Isonzo News

[h3]Strap in soldiers, today's Isonzo Intel is a big one![/h3]

Monte Sabotino was a key objective for both sides, with a commanding position over the city of Gorizia and on the bank of the Soča river. Today it lies right on the border between Italy and Slovenia. The mountain had been under siege since the first battles of the Isonzo, but it was not until the 6th Battle that progress was finally made.

During the winter of 1915-1916 the Italians excavated three walkways along the side of the mountain. These were used as jump-off points on August 6th, 1916 when, after a devastating bombardment, the Italians started from close range, surprising the Austrians still inside their tunnels. Thanks to the heavy artillery support and advanced starting points, Italian troops managed to reach the summit of Monte Sabotino in under an hour. The success of operations here opened the gates to future attacks on the city of Gorizia.

The slope the Italians must climb at the start of the battle. Note the extensive wire lines and limited cover. A smokescreen might be very useful…

This period photograph demonstrates the rocky landscape that made it hard work to dig trenches and bunkers.

[h2]Race to the peak[/h2]
Getting to the top of the mountain so quickly was an incredible achievement - depending on how long your battle lasts, it might take you as long to finish the map as it did for the attackers more than 100 years ago to scale Sabotino. It starts with penetrating multiple lines of wire and blowing up two wooden bunkers.

Once again you can see that many Italian Front trenches were very different to their Western Front counterparts, but once you make it into the network you’ll need similar skills and tactics to clear them out. Recon flyovers could give you the drop on enemies.

The next two lines near the peak of the mountain itself each have one capture zone objective and one sabotage objective to blast an Austro-Hungarian gun pit. The terrain here is a mix of small fortifications carved out of the mountain and natural rock formations. You’ll also need to deal with height differences - the top of the mountain is not flat, after all, so keep an eye out for enemies following paths above or below you, and remember that it’s very easy to throw a grenade too far or not far enough if you forget to account for vertical distances!

The Italians must fight from right to left along the mountaintop.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We used drone footage of modern day Sabotino captured on our research trip in creating the map.

See how the trenches in-game compare to the historical maps we used when designing Monte Sabotino.

The fighting at the top of the mountain ends with the fourth defensive line, centered on a single capture point. Fighting will be fierce for the ruins at the far end of the mountain. The rocky ground has prevented many trenches from being dug, so you’ll need to use the landscape itself for cover and concealment where possible.

No time to settle in, though! Once you summit the mountain, the battle is far from over…

[h2]Going down[/h2]
After capturing the rocky ravine ruins, the Italians need to force a path down a very steep part of the mountain. The winding path, often sided with stone walls, poses challenges for both sides. The attacking Italians have a height advantage on the defenders, but can easily find themselves exposed on some sections of the path, and the bare hillside is a risky alternative. The Austro-Hungarians need to take extra care to keep their heads down, but there are lots of potential ambush spots.

These ruins are your objective in the fourth line, and that long road down is the fifth line of defense. It feels even steeper when you’re descending on foot! You can already see the map’s final objective from here - the church in the town below…

This line also has only one objective - sabotaging the armored train at the foot of the mountain. However, the road down is a long one, with multiple advance spawning points that can be built and destroyed, meaning that there is much potential for back and forth up and down the mountain before the objective itself is threatened. The train is partly inspired by a daring raid by an armored train along the railway line in the map. Leaving Gorizia and crossing the Salcano bridge on a six hour journey, a train under the command of Lieutenant Scheichelbauer assaulted an Italian machine gun nest in the mouth of the Babinrub tunnel on the bank of the Isonzo. They routed the defenders and the tunnel wouldn’t be retaken by the Italians for almost a month.

The train objective, and view towards Solkan.

[h2]The final objective: Solkan[/h2]
If they can destroy the armored train, the Italians have one final objective - the town of Salcano. To get there means crossing the Soča river. This can be done through the river itself, or by using the Solkan Bridge. Built in 1905, the massive bridge is the longest stone arch railway bridge built without reinforced concrete.

The Solkan bridge in-game, and historically. That cart on the left is packed with explosives…

Historically, the defenders blew the bridge using 930kg (2,050 pounds) of Ecrasite, an Austrian designed explosive material. You may get to see this play out in-game: a cart of explosives on the bridge can be armed by the Austro-Hungarians as with any sabotage objective. If the Italians aren’t quick to disarm any such charges, bye bye bridge...



Once they’ve crossed the river, by fording the water or across the bridge, the town of Solkan is the final objective for the Italians. The last capture point is centered on a church, where you can expect heavy fighting in the churchyard.

