Panzer Corps 2 News

All players who own the Field Marshal Edition of Panzer Corps 2 are now able to update the game automatically through Steam and download the first DLC, Spanish Civil War.

Spanish Civil War is the first DLC in the Axis Operations series, an ambitious series of linked DLCs representing the entirety of World War II from the perspective of the Wehrmacht.

Command the German expeditionary force to Spain and fight alongside your Nationalist allies in a series of 16 scenarios.

For everyone else the DLC will be released next week, on July 16th.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1351261/Panzer_Corps_2_Axis_Operations__Spanish_Civil_War/

If you own the Field Marshal Edition of Panzer Corps 2, Steam should now update your version automatically. If not, try to restart your Steam client.

Important: unfortunately we have run a bit late with localizations. Localization in languages other than English are incomplete and might have unlocalized strings. We apologize for the problem and we acknowledge it is our fault. We are working to complete them as quickly as we can, and it should be a matter of days before they are fixed.

The DLC is accompanied by a patch, Patch 1.1.4.

v1.1.4 Changelog:
- Unit plates now display new markers for heroes and medals
- Added an option to toggle hex markers (victory hex, secondary objective and supply hex), and a corresponding hotkey (Shift+H)
- Loading screen now shows loading progress (by background gradually transitioning from dark to normal)
- Added three final tactical advisor clips to Tutorial Section
- Added russian and chinese localizations for Spanish campaign
- Various minor tweaks and fixes
- Added 54 camo skins and new colours for Field Marshal Edition and General Edition owners
- Added 9 camo skins for all players

Spanish Civil War will be released tomorrow to all Panzer Corps 2 Field Marshal Edition owners.

Tomorrow we will give you all the information you need on how to access and download the first DLC. For everyone else, the DLC will be released one week later, on July 16th.

We're aware many of you want to know everything about the DLC. You can ask us anything you want on the forum, but you can start by looking at the new store page, which contains new screenshots and information on new content and features, including a full scenarios list.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1351261

Last but not least, last Friday we livestreamed one of the scenarios coming with Spanish Civil War. We just uploaded the video on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVRGBBApiec

[h2]New Units and You[/h2]



With the Field Marshal access of the Spanish Civil War only days away, we have one more dev diary for you to enjoy before you embark on your own journey into the new Panzer Corps 2 DLC. In order to properly represent the battles of the upcoming DLC, we have added dozens of unit models and also unit entries to the game files.

And today, we want to highlight the fantastic work our artists have done for us in providing you with these awesome new weapons of war. At the bottom of this announcement, you can find a complete list of all unit entries that have been added to Panzer Corps 2 alongside the first two Axis Operations DLC that are included in your Field Marshal editions.

[h2]New Models[/h2]

Panzer I Breda



First off, we have a conversion of the humble Panzer I. Historically, this field modification was done as the Nationalists, Germans, and Italians in Spain quickly realized the machinegun armament of the Panzer I was insufficient to take on Soviet made, Republican manned, T-26 tanks.

Experimental Tank Design Codename: Verdeja 2



THIS INFORMATION IS CLASSIFIED. THIS UNIT IS UNAVAILABLE BY NORMAL PURCHASING MEANS AND CAN ONLY BE ACQUIRED BY ALTERNATIVE MEANS...

Henschel Hs-123a



Next, we have a biplane unit that many players will probably recognize, as it continued to serve with the Wehrmacht into World War II. The Henschel 123a proved to be a reliable and rugged ground attack aircraft even in very cold weather conditions.

Heinkel He-70 Rayo (Spanish nickname: Lightning)



The primary recon aircraft for the player in the Spanish Civil War, the He-70 Rayo offers great movement speed, high vision radius, and spotting bonuses against nearby enemy units. For the time, it was an extremely fast aircraft, setting numerous world speed records even before the start of the Spanish Civil War.

Sdkfz 221



The predecessor to the very well known and popular German recon vehicle sdkfz 222, the 221's most notable different is the smaller, machine gun armed turret.

Heinkel He-112



One of many fighter designs Germany was eager to experiment with during the Spanish Civil War. Despite performing exceptional well in trials and even seeing some combat testing in Spain, ultimately the sleek looking He-112 would be overshadowed by the superior performing and now well renowned Messerschmitt BF-109 fighter.

