Men of War II News

Greetings, Commanders!

As the Open Beta of Men of War II draws ever closer (it will run from May 11 to May 15), we are excited to unveil our biggest news about it yet. We have previously detailed the single-player content you will get to experience, but of course, the multiplayer part will be greatly expanded and enhanced as well.

First of all, a completely different way to experience PvP multiplayer will be introduced - the Combined Arms battle mode. In up to 3v3 battles, this mode does not limit you to using a specialized battalion, instead, you have a much expanded regiment available that you can customize from all the units available for your chosen nation. The Command Points limit is also raised in Combined Arms, from a maximum of 30 that you've experienced before, to 50 - so you will be able to field more units at the same time. In the Open Beta, you will be able to play Combined Arms variants of the Front Line mode via match-making or the Front Line, Assault Zones and Combat modes via the lobby system.

Second, we will give you a glimpse of the PvE multiplayer, with a new Line Defence game mode. In it, you team up with up to 4 other players to defend three zones against AI opponents, who are trying to capture these by pushing the Front Line around them. Victory points are awarded for time spent controlling each zone.

And last but not least, two new multiplayer maps will be playable:

Airfield will see you take the fight to the sandy dunes of North Africa, in a battle for control over a strategically important airport. This map will be available for the Front Line and Combat game modes.



In the Carpathians, you will visit calm, forest-covered hillsides and idyllic villages from a bygone era, as war brings ruin and destruction to the lush countryside. It will be possible to play it in the Front Line, Combat and the PVE Line Defence modes.



Of course, all the multiplayer content you had a chance to experience already in the previous Tech Test will be making a repeat appearance. To sum it up, in the Men of War II Open Beta, you will be able to experience:

• 3x Multiplayer Game Modes in the new Combined Arms variant
  
• 1x new PvE Multiplayer Game Mode
  
• 4x Multiplayer Game Modes in the standard PvP version
  
• 7x Multiplayer Maps (including the new Airfield and The Carpathians)
  
• 3x Single-player Mission (also playable in coop multiplayer)

If that sounds like a lot of content, rest assured - it is still only a small sample of what the full release will bring. If you haven't yet, remember to sign up for the Open Beta coming on May 11. The process 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. But please understand, it is still not a finished game, and even more polish and tweaks will be implemented before release.

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!

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...
Read more.

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!