Isonzo News

Hello soldiers!

More exciting news! Isonzo will be playable at Pax East! Pax East will take place in Boston from April 21 - April 24! This will be the first time that the WW1 Game Series will be showcased in America!



Similar to our showcase at W.A.S.D in London last week, you'll be able to play Isonzo! We can't wait to see what our American soldiers think about our upcoming game. You can find us at booth 10050! Be sure to stop by, fight on the Italian front and have a chat with us!

You can purchase your PAX tickets by clicking here

[h2]Isonzo Intel[/h2]
Be sure to keep up to date with Isonzo by reading our Isonzo Intel dev blogs! Our latest one focuses on quite some different aspects, Sabotino, Gorizia, weapons and more! You can read it here

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/5444297870578959738



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

WW1 Game Series

Today is another map focused dev blog, with a longer Sabotino video and a teaser for Gorizia. However, we also found time to include one of the new weapons for gun fans (those sharp-eyed folks who spotted the Mannlicher–Schönauer previously).

Here’s another view of the slope the Italians need to descend to reach the Sabotino bridge. Steep!

The maps in Isonzo have so much going on that it’s hard to fit it all in within a single Isonzo Intel. We’re going to be revealing Gorizia very soon, and that will definitely be split across two posts - the finale to the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo is an incredible piece of work from our mappers and artists.

Until then, our blog about Monte Sabotino covered a lot of the highlights, but there’s so much more to discover on the map. Nothing beats getting your boots dirty on the ground of course - until then we have the complete flyover video for you!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
See what details you can spot! Everything from the rocks to the trenches have been recreated based on photographs, museum exhibits, and our own films and photographs.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]Footage from our trip to the trenches of Monte Sabotino.

An interior view of one of the Sabotino houses. A nice place, were it not for the war.

We also wanted to take you back to the start of the map to show off another look at the barbed wire lines you’ll need to break through as the Italians. You can see in the comparison image below just how bare the ground was. We said it before, but we’ll say it again - smoke barrages might be vital! It’s easy to forget how important concealment and breaking lines of sight can be during combat when playing video games, and smoke can often feel like a waste when you could be dropping explosive shells on people - but well placed smoke can protect a broad advance in a much cheaper way than using artillery to try and suppress an entire enemy trench line.



A comparison image and a closer look at those thick lines of wire that form the first hurdle for Italian attackers on Sabotino.

[h3]Let us know if you like the flyover video - we might look into making a few more![/h3]

[h2]Mannlicher–Schönauer Model 1903[/h2]
The fury of war always consumes a huge amount of material and equipment, and certainly during the First World War no army had an easy time finding enough of anything, even basic items like rifles for their troops. This led to situations like Mannlicher–Schönauer rifles built for the Greek army being pressed into service with Austro-Hungarian forces.

Introduced at the World Fair available in either military or sport versions, only the Greek army showed interest in the Mannlicher–Schönauer. It was a very well made and reliable weapon, but that made it expensive to produce. The 6.5mm cartridges were an unusual choice which may also have made it less appealing.

A conventional looking rifle hiding an unusual magazine…

Nonetheless, production went ahead for the Greeks, with more than 100,000 supplied. They served well in the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, would see use during WW2 by the army and resistance fighters, and were part of the Greek Civil War. More rifles had been ordered in 1914, but those were diverted to the Austro-Hungarian armed forces.

Mannlicher–Schönauer in use assaulting the Solkan church.

The Mannlicher–Schönauer had one other interesting feature - a rotating spool magazine. This part was designed by Schönauer, hence the name of the rifle. While the rifle was fed by stripper clips, inside was a rotating system, as you can see in the diagram below. While uncommon, rotating spool magazines are still in use with some weapons today!

Diagram showing the rotating spool magazine.

[h2]Next time, the final stage of the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo…[/h2]
You’ve seen Monte Sabotino and Monte San Michele, the first two maps in the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo Offensive. Assuming the Italians successfully complete at least one of those, they will be able to try and complete the offensive on the third map: the city of Gorizia.

And that’s where we’ll be heading next time on the dev blog! Enjoy this teaser clip moving into the city from the trenches on the outskirts…



[h2]Play Isonzo at PAX East, or join the beta![/h2]
We will be coming to PAX East this year, from April 21-24. Isonzo will be playable there. If you can’t make it to PAX, there’s still a way to play Isonzo before release, if you’re willing to help us with feedback. The Isonzo closed beta tests are still ongoing, and we’re looking for more participants! If you’re interested, 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. But given that we’re keen for more people to try the game, the odds are good!

[h3]We’ll see you for a tour of Gorizia next week![/h3]

Isonzo Intel #8 explained how the visual customization system will work in the game, with uniforms, headgear, mustaches and more selectable based on faction and class. To complement this system and the visual customization options in the standard edition, we’re going to be releasing cosmetic packs to allow people to expand the range of visual choices they have. The base options in the game (some you start with, some you unlock via the progression system, like late-war uniforms) give people hundreds of combinations to choose from, and the cosmetic packs will expand that number exponentially!

Every cosmetic unit pack has a theme based on some of the most historically notable, unusual, or just visually impressive real life groups or formations. For instance, the Veteran Units pack includes some of the hardest fighting troops from both sides - the highly decorated Sardinian ‘Sassari’ brigade for Italy, and the Hungarian Honved for Austria-Hungary. To further fit the theme of battle hardened soldiers, you can expect dirty uniforms and cosmetic options like the bandage on the man to the left below…

Work in progress shot of the Italian content for a ‘Veteran Units’ cosmetic pack, featuring Sardinian troops from the renowned Sassari Infantry Brigade, whose two regiments both won a Gold Medal of Military Valor!

