Headquarters: World War II News

Hello, Commanders!


This year is packed with new updates, DLCs, and features that we think you’ll love. Here’s a breakdown of what’s coming up throughout the year:



Early 2025
We’ve kicked things off with a free update that focuses on improving the AI. This update addresses the AI’s behavior in Skirmish, particularly its unit purchase algorithm. It's the first step in a series of AI improvements that will be rolled out throughout the year.

Alongside these AI changes, we’ll be making important balance adjustments. Expect tweaks to unit costs and other parameters to refine the overall gameplay experience.

Additionally, we’re bringing out in 1 week our first major paid content of the year with the Ardennes DLC. This DLC will let you relive the dramatic moments of the Battle of the Bulge, but with a twist – you’ll get to play both sides of the conflict. It’s a narrative-driven experience that shifts perspectives, giving you a deeper look at this pivotal moment in history.


Spring
As we approach spring, we’ll be gearing up to celebrate Headquarters: World War II’s upcoming 1-Year Anniversary. It’s hard to believe the launch is almost a year behind us, and we’ve got some exciting surprises in store to mark the occasion.

We’ll also be rolling out another free update that builds on the previous AI improvements, adding further refinements and bug fixes to ensure smoother gameplay.


Summer
In the summer, we’ll be releasing a smaller, wallet-friendly DLC. While it won’t be as large as Market Garden or Ardennes, it will offer fresh content that is sure to be an exciting addition for players looking for something new.

Alongside this, we’ll also release another free update focused on gameplay and balance changes, ensuring everything continues to run smoothly and providing more fine-tuned adjustments based on your feedback.


Winter
To wrap up the year, we’ve got something huge planned: Steam Workshop support. This highly anticipated feature will allow you to share and download community-created maps for both Skirmish and Multiplayer modes. It’s going to open up a whole new world of content and creativity, and we’re excited to see what you all come up with.


Additionally, we’ll be releasing a final free update for the year, which will include the latest round of AI improvements and other fixes to wrap up 2025 on a high note.


We’re looking forward to an incredible year ahead with all of you. From AI updates to new DLC and community features, we’re committed to making Headquarters: World War II even better in 2025.


Thanks for your continued support, and we can’t wait to see you on the battlefield!

Hello!
It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the final Dev log entry dedicated to the upcoming Ardennes DLC. In the previous Dev log, we talked about the German campaign. Today, we will examine the USA campaign to see what it has in store for you when the Ardennes DLC comes out on the 18th of February 2025.

[h3]USA CAMPAIGN[/h3]
While the German campaign that covers the first few weeks of the Ardennes Offensive, also known as, the Battle of the Bulge, starts on December 16th, 1944, the USA campaign starts a few days later and covers events happening on another section of the frontline. Here, the US forces are counterattacking the advancing German army with the strategic task of relieving the troops that hold out in the encircled town of Bastogne, and ultimately pushing the German troops back. Unlike the German campaign, here all 8 missions have a snow-covered terrain. Below, you can find the list of operations and weather conditions in them:

1. Reconnaissance at Martelange | Snowfall
2. Breakthrough at Burnon | Snow + night
3. Battle for Chaumont | Snow
4. Battle for Bigonville | Snowfall
5. Push for Bastogne | Snow
6. Battle of Sibret | Snowfall
7. Mageret Assault | Snowfall
8. Wardin Counterattack | Snowfall + night


The campaign was built around the Siege of Bastogne, where the US troops operated in full encirclement. They put up a strong resistance to the German troops, but they would not have been able to resist for long without supplies. Here is where our forces come in. Our goal for the first four missions is to pave the way through territories freshly captured by the German army and reach Bastogne.


You will have to perform swift day and night operations to move forward at maximum speed, passing Martelange, Burnon, and Chaumont and reaching as far as Bigonville. The Germans, though, would not sit idly by. They would do everything in their power to stop your forces and keep Bastogne encircled.


As you approach Bastogne, you will have to help the first supplies column to break through the German lines and finally reach the exhausted yet valiant garrison of the town.


Finally, you have reached your initial goal and ensured that Bastogne now has a steady inflow of supplies, raising the spirits and combat readiness of the local forces.


Now, your next goal is to help defend Bastogne and push the German forces concentrated around the town further and further away from it. The first decisive action you will take is at Sibret, where you must defeat a strong German force and recapture a nearby town and villages.


Your final battle of the campaign happens at Wardin, where you have to defeat a powerful enemy force and fight your fiercest battle so far. The final face-off will make it clear who is in charge in and around Bastogne and will crush any remaining German hopes of keeping the area under control.


To sum up, 8 new challenging battles await you with new units, winter environment assets, characters, heroes, awards, and unique combat situations. We really hope that you will be excited to explore the Ardennes and relive the momentous events. Meanwhile, we keep working to improve the game and provide new challenges for your tactical skills.

P.S. The Ardennes DLC will be out on 18th February, together with a free update for all Headquarters: World War II players with big changes to units’ costs and some other balance changes aimed at making the multiplayer games more exciting by allowing you to use more armored units - as they become much cheaper and less risky to use.
We are always looking forward to your feedback and suggestions!

See you next time!

WISHLIST NOW:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3295310/Headquarters_World_War_II__Ardennes/

Hello Commanders,
We have some exciting news for you: Ardennes, the second DLC for Headquarters: World War II, is coming on February 18th.

