Divisional House Cleaning and Happy Holidays!
Hello commanders,
It’s that festive time of the year again. Shortly, we’ll enter the Christmas holiday break. This means no more DevBlogs for two weeks. The Eugen Systems team will back in full force in 2024!
And as this is the last DevBlog of this year, we still have plenty of interesting things to share.
Let’s go!
[h2]Foreseeable Future of Army General [/h2]
We know you’ll miss us dearly during our break, especially our regular “soon” updates about Army General. While we understand your frustration, we want to ensure our new mode is up to scratch in all the important areas. We are keen to avoid pushing something that turns out to be incomplete, bug-ridden, or worse… not fun.
We are working on several major updates to WARNO (see below). Currently, the team is also in the process of testing and improving every aspect of the Bruderkrieg Army General campaign, from the AI to preventing “cheesy” tactics and updating the voice acting. As all the data is intermixed, we can’t release the one without the other.
Our strategic mode is a massive new feature and in (very much so) active development. We won’t share a potential launch date or news on when to expect Army General until we are absolutely sure we can deliver. So, keep tight, commanders.
But, the team is not only being a busy bee with Army General. One of the other things happening in Eugen’s workshop is the upcoming major rebalance of our existing divisions. We call it a bit of “divisional house cleaning.”
And we can lift the tip of the veil of what to expect.
[h2]Divisional House Cleaning[/h2]
We are happy with the current roster of units and divisions in WARNO, but there is always room for improvement. For instance, such as the upcoming new Veterancy overhaul (which you can read more about in this DevBlog here). With all units done and all divisions released over a year (including new, unannounced ones), plus new mechanics, meta balance sweeps, individual new units, and more, we decided it was a good time to make a general balancing pass.
This means that the Eugen team is going through all divisions to fix balance issues and give each one a more pronounced flavor or playstyle. Expect some of our more infamous units to be toned down. At the same time, unsung soldiers will be beefed up, including slot allocation and shifting specific units from one formation to the other.
All divisions will keep to their divisional (historical) Order of Battle. This will not change. Formations attached to the divisions to fill certain gaps or to differentiate the battlegroups might be moved to other divisions, or removed. This can be a pretty thorough rehaul. However, one thing we can promise is that no unit will be removed from WARNO, instead, they will only be reshuffled.
The following is a preview of what’s to come. Some changes are still in progress, while others require testing. Keep that in mind!
[h2]35-ya Gv. DShB[/h2]
Let’s start with an obvious candidate: the Soviet airborne assault troops of the 35th
Guards Air Assault Brigade or officially the 35-YA OG DESANTNO-SHTURMOVAYA BRIGADA.
When we first launched our airborne division, we feared they might be too lightly equipped to stand on their own in WARNO’s battlefield. Thus, we attached heavier ground elements, chiefly armor, in a mistaken belief our paratroopers needed outside help. We already put the American 82nd Airborne Division on a “tank diet,” but now it is the turn for the 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade to slim down.
Less armor, more paratrooper
The Soviet division will be streamlined to represent a more accurate Order of Battle. It will focus on its own equipment and less on other detachments. In practical terms, it means the division will lose all non-airborne armor and related units: T-64 (all versions), BRM-1, MOT. RAZVEDKA with their RAZV. BMP-1.
This also means some changes to the division’s unit category: in TANK, one of its 2-point slots will be scrapped entirely, but in both HELO and RECON, a 3-point slot will be made cheaper to 2 points.
Furthermore, as will be the case with every airborne division in our upcoming divisional rework, they will lose their fixed Forward Operation Base (FOB) “unit.” Of course, it wouldn’t make much sense to have a fixed structure filled with a pile of supplies when dealing with paratroopers dropping behind enemy lines.
New units
The 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade will not only see the effects of the cutting axe. A new unit will also deploy: the NONA-K 120mm dual-purpose mortar. While designated a “mortar,” it looks more like a small howitzer, which can fire in both an indirect role or used as a direct fire gun, with either HE or HEAT rounds. Meanwhile, the 2S9 NONA-S from the same battlegroup will also receive HE direct fire capacity. This ability is further extended to the 2S23 NONA-SVK of the 27-ya Gv. MSD (as they all share the same gun).
To compensate for the removal of the FOB, the division will get access to the light GAZ-66B supply truck. This particular vehicle will feature a reskin of the existing transport variant. Plus, to be able to feature heavy recon infantry, the new helicopter-borne RAZVEDKA (DSh) will deploy (but without the support of a BMP-1).
