Men of War II News

The big beta news of the day is the surprise "server slam" for Diablo 4, an open-for-all test set to run May 12-14. But if you're looking for something different to do, the upcoming World War 2 RTS Men of War 2 is also having an open beta over that very same weekend...
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Greetings, Commanders!

We are happy to share new details about the upcoming Open Beta of Men of War II, namely, its single-player content. From May 11 to May 15, you will be able to play three very different missions. We have prepared an extended gameplay video from Battle of Coisson, a mission from the game’s Falaise Pocket story campaign which takes place from the US perspective. Let's check it out:

[previewyoutube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyzwAnUKVcM [/previewyoutube]
The mission takes place near the village of Coisson, Normandy, 1944, and sees The 68th Motorized Infantry Battalion - led by Lieutenant Carl Young - on a rescue operation to make contact with artillery gunners of Company H, who recently ceased communication with command. The 68th Motorized Infantry Battalion is formed from what remained of two other battalions which took heavy losses during the Normandy landings. One used to be an infantry battalion, but the merged unit was reclassified as mechanised.



In addition to Battle of Coisson, you will also be able to try out two new additional, non-campaign, single-player missions during the open beta:



In Towards Freedom, you will command a small squad of Soviet scouts and NKVD Special Forces on a mission to destroy a German camp and liberate the POWs. The enemy has superior numbers and ample reserves in their rear. Your squad must win with superior tactics - or else perish in an unequal battle.



The last featured mission will be Ambush, which takes place in Normandy, 1944 and is played from the German perspective. The 30th Panzergrenadier Regiment is taking heavy losses, and the decision has been made to ambush fresh US reinforcements while the regiment's main force is off fighting at the front line. The new enemy units must not reach that front line and must be stopped at all costs.

During the beta Battle of Coisson, Towards Freedom, and Ambush will all be available in both single-player and cooperative multiplayer modes. If you are looking to get hands-on with these missions and additional multiplayer content, register now for the Men of War II Open Beta which will begin on May 11 and run until May 15. But please keep in mind, the open beta is not fully representative of the final game, as it is still under development.

Signing up is simple:

• You need to head over to the Men of War II Steam store page where you will have the option to ‘Request Access’ for a ‘Men of War II Playtest’ - you can do so right now and get an e-mail notification once the beta goes live. Otherwise, clicking the button at anytime during the beta will grant you instant access.
  
• If you have already taken part in the Multiplayer Tech Test, you do not need to sign up again, the ‘Men of War II Playtest’ will simply become available to install/play in your Steam Library once the beta starts.
  
• Wait and jump into the action on Thursday, May 11.

The open beta will feature a varied selection of multiplayer maps and modes, and implement a number of gameplay changes based on community feedback from March’s multiplayer tech test.

Men of War II will be available in 2023. Remember to add the game to your wishlists!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1128860/Men_of_War_II/

And if you want to stay up to date on all news about Men of War II, join the game's official Discord server, and follow Fulqrum Publishing on social media!

Greetings, Commanders!

We're proud to announce that an open beta for Men of War II will begin on Thursday, May 11, and conclude on Monday, May 15, making it the second opportunity to get hands-on with the game after the initial Multiplayer Tech Test last month. It will be available for free here on Steam, enlisting in the open beta is simple:

• You need to head over to the Men of War II Steam store page where you will have the option to ‘Request Access’ for a ‘Men of War II Playtest’ - you can do so right now and get an e-mail notification once the beta goes live. Otherwise, clicking the button at anytime during the beta will grant you instant access.
  
• If you have already taken part in the Multiplayer Tech Test, you do not need to sign up again, the ‘Men of War II Playtest’ will simply become available to install/play in your Steam Library once the beta starts.
  
• Wait and jump into the action on Thursday, May 11.

The upcoming beta will once again feature a varied selection of multiplayer maps and modes but will also, for the first time ever, include single-player content. The developers are also implementing a number of gameplay changes based on your feedback, commanders. But please keep in mind, the open beta is not fully representative of the final game, as it is still under development. In the developers' own words:

"With Men of War II, we aim to deliver exciting new experiences and make fresh gameplay innovations to the Men of War franchise," said Maxim Kamensky, Men of War II Producer at Best Way. "We remain ever grateful to our long-time fans for their support and feedback, and where possible, will be incorporating some of the highly requested changes into the upcoming beta, with further additions being made at release and beyond.”

