Battleplan News

[p]Yesterday, we hosted a live event on our Twitch channel to share an update on development progress of Battleplan. [/p][p][/p][p]If you missed it, you can re-watch it:[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Playing as the Germans[/h2][p][/p][p]After you beat each mission, you can play it again as the Germans with unique objectives and additional challenges.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]WHAT’S VICTORY?[/p][p]After the successful D-Day landings on June 6, the German army had no realistic chance of victory on the Western front. To reflect that we’ve had craft unique objectives that constitute a ‘victory’ when playing as the Germans. These objectives will never be ‘wipe the Allies off the map’. Instead they’re a combination of ‘hold out for longer than they did in real-life’, inflict significant casualties on the Allies or perform a minor counterattack.[/p][p][/p][p]EXAMPLE: CHERBOURG[/p][p]Playing the Cherbourg mission as the Germans gives you freedom to win in two ways: hold out for two weeks, or hold out for one week AND counterattack to capture & hold Carentan for a day. You are significantly outnumbered, and have no armoured divisions. Performing any attacks will be difficult without fast-moving armour.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]One strategy would be to completely pull back, give up the frontlines and mass all divisions around Cherbourg itself, constructing minefields & fortifications.[/p][p][/p][p]A different strategy would be to use tactics like ‘Defence in Depth’ to preserve your forces and retreat when attacked. Let the enemies push deep towards Cherbourg, and then launch a counterattack from the sides to cut-off their supply lines if they over-extend. A regiment could be split off to try skirting the edges and break through to Carentan.[/p][p][/p][p]EXAMPLE: CAEN[/p][p]The Germans are mostly on the defence, but not always! Caen has you start outnumbering the Allies. You also have several elite Panzer divisions ready for a powerful attack on Bayeux. It still won’t be an easy attack - you’ll have to face dug-in British infantry along with the 7th Amoured Division on counterattack duty.[/p][p][/p][p]You can win either by capturing Bayeux for several days, or simply holding Caen for several weeks. The Allies will be getting a new division each day, so you’ll lose your numerical advance by the midpoint of the mission.[/p][p][/p][p]HISTORICALLY ACCURATE OFFICERS & DIVISIONS[/p][p]Each mission features historically accurate divisions for both Axis & Allies. Divisions have set ‘veterancy’ levels, and are led by their historically accurate officer as well.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can view details about each historically accurate officer, including a short biography (it’s interesting seeing who survived the war).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]DIFFERENCES FROM THE ALLIES[/p][p]When playing as the Germans, normally you’ll be outnumbered, outgunned and on the back foot. You’ll by defending more than attacking. You won’t have access to air support (the Luftwaffe has been destroyed in the West by this point), so your recon and close-air support will be lacking. There won’t be many reinforcements. In summary, you’ll have to do more with less.[/p][p][/p][p]CAMPAIGNS UNITS[/p][p]Our campaign follows the Allies, so unfortunately you won’t be able to bring in your own customized & veteran Officers or Divisions.[/p][p][/p][p]BALANCE[/p][p]Playing as the Germans is viewed as ‘bonus’ content, and as such won’t be as polished as the regular Allied campaign missions. Additionally, the Germans lost these battles, so expect some ahistorical balance changes to make it possible (and more fun).[/p][p][/p][h2]Slitherine Checkpoint – Upcoming Live Event[/h2][p][/p][p]Next week, on Tuesday the 7th at 5:00 PM CEST, we will be hosting a live event called Checkpoint on our Twitch channel.[/p][p][/p][p]The event will feature a live chat with Michael Long from Foolish Mortals Games, developer of Battleplan.[/p][p][/p][p]During the session, we will answer your feedback and questions raised during the playable demo at Steam Next Fest (February edition). [/p][p][/p][p]To wrap up, the developer will also share the latest updates and ongoing improvements currently in development.[/p][p][/p][p]Don’t miss it![/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist now:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p]

[p]Steam Next Fest has come to an end, and we would like to say thank you for the warm welcome and the positive feedback we have received so far![/p][p][/p][p]As you know, the team is working hard to deliver a high quality experience, and we’re carefully taking your feedback into account.[/p][p][/p][p]To thank our amazing community, we have released a new demo patch (v0.8.8) that fixes several bugs and improves the overall experience:[/p][p] [/p]

• [p]Default camera pan speed increased[/p]
• [p]Added tutorial to pre-mission screen[/p]
• [p]Cut-off & out-of-supply units don't regain morale. They lose morale, THEN take attrition damage from surrendering, making it easier to capture enemies behind your lines[/p]
• [p]Out-of-supply units regain morale more slowly[/p]
• [p]Fixed Country dropdown in Army Constructor[/p]
• [p]Briefing clipboard enlarged[/p]
• [p]Made supply paths more visible in supply view[/p]
• [p]Increased size of unspent skill point visual in army constructor[/p]
• [p]Fixed not winning Cherbourg after loading a save[/p]
• [p]Fixed reinforcements not properly arriving after loading a save[/p]
• [p]Fixed crashes[/p]
• [p]Added option to disable pencil when drawing[/p]
• [p]Veterancy tooltips show exact stat effects[/p]
• [p]Fixed incorrect pre-mission messages appearing when using historical units box ticked[/p]
• [p]Many, many minor fixes[/p][p] [/p]