[h2]82nd Airborne[/h2]
Much in the same vein as their Soviet counterparts, the American paratroopers of the 82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION will be streamlined to follow a “purer” Table of Organisation and Equipment.
This means that attached elements from the 194th Armored Brigade will have to go. All the non-airborne armored elements will be taken out from the division: M1IP tanks, M577, M125 mortar, and the BRADLEY CFV. The division will also lose its FOB.
A bit of a reshuffle and new units
The 82nd Airborne Division will also see a reshuffle of slots between TANK and RECON, with the latter category seeing some additional love. Two new units will deploy there:
[h2]8th Infantry Division[/h2]
While the 8th INFANTRY DIVISION might not be as overpowered, in our eyes, it suffers from a different malady. This battlegroup has it all and does it all well. Consequently, it has turned into a grey and shapeless division, with an overabundance of specific units and no real defect. You will recall that the 8th Infantry Division was delivered WARNO’s second milestone. This update was used to tease the upcoming German units.
The Germans have been teased enough! Being featured with their own splendid divisions, we decided to get rid of zee Germans in this division. All of them! Furthermore, the 8th Infantry Division will also be thoroughly reduced in light helicopter power, with several of the OH-58 variants being either limited or removed entirely.
Rangers lead the way
Again, not all is doom and gloom. While the 8th Infantry Division might have been referred to as “that US division with Germans,” it will now be known as the “Rangers” division. We decided to rework the existing RANGER squads and expand them.
Having made new RANGER units for Army General, reusing these in the 8th Infantry Division during our balancing sweep would make the most sense.
Each new RANGER unit will be available as one card, with either Humvee or helicopter transports.
In addition to the above, the new M163 CS will be featured. This is a cheaper and radar-less variant of the self-propelled anti-air vehicle. Found in the AA tab, this unit represents how it could have been used against flying targets and in a direct-fire ground role.
[h2]Territorialkommando Süd[/h2]
Let’s fix our gaze on the “support” divisions, beginning with the West German TERRITORIALKOMMANDO SÜD. According to our server stats, this division is multiplayer’s ugly duckling. Rare to be played and even rarer to win.
We will buff this division by adding more units from the attached French 4e Division Aéromobile. This means:
We’ll keep an eye on seeing if the above changes give the Territorialkommando Süd a bit more viability on the online battlefields. If it doesn’t, we will look at additional ways to boost it.
[h2]Kampfgruppe der Arbeiterklasse Bezirk Erfurt[/h2]
The lovely named KAMPFGRUPPE DER ARBEITSKLASSE, or much easier K.d.A, is the East German “support” division. It will also see some love, but less for balance and more for flavor. We tried to focus on its reserve nature, decreasing the importance of the more standard, regular units. This new structure is modeled on Army General’s reserve divisions.
What does that mean? The PANZERJÄGER and MOT.-SCHÜTZEN (s.MG) infantry squads will be removed from the battlegroup. To make up for this loss, it will receive extra RESERVISTEN, as well as one card of the new RESERVISTEN-FÜH. This means the KdA will represent better the second-wave mobilization divisions within the East German Nationale Volksarmee.
We will make more changes to this division as soon as they are ready. This includes the new T-54B and new ZPU-4 light AA. Both of these units have been modeled for Army General and will now find their way into this division.
[h2]More Sneak Peek[/h2]
As we teased you with the SPARTAN ZB-298 & WARRIOR CP last week, we’ve been pursuing our modelling effort toward the British Army with this cute, fully amphibious ALVIS STALWART. To be introduced soon!
[h2]Until next week[/h2]
That’s all for now. The new year is shaping up to be very exciting indeed. We can’t wait to tell you about all the good stuff coming to WARNO.
From the whole Eugen Systems team: we wish you happy holidays and all the best for 2024. Expect us to be back in the second week of January!
Join the passionate WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, YouTube or our Instagram.
As always, see you on the battlefield, commander.
It’s that festive time of the year again. Shortly, we’ll enter the Christmas holiday break. This means no more DevBlogs for two weeks. The Eugen Systems team will back in full force in 2024!
And as this is the last DevBlog of this year, we still have plenty of interesting things to share.
Let’s go!
[h2]Foreseeable Future of Army General [/h2]
We know you’ll miss us dearly during our break, especially our regular “soon” updates about Army General. While we understand your frustration, we want to ensure our new mode is up to scratch in all the important areas. We are keen to avoid pushing something that turns out to be incomplete, bug-ridden, or worse… not fun.
