Update 3.5 - Release Notes [2/3]

Part 1

[h2]Desync, AI, General changes, Commonwealth[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/317600/view/3982938673437067888

[h2]Soviets[/h2]

Starting unit: Ingenery → Observer Team
- Dev note: Soviets have quite a complex starting unit roster with many options available. Some of these are very bad in terms of momentum building and ultimately result in the faction falling behind from the start. This is quite different from all other factions that generally have fewer choices available. This in turn means that players are much less likely to make a major mistake in their initial army composition. Observers are a mandatory unit to ensure good capping power and early game map presence, but it is difficult to gauge when exactly to field them alongside Ingenery and Conscripts. At the same time, the T1 options of the HMG team and Sniper aren't as vital to be fielded immediately as they usually need one or two support squads to be useful. Observers coming as a starting unit should help smooth out the initial unit choices, while also ensuring early game capping power.
Full update for all Infantry models and textures (courtesy of Halftrack & S42 mod), this includes:
- More distinct (unique) visuals for Observers
- Less performance demanding unit models
- More varying and unique visuals for Naval Infantry, Partisans, Weapon Crews

[h3]Ingenery[/h3]

Deployment time: 28 s → 16 s

[h3]Conscripts[/h3]

Veterancy rank 1 now also provides -10% received accuracy

[h3]SG-43 Heavy Machine Gun Team[/h3]

Teardown time: 2.6s → 2.1s

[h3]Command Squad[/h3]

Manpower cost: 300 → 240
Reinforce cost: 38 → 30
Reinforce time multiplier: 1.5 → 1
Now receives shared veterancy from Infantry and Weapon Crews (similar to CW officers):
- Units share 50% of their own veterancy gain with the Command Squad in a 40 m radius
Veterancy requirements: 8/16/32 → 12/24/48
Upkeep reduction bonus:
- Vet 0: -5% → -15%
- Vet 1: -5% → -10% (cumulative effect: -10% → -23.5%)
- Vet 2: -5% (cumulative effect: -14% → -27%)
- Vet 3: -5% (cumulative effect: -19% → -31%)
Now come with DP-28 LMG by default
DP-28 LMG can no longer be dropped
For The Motherland now affects every own Infantry unit on the map.

[h3]Tank Hall[/h3]

Added T-34/76:
- Cost: 360 mp, 70 fuel
T-34/85 moved to reward unit status as alternative for the T-34/76.

[h3]T-34/76 and T-34/85[/h3]

Fixed inversed vertical hull mg animations
ATo-42 Flamethrower:
- Fixed broken horizontal and vertical animations. (This caused the flamethrower to be practically unusable as it could only target units directly in front of the weapon.)
- Rebalanced flamethrower damage output from the ground up. (Now similar to Churchill Crocodile flamethrower.)

[h3]SU-100[/h3]

Focused Firing ability also increases weapon range to 55m
Removed +14% damage multiplier against medium tanks/assault guns (Stug, hetzer, zrinyji, ostwind, panzer iii, panzer iv)

[h3]IS-2 Heavy Tank[/h3]

Hitpoints 764 → 840
Fuel cost: 140 → 130
Hull traverse speed: 26 → 24
Top speed: 3.8 → 4.0
Acceleration: 2.2 → 1.8
122 mm D-25T:
- Base accuracy (s/m/l): 1/0.85/0.7 → 1/1/0.8
- Area of Effect radii: (s/m/l): 0.5/2/4.3 → 0.75/1.25/3.5/4.7
- Area of effect damage multipliers (s/m/l): 1/0.25/0.1/0.1 → 1/0.25/0.15/0.1
- Moving accuracy multiplier: 0.5 → 0.55
- Damage multiplier vs Soldier infantry type: 0.9 → 0.6
- Penetration multiplier vs Panther: 1.36 → 1.06
- Penetration multiplier vs Elefant: 0.8 → 0.68

[h3]BT-7 Cavalry Tank[/h3]

