some serious butt, check out the dedicated DevBlogs below!
The daring paratroopers of the acclaimed American 82ns Airborne Division bringing a host of light airborne-specific equipment. Read all about the new NATO division in this blog post here.
The elite airborne troops of the Soviet 35th Gds. Air Assault Brigade which in the case of World War III would have acted as Group of Soviet Forces in Germany organic air assault brigade. Read all about the new Warsaw Pact division in this blog post here.
DISCLAIMER:
BTR-ZD is missing its icon.
M102 howitzer is actually an M101. The latter wwas needed for the next iteration, but the two were mixed up.
Both issues are fixed on our end and will be patched soon.
Triple Strike structured around three large attack lanes offering a succession of different terrain types, each with its own gameplay impact: open areas, forests, and mountains.
Vertigo puts the focus on verticality. The map features many mountains, mostly positioned on the edges of the level. This gives the players a clear central playing area.
See you on the battlefield
Before we leave you be to discover all the new toys and mechanics of LANNES, another small note from the Eugen team. While fixing various technical issues (one reason for LANNES’ delay), the designers weren’t idle and advanced on not only the next milestone, MASSENA but also the one after, BESSIERES. We will soon enter the testing phase of MASSENA.
Oh, and if you are curious, BESSIERES will feature the long-awaited first French and British divisions!
Now - get to it! Join the passionate WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get to together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, or our Instagram.
See you on the battlefield, commander!
LANNES reveal #3: New Maps & Model Fixes
Hello all!
Let’s look at some new maps coming hot to WARNO! Our next milestone, LANNES, will not only be about new divisions, units, and toys to play around with but also two new battlefields: Triple Strike and Vertigo.
Keep on improvin’
Before we lift the veil on all the juicy new details, the map design team has been hard at work on the production of several new maps, actively considering your feedback. This is an important part of our design efforts. We want to make sure that whatever new environment we are working on contains your wishes and desires - to the extent that this is possible from a production and gameplay point of view.
The next two new maps to be delivered with LANNES update will benefit from a significant reduction in choke points. The topology and environments will keep on being realistic, with lots of verticality, for example.
There is more: next to the two new maps, detailed further below, we are also hard at work on delivering another type of new map. One of them, designed together with some of our most active players, combines all the relevant player feedback and community comments into one interesting package. This map, the 3x3_Cyrus, features even more open areas and specifically has a design that emphasizes player readability of the battlefield!
Triple Strike
The first new map that will be brought by LANNES is Triple Strike, a 3vs3 battlefield. This particular level was previewed at the 3rd Fundraiser Tournament for Action Against Hunger charity event organized by the Simulated Divisions League, which we warmly thank and salute!
The event was a chance to see some of our greatest WARNO players battle it out against Eugen’s own development team. During the live matches, we received a lot of positive feedback about the new Triple Strike map. We hope it lives up to meeting your expectations as well!
Triple Strike’s 82 km² is structured around three large attack lanes. These corridors offer a succession of different terrain types, each with its own gameplay impact: open areas, forests, and mountains. The map also features various elevations in the form of plateaus. These need to be considered if you want to gain an advantage on the battlefield! The majority of the Command zones are positioned to highlight the strategic infrastructure of the map: cities, industrial zones, and residential sectors.
Vertigo
Map número dos is Vertigo, a battlefield offered for 2v2 battles. This Death Row-sized map (with 56 km²) puts the focus on verticality. The map features many mountains, mostly positioned on the edges of the level. This gives the players a clear central playing area.
We designed Vertigo from the ground up to offer clearer lines of sight compared to some other battlefields. The main clashes on Vertigo will take place around the six central Command zones. Various strategies are available for a player to take control of the map, including frontal attacks or bypassing the defensive lines via the edges of the map. We’ll keep a close eye on which tactics you’ll use to win on Vertigo!
Model improvements
Taking into account our (very) busy schedule, we are trying to apply fixes and include quality-of-life improvements whenever possible. As such, we have reworked some models. This includes the Warsaw Pact’s BMP-1P now featuring the correct Fagot ATGM launcher. We also took the chance to add a new variant of the IFV: the BMP-1PG with an AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher bolted to the turret. We will add this vehicle to the existing Soviet mechanized divisions.
NATO hasn’t been forgotten. We have reworked the Harrier GR.3’s incorrect GR.5 to the proper version.
See you on the battlefield
That’s it for this week. Let us know what you think!
We are back with another LANNES update. We already took to those who fall from the sky with our last week’s look at the famous U.S. 82nd Airborne division. This time we are putting the spotlight on a comparable paratrooper Warsaw Pact formation: the new 35th Gds. Air Assault Brigade.
The 35-ya OG Desantno-Shturmovaya Brig. was the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany Cold War organic air assault brigade, and as such, going to bring plenty of new toys and units to WARNO’s battlefield. Let’s take a look!
Who is LANNES?
In our excitement to talk about our new American paratroopers, we kind of forgot to tell you about the origin of the name LANNES. Of course, we are talking about an early 19th Century Marshal of the French Empire, Jean Lannes, to be exact. A personal friend to Napoleon and one of his youngest marshals, he was considered one of the most daring and talented generals. Napoleon couldn’t resist highlighting his own influence when saying: “I found him a pygmy and left him a giant”.
Having risen multiple times in the ranks, including the campaigns in Italy and Egypt, as well as briefly falling out of Napoleon’s grace, Lannes rose once more to prominence during the Napoleonic Wars. He fought and commanded with distinction during the Battles of Austerlitz, Saalfeld (still studied today by the French Staff College), Jena and the grueling siege of Zaragoza.
