Headquarters: World War II

[Asid]

Ardennes DLC is coming soon
7 Nov 2024



The second DLC for Headquarters: World War II is landing soon

Get ready for the ultimate winter warfare experience with the second DLC for Headquarters: World War II ? "Ardennes". This exciting expansion takes players into the heart of one of WWII?s most intense and pivotal battles, offering new campaigns, fresh units, and enhanced tactical depth.

Experience two brand-new campaigns
Prepare for the clash of titans with two gripping new campaigns ? one for Germany and one for the United States. Battle through 16 thrilling encounters set against the backdrop of the icy Ardennes forest, where every decision could make the difference between victory and defeat.

Play as both sides in a thrilling narrative
Take command of both German and US forces as the narrative switches perspectives, giving you the chance to experience the Battle of the Bulge from both sides. First, lead the German offensive through the harsh, snow-covered Ardennes, and then shift gears to orchestrate the Allied counteroffensive. Relive key historical moments in this dramatic retelling of one of WWII?s most brutal confrontations.

Prepare for an unforgettable winter campaign, where your battlefield tactics are just as important as your army management skills.
Headquarters: World War II ? Ardennes will be available soon.

[Asid]

Headquarters: World War II - New Open Beta
Wed, 11 December 2024



Attention, Commanders!
We?re excited to announce that, starting today, you can opt into our open beta.

We have dedicated our efforts to refining this update, with a strong focus on enhancing AI capabilities and multiplayer games stability.
We?re particularly interested in feedback on any areas you find unclear and hear your thoughts.
Thank you for your support and engagement.

Version 1.01.02

AI improvements:
    - Introduced a new AI purchasing algorithm in skirmish and multiplayer. Now AI should be more efficient in the way it selects new units to acquire.
    - AI now moves all units before deploying new ones. This way it cannot block its own units? movement with the newly deployed units that cannot move this turn.

Fixes:
    - Fixed a very common crash in PBEM multiplayer. UE4Editor_UEBA!TBattlefieldScreenForm::OnStateChangedUpdateSelectedObject() [c:\home\baroot\battleacademy\view\tbattlefieldscreenform.cpp:658]
    - Fixed the animation lags during the AI turn.
    - Fixed crash with unit customization that happened if you delete the Preset you are using and then press the ?Change preset? button.
    - Fixed crash that occurred when selecting the lowest save file in the list using Gamepad controls
    - Fixed crash when that could occur when skipping unit animations using Gamepad controls.
    - Fixed issue with user-created maps that have the same map name - they will all have the same minimap from the first map with that map name. Now, the minimaps are correct.
    - Fixed localization for the version control notifications.
    - Fixed a rare bug that allowed AI to deploy a unit on the player?s HQ flag once after the player captured the AI player?s HQ flag playing with the same countries.

[Asid]

Dev log #1 - Winter warfare is coming in Ardennes DLC
Fri, 13 December 2024



Hello!
It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the new Dev log entry. This time we will look at how our team worked on changing the game look from the Normandy summer to the Ardennes winter.

NEW LOOK
Despite the Battle of the Bulge starting in mid-December, the weather was actually snowless in the first few days of the German offensive - so, it looked like a very late autumn rather than winter. You can see that in the first few maps of the German campaign, so do not be confused, as we based the weather in those missions on the historical accounts of the German advance.


After the first few days though, a heavy snow started, completely transforming the battlefields. We reflected that in the later portion of the German campaign and the entire US campaign (as it starts later). We now have houses, cars, terrain, you name it, all covered in snow.


Such changes in weather call for changes in uniform, camouflage, and tactics. The vehicles and infantry need to blend in with the snowy terrain, while the winter uniforms help the soldiers keep themselves warm.


NEW TERRAIN TYPES - MUD, DEEP SNOW and ICE
Ardennes DLC features new terrain types, namely - mud, deep snow, and ice. The mud comes in the mid-December portion of the campaign, where there was no snow historically, and it was closer to late autumn in terms of weather, so you can see muddy roads slowing your advance.


Yet, once the snow came it was aplenty. Now, there is deep snow that makes it hard to move both infantry units and vehicles, but at the same time offers some extra cover and camouflage. It also looks mesmerising when vehicles move through it, have a look:


The rivers are half-frozen, and you can find some places where the ice on the river is strong enough to allow your troops to make an improvised river crossing.


WINTER UNIFORMS
We have to keep the infantry warm in the frosty winter, so we also created a new set of models for all infantry units to accurately replicate the winter uniforms and equipment.

Here are some of the US troops:


And here are some of the Germans:


WINTER CAMOUFLAGE
Last but not least, there are new camouflage patterns and presets incoming to allow you to customize your units? camo for the winter battles to come:








Stay tuned to learn more about all the new unit models that will be available in the Ardennes DLC.

P.S. We are actively working on AI improvements and Multiplayer stability, and we invite you to join the open beta branch of Headquarters: World War II on Steam if you want to be the first to check out all the newest updates even before they are delivered to the general audience. Right now, we are delivering the first in a series of updates aimed at improving the AI in skirmish and multiplayer battles.

