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Making History: The Second World War News

The Second World War Officially Released



Factus Games proudly announces the official release of Making History: The Second World War. We wish to extend a special thanks to all the players who assisted the development team through the Early Access period. The feedback and bug reports were extremely helpful to our efforts. We also received many great suggestions and some we were able to add to the game.

Going forward we will continue to support Making History: The Second World War with updates, improvements and any necessary bug fixes.

Early Access Complete Update



Making History: The Second World War
is scheduled to officially release on April 27 2018. An almost complete Pre-Release Final version of the game is now live on Steam.
With the exception of Achievements and Music, this update contains all the system, AI and content for the official final release.

The work for this update was focused on content and game balancing. We’ve added 98 achievements to the game but they will remain off until the final release goes live. Please note, Early Access saved games will not work with achievements. The music soundtrack will be revised in the official release version.

After the game is officially released, we expect there will be a need for improvements and bug fixes. Factus Games will be supporting this game with new updates.

A sincere thank you to the Second World War Early Access Community. The bug reports and feedback were vital to the process.


Release Notes for Early Access Complete Update:


AI Changes:
- AI won't rebase planes without fuel.
- AI now increases defensive value of regions with cities.
- AI will no longer ask nations for an alliance when they have a trade embargo.
- Total War nations extend their target region list to allies in war when considering peace.
- Improve military units versus capacity production logic.
- Skip Total War check when considering peace if nation has been nuked.
- AI will try to meet minimum military strength with regards to land, sea, or air.
- Reworked conditions on deciding whether or not to build military units.
- Regions that have aircraft factories are considered good for airbases.
- Great powers and superpowers consider other like powers when determining desired power.
- Overseas target logic revised.
- Improved convoy pathfinding.
- Nations are more likely to consider peace after being nuked.
- Nations are willing to leave an alliance if they have been nuked.
- Implemented new REGIME_CHANGE treaty term in response to being nuked.
- Fixed bug where subordinates would try to change military access.
- Masters will now ask for money from their puppets.
- Subordinates auto accept money transfers from their masters.
- No longer stop the lowering of tax rates if the nation is in debt.
- Nations now adjust corruption spending whether they have negative stability or not.
- Increased chances of war support for nations with matching ideology.
- Reworked choose sides modifiers for diplomatic status templates.
- Establish relations if new alliance members do not have diplomatic relations,
- AI will only surrender unconditionally if they have a "home" region nuked.
- AI are less likely to consider peace if a "non-home" region is nuked.
- AI won't reduce taxes if they have too much debt instability.
- Added a power divisor for en route groups in the offensive AI.
- Modified AI properties to encourage more successful invasions
- Reduced Unrestricted Sub Warfare Chance from 5 to 3

Game System Changes:
- Implemented new combat stacking restraint system - limits number of units that can be engaged.
- Disabled frontage penalty - replaced with new system.
- Artillery are no longer involved in engagements - ranged attacks only.
- Added infrastructure for scripting Achievements
- Added server attribute to turn Achievements on and off
- Added new Achievements system
- Reworked GetTurnsRemaining query for move orders for accuracy.
- Fixed MPU check for non-MPU units when the number of available MPUs is less than 0.
- Strafing in water now uses Sea Surface Power.
- Clear strafe orders if they are no more valid targets.
- Added a set of triggers that allow for scripting of Convoy targets.
- Added the ability for TriggerCreateNotification to target alliances.
- Decreased stability benefits of a large treasury.
- Increased Tax rate penalties.
- Purge corruption costs now scale by world power points.
- New TriggerConditionAny runs all conditions.
- New TriggerConditionNot and TriggerConditionAll.
- Added "bHideNotice" property to TriggerBreakAlliance tosuppress the popup notification.
- Merged Fighters and Jet Fighters unit categories with respect to AI recruitment.
- Colliers and Oilers now have their own naming class.
- Use actual tax rate stability when determining tax rate.
- Modified Capacity production to complete in single turn cycles.
- Nations at war will have the AtWar status even if they have cut ties.
- Units in nuked regions have a chance to take damage over time.
- Nukes now reduce population in a region based on the number of MPUs killed.
- Linux compiler fixes
- Fix for odd crash in tooltip for supply access mapview.
- Optimization fix for transportation pathfinding.
- Fix for stale pointer crash in return home AI.

