Men of War II News

Greetings, Commanders!

There is still a lot to talk about in Men of War II, as the developers are hard at work improving it based on all your feedback. So here we are with a weekly portion of news for you!

[h2]Update Incoming[/h2]
Most importantly, we are finalizing a game update for next week. We will have full patch notes for you in a few days, but here are the most noteworthy highlights:

• Server infrastructure is being reinforced - you might have seen the effects of this as it is an ongoing process. It should already be much rarer to see units moving in "slow motion" than before.
  
• Steam Achievements will be added.
  
• The issue preventing users from rebinding the Pause key will be fixed.
  
• Combat UI scaling will be added as an option in Settings.
  
• Infantry will be undetectable after throwing a grenade in single-player missions.
  
• Infantry will no longer automatically select a pistol if they have more powerful weapons in the inventory.
  

And of course, many more changes and fixes are coming in the update - stay tuned!

[h2]News from the Modding Scene[/h2]
Modding is absolutely integral to the Men of War franchise, and we love the creative community forming around the game. Have you checked out the Workshop yet? In only a few short weeks since release, there are talented creators already posting mods like Toy Soldiers, working on converting missions from Men of War: Assault Squad or tweaking the game in various other ways, such as creating new options for visualizing waypoints, and more.


We have also previously directed your attention to the Lost Eagles mod and its author, Skilletti. We have been working with him even before the game's launch, which is why he was able to release the mod at the same time as the game - and there are other big creations coming soon, adding a lot of fan-made content to Men of War II. For example, the popular Born in the Fire: America, with many notable battles and units from the 18th and 19th centuries, is coming within a few weeks.

We want to support the modding community as much as possible, and to that end, we are working on new resources to help newcomers and veterans alike get into the creative "zone". To that end, we have partnered with Skilletti once more, to use his expertise and prepare a series of video guides for aspiring modders. We are preparing videos that will help you understand the basics of custom map creation, preparing an actual scripted mission, and uploading your mod to the Steam Workshop to share with others.

There is also official documentation for the GEM RTS Editor maintained by the Best Way team themselves, and last but not least, a whole section of the Men of War II Official Discord server is dedicated to modding.

But we would like to hear from you - what mods would you like to see in Men of War II, or are you working on any yourself? What other resources or guides should we create? Let us know in the comments under this announcement, in the Steam Discussions or come to the Men of War II Official Discord server. And if you are enjoying the game and want to support the development team, consider writing a review here on Steam - it really makes a difference.

And as always, we will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!

Greetings, Commanders!

We have fixed the game-crashing issues which caused us to delay the update previously announced for this Wednesday, and it is now live for everyone! The delay allowed us to slightly expand the patch; full changelog, with the new additions listed on top, can be found at the end of this article.

[h2]Where to find help[/h2]
Men of War II is a large game, and includes many different options, modes and units. It can be intimidating for a newcomer, and even seasoned veterans of the franchise can lose out on some of the fun features simply because they don't know about them - this is especially true of the Realism Setting, which is why we have written up an in-depth explanation of how it makes the game different and how to activate it here, in the Steam Discussions. We are also working on a way to expand this variability of Realism vs. Competitive settings, and making them more accessible, as we have hinted at in our development roadmap announcement.

In terms of getting to grips with the game itself, we strongly recommend going through the in-game tutorials, which can be found in the "LEARN" tab. These are 12 short thematic missions, each explaining a part of the game's mechanics, from the very basics to more advanced and unique for Men of War II, like the "Reconaissance" or "Counter-Battery Fire" tutorials.

We have also enlisted the assistance of Helping Hans, who prepared a series of official guide videos, which show both what kind of content you can find in the game, and provide insights into how to utilize various game mechanics to your advantage on the battlefield:

• General Introduction provides a brief overview of the fundamental elements of the game, such as basic controls, types of units, combat interface, available game modes and more.
  
• Game Modes video guide provides a deep dive into the different game modes you can enjoy in Men of War II.
  
• Campaigns, Conquest and Raid Modes describes all single-player campaigns available in the game, and explores the dynamic Conquest and Raid modes thoroughly, as new features for the franchise.
  
• Game Mechanics takes a closer look at some of the game's cool features such as direct control, inventory management, ammunition/fuel resupply and last but definitely not least, the stealth mechanics.
  
• Fortifications video shows you how to build different types of defensive structures, dig trenches, lay landmines, and much more.
  

We are also pleased to say that there is an amazingly friendly and helpful community forming around the game, and you can find various other guides, tips and tricks by fellow Commanders posted on the Men of War II Official Discord Server, which is also the best place to get any questions answered directly by members of both Best Way and Fulqrum Publishing teams.

