Hello, commanders.
We hope you are well. Today’s DevBlog will look at a brand-new urban map coming to WARNO: TEUFELSMOOR.
Let’s dig in!
A new type of urban
TEUFELSMOOR is a new kind of urban map making its debut in our game. This particular map required a significant effort to make sure it was an immersive and high-quality experience. Let us pull back the curtains on its creation.
An Urban Saga
TEUFELSMOOR is the first in a series of urban maps that will see the light in WARNO’s Early Access. While we planned to launch this map in tandem with our Army General mode, we realized - after some rounds of testing - that letting players also do battle on this map in Skirmish or Destruction mode ahead of time, would be the best option.
To make this all a reality, we needed to enforce some adjustments; the urban map series was initially designed for Army General campaign mode in a 1vs1 format. The updated TEUFELSMOOR was expanded to be playable in a 2vs2 format. And we plan to provide the options when the map launches to increase the number of players.
The Complexity of Realistic Cities
The main challenge when creating urban maps centers on providing a visually credible experience - the cityscape has to look realistic - while also ensuring smooth gameplay - it has to be fun to play. With TEUFELSMOOR, we aimed to design a map that offers optimal readability but, at the same time, immerses the players fully.
We can’t simply display a few buildings and neighborhoods in close-up view and call it a day. Many on-screen elements are needed to be able to show a good-looking result when viewed from afar (which is more like the standard view when playing WARNO). We did a bunch of tests to see what worked best, discarding what didn’t.
A neighborhood’s ideal size
What’s the perfect size for a neighborhood? That’s something we figured out in the design process of TEUFELSMOOR. This included the optimal number of buildings, the best street width for combat between different units, and the open spaces within the city to offer extended sightlines between particular areas. All in all, many factors are in play. This led to multiple rounds of designing and revising our city layout.
The second major challenge was to optimize the assets we use for an urban environment. If we needed to display them in large numbers, even more modest hardware configurations needed to be able to display them. Fortunately, Eugen’s own tech, centered on WARNO’s engine, provides us with a range of tools to optimize the rendering of these assets. And we did it! So, that means we can get more visual stuff on screen while ensuring a smooth gaming experience.
A new prototype
TEUFELSMOOR will serve as a proof-in-concept for the other urban maps currently in the final stages of production. These will be followed after TEUFELSMOOR’s release. Of course, depending on your feedback, we are considering the whole gamut of 1vs1 battles, Destruction mode, etc.
Until next week
In case you missed it: a new milestone, MONCEY, has just dropped, bringing the new Operation Sledgehammer, a host of balance changes, new Bradley IFVs, and more.
We look forward to your feedback on TEUFELSMOOR. Let us know what you think!
Join the passionate WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, YouTube or our Instagram.
See you on the battlefield!