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Dev log #2 - The British campaign in the Market Garden DLC

Hello!

It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the new Dev log entry. This time we will look at the British campaign around which the entire Market Garden DLC is built.

NEW CAMPAIGN

Market Garden features a new British campaign that follows closely after the Normandy events. Here is the operation list:

1. Road to Valkenswaard
2. Liberation of Eindhoven
3. Liberation of Nijmegen
4. The Battle of Son
5. The Waal Crossing
6. The Elst Assault
7. The Battle of Highway 69
8. Operation Berlin (Arhnem)



The campaign follows a British ground troops unit tasked with reaching the Allied paratroopers that landed in the German rear and are holding key bridges for the main forces' advance.



The operation starts well, but the enemy offers increasingly greater resistance. Due to a number of enemy counterattacks - you have to slow down your advance and even move back to prevent the encirclement. These unfortunate delays put the paratroopers in a dire situation, so your new objective is to help evacuate the surviving paratroopers and help them join main forces and retreat to more tenable positions.



The Market Garden campaign has historically controversial results and we wanted to reflect that in our presentation of these events.

When working on the battle maps we were trying to keep maximum authenticity and present the operation Market Garden as best as we can. We also wanted each mission to have interesting primary and secondary objectives that made sense historically.



Another topic of discussion was to make sure our Market Garden maps look visually different from the Normandy maps, so that you could visually tell you are no longer in France. To achieve that we added a lot of new assets - houses, new buildings, and landmarks. You could clearly see that cities differ a lot, while villages are more alike to our Normandy maps, as there are fewer things we could add that would feel distinct.



The landmarks are a big part of making the maps look authentic and real. We added a number of well-known buildings and structures, such as the Nijmegen bridges and the historical buildings surrounding them. Some maps - like Nijmegen - require a lot of unique assets, while others - like a battle on the road in the middle of nowhere - require no unique assets to feel real.



The campaign features new UK, US, and German units, a new British character, 3 new British heroes, and an updated set of British 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 is just not so many other existing real awards that we could add. Still, we tried to add a few new ones that felt right (mostly from other nations, as key British awards were already explored in the Normandy campaign).



To sum up, 8 new challenging battles await you with new units, environment assets, characters, heroes, awards, and unique combat situations. We really hope that you will enjoy your time in the Netherlands no less than you did in Normandy. While we keep working to improve the game and provide new challenges for your tactical skills.

See you next time!

Join Us at the Ukrainian Games Festival and Unveil the Release Date for new DLC

We are thrilled to announce that Headquarters: World War II will be participating in the Ukrainian Games Festival 2024, running from August 19th to 25th. To celebrate this exciting event, we’re unveiling the official release date for the new DLC, Headquarters: World War II - Market Garden—mark your calendars for September 24th.

The Ukrainian Games Festival is a fantastic opportunity to explore the vibrant world of Ukrainian game development, showcasing an incredible array of titles from large AAA studios to indie developers. Among these is Headquarters: World War II, crafted by the talented Starni Games team based in Kyiv, Ukraine. The team has poured their passion into creating a wargame that is both tactically challenging and visually stunning.

To celebrate this occasion, Headquarters: World War II is now on sale. Get ready to show your support for Ukrainian game developers and let your desktop shine with the spirit of Headquarters: World War II - Market Garden. Thank you for being a part of our journey, and we can’t wait for you to experience the game on September 24th.


📅 Ukrainian Games Festival 2024
Date: August 19th - August 25th
Link: Ukrainian Games Festival 2024
💬 Join the Discord Server

Dev log #1 - Introducing new units in the Market Garden DLC

Hello!

It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the new Dev log entry. I am excited about the Market Garden campaign announcement and want to share more information about it. Today, we will have a look at the new unit models.

[h3]NEW UNITS[/h3]

The operation Market Garden followed right after the end of the Normandy campaign, so there was a small time gap for us to introduce a lot of new models that would be historically appropriate. Still, we managed to add 10 new units. Here are all the new units:


As you can see, there are 5 British units, 3 German, and 2 US ones. Since in operation Market Garden, you will play as UK vs Germany, we focused more on these countries, but we also added a couple of US units for Skirmish and Multiplayer. Moreover, with the Staghound Tulip and Sherman Calliope addition, all 3 countries now have units capable of rocket fire.

[h3]UK UNITS[/h3]

AEC Mk III
This lightly armoured reconnaissance vehicle is armed with a 75 mm Ordnance QF 75 gun, similar to the one installed on medium tanks. This unit is highly effective both against medium armoured vehicles and enemy infantry. It can also deploy smoke screens.



A30 Challenger
This high-speed medium tank with 76 mm long-range anti-tank Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun is extremely effective against enemy armor but less useful against infantry.


This imposing tank has a great combination of mobility and firepower that is especially devastating on the battlefield, as you can have much more tactical options due to high Move points, while also being able to deal a lot of damage with each hit.



BL 5.5-inch medium gun
A medium 140 mm towed howitzer gun with intimidating firepower is a great addition to the UK artillery support capabilities. As with all artillery pieces, it is capable of indirect fire, but can only be moved via transport vehicle.