The church and the neighboring street. Will you storm the churchyard directly, or try to clear a path through the houses to the left first?

The urban environment provides a lot of cover, including structures where you’ll be safe from artillery - but you can’t just leave the open areas to the enemy, especially the grounds of the church. The narrow alleyways and small courtyards can also leave you without anywhere to flee if grenades land nearby. The high walls mask troop movements allowing for easy surprise attacks. Taking the church will not be easy…

Solkan in-game, and as it was historically.

[h2]Isonzo at W.A.S.D![/h2]
The WW1 Game Series will be attending the W.A.S.D video game expo in London from April 7-9. Isonzo will be available for everyone to play for the first time! You can find us at booth GG1. Be sure to stop by and fight on the Italian Front, and maybe have a chat with some of the team.



We're also going to help a few lucky soldiers get their hands on tickets: there will be a giveaway on our Twitter, make sure to follow us if you’re interested!

[h2]More map reveals are coming…[/h2]
We hope you enjoyed learning about the Monte Sabotino map! We know you’re all keen to hear more about Isonzo’s maps, and there are more map focused Isonzo Intels coming up - including Gorizia, which follows Monte Sabotino and Monte San Michele in the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo Offensive. Until next time!

Wishlist Isonzo now!

Hello soldiers!

We're excited to share with you that WW1 Game Series will be attending the W.A.S.D video game expo in London on April 7th-9th. Here, you'll be able to play Isonzo for the first time available in public for everyone to play! You can find us at booth GG1, so be sure to stop by and fight on the Italian front, and have a chat with some of the WWI Game Series' team.




Interested in going? You can still get your tickets via the official W.A.S.D website! You can get a ticket per day or get a full 3-day ticket, Be sure to get one if you want to play Isonzo this early April! Click here to be redirected to the ticket shop.

However, we're going to help some soldiers get their hands on tickets! We'll be giving away tickets to the event on our Twitter! Be sure to follow us to not miss out on this!



[h2]W.A.S.D Intel coming in[/h2]
For the soldiers who aren't able to make it, we're going to share images and info during the event on our Twitter so be sure that you follow us there to not miss any special expo Isonzo Intel!

[h3]We hope to see you there soldiers![/h3]

WW1 Game Series

We introduced mortars in a previous Isonzo Intel, but today we'll look more closely at two you'll be using in the game!

M14 mortar loading.

Mortars are fixed location emplacements like Heavy Machine Guns which can be crewed by anyone on your team. It’s up to the person manning the mortar whether they want to go for more rapid and less accurate fire, or take their time to drop far more accurate shots. While operating a mortar can be done by one player, they'll be much more effective if someone is spotting enemy positions to identify good targets.

M14 mortar firing.

However, be aware that aiming well takes time, and precision goes a long way. But, there are ways to make this easier for you or your squadmates. The Mountaineer can even shoot flares which boost the aiming speed of mortars targeted within the area of the flare! A special perk for the Engineer means you operate mortars (in fact, all static weapons) faster as well. Of course, most WW1 mortars didn’t look the same as modern mortars. Let’s take a look at what the Italians and Austro-Hungarians will use in Isonzo…

Bettica being reloaded.

[h2]Bettica Mortar[/h2]
The Bettica was a small Italian trench mortar that used fairly simple tube projectiles, with a range of around 200-250 meters. Unusually, the Bettica doesn't have a barrel! The tubes are fitted to a kind of spigot ready for firing. Different lengths and weights of projectiles influenced the maximum range. While there were many unique light mortar designs made during WW1 (the British 3-inch Mortar Stokes would go on to be the most common template for future mortars) the Bettica is certainly one of the more strange looking! Furthermore, the Bettica has a match lit fuse, which makes it different from others.



[h2]Minenwerfer M14[/h2]
The 9 cm Minenwerfer M14 was used by Austro-Hungarian forces. The M14 is loaded from the back, allowing you the opportunity to keep your eyes on the field in front of you. Designed under time pressure by an army committee, it was intended to serve as a much needed light mortar.



While it did that job, there were flaws: it was awkward to rotate for aiming, a black powder propellant that could be very smoky, and bomb fuzes that were unreliable and could lead to duds. Many of these problems were fixed in later versions of the mortar, but ultimately it was decided to purchase and use German made mortars from 1917 onwards.

M14 mortar reloading.

[h3]Wishlist Isonzo now![/h3]

Today’s Isonzo Intel is focused on the Assault class and a few of their weapons! How do these specialists break through enemy positions to complete objectives or conduct spoiling attacks to prevent enemy advances? Read on to find out…

[h2]Assault[/h2]
Equipped with high impact weaponry and training, the Assault class excels at breaking through enemy lines or denying ground.