Trubia



Our first non-German new model to look at today, we have the bizarre Trubia tank. Pressed into service, the Trubia wasn't a purpose built tank. It served as one of several tractor conversions fielded by Spanish Republican forces to combat their Nationalist foes. Despite its large barrels looking like cannons, the Trubia was armed exclusively with machineguns only. The thick covering that makes the barrel look like a cannon are actually cooling jackets.
By the way, if anyone designs plush toys, let us know. We want an adorable Trubia tank plushie please!

Bilbao



One of several armored cars present in the campaign, the antiquated Bilbao vehicle will be a regular, but not terribly threatening, sight on the battlefield, especially in the early years of the Spanish Civil War.

UNL-35



Unlike the maligned Bilbao, the UNL-35 was a much more formidable armored car. It is clear to see the design's Soviet origins, and the performance of this vehicle is actually respectable and perhaps even superior to the somewhat under-gunned sdkfz 221. A potentially valuable prize to capture and field in your own army.

I-16 (Spanish Nationalist nickname Rata, Republican nickname Mosca)



No coverage of the Spanish Civil War would be complete without the presence of Soviet I-16 fighters. These aircraft operated in Spain as early as late 1936, and proved extremely effective at dealing with German He-51 biplane fighters. Not until the arrival of the BF-109B would the Ratas finally be cleared from the skies of Spain during the massive Battle of the Ebro.

Spanish Militia, Guardia Civil, Regulars, Colonial Infantry, and International Brigades



We touched on the various new infantry appearing in the Spanish Civil War, but here is a closer look at them. Both sides fielded various militia and guardia civil units. Nationalist Regulares are the equal of the Republican Brigada Mixtas. Franco's elite professionals of the Army of Africa take the form of Colonial infantry, while various Republican International brigades offer extremely determined resistance to any Nationalist or Condor Legion assault!

We hope you enjoyed this preview showcasing just a few of the new unit models arriving soon in Panzer Corps 2. You can look forward to discovering even more of the new unit models once you launch into the Spanish Civil War DLC Campaign!

[h2]New Unit Entries List[/h2]

CONDOR LEGION
Panzer IA
Panzer IB
Panzer IIA
Sdkfz 221
Sdkfz 222
Sdkfz 231 6 rad
3.7cm Pak 36
Panzer I Breda
2cm FlaK 30
3.7cm FlaK 18
Sdkfz 10/4
8.8cm Flak 18
7.5cm FK 16 nA
10.5cm leFH 18
He-51
He-112
BF-109B
He-70 Rayo
He-123a
He-45
Ju-87a
Ju-52 bomber
Ju-86
Do-17z

SPANISH NATIONALIST
Militia
Regulares
Guardia Civil
Colonial Infantry
ES Cavalry
Verdeja 2
37mm Bofors

SPANISH REPUBLICAN
Militia
Brigada Mixta
Guardia Civil
International Brigade
BT-5
T-26
Trubia
FT-17
BA-6
Bilbao
UNL-35
AAC-1937
37mm M1930
45mm M1932
20mm M33
75mm Vickers M31
76.2 M31
70mm Schneider M08
75mm Schneider M06
105mm Vickers M22
122mm M10/30
152mm M10/30
I-15
I-16
Tupolev SB

ITALY
CTV Infantry
Cr32
Lancia Ansaldo 1ZM
SM81

GERMAN
Azul Infanterie
Azul Infanterie 43

CZECH
CZ Infantry
CZ Engineers
LT vz.35
LT vz.38
OA vz.30
3.7cm KPUV
20mm VKPL
83.5mm Skoda
75mm vz.15
100mm Skoda vz14/19
150mm vz.25

DANISH
DK Infantry
DK Guards
DK Motorcycle
37mm Bofors
20mm M/38
75mm FRC M27

[h2]Extra Information[/h2]

All new units and units models are available FOR FREE for all owners of any edition of Panzer Corps 2 to enjoy in their own custom content. These units and unit models will arrive in a patch alongside the Spanish Civil War DLC or Axis Operations 1939.
No extra purchase is required for any non-campaign asset.

After last week's DLC reveal announcement went out, we were humbled by our community’s fantastic response and excited enquiries, so we've prepared a follow up for you to further sink your teeth into.

Here are a few additional details regarding Panzer Corps 2's upcoming Axis Operations - Spanish Civil War.





Extra details on the Spanish Civil War


The Axis Operations campaigns aren't just going to be more scenarios.  The goal is to be bigger, better, and more advanced than the campaign that Panzer Corps 2 has already provided.  

