Headquarters: World War II News

Hello!

It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the new Dev log entry. The full release of Headquarters: World War II will happen very soon - on the 11th of April, and I would like to tell you more about our ongoing release preparations and the latest changes to the game. This is the last Dev log before the release and I want you all to be well-informed about the project and our progress.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


What have we been doing over the last few months of development?

I am sure many of you would like to know what the Dev team has been working on during the last few months before release. Here is some of that:

• Integrating the final VO in the game and checking it.
  
• Finalizing all technical texts and sending all the materials for localization from English to other supported languages.
  
• Putting the localization in-game and checking it.
  
• Doing some final balancing and review of the missions, units, and all other key elements of the game.
  
• Finishing any things that lagged behind or were left unfinished. (For example, introducing a Terrain info window, correcting the Combat Prediction for Assault, and so on).
  
• Conducting lots of playtests.
  
• Putting a lot of effort into the overall polishing.
  
• Working very intensely on bug fixing.
  
• Doing our best to address all remaining issues in time for the release.
  
• Finalizing the user Manual and other useful hints/tips.
  
• Making sure that new changes do not introduce new problems. Or addressing those problems expediently, when they do happen.
  

This is by far not an exhaustive list, as we have over 200 completed tasks in our internal task tracker for the period of March 2024 alone. That is making it over 500 tracked tasks since January. So, you can imagine how busy the team was.


We released the Demo in February and gathered a lot of useful feedback and suggestions. Below are some key changes that were introduced since that build.


1) We introduced many changes based on players' feedback. Here are a few examples:
A) adjusted the Machine Guns AP attack value to make sure they cannot hurt armor of 30 and above - making them effective only versus unarmored or very lightly armored targets.
B) Made sure units that have no chance of dealing damage are no longer overwatching in these situations. So, now the tanks cannot be used to exhaust the enemy MGs' reaction attacks on futile strikes, for example.
C) Introduced the Camouflage presets designed by the dev team, as well as, functionality for users to add their own ones. Those presets can then be applied quickly to any of the units.


2) Added some features that were missing, for example, the Terrain information. You can quickly toggle between the short and full versions of the Terrain info, similar to the Combat Prediction.


3) Made some balance changes in terms of unit costs, and other parameters. We also added Smoke screen attacks for Artillery and Mortars (as was suggested by the players as well), as before we had it only as teh HQ skill.


4) Added some missing information and hints. For example, we found that some descriptions were missing important pieces of information during the final text review. Now, you should have all the necessary information to play comfortably, and if you cannot find answers to your questions, you will be able to consult the game Manual that we are also finishing right now. We are just finishing it right now so that it has all the most up-to-date information.


5) Dealt with some unexpected difficulties.
As I explained above, while making all the changes it is of critical importance that all the new changes do not adversely affect the overall stability of the game. We take precautions, but sometimes that is not enough, and some less obvious or hard-to-detect issues slip through. Here is one example: we changed how the Spotting system worked, and we did not immediately notice that the game started to freeze often due to that change. So, the problem made it to the Press preview build, as we were looking for the problem source. As soon as we figured it out, we addressed the issue and updated the Press preview, but unfortunately, some creators and press have already experienced the said freezes… Still, the issue was taken care of and we hope to avoid having such problems slipping through to the end users in the future.


The said Spotting change was also an important one. Before, you could only have a vision of enemy units you see at the moment. So, if you moved away, you would immediately lose sight of them. After the change, however, you keep the information on the spotted enemy units until they move. So, you could scout the enemy positions, move away, and then attack them with other units without losing the intel on them until the end of your turn. We did this to avoid the situations, where it feels like your troops have a very short-lived memory, and immediately “forget” where the enemy was. Plus, we avoid situations, where the player knows where the enemy units are, but his troops - do not, so you have to make “blind” shots, etc. Now this problem is resolved.

So, this was a glimpse into our team’s work before release. We will do our best to deliver the best game we can on the 11th of April. At the same time, the further support of the project does not stop on the release day, so while you will start exploring the full game on the 11th, our team will keep working tirelessly to solve any problems you might encounter, or add any improvements or suggestions we could have overlooked so far. So, the release of the game is not an end, it is a new beginning.

I will be back with another Dev log sometime after the release to let you know how it went from the Devs' point of view and update you on our further plans.

Stay tuned, and see you all on April 11th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1840800/Headquarters_World_War_II/

Hello!

