Isonzo News

Welcome back to part two of our look at the new Fior map! Last time we followed the Austro-Hungarian attackers as they broke through the heavily defended forest near the base of the mountain, and they had just reached the Città di Roccia - unusual formations of limestone rocks.

One of our reference photos for the forest trenches which feature heavily in the first two defensive lines of the map. They’re also the jumping off point for the attack on the third line.

Their objective here in this third line of defense is to sabotage a major supply dump, which lies higher up the slope past the Città di Roccia. Getting up there is itself a challenge, since there is open ground to cross before reaching the limestone, and then the Italian trenches and heavy weapon positions atop the rocks will need to be cleared out. As always, smoke called in by an officer is a useful way to screen an advance in these situations.

The Città di Roccia in-game!

If the attackers can take control of the Città di Roccia, it’s not too much further uphill before they reach the supply dump. It’s a large dugout with plenty of stacked crates and ammunition creating short sight lines and ample melee opportunities.

Next to the objective is an unusual kind of dug out: rocky underground tunnels. They have one entrance from the objective itself, and others on the lower side of the slope - meaning that they make a good covered route for attackers. Of course it’s fairly easy to camp the narrow entrance, build barbed wire, or throw grenades inside, so it works best for the attackers if they use it as an extra line of attack alongside a more conventional assault rather than committing too many people there.

Exiting the tunnels towards the supply dump.

Once the supply dump has been dealt with, there is one final objective: the mountain peak. The mostly bare ground doesn’t offer a lot of cover for either side, making the trenches and shell craters highly contested real estate. They also contain the forward spawn points which are vital to establish, to avoid each new wave of attackers or defenders having to keep crossing the open landscape. Of course, those are also the spots which are the best targets for enemy officers…

The mountaintop trenches.

The trench lines which are present are long, without too many winding corners - communication trenches rather than front line positions - meaning that melee weapons won’t be as useful here as you might expect. That changes once the attackers reach the peak itself, where artillery damage and rocky outcrops create a confined space where enemies could lurk behind every boulder or stack of crates.

The Fior mountain peak.

The battle for the peak will be bloody, and there’s effectively nowhere to hide from artillery or biplanes striking from above. Try to spread out as much as you can, lay down new sandbag positions to create better cover, and hope your riflemen lay down ammo crates and are generous with the refills. Having more grenades and more ammo for rapid fire weapons like semi-auto pistols and LMGs might just give your team the edge they need to hold the peak.

[h3]Watch the full Fior flyover video![/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Release day draws closer… and we're at Gamescomm![/h2]
You can find us at the Netherlands Pavilion | 4.1 A021g - B030g! This time, the game will be available for press/media and content creators at the B2B hall, so if you’re visiting gamescom on business related matters and you’re interested in Isonzo (or just want to say hi), be sure to visit us!



IGN Interview!
For our players, check out this IGN with our creative director Jos Hoebe to learn all about how its WWI-era weapons contribute to making it an intense multiplayer shooter!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

It’s not so long to go now. Isonzo is available for wishlisting ahead of the September 13th release! In the lead up to release, our dev diary plans include one more map reveal, among other things…

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

Hello soldiers!

We can't believe Isonzo's release is less than a month away! We're still busy with a lot of different actions relating to Isonzo and its launch, and one of those is the WW1 Game Series team going to Germany! From August 24 until the 26th, Isonzo will make an appearance at gamescom in Cologne, Germany!



You can find us at the Netherlands Pavilion | 4.1 A021g - B030g! This time, the game will be available for press/media and content creators at the B2B hall, so if you’re visiting gamescom on business related matters and you’re interested in Isonzo (or just want to say hi), be sure to visit us!
For our community players, don’t worry! We got some exciting things happening during gamescom, relating to Isonzo and our other games, so be sure to keep an eye out for the gamescom live streams, Steam store and our social media!

[h2] The wait is almost over [/h2]
Less than a month away from Isonzo’s release! If you haven’t already, be sure to wishlist Isonzo so you can be ready for when the game releases! Remember, you aren’t able to pre-purchase the game on PC, but if you buy Isonzo in the first week of its release, you get the special Avanti Savoia DLC pack !



