Men of War II News

Greetings, commanders!

We hope you enjoyed our previous devlogs about the graphical and technical improvements made to Men of War II (if you haven't checked them out yet, you can find them here, here, and here). Today, we want to share detailed info about our approach to creating the multiplayer part of the game and our core philosophy — to provide our fans with as many possibilities and features as possible for an exciting game with their brothers in arms. But now, make yourself comfortable and dive into this intriguing new brief!

[h3]Main features and available modes:[/h3]

• 25 diverse maps with their terrains and biomes (snowy, desert, rural, and urban), as well as the ability to choose the time of day and weather in the lobby and much more. Each map will scale based on the number of players in one session.

Matchmaking and lobbies

• Matchmaking features automatic player matching, which balances team composition based on battalion type, player rating, and ping, making sure that you will get the best possible experience from each battle from both the technical standpoint (low lag) and team balance (playing with and against commanders of similar ranking and thus skill). The only game mode available for matchmaking is the “Front Line” (see below)
  
• In "Combined Arms" and "Classic" matchmaking, players have the option to set the preferred team size: 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3).
  
• In “Battalions” matchmaking, the algorithm always tries to create a 5v5 game, but only if enough eligible players can be found will it start a 4v4 or even a 3v3 match.
  
• In lobbies, players can fully customize the game to their liking, as in previous games in the series. Lobbies can be set as either private or public at the player's discretion.

We have also added many additional features for fine-tuning lobbies:

• Map selection and difficulty, team size, weather and time of day, the game mode ("Front Line," "Combat," "Incursion," and others), match setup mode (“Battalions” / “Combined Arms” / “Classic” / “Mission” / “Tanks only”), ability to set the amount of required victory points, max. match duration, maximum unit level, server location (automatic, local, dedicated), battalion visibility (whether opponents from different teams can see selected battalions in the lobby or not), army alignment ("none" allows any army mix in each team, "1 team - 1 army" makes it so that a team can only consist of players with the same nation’s army, "alliance alignment" sets the match so that the Third Reich can only be by itself, but USSR and USA can team up, as they are allies), and the choice between "realistic" or "competitive" game settings.

Other changes:

• Ability to check various statistics: rating points, win percentage, total number of battles, unit preferences, average performance metrics (damage/experience), and comparative rating table of all players.
  
• Automatic reconnection and selection of the optimal host among all players.
  
• Ability to view and share battle replays and add another player to friends or a team.
  
• A built-in system tracks any manipulations with the game client, excluding the possibility of using cheats during multiplayer games (if any changes are attempted, the user will be kicked out due to desynchronization with the server). But this will not affect the mods in any way.

[h3]3 Match Setup Modes, each with its own matchmaking and rating[/h3]

[h3]"Battalions"[/h3]

When we first started developing the Men of War II multiplayer, we decided within the team to create something unique, capable of attracting a more comprehensive range of players while making each match different for any assembled team. Every battle is a complex scheme with multiple commanders of specific types of troops trying to coordinate as one whole to achieve a crushing victory over the enemy. Some prefer infantry frontal attacks, while others favor tanks and their crushing power or the thundering cannons of heavy artillery. Still, they all must interact closely, demonstrating their best skills in managing the units available to them.

Available game modes within "Battalions":

• "Front Line" is a new strategic mode in which both sides of the conflict constantly use infantry to advance their front lines and capture enemy territory. Expect tense matches akin to a constant tug-of-war, where teamwork is paramount.
  
• "Front Line" without defensive troops controlled by AI - the same mode as described above, but without defensive troops controlled by artificial intelligence on the edges of the map, which increases the risk of your troops being destroyed by the enemy.
  
• "Assault Zones": Opposing sides will face off, capturing and holding strategic points on the map, thereby earning victory points.
  
• "Combat Sectors" - the map is divided into various sectors that must be captured and defended from enemy attacks.
  
• "Area Control" is a hybrid mode where you must capture both points and territory on the map, utilizing the front line mechanic.
  