1.  The factions involved, and new mechanics to represent them.

So, in our research of the Spanish Civil War, we uncovered a wealth of information that we felt deserved some recognition in the gameplay.  The Spanish Civil War wasn't just a Nationalist faction attempting to overthrow a Republican faction, there were Falangists and Communists and Monarchist and Anarchist factions all taking sides. Not to mention all of the foreign involvement from fascist Italy and Germany to the International brigades and Soviet military aid...

Suffice to say, it was not a simple conflict.






Historically, German aid to Nationalist Spain during the Spanish Civil War was fairly unique in nature.  There were no mass divisions of German infantry roaming the battlefields of Spain.  Such a level of military aid would have seriously undermined the legitimacy of the Spanish Nationalist cause.  The Condor Legion was primarily made up of aircraft, though there were some other armour and supporting artillery and air defence assets at their disposal.

To try and properly represent some of this complexity, we've done several things.  

Firstly, we're adding a wealth of infantry types to the game.  Players should expect to encounter everything from Republican militia troops to Franco's professional Army of Africa colonial troops to standard Republican Mixed Brigades (Brigada Mixta) to various International Brigade formations and more.

Each infantry type has been carefully stat balanced to present a good spectrum of unit types, and here are just a few of the infantry that we've created new models for, all based on historical references.





Secondly, rather than just placing pre-scripted friendly AI controlled units on the board, we've added a new system of communication so that the campaigning player can influence the behaviour of their computer controlled friendly forces!  We felt this would be a very interesting new feature to bring to Panzer Corps 2, and look forward to putting it in your hands very soon.

The reality of this conflict has dramatically altered gameplay, because it means that the player has no German infantry of any kind at their disposal for the length of the Spanish Civil War.  You will be expected to work closely together with the AI controlled Spanish Nationalists to achieve your victories.

With the player controlling tanks, artillery, and air forces and the AI controlling all infantry forces, coordination and co-operating between you and the Spanish Nationalists is the key to achieving victory above and beyond the most basic of objectives.





And prepare for the dramatic conclusion of the Spanish Civil War that will feature the very first multi-sided, 3-way conflict in a Panzer Corps 2 campaign scenario.

Because we realize that this design change may be too radical for some, we have taken an extra step to make sure the Italian CTV (Corpo Truppe Volontarie) has proper representation in this conflict.  If a player is so inclined that they feel they must have their own infantry, Italian CTV forces are available.


2.  New Enemies

To aid in their fight against the player, the AI has received several improvements since the launch of Panzer Corps 2, and it also has received several new types of orders that it can use to good effect.  Hit and run tactics were especially prevalent and are at the AI's disposal in these campaigns, so maintaining secure flanks and good vanguards for your forces will be more important than ever before.

Additionally, we're levelling the playing field by introducing Panzer Corps 2's first appearance of enemy units with hero abilities attached to them.  Double Fire artillery and Zone of Control ignoring tanks have joined the ranks of the enemy, so watch out.

There might even be a very special “Nemesis” level enemy unit that might just haunt and harass you throughout the course of the entire campaign... unless you manage to defeat them decisively!  Mechanically, this represents the first appearance of enemy units that can potentially survive and progress between scenarios.





3.  New scenario victory conditions beyond Victory Hex capturing.

One complaint about the traditions of Panzer General and Panzer Corps is the lack of mission variety.  We've all seen maybe a bit too much of 'Capture all Victory Hexes' by now, we think.

While we’ll still make appropriate use of this mission type occasionally, players will also see a lot more objective variety moving forward.  Missions types such as rescue, escort, interception, mine laying, and others have been spread out across the campaign.

And the way we've balanced this is by bringing back Degrees of Victory.  Rather than have every mission be a binary 'win or lose', we've added more variety.  Every scenario has a basic objective that you must complete to progress the campaign.  This is the lowest degree of victory though, and is suitably easy to achieve.

However.

If you really want to see some very unique rewards and bonuses, you'll want to push yourself to accomplish the far more difficult and varied bonus objectives.

We've even implemented a new currency system to handle this interaction.  As you complete bonus objectives, you’ll earn Commendation Points.  At various points in the campaign, offers will be made to players who have earned enough Commendation Points... offers of fantastic bounties of captured equipment, special prototype units, and possibly even access to famous and legendary historical aces and officers of the war.





A full roster of new units being added to Panzer Corps 2 alongside the Axis Operations – Spanish Civil War release will be coming soon, as will complete scenario lists for both Axis Operations – Spanish Civil War and Axis Operations – 1939.