The Italian Royal Army has the Arditi to serve as their shock troops - the name roughly translates to ‘the daring ones’. Alongside the German stormtroopers, they are widely recognized as some of the first specialist troops trained to break through enemy defenses before the main advance by regular infantry. They had a reputation for winning battles sometimes armed with only daggers and grenades!

Italian Arditi.

The Austro-Hungarians were not as quick as the Italians to form assault troops, once they did they followed a similar line to the German stormtroopers. Melee weapons and grenades featured heavily in their loadouts, and they made use of the Danish Madsen LMG.

Austro-Hungarian SturmTruppe.

One of the signature abilities of the Assault class is being able to wield light machine guns in combat. In terms of sheer weight of fire in a man-portable weapon, little compares to the LMG. They might have weaknesses including reload times and burning through ammo at a fearsome rate, but for those moments you absolutely need full auto they can’t be beat. That said, while the ability to use light machine guns is a unique trait of the Assault class, it doesn’t define them! The standard Assault weapon is a rifle, with their other equipment and abilities giving them that aggressive power to break enemy positions.

Controlling your bursts is important when using the Villar Perosa.

One such piece of equipment is the canteen which grants unlimited stamina and reduced suppression for a limited time - useful for assaults, where the ability to return fire unphased by suppression and sprint through open areas is invaluable, or for infiltration where the unlimited stamina will allow you to relocate far more quickly than your opponents expect.

Using the canteen when making an assault across No Man's Land on the Carso.

The ‘Quickshot’ perk makes you twice as fast to aim down sights, which in close quarters action can give you the jump on less quick opponents. Alternatively, you can unlock powerful melee weapons - a trench mace or the Arditi dagger - which are deadly in a straight melee fight. Or if you want to focus on that light machine gun, you can take a perk to boost how much suppression you cause!

Let’s look at a few of the weapons Assault troops might find themselves using…

[h3]Villar Perosa[/h3]
We’ve talked about the distinctive Villar Perosa light machine gun back in our third Isonzo Intel, from it’s birth as an anti-aircraft weapon through to becoming an effective weapon in the Italian army arsenal as time went on. What we didn’t tell you at the time was that it is an Assault class weapon. Whether you’re suppressing defenders to allow your teammates to charge forward, or covering chokepoints and objectives to stymy an enemy attack, the rapid fire Villar Perosa can be invaluable.

It’s actually two complete gun mechanisms coupled together!

[h3]Grenades galore![/h3]
These hand-tossed high explosives are a key part of the firepower available to the Assault class. They don’t have the range of the Rifleman’s rifle grenades, but they are far quicker to prepare and use in the heat of battle. Useful both while attacking and defending, grenades can shock, suppress and eliminate opponents.

A selection of grenades: Italian grenades on the left, Austro-Hungarian on the right.

The unusual round grenade on the left is an Italian Spaccamela “OSP” grenade - the charge and detonator are held inside of two sheet metal halves welded together. Next to it is a more conventional Baldari fragmentation grenade, with wooden handle, . Both of the other grenades are Austro-Hungarian Rohrhandgranaten, one with a high explosive head designed to kill by concussion, and the other using a ball top filled with shrapnel to serve as a fragmentation grenade, effective over a larger area. These Austrian manufactured grenades used cardboard handles, which worked fine but could disintegrate if allowed to get too wet.

Team cutting wire in front of enemy trench while you cover them with grenades.

The Assault class can carry more grenades than other classes, and they can also choose to bring a grenade supply crate as a perk! Place it somewhere close to the action and you and your allies can rain destruction down on nearby enemies!

Building a crate also adds one additional grenade to grenade-wielding classes spawning near it!

[h2]That’s all… for now![/h2]
There’s a lot more to talk about coming up as we continue working on Isonzo and more things get to a point where we’re ready to share! We’re keen to talk more about some of the maps you’ll be fighting over, and we know you’re looking forward to that. Hopefully soon!

Our ninth Isonzo dev blog is focused on a very special class - the Mountaineer! We obviously couldn’t make a game set on the Italian Front without including the specialists who trained explicitly for Alpine warfare. So what’s the role of the Mountaineer in Isonzo, and what kind of skills and equipment do they have? Read on to find out…

[h2]Mountaineer[/h2]
”With training and equipment suited to the extreme terrain of the Alps, Mountaineers excel at reconnaissance and infiltrating enemy positions.”