• "Combat" — the classic Men of War mode, showcasing a large-scale battle between two sides of the conflict. Victory goes to the team that can destroy more enemy troops while preserving its most valuable units.
  
• "Clashing Armies" — a variant of the Front Line. The objective is the same: to capture enemy territory. However, instead of defensive AI, an endless stream of AI infantry rushes toward the front line, pushing into the other team’s territory. Whenever an AI soldier is killed, a new one spawns in the rear and rushes toward the front.
  
• "Incursion" is an asymmetric game mode using the "Frontline" mechanic in which one team must capture several designated zones held by the opposing team. Unlike “Area Control” or “Assault Zones,” once a zone is captured, it disappears, meaning Team A is always on the attack, while Team B is always tasked with defending their zones for as long as possible.

Additional lobby options:

• Ability to change the number of victory points needed to win the match.
  
• Ability to change the match duration limit.

[h3]"Combined Arms"[/h3]

This battle mode was developed based on "Battalions." Still, unlike it, each player here will have access to one much larger regiment without limitations associated with battalions and specializations, allowing you to customize it as you see fit, choosing all the necessary units available for the nation you have selected. The most important thing in this mode is to realize the full potential of the units, as the opponent has the same level of freedom in assembling the army. Players still assemble their armies before the match, and the planning stage plays an important role.

Available game modes within "Combined Arms":

• "Front Line"
  
• "Assault Zones"
  
• "Combat"

Additional lobby options:

• Ability to change the number of victory points needed to win the match.
  
• Ability to change the match duration limit.

[h3]"Classic" Mode[/h3]

After the first open beta test of Men of War II last year, we received numerous requests from fans of the previous games in the series asking us to bring back a more "classic" game mode, where you don't need to choose battalions, only the faction you want to play. This is similar to Combined Arms; however, there is nothing to customize before the match starts here. Once in the game, you will have all units from your nation's army available through a selection menu on the right-hand side of the screen (also, you can call in air strikes and recall troops to reserve). The "Classic" mode is our tribute to the rich heritage of the franchise, which will surely please the long-time Men of War veterans.

Available game modes within the "Classic" match setup:

• "Front Line"
  
• "Assault Zones" (with fixed unit spawn points)
  
• "Combat"

Additional lobby options:

• Ability to change the number of victory points needed to win the match.
  
• Ability to change the match duration limit.

Unique templates for personal compositions (determines the amount of resources and types of units available in the reinforcement menu):

• Battalion (100 CP, 2500 budget points).
  
• Regiment (125 CP, 2500 budget points).
  
• Division (150 CP, 2500 budget points).
  
• Battalions without timers (100 CP, 2500 budget points, and without starting timers for reinforcements).
  
• Infantry only (60 CP, 2500 budget points, and reduced unit respawn timers).
  
• Tanks only (75 CP, 500 budget points, 300 Special points - the other templates have 150, without unit respawn timers).
  
• No airstrikes.
  
• No artillery.
  
• Testing mode (no restrictions).

[h3]"Tanks Only" Mode[/h3]

We always wanted to create the most dynamic mode focused on armored vehicle management, and that's how the new "Tanks Only" mode came about. You will fight for control points with other players, but all available vehicles will have modified visibility range parameters. Users can get a completely different tank experience from this mode if they launch it in "Realism" mode. More realism means more hardcore!


[h3]"Competitive" and "Realistic" Game Settings[/h3]

During the past open beta tests of Men of War II, we carefully monitored your feedback and wishes and decided that the multiplayer mode should appeal to both hardcore enthusiasts as well as a broader audience. That's why we introduced two Game Settings options available through the lobby:

• "Competitive" battle setup for a broader range of players with various informational icons in the combat interface and the display of vehicle health levels, while the overall characteristics of units are balanced regarding combat unit efficiency.
  
• "Realistic" battle setup for more hardcore players. Additional markers and other informational elements are absent in the combat interface, and the combat characteristics of units are closer to real ones. Vehicle health bars are not displayed. In addition, vehicle destruction is now more influenced by the hit location and caliber of the shell, and it is easier to disable vehicles (and capture them) instead of destroying them completely.
  