[p]To celebrate this milestone, the Battleplan demo will remain available on Steam until March 11, giving you more time to play and test this updated version.[/p][p][/p][p]Please keep sharing your feedback, it truly helps us to develop the game![/p][p]
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[p]You’ve been asking for it… and now the time has finally come![/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]Join the battle and experience the Battleplan Demo firsthand[/h3][p][/p][p]Step into the role of a General, where your responsibility is not to micromanage units on the field, but to make high-level strategic decisions from headquarters. Operational and tactical execution is delegated to your officers: your job is to plan, anticipate, and command.[/p][p][/p][p]Using an interactive map, where you can draw your strategies directly onto the battlefield with a digital pencil: plot movements, design offensives and defensive lines, plan counterattacks, and organize supply routes exactly as a real commander would.[/p][p][/p][p]Battleplan puts you in control of entire divisions and corps rather than individual squads. The focus is on grand strategy and maneuver warfare, delivering a commanding perspective.[/p][p][/p][h3]Your Feedback Matters[/h3][h3][/h3][p]Your feedback is essential to help us deliver the best possible version of Battleplan. Please play the Demo and share your thoughts using the dedicated feedback form.[/p][p][/p][p]The Battleplan Demo will be available from February 23rd.[/p][p][/p][p]Play now: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]An army without leadership is an unruly mob. Let’s talk about Officers.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]OFFICERS[/p][p]Why do you need Officers in Battleplan?[/p][p]- Formations require an Officer to be deployed[/p][p]- Officers provide bonuses to troops under their command.[/p][p][/p][p]SKILLS & BONUSES[/p][p]Officers pass down ALL stat bonuses (or penalties) to ALL units below them in the chain of command. Every Officer starts with a random skill, and earns additional skills as they gain experience.[/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]Skills are chosen from the SKILL WEB. The web is a graph of interconnected nodes roughly divided into the following areas: Infantry skills, Armour skills, Artillery & Support Gun skills, Air Support skills and all-rounder generalized skills.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]PASSIVE SKILLS provide constant stat bonuses to ALL troops under their command. Ex: Assertive Staff: All units gain +5% movement speed and +5% damage. Some skills only affect certain unit types. Ex: Live-Fire Drills: Infantry gain +15% morale.[/p][p][/p][p]ACTIVE SKILLS must be activated MANUALLY within a mission. Most skills can only be used ONCE per mission, but provide extremely powerful bonuses for a short period of time.[/p][p]Lightning Strike: Units within radius gain +300% movement speed, +100% damage, +50% morale[/p][p]To perform an active skill the Headquarters company must physically move to the designated area, opening them up to risk of enemy fire – leading from the front can be hazardous![/p][p][/p][p]PERSONALITY QUIRKS[/p][p]Everyone has a personality and quirks and Officers are no different. Each Officer starts with a randomized personality quirk, which offers a stat BONUS and a stat PENALTY. Ex: Timid: -40% morale, +10% defence. They’ll gain more quirks with service. Choose Officer personalities that fit that formation’s purpose! Ex: Aggressive armoured formations should be led by an Officer with an aggressive personality.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]CUSTOMIZING OFFICERS[/p][p]
[/p][p]After recruiting an Officer, you can customize them. Select their portrait from dozens of real-world historical Officers and their real-world backgrounds.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]You can also edit their name to recreate your favourite division & officers.[/p][p][/p][p]HEADQUARTER COMPANIES[/p][p]A formation can’t be deployed in a mission unless it’s led by Headquarter Company with an attached Officer. Headquarter companies aren’t meant for combat. They have reduced firepower & defence, and will try to disengage and fall back if under attack.[/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]When the company takes casualties, there’s a chance the Officer becomes Wounded, Captured or Killed.[/p][p][/p][p]Wounded Officers gain a permanent injury, affecting their future decision making & personality. Ex: Limp: -5% movement speed. They will also be unavailable for the next mission, and their formation must be led by a replacement Officer.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Captured or Killed Officers are gone forever. Keep your headquarters well behind the frontlines lest you lose your favourite veteran Officers![/p][p][/p][p]If an Officer is incapacitated DURING a mission, the entire formation becomes paralyzed for a few hours, freezing all units in place and applying combat penalties. Try to destroy enemy Headquarters to freeze enemies in place whilst encircling & cutting them off.[/p][p][/p][p]RECRUITING OFFICERS[/p][p]You’ll start the campaign with a handful of Officers, but will need more as your army group increases in size. Inexperienced Officers are plentiful and free to recruit. As you progress further in your campaign veteran Officers become available for recruitment, however they cost Requisition based on their skill level.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can’t command an entire army group alone. Choose the best Officers for the job, keep them alive and this war will be over before you know it.[/p][p][/p][h2]Battleplan | Live chat with the dev[/h2][p][/p][p]Next week we’ll be live with the developer to dive into the newest developments of Battleplan.

Tune in to Slitherine Next – Checkpoint, live on Twitch on February 23 at 5:00 PM CEST, don’t miss it!

Youtube: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
Twitch: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist now:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]