Broken Arrow News

The Multiplayer Open Beta for Broken Arrow is now available.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ox9ZRdKG1M

Get ready to engage in exciting 5vs5 games with new specializations available, new maps and new functionalities, including custom lobbies, PvE coop scenarios, matchmaking and more.

[h3]Important information:[/h3]

• It's a beta, so please expect bugs and technical issues. These tests are useful to the development team in order to polish and refine the game.
  
• We don't have a closing date for the Open Beta yet, but it will run for a few weeks. We'll keep you posted on when we intend to close it.
  
• There are no NDA restrictions. Please feel free to stream the game, create video content, share screenshots or just talk about it with your friends.
  
• Should you spot anyone who you suspect of cheating, please open a ticket in this section of our Discord.
  
• Please make sure to join our Discord and engage with us, reporting bugs or issues and offering your feedback on the game. It is also a great place to meet players to play with and make friends or get awesome advice if you are just getting started.
  
• We'll be updating the game as the beta proceeds, so expect to have to have the occasional sizeable download.
  
• If you're already in the Closed Beta, you should have been switched to the Open Beta automatically on Steam, and all you'll need to do would be to close and re-open Steam and launch the Broken Arrow Playtest from your Steam Library as usual.
  
• In order to know how to download and install, please refer to the section below.
  

[h3]How to download and install [/h3]

The Open Beta is only available through Steam.
In order to download it, head to the steam page of Broken Arrow.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1604270/Broken_Arrow/

You will need to click on the green button which says REQUEST ACCESS.
You will be given access automatically and "Broken Arrow Playtest" will appear in your Steam Library. Then, all you need to do is to click Install and the download will start.
Please note that you might be required to close and relaunch Steam in order for the download to begin.

Have fun!

Hello and welcome to the final dev blog before the launch of the open multiplayer beta on November 12th.

This week we would like to present to you the new game mode called “War Goals”, the improvements of the automatic matchmaker, the custom and scenario matches and the evolution of the army builder rules.

[h2]WAR GOALS GAME MODE[/h2]

During the previous beta we proposed a very simple game mode where you had to capture all the zones or hold more zones than the opposing team at the end of a 45min timer.

This game mode had several advantages:

• Extremely simple to understand
  
• Rushing the points early is not mandatory, it’s a strategy with risks and rewards.
  
• You had time to come back if you lost the initial engagement.
  

But it also had one main downside: everything was determined at the last second of the match. So the optimal strategy was generally to play very defensively, hoard money until the end of the match and make a big assault at the end, sacrificing all your units like lemmings to capture one more point than the enemy team just before the timer ran out.

To remedy that problem, without losing the advantages, we’ve come up with a new game mode called War Goals.



War Goals game mode is played in 3 phases of equal duration (3x15min by default).

• During each phase there are 6 war goals: 3 conquest goals consisting in capturing more objectives than the enemy and 3 destruction goals consisting in destroying more units than the opposing team.
  
• At the end of each phase we count how many war goals each team has achieved and we grant victory points.
  
• The war goals are worth 1 point during phase 1, 2 points during phase 2 and 3 during phase 3. Which means that even if you had a bad start you still have the opportunity to come back during the next phase.
  

We have good hopes that this new game mode will please everyone as it has many advantages:

• Rewards both conquest and destruction
  
• Still allows a comeback at any stage of the match
  
• More dynamic than the previous mode as you cannot stay on the defensive for 45 minutes
  
• Still gives you time to prepare your counter attacks instead of being forced to send your units immediately to the meat grinder as there is no loss of points every second.
  
• End match rush is not a viable option any more.
  

[h2]MATCHMAKING IMPROVEMENTS[/h2]

In the previous beta you had to create teams of 5 players using a lobby system and then the matchmaker was putting you against another team of 5.

This system still exists but has been improved in several ways:

[h3]Quick search[/h3]
You can now use the quick search function to find a match rapidly without having to create/join a lobby.
This is ideal if you are alone and just want to rapidly play a balanced multiplayer match with random allies and opponents.



[h3]Incomplete teams merging[/h3]
You are no longer forced to wait for all the slots of your lobby to be filled. Just close the slots you don’t need and start the search.
The matchmaker will complete your team with another incomplete team or people using quick search.



