Hey there!
With plenty of nice things cooking in Eugen’s kitchen, we decided that today’s post would be a good time to highlight some gameplay changes coming to Steel Division 2.
Informed by you, the community, we wanted to put a handle on the latest Steel Division 2 meta and address some of your recent concerns and suggestions.
Mind you, the following points have been talked about previously in the Community Q&A with Creative Director Alexis Le Dressay and Lead Game Designer Matthieu Brevet and hosted by the ever-awesome VulcanHDGaming.
The community speaks, we listen
So, what’s in store for Steel Division 2? Let’s take a look at three key gameplay areas we want to update, including tank combat, reconnaissance mechanics, and massed infantry.
Tank combat
We have read some players mentioning strange armored combat encounters with rather unexpected or unrealistic results, such as a T-70 trumping a Panther at extreme range. That’s why we are reworking some of the underlying gun penetration and range game mechanics.
First off, we will update the penetration mechanics to be closer to reality. In the current iteration, a tank has a slight chance of penetrating an opponent’s armor above the displayed penetration value. This was intended to represent the remote possibility of hitting a weak point in the enemy’s armor (a hatch, weld-line, etc.).
This new update to the penetration mechanics goes hand in hand with an overhaul of the Effective Shot stance, which becomes a RO&E you will be able to switch on or off individually per unit.
Second, the generic 2000m ranges will give way to more realistic and varied maximum ranges. Only our heavier tank and anti-tank guns (say 85mm and above) keep the ability to fire and hit at extreme range. Other guns will fire at shorter ranges, which depends on their caliber and type. With the above update, medium tanks need to close in on heavy tanks in order to engage them successfully.
You might think this sounds like a lopsided nerf but take into account that as the medium tank needs to get closer to its target, it will pack much more punch when it does fire (much more than attacking a target at extreme ranges).
Reconnaissance rework
A recurring comment is that reconnaissance in Steel Division 2 feels lackluster. We want to change this.
We’ve been running some tests with the awesome members of the Strike Team and we have come up with a potential solution to make recon units more viable. Essentially, the larger a unit, the more visible it will be on the battlefield. Not only that: the more armor, the less vision it will have.
A fully enclosed armored vehicle won’t always be able to see at max range when left to its own devices. That’s when more nimble recon units come in to play, to act as spotters to your heavies, allowing them to fire at the enemy further away.
A small anti-tank gun hiding in a forest will see a tank coming from much further away. The same for lighter vehicles, such as recon armored cars, which in the updated reconnaissance system will find more use as flanking sneak attacks.
Mass infantry
According to the community, the current meta is focused too heavily on massed infantry. With the Strike Team, we’ve been testing some buffs to machine guns (both as infantry weapons, including LMGs and HMGs, as well as vehicle-mounted guns).
When under fire from these weapons, attacking crowds of soldiers will be forced to duck their heads and seek cover more quickly. This should give machine guns and older light or medium tanks a second life on the battlefield, giving them a chance to be more effective at combatting a massed infantry assault.
Coming up next
Our first Nemesis DLC is FREE and available now. Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead features the 16. Panzerdivision versus the 97th Guards Rifle Division. Check it out!
Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead
Besides - as you know - we are working hard to ship our next Nemesis DLC to you. You can read all about the latest details of Nemesis: Lvov Offensive in this in-depth post here.
We are also still testing the new urban map. We hope to share some news with you soon!
We are always interested in hearing what you think. Drop us a line on our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our social channels (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.
See you on the battlefield!