Isonzo News

Hello soldiers !

We hope you’ve been enjoying Isonzo and the latest Piave map ! We’re aware that with this update, a new ‘fall through map’ issue has arised. Please know that we’re aware of this and looking into solving this issue (alongside other reports). Here you can find an overview of Known Issues and the FAQ if you have any questions.

Besides this, we’re currently also working on bringing you the final map of the Caporetto expansion, the well-known (and requested) Monte Grappa map ! We can’t give you a release date yet, but what we can do is provide you with some information on the Battles of Monte Grappa.

[h2] Most Important Pillar [/h2]

The Battles of Monte Grappa were a series of battles that were fought at the end of 1917 until the end of 1918.

The first battle is well-known for putting the Austro-Hungarian advance to a halt after the Summer Offensive of 1917. Previously when he was still chief, Cadorna had ordered the construction of multiple fortresses in the mountain, making the mountain impenetrable. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans were unable to take the mountain’s summit during this first battle. For the Italians, their front was not stabilised along the Piave river and their number of casualties were significantly lower.

Trenches on Monte Grappa. Source

The second battle was complementary to the Battle of Piave River, which took place on June 15-23 1918. This is seen as a decisive victory for the Italians and beginning of the end for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In January 1918, General von Hötzendorf wrote to his wife “We can no longer coin on victory in Italy.”.This front was easier to defend for the Italians, as it was shorter, now chief Diaz had the opportunity to reorganise and re-equip his army. Due to this, combined with increased rations and pay, the morale and discipline of the Italian soldiers was restored.

Now with new and stronger spirits among the Italian soldiers, the support of the home front grew as well (or moderate amongst the working class). The battles got the name battaglia d'arresto, ‘the Stop Battles’, and the mountain became a symbol for this new defensive war and survival of the homeland; resulting in the unification of Italian political forces.

Source

[h2] Italian Victory awaits [/h2]

The third and final battle of Monte Grappa started on October 24, 1918. Being part of the final Italian offensive, the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, 9 Italian divisions attacked the Austro-Hungarian’s position at the mountain. The task of the Italians was to ‘simply’ hold the front line and follow up the enemy when they retreated. The task of opening the attack and taking on the strongest positions fell to the Fourth Army, led by Lieutenant-General Gaetano Giardino.

Italian Machine gunners. Source

Though they increased their forces, outnumbering the Italians in divisions, the soldiers were too worn down and the army began to do a general retreat on October 28. when Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic & Slovak Republic) declared their independence from Austria-Hungary.

[h2] A sacred place [/h2]

Shortly after the war in 1922, the Italian government declared Monte Grappa sacred and immortal to the Fatherland. Later in 1935, a military monument was built on the mountain, turning it into a destination for patriotic pilgrims and history fans.



[h2] Meanwhile on the Western- & Eastern Front [/h2]

Starting today until the 26th, you can join the March Offensive in Verdun & Tannenberg ! All casualties in Frontlines- & Maneuver game modes will be added to the total losses. The winning side will be whoever suffers the least amount of killed and wounded soldiers.



[h2] Grappa in Isonzo [/h2]

As stated before, we can’t give you a release date for the Grappa map, for now. As always, we’ll continue to update you all on future content, so be sure to look out for a map devblog regarding Monte Grappa ! For now, enjoy this screenshot !



[h3] See you later soldiers! [/h3]

[h2]UPDATE:[/h2]
ːchasseurː The issue has been resolved on our network partner's end. You can continue playing on the EU server! ːchasseurː
_______

Previous post contents:

We are aware of issues with the EU server browser and "Play Now" functionality. Servers seem to disappear from the list, leaving them running but making it impossible for new players to join via "Play Now" or the server browser. We have investigated this and it seems unlikely that the issues were caused by this week's patch.

From what we've seen, all our games are affected on all platforms, however it only seems to target players on the EU server.

The issues seem to be with our networking partner, we are getting in touch with them to see what can be done.

In the meantime, we're working on a temporary solution so you all get the opportunity to play. Especially with the latest Piave map and weekend coming up. We may make changes to our region selection, for example by disabling EU and/or replacing it with a nearby region.

For now (to ensure a full match) EU server players are advised to switch to another region yourself through the Main Menu.

We're sorry for the inconvenience, we're aiming to solve the issue ASAP. Be sure to keep an eye out for future updates on the matter.

Today we present a hotfix for issues related to our latest release. This should mostly smooth out performance on Piave and in general.

Full changes below. This update increases the network version, so make sure to update before playing online again!

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Memory optimisations and general performance improvement on Piave
  
• Other miscellaneous memory fixes for high memory usage on other maps
  
• Removed match IDs from the menu again (were not intended to be published)

Hello soldiers !

The Piave map is now available for you to play for free !

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Alongside this release, we added more custom match options and new weapons for you to play with ! If you would like to read more about the map and its historical background, you can read our previous devblogs:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3632752093411262805
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3641760560649857977?l=english



[h2] Pave to the Sale [/h2]

Alongside the Piave release, we got a special discount for Isonzo! You can now get the game with 40% discount, the Elite- & Alpine Units Pack have 30% off and you can find the Royal Units DLC and Soundtrack with a 10% discount.



[h2] Devs coming to you live! [/h2]

On the same day, February 28, a few members of the development team will be live here on the Steam page to play and discuss Isonzo! At 8PM CET/11AM PST/4AM JST (Wed), be sure to tune in here on the store page of Isonzo !

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

[h2] Patch Notes for the Piave Update [/h2]
The update is 2.1 GB on Windows, a bit smaller on Linux, and it will update the network version, so make sure to update before you play again.