We listen to your feedback and we are working on improving the game according to it. We will keep you updated on our progress.

How to join (No password required):

   - Open your Steam Library.
   - Right-click the game and select "Properties".
   - Go to the "Betas" tab.
   - Select the "beta - Open Beta" branch from the dropdown menu.
   - Update the game and start testing

See you next time!

[Asid]

v1.02.00 ? 18th February 2025
Tue, 18 February 2025



Change Log

Thank you for playing Headquarters: World War II! We are always looking for ways to improve your gaming experience.


New content:
? Added Ardennes DLC German campaign
? Added Ardennes DLC USA campaign
? Added DLC units
o German units: Jagdpanzer IV, Panzerwerfer 42, Wirbelwind
o USA units: M36 Jackson, M24 Chaffee, 76 mm gun M5, M26 Pershing, T26Е1 Super
Pershing
o UK units: Comet, M24 Chaffee, Sherman Firefly Tulip, Centurion
? Added winter camouflage options for unit customization
? Added winter environment in the DLC campaigns. (Including new terrain types - Mud, Deep snow,
and Ice)

New feature:
? Mortar infantry, towed artillery, and self-propelled artillery units have gained a new active ability,
and now have a new button on Action?s panel - ?Smoke Shell?. So, now you can deploy Smoke
screen not only via HQ skill, but also with Artillery and Mortar units. (Artillery covers a 3x3 area
and has 5 turns cooldown, while Mortars cover a 1x1 area and have 3 turns cooldown).

Fixes:
? Fixed a crash that could happen during the Dive bomber attack.
? Fixed the DLC units' availability in Multiplayer games. Before, the availability of DLC units was
determined by the player creating the multiplayer game - if the player had DLC - all players in that
game would have DLC units, including the game creator if he later switched off the DLC. Now, the
DLC units availability depends on every player individually and DLC units can be switched on/off
in the middle of a multiplayer game - if they are switched off (DLC disabled on Steam, for
example), then the player keeps existing units, but cannot acquire new DLC unis until the DLC is
enabled again.
? Fixed a multiplayer crash that could happen at the end of a match against AI.
? Fixed a UI issue - unit information would remain displayed after the unit had been deselected.
? Fixed the crew size of Sd.Kfz. 251/2. It was 4, instead of 3. Now it is 3, the same as all similar
APCs.
? Fixed bug that led to bunkers bonuses to Cover and Defence deteriorating if they have been
shelled extensively. It worked similarly to buildings deterioration, despite no visual indications.
Now, they provide the same defensive bonuses regardless of the damage they sustain.

Balance changes:
? Reduced the AP Attack for APCs with machine guns from 15 to 4, Now, it is the same as the
Machine gun infantry unit in terms of AP Attack, but has less HE Attack. (As the Infantry unit has 2
MGs and can better position and aim those.
? The move points cost of moving through a Sand terrain has been changed. For Wheeled units
increased from 1 to 2, and for Off-Road units increased from 1 to 1.5.
? The Flamethrower unit?s HE attack was increased from 80 to 90.
? The Panzer III(Fl) - German flamethrower tank - now has a longer Attack range (Increased from 3
to 4).
? Big changes in unit costs for most units. The general idea was to bring down the cost of most
vehicles and tanks while keeping high costs for artillery and mortar units. The goal is to allow
more active usage of tanks and other vehicles in multiplayer and skirmish games while making
artillery and mortar units more expensive and less cost-efficient.

The cost was reduced for the following unit classes:
o Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) - a 33% decrease
o Armored Car - a 50% decrease
o Assault Gun - a 60% decrease
o Flamethrower Infantry - a 25% decrease
o Light Tank - a 50% decrease
o Medium Tank - a 50% decrease
o Heavy Tank - a 50% decrease
o Machine Gun Infantry - a 20% decrease
o Anti-tank Infantry - a 20% decrease
o Self-Propelled Anti-Air - a 50% decrease
o Self-Propelled Anti-Tank - a 60% decrease

The cost was increased for the following unit classes:
o Mortar Infantry - more than 20% increase*
o Towed Artillery - more than 15% increase*
o Self-Propelled Artillery - slight increase*
*part of the cost increase is attributed to these units now having a new ability - Smoke Shell

[MrsWargamer]

I was pumped to get this one, but what the game said about my computer was just rude

So unless I invest in a video card upgrade, it isn't happening for me

It's not the only game that has done that to me as well recently.

[Asid]

I was pumped to get this one, but what the game said about my computer was just rude

 

[Asid]

I was pumped to get this one, but what the game said about my computer was just rude

So unless I invest in a video card upgrade, it isn't happening for me

What are your system specs?

[MrsWargamer]

I have a Lenovo corei7 laptop no video card Running Windows 10
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM CPU @ 2.00GHz   2.00 GHz
8 Gigs of ram

Once upon a time I was ok talking tech, but that was about 20 years ago too