[h3]Rating[/h3]
Players now have an ELO rating value which is used by the automatic matchmaker to propose balanced matches.
The rating works as follow:

• The rating of your team is compared with the rating of the opposing team to form a prediction: The team with the higher rating is supposed to win.
  
• If you win against a team with a better rating or you lose against a team with a lower rating it means the prediction was wrong so the ratings are modified to better predict the next matches.
  
• If you win against a weaker team or lose against a stronger team it means the prediction was correct so the ratings will not change much - or even not at all.
  
• You don’t have any rating during the first 3 matches, this is the calibration phase.
  

[h3]Invitations[/h3]
It is now possible to invite your friends to your lobby. You can do so from your friend list in your profile or by using Steam overlay.
This is a simple method to play together without having to find your friend’s lobby name in the list.



[h2]CUSTOM MATCHES[/h2]
It is now possible to create custom matches without an automatic matchmaker. It means that both teams will gather in a single lobby and the player creating the lobby called “the host” takes all the decisions.



This will allow you to train with friends, organize tournaments and test unusual game rules.
Custom lobbies can be played by any number of players from 1v1 to 5v5 including unbalanced numbers like 1v5.
The host decides which map will be played, which faction each team will play including the possibility to let people choose a mix of USA and Russia within the same team.
For the moment the game rules are the same as a standard match but later we will add more options to change the economy, the duration of the match etc…

Custom matches don’t affect your rating as they don’t use the automatic matchmaker and the rules of the match can be modified by the host.
This also means that we cannot guarantee the fairness of custom matches as the host is responsible for that.

[h2]MULTIPLAYER/COOP SCENARIOS[/h2]
A scenario is the layer containing anything that is not the map itself. So a multiplayer game mode is a scenario, a campaign mission with cutscenes and dialogues is a scenario, 3 units placed on the map to make a test is a scenario.
The game will contain an integrated scenario editor, accessible from the main menu, which will allow you to create all that.
Any scenario created with the editor can be configured to be multiplayer PvP or PvE, uploaded on Steam workshop and played in versus or coop mode.
You don’t have access to the editor yet but to test this functionality we will add some cooperative scenarios to the beta.



One of them is a kind of tower defense where you gain money by killing enemy waves.
The other resembles Battlefield’s assault mode where you need to capture sectors in a zone to progress to the next zone.

[h2]EXPERIENCE, MEDALS AND PROFILE CUSTOMIZATION[/h2]
When you play a standard or custom match you will be granted experience points at the end of the match.

The amount of XP you gain depends on the type of match (x2 for standard), the level of victory or defeat (+/-10% for minor, +/-25% for major, +/-50% for total), and your individual performance during the match.
Destroying enemy units, capturing zones, resupplying your allies and keeping your units alive all increase your score.
Additionally you can gain special medals if you achieve certain conditions like having the best kill/death ratio or winning against a team with a higher rating than your team.
To access your profile and see which medals you have earned click your portrait on the top right corner of the screen.



You will find statistics about yourself, the possibility to customize your avatar, your friend list to invite people to your lobby and the leaderboard to see how you fare compared to other players.



Gaining experience allows you to increase your rank globally or per specialization which unlocks customization options for your profile.



[h2]ARMY BUILDER RULES IMPROVEMENTS[/h2]
As mentioned in a previous dev blog, infantry will now be able to ride any vehicle or helicopter present in your battlegroup, provided there are enough seats.
But vehicles are still associated with infantry during battlegroup creation, so you won’t be able to use the Marines new ACV-30 for instance if you don’t add some USMC infantry to your battlegroup first.



The second improvement is that we have added a 10% tolerance margin to the number of points you can assign to each category.
Which means that if you have a limit of 1000pts for planes as an example you will be able to fill the category up to 1100pts.
If you are above the base value but within the 10% tolerance margin the number of points in this category will be displayed in orange.
If you go beyond the 10% margin the value will be displayed in red and the battlegroup will be invalid.
The total limit of 10,000 points for the whole deck remains, meaning that any extra points you put in one category will be missing from another.

This makes battlegroup creation more flexible as you can transfer points from one category to another. And it also removes the frustration of being stuck because one of your units is 5pts too expensive to fit in a category.

[h2]SEE YOU ON THE BATTLEFIELD COMMANDERS![/h2]
This was our final dev blog before the start of the open beta on November 12th. We hope to see a maximum of players taking part in it, so don’t forget to tell your friends to join you on the battlefield and team up against thousands of other players from around the world.