Manpower cost: 270 → 260
Fuel cost: 35 → 30
45 mm 20K tank gun:
- Base accuracy (s/m/l): 1/0.9/0.7 → 1/1/0.7
- Base penetration (s/m/l): 1/0.9/0.8 → 1/0.95/0.9
- Damage multiplier against medium tanks: 1 → 1.25
- Turret traverse speed 50 → 100
- Penetration multipliers:
  - StuG IV: 0.24 → 0.31
  - Panzer III: 0.38 → 0.48
  - Panzer IV: 0.32 → 0.42
- Added AP rounds ability that increases gun penetration by 60% and damage by 25% for 25 seconds
BT-7A KT-28 Howitzer upgrade reworked:
- Now requires Tank Hall
- ammunition cost 75 → 125
- Rebalanced damage profile and enabled artillery shell ballistics
- Upgrade now enables 76 mm HE Barrage ability:
  - Salvo: 5
  - Recharge time: 90s
  - Range: 130 m
- KT-28 76mm Howitzer:
  - reload 5.5-6s → 7.5-8.5s
  - Area of Effect radii (s/m/l): 0.5/1.5/3 → 0.5/2.5/5.2
  - Area of Effect damage multipliers (s/m/l): 1/0.8/0.4 → 1/0.4/0.2
  - Weapon range: 40 m → 35 m
  - Changed shell impact FX.
  - Turret traverse speed 38 → 50

[h3]SU-76[/h3]

Manpower cost: 280 → 270
Fuel cost: 40 → 35
Artillery Ammunition removed.
76 mm ZiS-3 reload time: 5-5.5 s → 4.5-5 s
Fixed various abysmal penetration chances vs tanks
NEW: Rapid fire:
- Cost: 35 munitions
- Duration: 20s
- Reduces reload time by 40%
Now affected by Improved Ammunition again
Slightly improved overall mobility

[h3]Improved Ammunition[/h3]

Base benetration bonuses:
- T-34/76: +15% → +50%
- T-34/85: +15% → +20%
- SU-76: +15% → +30%
Dev note: Due to how base penetration and target specific multipliers interact, the net effect of Improved Ammunition was often hardly noticeable against a lot of targets. The net effect is now roughly 10-15% as opposed to only 5-7%, with some outliers being better/worse.

[h3]Soviet Propaganda Strategy[/h3]

Right Branch: Partisans (1) → Machine of War (2) → Sturmovik Airstrike (3)
Removed KV-85 Heavy Tank
Added Machine of War:
- Soviet Industry produces at maximum capacity!
- Population cap is increased by 10%
- Unit upkeep costs are reduced by 25%
- infantry weapon upgrades are 25% cheaper and equip 50% faster
- Vehicles/Tanks are produced 50% faster
- Ingenery repair 33% faster

[h3]Partisans[/h3]

Added Scorched Earth (cost: 35 munitions)
Dev note: Besides laying mines, Partisans were lacking tools to harass and hamper enemy operations. The ability to spawn behind enemy lines paired with the option to disable strategic points should aid in emphasizing the unique traits of Partisans over default Infantry units.
Weapon packages now equip 4 SMGs at once.
Weapon package upgrade icons will now properly indicate PPD40 in friendly territory, and MP40 in Neutral/Enemy territory.
Hitpoints: 70 → 75
Upkeep cost (mp/min): 7.7 → 8
Mauser/Mosin rifles:
- Base accuracy (s/m/l): 0.85/0.6/0.3 → 0.75/0.55/0.35
- Close range cooldown multiplier: 0.6 → 0.75
- DPS change (s/m/l): -16%/-8%/+12%
PPD40/MP40 SMGs:
- Fixed and rebalanced a plethora of weapon statistics for overall improved consistency.
- DPS change (s/m/l): -/+25%/+5%

[h3]Sturmovik Airstrike[/h3]

Plane count: 1 → 2
Delay between planes: 1.5s
PTAB base damage: 60 → 75
Removed Air Raid alarm sound

[h3]Naval Infantry[/h3]

No longer passively heal while in combat
Resilience received accuracy: -15% → -10%

[h3]Observer Team[/h3]

Updated unit icon, symbol and portrait.
Change speaker from Sniper to Recon (similar to Conscripts, but with recon speaker enabled).
Implemented proper Tokarev TT-33 pistol model and firing sound (Unleash the hand cannon!).
Added Off-map Smoke Barrage ability
TT-33 Pistol range: 35 → 20
TT-33 Pistol range brackets: 8/17/35 → 5/15/20

[h3]82mm Mortar Team[/h3]

