Isonzo Intel #8 explained how the visual customization system will work in the game, with uniforms, headgear, mustaches and more selectable based on faction and class. To complement this system and the visual customization options in the standard edition, we’re going to be releasing cosmetic packs to allow people to expand the range of visual choices they have. The base options in the game (some you start with, some you unlock via the progression system, like late-war uniforms) give people hundreds of combinations to choose from, and the cosmetic packs will expand that number exponentially!
Every cosmetic unit pack has a theme based on some of the most historically notable, unusual, or just visually impressive real life groups or formations. For instance, the Veteran Units pack includes some of the hardest fighting troops from both sides - the highly decorated Sardinian ‘Sassari’ brigade for Italy, and the Hungarian Honved for Austria-Hungary. To further fit the theme of battle hardened soldiers, you can expect dirty uniforms and cosmetic options like the bandage on the man to the left below…
Work in progress shot of the Italian content for a ‘Veteran Units’ cosmetic pack, featuring Sardinian troops from the renowned Sassari Infantry Brigade, whose two regiments both won a Gold Medal of Military Valor!
As we explained back in Dev Blog 8, uniforms and headgear are linked to specific classes, while mustaches and facial items can be mixed and matched freely with any class. We also aren’t limiting ourselves with these themes - for instance, while the Sassari are the highlights of the Veteran Units pack for the Italians, many of you have probably recognized the Bersaglieri uniforms in the lineup above! With the customization system we can link historic uniforms to the roles they most commonly performed in battle or their specializations.
For instance, the Alpine Units pack was inspired by general winter uniforms as well as the dedicated mountain troops from each country, along with appropriate headgear and facial items including balaclavas, wooly hats, and goggles. Mustaches options include thick beards like the Tsar Nicholas II and the George V. There’s even a Kaiserjäger uniform including skis carried on their back…
A little teaser for our planned Alpine Units pack.
The Elite Units pack includes Bersaglieri cyclists for Italy, the Bosnisch-Hercegovinische Infanterie for Austria-Hungary, and more! The ‘Bosniaks’ as they were known were drawn from outside of the Austrian and Hungarian areas of the country, but were considered elite despite being part of the Common Army (the K.u.K.) which was often underequipped compared to the Imperial Austrian Landwehr and the Royal Hungarian Honvéd. As you can see from the image below, they have a distinctive appearance and share some of the rugged look of the troops from the Veteran Units pack.
Austro-Hungarian ‘Bosniak’ troops from the Elite Units pack, with their distinctive fez hats.
We want to be clear that the cosmetic unit packs will only contain visual customization items, and we are not going to create DLCs containing gameplay features like new maps or weapons. So rest assured that buying Isonzo will get you all gameplay content available now or in the future, and there will be no pay to win.
Part of our goal with the WW1 Game Series has always been to shine some light on lesser known areas of the war and to highlight just how many different groups took part, and ensuring variety in the uniforms you see on the battlefield are one of the best ways to do this. We’re looking forward to recreating and including more of the different units and formations which took part in the war, thanks to the new customization system in combination with these cosmetic unit packs. The plan is that everyone can enjoy the greater visual variety as they play, while being able to choose if they want to buy specific sets of uniforms for themselves.
Isonzo Special Editions
Isonzo will not ship with a Supporter’s Edition DLC like Verdun and Tannenberg. Instead we will be offering two special editions of the game, along with a pre-order bonus.
The base game will cost around $29.99 / €29.99 / £24.99.
Pre-order Unit Pack
For those who order the game ahead of release on consoles, we will be offering the Avanti Savoia pack as a bonus. The theme is senior officers, and as such it comes with staff officer uniforms and caps for both sides (for the Officer class, unsurprisingly) as well as two impressive mustaches and two facial items which can be used with any class. This is a small cosmetic pack with 10 items - most of our packs will contain between 30-40 items!
On Steam there is no pre-order, but the Avanti Savoia pack will instead be a bonus for everyone who buys the game in the first week of release.
The Avanti Savoia pack gives you higher ranking officer uniforms - the “Maggior General” for the Italians and the “Generalmajor” for the Austro-Hungarians. It’s a bonus for pre-order on consoles or week one purchase on Steam.
Deluxe Edition
This is probably the closest thing to the old Supporter Editions. It will cost around $39.99 / €39.99 / £33.49, and will include two cosmetic packs - the Reserve Units pack and Veteran Units pack - along with the extra content you might see in a Supporter Edition. That means the soundtrack, the black and white Film Memoir visual mode to experience the game like a period film, and high-res artwork including wallpapers and renders.
Collector’s Edition
For our biggest fans, we have the Collector’s Edition clocking in at around $59.99 / €59.99 / £49.99. It will include the same bonus content as the Deluxe Edition, but four cosmetic packs instead of two - including the Elite and Alpine Unit packs on top of the Reserve Units and Veteran Units!
Isonzo at W.A.S.D and… PAX East!
Don’t forget that WW1 Game Series is attending the W.A.S.D video game expo in London today until Saturday the 9th. Here, you'll be able to play Isonzo for the first time available in public! You can find us at booth GG1, so be sure to stop by, fight on the Italian front, and have a chat with some of the WWI Game Series' team.
We will also be coming to PAX East this year, from April 21-24! Isonzo will be playable there too - we’ll share more info about where to find us closer to the time!
Join the Isonzo Beta
If you can’t make it to W.A.S.D or PAX, there’s still a way to play Isonzo before release, if you’re willing to help us with feedback that is. The Isonzo closed beta tests are still ongoing, and we’re looking for more participants! If you’re interested, you can sign up here.
There’s no guarantee that everyone who signs up will get a chance to be part of the closed beta, since we pick people based on various criteria from hardware and server region to playtime. But given that we’re keen for more people to try the game, the odds are good!