If you're eager for a sneak peek of the DLC, you can sign up to the closed beta here. [https://www.slitherine.com/beta/headquarters-world-war-ii-ardennes]

Here are a few exciting details you might want to know:

[h3]UNITS LIST[/h3]
New USA units:

• M26 Pershing
  
• M24 Chaffee
  
• M36 tank destroyer
  
• 3-inch gun M5
  
• T26Е4 “Super Pershing”
  

New German units:

• Jagdpanzer IV
  
• Panzerwerfer 42
  
• Wirbelwind
  

New UK units:

• M24 Chaffee
  
• A34 Comet
  
• Centurion Mk.1
  
• Sherman Firefly Tulip
  

[h3]SCENARIOS LIST[/h3]
German campaign:

• Battle for Auw
  
• Breakthrough at Andler
  
• Encirclement at Schoenberg
  
• Battle of the Schnee Eifel Pocket
  
• St. Vith Assault
  
• Ourthe Crossing
  
• Rochefort Assault
  
• Push for Celles
  

US campaign:

• Reconnaissance at Martelange
  
• Breakthrough at Burnon
  
• Battle for Chaumont
  
• Battle for Bigonville
  
• Push for Bastogne
  
• Battle of Sibret
  
• Mageret Assault
  
• Wardin Counterattack
  

See you on February 18th.

Wishlist now
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3295310/Headquarters_World_War_II__Ardennes/

We are happy to report that the new update version that has been in Open Beta is now FULLY RELEASED. Grab the update today.

This new update includes a number of fixes and tweaks, as well as some of the first fixes and updates for the Skirmish AI, in regards to the AI sometimes 'stalling' in its attack during Skirmish games.

This is the first part of the AI updates so expect more AI improvements in the coming weeks (mainly focused on Skirmish & MP, but will have some effect in the campaigns too).

A full changelog for the update is here:
Headquarters: World War II
Version 1.01.02

AI Improvements:

• Introduced a new AI purchasing algorithm in skirmish and multiplayer. Now AI should be more efficient in the way it selects new units to acquire.
  
• AI now moves all units before deploying new ones. This way it cannot block its own units’ movement with the newly deployed units that cannot move this turn.
  

Fixes:

• Fixed a very common crash in PBEM multiplayer.
  
• UE4Editor_UEBA!TBattlefieldScreenForm::OnStateChangedUpdateSelectedObject()
  
• [c:\home\baroot\battleacademy\view\tbattlefieldscreenform.cpp:658]
  
• Fixed the animation lags during the AI turn.
  
• Fixed crash with unit customization that happened if you delete the Preset you are using and then press the “Change preset” button.
  
• Fixed crash that occurred when selecting the lowest save file in the list using Gamepad controls
  
• Fixed crash when that could occur when skipping unit animations using Gamepad controls.
  
• Fixed issue with user-created maps that have the same map name - they will all have the same minimap from the first map with that map name. Now, the minimaps are correct.
  
• Fixed localization for the version control notifications.
  
• Fixed a rare bug that allowed AI to deploy a unit on the player’s HQ.
  

Hello!
It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the new Dev log entry. The upcoming Ardennes DLC has two new campaigns - the German and the US. Today, we will examine the German campaign to see what it has in store for you when the Ardennes DLC comes out.

GERMAN CAMPAIGN

As you know, the Ardennes Offensive, also known as, the Battle of the Bulge, started on December 16th, 1944, following Operation Market Garden. In the first days, there was no snow despite it being the middle of December, so we tried to recreate that weather in the game. That is why the first few battles look more like late autumn than winter. Here is the list of operations and weather conditions in them:

1. Battle for Auw | No snow
2. Breakthrough at Andler | No snow
3. Encirclement at Schoenberg | No snow
4. Battle of the Schnee Eifel Pocket | No snow
5. St. Vith Assault | Snowfall + night
6. Ourthe Crossing | Snow, fair weather
7. Rochefort Assault | Snow, fair weather
8. Push for Celles | Snowfall


The campaign follows the central axis of the German Offensive, including the capture of St. Vith and eventually breaking through as far as Celles. At the same time, the US campaign will be focused more on the Battle for Bastogne.


In command of the German troops, you must ensure the successful advance of your forces and take control of several vital towns in Ardennes. In some missions, the weather would not be in your favor, but you will have to persist, despite the adversity.


As you push forward, the enemy will put up ever stronger resistance, until you reach a breaking point at Celles, where the battle will be as tough as it gets, and you will have to push your tactical skills to a limit to find a way to overcome strong enemy forces and arriving reinforcements. We did our best to try and replicate the increasing difficulty that the German army met in the Ardennes, ultimately losing momentum and stopping the advance, only to be pushed back very soon.


The campaign starts in high spirits and ends in extremely tough and gruesome battles that tire out the already weakened German forces forcing them on the back foot once again. Still, it is one of the last German offensives in the war, and it is fascinating to recreate those epochal events.


The weather plays a crucial role in the campaign, as it dictates the visibility on the battlefield. Advance in bad weather is extremely risky, as you can run right into the enemy positions at close range. At the same time, you are also getting extra camouflage to hide your troops’ movement. So, having good reconnaissance and moving your troops inconspicuously are even more vital skills in bad weather conditions.


The campaign features new German and US units, a new German character, 3 new German heroes, and an updated set of German awards. Although, the awards are a sore point for the team - there are not so many historically accurate new awards we could provide to the player that would fit the character’s rank and achievements, so we had to use some of the ones we also awarded in Normandy - there are just not so many other existing real awards that we could add.


To sum up, 8 new challenging battles await you with new units, autumn and winter environment assets, characters, heroes, awards, and unique combat situations. We really hope that you will be excited to explore the Ardennes and relive the momentous events. While we keep working to improve the game and provide new challenges for your tactical skills.

P.S. We are also working on some changes to the multiplayer balance to make tanks a more viable choice in competitive multiplayer games. We will update you on that in the next Dev log entries.

See you next time!