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Sound Design

Hello commander!

We hope you are well. While the team is hard at work on the next WARNO milestone, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight a lesser-known (but critical) aspect of our game.

Today is the day that we talk about sound design!

Some of you might have noticed, but we worked long and hard on upgrading the audio and sound design of WARNO, taking it to entirely new levels. We feel that WARNO’s soundscape is a massive step up from our previous titles in every way.

Before we dive in, some news from other fronts!

[h2]DAVOUT’s missing models[/h2]
We are busy at work incorporating the missing models from DAVOUT into WARNO. Specifically, the light Mil Mi-2 helicopter for the Warsaw Pact, and the West German variant of the ubiquitous M113 armored personnel carrier.



Let’s talk about sound!

[h2]Engines and weapons[/h2]
Sound in games: you might not think about it, but it is such an essential part of the overall game’s immersion that if it’s not “right,” it can quickly break a player’s experience. We always aim to get the highest degree of authenticity in our games, and sound design is equally important to graphics or gameplay.

To establish the greatest immersion possible, we did extensive research on late 80s Warsaw Pact and NATO units to ensure that every vehicle sounds real. Unlike previous titles, there is no "generic vehicle sound" in WARNO.

This means that almost every vehicle family, be it soft-skinned or armored, plane or helicopter, uses audio from its real-world counterpart. This is true when moving, stopping, engine idling, and even when rotating the turret. Listen for yourself:


https://youtu.be/jD571ev0n8c
And that's not all. The same principle applies to weapons. Different guns mean different sounds. Check by yourself.


https://youtu.be/S9nAurJy2Gk
We didn't stop there. Some weapon systems work in rather exotic ways, which results that the sounds they produce can be pretty unique. We took the extra care to ensure those weapons got the (sound design) love they deserve.

For example, the distinct puff of the Dragon ATGM has been faithfully copied in-game:


https://youtu.be/rNCHuk2TfPs
The intimidating plane-equipped MW-1 cluster dispenser, courtesy of the Luftwaffe, also received extra attention:


https://youtu.be/fUDvoTHof7E
While this dedication to realism means more work, we believe it is very much worth the effort if it means to immerse our players fully on the battlefield. That's not all!

[h2]Spatialization[/h2]
To reflect the importance of sound when designing our games, the audio part of our updated engine, used for WARNO, has been completely reworked. We took great care in creating a believable and realistic soundscape, starting with something called spatialization.


https://youtu.be/GuYD2aVVsV0

https://youtu.be/NskfzImCQE8
With our revised engine, we can now modify sounds as the distance between them and the camera changes. Now, let's mix it all together.


https://youtu.be/FhmkI70hrCc
Can you hear the explosions getting muffled as the camera moves further away?
Pretty cool, right? Well, we have one more thing to show you.

[h2]New Community Tournament for WARNO[/h2]
Before we leave you be, a short message from our community. The SD League is hosting a new Tournament Series for WARNO! The 1st Monthly Tournament is a casual 1v1 Tournament event in which players don’t get eliminated, as well as being matched to other players with the same skill level in later rounds. The SD League intends to make this an ongoing series for WARNO, with each month featuring a new iteration (and potentially with changing rule sets from time to time).

Any player interested in joining can find more information in the Google Doc or join our dedicated Discord server.

[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
That’s all for this week!

Join the awesome (and passionate) growing WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get to together with other players on the excellent Discord server and the new Reddit page, as well as their Instagram.

See you, commander!

WARNO - Milestone DAVOUT release

Rejoice, commander!

Make way for the DAVOUT update coming hot to WARNO, bringing you two new nations (Cold War-divided Germany on either side of the coin), two new divisions, and a brand-spanking new map, Geisa!

We know you have been eagerly awaiting this moment. So while waiting for downloads and updates, keep reading for a recap of all the good stuff coming in hot with DAVOUT!

[h2]DAVOUT Recap[/h2]
First things first: as we previously explained, one reason for the DAVOUT milestone coming a little later than excepted was because of a large chunk of modeling that had to be done. All the Bundeswehr’s units needed to be readied within a very short amount of time.



All done and dusted, what can you expect? Of course, the Germans have arrived in full force. Some individual units were teased in our previous NEY milestone, but DAVOUT features the first complete pair of German divisions, armored no less, from both NATO’s Bundeswehr and Warsaw Pact’s Nationale Volksarmee.

  • The West German 5. Panzerdivision brings a host of new units, from the Leopard 1A5 to the powerful Leopard 2A3 MBT, Marder IFV, Panzergrenadier infantry, Alouette II recon helicopters, Unimog trucks, Marder Roland SAM and Gepard 1A1 SPAAG amongst other. The Luftwaffe deploys its share of airplanes, including the F-104G fighter and the state-of-the-art Tornado IDS strike aircraft.
  • The East German 7. Panzerdivision is well-trained but uses slightly older equipment, including “vanilla” T-72 and T-72M, as well as T-55 variants such as the modernized T-55AM2 and T-55AM2B. Other units are ZSU-23-4 Shilka SPAAG, Czech-made RM-70 MLRS and T813 supply trucks. Air support is provided by Su-22M-4, MiG-21PFM and MiG-23MF.