We will be introducing the new content and the planned gameplay changes during the weeks leading up to the beta. For now, however, we would like to share a few insights from the previous round of public testing. We hope you find the data interesting:



We would like to thank everyone who took their time to play the first Multiplayer Tech Test, and hope you will take part in the Open Beta as well. We are looking forward to seeing you on the battlefield, commanders!

Men of War II will be available in 2023. Remember to add the game to your wishlists!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1128860/Men_of_War_II/

And if you want to stay up to date on all news about Men of War II, join the game's official Discord server, and follow Fulqrum Publishing on social media!

Greetings Commanders,

We are about halfway through the first ever Multiplayer Tech Test of Men of War II, so we thought it a good opportunity to say a few words to our community.

We have been experiencing some server-side issues that were causing problems with match-making, not deleting abandoned lobbies and generally making it more problematic to start playing. These have been fixed, so if you've experienced these problems and couldn't play before, please, try again - we are sorry for the inconvenience, but ironing out these kinks is the primary reason for holding a tech test like this.

And a big thank you for everyone who has taken part so far, and extra huge thanks to everyone who took their time to come to the discussions or our Men of War II Discord to share their feedback with us. Rest assured, all your voices are heard, we read all the posts and messages - keep them coming.

There have also been many recurring questions and comments, and since we feel that many others might have these without voicing them as well, we have compiled a short FAQ, we hope it helps. But in any case, if you have any questions of feedback, please feel free to reach out via Steam discussions or our Men of War II Discord.

Thank you, and we hope to see you in the game soon!

Q: Who is developer of the game?

• Ukrainian studio Best Way — the original creators of the Men of War series (founded in 1991 in Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine). They released the first game in the series, Soldiers: Heroes of World War II in 2004, Faces of War in 2006, and then the first Men of War game in 2009. Despite the war in their homeland, they continue to work on the game to show players the depth and variety of gameplay and dedication to historical accuracy that will make it the most immersive depiction of World War II battles in franchise history.

Q: I completed the in-game tutorial, but I would like to know more about the mechanics and features of the game. Where can I learn more?

• If you would like to dive deeper, or are looking for more of a "reference guide" style help, there is a rather extensive guide available about the Tech Test features and content, please check it out here.

Q: I see “premium” units in the Tech Test, will there be microtransactions in the game?

• There will be no microtransactions, in-game purchases, or pay-to-win mechanics in Men of War II. Some in-game achievements (such as completing a particular mission) will reward players by unlocking new units they can add to their battalions. There is also an in-game currency called "Bonds" which can only be earned in-game, not purchased for money, and can be used to unlock "premium" units too. These are in no way "ultimate" units that would give anyone an unfair advantage; however, they serve to acknowledge and reward player progress.

Q: Is the balance in the game final or will it change?

• The game is still in development, and this test version does not fully reflect the quality of the final release. Your participation will allow us to prepare for launch by testing many of the game's features and the gameplay balance as well. We carefully check all feedback and will make appropriate changes to the balance before the full game launch.

Q: Will the game support mods?

• Modding support is a core feature of the Men of War franchise and it will be implemented in Men of War II as well. We are already working with several creators of mods for previous installments to help them bring some of the fan favorites to Men of War II at launch, or soon after, and the new Gem RTS engine the game is developed in is even more modding-friendly than previous games in the franchise.

Q: I expected something different, is it even a Men of War game?

• Please understand that we are only showing a small part of the PvP experience, which in turn is only a small part of the full game. The single-player campaigns that are planned offer more historical accuracy (in terms of what units and armies can face each other on the battlefield, for example) and use different mechanics (such as scripted reinforcements instead of the echelon system), and can also be played in co-op multiplayer. There will also be more game modes offering a different take even on PvP gameplay. The Tech Test is not meant to provide a complete Men of War experience, as it is not a complete game. It is quite possible that the features or mechanics you feel are missing are planned for the full release, but please, definitely let us know what it is you'd like added or changed.

Q: Why do vehicles have health bars?

• The HP/damage system with hitpoints has always been there in previous games (just not displayed), the health bar is simply meant as a visual representation of the state of the unit, how close it is to being destroyed, to make it easier for players to understand the situation and make proper tactical decisions. Vehicles still have different parts that can be individually targeted and damaged/destroyed, which will affect the performance and abilities of the unit, and the health bar also does not mean that a small caliber weapon can destroy a heavy tank if it just keeps shooting it long enough, weapon penetration mechanics are still at the core of the damage system.

Q: How do I repair units?

