Approaching the Release Window - Q3 2022
While the recent events have been very disruptive to the workflow, the development goes on. The current progress allows us to specify the release date to the third quarter of 2022 (1 July – 30 September). The precise day would be announced during that period.
We're still planning to accompany the release with the demo. It will integrate all the up-to-date features and will be somewhat similar to the playtest in scope - a small taste of Operations and skirmish modes.
Speaking of the playtest...
Playtest Shutdown - May 16th
It's time. We've deliberated on this for a while and eventually felt that disabling the playtest would be the correct way to handle things on the pre-release trajectory. Hopefully, the past several months should've been enough to try it out ;) Let me reiterate a huge thanks to everyone who've participated in the playtest - your feedback has been invaluable!
For those who have been postponing it - or those who want to refresh their memories - one more full week and two weekends should provide ample time to do so.
Features and gameplay tweaks
Operations receive the lion's share of attention right now. Four main Operations and several smaller Interludes will tell a story of the escalating conflict from multiple sides and points of view. Tremendous tank clashes, cautious recce maneuvers, bold attacks, and desperate defenses - we strive to add unique challenges and unforgettable events to each Operation.
But besides the Ops, there's a variety of additions, new units, and new features that have been implemented in the 'main' branch of the game since the last playtest update.
Let's review the key ones.
The number of optional rules has been expanded - and, where applicable, they can now be used for Operations and Skirmish both.
- High Lethality rule introduces a lot of small tweaks and changes the way damage calculations are done. It is designed to address the common request for a less-forgiving combat
- Bad Luck makes Operations more difficult and unpredictable by adding a random negative event every two phases. For those of you who already became adept at beating 'Firebird' on Master difficulty
- Fog of War complicates spotting and identification. Getting an accurate read on the enemy's precise position and type will be much harder
- Several Global Modifiers are exposed. Want to increase the ranges globally or slow down the unit movement speed? Fine-tune the gameplay to your liking. Accuracy, range, speed, direct and indirect damage, suppression - each is adjustable individually within reasonable limits.
R-145BM Chaika command vehicle
Fast Move command will now correctly path around the engineering obstacles - cutting down the micro required.
To better model the challenges of engineering operations, units conducting the breach are now more vulnerable to incoming fire. Using smoke for cover or thoroughly suppressing the defenders is even more of a good idea now.
Phases in operations are not always limited to 20 minutes. Where applicable, you can gain additional time by capturing nodes or wiping out enemy platoons.
Buying TacAid points in Operations was, most of the time, a very suboptimal way to spend the precious Operational Authority. Instead of direct purchases, you can now upgrade the TacAid Support level. A higher support level increases the passive TA point gain and reduces the cooldown period.
Enemy garrisons in Operations are no longer fully restored and re-rolled each phase. They are now persistent and will receive a limited amount of reinforcements per phase.
Warsaw Pact heavy weapons
Infantry weapons can be previewed in the Regipedia. From small arms to heavy support weapons, their stats are no longer a mystery. Speaking of new weapons, M136 anti-tank launchers have been distributed among some US infantry squads.
Cluster bomb airstrikes expand the arsenal of available Tactical Aid options.
Skirmish modes were updated with the new Operations features. Mobile Defense mode has a fully-functional pre-battle deployment mode. In Attack, you will now encounter enemy engineering obstacles, in addition to the usual entrenched defenders.
Stealth values received an overhaul. Units in cover are harder to spot and won't be revealed almost immediately when firing. Ambushes and recon are more viable now.
Allied and fully-identified enemy units can be selected to get a more detailed read on their current state in the bottom info panel.
M728 Combat Engineering Vehicle
The list of possible Events in Operations continues to grow:
- Weather Warning slows down the movement and plays tricks with visibility by adding several areas of thick fog.
- Blitz provides a temporary boost of deployment points but shortens the phase length by 5 minutes.
- Extended Operations lengthen the phase by 5 minutes instead
- Interdiction will prevent the deployment of random platoons from your army list
- A neutral wildcard event may randomly add or remove a certain amount of deployment points from your pool for a single phase
A few more narrative events were added too, some of which have truly strategic consequences...
Mi-24K reconnaissance variant - the unit was already present and now got the correct model
That's all for now. Consider (re)visiting the playtest before the 16th of May and thanks for your attention!