UI Changes:
- Updated engagement selection panel to show Total Units & Units in Reserve.
- Added new icons for Total Units & Reserves for Combat Reports.
- Top info bar will dynamically resize based on screen size.
- increased text spacing for unit group stats.
- Added Prospecting Chance to region select resources popup.
- Fixed cost per MPU tooltips to more closely match actual values.
- Added group details to the units popup on the engagement panel.
- Added group health to engagement panel forces popup.
- Revised Political view so dependencies now have their own nation colors.
- Moved Master nation colored subordinates mapview to Empire Mapviews.
- Mapview slideout is now toggleable.
- Removed % from MPU Replacement Rate tooltip.
- Added tooltips to show Government systems.
- Fixed sorting on trade agreement buy/sell in the world market tab.
- Added a "Previous" button to the Tutorial panels.
- Show tax revenue for city buildings in the encyclopedia.
- Changed labels on In-Game Menu buttons.
- Updated labels on UI Panels to make consistent and more accurate.
- Reduced opacity of Continent Map View.
- Implemented Tutorial options menu.
- In-Game Options now uses toggle buttons for shadows and compressed terrain.
- Conformed naval groups & ships icons.
- Added tooltip to naval groups button on the sea region selection panel
- Added spacing to naval units list in the Port popup panel.
- Added DEFAULT Achievement Icon


Content Changes:
- Revised Bomb Region Order string to cover both units and defenses.
- Updated and added to Tutorial content.
- Reduced MPU Replacement Rates by Food Infrastructure.
- Increased Fuel Output per turn.
- Added unique colors to dependent states for new Political Map View.
- Increased Hit points to ship units.
- Altered Movement Table entry for Track - now allows Road use.
- Reduced purge corruption cost to 1 gold per WPP per percent.
- Shortened scenario game length for Last Days of Peace.
- General factory balancing.
- Increased accuracy of planes by about 20%.
- Decreased air infrastructure power.
- Reduced sea surface power for planes by about 20%.
- Increased coastal defense power by 20%.
- Increased Militia hitpoints and defense power.
- Added missing Encyclopedia descriptions.
- Added primary nation lobby description strings.
- Fixed string error in Research Projects - Machine Guns.
- Added ROC recruitment facilities in Last Days of Peace.
- Gave more starting troops to ROC n Last Days of Peace.
- Added oil resources to Dutch East Indies.
- Fixed Indonesian region Oil resource data error.
- New city in Chile Antofagasta.
- Fixed region display name from Tonking to "Tonkin"
- Added Access agreement Denmark/Iceland.
- Fixed region locations for Visaya seas.
- Added Chinese units in Last Days of Peace.
- Added city renaming events for Istanbul/Constantinople.
- New Operation Torch event.
- New British 8th Army event.
- Expanded Afrika Korps event.
- Revised American AI War events.
- Added American nuclear events to Building for War.
- New Japanese and American Pacific War events.
- New Argentine & German Task Force event.
- New Germany Mexico events.
- New Sweden events.
- Fixed bug in Free France events.-
- Fixed Brazil war event loop.
- Fix to D-Day event.
- Fixed some data errors in Argentine events.
- Fixed Hungarian & Romanian Axis events.
- Fixed Greenland Loop trigger error
- Fix to Iraqi Axis event.
- Fix to Egyptian Axis event.
- Fixed bug in Nordic Invasion event.
- Fixed typo "KindomOfItaly" to "KingdomOfItaly" in Italiain Irredentism achievement
- Lowered region control threshold in Soviet-Poland event to have Russians join war sooner.

Editor:
- Don't double-draw units in the editor (can still make subs visible by checking bEditMode)
- Draw airbases in the editor
- Added UI to edit previously un-editable properties on unit templates
- Only show relevant unit props in the unit template editor

Official Release Date Set


Making History: The Second World War is scheduled to release on April 27 2018.

Early Access Game Update #10



A new version of the Second World War is now available. Update #10 is intended to be our final Early Access Update. The plan is to have the game ready for an official release sometime next month. Many of the previous updates were focused on the AI. In this release we begin to turn our attention again towards features and UI clean up.

Submarine detection behavior has been significantly improved. Now ships and aircraft with sub detection capability only have a % chance to see a sub on a given turn. This allows us to give higher level units improved sub sighting ability and expand the stealth gameplay of the submarine units. Enemy subs can more easily sneak up on a fleet, engage and retreat.

The naval AI received some further attention. Nations will no longer send their fleets to bombard land forces while ignoring Coastal Defense attacks against it. This was leading to some unwise shipping losses in the English Channel. The AI will now prioritize target coastal batteries but generally avoid dangerous sea regions - except when enemy transports appear. We also made changes to encourage naval AI to provide escorts for their capital ships.

