Isonzo News

Hello soldiers!

It’s been almost 1 month now since Isonzo’s release! We’re overwhelmed with the amount of praise and love we’ve received for our latest game in the WW1 Game Series! Thank you all so much! We hope you’ll continue to play and enjoy your battles on the Italian Front!

A week before Isonzo’s release, we had a special play session for press and influencers to play together with devs and our beta testers to experience the game alongside other players. This way, reviews and video’s containing content with real players would be available upon release for you all to read and watch! Now, let’s see what some press and content creators thought of Isonzo!

[h2] A hill worth dying for [/h2]

One of the content creators who joined us in our special play session was jackfrags. With almost 4 million subscribers on YouTube and a vast variety of shooters he played, we thought he might be interested in playing Isonzo! And so he did! Though at first seeing a bit overwhelmed (or maybe lost) at what to do, he quickly got onto getting kills, getting objectives and admiring the scenery ! An iconic quote from Jack was ‘ I don't know why we're fighting over this hill. It's a nice hill, but is it work dying over?’ Which kind of sums up the Italian front nicely in our opinion ;) You can watch his entire video here !

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Another YouTuber who made a video about Isonzo is LevelCapGaming, with almost 2 million subscribers. In his video you get a nice idea about the Mountaineer class and how powerful it can be for you and your team! Playing on the Fior map, part of the Strafexpedition Offense, you can see him and his fellow soldiers battle through the forest, eventually making it to the final objective of the map. The change of a covered area full of trees and nature into a more open area took some adapting to, but eventually he managed to push forward with his team! To see if Cap as the Austo-Hungarian succeeds over the Italians, check out the video!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2] ‘A gorgeous, accessible class-based shooter’ [/h2]

One of the press outlets that wrote about Isonzo is PCGamer. Stating that there’s currently a milsim boom in the gaming industry, Isonzo is fitting right into this. Calling Isonzo one of the prettiest shooters that’s currently out right now (thank you, you’re making us blush), the review praises Isonzo as well for how easy it is to hop into a game. But be warned, that doesn’t mean that the game is easy.

Furthermore, Isonzo is praised for its asymmetry. Though there’s only two objectives to focus on, A & B, that doesn’t mean you have to do these in order. Additionally, the extra side objectives were seen as a fun change of paste and felt rewarding! No long runs from the respawn, helping out your teammates and contributing to the overall pushes, - it’s the small things that matter unless you bring out the big guns and gun everyone down ;).

Again, Isonzo takes the players breath away by the way it looks. “Isonzo's Italian setting is refreshing and feels great to fight in. (...) this is the most gorgeous, colorful portrayal of WW1 I've ever seen in a game. You can tell that Blackmill has had its fill of maps that capture the WW1 we see in our heads—flat, muddy hellscapes where nothing happy can exist—and decided to cut loose with postcard-worthy Italian countrysides, quaint villages, and strikingly beautiful mountains. The mountains in particular are effective, being both very pretty to look at and creating the most distinct areas in Isonzo.”

[h2] Isonzo Fanart [/h2]

Some of you enjoyed playing Isonzo so much that you even brought out your creative skills and drew fanart ! Thank you so much! Here’s a small selection of the fanart we received. We would love to see more, so be sure to use the hashtag #Isonzo and tag us on Twitter!

Gan Emperor of Mankind

Emrivimaster123

VHetairaV

BanonCat

[h2] Die Deutschen kommen! [/h2]

Besides working on optimizing Isonzo and solving issues we and you encountered, the next big update is also on our radar! In case you've missed it, take a look at our roadmap !



For now, we can't give you a timeframe on when the Germans will join Isonzo, but we hope you're looking forward to it regardless! Here's a little weapon teaser for now.



The German Empire entered the war with a large army, and the workhorse for this army is the ever-familiar Gewehr 98. Design in 1895, and introduced into service in 1898, this is a versatile rifle of Mauser design. The Gewehr 98 would become synonymous with the great war and echoes of its design can be found in weapons adopted by other nations - with a shortened version of the design being adopted by the German Army by the outbreak of the Second World War.