Cheers,
Steel Balalaika
Slitherine

Hello everyone, we have presented the new specialization in previous dev blogs US Airborne and Coastal Troops.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1604270/view/4513261623769801522

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1604270/view/4513262258492538993

Now it’s time to introduce the battlefields where they will face each other.

Previous multiplayer beta proposed 6 maps so we have decided to ramp up things a bit and propose 8 brand new maps this time.
We have selected a panel of very different layouts to let you experiment various gameplay situations and see what you prefer.
All these maps are large enough to host an intense 5v5 multiplayer match and still have room on the sides to let planes maneuver and to give room for infiltrations and flanking attacks.
They are also full of details and contain unique visual elements, lighting, weather…

[h2]Kaliningrad[/h2]

At the heart of the Russian exclave located between Lithuania and Poland lies the city of Kaliningrad. It features the only ice-free Russian port on the Baltic Sea, making it strategically paramount.

The city is characterized by a fortified historic center divided by several waterways, at the center of which lies an island on which stands Königsberg Cathedral.

A large industrial harbor spreads from the city center to the estuary of the Pregolya river and is interfaced with a large railway classification yard surrounded by large hangars and numerous bridges. A massive stadium surrounded by multiple parkings is situated on the other side of the city and countless urban and commercial districts surround the city center.

The battle for Kaliningrad promises to be fierce as both teams start relatively close to each other on the western part of the map but on a different side of the estuary. They must rapidly progress East in the direction of the city center where the bridges are located to secure crossing points and capture objectives located on the other bank.
Of course amphibious units will prove their usefulness here more than anywhere else as their ability to cross the waterways allows them to infiltrate recon on the flanks or to launch assaults away from the heavily defended bridges.

[h2]River[/h2]

Far away from the hell of urban combat, this map proposes to fight in a much more open landscape mainly composed of fields surrounded by treelines, small villages and isolated farms. A river runs through it with several shallow water passages allowing any vehicle or infantry to cross at reduced speed.

These large open spaces might look like the perfect place to send formations of tanks on the attack, but beware, guided missiles can fully express their range advantage here. And high in the sky a drone might be watching you, maybe even designating you with its laser to guide artillery projectiles already flying in your direction. So run! Run from cover to cover, follow the treelines whenever you can and use smoke to conceal your movements. Otherwise, the apex predator of the open plains will swoop down on you with a roaring sound, and leave nothing behind but a carcass.


[h2]Refinery[/h2]

Countries fight to spread their influence in order to secure access to resources vital for their development. So what better symbol of this than to fight for the control of an oil refinery?

This large map features a huge oil refinery located on a plateau, separated by marchlands from the nearby city also located on another plateau.

The number of objectives proposed on this map is more than twice the usual number, separated into two main groups located in the refinery and the city. This unusual layout forces the teams to make a choice of repartition of their players. Will you play a classic 2xCity / 1xMiddle / 2xRefinery best suited for defense but that will fail to achieve numerical superiority anywhere or will you play an aggressive 0 / 2 / 3 or 3 / 2 / 0 to focus only on one side and the middle?
Having multiple possible strategies means that the victory will go to the most adaptable team, able to identify the enemy configuration, communicate and react accordingly.
For instance, dismounting your infantry early is a good reflex if you are going to be outnumbered but doing that when there is nobody in front of you and you failed to notice it means that someone else in your team is fighting 2v1.

[h2]Ruda[/h2]

Inspired by the area around the city of Kazlų Rūda in Lithuania. The city is surrounded by a large forest full of small clearing cut by agricultural expansion.

A military training ground and an airfield are also carved in the middle of the trees.

The unique layout of the trees on this map creates a different experience: instead of crossing fields to jump from one patch of cover to another, here you can follow narrow strips of forest to stay covered. This can facilitate infiltrations but it can also make troop movements slow and predictable. If an enemy is spotted progressing in a treeline you can easily guess where they are going and prepare an ambush or decide to move fast on a road instead as they won’t be able to react rapidly.

[h2]Dam[/h2]

Kaunas, the second biggest city of Lithuania is situated near an artificial lake created by a Dam.

We have faithfully represented this area which corresponds to the southern part of the city, the Dam itself and the zigzag of the river offering an interesting layout for a multiplayer battle.

