Brace yourself, commanders!
As teased in last week’s DevBlog, the first milestone of 2024 is available now for WARNO! Make ready for KELLERMANN, bringing a wallop of new features and updates, including new maps, divisional rebalancing, and - of course - the new (and very alpha) map editor!
Let’s dig in!
Milestone KELLERMANN historical namesake
You know the drill. Eugen’s tradition is to name all the milestones after famous Napoleonic military commanders. KELLERMANN is no exception. For you busy bees with little interest or time, please skip ahead to the next section. For all the others: let’s go, military history!
François-Etienne-Christophe de Kellermann was an old-guard military commander who served under Louis XVI. He was the only established general from the preceding regime to be made a marshal by Napoleon, mainly to recognize his expert military prowess during the Revolutionary Wars. His claim to fame came from his successful command during the Battle of Valmy in 1792. Kellermann saw service in reserve armies during the Napoleonic Wars, organizing and training troops. In fact, the far more interesting character is his son, the “marshal-that-never-was.”
The son, François-Etienne de Kellermann, was among the major figures in the Napoleonic French cavalry, perhaps the most able of them all. He saved the day at Marengo in 1800, one of Napoleon's rare blunders, with a perfectly timed cavalry counter-attack, allowing the battle to be “lost in the morning, won in the evening”. Controversy began when Napoleon bestowed the honor of winning this battle on the infantry commander (who died in combat). A peeved Kellermann wrote about this in private letters, which were duly intercepted and later shown to Napoleon. Historians attribute this faux pas to Kellermann “the Younger” never receiving the marshal’s baton.
However, the Kellermann son continued to serve with distinction in most of the major battles that came to characterize the Napoleonic Wars, including Austerlitz and Vimerio, during the Spanish campaign and at the very end of Napoleon’s reign at Waterloo. Kellermann’s final “charge” saw him in the lead of Ney’s cavalry attacks against the British squares, where after repeated, unsuccessful attempts to break the lines, he was wounded. After the war, Kellermann’s reputation as an exceptional commander was further tarnished by his looting prowess, widely known, with even Napoleon reproaching him for his thieving habits during the First Empire.
Milestone KELLERMANN features
So, what can you expect from KELLERMANN?
- The new map editor. Read more about it in last week’s DevBlog.
- The new map TENSION Previewed here!
- Two “new” map 10v10 variants of ROCKS, including Destruction and Conquest modes.
- Veterancy rework. Explained in this DevBlog.
- First divisional rework. Part of our house cleaning effort. Check out the details here.
- False Flag trait and new civilian 3D models. Talked about in this DevBlog.
Until next week
That’s it for the new Alfa milestone.
Let us know what you think!
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See you on the battlefield, commander!