[h2]Latest Isonzo Intel[/h2]
That Isonzo's release is getting closer, doesn't mean we stop giving you updates! Our latest devblog covers the Fior map! Named after the mountain which was the focus of the attack, this second map of the Strafexpedition in the game is quite the forest-y and green map! Be sure to read it!

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3385037625317078894
[h3]Wishlist Isonzo now![/h3]

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

AVANTI 🍞

In May 1916, Austria-Hungary launched a large offensive operation attacking across the Vicentine Alps into the Autonomous Province of Trento (known as Trentino). Despite their German allies refusing to assist with the attack - and even going so far as trying to dissuade General von Hötzendorf from carrying out the plan - the Austro-Hungarians massed thousands of guns and hundreds of thousands of men. If they managed to break through they would be in a position to outflank all the Italian troops fighting along the Isonzo river. This was called the Strafexpedition - punitive expedition - intended to punish the Italians for their betrayal of the Central Powers when they went against an earlier defensive agreement to join the Entente instead.

Facing them was the Italian First Army. Low on manpower and lumbered with some poor quality officers, the Italian defenders did not see the attack coming. The Strafexpedition did not come as a surprise to everyone though! The Italians did have intelligence suggesting a major offensive aimed at Trentino was in the works a month ahead… but General Luigi Cadorna refused to consider the possibility since it went against his own thinking.

Many WW1 generals get sometimes unfair criticism for their performance when you consider the unprecedented scale of the war and the new technologies used. Luigi Cadorna… was not one of them, and can be criticized for a great number of things.

In Isonzo the Strafexpedition is a two map offensive, of which Fior is the second map, named after the mountain which is the focus of the attack. The final objective is the Fior Peak, which stands at 1824m high (5984ft). An interesting feature of the area is the unusual limestone formations called the Città di Roccia (or ‘city of rock’). The Austro-Hungarian attackers will need to fight their way through these to reach their final objective at the peak of the mountain. But climbing a mountain takes time, and before they get anywhere near the Città di Roccia there are two other defensive lines to break…

Photograph of the Città di Roccia today.

The Austro-Hungarian attackers must first storm a forest to sabotage a gun position and capture a command post. The attackers begin sheltered in a treeline, but will need to force their way across a road and strip of grass before they can reach the shelter of more trees. Fortunately (for some) a convoy has been ambushed and destroyed on the road, providing useful cover in addition to the low stone walls running along the road.

The devastated convoy - the attackers are coming from the left side of this view.

Trenches and barbed wire positions lie throughout the forest on the other side of the road - some are proper dugouts with weapon emplacements and forward spawn points, while others are little more than rows of sandbags piled atop banks of dirt. The forest and undergrowth present on Fior mean it’s important to understand the distinction between cover and concealment: rocks, sandbags and fallen logs provide cover that will protect you from bullets, while the tree leaves and plants will conceal you from the enemy but not save you from gunfire or shrapnel.

Some of the Italian defensive positions in the forest.

One objective calls for the Austro-Hungarians to sabotage one of those forest defensive positions, but the other is a capture objective set among a trio of houses on the wooded slopes. The houses and stone walls are potentially a major challenge for the attackers, especially since the buildings are intact and will offer good shelter from artillery and aviation call-ins.

The hillside houses - the one on the right contains the command post.

However, should the attackers gain a foothold it may not be easy for the Italian defenders to counterattack. The main house has two stories, with the top story including windows facing towards the Italian positions - an excellent spot for an LMG! Additionally defending reinforcements are forced to route around the side of the house, or go down a narrow set of steps which could easily be blocked by wire or become a killing zone if a few enemies are watching it.

Viewed from above - you can see the narrow stairway down between the two closest houses.

The second defensive line also has one sabotage and one capture objective. Before reaching those is more forest, much of it heavily shelled and devastated (including a ruined building) and a series of forward spawn points. As always, it’s up to you and your team how much effort you want to put into dominating the forward spawn points - if the defenders are putting too much manpower into holding their forward spawn point, you might be able to sneak past and hit the main objectives while facing less resistance!

Defensive positions overlooking a shelled area of the forest.

