Good day, commanders!
We've been conducting our development mission under strict radio silence for a while, but it's time to share new details about Men of War II and discuss the many improvements and enhancements we’ve made since the last Open Beta in November. We want to thank everyone who participated once again, because your feedback, suggestions, and really all of your comments and messages were an invaluable resource, even if their analysis and overall processing took us a bit longer than we initially expected.
Your unwavering interest and constant feedback on Men of War II once again proves to us that we're moving in the right direction, adding to the game what you as the players told us you want to see in the continuation of this famous series; and we want to assure you that moving forward, we'll be more open and transparent in our communication prior to, as well as after, the game's release.
We are starting this new approach now before the launch - we want to share a lot of new details about the most noticeable changes that have been made since the last Open Beta.
Gameplay
Change in artillery balance
After carefully studying all your feedback, we've come to the conclusion that it's necessary to significantly reduce the overall accuracy of artillery against moving targets so that a few howitzers cannot destroy everything within their field of view on the battlefield. However, this won't affect the overall effectiveness of these units against stationary targets, so be cautious and move your units with plenty of time to avoid being caught in a heavy artillery barrage.
We've also removed the bonus that players received for accurate hits on stationary artillery pieces, so that future duels between two artillerymen don't end too quickly, after just a couple of shots. Artillerymen will have to fight more persistently against each other rather than hunting down lone tanks or scattered infantry across the map.
Saboteurs
Previously, sabotage squads had certain features during combat that some players might have considered unfair and inappropriate. For example, it was possible to take a rocket launcher and shoot from it as if a suppressor were attached, making it a stealthy weapon.
Now, you won't be able to do that. Moreover, using damaging (anti-tank or anti-infantry) grenades by such sneaky units will further reveal their position on the map; this effect is stronger than just the usual penalty based on their noise. Blowing up grenades behind enemy lines is not exactly a stealthy approach.
New Unit Abilities
During the time that has passed since the last test, we have managed to introduce numerous small changes to unit abilities. There really are too many to list here, so we will only mention those that we believe are the most interesting. For example, all self-propelled artillery guns can now have their crew dig trenches to conceal their silhouette from enemy projectiles.
Other notable changes include a new approach to the self-propelled mine "Goliath" — from now on, detonating an enemy tank with it will be much easier. The artificial intelligence of the air defense systems has also been significantly improved, and now it can easily distinguish between transport planes and combat aircraft, opening fire primarily on the latter and then on the defenseless transports. The ability to capture territory using the LVT-4 amphibious landing vehicle has been added, making it easier to devise a strategy with amphibious tanks. Many other minor details, which could fill an entire separate article have also been implemented.
Fixing and Closing Vulnerabilities in Gameplay
During the last open beta test, our team noticed some vulnerabilities to exploits in gameplay that could provide certain players with unfair advantage on the battlefield. For example, soldiers could immediately abandon the German Nebelwerfer 41 rocket artillery after firing, and the equipment itself would disappear from the view of other players. Now, this won't be possible anymore, as abandoned equipment retains its noise level. We also took care of other such "advantages," making them part of the history.
Changes in General Unit Balance
We have also received plenty of data on how we should adjust the overall balance of units. We put in a lot of work to ensure that all available battalions feel equally effective and useful to their teams. For example, the KV-2 is now more accurate in close combat but less accurate at a distance. The super-heavy T95 tank has received an increase in rate of fire, and remote mines placed by sappers and saboteurs now deploy faster and are indicated by icons on the mini-map. We have much more, but we will share further details about these changes later.
"Classic" Multiplayer
Choice of Battle Size in Matchmaking
Now you will be able to choose your preferred team size: 1v1, 2v2, 3v3.
Spawn Points for Reinforcements Moved Away from the Main Front Line
Players will no longer be able to summon troops directly into the heart of a fierce battle or in the way of an enemy's advance.
Changes in AI-Controlled Defensive Forces
We have changed the concentration and quantity of AI-controlled defensive forces to improve the overall dynamics of battles. However, there will be enough of them to prevent the complete destruction of any player's new units summoned to the battlefield.
General Changes in Multiplayer Balance
We expanded the range of units in tabs and added more units that are only available for special points. Some of them include:
- USSR: ZSU-37, T-28E, T-34E, KV-1E, KV-2, ISU-122, IS-3, 29K, D-1.
- Third Reich: self-propelled mine "Goliath," Hetzer, Brummbär, Ferdinand, Sturmtiger, PaK. 36(r), Sk. 18
- USA: T28/T95.
Additionally, we reduced the timers for the spawning of new units so that players spend less time waiting for reinforcements and can participate more in battles.
Additional Lobby Options for Unit-Specific Matches
Especially for the "classic" multiplayer mode, additional options have been added for limiting matches to specific unit types directly in the lobby (as in original Men of War):
- "Infantry Only," "Tanks Only," "No Artillery," "No Timers," "Test Mode" (players will have access to many points to call reinforcements right from the start of the match), and "No Air Strikes" (for those who don't like being punished from the sky).
Changes in the "Realistic" Battle Settings
Vulnerability of Medium Armor to High-Explosive Fragmentation Rounds
Armor plates 40-60 mm thick have become less resistant to shock waves. Now it's easier to hit targets with medium armor using anti-tank grenades and shock waves from close-range explosions of large high-explosive shells. For example, a high-explosive shell shot into the side of a tank's turret can now penetrate the thin roof of the hull.