• We would also like to emphasize that the Competitive/Realistic game settings are completely independent from the match setup mode — meaning that in a lobby, you can play “Battalions” with Realistic settings or “Classic” with Competitive settings, for example—it is completely up to you. However, in matchmaking, “Classic” mode is paired with the Realistic setting, while “Battalions” and “Combined Arms” run with the Competitive rule set.

We truly believe that with the help of all the feedback from our awesome community during the past public playtests, we managed to create the most engaging and variable multiplayer experience in the Men of War series — and also the most accessible for any RTS fan.

However, it is worth noting that every multiplayer mode can be enjoyed without facing live players simply by choosing fully customizable bots as opponents in the lobby. We'll talk about this and other features of Men of War II in our next devlog, which will tackle the single-player experience you can look forward to in the game. For now, add the game to your wishlist to stay up to date with the latest project news, and see you on the battlefield, commanders!

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

Greetings, Commanders!

It has been two weeks since our last gameplay live-stream, where we introduced the Combat Sectors and Area Control game modes; and as is tradition now, we are continuing our series of gameplay and Q&A live-streams for Men of War II.

You can watch the recording of our previous live-stream here.

Our next session will happen this Friday, April 12, from 16:00 CET (8:00 PT), and we will be showing you for the first time ever a brand-new single-player campaign mode, and that is Raids!

A raid is a special, skirmish-like campaign - a series of randomly generated missions with a customizable battalion. Progressing through them allows you to unlock new and more powerful units for your roster; you have to strategize and plan what kind of army you want to build, and have the opportunity to try completely different and unique setups for each playthrough.

You will be able to watch the livestream on the following channels:

• Discord
• Steam
• Youtube
• Twitch
• X (also known as Twitter)
• Facebook

You can ask any questions you wish during the live-stream on any of these platforms, but we strongly encourage you to come watch with us on Discord, as we guarantee you will be heard there.

We would also like to give you a hint of what you have to look forward to in the streaming sessions in the near future, without spoiling the contents exactly, so here goes:

• April 26: Fun with Tanks!
  
• May 10: Campaigning, but dynamically.
  

See you on the battlefield, Commanders!

If you haven't yet, wishlist and follow the game so that you don't miss any of our future announcements:

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

Greetings, commanders!

We hope you enjoyed our previous devlog about graphical improvements in the GEM RTS graphic engine used in Men of War II. Today, we are publishing the final article on this subject; there will be more devlogs coming in the following weeks, but these will cover other, equally (for some maybe even more) exciting topics - focusing on gameplay features, available content and game modes, as well as modding. But now make yourself comfortable and let’s dive right in this intriguing new brief - and an enticing offer for you at the end too!

Multithreading and 64-bit support

First and foremost, let's reiterate something we've mentioned before: thanks to GEM RTS, we've transitioned from single-threaded technology to full-fledged multithreading and 64-bit processing. The game engine’s multithreaded architecture allows us to utilize the capabilities of all modern CPUs to the fullest, increasing the overall frame rate and easing the load on your computers. Implementing both wasn't easy, but our team pulled it off.

Native 4K and DirectX 11 support

We've successfully incorporated support for high-resolution textures - up to 4K into the engine - as well as implementing and testing ultra-wide resolution support (up to 21:9), rebuilding all available game interface elements and the built-in mod editor. We've also added full DirectX 11 support. Thanks to that, the game now supports various smoothing models (SSAO, etc.), PBR, HDR, and much more, as discussed in previous devlogs. The series' hallmark of being able to destroy any building, object, and much more to its foundation of course remains in the game - and looks better than ever!

Material Editor

The Men of War II built-in editor now includes dedicated tools for the creation and customization of materials, taking visual content creation to a whole new level. The updated and improved toolkit allows modders to prepare any new materials they can think of, and directly integrate them into the game, with their visual quality depending only on your PC’s technical capabilities and the modders’ use of the built-in lighting models (Phong and PBR).