The West German M113GA1 currently uses the American counterpart model. We are aware and will fix this as soon as possible; the specific model is still being worked on. Another known omission is the WarPac Mi-2 helicopter: this model is currently not ready. In the meantime, it is being replaced by an armed Mi-8 in the transport role.

Mind you, the German dialogue and acknowledgments are currently not fully integrated. However, this is planned to happen soon!

[h2]A small disclaimer[/h2] Please note: the national squad leader's names are presently placeholder and will remain so until WARNO’s official release. We will open recruitment lists for each nation at a specified time in the future.

If you are unfamiliar with this practice: the recruitment list is a nice little Eugen tradition harking back to the Wargame series and which we continued with Steel Division 2. It means that players can provide their name suggestions - with some caveats and only if they are authentic to the requested nation. It also means you get to have your own name in the game! When the recruitment drive spins up, we’ll let you know!

[h2]New Geisa Map[/h2] DAVOUT update also brings a new battlefield for you to play in. The new Geisa map is featured in 4v4 only for now, but we are testing it in 10v10 too. We'll keep you updated. We previewed WARNO’s 6th map previously in this blog post here.

Geisa is massive, it being 12 kilometers wide and 9 kilometers deep (Loop 10v10 is 6 km deep in comparison). It is relatively plain, but with three elevated locations in the center. We designed the map to give you plenty of different tactical options depending on the topology: from mountains to forests and some small lakes. Don’t be lulled by the swooning late summer atmosphere (and lightning) - some brutal battles are bound to happen.



[h2]DAVOUT patchnotes[/h2]
Check out DAVOUT’s patchnotes here!

MAPS:
  • New map Geisa available in 4v4.
FEATURES:
  • Changed the icon of command points in the zone to match the one at the top of the screen.
  • Added more audio cues in the menus.
FIXES:
  • Fixed unit labels being invisible when multiple units are in the same building and when using the "Diplay unit names only" option. Note: right now we're displaying the icons. We're working on displaying the names instead.
  • Fixed some units not stopping to fire on targets when in Hunt mode and when Smart Hold Fire was enabled.
  • Fixed helicopters not taking into account their altitude to determine their line of sight.
  • Fixed "Short" on-foot pathfind being the fastest route instead of the shortest. Infantry will now follow straighter paths instead of avoiding forests.
  • Fixed pinning a unit in the Armory not working as intended.
  • Fixed most cases of helicopters flying through forests. It will still happen on short distances (
  • Fixed a rare bug that would make it impossible to select units.
  • Fixed disappearing decks at first launch after an update when a used unit had some changes (for instance, Veteran XP not available anymore to a unit). Now only the affected unit will be deleted from the deck.
  • Fixed the Mi-24V [RKT]'s rocket loadout from 10 to 20 (as fitting the model) plus price changed from 130 to 160 accordingly.
  • Fixed Su-25 [RKT]'s 80mm lodaout from a wrong 64 to the proper 80 rockets plus price increased from 95 to 115 accordingly.
  • Fixed the MG-3 gunner's manner of holding the gun.
GENERIC:
  • Normalization pass on units' optics.
  • Normalization pass on supply vehicles' load, in order to even it across al unit cards plus some price changes.
  • Overall adjustements on helicopter prices.
  • Decreased all F-111/Su-24/Tornado tactical bombers (HE, cluster, napalm) max card per deck to 1.
[h2]See you on the battlefield[/h2]
Enough reading, time for some much-wanted action! Get ready to deploy, commander. Let us know what you think of DAVOUT. We can’t wait to hear your feedback and comments.

Join the awesome (and passionate) ever-growing WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get to together with other players on the excellent Discord server, https://www.reddit.com/r/warno/Reddit page, or Instagram.

See you on the battlefield, commander. Over and out!

Cold War RTS game Warno gets two new maps in today's update

Early Access RTS game Warno has an update out today that adds two brand new maps to the map pool. Patch Six introduces Mount River and Two Lakes, as well as a new single-player mode for the Death Row map. The update also includes a welcome list of tweaks and fixes, so let's get down to business.


Mount River is a new 3v3 map that developer Eugen Systems says is 83 square kilometres. Its varied terrain features plateaus, forests, and towns, but its central area is shaped by three lakes that create a series of defensible chokepoints. However, should one battlegroup gain a solid foothold there, the western corridor of the map is prime for flanking manoeuvres, so there's no chance for anyone to get too complacent.