The shape of the river impacts the layout of the roads and as a result each team has an advantage to push on one side of the map resulting in chaotic situations where both teams have successfully pushed their side which means they are now both located in each other’s back but on a different side of the river, meaning that they can cross the river to cut each other’s supply line resulting in a double encirclement hamburger.

[h2]Airbase[/h2]

This map represents Chkalovsk naval air base situated a few kilometers North-West of Kaliningrad. It’s a single long airstrip surrounded by hangars and bunkers hidden in the middle of the woods.

Infantry can be concealed in the Il-76 cargo planes landed near the hangars. Beware, though, as they are not resilient at all so using them as a fighting position is taking the risk to see your squads disappear in a pile of debris.
You can see the suburbs of Kaliningrad stretching out in a corner of the map while the rest of the city can be seen in the distance.

The objectives are split in two groups located on both sides of the airstrip, generally resulting in the action being concentrated there and nobody paying much attention to what is happening on the airstrip itself. This is the occasion to try daring maneuvers across the airstrip or in its axis, all the way to the enemy rear where the fragile and expensive artillery and air defense units are located.

[h2]Airport[/h2]

Based on the international airport of Riga and its surroundings, this map proposes a unique and spectacular scenery for an epic battle. The airport is surrounded by large highways leading to it and to the capital city of Latvia.

Fun fact: the house of one of the moderators of the official Discord server is located on this map. Please avoid nuking it!

The objective zones are evenly spread and the frontline is large due to the fact that it is played in the diagonal of the map. Trying to create an impervious frontline in such conditions is not very efficient as there is too much ground to cover. It is more cost effective to keep just a few spotters surveilling key points or use drones to deal with infiltrators and use the rest of your resources to create a mobile group of units supporting each other which can maneuver and pick isolated enemy units one by one.

[h2]Klaipeda[/h2]

The coastal city of Klaipeda is the only large harbor in Lithuania, making it a vital supply hub.

The city spreads over a large area and features a big quantity of high rises but is not extremely dense.

The districts are split by large avenues merging on giant roundabouts and plenty of parks create open areas where long range missiles and tanks can maneuver.

This map is much deeper than wide so the frontline is rather narrow resulting in fierce urban battles. This does not mean the battle is completely static as there is a large quantity of streets that can be used to outflank the enemy. It is hard to progress unnoticed with a column of vehicles but at the same time easy to bypass an enemy defensive position by simply using the next roads and outrun the infantry.

[h2]Tools and performance[/h2]
Compared to previous beta we have managed to optimize the game and you can now benefit from the best graphics with a smaller configuration.
We have introduced the support of AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 (FSR 3) which is compatible with a large quantity of GPUs and increases the performance a lot with minimal visual degradation.
We have also optimized the lowest graphic settings to let people play with configurations that were previously impossible.
This beta will be the occasion for us to get statistical information about players’ performance and continue the optimization wherever it is needed.

We have also improved the drawing speed of the line of sight tool by a factor 6. Press Alt to display this tool which will help you to understand where the line of sight is blocked. If you have a unit selected the detection distance will be automatically adjusted to the optics value of this unit. The tool also snaps to buildings now.

We are also working on another tool to display the elevation curves and a color overlay on the map to help you verify the reliefs if you have a doubt.

Finally you can now see which command your units are following by selecting them and pressing Shift key. A line will be displayed between the unit and the position of the current command with a color code depending on the type of command.

That's it for today, we hope you enjoyed it. See you next week for the final dev blog before the launch of the open beta on November 12th.

[h2]Coastal Troops (Beregovyye voyska)[/h2]

The Russian Coastal Troops are not really an equivalent of the US Marines. Conducting amphibious and air assaults is also part of their operations but is not their main focus, as they are also a defensive unit responsible for defending coastal installations and repelling amphibious and air-assaults coming from the sea.
They are represented in the game as a mix between a light motorized/mechanized group lacking modern equipment and relying on old soviet armored vehicles, working alongside top of the art cruise and ballistic missile systems and equipment dedicated to arctic warfare.

