WARNO News

Hello!

Welcome back to another WARNO DevBlog. In today’s post, we’ll look at the second Army General map for our World War III battle simulator.

Read more about the original reveal of WARNO’s Army General preview here, which also featured some images of our first map.

The production of new Army General maps has significantly progressed since our initial reveal. We would like to present the (almost) final result of the second map.

Keep reading to find out more!

[h2]Army General revisited[/h2]
For you who don’t know what Army General entails: it is our popular strategic turn-based mode taking place on massive battlefields, intricately detailed and using real-life maps. Like the version found in Steel Division 2, WARNO’s Army General campaigns are all focused on NATO’s CENTAG area of operations, including the famous Fulda Gap.



Each campaign will feature its selection of formations and units, consistent with the order of battle for 1989, spread across both NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Each map focuses on a different sector of West Germany and the Inner German Border.

You will be able to play WARNO’s Army General campaigns either in single-player, versus, or cooperatively. WARNO will ship with four Army General campaigns.

Let’s look at the second Army General map: the Kassel-Paderborn area.

[h2]Historical context[/h2]
To reiterate: the first Army General map was sneak peeked in the preview and centered on the Fulda and Frankfurt region. This would be the southwest invasion route for the Warsaw Pact and would see Soviet and American armored forces clash, with some German support (on both sides).



This second map takes place in the Kassel-Paderborn area, which is a 2-hour drive north of Fulda, and close to the junction of the CENTAG and NORTHAG areas of the command, Kassel being within CENTAG area of command, Paderborn within NORTHAG's one. The orientation is northwest. Both East- and West German formations will be heavily featured, as well as lighter troops, with paratroopers playing an especially prominent role.

[h2]A little bit about map making[/h2]
One of Army General’s defining elements is the very large scale strategic maps. Each map has a surface of 22.500 km², which means a playable area of 150km by 150km. Building up this real-life territory in a realistic way is no easy task!

That’s why we had to produce several new assets specific to this mode - and improve our tech simultaneously. Rendering such a large area required the team to optimize the game and performance, ensuring we obtained an optimal gaming experience.

A second improvement was to increase the map’s readability. Players should be able to identify the various strategic areas at a glance, such as forests, plains, urban, etc. These are linked with the tactical maps that will launch when combat is initiated. Positioning your unit pawns on the strategic map, with the knowledge of the terrain, is essential in getting the best results in the subsequent tactical battles.



The design of fields and forests in the Army General map is intended to mark the gameplay terrain to be encountered.

The design of the urban areas also requires an accurate visual representation, but at the same time still provides a good dose of realism.

Each Army General strategic map uses special color and lightning effects to reinforce the atmosphere.



[h2]In other news[/h2]
Moving on, a couple of tidbits on several gameplay elements announced previously.

• Amphibious capacity for some units still requires tweaking. We hope to provide more details about this new unit functionality soon.
  
• We are iterating on the FOB concept. Having gone through several variations, starting with an enclosed building (WRD style!), we figured that these earlier versions of a Forward Operating Base don’t fit on an active battlefield. After various passes, we made it more realistic, closer to an ammunition dump, something that could be built in combat. We needed all the new, small 3D assets to build it…

[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
That’s all! 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.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

MAPS:

• The Loop map is now available in 10vs10 Destruction mode
  

CODE FIXES:

• fixed LGB bombs falling too far from target
  
• fixed a frequent crash that would randomly happen either ingame of in the armory
  
• fixed a crash when a unit died while its "Seize" smart order was transformed in "Hold"
  
• fixed some crashes when closing modal windows with the enter key
  
• fixed some missing FX on AK-47
  

DATA FIXES:

• fixed M202 Flash's rate of fire: it fired only once before reloading, although it has 4 ready rockets
  
• fixed several vehicules having more than 1 defensive smoke
  
• fixed LEOPARD 1A1A1's veterancy ratios on par with other 12-avail units
  
• fixed the Su-25's missing AP rounds
  
• fixed the MiG-27K [LGB]'s ammo display issue on its stats sheet
  
• fixed a FX bug on T-55, T-62 & T-72's coaxial MG
  
• fixed a display bug about RCL, displaying the MOTION trait while they are properly set as STATIC
  
• increased the time before repeating a unit acknow for panicking or damage received
  

GENERIC:

• increased 105-122mm howitzers (towed)'s RoF from 6 to 8
  
• increased 105-122mm howitzers (SP)'s RoF from 5 to 6
  
• all supplies (ground or heliborne)'s locked at vet1
  

NATO:

• increased M202 Flash's loadouts from 4 to 8 (two salvos)
  
