Hello commander!
We are back again! In today’s DevBlog, we are going to take a good look at an eagerly awaited major feature of WARNO: the strategic turn-based Army General mode!
Keep reading to find out more about WARNO’s hypothetical World War III scenario, focused on the battlefields of West Germany’s CENTAG theatre.
A new kind of warfare
Before we continue with our Army General preview, please keep in mind that all the following is still very much work in progress. Our new strategic campaign mode, especially some visuals, is not final and subject to change. Don’t forget this when commenting or interacting with other players - as some of you can do so well and passionately. More details will come in the future!
Now, what is this new-fangled Army General campaign? Steel Division 2 fans should be knowledgeable of this strategic mode, but for you unaware, here are some basics.
Army General contains various turn-based wargame campaigns, playable in single-player, versus, or cooperatively. You’ll play on massive maps with a host of different formations and units, simulating a particular offensive or large-scale operation. We used the historical order of battles, with each division portrayed as they were in 1989, including corps or army assets. These orders of battle (formational structures) will be realistic and accurate down to the platoon level. In comparison, Steel Division 2 only went down to the company level.
Each Army General map will range from 75 square kilometers to 150 square kilometers, covering real-life areas of Cold War-era Germany. The maximum size will be the same as the biggest map featured in Steel Division 2, but WARNO’s maps will actually be 33% bigger thanks to the level of detail and playable hexes. Each “pawn” on the map will either be a battalion or battalion-strength battlegroup. The stats of each pawn depends on its type, so think armored, mechanized, or motorized infantry, airborne, helicopter, artillery, recon, etc., and of course, considering their historical table of organization and equipment.
Army General in action
How does a turn-based Army General campaign work? Each turn can represent half a day or a period of time; within a turn, you can move your pawns, attack the enemy, order artillery bombardments, air strikes, and reinforcements.
Each pawn has several action points they spend on movement and combat. Depending on the terrain (semi-urban, plain, forest, etc.), you spend more or less action points. Of course, you should also consider what kind of unit the pawn is; a helicopter group might not need to worry about a dense forest, while an armored unit would need to spend more time and effort crossing the trees.
If two opposing pawns come into battle, you can either auto-resolve it (saving you time) or go tactical. The latter option will start a random map, with a selection of nearby battalions able to join in, depending on the combat parameters such as distance, remaining action points, and status. When you choose to resolve the battle tactically as its commander, you can also assign the AI to control some or the majority of the battalions.
The result (and losses) of the battle will be permanent. Of course, there will be fresh battalions that can be brought in as reinforcements, but you need to conserve your forces over multiple turns.
WARNO and Army General mode
Warno will ship with four separate Army General campaigns at release, detailing various aspects of our World War III war scenario. We can’t go into too much detail yet, but one of them will feature the commonly held and frequently discussed hypothetical Fulda gap offensive. This campaign will see the Soviet 8th Guards’ spearhead breaking through the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment’s defensive lines, with the latter holding on for as long as possible as NATO reserves assemble in the rear.
To reiterate, each Army General campaign will be playable on both sides, NATO and Warsaw Pact. Each campaign will also be playable versus the AI (single-player), cooperatively against the AI, or versus (online multiplayer). Each campaign will cover a specific sector or war scenario, with its own briefing, intro video, setting, units, and formations, etc.
See you on the battlefield
That’s all for today. We’ll be back next week. Until then, we bid you adieu.
Join the passionate WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get to together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, [url=]YouTube[/url] or our Instagram.
And as always: see you on the battlefield, commander!