[h3]Reconnaissance[/h3]
Morskaya razvedka: A 5 man recon team equipped with suppressed weapons which have less impact on a unit's stealth when shooting. They also carry several RPG-27 disposable rocket launchers to defend against light vehicles.
PDSS: A team of 4 combat divers able to swim across waterways. They are extremely stealthy and can be airdropped, making them superb at infiltration behind enemy lines.
They can be equipped either with ADS rifles able to shoot underwater or DP-64 double grenade launchers.
Spetsnaz VMF: A 6 man special forces team equipped either in close quarter configuration with Bullpup PKP machine guns and SVU-AS marksman rifles or long range fire support with ASVK anti-materiel sniper rifles.
They can also provide laser designation and be airdropped.
BRDM-2: An old wheeled armored car with a variety of weapons options available including a mix of Kord 12.7mm and KPVT 14.5mm heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launcher and KPVB 23mm autocannon.
The optics can be upgraded with the modernized “Bekas” module/
1V14 Mashina-S: tracked recon platform with a laser designator which can be upgraded with MRU advanced recon module to increase its detection range.
BTR-90 is a transport exclusive to naval troops’ recon teams. This is basically an upgraded BTR-80 using a BMP-2 turret with its 30mm autocannon and Konkurs ATGMs and optional AGS-17 grenade launcher.
It is also compatible with the BMD-4 turret called Bakhcha-U featuring a 100mm and 30mm gun, or the Berezhok turret with 4 Kornet launchers.
The vehicle armor can also be upgraded with a kit comprising additional metal plates, a cage armor and several reactive armor bricks to better protect the crew of the turret.


[h3]Infantry & Transports[/h3]
Morskaya pekhota: Also called morpehi, they’re a versatile 7 man assault squad armed AK-74 rifles, RPK-74M light machine guns, underbarrel grenade launchers and 5 punchy 105mm RPG-27 anti-tank launchers.
Chernye Berety: A 14 man squad of veteran morpehi equipped either with RPG-27 or larger 125mm RPG-28s. They are a formidable unit in any situation but come at a high price and the number of available squads is low.
Gornostrelki: Mountaineers consisting of 7 man team, armed with medium range weaponry including 2 SVD marksman rifles and a light Metis ATGM. They are best used as skirmishers engaging enemy infantry and light vehicles outside of the usual combat range and falling back once the enemy gets in range.
PTRK Konkurs: A dedicated anti-tank team manning a Konkurs ATGM launcher which can be upgraded to the Konkurs-M with additional damage and armor penetration. Its long range makes it an efficient deterrent against any armored vehicle but will still lack the teeth to seriously threaten modern tanks' frontal armor.
SPG-9 Sapog: This support squad is equipped with 2 SPG-9 recoilless rifles providing long range fire support against infantry and vehicles but low armor penetration.

The transports available to both recon and line infantry consist of:
The old BTR-80, which can be upgraded to the BTR-80A standard replacing the old 14.5mm gun with a 30mm autocannon and the capability to add an AGS-17 grenade launcher to the side of the turret.
But increasing the firepower doesn’t solve the main downside of this vehicle, which is its underpowered engine keeping the maximum road speed to 80km/h, which is barely better than most tracked vehicles.
The armor can be upgraded with additional metal plates and cages but the extra weight reduces the speed of the vehicle even more and removes the amphibious capability.
The vehicle can transport up to 8 soldiers.
The BMP-3F, a navalized version of the BMP-3, which can provide some serious firepower to any infantry battle with its 100mm gun + 30mm autocannon. The “Sodema” fire control system can be installed, providing better optics, weapon range, and access to the more powerful gun launched Arkan-M missiles.
No armor upgrades are available to keep the vehicle amphibious but it is possible to install the “Shtora” missile jammer and extra smoke pods.
Up to 7 soldiers can be carried.
The BT-3F, is a turretless version of the BMP-3 with an enlarged troop compartment allowing up to 14 soldiers to be transported which allows it to bring 2 squads at once.
It retains the 2 forward facing PKT medium machine guns of the BMP-3 on the hull and is equipped with a remotely operated machine gun on the roof, either another PKT or a Kord heavy machine gun or AP-23 autocannon.
The vehicle's can be equipped with additional reactive explosive armor without losing its amphibious capability.