However, during the Battle of Aspern-Essling, in 1809, Lannes was hit by a ricocheted cannonball at the very end of the battle. Though immediately taken care of - with one leg amputated - the injuries proved too grave, and Lannes died eight days later. The first Napoleonic marchal to fall in battle. A battlefield end to a true military commander!
A little historical context
For most of its existence, the 35-ya OG Desantno-Shturmovaya Brig. or 35th Gds. Air Assault Brigade was the 111th Guards Airborne Regiment (itself part of the 11th Guards Airborne Division). This latter regiment only turned into the 35th Gds. Air Assault in 1979 when the parent division was disbanded and its constituent regiments became independent brigades.
The lineage of the brigade can be traced back to the late 1940s, when the 111th Guards Airborne Regiment was first founded. In the 1960s, it trained extensively for mountain warfare and was several years stationed in the Turkestan Military District, near Uzbekistan’s external border. In 1979, the division and regiment were briefly located in Bagram, Afghanistan, mere months before the official Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.
As mentioned above, in the fall of 1979, the 11th Guards Airborne Division was disbanded and the 111th Guards Airborne Regiment became the 35th Gds. Air Assault. It was then sent to East Germany.
In Europe, the 35th Gds. Air Assault was a mix of a parachutist and air assault division. As such, in WARNO, some of the division’s units will feature the Forward Deployment mechanic (see last week’s DevBlog).
What new units do you get?
Let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we? What can you expect from the 35th Gds. Air Assault in the upcoming LANNES update?
As mentioned, one of the main features of 35th Gds. Air Assault is a mix of parachute and heliborne units. In WARNO this means that regular Desantniki (parachute ones) will be able to Forward Deploy. Heliborne Desantniki (DShB) will not, having to arrive from the rear with Mi-2 and Mi-8T.
Spetsnaz forces (combat, not recon already featured as the Spetsnaz G.R.U.) will also be deployable.
Another unique feature of Soviet airborne forces is that they jump with their specialized, lightly armored vehicles, which are based on two types: the BMD and the BTR-D.
The BMD-1 and BMD-2 are basically the BMP-1 and BMP-2, but with less armor and no organic ATGM load-out. They retain the same guns as their heavier counterparts. As an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), they will be available in Forward Deployment featuring the Desantniki (Mek.) squad and Leader variants.
Other (parachute) Desantniki will deploy in UAZ jeeps or lighter Gaz-66B para truck transports. The BMD is also featured as a turretless Command vehicle.
The BTR-D is another paradrop-only vehicle, coming in several variants:
The BTR-D is a lightly armed APC with MGs and AGS-17 grenade-launcher.
The BTR-RD Robot is an APC armed with a Konkurs launcher, doubling as a transport for an anti-tank team.
BTR-ZD Skrezhet is an APC armed with a twin 23mm ZU-23-2 AA gun strapped on the roof, acting both as light SPAAG and transport for a MANPAD team.
There is even more
That’s not all. Let’s continue to some heavier weapons, including artillery and tanks.
Most of the artillery available to the formation is towed:
This includes the 2B9 Vasilek automatic mortar. A short-ranged weapon, it doubles as a “super-heavy” quick-firing grenade launcher-like fire support vehicle. It can even direct fire.
There is also the 2S12 120mm mortar. Both weapon systems can Forward Deploy.
The division will have access to the D-30 122mm howitzer.
Other artillery vehicles include:
The 2S9 Nona, a self-propelled 120mm mortar direct support vehicle, with the mortar in a turret on a BTR-D hull.
The BM-21V Grad-V MLRS, a lighter multiple rocket launcher with fewer tubes, is also featured.
Moving on:
Tank support was light for the 35th Gds. Air Assault. The Soviets didn’t have access to a vehicle such as the 82nd Airborne’s Sheridan. The organic anti-tank weapons available to the division are BRDM-2 Konkurs, as well as para (Forward Deploy) UAZ with Konkurs team and D-44 85mm anti-tank guns.
Like the 82nd Airborne, some additional armor will be attached to the 35th Gds. Air Assault, courtesy of the 8th Guards Army's organic recon battalion. They will bring a few (usually one card each of) T-80B, BRDM-2 Strela-1, and BRM-1.
Recon units include the Desant. Razvedka. You can also call on Spetsnaz G.R.U..
AA support is somewhat lackluster compared to other Soviet divisions. At the very least, you can deploy Desant Igla teams, as well as both towed and truck-mounted twin 23mm ZU-23-2 AA guns. All feature Forward Deployment.
Air forces
Lastly, let’s see what assets the division can bring that take to the sky:
Aside from the usual, wide assortment of Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters, the 35th Gds. Air Assault will deploy some of the rare Ka-50. Yes! And the crowd go wild! This attack helicopter numbered only six examples in active testing in 1989 in real life, but early production was ramping up, and within the timeframe of our invasion, a limited amount would have been available to Warsaw Pact forces. The Ka-50 is armed with a 30mm autocannon, 4x Igla anti-aircraft missile, and 12x (!) Vikhr anti-tank missiles. Basically, a Soviet Apache!
Recon helicopters such as the heavy-duty Mi-24K.
Other air support units, including the already featured MiG-23ML fighter and plenty of new ones!
The MiG-27 bomber in three different load-outs (bombs and rockets).
The svelte and ace-looking MiG-29 fighter (currently only present in the NVA division).
The MiG-25BM SEAD plane and MiG-25RBF bombers.
See you on the battlefield
All right, that’s it again for this week’s update on the next WARNO milestone, LANNES. Looking forward to hearing what you think, but keep the discourse civil and have some respect for your fellow players and the devs!