We are working on several major updates to WARNO (see below). Currently, the team is also in the process of testing and improving every aspect of the Bruderkrieg Army General campaign, from the AI to preventing “cheesy” tactics and updating the voice acting. As all the data is intermixed, we can’t release the one without the other.
Our strategic mode is a massive new feature and in (very much so) active development. We won’t share a potential launch date or news on when to expect Army General until we are absolutely sure we can deliver. So, keep tight, commanders.
But, the team is not only being a busy bee with Army General. One of the other things happening in Eugen’s workshop is the upcoming major rebalance of our existing divisions. We call it a bit of “divisional house cleaning.”
And we can lift the tip of the veil of what to expect.
[h2]Divisional House Cleaning[/h2]
We are happy with the current roster of units and divisions in WARNO, but there is always room for improvement. For instance, such as the upcoming new Veterancy overhaul (which you can read more about in this DevBlog here). With all units done and all divisions released over a year (including new, unannounced ones), plus new mechanics, meta balance sweeps, individual new units, and more, we decided it was a good time to make a general balancing pass.
This means that the Eugen team is going through all divisions to fix balance issues and give each one a more pronounced flavor or playstyle. Expect some of our more infamous units to be toned down. At the same time, unsung soldiers will be beefed up, including slot allocation and shifting specific units from one formation to the other.
All divisions will keep to their divisional (historical) Order of Battle. This will not change. Formations attached to the divisions to fill certain gaps or to differentiate the battlegroups might be moved to other divisions, or removed. This can be a pretty thorough rehaul. However, one thing we can promise is that no unit will be removed from WARNO, instead, they will only be reshuffled.
The following is a preview of what’s to come. Some changes are still in progress, while others require testing. Keep that in mind!
[h2]35-ya Gv. DShB[/h2]
Let’s start with an obvious candidate: the Soviet airborne assault troops of the 35th
Guards Air Assault Brigade or officially the 35-YA OG DESANTNO-SHTURMOVAYA BRIGADA.
When we first launched our airborne division, we feared they might be too lightly equipped to stand on their own in WARNO’s battlefield. Thus, we attached heavier ground elements, chiefly armor, in a mistaken belief our paratroopers needed outside help. We already put the American 82nd Airborne Division on a “tank diet,” but now it is the turn for the 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade to slim down.
Less armor, more paratrooper
The Soviet division will be streamlined to represent a more accurate Order of Battle. It will focus on its own equipment and less on other detachments. In practical terms, it means the division will lose all non-airborne armor and related units: T-64 (all versions), BRM-1, MOT. RAZVEDKA with their RAZV. BMP-1.
This also means some changes to the division’s unit category: in TANK, one of its 2-point slots will be scrapped entirely, but in both HELO and RECON, a 3-point slot will be made cheaper to 2 points.
Furthermore, as will be the case with every airborne division in our upcoming divisional rework, they will lose their fixed Forward Operation Base (FOB) “unit.” Of course, it wouldn’t make much sense to have a fixed structure filled with a pile of supplies when dealing with paratroopers dropping behind enemy lines.
New units
The 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade will not only see the effects of the cutting axe. A new unit will also deploy: the NONA-K 120mm dual-purpose mortar. While designated a “mortar,” it looks more like a small howitzer, which can fire in both an indirect role or used as a direct fire gun, with either HE or HEAT rounds. Meanwhile, the 2S9 NONA-S from the same battlegroup will also receive HE direct fire capacity. This ability is further extended to the 2S23 NONA-SVK of the 27-ya Gv. MSD (as they all share the same gun).
To compensate for the removal of the FOB, the division will get access to the light GAZ-66B supply truck. This particular vehicle will feature a reskin of the existing transport variant. Plus, to be able to feature heavy recon infantry, the new helicopter-borne RAZVEDKA (DSh) will deploy (but without the support of a BMP-1).
[h2]82nd Airborne[/h2]
Much in the same vein as their Soviet counterparts, the American paratroopers of the 82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION will be streamlined to follow a “purer” Table of Organisation and Equipment.
This means that attached elements from the 194th Armored Brigade will have to go. All the non-airborne armored elements will be taken out from the division: M1IP tanks, M577, M125 mortar, and the BRADLEY CFV. The division will also lose its FOB.