Two Lakes, on the other hand, is a narrower 2v2 map that features central fields surrounding two towns. Adjoining this is a U-shaped forest, which can allow a player to regain some of the initiative if their opponent swiftly captures the towns.


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

Warno's latest update adds divisions, subtracts bugs

Warno early access will feature new content every two weeks

Cold War RTS Warno has launched in Early Access

Patch 6 and New Maps

Hello!

This week's DevBlog is delivered to you quite earlier than usual, but we thought you wouldn't want to wait for Friday to get it ... ;)

Get ready for fresh battlefields for WARNO! A new patch is coming in hot today, delivering a bunch of new content, first and foremost two new maps (and an update to an existing one): Mount River and Two Lakes, with a new single-player version of Death Row.

There is more, of course. Be sure to check out the patch notes below, as the new maps are not the only thing being brought to WARNO.

Let’s take a closer look at the new environments and their defining features.

[h2]Mount River[/h2]
Number one on our list is Mount River with its 83 square km² designed specifically for intense 3vs3 player combat encounters. The battlefield features a kill zone with three lakes in the center of the map. These bodies of water create several chokepoints, which need to be securely controlled by any battlegroup if they wish to advance.

Mount River has quite a bit of varied terrain, including plateaus, forests, a smattering of urban areas scattered throughout. If you want to dominate the opponent, take time and care to investigate the topology to see which ones can be used to gain an advantage over the enemy.

Lastly, the western part of the map is favorable to a flanking maneuver, allowing you to bypass the frontline in one fell swoop. Following this strategy might be risky, though it can drastically tilt the battle in your favor if executed well.



[h2]Two Lakes[/h2]
Next up is the new Two Lakes, which is a default 2vs2 map. Narrower compared to Mount River, it has two towns in the center, surrounded by fields, which can be turned into easily defendable points. Around this central area, dense woodlands are to be found, which turns everything into a giant kill zone. You have to control this wooded “U” shape properly if you want to keep the initiative on this part of the map.

It might not come as a surprise that each side needs to secure the town closest to the central kill zone as quickly as possible, and hold on to block any enemy advance.



[h2]Single Player Death Row[/h2]
We have also updated one of the existing maps with a new single-player variant: Death Row. This was hotly requested by the community. The version is specifically designed to be played in 1vs1 mode (against AI). The actual playable area of Death Row has been shrunk, delivering a more intense and focused battlefield.

One of the major advantages of WARNO’s Early Access is that we can quickly iterate on our player's feedback, which allows for more experimental and varied gameplay. The game keeps not only growing but also evolving. Keep sharing those comments and let us know what you think of Death Row’s new playing area and 1v1 map variant!

[h2]DAVOUT Update[/h2]
As you know, the next milestone - DAVOUT - is coming soon. It is nearly ready, and its content will be delivered to the Strike team before the end of the week. They will perform the very necessary crash testing, before we will ship it to you (likely next week).