• decreased TORNADO F.3 [AA]'s price from 245 to 225
  
• increased AMX-AUF1's price from 220 to 260
  
• increased M107A2's price from 210 to 270
  
• increased M109A2's price from 200 to 240
  
• increased M109A3GA1's price from 210 to 250
  
• increased M110A2's price from 260 to 280
  
• decreased AH-64A APACHE's price from 260 to 240
  
• increased AH-64A APACHE [RKT]'s price from 125 to 150
  
• decreased AH-64A APACHE [ATGM]'s price from 295 to 275
  
• decreased TERRIERS PIONIERS' price from 45 to 40
  
• decreased ASSAULT PIONIERS' price from 55 to 45
  
• decreased FS-JÄGER's price from 65 to 60
  
• decreased GREEN BERETS' AT-4 loadout from 8 to 4, on par with other disposable bazookas
  
• decreased PZ.GRENADIER (MARDER)'s price from 30 to 25
  
• increased LEGIONNAIRES PARAS' price from 55 to 60
  
• decreased SAPEURS PARAS (FLAM.)'s price from 70 to 60
  
• decreased SAPEURS (FLAM.)'s price from 60 to 55
  
• decreased (Belgian) ECLAIREURS' price from 55 to 50
  
• increased (French) ECLAIREURS' price from 50 to 55
  
• decreased AUFKLÄRER's price from 55 to 50
  
• decreased (British) SCOUTS' price from 55 to 50
  
• added SAXON CMD its smoke launchers
  
• decreased BEDFORD MJ's supply capacity from 1750 to 1000 + price decreased from 60 to 35 + availability per card increased from 3 to 5
  
• decreased M35's supply capacity from 800 to 500 + price decreased from 30 to 20 + availability per card increased from 6 to 10
  
• decreased TRM-2000's supply capacity from 800 to 500 + price decreased from 30 to 20 + availability per card increased from 6 to 10
  
• increased MAN KAT'ssupply capacity from 1750 to 2500 + price increased from 60 to 80 + availability per card decreased from 3 to 2
  
• decreased French & German M101 howitzer's range from 17.650m to 10.575m + price decreased from 100 to 60
  

PACT:

• increased 2S1 GVOVZDIKA's price from 150 to 180
  
• increased 2S3M AKATSIYA's price from 180 to 220
  
• increased 2S7M MALKA's price from 270 to 290
  
• decreased Ka-50 AKULA [AT]'s price from 300 to 280
  
• decreased Mi-24VP's price from 260 to 240
  
• increased Su-27's agility from Normal to Good
  
• decreased AUFKLÄRER's price from 55 to 50
  
• decreased RAZVEDKA's price from 55 to 50
  
• increased T813's supply capacity from 1750 to 2000 + price increased from 60 to 65
  

Hello commander!

We hope you are well. Recently, we released the much-awaited Destruction mode, which dropped in WARNO courtesy of our post-SUCHET update.

A bit of a mea culpa. It was brought to our attention that while various of our veterans were happily tearing through the Destruction mode-enabled WARNO battlefield, seeing those lovely little points pop up left and right, many players not familiar with Destruction felt out of their depth.

Our apologies! This DevBlog is dedicated to newcomers and veterans alike in explaining what Destruction mode is, a brief history, and how it is different compared to Conquest mode.

Keep on reading!

[h2]A Short History of Destruction[/h2] Destruction mode has been around for a long time. We first created it when we developed RUSE. That was a mighty 12 years ago!



Our goal for RUSE was to create a “pure” strategy game, where neither hardcore micromanagement (think clicks per second) nor forced game rules would prove to be a path to win.

As both fans and developers of real-time strategy games, we concluded that a match was typically over when one side had inflicted a critical amount of losses on its opponent. When this happened, it would be almost impossible for the latter to reverse their fortunes on the battlefield.

So, we thought, what if we display the losses for each side? Furthermore, what if we showed it as direct feedback on player actions (destroying units)? This would be useful as an information tool AND a special kind of motivation. Those little counters really want to make you… destroy more stuff!

When the spiritual ancestor to WARNO came around, Wargame: European Escalation, not only did we decide to keep the Destruction game mode, we put it at the heart of our game! Since then, although we moved towards Conquest as being the default play mode of our subsequent titles, we retained and updated Destruction mode in all our games. See it as a legacy of a legacy!



[h2]What is Destruction?[/h2]
To make things clear: within WARNO, Destruction and Conquest modes are not exactly modes, but instead, they are labelled as game rules in a game’s lobby. We’ll keep referring to them as modes for all intents and purposes.

Counterintuitively, Destruction mode is a game mode where conquering terrain is vital to winning. Indeed, your in-game economy depends on it. Within the mode, each command zone captured increases your income by a certain sum per second. The income increase revolves around how many and which zones you control. The more command zones you control with a Command Unit, especially the ones that net you a higher income, the more units you can field… and, thus, a player’s ability to apply pressure on the enemy.