[h3]Patch Overview[/h3]
Newly added

• New map: Piave
  
• New Officer weapons: Beretta M1917 and Mauser M1914
  
• The game now supports Fullscreen Borderless mode
  
• You can now choose which display the game should use

New custom match settings

• New gradual bot difficulty settings
  
• Set Number of bots per team
  
• Set number of attacker tickets
  
• Ability to remove weapon limitations
  
• Adjust sector cooldown times

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the MG08 and Fiat Revelli had vibrating thumbs
  
• Fixed offset aim on the MG08/15
  
• Fixed reload skipping for mortars
  
• Fixed mortars sometimes having infinite ammo
  
• Resupplying with the ammo box will no longer break after resupplying multiple times in a row
  
• Fixed wrong ammo count on the Frommer Stop
  
• Players can no longer reload while Rifle Grenades are equipped
  
• Fixed offset muzzle flashes on some weapons
  
• Third person Rifle grenade animation cancels no longer interrupt other actions
  
• Fixed third person building animation playing even when player is not building
  
• Animations no longer get cut off in the After Action Report screen
  
• Fixed aborted reload sometimes not being synced for all players
  
• Fixed resupplying not taking loaded clips into account for the Villar Perosa
  
• Fixed magazine attachments not being taken into account when resupplying ammo
  
• Fixed weapon stats sometimes incorrectly showing difference between weapons
  
• Updated weapon stats to reflect revolver and other single insert bullet reload speeds
  
• Added Ammo Count in weapon stat comparison
  
• Fixed Field gun rangefinder not showing correct distance
  
• Possible fix for players sometimes dying with no death cause
  
• Bots are now slowed by water
  
• Fixed more areas bots would get stuck in
  
• Fixed bots sometimes not being able to plant or defuse bombs on bridges
  
• Various animation fixes and improvements
  
• Loading screen text is now more readable
  
• Localization fixes
  
• Various optimization and memory use improvements

Known issues

• Defending bots objective prioritization
  
• Bots don’t always use bridges as intended
  
• Mechanic sound when starting to fire MG08/15 before bracing
  
• Left arm animation sometimes incorrect while prone and using certain tools

[h2] More on the Horisonzo [/h2]

Don’t forget, your fight on the Italian Front is long from over! We got a lot more in store for you, so good luck fighting on the front and prepare for future battles!



[h3] Avanti Savoia! [/h3]

Hello soldiers !

As you might know, the upcoming Piave map is releasing on February 28! This is the second map of the Caporetto expansion, meaning this will be another map for the Italians & Germans to fight on. Of course, this a free new map, alongside the new weapons and more custom match options you’ll be getting as well.



The battle for Piave is only a few days away, so what better way to prepare yourself is some in-depth information about the map and your objectives !

[h2] Remember, the 10th of November [/h2]

It’s November 10, 1917.

Only the Vidor bridge northwest of Montello still remains intact. All the previous bridges were destroyed a day prior. It was the Italians' strategic plan to maintain the bridgehead beyond the Piave river at Vidor and Valdobbiadene. Start a counter-offensive against the Austro-German forces at the right wing (and help out the deployment of the Allied forces at the Italian Front). In order to deal with the danger that was lurking, a bridgehead was ordered to be built on the left side of the Piave river at Vidor.
If you would like to read more about the Battles of the Piave, be sure to read our previous devblog.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3632752093411262805

[h2] P(i)ave the way [/h2]

As you might’ve seen from the screenshots that we teased, you’ll be fighting in some vineyard. This is where the battle will commence for the German assault. Destructed vehicles and ruins of buildings that made up the town mark the battlefield as you fight your way up the hill. A real highway to hell...



At the top of the hill you’ll find the ruins of a castle. A strong holding point for the Italians with the highground, but the surrounding vineyards might make it a bit harder to see the attackers coming. Combined with foxhole-style trenches, overtaking the castle were the first objectives for the Germans to take, and for the Italians to defend.



If the Germans are successful in their capture of the hilltop castle and clearing out the vineyard, they make their way to the town of Vidor. A distinct height difference will be visible between the town and the forest at the top of the hill. Perhaps using this to your advantage will help, or maybe it makes you extra wary of potential flanks of the enemy?

The next objective will be the town’s Abbey. To reach this, the Germans need to make their way through the town first, go down the slopes across the town’s mainstreet which has turned into No Man's Land due to the battle. Fighting again on a ground level, both parties need to stay aware of their visibility and long distance firing/bombing that potentially can happen.



If No Man’s Land is crossed, the new fighting ground will be the Abbey. A beautiful building that still stands strong in the midst of the battle, like the Italians' morale. The hallways, paths and inner sanctuary make for some close range combat, so be aware that a foe can be around every corner. Visually, it's a very mesmerizing place to fight the battles of war.





The final destination will be the Piave Bridgehead and its right bank. The bridge still stands but only partly, but can be fully destroyed if successful. Finding a different way to cross is of importance for the Germans. Luckily, a small bridge can be built on the right riverbank.



But remember, what can be built can also be destroyed. Be sure to not be distracted by this side of the river. Though a smaller bridge makes it easier for soldiers to cross, that doesn’t mean it’s the only way. Keep your eyes on the river, there seems to be more swimming in the water besides the fishes…



[h2] Piave from above [/h2]

To get you fully prepared for your new upcoming battle, we’ve a complete flyover of the map for you on our YouTube channel

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Remember that this update is completely for free, so be sure to update your game on February 28 to fight on this new battlefield!

[h2] More coming to Isonzo [/h2]

This is not the last map we will bring to Isonzo! We got a lot more coming for you… Up next is a well-known phenomenon, so we’ll be getting on that right away (along with the other future content).

[h3] See you at the Piave River next week! [/h3]