Chambered in the effective 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge, these 5 round rifles found a nice middle ground in areas like capacity, ease of use, speed to load, while excelling in weapon accuracy. Though criticized for its length, poor sights, and cost of manufacture, the German Empire would issue this rifle to the frontlines in the millions.

Finding fame in media such as the films “All Quiet on the Western Front”, and a mainstay in the WW1 Game Series. This rifle will offer a familiar face to fans of our previous installments.

[h3]That's the intel for now soldiers![/h3]

I continue to be delighted by how many cool military sim games are around these days. If I want to enlist in a virtually authentic land war in 2022, the choices are overwhelming: Last I counted there are two major modern milsims, three set in WW2 (if you count the top-down MMO Foxhole), and four in WW1. Don't look now, but I think we're in a milsim boom...
Read more.

Hello soldiers!

This week, it’s time to put on your listening ears! If you’ve played the game or watched our trailer, you might’ve heard it before. Isonzo’s main theme: Rinasceremo Insieme (We will be Reborn Together). Looking on the internet for the original song or just asking around if someone knew who the singer was, often left you guys with empty hands (or ears), as it is an original song made for the game! Our componist, Bart Delissen, has been with us from the very start and also worked on the music for Verdun & Tannenberg.

[h2]Inspiration from previous games[/h2]
“For Isonzo, the research of what would be a culturally and historically accurate soundtrack started early 2020. I've done similar research back in 2014 for Verdun, and mainly during 2017 for Tannenberg. For this Eastern Front game, it relied heavily on finding musical tropes that fitted the Eastern European anthems and creating a custom orchestral soundtrack from that. Important was not to lose the Verdun theme at all, as to make clear this front is part of a bigger conflict/game series. So through the new Tannenberg Hymn and a few other tracks, the eager listener can also hear echoes of the ominous descending brass melody.”

As you can see, Bart is not a new recruit in the field when it comes to making music. Isonzo being part of an entirely different front and being the biggest entry of our game series yet, Bart’s desire to implement that in his music, while also having a notch back to our two earlier games, was very impressive. Not to forget that the music should also resemble and fit the time period of World War One, this is where the early stages of research and demos started. But did that idea last?

[h2]Puccini as Inspiration[/h2]
“Early Isonzo demos contained this idea as well, but since it was less needed to rivet the IP of the WW1 game series again, in terms of music (a lot of people knew the Verdun & Tannenberg already) – it was dropped soon enough. We wanted to do something with the huge panoramas in combination with the fact that the game is set around Italy.

This made me pitch Italian opera and I showed the dev team some Verdi and Puccini. Puccini's work grew increasingly dramatic and bold as the years progressed into the 1910's. Some brushes and colours of his musical sound palette fitted perfectly to the Isonzo narrative, so I tried to incorporate some of the mannerisms into my writing for the soundtrack.”

Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer, mainly known for his operas. Seen as one of the greatest and successful composers (after Verdi), he stemmed from a late-Baroque era, which is a type of Western classical music composed around 1600-1750. He drifted more towards creating late 19th century Romantic Italian opera music before he developed his work in a verismo style (meaning realism). This style had its origins in the literary movement in Italy and Puccini became a head composer. His most famous works are La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1904), and Turandot (1924).

Puccini is known as one of the greatest and successful composers

[h2]The Importance of the Main Theme Song[/h2]
Besides taking his inspiration from well-known Italian opera singers, Bart looked further to see what kind of Italian music or artists were around the time period of the Great War and looked for inspiration. He explains what the importance of the main theme is for the rest of the soundtrack.

“A main theme should be written first as the base material from which I could later extrapolate the tracks and themes for the entire soundtrack. We decided it would be a sung opera aria. This is a moment in classical opera where the story 'freezes' on a dramatic moment and a single soloist expresses the emotional singing that is evoked by the given situation.

I wrote the menu/main theme with this in mind, with just a piano sound as a placeholder for where the singer should sound eventually. After a short search, I came across Barbara Lotti, an Italian linguist, who helped me create the lyrics (libretto). I had already done research for Italian poetry around the WW1 era, and stumbled upon Guiseppe Ungaretti. He fought for the Italians at the Isonzo front, and he grew to become one of the most important Italian poets of the 20th century.”