[h3]Combat vehicles[/h3]
BMOP Toros: A lightly armored tracked vehicle, it nonetheless offers a variety of weaponry, from a 30mm autocannon and grenade launcher, additional Kornet ATGMs, 57mm S-60 anti-aircraft gun or even the Rapira 100mm anti-tank gun.
BRDM Konkurs/Kvartet: A BRDM-2 chassis equipped with 5 ready-to-fire ATGM tubes on the roof. The loadout consists of 10 Konkurs-M anti-tank missiles and 10 smaller Fagot missiles for use against infantry. The turret can be replaced by a modified BRDM-2 turret equipped with 4 ready to launch Kornet missiles and 4 additional missiles in reserve.
PT-76: This light amphibious tank has been in service for decades in the Naval troops. The original 76mm gun is now completely obsolete and can only be expected to deal with the lightest vehicles or as fire support against infantry.
On top of that the mobility of the vehicle is incrediblyy limited with a maximum speed of 45km/h, unless you upgrade the engine to reach 60km/h - which is still not great but better.
Of course a vehicle with such low performance is extremely cheap in the game allowing you to call-in many of them at the same time and follow the adage “Quantity has a Quality All Its Own” (commonly misattributed to Joseph Stalin or pretty much any famous military leader)
But several interesting upgrades provide more fire power: a BTR-80A turret with 30mm autocannon and AG-17 grenade launcher can be fitted, or even a 57mm autocannon which can even pose a threat to tanks from the side.
In the end a fully upgraded PT-76 can cost more than 3 times its initial price.
T-80BV/BVM: This tank is assigned to naval troops because its gas turbine engine works better in the extremely cold temperatures of the arctic where the naval troops are operating. The base BV version is pretty old, its armor is still good enough to resist even the most powerful autocannon rounds but will be pierced by pretty much any tank gun. The armor piercing rounds are pretty old too and will barely scratch an Abrams at maximum range. But this tank has other advantages: it is fast and has an advanced autoloader providing a good rate of fire. So it is perfect to counter numerous vehicles or to provide fire support against infantry.
The BVM version is a major upgrade of pretty much everything: optics, firepower, armor, speed. Additional lateral protection can also be added to the BVM.


[h3]Support[/h3]
DT-30 Vityaz: This vehicle is an all terrain mechanized workhorse able to carry an outstanding 30 tons of supplies through land, river, swamp, snow. The very large tracks limit its speed on road resulting in an almost constant speed whether it is on road or not.
The best way to use this vehicle is not to drop the supplies and send it back to the base. It is better to consider it like a mobile logistical base that you move around and deploy wherever it is needed. And you keep it constantly filled with supplies with small cargo helicopters.
2S23 Nona-SVK: A 120mm mortar mounted on the wheeled BTR-80 platform making it mobile on roads and amphibious. It can trade speed and the amphibious capability for more armor and can be upgraded with rocket assisted and laser guided mortar rounds. The ammo reserve is low, meaning you will frequently have to resupply it.
2S39 Magnolia: The opposite of the Nona-SVK, this is a mortar based on the slow DT-30 chassis towing a 120mm mortar system. A large quantity of ammunition is stored and you can choose between high-explosive rounds efficient against infantry in buildings and cluster rounds spreading their damage over a larger area and effective at disabling vehicles.
2S1 Gvozdika / 2S34 Hosta: The Gvodzika is an old 122mm howitzer rather inaccurate and with a low rate of fire equipped with high explosive and smoke rounds as well as a few HEAT rounds for self defense. It can be upgraded to the more modern 2S34 Hosta with a faster rate of fire, more accuracy and it can access laser guided rounds.
A222 Bereg: This coastal defense system equipped with a 130mm gun usually mounted on Russian war ships. It can be used as a standard howitzer but can also engage ground targets and helicopters with special rounds equipped with proximity fuzes.
9K720 Iskander: This long range missile launcher can be equipped either with 2 large ballistic missiles or 2 to 4 cruise missiles.
Ballistic missiles fly high in the sky before falling back at high speed making them hard or impossible to intercept by short range air defense. On the contrary, cruise missiles stay as close to the ground as possible to avoid radar detection and require short range air defense to be intercepted.
Tor-M2DT: This is a DT-30 chassis with a Tor-M2 module towed. This anti-aircraft system stores 16 vertically launched missiles, that are very efficient against helicopters and against airplanes at short range. Activating the radar increases the range of detection and engagement, and gives the ability to target projectiles like cruise missiles. The Tor module can be upgraded to a Pantsir module with 18 missiles with more range and damage.
ZSU-23-4 Shilka: An old anti-aircraft system equipped with four 23mm cannons, it can still prove a menace at short range against low flying aircraft, even more so when upgraded with additional Igla MANPADS.
It is also possible to use it as a fire support vehicle, with more ammo but no radar. This is how it was used during the Soviet–Afghan War since there were no air threats and the high elevation of the gun allowed it to engage enemy fighters attacking from elevated positions in the mountains.
S-350 Vityaz: This modern anti-aircraft defense system mounted on a truck holds 12 vertically launched missiles. The missiles are smaller and have less range than the S-300 which makes it less efficient against aircrafts but better at intercepting saturation attacks with cruise and ballistic missiles.