As we explained back in Dev Blog 8, uniforms and headgear are linked to specific classes, while mustaches and facial items can be mixed and matched freely with any class. We also aren’t limiting ourselves with these themes - for instance, while the Sassari are the highlights of the Veteran Units pack for the Italians, many of you have probably recognized the Bersaglieri uniforms in the lineup above! With the customization system we can link historic uniforms to the roles they most commonly performed in battle or their specializations.

For instance, the Alpine Units pack was inspired by general winter uniforms as well as the dedicated mountain troops from each country, along with appropriate headgear and facial items including balaclavas, wooly hats, and goggles. Mustaches options include thick beards like the Tsar Nicholas II and the George V. There’s even a Kaiserjäger uniform including skis carried on their back…

A little teaser for our planned Alpine Units pack.

The Elite Units pack includes Bersaglieri cyclists for Italy, the Bosnisch-Hercegovinische Infanterie for Austria-Hungary, and more! The ‘Bosniaks’ as they were known were drawn from outside of the Austrian and Hungarian areas of the country, but were considered elite despite being part of the Common Army (the K.u.K.) which was often underequipped compared to the Imperial Austrian Landwehr and the Royal Hungarian Honvéd. As you can see from the image below, they have a distinctive appearance and share some of the rugged look of the troops from the Veteran Units pack.

Austro-Hungarian ‘Bosniak’ troops from the Elite Units pack, with their distinctive fez hats.

We want to be clear that the cosmetic unit packs will only contain visual customization items, and we are not going to create DLCs containing gameplay features like new maps or weapons. So rest assured that buying Isonzo will get you all gameplay content available now or in the future, and there will be no pay to win.

Part of our goal with the WW1 Game Series has always been to shine some light on lesser known areas of the war and to highlight just how many different groups took part, and ensuring variety in the uniforms you see on the battlefield are one of the best ways to do this. We’re looking forward to recreating and including more of the different units and formations which took part in the war, thanks to the new customization system in combination with these cosmetic unit packs. The plan is that everyone can enjoy the greater visual variety as they play, while being able to choose if they want to buy specific sets of uniforms for themselves.

[h2]Isonzo Special Editions[/h2]
Isonzo will not ship with a Supporter’s Edition DLC like Verdun and Tannenberg. Instead we will be offering two special editions of the game, along with a pre-order bonus.

The base game will cost around $29.99 / €29.99 / £24.99.

Pre-order Unit Pack
For those who order the game ahead of release on consoles, we will be offering the Avanti Savoia pack as a bonus. The theme is senior officers, and as such it comes with staff officer uniforms and caps for both sides (for the Officer class, unsurprisingly) as well as two impressive mustaches and two facial items which can be used with any class. This is a small cosmetic pack with 10 items - most of our packs will contain between 30-40 items!

On Steam there is no pre-order, but the Avanti Savoia pack will instead be a bonus for everyone who buys the game in the first week of release.

The Avanti Savoia pack gives you higher ranking officer uniforms - the “Maggior General” for the Italians and the “Generalmajor” for the Austro-Hungarians. It’s a bonus for pre-order on consoles or week one purchase on Steam.

Deluxe Edition
This is probably the closest thing to the old Supporter Editions. It will cost around $39.99 / €39.99 / £33.49, and will include two cosmetic packs - the Reserve Units pack and Veteran Units pack - along with the extra content you might see in a Supporter Edition. That means the soundtrack, the black and white Film Memoir visual mode to experience the game like a period film, and high-res artwork including wallpapers and renders.

Collector’s Edition
For our biggest fans, we have the Collector’s Edition clocking in at around $59.99 / €59.99 / £49.99. It will include the same bonus content as the Deluxe Edition, but four cosmetic packs instead of two - including the Elite and Alpine Unit packs on top of the Reserve Units and Veteran Units!

[h2]Isonzo at W.A.S.D and… PAX East![/h2]
Don’t forget that WW1 Game Series is attending the W.A.S.D video game expo in London today until Saturday the 9th. Here, you'll be able to play Isonzo for the first time available in public! You can find us at booth GG1, so be sure to stop by, fight on the Italian front, and have a chat with some of the WWI Game Series' team.



We will also be coming to PAX East this year, from April 21-24! Isonzo will be playable there too - we’ll share more info about where to find us closer to the time!

[h2]Join the Isonzo Beta[/h2]
If you can’t make it to W.A.S.D or PAX, there’s still a way to play Isonzo before release, if you’re willing to help us with feedback that is. The Isonzo closed beta tests are still ongoing, and we’re looking for more participants! If you’re interested, 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. But given that we’re keen for more people to try the game, the odds are good!

[h3]That’s all for this week. We hope to see some of you at W.A.S.D or PAX![/h3]

Wishlist Isonzo now!

[h3]Exciting (unplanned) news! [/h3]
Some of you internet sleuths may have spotted retail versions of Isonzo being offered online…


We’re happy to confirm that we have partnered up with retailers to arrange a physical edition of Isonzo. That means Isonzo will be appearing in selected stores around the world.

More information about the physical and digital editions - including pricing - will be shared with you in the next dev blog!

Note: some of these retailers are stating a release date of June 30 - this is only a provisional release date. Once we have a release date set, we'll let you know. Until then don’t be April fooled - make sure to hear it from us first!

[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!