Veterancy requirements: 8/16/32 → 7/14/28
Base cooldown: 6-8 s → 7-9 s
Cooldown multipliers (s/m/l): 1/1/1.2 → 1/1./1.25
Critical type: Infantry → Weapon Crew

[h3]Heavy Mortar Team[/h3]

Crew size: 3 → 4
Hitpoints: 55 → 60
Call-in manpower cost: 350 → 320
Population cost: 6 → 5
Critical type: Infantry → Weapon Crew
Weapon setup time: 4s → 3s
Weapon teardown time: 4.5s → 3.4s
107 mm Mortar Barrage:
- Base cooldown: 2.5-3s → 1s
- Salvo: 3 → 5
- Cooldown: 60s → 15s
NEW: Creeping Barrage:
- Cost: 35 munitions
- Fire a salvo of fifteen 107 mm mortar shells in rapid succession along a predetermined path.
NEW: Creeping Smoke Barrage:
- Cost: n/a
- Fire a salvo of fifteen 107 mm smoke mortar shells in rapid succession along a predetermined path.

[h3]Breakthrough Strategies[/h3]

Guards CP cost: 3 → 2
Breakthrough Assault CP cost: 1 → 2
Infantry Storm CP cost: 2 → 1
Heavy Mortar CP cost: 2 → 3
Breakthrough Artillery CP cost: 3 → 2

[h3]Guards[/h3]

Hitpoints: 75 → 90
Removed passive health regeneration
Reinforce time: 10s → 8s
Suppressed activation threshold: 0.35 → 0.3
Pin down activation threshold: 0.85 → 0.75
Pin down recovery threshold: 0.65 → 0.6
Suppression recovery rate: 0.015 → 0.012
Veterancy requirements: 12/24/48 → 10/20/40
Added -50% suppression multiplier
Infantry critical type: Infantry → Assault

[h3]Shock Infantry[/h3]

Renamed from Shock Strelky
Upgrade now also affects Guards:
- Increases hitpoints by 10
- Enables passive health regeneration (10.56 hp/min)

[h3]Breakthrough Artillery[/h3]

Reworked into an Overwatch Barrage:
- Can be used anywhere (not tied to territory)
- Radius: 35 m
- Total duration: 40s
Two off-map heavy artillery overwatches will be activated:
- 203 mm B-4 Howitzers:
  - Targets Vehicles, Tanks and Structures.
  - Orange smoke will appear where shells are targeted.
  - Salvo: 1
  - Interval: 11s (will fire up to 5 salvos)
- 152 mm ML-20 Howitzers:
  - Targets Infantry and Structures.
  - Orange smoke will appear where shells are targeted.
  - Salvo: 2
  - Interval: 10s (will fire up to 5 salvos)
Cost: 175 munitions
Cooldown: 90s after usage
Updated ability icon an description

[h3]KV-2[/h3]

Added proper heavy artillery firing sound and visuals.

[h3]RPG-43 Anti-Tank Grenade[/h3]

Detonation delay: 2.7s → 1.5s
Base damage: 120-150 → 200
Throwing range: 24 → 18

[h2]Ostheer[/h2]

[h3]Sturmpioneers[/h3]

Veterancy requirements: 6/12/24/48 → 7/14/28/49
Granatbuchse 39:
- Damage multiplier vs heavy cover: 1.1 → 1
- Reload time: 5-6s → 7-8s
- Long range accuracy: 0.75 → 0.6
- Max scatter distance: 6 → 7
NEW: MP40 SMGs upgrade
- Cost: 60 munitions
- Equip the squad with three MP40 SMGs for better short range firepower

[h3]Landsers[/h3]

Gewehr43/MKb.42:
- Base cooldown: 1.5-2s → 2-2.5s
- Cooldown multipliers (s/m/l): 0.8/1/1.8 → 0.65/1/1.4
- Squad DPS change (s/m/l): -/-15%/-
- Dev note: Landsers were firing too fast on medium range (~50% faster fire rate than Riflemen; this change reduces that to ~20%), enabling them to drop models at a much quicker rate than intended.
MG34 Light Machine Gun:
- Base damage 6 → 5
- Base accuracy (s/m/l): 0.7/0.375/0.175 → 0.7/0.35/0.175
- Fire aim time multipliers (s/m/l): 0.3/1/1 → 0.1/1/2
- DPS change (s/m/l): -10%/-22%/-20%