If the Austro-Hungarians conquer the first two lines, before them lie those distinctive limestone cliffs, the Città di Roccia. We’ll get to them along with the final two defensive lines in our next blog post, and you can see them at the end of this first half of our Fior Flyover video!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Isonzo goes to Germany [/h2]
One more thing this week - we’re happy to announce that the WW1 Game Series team will be attending Gamescom in Cologne, Germany! This will be our final big event before Isonzo’s release so it’s going to be extra exciting for us! This time, we’re highlighting Isonzo especially for the press/media and content creators - so if you’re attending Gamescom on business related matters, be sure to come find us at the Netherlands Pavilion | 4.1 A021g - B030g.

Furthermore, we'll showcase something special at Gamescom besides of our first hands-on for the press, so be sure to keep an eye out for the Gamescom live streams and our social media!



[h3] Don’t forget that Isonzo is available for wishlisting ahead of the September 13th release! [/h3]

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

Bayonet charges are a staple image associated with the First World War, and while they rarely took the form of wild unsupported charges over No-Man’s-Land, melee combat remained a key element of WW1 combat until the end of the war. It was partly a holdover from older military doctrine that had bayonet drill as a basic skill for soldiers, but also still proved useful even in the age of artillery and the machine gun.

Soldiers showing off trench clubs.

Close combat was so important that many soldiers carried or improvised dedicated melee weapons. Raiding parties,and later specially trained stormtroopers, would use melee weapons (alongside guns and grenades) when infiltrating enemy lines both to stay quiet as long as possible and because it was practical in the close confines of the trenches. When your only gun is a long and heavy rifle with just five shots before you need to reload - not to mention working the bolt between each shot - you can see the appeal of a dedicated melee weapon if you’re planning to assault and enter an enemy trench.

[h2]Melee Weapons in Isonzo[/h2]
The melee options in Isonzo can be broken down into about four rough categories…

[h3]Bayonets[/h3]
Many rifles in Isonzo are fitted with bayonets, making it easy to alternate between shooting and stabbing. The length of the rifle gives bayonets good range, and those bayonet drills we mentioned above mean that soldiers are handy enough with them for the initial stab attack to be very quick. However, pulling back afterwards is slower, so if you’re facing more than one enemy you might be in trouble. It also makes it important to gauge your distance well - you want to use the range of the bayonet, but if you're too far away you've wasted your good chance!

Soldier with rifle and bayonet.

[h3]Melee Weapons[/h3]
Dedicated melee weapons in Isonzo include the Mountaineer class’s ice pick, Arditi daggers, and trench clubs. They are secondary equipment slot items (so taking one means not having other support items or weapons) and only available for the Mountaineer and Assault classes, but the payoff is deadly melee capabilities. Fast and lethal, if you can catch your opponents by surprise you're almost guaranteed victory.

Dedicated melee weapons.

[h3]Entrenching Tools[/h3]
During the war entrenching shovels were common weapons. They’re small enough to be easily wielded in one hand, with a sharp edge meant for cutting roots and similar impediments to entrenchment… but equally good at cutting people. In Isonzo every soldier now carries an entrenching shovel for construction purposes, but they can also be used as weapons. They are slower to attack than bayonets and melee weapons, but they are guaranteed one shot kills. If you don’t have another weapon or a bayonet, they’re a solid alternative - and of course if you’re jumped by an enemy while building something you’ll already have it in hand!

The Italian engineer on the left is using an entrenching tool for its intended purpose!

[h3]...Everything Else[/h3]
You can still melee attack even when you aren’t holding a weapon. Get surprised by an enemy while scoping out enemy positions with your binoculars? By all means take a swing at them, just don’t expect it to be super effective. Still, you know what they say: a decent plan executed right now is better than a perfect plan executed too late!

[h2] What's next?[/h2]
We'll end today's dev diary with a teaser for the next map we'll be revealing… enjoy!



Isonzo is available for wishlisting ahead of the September 13th release!