We will soon bring you more information about upcoming updates, but if you are already enjoying the game and want to support the development team, consider writing a review here on Steam - it really makes a difference.

And as always, we will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!

[h2]Today's Update - Full Change Log:[/h2]
[h3]Newly Added since Previous Announcement:[/h3]

• Improved stability of sound playback
  
• Fixed a crash happening for some players after selection change
  
• Fixed causes for crashes in rendering code
  
• Fixed an issue causing the 'withdraw' action to not check its conditions when activated via hotkey
  
• Fixed an issue with pause in inventory for multi-player
  

[h3]Previously Announced Changes[/h3]

[h3]Critical Fixes:[/h3]

• AFK is no longer used in single-player mode (players will no longer be kicked out of single-player games for inactivity).
  
• Game pause and save functions now work in all game types if only one player is present.
  
• Fixed an issue causing the game to crash to the desktop when manipulating towers.
  
• Fixed an issue causing incorrect detection of unresponsive dedicated servers, leading to server crashes.
  

[h3]“Classic” Mode Changes:[/h3]

• "Test" mode: All unit limits have been removed.
  
• "Front Line" mode: For the AI defensive units, accuracy and overall health was reduced by 50%.
  

[h3]“Realistic” Game Setting Changes:[/h3]

• Increased fragmentation damage to infantry.
  
• Increased suppression time for infantry in trenches under autocannon fire.
  
• Improved accuracy of anti-tank rifles at a range of 80-100 meters.
  
• Increased component damage for armor-piercing shells.
  

[h3]Missions Fixes:[/h3]

• "Operation Lüttich": Fixed a bug where some units were invincible. Additionally, the retreat zone has been refined.
  
• Historical campaign "Operation Overlord": Added the LVT1 amphibious vehicle to the tech tree.
  
• Fixed minor bugs in the missions “Vanguard”, “Funeral Alarm”, and “With Fire and Steel”.
  
• Fixed an issue where players might not receive rewards for completing one of the dynamic campaigns.
  

[h3]Interface Improvements:[/h3]

• Fixed an issue causing the maximum territory control numbers to be cut off in the main combat interface.
  
• Fixed an issue causing the interface to not display upon loading a game after a mission failure/victory.
  
• Disabled the "Restart" and "Load" buttons in the mod editor's game menu.
  
• Fixed an issue where long chat messages would extend off the screen.
  
• Added images/artworks for some battalions.
  
• Added a special window with useful tips.
  
• Added the ability to scroll through the list of invited players in multiplayer mode.
  
• Refined and improved the "Vacate Slot" button functionality in custom lobby.
  
• Added an animation to the bell icon to highlight incoming team invitations.
  

[h3]Other Fixes and Improvements:[/h3]

• Fixed an issue causing artillery spotters' flare not working when it hit a trench.
  
• Fixed the hatch on the KV-1 tank being always open.
  
• Added increased accuracy of each subsequent shot for sub-caliber ammunition.
  
• Disabled ammo resupply for unmanned vehicles.
  
• Fixed the sound for the GAZ-AA truck (supply).
  
• Fixed the battalion composition for a Soviet AI-controlled battalion, which could field German units instead.
  
• Fixed the armor value of the T-95 tank's command turret.
  
• The crew size for the T-34 minesweeper, Piper L-4 Grasshopper plane, and The Fieseler Fi 156 plane has been corrected.
  
• Fixed camera position after exiting first-person view.
  
• Rebuilt the shader cache for Linux/Steam Deck, fixing several crashes.
  

Greetings, Commanders!

EDIT: We have originally planned to release an update today, May 29, but we have discovered an issue that caused the game to crash for some players - we are working on a fix and are still aiming to release the update this week, as we have announced previously. This caused a short downtime for multi-player servers, but as of writing this message, all servers are up and running and the game is fully available to everyone. Thank you for your understanding and we hope to see you on the battlefield soon!

EDIT2: The update was released and is now live.

This update brings a number of bug fixes, balancing tweaks and performance/stability improvements (see full change log below), but most importantly, it includes the first steps on the road to the offline mode for single-player - most of the changes so far happen in the background, but you will already see first benefits of these changes, as the game will no longer disconnect you for inactivity in single-player games; which includes games set up with just one human player (and however many AI players you choose) in a custom lobby. Furthermore, these changes allowed us to let players pause and save games properly in all single-player modes (also including all custom lobby games set up with just 1 human player).