[h3]Mortar Team[/h3]

Critical type: Infantry → Weapon Crew
Veterancy requirements: 6/12/24/48 → 7/14/28/49
Airburst Barrage:
- Suppression modifier vs light cover: 0.75 → 0.6
- Suppression modifier vs heavy cover: 0.5 → 0.4
- Area of Effect radius: 13.5 → 12
- Area of Effect radii (s/m/l/d): 2/4.5/8/13.5 → 2/3.5/7/12
- Reworked criticals vs Infantry:
  - Green hp bracket casualty chance: 5% → 0%
  - Yellow hp bracket casualty chance: 25% → 10%
  - Yellow hp bracket soldier killed chance: 25% → 5%
  - Dev note: The Airburst now is similar to the Incendiary Mortar, having no chance to kill models through critical hits in the green hp bracket. It also will have a significantly lower chance of killing models in the yellow hp bracket, going from 50% chance to 15%. This is primarily to reduce the oppressiveness of Airburst shells against weapon teams, but also to ensure the Airburst Barrage should be used in its intended role; zone controlling through suppression and moderare aoe damage, as opposed to having a very high killing potential per shell.

[h3]Honved[/h3]

Implemented completely new unit visuals (courtesy of Halftrack & S42 mod).
Panceltoro 44M munition cost: 100 → 80

[h3]Panzerfusiliers[/h3]

Infantry type: Infantry → Elite
Reduced the overall Kar98k/G43 DPS to offset the vastly increased durability:
- Normalized the DPS between the Kar98k and G43 squad leader weapons
- DPS change (s/m/l): -5%/-8%/-13%
Scoped MP44 package:
- Now grants 5 weapons at once instead of 2x2
- Now limited to 1 per squad
- Requires 5 free slot items
- Upgrade completion time: 20s → 30s
- Munition cost: 75 → 100 (previously it was 2x75 = 150 for a total of 4 weapons)
- Tweaked weapon DPS profile

[h3]MG34 Heavy Machine Gun Team[/h3]

Setup time: 2.4s → 3s

[h3]75 mm Pak 97/38 Anti-Tank Gun[/h3]

HEAT shells base penetration (all ranges): 1 → 2
Damage multiplier vs BA64: 1.5 → 1
Damage multiplier vs M3 Halftrack: 1.35 → 1 (will no longer 2 shot them consistently)
Accuracy multiplier vs M4 Sherman: 1.1 → 1.00
Penetration multipliers:
- M26 Pershing: 0.45 → 0.35
- IS-2: 0.54 → 0.33

[h3]Skirmish Commander[/h3]

Priority Defense:
- Now affects every own unit in all friendly territory
- Merged in most of the effects of Counterattack (previously available in Joint Operations)
- Recharge time: 120 s → 240 s

[h3]Luchs[/h3]

Hitpoints: 315 → 380
Fixed bugged main gun animation (this impacted combat performance a lot)
Fixed bugged coaxial machine gun animations
Significantly increased coaxial machine gun damage output (now similar to Armored Car)

[h3]Jagdpanzer IV[/h3]

Ready aim time: 1-1.2s → 0.5s
Horizontal gun traverse speed: 25 → 35
Moving accuracy multiplier: 0.5 → 0.65
Improved Coaxial MG42 performance against infantry
Hitpoints: 700 → 742
Manpower cost: 480 → 460
Fuel cost: 100 → 90
Removed Coated Optics

[h3]Division Assault Troops[/h3]

Fuel cost: 45 → 60

[h3]Panzer Recon Company[/h3]

Construction time: 45 s -> 50 s
Manpower cost: 240 → 260
Fuel cost: 65 → 60
NEW global Upgrade: Spotting Scopes
- Cost: 200 mp, 60 fuel
- Increases vehicle/tank sight range (+3 m) and main gun range (+5 m)
- Affects: Panzer III, Panzer IV, Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz, Tiger I, Elefant, Jagdpanzer IV

[h3]Mechanized Command[/h3]

Fuel cost 90 → 70
Removed Panzer 38(t)
Added Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz
Dev note: The Panzer 38(t) is intended to fulfil the gameplay role as anti-infantry specialist with the capability to fight other light vehicles. It also is meant to serve as a late game counter against infantry-heavy tactics, especially (elite) assault infantry. However, its intended role can rarely be utilized to reliable extend, especially during later stages in the game. This due to a combination of long time-to-kill against (multiple) infantry squads, high vulnerability to anti-tank weapons and other (light) vehicles/tanks, and late first appearance. This meant that the Panzer 38(t) had a highly limited window of opportunity in which it was a viable choice. Unlike the PE Hotchkiss, which in terms of combat performance is very similar, the Panzer 38(t) also lacks a secondary role it can fulfil (Hotchkiss Stuka; indirect fire support) when its primary role diminishes in use, or an upgun upgrade.