It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the new Dev log entry. Today, I want to tell you more about how we approach the design of Skirmish and Multiplayer modes in Headquarters: World War II. I will explain our thinking process and highlight key decisions on the way from the first drafts to the final implementation.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



The thinking process behind the Skirmish design

When we sat down to design the Skirmish and Multiplayer modes we thought of the key things we wanted to achieve. Those key ideas are:
Variability (The player has to have a flexible set of options and enjoy the freedom to decide how and what he wants to play)
Replayability (Based on variability, we want the player to have a unique experience every time he plays)
Competitiveness (We want the Multiplayer games to be suitable for fairly competitive matches - this means balanced and fair in terms of maps, units, and other aspects of the game)
But these principles are just empty words until you come up with very concrete in-game implementations for them.




Variability

In terms of variability, we created very flexible settings that include the following:
Choose the Victory objectives (You can play with any of the 4 objectives on any of the maps)
Choose the starting Prestige and its income rate. (You can decide what starting Prestige all players have, and set the income rate that also depends on the number of Flags you control)
Choose the teams - you can play 1x1, 1x1x1, 1x1x1x1, 2x2, etc.
Choose the starting level, heroes, and HQ skills.



Combine this with different maps and the ability to Generate a Random map or make one using the Editor tool - and you get yourself a very flexible environment to play with and adjust according to your vision.

Replayability

Our other focus was to allow different tactics and different strategies and approaches to play out during the actual gameplay - not just during the initial setup. That is why we created diverse units with their strengths and weaknesses that are more or less powerful depending on the map and the tactical situation. For example, tanks are very powerful and have a large attack range, but they could be taken out by hand-held AT weapons or AT grenades at close range by a much cheaper infantry (if the infantry has good cover or a hiding spot). This makes an all-out tank push into the enemy base a reckless tactic that would not work most of the time, especially against stronger opponents. You have to conduct proper recon, send in supporting units, provide fire support, and so on. That is why most units are useful depending on the situation and tactical layout of the map.



Another aspect of replayability is resource management. You gain extra Prestige points during the match by controlling key points. Every turn you can deploy new units if you have enough Prestige. This means you have to plan ahead and decide - do you want to save up for a more expensive Tiger tank and get it in a couple of turns, or get a couple of Infantry units right now and use them to reinforce your positions?



Competitiveness

From the initial stages of development, we wanted to make Skirmish a robust environment for both single-player and multiplayer experiences. We know that multiplayer is usually very competitive and we wanted to give everyone a fair playing field. This includes our map design - taking extra care to ensure maps are as balanced and fair for every player, as possible. Campaign maps can be irregular and are based on real locations, which is good for storytelling and reenacting historical events, but not made for balanced multiplayer. Skirmish maps on the contrary - first and foremost are balanced and only then embellished with good visuals and interesting locations.

Another thing we take into account is that we can run PBEM multiplayer tournaments as well, but more on that in the Multiplayer section below. We are also really looking forward to the players' community devising their own rule setups and organizing their own community-run events and battles.



Map creation process

Today, I will also lift the curtain a little bit as to how every map in the game looks when it is just the first draft and before it is customized in the editor. We begin by creating a map schematic that shows all tiles, their terrain types, objects on tiles’ edges, height map (elevation), and key locations. Then we review these schematics to see if everything is alright. For Campaign maps, we check the objectives and the general logic of the unfolding events, and consider many other things. For Skirmish maps, we ensure fair starting locations for every player with similar distances to all key points, to make sure it is fair. We, also, make sure that the map has enough opportunities for tactical moves.

Here are some examples of maps' first schematics and how they ended up after many stages of creation:

1x1 Skkrmish map





Another 1x1 Skirmish map





1x1x1 Skirmish map





The map creation process can be divided into the following stages:
Designing Schematics
Creating the empty map in the editor with proper settings
Uploading Schematics to read the gameplay data - terrain types etc.
Working with landscape
Working with terrain visuals
Working with buildings, gameplay objects, and foliage
Adding extra polish and decorative objects.
Of course, each step has lots of things to do and consider - this was just a very general overview.

Multiplayer

Now, I would like to finish today’s Dev log with the Multiplayer review. The core functionality and all the options are exactly the same as in Skirmish, with a bit of extra functionality - like an in-game chat - on top. The main difference is that you can play against real opponents in 3 different modes:
LIVE
PBEM
Hotseat
Also, you can play with 2 to 4 players, in various setups: 1x1, 1x1x1, 1x1x1x1, 2x2, 1x2, etc.
Now, let us look at all 3 modes in more detail.