Now, you can work in real-time with both old materials with their limited capabilities as well as the new, more advanced ones, and change them as needed. For example, in the screenshot below, you can see one layer already working with PBR while the other layer still uses the old material (diffuse + bump + specular).

Linux and Steam Deck Support

Men of War II will receive full Linux support through cross-platform libraries (SDL2, OpenAL Soft, etc.), simplifying the game's operation across different system shells. This has also allowed us to fully adapt the game for the Steam Deck portable console. Now, you can continue the battle even while commuting to work or traveling anywhere else.



Server Architecture Support and Persistent Reconnect

Over the course of Men of War II’s development, our team has completely transitioned the game to new server architecture, making multiplayer matches a much more convenient experience for players. Now, you won't be impeded by players with weaker computers or unstable internet connections; the game will choose the best host for the match - and automatically reconnect to the server in case of any issues, allowing you to return to battle immediately without losing control of your troops. Also, if a player disconnects and is not able to come back, that doesn’t necessarily ruin the match for others; their units will simply become controlled by AI. And that's not to mention the support for dedicated servers, built-in tournaments and leagues, fully customizable lobbies, personal ratings, and separate statistics for all past battles.

Updated Sound Engine and Unit Voices

After conducting the last open beta test and receiving numerous user requests, we decided to record various new “shouts” for all available units in the game - now all commanders will have a truly new, unique experience playing Men of War II. Each of the available nations will now sound new and fresh, not to mention many other improvements we've managed to implement into the GEM RTS’ audio engine. For example, support for panoramic 3D sound has been added, for a more immersive experience and overall richer, more realistic and pleasant sounds. Modders can fine-tune many features in their creations too, including ambient nature sounds, stun effects from nearby detonating shells, and much more.

Steam Workshop and Mod Support

As mentioned, the game will fully support various modifications through the new and improved built-in editor, and Men of War II’s full integration into the Steam Workshop. Create, experiment, upload, and share your mods with thousands of other users without problems or hurdles!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Mission Editor Enhancements

To implement more complex multiplayer tasks in terms of content, we've added unique technology to GEM RTS that can divide all components into particular layers, making it easier to combine multiple files with units and triggers when launched in the editor. These layers can be reused between your missions, and if you edit the layer, it will change for all missions where it is used - this now makes the editor much more convenient to work with and allows a modular approach to building missions and campaigns. For example, you can embed custom music as a separate file and connect it as a separate layer in the desired mission, creating individual soundtracks for your missions. This is not to mention other improvements, including a significant expansion of the overall functionality of built-in commands, which will help build more complex relationships between different actions of specific units. Any mod creator can now further animate their units, connecting the same patrol or enemy search mode without hassle.

However, we don't plan to stop here and will continue to tell you about further improvements in gameplay and other aspects of Men of War II in future articles. Speaking of which, we have mentioned an enticing new opportunity for you in the intro to this article. So here it is!

Join the Champions Program for Closed Beta!

Since preparing and maintaining full public playtests is a very time and labor intensive endeavor, we are not planning any more open betas at this point. However, we will be running a long-term closed test! If you want to take part and help us with final polishing and bug fixing of the game, contact [email protected] or enquire on the Discord server to join Fulqrum Publishing’s Champions program!

And don’t forget to add the game to your wishlist to stay updated with the latest project news - we'll see you on the battlefield, commanders!

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

Greetings, Commanders!

As we have previously promised, we are continuing our series of gameplay and Q&A livestreams for Men of War II.

Our second session will happen this Friday, March 29, from 16:00 CET (8:00 PT), and we will be focusing on PvP multiplayer game modes which were not available in any public playtest yet; and are a different take on capture the flag type of gameplay:

• In Combat Sectors, the map is split into a number of squares, and the opposing teams aim for control of the majority of these sectors. The more of them a team controls, the more victory points they accumulate; how you divide your forces and how aggressive or defensive you play are the key questions in this game mode.
  