Mountain troops were used extensively by all factions on the Italian Front, given that most of the terrain was extremely mountainous - ranging from steep foothills on the Carso to the extreme high altitudes in the Dolomites. For the Kingdom of Italy there are the famous Alpini troops, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire can count on the famous Kaiserjäger to counter the Alpini. While the Kaiserjäger were not officially mountain troops, they were highly trained light infantry who fought hard in rough terrain. Both have a unique appearance, especially the Alpini with their characteristic cappello with feathers. We knew that representing the mountain troops in-game with a specialised class designed to scout and make their way through challenging environments quickly was essential.

Their equipment options reflect their role. The Mountaineer is the only class apart from the Officer to be able to carry a flare gun, though the Mountaineer’s flares work a little differently: one flare will grant spotting in the targeted area (identifying enemy forces on the mini-map) while following it up with a second flare will increase the speed and accuracy of any mortar being aimed by allies within that area. There’s an obvious synergy in simultaneously spotting enemies and allowing more deadly mortar fire on those enemies!

Italian Alpini in action.

Other choices include binoculars for spotting without the ammo limitations of a flare gun, an icepick melee weapon, a canteen, and even a bugle which inspires teammates around the mountaineer to advance with perks like faster sprinting and suppression immunity (representing mountaineer knowledge of the terrain and ability to lead troops through less obvious paths).

The Mountaineers enjoy perks that suit their role as mobile scouts. The Alpinist perk grants double vault and climbing speed, allowing for swifter navigation across obstacles and when moving vertically. The Observer perk gives the Mountaineer the ability to construct a periscope, which is a spotting tool that can be used by anyone on their team once built, and they can be built anywhere the Mountaineer deems useful. The construction system is something new to Isonzo that we’ve only hinted at so far, but you can expect a larger blog about it soon!

A mountaineer using a trench periscope to observe enemy positions.

All of this isn’t to say that Mountaineers aren’t ready to be in the thick of the fighting when things get hot! The aforementioned icepick is a deadly close quarters weapon, and they have a variety of rifles and carbines to choose from, including some with bayonets.

[h2]Reserve Rifles[/h2]
Speaking of weapons, today we’ll also look at two of the more… venerable rifles you’ll see in action. You’ll be able to unlock these as Mountaineer weapons as you play - we’ll talk more about how you unlock weapons in Isonzo in a future dev blog! If you missed our previous blog about how the class and loadout system works, read all about it here. Now onto the rifles!

Vetterli 1870/87
The original Vetterli was a single shot Swiss design from 1868, which Italy started manufacturing for their troops in 1871. That’s far enough in the past that the rifles produced in those early days often had minor differences due to variations in local construction - standardization was only introduced in 1874!

The 1870/87 version isn’t the only Vetterli rifle in the game…

By 1887, these Vetterlis were being converted into four shot magazine rifles. This was the Vetterli 1870/87, which would be replaced by the more modern six round Carcano rifle in 1891. But production of the more modern weapon never caught up to demand once the war started.

By late 1915 the Italians were running low on modern rifles, so the Vetterli 1870/87 was issued to various new regiments that nobody expected to see combat soon - however, the unpredictable nature of war meant that a number of these old rifles would see action as their users were forced into battle. If you don’t mind a somewhat smaller magazine, the Vetterli 1870/87 can serve you well!

M1867 Werndl–Holub
If the Vetterli sounds long in the tooth, spare a thought for the Austro-Hungarian troops who found themselves armed with the M1867 Werndl–Holub rifle, which was even older than the original Vetterli. A single-shot breechloader, the Werndl was perfectly serviceable but no match for the rate of fire of modern guns.

The reliable but elderly Werndl.

They were issued to some rear-echelon forces so that more modern weapons could be concentrated in frontline units. As with the Italian soldiers issued Vetterli rifles, the troops given the Werndl did sometimes find themselves in combat with their decades old firearms. If you can make every bullet count and avoid chaotic situations where you need more than one shot at a time (or bring your icepick for when things get up close and personal) the Werndl can be a very satisfying weapon to master.

[h2]Join the Isonzo Beta![/h2]
We’re still gathering interested players for our Isonzo closed beta. If you’re one of them, you can sign up here. There’s no guarantee that everyone who signs up will get a chance to be part of the closed beta, since we pick people based on various criteria from hardware and server region to playtime. That said, we are looking for a broader audience than with the alpha tests, so your chances are good!

[h2]Stay tuned![/h2]
We’ve still got lots of exciting details to share about Isonzo, not least the new construction system. There’s no guarantee it’ll be ready for the next dev blog, but we’re eager to share it with you as soon as we can! Don’t forget to follow for the latest updates and wishlist Isonzo on Steam!