Broken-down Vehicles Easier to Spot on the Map
Now, after the destruction of the hull of enemy equipment, the damaged unit itself will remain within your field of view until it is repaired.
Reworked Vehicle Damage System
In the release version of the game, you will see a more detailed and realistic vehicle damage system, especially in the "realistic" game mode. Our team has worked hard to make battles look more spectacular and realistic.
Global Changes in Various Fortifications
Much of the feedback we received suggested that we should tweak the functionality of fortifications, specifically their defensive capabilities. We decided to expand the toolkit for their destruction and suppression for those who chose to hold positions on the front line. Now trenches and shelters are easier to destroy, although it still won't be an easy task — only skillful use of the updated tools for assault and special squads will yield the desired result.
General Graphics Improvement
We are adding the PBR (Physically Based Rendering) technology to Men of War II, allowing for more realistic rendering of game objects in terms of geometry and physics. We will try to delve deeper into this topic in future posts.
Updated Water and Aquatic Spaces
We managed to implement special improvements into our graphics engine related to all bodies of water: from small streams to lakes and much more. Now players will be able to see their bottom, observe more realistic waves, and overall water movement.
SMAA
To ensure that all commanders have the best-possible Men of War II experience, our team implemented a new SMAA Anti-Aliasing option (Subpixel Morphological Antialiasing) into our GEM RTS graphics engine. As a result, the overall image will look even better, even with high-quality settings on lower-end graphics cards.
Fixes and Enhancements
Fixed incorrect shadow rendering and global lighting. Additionally, we have improved overall stability and increased the frame rate, especially on maps with a high density of objects, including houses.
New Lobby Settings
Expanded Battle Settings
We have expanded the standard match settings, providing separate access to the following parameters:
- Time limit for the battle in minutes.
- The amount of victory points required to win.
- For "classic" modes, you can change the preset budget, which will affect players' team points, income, timers, and unit filters.
Autobalance
Now the lobby host can balance the team compositions with the click of a button. Our internal autobalance algorithm in the lobby is similar to the one set in matchmaking.
Server Selection
Now you can choose a more convenient server for you in the lobby settings before starting the match. Both remote servers and a local server that will run directly on your device (no problematic P2P connections) will be available for selection.
Automatic Host Selection
If you are not sure that the lobby host can provide stable connections to all players simultaneously, but you don't want to change anything manually, our internal system can automatically select the optimal host from all players in the lobby, with the lowest ping.
Creating Private Lobbies
When creating a lobby, you can now select whether to make it public, set a password, or make it completely private. This feature will allow you to avoid meeting unwanted guests for those who want to play in a close circle of friends.
Mini-map
The mini-map is now displayed not only during battles but also in the lobby for general convenience and preliminary examination before the match.
Ping
Players' ping is displayed within the lobby. You can expect approximately the same ping during the battle as well.
Various Combat Interface Improvements
Improved photo mode
We have improved and enhanced the built-in photo mode, which will now disable not only the main interface elements but also all other markers, additional pointers, glowing outlines, and much more, so you can create memorable images without unnecessary clutter, and feel like a true front-line photographer.
Additional settings for unit status icons
We have added separate interface settings that will help you more finely tune all available unit icons, various outlines, self-illumination, reducing or increasing the amount of information displayed during battles.
Redesigned end-of-battle screen
Depending on the nation you have chosen (USA, USSR, Third Reich) and the outcome of the battle, you will see different special images indicating the match's result.
Main Menu Interface
Tab with Multiplayer Mode Statistics
We have added a separate button to view multiplayer statistics in the "Multiplayer" tab.
Changes to the General Battle Results List
We have redesigned the battle results window for easier examination.
Separate Tab with Battle Results in Story Campaigns
For each story campaign, there is now a separate tab with battle results — your results from different modes will no longer be mixed together.
General Improvement of the "Unit Encyclopedia"
Now all units in the encyclopedia are displayed very quickly and without any delays.
Tips for Unaccounted Battles
During the last round of beta testing, some players' victories or defeats in battles were not reflected in their statistics, without an apparent reason. We have added specific explanations for each battle after the match ends to give you a better understanding of why it was not counted in the overall statistics.
Game Tips during Matchmaking and Loading Screens
We understand that the most tedious part of the game is the suspense before another battle, when players are connecting and maps loading. To make these moments more interesting, we have added various helpful game tips to loading screens, which will help refresh the memory of experienced series’ fans and prepare the newcomers for battle.
Renamed Tabs in the Multiplayer Mode Interface
During the last beta testing, we received many messages that the content of tabs in the multiplayer mode did not quite meet players' expectations. Together with our internal testers, we have chosen more suitable labels that should appeal to our fans and describe the individual modes much more clearly.
Overall Stability and Performance
Faster Matchmaking and Loading
We have improved the overall stability of the internet connection with multiplayer game modes and fixed lags and delays that some players may have experienced during the last open beta testing. No more long waits, commanders; you can jump straight into battle.
P.S. We are actively preparing for the game's release, striving to polish the game to its best state, fixing various errors and bugs. And we will have much more to tell and show you about the innovations we have been working on... But for now, take a look at the screenshot below, showing one of our updated maps. Do you recognize it?