In other words, controlling real estate on the battlefield brings a definite economic advantage. This will eventually shift the power in favor to the player or team who controls more zones and, therefore, income. So where Destruction mode control zones give you extra income, in Conquest mode control zones give you victory points.

[h2]A little bit of destruction[/h2]
In Destruction mode, these victory points are won by destroying units. Each time you destroy a unit, you earn its deployment price in points. This means the bigger and more expensive units you destroy, the more victory points you’ll gain. So now we have an interesting gameplay dynamic where the player controlling more zones can deploy more expensive units. Still, if you don’t take care of these units, they might run the chance of being destroyed and giving your opponent more victory points.



Destruction mode is about applying overwhelming destruction in a local area to smash as many valuable units as possible while retaining the greatest economy of force for your side. A marked difference between Conquest and Destruction mode is that the latter has a different rhythm, often more brutal and intense.

When reintroducing the mode to WARNO, we also took the opportunity to make sure Destruction makes each existing map feel unique. Deployment and reinforcement routes are different, as are command zone locations. As we already mentioned, we are updating more maps to host Destruction mode. A whole bunch of them are being tested by the Strike Team. Get ready for some more sneak peeks soon!



[h2]New units coming with the next patch[/h2]
So, before we leave you be, some more news: we will feature two new units (with new models) in the next patch. Both units will find their way into the Warsaw Pact’s VDV 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade.

• 1V119 REOSTAT - an airborne recon radar on a BMD-1 hull.
  

• Mi-8MTV - a Mi-8 modified based on the Soviet Army’s Afghan War experience, with better protection (ECM and flares) against AA, specifically Stinger MANPADS.
  

The upcoming OUDINOT milestone is ready to be tested. The major update will soon run the gauntlet of the Strike Team before its full release.



[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
That’s it for this week. Don’t forget to 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.

See you on the battlefield, commander!


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hello, hello!

After our OUDINOT milestone previews, we looked at two brand-spanking new divisions (Berlin Command and Unternehmen Zentrum) centered on the Battle for Berlin. Now it is time for another exciting new reveal!

That’s right: we are working on a new type of map for WARNO. In today’s DevBlog, let’s look at Twin Cities.



[h2]A new experience[/h2]
Long-requested by WARNO fans, Twin Cities is THE FIRST of a brand-new type of map with urban elements not seen before in the game.

A map like Twin Cities takes a little longer to produce because urban elements require a good amount of graphic resources. Gameplay impact can also significantly affect the engine and server load. Simply put: while it might look cool, playing takes a bit of rewiring under the WARNO hood, especially when factoring in different levels of destruction.

However, our programmers, designers, and map makers have been busy to see if, and how, a new kind of map could fit within WARNO. And work it did! So, what are all the cool things you get to play with our new Twin Cities map?



[h2]Twin Cities[/h2] Twin Cities is a new 83 km² battlefield, designed for 3v3 and 4v4 plays. A couple of new environmental elements can be found on this map.

• A highway crossing the map.
  
  
  
  
• New cities with new models of large high-rise housing.
  
  
  
  
• New fire FX at the start of a game.
  
  
  
  
• Added farms, houses, and scenery (partially) destroyed.
  
  

Twin Cities as a battlefield is symmetrical and balanced, with alternating open, clear views and more defensible areas. Besides destroyed structures, new building models, and new destruction animations, the new map is a big step forward in improving the visual aspects of WARNO’s maps.

All of this, in our opinion, really reinforces the World War III feel and atmosphere! Let us know what you think.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]A new major WARNO patch[/h2]
In case you missed it, a major patch dropped earlier this week! Check out all the improvements, updates, and changes in the post-SUCHET patch here. A highlight of the most important ones:

• New HMG teams (including automatic grenade launchers) added to all divisions.
  
• New Destruction mode! The popular mode returns and can be played on Two Lakes 2v2, Two Ways 2v2, and Ripple 2v2. Destruction will also find its way to other maps in future patches!
  
• Ranked playable on more maps. Existing maps, Geisa 1v1 and Chemical 2v2, have been added to Ranked online play.
  
• Helicopters will be showcased in the new Helipad environment in Armory. New light settings are now also available.
  
• A host of fixes and updates to a range of units and features, including the Line of Sight tool, Autocannon overhaul, missing smoke launchers, supply cost updates, some love for the British 1st Armoured Division, and much, much more!
  

We are busy preparing a hotfix with some of the technical issues encountered!

[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
We hope you liked this DevBlog. Let us know what you think!