M7 Priest
Now UK troops can also boast the use of M7 Priest guns, alongside the US allies.
A mobile self-propelled artillery armed with a 105 mm howitzer M101 is capable of long-range artillery support.


Staghound Tulip
This light armoured reconnaissance vehicle is armed with a 37 mm M6 gun. It is also equipped with an RP-3 rocket launcher capable of indirect fire. This unit is suitable for infantry support and fighting lightly armoured enemy vehicles.


It is also the first UK unit in Headquarters: World War II with rocket artillery capabilities, so it could be very useful for suppressing the enemy infantry units, while also having great mobility and reconnaissance capabilities. Just look at it:



[h3]US units[/h3]

G.M.C. M12
This mobile heavy self-propelled 155 mm M1918 howitzer is capable of long-range artillery support. A great addition to the US long-range firepower.



Sherman Calliope
This Sherman tank with a T34 rocket launcher additionally installed on its hull is capable of indirect fire. It also has a mounted machine gun for close-range combat against enemy infantry.


It is the first US unit in Headquarters: World War II with Rocket artillery capabilities, so it could be very useful for suppressing the enemy infantry units, while also having regular Sherman tank fighting capabilities. Have a look at it firing its T34 rocket launcher:



[h3]German units[/h3]

Nashorn
A mobile lightly armored self-propelled 88 mm long-range anti-tank unit with a Pak 43/1 gun. It is extremely effective against enemy armor but less useful against infantry. Due to its weak armor, Nashorn is quite vulnerable, but its mobility could compensate for that.



Panzer IIL
This light tank is armed with a fast-firing 20 mm KwK 38 cannon. Panzer IIL is suitable for infantry support and fighting lightly armored enemy vehicles. It is less effective against tanks because of its small caliber gun.


This is the first Light tank in the game with a fast-firing cannon (there is a British CrusaderIII MkI AA variant, but it is technically considered a self-propelled AAA gun). It combines good mobility and high HE attack value due to its fast-firing cannon but is weak against enemy armor.



Hummel
This mobile heavy self-propelled 150 mm sFH 18 howitzer is capable of long-range artillery support. It is a great addition to the artillery units and offers decent protection and mobility for an artillery piece.


These are the new units we are going to add in the Market Garden DLC. In the next Dev log, I will tell you more about the new British campaign that awaits you in the Market Garden, and how we are working to deliver it to you.

See you next time!

New DLC Announcement: Headquarters: World War II - Market Garden

Attention, Commanders!

We are thrilled to announce the upcoming release of the next DLC for Headquarters: World War II - Market Garden.

Headquarters: World War II - Market Garden introduces a new British campaign with eight meticulously crafted battles covering the events of Operation Market Garden. Your force must reach the paratroopers holding the key bridges as soon as possible. However, nothing goes according to plan, and your troops have to deal with the ensuing chaos.

An 8-mission campaign with storytelling elements that will challenge your tactical skills. 10 new units to use in both campaign and skirmish/multiplayer modes. 3 new British heroes. Numerous new visual assets creating mesmerising locations of the WWII-period Netherlands.

Get ready to command, conquer, and liberate with the Headquarters: World War II - Market Garden DLC! Stay tuned for more updates and the official release date.

Headquarters: World War II - First Tournament Ever

Attention, Commanders!


We are excited to announce the launch of a new patch for Headquarters: World War II, which adds new features to the PBEM system and multiplayer. This update allows us to host a beta test for the very first Headquarters: World War II Tournament!

Do not miss the chance to sign-up to the Beta Speed Tournament which will feature 3 multiplayer maps:
#1 Riverside Battle
#2 Cannonade at Royal Chateau
#3 Military Base Takeover

You can sign-up here.

The tournament follows Swiss Tournament rules: you can find the full list of rules here.
The first round will commence on Thursday, 4th July 2024. No further entries can be accepted after the tournament has begun.

The tournament will last 3 rounds, 7 days each. Games are paired, so each matchup will be played both ways. All you need to do is sign up, then the system will pair you with opponents and create your PBEM games. You will be notified by mail of when the tournament is starting and when it will be time to play your turns.

And now, a message from the devs.

Hello! It is Oleksandr from Starni Games.

First of all, I am sorry for the issues many players had with the 1.00.06 Update. We just released a 1.00.07 Update that should address all key problems - please make sure you are playing the most up-to-date version of the game. We will keep polishing the game and making sure it runs smoothly for everyone.

Secondly, we are starting to run regular tournaments for Headquarters: World War II. We did a number of internal tournaments for testing, and we found a few issues that were fixed with the 1.00.07 Update. So, we think it is time to start running the public tournaments. However, we would still treat the first couple of tournaments as Beta-tournaments to make sure everything works well for a larger number of players.

We are really excited to see Headquarters: World War II played more competitively, and looking forward to making more and more tournaments in due time.

If you have any questions about tournaments in Headquarters - do not hesitate to ask them in the comments below or at Slitherine forums and Steam Community hub.


Looking forward to hearing your feedback!