[h2]Patch notes[/h2] FEATURES:
  • finalized the transport selection interface in the deck editor
  • transports can now use the smart orders of the units they transport. For instance, an unarmed transport can Seize a location if it transports infantry
  • added a time limit option to lobbys : 20, 30, 40, 60 minutes or "No time limit"
  • added an option "[Tactic] Minimalist Target Infos" that allows to reduce the quantity of informations displayed on the targeting cursor. The option is turned off by default.
  • added the number of the identical weapons in the unit info panel. For instance, M1 Abrams displays "M240 x2" instead of "M240".
  • added "Reveal influence" in the unit info panel. It indicates which units can reveal the influence of commanders in the commandement zones.
  • stun effect doesn't prevent from moving anymore
FIXES:
  • various localization fixes
  • fixed the doublon M113 transport for 8ID's Fire Teams.
  • fixed Rangers' optics.
  • fixed some M151's price/HP which had been ommitted in the previous truck/jeep generic changes.
  • fixed some helicopters' anti-plane (gun!) range.
  • fixed a bug where a missile would go through the target without damaging it, occuring when the distance between shooter and target was too short
  • fixed a bug occuring when giving a right-click attack order on bombers
  • fixed winchester evacuation not working as intended for some planes
  • fixed units getting stuck in "Leaving District" state if the building got destroyed during their exit
  • fixed infantry being visible in destroyed transports
  • fixed AA unnecessarily moving when targeting helicopters
  • fixed a rare case where a command unit could leave a zone without losing ownership if it stayed very close from the border of the zone for a long time before leaving
  • fixed being able to use a smart order through the shortcut even though it wasn't available for the selected unit
  • fixed missiles sometimes going through their target when they were fired too close
  • fixed being able to spawn helicopters in forests. This also fix the permanent furtivity bonus they would gain from a forest spawn.
  • fixed in-game player list not compatible with 10v10
  • fixed bombers being able to bomb flying helicopters
  • fixed ECM not being applied properly. Previously : 20% of ECM against a 50% accuracy missile would reduce its accuracy to 50%-20%=30%. Now : 20% of ECM against a 50% accuracy missile will reduce its accuracy by 20% to (100%-20%)*50%=40%
  • fixed manual orders sometimes being ignored because of Rules of Engagement. Manual orders should now always work independently of RoE settings.
  • fixed destroyed buildings having a black outline
  • fixed not being able to use the advanced deployment of recon units when in transports
  • fixed a performance issue that would get worse the longer the game goes when AI (or smart orders of a real player) tried to unload an helicopter. Note that AI still can't unload helicopters : this will be fixed in a later patch.
  • fixed infantry commanders being able to capture command zone from inside their transports. They now need to unload before capturing.
  • UI performance slighlty improved
GENERIC:
  • decreased 107/120mm mortars' RoF
  • standardized CV units' optics.
  • standardized helicopters' optics.
  • repricing of transport helicopters over the board (Mi-8, UH-60, UH-1, ...)
  • infantry AT weapons (RPG/bazookas) now are more efficient (no AP changes, but damage calculation same as WRD)
  • MMG & HMG can now engage helicopters
WARPAC:
  • renamed Su-24M [CLU]'s RBK 500 into RBK 250 bombs (which stats/price they already had)
  • renamed Su-25 [CLU]'s RBK 500 into RBK 250 bombs (which stats/price they already had)
  • standardized Grom/SPG-9 at 1500m range, 35 ACC & 14 HEAT
  • renamed "Konkon-M" into "Kokon"
  • Mi-8T (transport) can't be refunded (just like Bradleys)
NATO:
  • added HE round to M67 RCL
  • replaced the M113 ACAV's M6 RCL with the proper M40A1 fitting its model
  • increased M1 ABRAMS's price from 140 to 150
  • increased M1 ABRAMS CMD's price from 240 to 250
  • decreased REDEYE's price from 25 to 20
[h2]See you on the battlefield![/h2]
We are very hard at work on our upcoming updates, including DAVOUT and MURAT, but as we explained previously, we just need a little bit more time to get everything in tip-top shape.

Join the awesome (and passionate) growing WARNO community. You can check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Join the excellent Discord server, the new Reddit page and Instagram.

See you on the (new) battlefield!

DAVOUT update, roadmap & upcoming patch

Hello commander,

Today, some updates on Milestone DAVOUT’s progress, what will come after it, and an upcoming patch.

[h2]Update on Milestone DAVOUT[/h2]
We had planned to release DAVOUT this week, but we rather delay it a bit because we are still missing a few models. And especially an iconic one: the Leopard 2. Hence why you haven’t seen it in screenshots before, nor will in this DevBlog.

But we’re almost there: most units are done, with their German paintjob, their picture, … as you can see below:









The NVA isn’t forgotten, of course:





[h2]What’s next?[/h2] Milestone DAVOUT might be delayed a bit, it doesn’t mean we aren’t trying to stick to our 2-milestone per month schedule. While our 3D artists are working hard to deliver the missing 5. Panzerdivision’s models, some of us have already started working on the next step. Steps even.

Here is our planned scheduled for the weeks and months to come:



The next milestone after DAVOUT will be Milestone MURAT, still focusing on German divisions … and some friends. If you don’t know about Napoléon's dashing cavalry commander already, you’ve got only a few weeks left to address that unforgivable shortcoming. ;)

DAVOUT was a hard nut to crack, for it meant modeling (almost) ALL the Bundeswehr’s units in two weeks. MURAT will be different, for it will make use of many of the same equipment, which should give our overworked 3D artists a respite. As planned, we will use this opportunity to introduce towed & crew-served weapons, not only for the new divisions, but for all of them.
Divisions from release and NEY & DAVOUT milestones will also see their ranks beefed up with mortars, field guns, anti-tank or anti-aircraft guns, … Missile weapon systems might take a bit longer though.

[h2]Upcoming patch[/h2]
But much closer from us, we have been working on a major patch, currently being tested by the strike team ... and which should be delivered to you very soon™.
Among other things, it fixes dozens of bugs reported by the community, but also brings the following changes & features:
  • 3 new maps ... which we'll showcase to you soon.
  • Time limit options in the multiplayer lobby.
  • Increased infantry HEAT weapon’s efficiency (similar to WRD’s calculation).
  • ECM rework.
  • Decreased mortars’ RoF.
  • Repricing of transport helicopters.
  • MMG & HMG can now engage helicopters.
  • New Soviet SEAD plane.
  • …
[h2]See you on the battlefield![/h2]
That’s all for this week!
Join the awesome (and passionate) growing WARNO community. You can check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Join the excellent Discord server, the new Reddit page and Instagram.

See you, commander!