A bit of a reshuffle and new units
The 82nd Airborne Division will also see a reshuffle of slots between TANK and RECON, with the latter category seeing some additional love. Two new units will deploy there:
- The new M551 ACAV, also known as ”Two Boxes”. This is a version without the ATGM but with additional MGs, here put to use in a recon role.
- And a surprise brand-new unit. Unfortunately, we couldn’t model it on time for this DevBlog. Expect it to be showcased in the first one of 2024!
[h2]8th Infantry Division[/h2]
While the 8th INFANTRY DIVISION might not be as overpowered, in our eyes, it suffers from a different malady. This battlegroup has it all and does it all well. Consequently, it has turned into a grey and shapeless division, with an overabundance of specific units and no real defect. You will recall that the 8th Infantry Division was delivered WARNO’s second milestone. This update was used to tease the upcoming German units.
The Germans have been teased enough! Being featured with their own splendid divisions, we decided to get rid of zee Germans in this division. All of them! Furthermore, the 8th Infantry Division will also be thoroughly reduced in light helicopter power, with several of the OH-58 variants being either limited or removed entirely.
Rangers lead the way
Again, not all is doom and gloom. While the 8th Infantry Division might have been referred to as “that US division with Germans,” it will now be known as the “Rangers” division. We decided to rework the existing RANGER squads and expand them.
Having made new RANGER units for Army General, reusing these in the 8th Infantry Division during our balancing sweep would make the most sense.
- The existing RANGERS squads have been expanded from 6 soldiers to 9 men per squad. Their AT-4 has been replaced by a LAW, however.
- The new RANGERS (DRAGON) has been added. This features the same organization as the first unit but contains a Dragon II ATGM as its anti-tank weapon.
- The new RANGERS LDR. squad are 6-man Command squad with sniper rifles and a M67 recoilless rifle.
Each new RANGER unit will be available as one card, with either Humvee or helicopter transports.
In addition to the above, the new M163 CS will be featured. This is a cheaper and radar-less variant of the self-propelled anti-air vehicle. Found in the AA tab, this unit represents how it could have been used against flying targets and in a direct-fire ground role.
[h2]Territorialkommando Süd[/h2]
Let’s fix our gaze on the “support” divisions, beginning with the West German TERRITORIALKOMMANDO SÜD. According to our server stats, this division is multiplayer’s ugly duckling. Rare to be played and even rarer to win.
We will buff this division by adding more units from the attached French 4e Division Aéromobile. This means:
- The VLRA MILAN, which is the same Forward Deployment unit as found in the French 11e Division Parachutiste.
- The VLRA 20mm, with Forward Deployment, again as found with the 11e Division Parachutiste.
- The addition of the P4 jeep as transport for the MILAN 2 teams. In real life, the French 4e Division Aéromobile used a different model, the Auverland (see picture below), which is identical in role and performance.
- One 3-point AIR slot has been made cheaper and is now 2 points.
We’ll keep an eye on seeing if the above changes give the Territorialkommando Süd a bit more viability on the online battlefields. If it doesn’t, we will look at additional ways to boost it.
[h2]Kampfgruppe der Arbeiterklasse Bezirk Erfurt[/h2]
The lovely named KAMPFGRUPPE DER ARBEITSKLASSE, or much easier K.d.A, is the East German “support” division. It will also see some love, but less for balance and more for flavor. We tried to focus on its reserve nature, decreasing the importance of the more standard, regular units. This new structure is modeled on Army General’s reserve divisions.
What does that mean? The PANZERJÄGER and MOT.-SCHÜTZEN (s.MG) infantry squads will be removed from the battlegroup. To make up for this loss, it will receive extra RESERVISTEN, as well as one card of the new RESERVISTEN-FÜH. This means the KdA will represent better the second-wave mobilization divisions within the East German Nationale Volksarmee.
We will make more changes to this division as soon as they are ready. This includes the new T-54B and new ZPU-4 light AA. Both of these units have been modeled for Army General and will now find their way into this division.
[h2]More Sneak Peek[/h2]
As we teased you with the SPARTAN ZB-298 & WARRIOR CP last week, we’ve been pursuing our modelling effort toward the British Army with this cute, fully amphibious ALVIS STALWART. To be introduced soon!
[h2]Until next week[/h2]
That’s all for now. The new year is shaping up to be very exciting indeed. We can’t wait to tell you about all the good stuff coming to WARNO.
From the whole Eugen Systems team: we wish you happy holidays and all the best for 2024. Expect us to be back in the second week of January!
Join the passionate WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, YouTube or our Instagram.
As always, see you on the battlefield, commander.