• If a part of a vehicle gets damages (such as it's engine, gun, tank tracks, etc.), you can order its crew to repair it in the field (when you have the unit selected, mouse over the vehicle and the cursor will change to a spanner, just right-click to order repairs). That will not repair the overall state of its armor, you need to use the "Retreat to reserve" command. If your unit successfully retreats, it will go on a cooldown timer during which it will be repaired and restocked with fuel and ammo, and ready to be called in again.

Q: Can I play PvE during the playtest?

• There are no explicitly PvE game modes available during the Multiplayer Tech Test, however, if you create a lobby, you can assign AI bots and select their battalions to the individual player slots (click on the 3 dots next to an open slot to see this option). The difficulty level in lobby settings determines how tough the AI will be.

Q: How do I report a bug I found during Tech Multiplayer Test? Where should I leave my feedback?

• We greatly appreciate all your help in finding and reporting bugs and other issues so that we can continue improving Men of War II. You can leave a bug report or share your feedback on the Men of War II Discord server or the Steam discussions - we appreciate it!
  

Greetings, Commanders!

We're proud to announce that a multiplayer tech test for Men of War II is now available to play for free and will run until Monday, March 27 (10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT / 5 pm UTC).

The test features 4 multiplayer modes (out of 7 that will feature in the full game) and 5 varied maps, in addition to a set of 9 single-player tutorial missions that will take you from the basics through to advanced gameplay mechanics and systems.

But please keep in mind the game is still in development, and this test version does not fully reflect the quality of the final release. Your participation will allow us to prepare for launch by testing our infrastructure on a large scale and identifying bugs and issues that may only be detected with many users playing the game at the same time. If you encounter any bugs or issues or just have a suggestion we should look into, please come to the Men of War II Discord server or the Steam discussions and let us know - we appreciate all your feedback!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Enlisting in the tech test is simple:

• You need to head over to the Men of War II Steam store page where you will have the option to ‘Request Access’ for a Men of War II Playtest - doing so will grant instant access to the multiplayer build.

Once downloaded, you can battle it out in 1v1 up to 5v5 matchups via custom lobbies or PvP matchmaking. Setting up a lobby allows the owner full customization over the game mode, map, and team sizes, as well as private, password-protected lobbies. Matchmaking on the other hand will automatically group players by their real-world location and ranking based on their past games and set them up in Front Line mode. The tech test includes only a small sample of the content Men of War II will feature on release, but it already proves the depth and variety of gameplay and dedication to historical accuracy that will make it the most immersive depiction of World War II battles in franchise history.

Units and armies available in the Tech Test:

• You will be able to choose from the 1st Infantry, 1st Tank, or 1st Artillery battalion from the Soviet, German, and U.S. armies, allowing you to try out over 80 units from the full game’s total roster of over 300.

The 4 multiplayer modes available during the tech test are as follows:

• Combat - a classic Men of War mode featuring an all-out brawl between two teams. Victory goes to the team that can destroy the most enemy units, while keeping their own most valuable units alive. (Available on the Borovaya River and The Winter March maps).
  
• Assault Zones - opposing players go head-to-head to earn victory points by capturing and holding strategic points on the map. (Available on the Bazerville and Borovaya River maps).
  
• Front Line - a brand new, strategic mode, that sees teams using infantry to push their Front Line into enemy territory resulting in a tense tug-of-war style match-up in which teamwork is paramount. (Available on all five maps).
  
• Incursion - an asymmetric game mode utilizing the Front Line mechanic, in which one team needs to capture a number of highlighted zones held by the opposing team. (Only available on The Coast map).

Men of War II will feature 22 multiplayer maps when it launches later this year, until then players can experience the following five maps in the tech test:

• Bazerville - a map with very little elevation, easy to navigate, open terrain, only sporadically peppered with lone buildings. Ideal for long-range fighting or exploiting weaknesses with fast-moving units.
  
• Borovaya River - a very rugged map, featuring many hills and valleys in its terrain. The map is split in half by a large river, giving players many tactical options to try out and experiment with.
  
• Farmland - a complex map that at first glance seems deceptively simple due to its flat terrain with no elevation to speak of. This rural environment features many farmsteads and even greenhouse buildings, as well as deep ponds with narrow crossings, creating natural chokepoints for heavy vehicles.
  
• The Coast - while there is no naval combat present in Men of War II, in this map the sea plays a role, as it takes a significant part of the map, leaving a narrow strip of flat, level land to fight over.
  
• The Winter March - set in harsh winter conditions, this map combines rolling countryside terrain features with many village buildings showcasing the destructible environment elements of Men of War II and forcing players to utilize smart positioning to get a clear line of fire on their enemies.

Good luck, Commanders!