Greetings, commanders!

We hope you enjoyed our previous devlog about graphical improvements in the GEM RTS graphic engine used in Men of War II. Today, we are publishing the final article on this subject; there will be more devlogs coming in the following weeks, but these will cover other, equally (for some maybe even more) exciting topics - focusing on gameplay features, available content and game modes, as well as modding. But now make yourself comfortable and let’s dive right in this intriguing new brief - and an enticing offer for you at the end too!

Multithreading and 64-bit support

First and foremost, let's reiterate something we've mentioned before: thanks to GEM RTS, we've transitioned from single-threaded technology to full-fledged multithreading and 64-bit processing. The game engine’s multithreaded architecture allows us to utilize the capabilities of all modern CPUs to the fullest, increasing the overall frame rate and easing the load on your computers. Implementing both wasn't easy, but our team pulled it off.

Native 4K and DirectX 11 support

We've successfully incorporated support for high-resolution textures - up to 4K into the engine - as well as implementing and testing ultra-wide resolution support (up to 21:9), rebuilding all available game interface elements and the built-in mod editor. We've also added full DirectX 11 support. Thanks to that, the game now supports various smoothing models (SSAO, etc.), PBR, HDR, and much more, as discussed in previous devlogs. The series' hallmark of being able to destroy any building, object, and much more to its foundation of course remains in the game - and looks better than ever!

Material Editor

The Men of War II built-in editor now includes dedicated tools for the creation and customization of materials, taking visual content creation to a whole new level. The updated and improved toolkit allows modders to prepare any new materials they can think of, and directly integrate them into the game, with their visual quality depending only on your PC’s technical capabilities and the modders’ use of the built-in lighting models (Phong and PBR).

Now, you can work in real-time with both old materials with their limited capabilities as well as the new, more advanced ones, and change them as needed. For example, in the screenshot below, you can see one layer already working with PBR while the other layer still uses the old material (diffuse + bump + specular).


Linux and Steam Deck Support

Men of War II will receive full Linux support through cross-platform libraries (SDL2, OpenAL Soft, etc.), simplifying the game's operation across different system shells. This has also allowed us to fully adapt the game for the Steam Deck portable console. Now, you can continue the battle even while commuting to work or traveling anywhere else.



Server Architecture Support and Persistent Reconnect

Over the course of Men of War II’s development, our team has completely transitioned the game to new server architecture, making multiplayer matches a much more convenient experience for players. Now, you won't be impeded by players with weaker computers or unstable internet connections; the game will choose the best host for the match - and automatically reconnect to the server in case of any issues, allowing you to return to battle immediately without losing control of your troops. Also, if a player disconnects and is not able to come back, that doesn’t necessarily ruin the match for others; their units will simply become controlled by AI. And that's not to mention the support for dedicated servers, built-in tournaments and leagues, fully customizable lobbies, personal ratings, and separate statistics for all past battles.

Updated Sound Engine and Unit Voices

After conducting the last open beta test and receiving numerous user requests, we decided to record various new “shouts” for all available units in the game - now all commanders will have a truly new, unique experience playing Men of War II. Each of the available nations will now sound new and fresh, not to mention many other improvements we've managed to implement into the GEM RTS’ audio engine. For example, support for panoramic 3D sound has been added, for a more immersive experience and overall richer, more realistic and pleasant sounds. Modders can fine-tune many features in their creations too, including ambient nature sounds, stun effects from nearby detonating shells, and much more.

Steam Workshop and Mod Support

As mentioned, the game will fully support various modifications through the new and improved built-in editor, and Men of War II’s full integration into the Steam Workshop. Create, experiment, upload, and share your mods with thousands of other users without problems or hurdles!

[previewyoutube=pYFcRgpR7mQ;full][/previewyoutube]
Mission Editor Enhancements

To implement more complex multiplayer tasks in terms of content, we've added unique technology to GEM RTS that can divide all components into particular layers, making it easier to combine multiple files with units and triggers when launched in the editor. These layers can be reused between your missions, and if you edit the layer, it will change for all missions where it is used - this now makes the editor much more convenient to work with and allows a modular approach to building missions and campaigns. For example, you can embed custom music as a separate file and connect it as a separate layer in the desired mission, creating individual soundtracks for your missions. This is not to mention other improvements, including a significant expansion of the overall functionality of built-in commands, which will help build more complex relationships between different actions of specific units. Any mod creator can now further animate their units, connecting the same patrol or enemy search mode without hassle.

However, we don't plan to stop here and will continue to tell you about further improvements in gameplay and other aspects of Men of War II in future articles. Speaking of which, we have mentioned an enticing new opportunity for you in the intro to this article. So here it is!

Join the Champions Program for Closed Beta!

Since preparing and maintaining full public playtests is a very time and labor intensive endeavor, we are not planning any more open betas at this point. However, we will be running a long-term closed test! If you want to take part and help us with final polishing and bug fixing of the game, contact champions@fulqrumpublishing.com or enquire on the Discord server to join Fulqrum Publishing’s Champions program!

And don’t forget to add the game to your wishlist to stay updated with the latest project news - we'll see you on the battlefield, commanders!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1128860/Men_of_War_II/