[h3]Helicopters[/h3]
Ka-29: The classic medium lift helicopter of the Russian navy with 16 seats and a capability of transporting 3 tons of supplies, it can also pack some serious firepower with a GShG 7.62mm minigun, 30mm autocannon, S-8 rocket pods, GSh-23L gun pods and 8 Kokon or Ataka ATGMs.
Ka-52K Katran: A navalized Ka-52 attack helicopter with only 4 pylons instead of 6 to make it easier to store on the deck of a ship. On top of the usual Rockets and ATGM carried by the regular Ka-52 it has exclusive access to some exotic weaponry: Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles, Hermes-A fire and forget ATGMs, and even Kh-35U cruise missiles.
Mi-38T: A recent evolution of the Mi-8 intended for use in the arctic. This is an unarmed medium lift helicopter, it can transport 30 men or 7 tons of supplies in one trip at a relatively fast speed.


[h3]Aircraft[/h3]
AN-72P: A light cargo aircraft capable of deploying up to 52 paratroopers or 7.5 tons of cargo. It can also be equipped with a GSh-23L cannon and S-8 rocket pods for light ground attack work.
MiG-29K: A lightweight fighter, agile but with a low autonomy designed for interception. There is a joke saying that this plane grants you air superiority over your own airfield.
It has 6 missile stations carrying older R-27 or newer R-77 medium range air-to-air missiles or R-73 short range infrared missiles.
Alternatively, you can arm it with up to 4 Kh-35U cruise missiles for striking ground targets.
Su-33: This old multirole aircraft is limited to R-73 and the older semi-active R-27 missiles for anti-aircraft duty. It also lacks the avionics to use guided air-to-ground munitions so it is limited to dumb bombs and rockets but has access to a large choice of yield for them.
Make deadly dive attacks with 6 340mm S-25 rockets or bring the hail with 50x OFAB-100 100kg bombs.
Tu-142: Naval patrol variant of the Tu-95 “Bear” strategic bomber, it carries a smaller bomb load than its sibling, but can still deliver 8 Kh-35Us cruise missiles, 32 FAB-250s, 6 FAB-1500s or a single FAB-3000.
Tu-22M3: This large supersonic maritime strike aircraft makes an appearance delivering up to 3 very fast Kh-32s missiles, or utilizing its afterburner to deliver fast bombing runs with a multitude of bomb options, including 8 KAB-1500 laser guided bombs.
Yak-38M: A slow and lightly armed VTOL aircraft, it stands little chance in a direct air to air engagement, but can still prove valuable in hunting enemy helicopters with gunpods and old R-60 missiles, or performing a light bomber role.


[h3]Tactics & strategies[/h3]

Choosing a specialization grants access to a unique roster of units but also determines the amount of points you can assign in each category.
Coastal troops specialization is very versatile, you have a bit of everything which is nice but also means that the points repartition is spread thin.
As a result this specialization will either be used to compensate for the shortcomings of the other specialization you have selected. For instance VDV offers few support points but many helicopter points. So it can be interesting to focus the support points on anti-aircraft and equip the Ka-52K with Kh-35 cruise missiles and use them as makeshift artillery pieces.
Or this versatility will be used to reinforce an existing strength: for instance, Coastal troops + VDV offers the most aircraft points, allowing you to select the Tu-160 with its nuclear missile and still have some points left to add other planes.
It is also possible to use the points of the other specialization to reinforce one of the multiple facets of the Coastal troops. For instance the Guard Tank Brigade specialization can bring the support points required to play with multiple Iskander cruise/ballistic missiles.

This is a foretaste of the numerous possibilities that the army building system of Broken Arrow offers.
The beta will grant you access to 3 specializations per side and the game will contain 5 per side at release, which makes a total of 20 very unique combinations, each of which are playable in a number of ways.
With such diversity, we aim to offer an exciting multiplayer ecosystem in constant evolution, full of experimentation and crazy combinations between players.

Thank you for your attention and see you next week with a new dev blog.