More updates are on the way, and we will notify you about their exact content soon - we are focusing on allowing single-player to work offline and resolving the crashes you reported when loading a local server, as well as resolving multiple other bugs and issues you have reported. Which is why it's critical for us to hear your feedback - further development of the game absolutely depends on it. Please keep giving us your suggestions either here in the Steam Discussions or on the Men of War II Official Discord Server - and if you already enjoy the game and want to support it, consider leaving Men of War II a review here on Steam.

[h2]Full Change Log:[/h2]
[h3]Critical Fixes:[/h3]

• AFK is no longer used in single-player mode (players will no longer be kicked out of single-player games for inactivity).
  
• Game pause and save functions now work in all game types if only one player is present.
  
• Fixed an issue causing the game to crash to the desktop when manipulating towers.
  
• Fixed an issue causing incorrect detection of unresponsive dedicated servers, leading to server crashes.
  

[h3]“Classic” Mode Changes:[/h3]

• "Test" mode: All unit limits have been removed.
  
• "Front Line" mode: For the AI defensive units, accuracy and overall health was reduced by 50%.
  

[h3]“Realistic” Game Setting Changes:[/h3]

• Increased fragmentation damage to infantry.
  
• Increased suppression time for infantry in trenches under autocannon fire.
  
• Improved accuracy of anti-tank rifles at a range of 80-100 meters.
  
• Increased component damage for armor-piercing shells.
  

[h3]Missions Fixes:[/h3]

• "Operation Lüttich": Fixed a bug where some units were invincible. Additionally, the retreat zone has been refined.
  
• Historical campaign "Operation Overlord": Added the LVT1 amphibious vehicle to the tech tree.
  
• Fixed minor bugs in the missions “Vanguard”, “Funeral Alarm”, and “With Fire and Steel”.
  
• Fixed an issue where players might not receive rewards for completing one of the dynamic campaigns.
  

[h3]Interface Improvements:[/h3]

• Fixed an issue causing the maximum territory control numbers to be cut off in the main combat interface.
  
• Fixed an issue causing the interface to not display upon loading a game after a mission failure/victory.
  
• Disabled the "Restart" and "Load" buttons in the mod editor's game menu.
  
• Fixed an issue where long chat messages would extend off the screen.
  
• Added images/artworks for some battalions.
  
• Added a special window with useful tips.
  
• Added the ability to scroll through the list of invited players in multiplayer mode.
  
• Refined and improved the "Vacate Slot" button functionality in custom lobby.
  
• Added an animation to the bell icon to highlight incoming team invitations.
  

[h3]Other Fixes and Improvements:[/h3]

• Fixed an issue causing artillery spotters' flare not working when it hit a trench.
  
• Fixed the hatch on the KV-1 tank being always open.
  
• Added increased accuracy of each subsequent shot for sub-caliber ammunition.
  
• Disabled ammo resupply for unmanned vehicles.
  
• Fixed the sound for the GAZ-AA truck (supply).
  
• Fixed the battalion composition for a Soviet AI-controlled battalion, which could field German units instead.
  
• Fixed the armor value of the T-95 tank's command turret.
  
• The crew size for the T-34 minesweeper, Piper L-4 Grasshopper plane, and The Fieseler Fi 156 plane has been corrected.
  
• Fixed camera position after exiting first-person view.
  
• Rebuilt the shader cache for Linux/Steam Deck, fixing several crashes.
  

We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!

Greetings, Commanders!

Since the launch of Men of War II a little over a week ago, we have already released three patches fixing various bugs, and giving modders more tools to work with - and we aim to continue working closely with you, our community, on further improvements and new features for the game. We would like to use this opportunity to outline the plans we have made based on your feedback so far, including estimated timing for some of the most important updates.

It is possible that the schedule and plans will change based on the feedback from you, our players. We want to keep you involved as much as possible, so please, keep commenting here, in the Steam Discussions, or come join the Men of War II Official Discord Server.

[h2]Immediate Plans (May 2024)[/h2]

We are already working on an update to go live next week, before the end of May. It will include various bug fixes and improvements to server stability (we will provide a complete list as soon as the patch is finalized) - but most importantly, the update will start the process of making the game playable offline in single-player.

The offline mode is not a simple feature, as it affects many underlying processes in the game; rolling it out gradually allows us to give you many of its benefits early - for example, from the next week's update onward, you will not be kicked out from single-player games for inactivity ("being AFK") anymore.