All-in-all, it generally positioned the Panzer 38(t) as dysfunctional within its intended role, often left in favour for the Panzer III or Panzer IV, or doctrinal options like the Flammpanzer III.

For this reason, the Panzer 38(t) is moved into T3 as alternative unit to the Luchs, and the Kugelblitz takes its place in T4. Like other Flakpanzers, the Kugelblitz is a much more potent platform to engage and quickly silence (multiple) infantry squads due to its fast-firing 30 mm autocannon and decent overall durability. This not only enables for more diverse late game army composition choices, but also means the faction now has a functional and desirable unit within this unit slot. This in turn means that the faction is less forced to solely rely on the Panzer IV, and thus gives T4 a much-needed fuel-cheap alternative to battle infantry-heavy tactics.

[h3]NEW: Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz[/h3]

Cost: 320 mp, 55 fuel
Hitpoints: 500
Armor type: Panzer IV
Abilities: Armor-Piercing Shells (35 munitions)

[h3]Wespe[/h3]

Population cost: 8 → 10

[h3]88 mm PaK 43 AT Gun[/h3]

Population cost: 5 → 7

[h3]Concrete Emplacement[/h3]

Manpower cost: 75 → 20
Flak Emplacement manpower cost: 100 → 150
Field Hospital manpower cost: 100 → 150

[h3]Blendkörper Grenade[/h3]

Now directly targets vehicles
Adjusted projectile speed to be more reliable

[h3]Pervitin[/h3]

Exhaustion duration: 10s → 25s
Recharge time 90s → 180s

[h3]Panzer III[/h3]

Manpower cost: 340 → 360
Deployment time: 45s → 55s
Removed Coated Optics
HEAT shells:
- Base damage: 90 → 87.5
- Removed +25% damage multiplier on close range AoE
- Added +25% damage multiplier against most tanks (112.5 → 110 dmg)
- Fixed inconsistent damage multipliers vs light vehicles to offset the above changes
- Improved accuracy vs M10/M18

[h3]Panzerwerfer[/h3]

Fuel cost: 20 → 25
Incendiary Rockets munition cost: 100 → 125

[h3]Elefant[/h3]

Now can be upgraded with Coated Optics
Reduced accuracy against infantry by 5% to offset the range increase with Coated Optics
Improved main gun recoil animation
Increased chassis recoil kickback animation when firing the main gun
Changed main gun firing sound to match other 88 mm KwK/Pak43 guns
Fixed suspension animation running too fast
Removed bouncing effect while idling
Removed Coated Optics

[h3]Joint Operations[/h3]

Removed Counterattack:
- Dev note: Counterattack is now merged into the Priority Defense ability available to the Skirmish Commander.
Added Airdrop Medical Supplies (1cp)

[h3]Ju-88 Bombardment[/h3]

Munition cost: 150 → 160
Reworked ability from the ground up:
- Two visible planes will now appear in succession of each other (1.5s delay between planes), dropping 250kg bombs on the targeted location
- Bombs are now visible while falling
- Reworked scatter area for better spread/consistency
- Rebalanced bombs damage and area of effect
- Reworked Ju-88 plane engine sound from the ground up
- Improved Ju-88 plane propeller animations
- Added 1s delay before plane spawns

[h3]Luftbrücke Supplies[/h3]

Munition amount per crate: 50 → 40 (total munition count: 250 → 200)

[h3]Spearhead Operations[/h3]

Swapped Luftwaffe Intelligence with Panzerfusiliers
Emergency Repairs CP cost: 3 → 2

[h3]Incendiary Airburst Artillery[/h3]

Munition cost: 125 → 150

Part 3

[h2]Panzer Elite, Wehrmacht, Americans, Maps, Sound Design, Quality of Life & Bug fixes[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/317600/view/4061752300806439090