• In Area Control, there are several key areas marked on the map and your task is to capture them and hold them; once again, the more areas a team controls, the more victory points they generate. The twist here is that you capture each area by pushing the Front Line completely around it, which allows for different strategies in terms of fortifying positions etc.
  

Feel free to post any questions you want us to discuss in the livestream here in the comments, or tune in on Friday when you can ask them live as well. We will do our best to check chat rooms and comments on all the platforms, but we strongly encourage you to come watch with us on Discord, as we guarantee you will be heard there.

You will be able to watch the livestream on the following channels:

• Discord
• Steam
• Youtube
• Twitch
• X (also known as Twitter)
• Facebook

We would also like to give you a hint of what you have to look forward to in the streaming sessions in the near future, without spoiling the contents exactly, so here goes:

• April 12: Raiding with friends.
  
• April 26: Tanks, tank, tanks!
  
• May 10: Campaigning, but dynamically.
  

See you on the battlefield, Commanders!

If you haven't yet, wishlist and follow the game so that you don't miss any of our future announcements:

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

Good day, commanders!

We hope you enjoyed our previous article about the game! We’re now ready to reveal more details regarding various graphical enhancements we’ve newly implemented in our GEM RTS graphics engine. We'll delve deeper into the capabilities of PBR (Physically Based Rendering) and try to explain why it was added to Men of War II in this devlog.

[h3]Physically Based Rendering, materials, and textures[/h3]

Thanks to this technology and fast internal mathematical calculations, we can now render objects in the game more realistically by simulating the real-time flow of light.


Let's focus more on one of the internal methods included in Physically Based Rendering (or PBR), namely the special Cook-Torrance lighting model. In earlier versions of Men of War II and previous games in the series, our team used one of the earliest technologies on the market for reflections and highlights — the Phong reflection model, which allowed adding a substantial amount of realism to any scene. Although it made the overall picture look quite good, especially plastic objects, the technology became outdated and had several significant drawbacks we wanted to improve with Men of War II. However, any such changes and the introduction of new technologies take a lot of time and resources; but we decided to do it, based on your feedback and suggestions after the last Open Beta test.


So, what new possibilities does the new lighting system bring? We are sure that fans of new technologies, especially mod creators, are asking this question. Physically Based Rendering has four components: indirect diffuse lighting, indirect reflection, direct diffuse lighting, and direct reflection. Each introduces different features that help make the image more vibrant, realistic, and beautiful (from accurately modeling the reflection of surrounding objects and the angle of incident light to reflecting surface roughness and realistic weather phenomena).


Nevertheless, lighting can only work properly with the right materials and textures. For example, check the barrel models below: on the left is an old model, albeit with a high degree of detail but without innovations and improvements; compare it to the one on the right, created with new materials and textures processed using PBR. Their differences are easy to notice, even for an untrained eye:


But what does this all mean? In short, the old (and now rather outdated) Phong reflection model gave us and all modders only very few options to work with in terms of tweaking the lighting effects. By implementing PBR, all lighting in the game can be fine-tuned much more easily and produces better, more beautiful visuals (including ambient occlusion and much more).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Updated Water and Aquatic Spaces[/h3]

As we mentioned in the previous article, we managed to implement various graphical improvements related to all water spaces and for modders, a complete set of tools to edit them with. Now, any mod creator can change almost everything related to water using a convenient internal "brush," which is capable of drawing any water spaces without struggling with the original, quite cumbersome and difficult to use tools all long-time GEM engine modders are familiar with. Also, we have added more water-related settings: for example, you can change the wave size, clarity level, flow speed, direction, color, and much more exactly to your liking. You can even give the river a unique flow route, taking into account all the irregularities and bends of the landscape.


All this and more allows us to make Men of War II the most beautiful game in the series. More detailed information about the changes with various technical data, will be available in a separate manual that we will share with everyone in our beloved modding community.

However, we do not plan to stop here, and we will have much more to tell and show you about the innovations we have been working on in the upcoming articles. If you haven't yet, wishlist and follow the game so that you don't miss any of our future announcements.

See you on the battlefield, commanders!

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