We hoped you’ve enjoyed this bonus reveal and are looking forward to firing up your Panzers for a new campaign full of new features starting next month.

When Panzer Corps 2 launched in March we saw a very good critical response and we were joined by many thousands of players, all eager to fire up their Panzers and dive into classic WW2 gameplay on a beautiful new game engine.
With that launch there was also an offer of a Field Marshal Edition of the game that included the first two DLCs that will be coming to Panzer Corps 2.

Now we're finally ready to reveal details of the first two of Panzer Corps 2's exciting post-launch additions. We're calling them the new Axis Operations campaigns!


The New Axis Operations

Ever since Panzer Corps 2 was announced, a new Grand Campaign was by far the most frequent request which we heard from our players. It was hardly surprising, because the Grand Campaign was the most popular series of DLCs for the original game. We always listen to wishes of our community and give such things top priority. Axis Operations is our response to all of the people who wished for the creation of a new Grand Campaign. Simply put, it will be a series of campaigns that can be linked together, to form one giant, potentially 100+ scenario, behemoth of a campaign.

The Wehrmacht Campaign in Panzer Corps 2 is a good introductory campaign which many players have enjoyed and learnt the basics of Panzer Corps 2 gameplay in the process. But it was not without problems. Some issues which you, the community, raised were: missing mission debriefings, degrees of victory, historical heroes and the need for more varied objectives. In general, some players felt that the campaign did not offer enough storytelling and immersion in historical events.

Axis Operations will address all these issues. There will be more storytelling and interesting characters in these campaigns. There will also be a lot of innovation in terms of gameplay features, mission design, bonus objectives and rewards for fulfilling them, and more. The AI won’t remain the same either, so be prepared for some nasty surprises from your computer opponent!

The original Panzer Corps Grand Campaign stretched from 1939 to 1945, covering a whopping 144 scenarios. Our aim is to go bigger and better for the new Axis Operations. Even though Panzer Corps DLCs covered a lot of historical ground, we will still visit lots of places never explored before, and battles which you’ve never fought in the past. Find it hard to believe? Read on.

The first two DLCs included with the Field Marshal Edition of Panzer Corps 2 represent the first two links of the Axis Operations chain.




For starters we aren't going to begin in Poland this time. We're turning the clock back a bit further and the first campaign of the Axis Operations takes the player to the prelude to World War II, the Spanish Civil War, which we will be releasing on July 16th.
This campaign will give players the opportunity to experience content that not even the original Panzer Corps, with its extensive library of DLCs and expansion packs, managed to cover.

In Spanish Civil War you take command of the Condor Legion and in line with the Grand Campaign traditions you will be able to transfer your veterans, hardened by three years of fighting in Spain, to the next campaigns.

A unique and innovative feature of the Spanish Civil War campaign is how you will communicate and coordinate with your AI-controlled allies. Nationalist Spanish troops are not under your direct control, but you will still be able to issue high-level orders to your allies (like “Attack”, “Defend” and “Hold Ground”) so that their actions better match your own strategy. This creates a completely new experience never seen before in a Panzer Corps campaign. We can’t wait to hear your feedback about this new way of playing.







The next part of our future content plans will release on August 27th, and it will be Axis Operations: 1939.

But once again... we're still not quite in Poland yet. Axis Operations 1939 starts in March of 1939, which I'm sure our history buffs will recognize as the important date when Germany marched into Czechoslovakia.

That scenario, by the way, has some very unusual mechanics attached to it. If you've ever wondered why they call them Panzer 35(t) and Panzer 38(t) you'll found out here.

After that... we're still not quite getting to Poland just yet. Something else happened in 1939, a battle that might have actually changed the course of history. There was a French invasion of Germany! We're going to explore that conflict.

To compare with the original Grand Campaign, we're already looking at more than 20 battles worth of new content before we get to the fighting in Poland in 1939.

After 1939 is completed, once again your CORE force will be saved, so that they will be ready for the next instalment of the Axis Operations.


Field Marshal Edition - 7 days Priority access

As mentioned above, the first two Axis Operations campaigns will release on July 16th and August 27th. We do have an extra surprise for all our Field Marshal Edition owners, though.

All of you who own the Field Marshal Edition will get priority access to the first two Axis Operations campaigns, a full seven days before their release dates!

Field Marshal Edition owners will be able to download, install and play Spanish Civil War on July 9th and 1939 on August 20th.

More information on both DLCs will be available in the future, with a complete description, scenarios list, details on new units and new screenshots!