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

[h2]Gunplay in Isonzo[/h2]
We’ve always worked hard to make guns feel authentic in the WW1 Game Series, not just in creating accurate 3D models and using sound effects recorded to actual guns where possible, but also in how they function in-game. We wanted to take it to the next level with Isonzo. First up is a greater connection with the world around you…

[h3]Animations and the Environment[/h3]
For Isonzo we decided to take a new approach with how the player's weapons animate on screen. One main goal has been to keep the weapon looking consistent in world space and prevent sudden snapping between animations. You’ll probably notice this most when you’re close up against some part of the environment, be it a wall or a cliffside, where you’ll now see your weapon lifted out of the way rather than potentially clipping through. But we go a step further, and ensure animations (like reloading) work with this dynamic weapon positioning, so reloading up against a wall can use the same animation as reloading in an open field and it still looks natural.

Reloading while sheltering behind rocks. The GIF cuts some frames, you can also watch the full video on YouTube.

To achieve a smooth effect when handing your guns we mix partial-animations on the gun itself, some other tech tricks, and overlaid procedural animations on top to account for other influences such as recoil or movement. The player's arms are driven by Inverse-Kinematics which ensure they remain correctly positioned, no matter where the weapon is currently on-screen.

This also has the effect of making things look more fluid when you combine weapon usage with other systems like movement. For instance, going into a sprint while still bolting your rifle, or aiming down sights from sprinting. These situations with multiple animations in quick succession will be smoother now.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Reloading[/h3]
In Isonzo we’ve built on the complex reload and weapon clip state systems of the previous games. We already modeled weapon quirks such as guns which couldn’t reload until empty, weapons that reload differently when you add individual rounds instead of a full clip, very slow revolver reloads where individual rounds need to be expelled one at a time, and more. We even keep track of whether you’ve worked the bolt on a rifle - sometimes in the heat of battle you might fire and then use your bayonet before bolting, for instance. These details matter in combat, where that extra half-second to work a bolt could be the difference between life and death…

Taking cover while using a rifle.

In Isonzo we’re building on this with even more reload states for various weapons. Weapons with visible bullets in their clips update in accordance with your ammo count, chamber states on certain weapons remain open if the weapon is not closed, cocking pins respond to the firing state, and weapons that have their magazine reloading interrupted will find their mag slot is left empty until they complete the reload!

This really comes into play with some of the more idiosyncratic WW1 weapons like the Villar Perosa. This LMG (originally an aircraft mounted machine gun) has two magazines which are reloaded separately - therefore the gun can have a variety of states of reload and interrupted reload. The Villar Perosa alone has three different reload animations relating to these various states. As well as more accurately recreating how these guns worked, it also gives you more gameplay flexibility in combat by making it less punishing to cancel reloads with these weapons.

After hip-firing the Villar Perosa, only one magazine will need replacement.

[h3]LMG Deployment[/h3]
On the subject of the deployable machine guns like the Villar Perosa, we have completely reworked the system we used in Verdun and Tannenberg for deploying to be far less rigid, and more fluidly integrated with gameplay. You can now auto-deploy an LMG on any valid surface in front of you if it’s the right height, which then provides greatly increased accuracy and stability (and in the case of the Villar Perosa, the use of its second barrel). You can of course still hip fire LMGs in an emergency, but doing so comes at the cost of greatly reduced accuracy.

The new auto-deploy system with the Madsen.

[h3]Weapon Sway[/h3]
Another influential part of the weapon handling which has got some love is weapon sway! The new more tactile weapon sway better mimics how actual breathing affects your body. But more than that, it affects your shooting more precisely now - bullets come from the barrel of the gun, which is affected by the new more natural weapon sway. Therefore there's no need for randomness on the bullet itself to simulate other factors affecting accuracy.

Weapon sway.

[h2]...and more![/h2]
Bullet drop is also a factor in Isonzo, but given typical engagement ranges and the high muzzle velocities for most of the weapons in the game, you likely won't notice it very often. For you snipers at the back of the map, you may need to adjust your sights to hit the perfect headshots over long distances!

In addition to these ‘big ticket items’, we’re also paying attention to the small stuff! We’ve gone the extra mile to distinguish weapons with different muzzle flash FX, more animations in general, and more. All of these details come together to create a more immersive experience that better captures the feel of First World War combat.

To watch the full videos behind the gifs in this blog, check out our WIP Clips Playlist on YouTube!

You can wishlist Isonzo already! Not so long to go before release… the battle for the Italian Front begins on September 13th!

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