And don’t forget to 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.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

FEATURES:

• new: HMG teams (including automatic grenade launchers) added to all divisions
  
• new: Destruction mode available on Two Lakes 2v2, Two Ways 2v2 & Ripple 2v2. More to be released in the next patches.
  
• Geisa 1v1 is available in ranked
  
• Chemical 2v2 is available in ranked
  
• helicopters in the armory are now displayed in their own helipad environment (although still "work in progress")
  
• you can now switch between different light settings in the armory (once the shortcut is set in the settings)
  

QoL / IMPROVEMENTS:

• the "display line of sight" shortcut now only show information about the position under the cursor. The "Line of sight" button show information about the currently selected unit
  
• improved some FXs' performance
  
• obsolete mods are no more loaded when a new version is released
  
• the attack cursor now also use out of range weapon to show the best weapon.
  
• some improvements in the selected unit weapons panel
  
• improved players' name readability in the replay panel
  

CODE FIXES:

• fixed line of sight not displayed on building when using "display line of sight" shortcut after loading a saved game.
  
• fixed crash when reinforcing a smart group that contains infantry in district.
  
• fixed influence feedback on command zone displayed under water.
  
• fixed columns order in the lobby deck selection panel.
  
• fixed "BATTLEGORUP" instead of "BATTLEGROUP" in the 3RD ARMORED default deck name.
  
• fixed one rare desync between players.
  
• "TRAJECTORY" replaced by "TRAVEL TIME" in the unit info panel
  

DATA FIXES:

• fixed PARAS SAS' number of weapons
  
• fixed GAZELLE CELTIC's Mistral missile which couldn't fire on the move as other AA helos
  
• fixed VLRA PAMELA's Mistral missile's reload time from 20 to 10, as other MANPADs
  
• fixed ERC-90 SAGAIE's gun which was half-HEAT, half-AP
  
• fixed GREEN BERETS's classification, being considered Engineers instead of Infantry
  
• fixed PARAS SAS' optics, on par with other recon squads
  
• fixed French and German 20mm autocannon's bursts being much too short compared to their counterparts
  
• fixed (meaning increased) all dumb bombs (but 250-340kg, already correct)'s area of effect radius
  
• fixed the KPz. T-72's HE range from 2275m to 2100m, on par with its AP one.
  

DISCLAIMER:

• We are aware of a random crash in the armory and we are working on finding a fix.
  

----------

AUTOCANON OVERHAUL:
gunships & IFVs' RoF aligned with real ones regarding salvos and time between salvos
decreased MARDER's 20mm anti-helicopter range from 1600m (actually 1575m) to 1425m
decreased AMX-10P's 20mm anti-helicopter range from 1600m (actually 1575m) to 1425m
decreased VAB T-20/12's 20mm anti-helicopter range from 1600m (actually 1575m) to 1425m
decreased BMP-2's 30mm anti-helicopter range from 1600m (actually 1575m) to 1425m
decreased BMP-3's 30mm anti-helicopter range from 1775m (actually 1750m) to 1425m
increased (all) COBRA's 20mm ranges from 1200m/1225m to 1575m/1425m
increased (all) Mi-24VP's 23mm ranges from 1200m/1225m to 1575m/1425m
increased Mi-8MT [UPK]'s 23mm ranges from 1200m/1225m to 1575m/1425m
changed (all) AH-64 APACHE's 30mm ranges from 1575m/1775m to 1775m/1425m
changed (all) Ka-50's 30mm ranges from 1575m/1600m to 1775m/1425m
changed (all) Mi-24P's 30mm ranges from 1575m/1775m to 1775m/1425m
decreased M2HB 12,7mm HMG's anti-helicopter range from 1775m to 1050m
decreased KPV & KPVT 14,5mm HMG's anti-helicopter range from 1775m to 1050m
increased Mi-24V & Mi-24D's Yak-9 gatling ranges from 1025m/1050m to 1200m/1050

MISSING SMOKE LAUNCHERS ADDED ON:
BMP-1P
Spz BMP-1P
Spz BMP-1P SP1
Spz BMP-1P SP2
BTR-80
BTR-D
BTR-RD ROBOT
SAXON
AMX 10 (all tracked & wheeled ones)
AMX AuF1
ERC 10 Sagaie
VAB T20/13
AML 90
M113GA1 MUN.
HS.30 PZ.MÖRSER
PANZERMÖRSER
M48A2 (all)
GREEN ARCHER

PARACHUTE REGIMENT GROUP:
We're adding to the British 1st Armored Division the Parachute Regiment Group. Those three (Territorial Army) paratrooper battalions were to be dropped between WP forces & the 1st Armored Division's positions with a sacrifice mission to give the later time to regroup.
They were given extra-MILAN allocations and were basically an ATGM screen.