Hello there,
What a week! WARNO is out in the wild, and it’s been a heck of a ride. Safe to say that we have been working around the clock, here at Eugen, to fine-tune, balance, and address any concerns. Hotfixes are dropping almost every other day, and we got plenty of incoming Early Access updates, some major, to keep you occupied for the foreseeable future!
What better ways to tell you what is in the works than through a roadmap of the next couple of weeks?
Keep reading to find out what to expect!
A brief message to our community
Before we start, we wanted to share a brief message. Thank you for your help and continuous feedback and comments! Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to make WARNO nearly as kick-ass as we want it to be!
WARNO is in Early Access. This means things will change, updates will be made, divisions and mechanics to be added or tweaked - this takes time and resources, and we fully intend to grow our game from “good” to “great”! But bear with us: we are limited in number, and we are working as hard as we can to get everything to you as soon as possible. We are only a bunch of passionate developers, designers, artists, historians, etc. dedicated to making impressive, realistic, authentic strategy games (that look amazing)!
We know that any game release, especially something as cherished as WARNO, the spiritual successor to Wargame, elicits heartfelt responses from all our players. Do not worry: we check and take all the feedback into account. Some things might not happen, some others might come later, and some are impractical or not aligned to our vision of WARNO. Regardless, as we said before, we’d like to affirm that you remain respectful towards your fellow player, the community, and the team. Play it cool!
With that out of the way, let’s get down to business.
WARNO’s roadmap
First things first: we are planning to release new content every two weeks. Each milestone will be named after a Napoleonic Marshal. This might (but not always be the case) consist of two new divisions, new maps, new features, mechanics, etc.
Keep in mind that the two weeks is an estimation: if an update is ready before that, we could launch it in advance. If it requires more work (a real possibility in game development), it might be delayed. And also very important to note that these major milestones are independent from patches and hotfixes, which we will keep producing, taking into account your feedback as fast as we can.
Starting in February, with the upcoming milestone Ney (officially our Second after the Early Access launch) will include two new divisions and a new map!
- NATO - The 8th U.S. Infantry Division (Mechanized)
- WP - The Soviet 39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division
- A new 10v10 map.
Looking beyond, our Third milestone Davout will feature two new German divisions (one on each side), as well as more maps.
And after that: the Fourth milestone Murat will contain again two new German divisions and more maps.
More milestones are still in the works: we’ll update you with their details in due time.
More roadmap details
Some more information we can share, next to the divisions and the maps, is that depending on development, the Third or the Fourth milestone should also include the first batch of towed weapon systems for both sides. Think of mortars, howitzers, anti-tank guns, and the like. Note that towed (or crew-served) missile units might take a little bit longer.
We are working on a series of new load-outs for planes and helicopters (especially for the Warsaw Pact Mi-8 and Mi-24). This includes may helicopter-dropped bombs, which we are currently testing for the engine wasn't thought for that initially.
Note that throughout WARNO’s Early Access period, from one update to the next, we will revise the divisions in-game if necessary. Earlier battlegroups might receive new units or different load-outs for aircraft, or, when they become available, towed units. We are also designing new models, so expect a lot of action in the Armory.
As noted, the voice acting still uses older Steel Division 2 voice lines. These are placeholders. We are busy translating or recording new files - the voice lines will be added before full release.
Lastly, we are actively working on an Army General campaign. We likely will not release it too soon, but we hope to deliver one during WARNO’s Early Access period.
A brief history of the two new divisions
Let’s get down to business. Next week’s milestone Ney will feature two new divisions: the 8th U.S. Infantry Division (Mechanized) and the Soviet 39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division. A brief history for both.
The 8th U.S. Infantry Division (Mechanized)
Having fought with distinction during World War II, this division was reactivated and sent to West Germany in the 1950s. Seeing various reorganizations, including an earlier experiment as an Airborne Pentomic division and a later eight-year stint as the U.S. Army’s only four-brigade division, by 1989 it had reverted to a typical mechanized infantry formation.
Though originally envisioned as a temporary stay, the division was headquartered at Bad Kreuznach for the full duration of the Cold War. This would put it under V Corps command, the same parent formation to the 3rd Armored division. In case of war, the 8th U.S. Infantry Division (Mechanized) would rapidly forward deploy to the border to stem any Soviet offensive.
39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division
Much like the preceding 79th Guards Tank Division, the Soviet 39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division was likewise formed by fire in the brutal Battle for Stalingrad in World War II. It took part in the heroic defense of the Red October steelworks, bleeding the Germans dry, and ultimately contributing to the Red Army’s success in subsequent encirclement operations. Reformed and refitted afterward, the 39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division fought in Ukraine and Poland, and participated in the Battle of Berlin.
After the war, as part of the 8th Guards Army, the 39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division was reformed as a mechanized division. Compared to a tank division made for breakthrough operations, a Soviet motorized rifle division was structured to be used against heavily defended positions. However, thanks to its organic armored transports, infantry could still keep pace with the breakthrough armor.
The 39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division was located directly opposite the Fulda gap, one of the nearest Soviet formations, and as such, scheduled to be part of the first offensive waves.
See you on the battlefield!
That’s all for this week!
Join the awesome (and passionate) growing WARNO community. You can check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Join the excellent Discord server, the new Reddit page and Instagram.
See you, commander!
