Devblog #76: Announcement

Let’s not beat around the bush. It’s not the kind of thing we want to tell you, but owing to a number of major factors we will need to postpone EA.
In this update, we will explain why.
There are several reasons; an important one is that we have raised the bar on content in the day 1 release, having decided that the number of missions in EA should be higher, after we intensified the specifications for the development of singleplayer missions.
In addition, our publisher BestWay is continuously developing vastly improved versions of the game engine for the different platforms. BestWay is currently engaged with all their resources in the development of Soldiers: Arena.
For Gates of Hell, it means we will not start the closed beta test until the publisher’s updates to the engine have been completed, because testing without the software upgrades means we would have to go through all the tests again after the update.

So what do these facts mean for our development and release?


• We will be delivering a more stable game on a more powerful platform, at the cost of starting the beta test later than expected.
  
• You will enjoy having much more singleplayer content on day one of the release.
  
• EA will be postponed to mid 2019

We see the community growing, and since a lot of time has passed since we announced this game, it is time to make a clear statement and remind everyone about what we want to achieve with it.
It has been developed totally independently. We are developing Gates of Hell on the Gem 2 engine and technologies that Best Way has provided to us, but we don’t have any relationship to MOW franchise. Best Way helps us to develop and publish our game. We build at the highest possible quality level within technology constraints and this results in a greatly extended development time. We are crafting Gates of Hell with historical settings and realism as the supporting pillars, aimed to give you atmospheric battles with a strong singleplayer component. As you can this project is merely by concept already very different from what's out there.

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• It’s historically accurate.
  Some examples: correct engine sounds, correct 3d models and paint schemes, correct animations, correct hitboxes, correct equipment limitations, correct ballistics, etc.
  
  
• Includes maps of real places and missions built on real history. For each mission, we put in a tremendous research effort, trying to get historical and geographical details right, whilst attempting to achieve enjoyable gameplay and within the constraints of the game engine.
  
  
• Mission duration is longer, for instance there are resupply times and logistic issues to be considered. Tactical decisions must be considered with greater depth, for mistakes will not be forgiven. Knowledge of WWII strategy and tactics will give you an edge in this game.
  
  
• Emphasis is placed on atmosphere, sense of place and immersion. You will not see graphical elements that downgrade the view of things. Effects and sounds are designed to enhance the visual and acoustic experience.
  
  
• Multiplayer combat will be cooperative-based and asymmetric unlike most RTS games. Maps to play as PvP can be considered closer to a single player mission, with historical setups on both sides where terrain, unit line- ups and strategic advantages are not necessarily balanced. The only “balanced” term is in the victory conditions, so both sides are likewise able to achieve victory, within their completely different situations in terms of numbers, momentum or situation.
  

Did you know?

• During internal testing, one of the feedback points was about the T-34 which was performing badly in a hilly section of the map, because it did not have enough gun depression compared to the enemy Panzers when fighting through the hills and valleys. This is another historical detail which comes into play when considering your tactics in GoH. “It’s not a bug, it’s historically correct”.
  
  
• Our team of 20+ develop this game in their spare time.
  

Well, that’s it for now. As you will understand, we would rather have given you other news. However, we think it’s a blessing in disguise for we will now be able to bring you a game that will be more stable and new, the EA being a bigger package than planned. We are confident we can achieve our planned ideas.

We want to thank the community for its valuable contribution in 2018, and we wish you a happy end to the year and a healthy start to the new one. We will be back with more in 2019!

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