Giuseppe Ungaretti was an Italian modernist poet, journalist, essayist, critic and academic. He was one of the most important figures to contribute to 20th century Italian literature. Influenced by symbolism, he was briefly aligned with futurism. During World War One, he took an irredentist position, like many other futurists. He debuted as a poet while fighting in the trenches, publishing his pieces; L'allegria (The Joy). These poems were based on Ungaretti's experiences as a soldier.

Giuseppe Ungaretti during World War One

[h2]Putting everything together[/h2]
“I had Barbara Lotti write original lyrics with stylistic elements of Ungaretti and I had music with hints of Puccini: now I needed a singer to bring it all to life. I found a tenor named Thomas de Bruijn, who sometimes goes by the stage name Thomas LeBrun. He's a freelancer, the National Opera House is even one of his clients! However, recording in a studio situation was new to him. The average studio sounds very different from a concert hall or opera house and that brings some challenges. In the end, the profound research and preparations paid off - we ended up with a main menu track called Rinasceremo Insieme, which many of you have heard by now.”

Bart even made a vlog video talking a bit more about the process of working on the song, combined with some footage of the recording session, be sure to check it out!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Rinasceremo Insieme is the DNA of the game[/h2]
Making the main theme Rinasceremo Insieme set the direction of what the rest of Isonzo’s soundtrack would sound like. It formed a sort of DNA for the other in-game music. It wasn't really something that was discussed, it was more of a natural process. The next challenge for Bart would be creating in-game music that would move along with the different battles and objectives you face in the game.

“I took some inspiration and info from working on the precious games I’ve worked with. Tannenberg had two interactive music tracks, intensifying the late game. I took what I built for the former game as a starting point, and with a lot of testing and tweaking created a system that could toss around snippets of music from a gradual 4+ minutes buildup that I had composed. The result of all non-linear options, in which the music can manifest, guarantees a tension build up throughout a series of battles. Almost every piece of music in Isonzo ended up having interactive/adaptive elements.

Fun fact: shards of the Verdun theme make a stealth comeback, buried within a stream of fast notes in the objective music. “

Bart provided a video explaining more about the software he worked with for having the music and game work together, when certain events happen in the game! It’s an interesting video, so be sure to check it out!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We would like to thank Bart Delissen and the people he worked with for their amazing work on Isonzo’s soundtrack! You can clearly hear the time, effort, inspiration and passion that went into making it!

The Isonzo soundtrack contains about 30 minutes of music, and it will only increase along with the development of DLC!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2078340/Isonzo_Soundtrack/

To end this devblog with, here is the official video, together with the Italian lyrics and English translation!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We return to the Cengio map in this week's Isonzo Intel. Don't forget that Isonzo has been released and you can join the battle yourself right now! Thank you for your support so far! It's been very fun seeing you all enjoy the game!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo

As we prepare to attack the second line, it's worth noting that Fort Corbin, the capture objective of the first line, maintains some value as a spotting position for Officers and Mountaineers or a sniping nest for Marksmen. This said, never forget the value of being near the frontline - be ready to move on and join the assault ASAP if you don't find juicy targets.



There are two objectives for the Austro-Hungarians in the second line: sabotaging a gun position in a forest clearing and taking a capture point in a forested cliffside camp. The route to these leads from the fortress complex through a rural mountain settlement plus a shell cratered fields and forest. There is little in the way of chokepoints in this area, meaning you’ll need to maintain good situational awareness in case enemies are trying to sneak around your flanks. Recon flights and spotting can both help here. It also poses challenges for the Engineers of both teams, since there aren’t obvious locations for barbed wire and sandbags - lonely strips of wire out in the forest will be easily cut, so it makes sense to either plan to stand watch over your impromptu defenses, or build close to the objectives where you can be sure other players will always be present.

Sabotage Objective

When approaching the gun pit both sides will need to be wary of heavy machine guns positioned on banks of earth that can easily hide more enemies behind them. Visibility is often interrupted by trees or sunken lanes, so you need to keep your wits about you. The gun pit itself has plentiful stores of ammunition and other supplies, giving plenty of opportunity for people to hide. Bring close combat weapons or clear the place out with an artillery barrage before going in.