A couple of features suggested by a Steam Forum user were added. Aircraft, Missiles and Artillery units can now directly target enemy Artillery groups. Before the attack order applied damages to all land units in a region. And the Strafing Order was changed from only running a single turn to being continuous until canceled. Both these ideas seemed good enough to squeeze in, even though we’re not really in an add new features phase.

The UI has been getting small fixes, mostly tasks like adding missing properties in the Encyclopedia and improving labeling consistency. The Encyclopedia is still missing a lot of description information, as is the lobby. Many of these items have been written but not yet put into the game. They will all be filled in for the final release.

In version 10 we have introduced an in-game, light tutorial for new users. This will mostly present information about the UI and also be some introductory gameplay hints. We are looking at adding a Glossary to the Encyclopedia that will also include more howto information.

The Second World War is almost complete. And while there is a lot of work ahead, the remaining items on our must-have list are dwindling fast. It’s been a long haul getting the game to this point - much longer than we planned for. I’m going to save the excuses for the post release recap. In the meantime, thank you to all the current users out there who have offered us feedback and bug reports. This process would have taking us even longer without your support.


Release Notes for Early Access Update #10


AI Changes:
- Reworked AI rebase logic to be more offense minded
- AI no longer targets undetected subs as bombing targets
- AI will now prioritize targeting Coastal Defenses for shore bombardment
- Updated naval AI to try and maintain group composure
- AI will try to keep Carriers and Battleships with support vessels
- Coastal Defenses only fire upon visible subs
- AI will avoid sending ships to sea regions with enemy Coastal Defense
- AI will always try to send ships to stop enemy Troop Ships from unloading

Game System Changes:
- Can now directly target Artillery through bombing and strafing
- Can now specifically target Artillery using Missiles and Artillery
- Aircraft factory types now require an airbase in region to be able to build Air units
- Units and buildings no longer heal the turn they are damaged
- Fixed issue with Cruiser to Carrier Conversion preventing game saves while active
- Improved ordering and results logic for 3 way engagements
- Check for sub detection before showing subs in the sea region selection panel
- Fixed sea engagements to respect new sub detection rules
- Improved sub detection system, no longer automatic, units have different abilities
- Fixed issue that could remove some escort groups before units could load onto them
- Revised capacity costs to either use all rail or all road, but preferring rail
- Reworked capacity costs for road and shipping capacities
- The air unit Altitude property no longer caps vulnerability to attacks, it now declines
- Strafe attacks now repeat instead running once
- Patrolling naval or air units can now detect subs along patrol path
- Set frame rate to 60
- Fixed bug preventing trade on first turn of a new nation created by a player

UI Changes:
- Fixed UI bug when revising a proposed trade agreement
- UI structure and system for in-game tips/light tutorial mode
- Added persistent game option to enable or disable in game tips
- Added toggle to the options menu to turn on or off tips
- Added button on start screen to enter with tips on
- Disabled keyboard shortcuts while game tips are being shown
- Added Offense and Defense values to terrain tooltips in Land unit Encyclopedia
- No longer show unused Land Unit properties in Encyclopedia
- Added Glider Assault Range to Light Gliders in the Encyclopedia
- Added Airborne Assault Ranges to Air Transports in the Encyclopedia
- Added Firing Range to Ships in the Encyclopedia
- Added Fuel and Coal Carry to Ships in the Encyclopedia
- Added Bombardment Strength to Coastal Defense in the Encyclopedia
- Added Shots to Air Defense infrastructure in the Encyclopedia
- Added new Unit property Icons for Encyclopedia
- Changed Assault Penalty icon for Coastal Defense
- UI now shows correct capacity costs for trade agreements
- Updated labels and icons on Military panels to make more consistent
- Added tooltip information to help explain factory output stoppages
- Revised Mapview labels and Tooltips for consistency

Content Changes:
- Renamed Research Project String from Air To Air Rockets to Air To Surface Rockets
- Fighter Strafe and Bombing properties now reflect Air To Surface Rocket capabilities
- Added Sub Detection capability to most Air units
- Modified Recruitment Building limits for top level Infantry units
- Made Seaplane Tenders use Coal instead of Fuel

Early Access Game Update #10



A new version of the Second World War is now available. Update #10 is intended to be our final Early Access Update. The plan is to have the game ready for an official release sometime next month. Many of the previous updates were focused on the AI. In this release we begin to turn our attention again towards features and UI clean up.

Submarine detection behavior has been significantly improved. Now ships and aircraft with sub detection capability only have a % chance to see a sub on a given turn. This allows us to give higher level units improved sub sighting ability and expand the stealth gameplay of the submarine units. Enemy subs can more easily sneak up on a fleet, engage and retreat.