[h2]Short-Term Goals (June 2024)[/h2]

We aim to release several more updates within the next month or so. As a priority, we will be taking further steps towards completing the offline mode for single-player, bringing you at least two very noticeable changes:

• Fix of a bug that can sometimes prevent you from playing single-player ("Local server connection error")
  
• Fix of an issue preventing players from pausing in some single-player games

Not only that, but within the next month we also aim to:

• Make camera movement smoother (removing "camera stuttering")
  
• Introduce a feature to easily switch the overall game setting between Competitive and Realism, and allow players to create a Custom setting
• Implement Steam Achievements
• Allow key rebinding for the Pause function
  
• Implement additional UI scaling options
  
• Include the option to adjust or disable the 100 FPS cap
• Provide modders with a 3ds Max exporter, plugins, and sample files
• Further improve the stability of multi-player servers and fix various bugs reported by players

[h2]Mid-Term Strategy (more than a month)[/h2]

We will keep publishing regular balancing and bug-fixing patches and there are many other features we will be working on that you will see gradually releasing and improving (see below); but there are several notable updates we are committed to implement in full as a priority, within the next several months. We will do our best for these to be finalized as soon as possible - we will share a more precise schedule as development progresses.

• Offline mode for single-player will be finalized as the highest priority
• UI for selecting mods for single-player/co-op games will be added; it will also become possible to choose mods in a custom lobby
• Difficulty for certain missions will be overhauled based on player feedback - please keep letting us know of any missions you find too difficult or too easy, and on which difficulty!
  
• Different game speed options for single-player will become available
  
• Modders will be able to create full dynamic campaigns in the editor, and will receive a new tool: an editor for material schemes
  

[h2]Ongoing & Long-Term Projects[/h2]

There are many other features and improvements we want to bring to Men of War II, but it is too early for us to set an exact schedule for them; they are very complex to implement. We will also endeavor to roll them out gradually whenever feasible, so you can see their benefits as soon as possible. We will provide new details as time goes on, but in general, we will keep working on:

• Improved pathfinding for vehicles
  
• All game textures, as well as all grass and trees models adapted for PBR technology
• Improved infantry models and textures
  
• Improved rewards distribution in cooperative playthroughs
  
• New, more detailed damage system
• Improvements to atmosphere and immersion, such as additional sound effects (including soldier shouts and voices), the feeling of weight for tanks and other vehicles (and improved suspension mechanics), UI overhaul, and more
  
• Improvements to battle controls - including distribution of loot within infantry squads, changes to formations system and customization options for all keyboard shortcuts
  
• Various upgrades to the engine, such as support for multiple screens, HDR screen support, or permanent lobbies (lobbies will no longer disband after completing a match)
  
• Additional modding features and improvements, including but not limited to: Support for running popular mods on official (dedicated) servers, support for Blender, various improvements to the Editor based on modders' feedback and continuous expansion of documentation for the Editor
  
• Quality of life and balancing improvements for competitive gamers - for example support for clans, penalties for toxic player behavior, better match-making for 5-player teams and CP mechanics redesign

We cannot emphasize this enough: further development of the game is only possible thanks to your feedback; we want to make Men of War II the best possible RTS experience for you. Please keep giving us your suggestions - and if you already enjoy the game and want to support it, consider leaving Men of War II a review here on Steam.

We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!

Greetings, Commanders!

The previously announced Modding Update for Men of War II will go live tomorrow, May 23rd at 8:00 AM CEST (May 22nd at 23:00 PT). This patch will unlock all the resources you need to create any modification you wish; including maps, models, sound effects and more!

This significantly alters most of the game's files, requiring us to turn off multiplayer servers for about an hour to properly adjust them. However, this will only affect multiplayer and you will be able to play all the single-player campaigns during this time.

The team at Best Way is already working on even more improvements and new features for the modding tools in Men of War II - for example, you can look forward to the implementation of full 3ds Max support, and the addition of various handy shortcuts into the Editor, which will be introduced in an update next week!

We are also working on introductory tutorial videos for those looking to create their first custom map or mission; and if you want to discuss any modding-related topics, or even show off your creations, we have a section dedicated just for that on the Men of War II Official Discord Server, come say hi!

And if you would like to see what fan-made content and modifications are already available, check out the Steam Workshop page of Men of War II. For example, the first fan-made story campaign is already available - Lost Eagles, in which you will experience the fate of the few survivors of failed ‘Operation Overlord’.

[h3]More Updates Coming Soon[/h3]
In the next few days, we will announce our plans for future updates, including features such as the offline mode for single-player, adjustable game speed for single-player, improvements to UI, smarter vehicle pathfinding, and much more – stay tuned!

These updates and improvements are only possible thanks to your feedback; please keep it coming either here in the Steam Discussions, or join the Men of War II Official Discord Server. And if you already enjoy the game and want to support it, consider leaving Men of War II a review here on Steam.
We will see you on the battlefield soon, Commanders!