Combat HQ Asynchronous Play - multiplayer mode

This turn-based play, formerly known at Slitherine as PBEM (Play by Email), is convenient for players who cannot play for a few hours straight. You can manage your time much more freely - come after a work day, play a turn in a couple of games, read something online, then play the next turns and go to sleep. You are in control of how much and how often you play, and can manage that by picking opponents who have similar schedules or playing any number of matches “at once”. So, this slower turn based gameplay mode holds a lot of merit.

Live multiplayer mode

Unlike Asynchronous Play, Live multiplayer is for those who do not like to have drawn-out games and prefer to have them “in one go”. You can get together with friends and play together for a couple of hours while chatting on Discord. In this mode, the game is still turn-based, so you have to wait for other players' turns, but you can see their moves as they make them if their units are spotted by your troops. So, once you engage the enemy you can follow this turn in real time - similar to how you would play in Campaign or in Skirmish vs AI.

Hotseat multiplayer mode

This mode is probably the most archaic, but it still has its uses - you can play with your friends on one PC. That could be fun if you are meeting in real life.

Tournaments

On top of that, we plan to run Tournaments through the Slitherine Combat HQ Asynchronous Play system, allowing you to compete at such events and figure out who has the best tactical mastery. Our team is really looking forward to seeing what cool tactics the community would come up with. We have been playing tournaments internally to test the system and it is great fun as the stakes seemed much higher than normal games.


With the release date coming up very soon - 11th April 2024 - I encourage you to make sure you wishlisted the game to be notified when it is finally out.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1840800/Headquarters_World_War_II/

See you next time!

Attention, commanders!

Oleksandr, Lead Game Designer at Starni Games, was just guest at Slitherine's Tea Time Twitch Stream where he delivered some important news: Headquarters: World War II will be released on April 11.

He was interviewed by Marco A. Minoli and delivered some great developer insight on how the demo went and shed some light on what's coming next for Headquarters.

Watch the full interview here:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hello!

It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the new Dev log entry.

Headquarters: World War II Demo has been publicly available on Steam for everyone to explore for the last two weeks, and was well received. Today, I want to look into the feedback we have collected regarding the Demo and give you an update on our future plans.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Our whole team was very excited to participate in the Steam NEXT Fest that ran from Feb 5 to Feb 12. It was the first time we presented the game to a wide audience. We did have two rounds of Beta, but that was the first time anyone interested could sit down and play it without any limitations, except for the limited content of the Demo. There would also come YouTube coverage, of course. So, any critical bug could ruin everyone’s impression.


While there were some issues with the Demo, a bit more on that later, the overall impression seems very positive. What is most important for us as game developers was that a lot of people were genuinely interested in the game and wanted to play it more. This means that all our efforts over the last 3 years have not been in vain. We gathered as much from the Beta players, but having a wider audience play the game and tell us they like the game is even more inspiring.


There were certain issues of course, so I would name a few most common.
In some cases, an incorrect resolution was applied at first launch (could be changed in the game options to correct one)
The visual issues with lighting and certain video settings when a camera moves were quite annoying.
The Gamepad support did not work in the Campaign selection screen, because we were changing that screen right before the Demo was out. (We addressed that with a 0.38.05 update in a few days)

Despite these issues we are now looking to resolve, the game runs quite well for most players with no common crashes or other critical bugs. So, we are very happy that most players could enjoy the Demo without critical problems or other disturbances.


We have received lots of valuable feedback over the course of the festival. Here are some things we are already implementing:

• Adding the Terrain info
  
• Balancing the AP attack of Machine guns to make sure they cannot damage the 30 mm armor at all. (It was common feedback that MGs having the possibility of dealing even 1 damage to a 30 mm armor is incorrect, so that is addressed)
  
• Adding arrow keys for camera movement alongside the WASD
  
• Fixing lighting issues
  
• Working on adding the option to disable Motion blur in the game options
  
• And a long list of other good suggestions…
  

If you want to add your feedback to the pool - it is not too late for that. Join us on Steam Community hub, or talk to the dev team on the Headquarters Discord channel.


We will try to iron out all the key issues you have reported to us, as well, as add all viable suggestions you have provided aplenty. Time before the Q2 release is very limited, so we will have to focus on the selected number of fixes and improvements, but the process of improving the game further does not stop on the day of release. Quite to the contrary, for us, the release is only a new beginning - meaning that we have a good and enjoyable game to begin with and we can focus on making it just perfect in the long run.

We are preparing to announce the exact release date soon, so stay tuned! And do not forget to add the game to your wishlist if you have not done that yet.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1840800/Headquarters_World_War_II/

[h2]If you somehow missed the Demo - there is still a chance to play it. [/h2]

We decided to extend its availability by one more week, so you can play it for free right now, by following this link.


See you next time!