The naval AI received some further attention. Nations will no longer send their fleets to bombard land forces while ignoring Coastal Defense attacks against it. This was leading to some unwise shipping losses in the English Channel. The AI will now prioritize target coastal batteries but generally avoid dangerous sea regions - except when enemy transports appear. We also made changes to encourage naval AI to provide escorts for their capital ships.

A couple of features suggested by a Steam Forum user were added. Aircraft, Missiles and Artillery units can now directly target enemy Artillery groups. Before the attack order applied damages to all land units in a region. And the Strafing Order was changed from only running a single turn to being continuous until canceled. Both these ideas seemed good enough to squeeze in, even though we’re not really in an add new features phase.

The UI has been getting small fixes, mostly tasks like adding missing properties in the Encyclopedia and improving labeling consistency. The Encyclopedia is still missing a lot of description information, as is the lobby. Many of these items have been written but not yet put into the game. They will all be filled in for the final release.

In version 10 we have introduced an in-game, light tutorial for new users. This will mostly present information about the UI and also be some introductory gameplay hints. We are looking at adding a Glossary to the Encyclopedia that will also include more howto information.

The Second World War is almost complete. And while there is a lot of work ahead, the remaining items on our must-have list are dwindling fast. It’s been a long haul getting the game to this point - much longer than we planned for. I’m going to save the excuses for the post release recap. In the meantime, thank you to all the current users out there who have offered us feedback and bug reports. This process would have taking us even longer without your support.


Release Notes for Early Access Update #10


AI Changes:
- Reworked AI rebase logic to be more offense minded
- AI no longer targets undetected subs as bombing targets
- AI will now prioritize targeting Coastal Defenses for shore bombardment
- Updated naval AI to try and maintain group composure
- AI will try to keep Carriers and Battleships with support vessels
- Coastal Defenses only fire upon visible subs
- AI will avoid sending ships to sea regions with enemy Coastal Defense
- AI will always try to send ships to stop enemy Troop Ships from unloading

Game System Changes:
- Can now directly target Artillery through bombing and strafing
- Can now specifically target Artillery using Missiles and Artillery
- Aircraft factory types now require an airbase in region to be able to build Air units
- Units and buildings no longer heal the turn they are damaged
- Fixed issue with Cruiser to Carrier Conversion preventing game saves while active
- Improved ordering and results logic for 3 way engagements
- Check for sub detection before showing subs in the sea region selection panel
- Fixed sea engagements to respect new sub detection rules
- Improved sub detection system, no longer automatic, units have different abilities
- Fixed issue that could remove some escort groups before units could load onto them
- Revised capacity costs to either use all rail or all road, but preferring rail
- Reworked capacity costs for road and shipping capacities
- The air unit Altitude property no longer caps vulnerability to attacks, it now declines
- Strafe attacks now repeat instead running once
- Patrolling naval or air units can now detect subs along patrol path
- Set frame rate to 60
- Fixed bug preventing trade on first turn of a new nation created by a player

UI Changes:
- Fixed UI bug when revising a proposed trade agreement
- UI structure and system for in-game tips/light tutorial mode
- Added persistent game option to enable or disable in game tips
- Added toggle to the options menu to turn on or off tips
- Added button on start screen to enter with tips on
- Disabled keyboard shortcuts while game tips are being shown
- Added Offense and Defense values to terrain tooltips in Land unit Encyclopedia
- No longer show unused Land Unit properties in Encyclopedia
- Added Glider Assault Range to Light Gliders in the Encyclopedia
- Added Airborne Assault Ranges to Air Transports in the Encyclopedia
- Added Firing Range to Ships in the Encyclopedia
- Added Fuel and Coal Carry to Ships in the Encyclopedia
- Added Bombardment Strength to Coastal Defense in the Encyclopedia
- Added Shots to Air Defense infrastructure in the Encyclopedia
- Added new Unit property Icons for Encyclopedia
- Changed Assault Penalty icon for Coastal Defense
- UI now shows correct capacity costs for trade agreements
- Updated labels and icons on Military panels to make more consistent
- Added tooltip information to help explain factory output stoppages
- Revised Mapview labels and Tooltips for consistency

Content Changes:
- Renamed Research Project String from Air To Air Rockets to Air To Surface Rockets
- Fighter Strafe and Bombing properties now reflect Air To Surface Rocket capabilities
- Added Sub Detection capability to most Air units
- Modified Recruitment Building limits for top level Infantry units
- Made Seaplane Tenders use Coal instead of Fuel