The tent encampment on the forest slopes is more open, running almost to the edge of the cliffs. Defenders should watch out for people shooting from Fort Corbin, and would probably be advised to keep the tents between themselves and the fortress complex. The Austro-Hungarians can try a frontal assault along the main road, or they can flank around from near the gun position objective.

If the Austro-Hungarians succeed, they are on to their penultimate objective: an Italian base on Monte Cengio itself. After crossing a picturesque mountain stream the route leads upwards to a series of winding cliffside paths reinforced with wood and wire.

The goal is a single capture point in a cluster of wooden shacks. Even after establishing forward spawn points there is still quite a way to go for the attackers to reach the capture point, and there are only so many routes up there. The Austro-Hungarians will need to make good use of grenades, officer call-ins, and a mortar at one the forward spawns if they hope to take this Sardinian command post. Assault classes with light machine guns can also be invaluable to suppress Italian reinforcements.

The forested cliffside camps and huts that you'll be able to enter

A tight and rocky path up the hill

Assuming they manage it, the final objective is a single capture point at the peak of Monte Cengio. The terrain for this final push is similarly rocky, but has less of a height difference, allowing longer range engagements. Without the brutal uphill assault and better sight lines from the forward spawn points to the objective, the Austro-Hungarians may well find this last push easier than the previous one.



That said… watch out for the tunnels running below this sector and the capture point! Enemies can and will emerge from unexpected places. Learning the layout of the underground passageways will give you an edge. It won't be an easy battle, but overall the landscape is less unusual than the previous sector - except for the tunnels. We’ll close out with the complete flyover video!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Fight for Monte Cengio today![/h2]
Isonzo has been released and you can join the fighting yourself on the Cengio map and others!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo

We thank you for your support and patience! Since release we had several hotfixes and big patches and we'll keep monitoring your reports! Here's a small info sheet about how things are going for the devs.

The work for a dev never ends ;)

[h3]Avanti![/h3]

Hi everyone. We hope you have been enjoying Isonzo so far. We are still actively monitoring your input and today, we present the second bigger update addressing several topics like saving stability and bots.

This patch raises the network version, which means you should update before playing online, in order to play with the majority of players.

[h2]Balancing[/h2]
We are collecting your feedback regarding balancing and we are planning adjustments. This is a sensitive process, so we want to make sure we have the correct picture of the situation before making big changes. Today, we have focused on adjustments for the Fior map based on our findings.

[h2]Saving[/h2]
We have made saving more robust, providing fallback opportunities if anything goes wrong, and saving more often than before. This is to make sure you don't lose progress when the game closes abruptly.

[h2]Bots[/h2]
We made slight adjustments to bots in the last patch and this one, and wanted to see how they feel now. Mainly we reenabled a measure that reduces their lethality, that was also active in Verdun and Tannenberg, so we hope they will feel better balanced again. Let us know what you think!

[h2]Patch Overview[/h2]

• Fixed players not swapping to correct weapon in third person
  
• Fixed Static weapons breaking if equipping them while aiming down sights
  
• Fixed getting stuck in a bleeding state
  
• Fixed players sometimes getting stuck in a slow state from bandaging
  
• Fix for sometimes not being able to bandage self or others
  
• Fixed players sometimes not dying from artillery when they should have
  
• Fixes for spawning in objects (ongoing)
  
• Bots should no longer vault into the second story of the fort on Cengio
  
• Reduced bot lethality slightly, similar to Verdun and Tannenberg
  
• LMGs will no longer auto deploy while the player is moving
  
• Fixed missing sound for Lanciarazzi Very
  
• Fixed Glisenti and Steyr 1912 clipping through the hand
  
• Fixed sometimes being unable to spawn after switching from an Armour perk
  
• Fixed corpses sinking into the ground too much
  
• Fixed players sometimes being able to join as a third Officer without abilities
  
• "Call-in boosting" by shooting two flares is now tracked per Officer, so that one Officer cannot use up the other Officer's bonus
  
• Fixed all players calling out officer call-ins instead of just the Officer
  
• Removed unobtainable "Best player" medal
  
• Players should no longer lose their match progress if they abruptly quit the game
  
• Fixed "Play now" not working correctly in Offline mode
  
• Pathing improvements for first sector of Fior
  
• Various visual improvements and fixes for maps
  
• Data saving improvements
  
• Performance improvements